Nikon One-Touch 35mm AF Camera - Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400

Last October I picked up a vintage camera for $2.00 at a local thrift store. I had no intention of using it other than as a prop for my Lydia Deetz Halloween costume. But I became interested after doing some research on this camera - Nikon One Touch L35AF II - one of Nikon's early automatic cameras. It had some visible wear, but everything seemed to work and here's the best photos from our first roll of film. The latest photos are at the top and the oldest are at the bottom of this post. You might notice we started taking photos last autumn and just finished the roll this May. Over time, I came to refer to this 80s point-and-shoot as "my heavy plastic brick."

We used Walgreens' photo services. They don't give you negatives, but they do provide a photo CD and single prints for about $16.00. We were really just curious if this camera was working. I plan on shooting more film with this camera. We used Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400.

If you're interested in picking up a hobby like this, I've come across a lot of decent point-and-shoot cameras (90s-00s era) in thrift stores for only a few dollars. You can find tutorials for loading film and other details online.

Happy shooting!

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Anna and Steve's All Hallows Eve 2017

When we were invited to a horror-themed Halloween party, Steven knew right away he wanted to be Ghostface from the Scream Movies. It took me a bit longer to settle on Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice, but the fact that she shoots Nikon settled it for me. Steven is a big fan of horror movies, while I prefer suspense or horror with a large side of comedy or romance. I only saw Beetlejuice for the first time last year, and instantly fell in love with it's uniqueness. Steven ordered his costume from Amazon, and I gathered all the bits of my costume from various thrift stores. 

The Nikon L35AF2 was a find I picked up for $2. This 80s plastic brick has a good lens and a reputation for sharp photos, so I've been attempting to shot some film for the first time in a few years. The Handbook for the Recently Deceased was created by painting an old book and decoupaging a printout on the front.

We both had a great time at the party and enjoyed array of creative costumes that night. Everyone from Voldemort to Chuckie was there. Tomorrow night we plan to stay home, watch a movie - maybe Beetlejuice again - and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. I hope you have a Happy and Festive Halloween!

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Autumn Through My Lens

After some saving, we purchased the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G on Labor Day. It instantly became my favorite lens. It's amazing for low-lighting situations. I've really enjoyed shooting indoors - which is good, considering all the rain that's keeping us inside. It's an ideal lens for full-body portraits too - especially if you like minimal distortion and nice, blurry backgrounds. The last three posts were shot with this lens exclusively, and I especially like how the last one turned out. Of course, I can't get as close as I could when using the AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED, which came with our camera. I haven't missed that much, though.

Do you have a favorite lens? Or do you enjoy shooting with a simpler point-and-shoot camera? (I did for years)! My mom takes amazing photos on her phone - I don't know how she does it!

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Storm Warning

These are a throwback to early spring of 2014 - taken on a a disposable camera, 400 speed film. I didn't really like them, though, until recently when I processed them in Photoshop and put them in gray scale. The blurred effects were created by drawling on parts of the disposable camera lens in permanent marker.

These photos bring back good memories of the places where they were taken. The first photo was taken from the top of the old fire tower on Flat Top Mountain in Moses Cone Memorial Park (NC). It's a beautiful place, and a little unnerving when the wind is blowing.

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Summer Evolution

August is one of my favorite months. It's still summer, but less busy than June and July, and there are exciting things to look forward to, like cooler weather and falling leaves. I've enjoyed chasing down and shooting flowers all summer - it's taught me a great deal about my camera. I started off using my point-and-shoot (up until the 6th photo), and then switched to my DSLR exclusively. These are some of my August favorites, presented here in chronological order starting on August 3, and ending yesterday.

Have you been learning anything new and fun this month?

Also, there's still plenty of time to submit your art, writing, comics and photography to Walk With Me Through Autumn, Vol. II. I'd love to hear from you. Also, if you have an idea for a submission, but can't get it in before September 5, I'd still love to hear it.

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