25th November – 7th December 2011
Collingwood Gallery
292 Smith St Collingwood
Monday – Friday 12pm – 6pm
Saturday/Sunday 10am – 6pm

No, it is not a spelling mistake or anything dirty. The exhibition title is a play on words. Digital cameras record images on a digital image sensor. This exhibition features photos taken with analogue (film) cameras, hence the title “Unsensored”.

I will be exhibiting a photo from the roll of film I mentioned in a previous post. I was at the gallery until late last night helping with hanging the exhibited works. It is an eclectic mix of photos and I look forward to the opening tonight.

As usual, my print was rushed at the last minute as I returned from a trip to Colombia less than a fortnight ago.

Hopefully I will find the time soon to post some photos and details of my amazing trip around Colombia.

For some time now I have been considering getting an underwater housing for my Canon 5D MK I dSLR. However, by the time I purchase a housing, lens port, strobes, arms and insurance I would be looking at forking out at least $3500. This is when I decided to keep my eyes open for a Nikonos V.

The first Nikonos camera was designed by JacquesCousteau and produced in France, it was called the Calypso. In 1963 Nikon purchased the design and launched it as the Nikonos. Various revisions were made over the years. Not just used for underwater photography, Nikonos cameras were a popular choice for the military and photo journalists during jungle conflicts such as Vietnam.

As with any camera I purchase on eBay I did not rush things. I kept my eyes open for one that was in good condition and had been recently serviced. Having underwater cameras serviced with fresh 0-rings is very important as the slightest imperfection can result in the camera flooding. I eventually found the one I wanted and purchased it from a seller based in Hollywood. If only this camera could talk, who has owned it before me? Was it used at Hollywood pool parties, or trips down to the Caribbean or Mexico? At a recently photography market here in Melbourne I managed to purchase several sets of spare o-rings. I also met a seller there from Sydney who arranged to have a serviced SB-105 strobe sent to me.

I now have my upcoming trip to Western Australia and Bali, Indonesia to look forward to. I look forward to posting the results here on my return in mid November.

Recently I purchased a beautiful looking 1953 Voigtlander Vito B camera from an Op Shop. I had it serviced in Lima, Peru whilst on holidays there recently. It has been an enjoyable challenge shooting without the aid of any light meters, focusing screen or rangefinder. I have been guessing the aperture, exposure and focal distance resulting in some blurry and/or under exposed shots. Whilst picking up my digital SLR is much more convenient, I occasionally going back to the fundamentals and appreciating the art and science that is photography.

At about 1am the other morning I finally realised that I had a full roll of film and everything necessary to develop it in my bathroom, so I quickly got to work. About half way through I realised it was not as easy as my university days when I had access to a large darkroom, pre-diluted chemistry and temperature controlled taps. About three-quarters of the way through I was convinced that I had probably stuffed it up and would not yield any results from the film. The first few frames unraveled from the reel were absent of images, but then to my surprise images started appearing us I unraveled it further. When I tell people I still shoot film sometimes they look puzzled. They do not understand how much more satisfying it is to unravel a roll from a tank and see developed images as opposed to downloading photos off of a memory card. The physical actions involved in loading the tank, mixing the chemicals, the smell of the chemicals, agitation and hanging the negatives in the shower are a world away from clicking a mouse.

This weekend, I look forward to shooting a few more rolls of Black and White film and processing them in my bathroom. Stay tuned for some more pics.