The Struggle

        Sometimes I find that the problem with photography is that the gear is super expensive, nicer lenses for the average amateur can go from 400$ to 1200$. there are used lenses that can get to about 200$ but sill when you don't have an income and you don't have an allowance (which most high school students shouldn't because parents should teach their kids to make their own money) you don't have the money to spend on camera gear, its just a fact. So you get the kit lens and you use it... but its not the best there is color fringing and its not super sharp, but when it comes to landscapes, you need a short focal length. Which is a bummer for me because I like to shoot landscapes. In the past i have used my 18-55mm kit lens which isn't the best but don't underestimate it, unless you are a professional photographer, you are not going to need a 1200$ lens. I know I would love to have one, but I don't need one. I sometimes even take 8 or so photos depending on how big I want the photo, with my 50mm and stitch it together with Photoshop. And most of the time it works. But I just use what I have and make it look pretty in Photoshop, its all about how you compose the photo, not the gear. 

(I also love to work with sun, especially when it gets to around dusk) 

(Clouds are also wonderful to work with)

Film

        Photography is one of my favorite hobbies because there are so many different ways do achieve taking a picture. Film is my most favorite method, because it is basically taking a full frame camera (35mm equivalent) and exposing it on a very good quality substance, in this case film instead of a sensor like in digital cameras. I got my film cameras from my grandpa, and they are at flea markets and thrift stores everywhere, i have bought multiple cameras and lenses for different purposes, I love to shoot with film, but the only problem is that the scanners that are commercial are not that great , so picture quality is not that great. Which is unfortunate because the pictures are stunning even if you have over or under exposed the photo, also the quality of the lenses that film cameras use is amazing! I bought a 50mm f/1.2 for $30 at a flea market.Its great, I love film so here is some of my work!

(These first four are part of a mini concentration series I did)

My favorite Black and white photos

  I love shooting in black and white, it puts a lot more neutrality in to the photo. It gives a perspective that no one sees but is still 100% what we see; it’s kind of a paradox of some sorts. I love looking at Robert Franks works in the book "The Americans" It’s a wonderful book that mainly works with candid shots of people and the lives of the time period that Frank lived in (around 1958). When he shot it seemed like all he did was walk around and see what people were doing, what they were struggling with, who they were with, or even just people who were sitting and chatting. I usually don't like to shoot people for some abstract reason in the depths of my brain that probably has something to do with how I was raised... in other words , I don’t know why. But as you can see one of the photos does have a dude in it... I was walking down the street in Seattle when I saw him and decided to take two photos, one was off center and the other seemed to look good so I kept it, it turned out to be one of my favorite photos of the summer. That's what I love about photography, it can be done with one photo and you don't need to fill up your memory card with different shots of the same flower, that's not to say that you shouldn't take multiple shots; only that the unexpected can always happen in photography so keep your photos and see what they look like while editing.

 (The photo from Seattle the man was carving I think some sort of instrument, I could be wrong though)

 (This photo was taken on a youth group trip I went on during the spring in Wyoming)

(This photo was taken in an abandoned house that I found a while back, and it was taken through a wall that had been smashed)

 

     (This photo was taken in an art museum, I've wanted to get a tilt shift lens for a while but for now i just edit it in Photoshop to get the blur effect)

About me

        College student, Photographer. Instagram, Twitter, Etc. : @bunsofjam