Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, Indiana mayor and 2020 presidential candidate) held an event today at Green Square Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Pete spoke to a sizable crowd, then he led everyone on a short march to the U.S. Cellular Center where the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual Hall of Fame reception was held. 19 presidential candidates spoke at the reception. You can view a video of their speeches and interviews here.
Pete Buttigieg in Cedar Rapids Read More »
A few weeks ago Crystal City was in Des Moines shooting a video to promote their upcoming record, Three-Dimensionality. They asked me to come along and capture the process behind the scenes. This is the second time I’ve had the opportunity to work with them on a video shoot, last time it was for their Driving music video released in 2017.
This time they took to the studio. Working with DEFT, they crafted a truly unique video. The name ‘Three-Dimensionality’ reflects a change in the sound of the band. This is their third full-length release, following Bartenderly (2017) and Change (2014). The sound is more complex, thanks in part to the wide range of players that helped make it a reality. That complexity and depth is represented visually in the video.
I’m glad to have been a part of it, check out the behind the scenes!
Vinyl release show at The Mill May 18th.
Album reviews by Little Village and IPR.
Crystal City: Three-Dimensionality Read More »
Last month we had a bit of a “warm” spell around here and after a long winter it was nice to get few days above freezing. The swing from subzero to mid 30s meant one thing: heavy fog. Seemed like a good excuse to get out of the house and do some street shooting!
Sticking to my film challenge, I reached for the Nikon N2020. For the lens I grabbed my 35mm f/2D. This lens has been my favorite for doing stuff like this. I find the field of view works well, it has close focus that borders on macro, and it’s f/2 to boot! My film stash is sparse for color, so my options were limited. I wasn’t quite sure how well the fog would photograph and didn’t want to waste a roll of Ektar. So, I ended up grabbing a roll of expired Fujifilm Superia 400. It’s been expired for a while (5+ years) so I shot it at ISO 100. Superia is a film that usually responds well to over exposure, so I figured with its age, 2 stops would probably be a safe bet.
With the camera loaded, I headed downtown. I have been photographing the downtown district in Cedar Rapids for years, and it’s still my go-to spot when I’m trying something new. The fog gave the day a certain mood. I think the results turned out pretty good!
Expired Film and a Foggy Day Read More »
It was early 2009 and I was looking to challenge myself. I had already been shooting for nearly four years, and my curiosity in film had been steadily growing. I stayed away until then because I didn’t feel I was quite good enough to use it well. But, in 2008 I had grown more competent with both my shooting and editing. I was now shooting in RAW and full manual, something I’m not near as stringent about these days. I figured it was time to give film a try. I started doing research on different models and what features I would need. I ended up deciding that I needed something cheap that used my lenses – I could experiment with that and then make a real investment.
And that’s how I came to the N2020. I was just looking for the best deal I could find on a 35mm Nikon body with auto focus. I found an N2020 with a Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/2.8 (which was the lens I had been wanting to get anyway) for a measly $82. Even at that time, I effectively got the camera for free. I hadn’t been this excited since I got my first DSLR. When the kit came, it was a surreal experience. Having not shot film outside of cheap 110s and the point-and-shoot 35mm Minolta I sometimes borrowed from my mother, this was another world. Even comparing it with the digital camera I had at the time (a Nikon D50) this seemed to have so much more weight. The N2020 had more controls than I was used to, it was the first camera I used that had a dedicated shutter speed dial, or ISO dial, or exposure compensation. After holding it in my hands, I thought it was going to be the tool that would open me up to a brave new world… but I wasn’t ready. In 2009 I ran one roll of film through it. Just one.
I spent hours upon hours researching cameras, but not film, developing, or scanning. The film I got was Kodak Gold 200, and I had it developed and scanned at a local Walgreens that a friend of mine worked at. For the bulk of the roll I shot alongside my D50, testing exposure settings trying to ensure I would get the best results possible. Getting those scans back was one of the most disappointing moments of my life. The colors were dull and muted, the amount of grain reminded me of shooting the D50 at ISO 1600.
That experience left a bad taste in my mouth. At that point I thought, “Ok, I shot film and it’s awful, we can move on now.” The camera went on a shelf, where it stayed until I sold.
About a year later I would revisit shooting film, this time with a trove of knowledge I gleaned from working in a camera store. I shot better film, and had it developed and scanned properly. I finally had that moment I was hoping for – getting scans back from the lab and seeing images that lined up with what I saw in my head when I took the photo.
Fast forward to 2019. I’ve now been shooting film for nine years, and do all of my own developing and scanning. Recently, I started thinking about get a smaller, lighter 35mm Nikon to have when the F5(s) weren’t necessary. I also wanted something a bit more ‘old school’. I thought it would be nice to have a body with a real shutter speed dial and that would let me drive the aperture with the ring on the lens. The first camera I thought of was the predecessor to the F5, the Nikon F4. But, just like in 2009, I wanted a cheaper path to make sure it was something I would use. That’s when it clicked – the N2020.
Much of my photographic journey over the last two and a half years has been going back to older cameras that I used to own and rediscovering why I loved them in the first place. The N2020, though, is a bit different. This is a camera that I never ‘loved’.
This was a camera that represents a transition. It was the first step into a bigger world, just not one I knew how to take at the time. I was never in love with the N2020, but I was in love with the idea of it.
My second experience with the N2020 has been much different. It’s far from a perfect camera, especially the auto focus. That being said, it is a wonderful machine. It’s cheap (this one was $18 shipped) and well built. The best way for me to describe the shooting experience is this: a Nikon F3 with auto film advance and auto focus.
Edit: I’ve since written a full review on the Nikon N2020. You can check that out at the link below.
Interested in buying an N2020 yourself? KEH Camera typically has them in stock for $8, plus shipping. If you buy something through my affiliate links, I may earn a small commission.
Here’s the first roll of film I ran through this one.
Revisiting The Nikon N2020 Read More »
Tulsi Gabbard speaking at a campaign stop in Iowa City at The Mill.
Tulsi Gabbard at The Mill Read More »
