Last day of 08 - St. Pete & Sick Electric Zip?

Needless to say I didn't get the chance to photograph the girl with the Polaroid tattoos or I would have posted the photos. She realized she had an earlier flight (or at least that's what she told the creepy old guy who wanted to take pictures of her), and she said she would call when she comes back from LA in several months.

I did try one more Holgaroid, HR No. 3, this time outside on the dock using what appears to be the landscape setting on the lens, but this turned out even blurrier than the rest, so I suppose I'll need to set up some kind of measured shot with points of focus at specific intervals to figure out where it is focusing.

Today I took 3 cameras down to St. Petersburg with the intent to get a few last pictures shot in 2008. Big Shot (Polacolor 100 film), Electric Zip (VIVA 125 film) and SX-70 Alpha I SE (600& 779). Got one nice shot off with the EZ but then the shutter wouldn't trip for a second shot. ??? I hope it isn't kaput... It just feels as though the shutter button isn't catching to trip the shutter. I hope I can fix it because that was my favorite camera of the moment.

Shot 2 SX-70 pix of an interesting purple & yellow painted architectural element while waiting for a Mojo Chicken Cuban Sandwich at Tangelo's Grill on 1st Avenue North (YUMALISHOUS!). Tried to shoot one of this with the Big Shot but it was too dark for the 100 film. Then wandered around the edges of Baywalk to find something interesting. Found a few cool industrial elements to shoot with the SX-70 on the 779 film (that is turning out to be pretty dull so far - expired 2005) and was accosted by a security guard who didn't give me any trouble after looking at my "artwork."

I made it to the car with 3 minutes to spare on my 90 minute spot and drove back up to Starbucks on Little Road (my new haunt) to work on my cataloging. Met a cool kid there who was interested in my Polaroids, shoots some herself. I might give her one of my thrift store cameras as she said her One Step has broken. Shot a photo of her and her friend that works at Starbucks with the Big Shot to show her how PackFilm works. The Magicube I had in the BG wouldn't fire so I plugged in a new one and it fired right away. That was my last shot of 2008.

Here's hoping the Electric Zip magically works in 2009...

Pix to be added ?

First Journal Entry: Today's Purchase and Polaroid Tattoos

So this will be a fairly long entry because it is the first time I'm making a daily journal-type post. Up 'till now I have only been posting the Picturecrossing pictures and a few of the ideas I've had, but I've been thinking for a while about just going ahead and making this a regular blog and post entries about the cameras I buy or other Polaroid related things that happen on a day to day basis because it really does seem to be taking over my life.

Today I stopped at the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Ridge Road in Port Richey and saw three Polaroids there for sale at like $2.99 each but I already had several of each of them so I didn't buy them. (OneStep Close-Up, Sun 600 LMS, and a One Step Flash- I think). But while I was browsing them you won't believe what happened... I saw a girl walking by who had a Polaroid Camera tattoo on the back of her arm. Of course I had to talk to her and find out about the tats. Her name was Stephanie Powell and she is a fashion designer in LA who was home for Christmas. She told me she is always shooting Polaroids, that's why she chose to get the tats. I'll be photographing her tomorrow morning before she goes back to LA so I plan to load the photos on my next post.
While I was shopping there I bid on and won some Polaroid Type 88 film I'd been watching on eBay (using my iPhone). Four boxes for $45.00 + $10.oo shipping making them about $13.75 each. It expired in 2005 but I'm really loving the square format peel apart cameras like my red Electric Zip.


Next stop for the day was at Goodwill on US 19 in Port Richey. The first thing I saw there was a Colorpack IV (1969-1971), which I don't have, in the case with a bunch of extras, but it was priced at like $15.00 and it was not in very good shape with some serious corrosion on the batteries.
Then I saw this cool little "Spartus" camera in the original box.
It is an old 127 film camera that was in pretty good condition but was like $8.00 so I didn't bother with it. (Shot this image with my iPhone)

But what I almost missed in the same case with it was one of those old light brown leather Polaroid cases which contained a really nice Model J66 in the original case with a bunch of flash bulbs and documentation for just $10. It was in really great shape or I wouldn't have bought it because it takes the old roll film which of course is not available in usable condition, making this camera just a nice addition to the collection I have now decided to put on top of my book shelves.




When I got home I was feeling great about my purchases and finally got brave enough to try out the new Holgaroid camera I'd purchased, especially since I just won 4 more boxes of film that can be used in it. So I took out a box of my Polaroid Viva film (color ISO 125), that I'd paid about $22.00 a pack for a few weeks ago. I'd found a great deal on Craig's List of a Holga 120 SF camera with a Polaroid back for Type 80 film AND 5 boxes of Polaroid 85 Positive/Negative film (ISO 80). Got all this for $110 including shipping, back a few weeks ago.
So I loaded up a pack of Viva and took my wife Linda outside to test it out. My first try (on the left), setting the lens to the closest setting (head & shoulders) was pretty blurry so I got a bit closer - about 3.5 feet now and the result was a bit better but still blurry. I have heard that some kind of adapter lens is supposed to be used when using the Polaroid back but I don't seem to have one so perhaps that is why it is still not in focus. If you know anything about this please contact me so I can figure it out. The exposures were not too bad in bright sunlight so I think this will be quite challenging, but fun!

Tomorrow I plan to photograph Stephanie and her Polaroid tattoos...

PX No. 65

CAMERA: Polaroid Colorpack II
FILM: Polaroid ID-UV (expired)
DATE: 5/24/08
LOCATION: Vacant Storefront
PX No. 65 (CP No. 3)
I'd been wanting to shoot this boarded-up building for quite a while and finally took the time to stop and make some prints. This long-vacant building looks like it used to be a K-Mart or Wal-Mart but obviously hasn't been occupied for several years. It is located in the 2400 block of Commercial Way, (US Hwy 19) in Spring Hill, Florida. I stood on the back bumper of my Suzuki Samurai to try and line it up correctly. There are a few other shots of this bldg. CP No. 5, and PX No. 66, which as of this posting has not been left anywhere yet.

PX No. 65 was left on August 1, 2008 just below the elevator buttons of the 37th floor of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown New Orleans, LA. My mother, Karen Rothstein, left it there while staying there on a train trip while volunteering for the National Parks Service. She won $5.00 at the casino that night...

I got an email from Kat Painter on 8/8/08 saying they found it and would "send it somewhere interesting." I hope they'll add a comment here about their thoughts... Let's see where it ends up...

PX No. 36

CAMERA: Fuji Instax 200
FILM: Fuji Instax Wide Format
DATE: 4/18/08
LOCATION: Vacant Steakhouse
PX No. 36 (FX No. 18)
This shot is a detail of the side of an abandoned building that used to be a steakhouse. I took several pictures at this location. It took me quite a bit of time to find a good composition here even though it looked like a great place for pictures.

This picture was left on 4/21/08 on a lightpost in the parking lot of a movie theater just around the corner from the spot where it was shot.

Linda and I went to see a movie there quite a few weeks later and the picture was still there, but then it was gone the next time we were there.

PX No. 30

CAMERA: Fuji Instax 200
FILM: Fuji Instax Wide Format
DATE: 4/11/08
LOCATION: "Picture House"- Spring Hill, Florida
PX No. 30 (FX No. 4)

This shot is a detail of the side of an abandoned building called "The Picture House" by locals. It is located on US. Hwy 41 near the intersection of Spring Hill Drive in Spring Hill, Florida. This building had been a roadside art gallery of sorts for may years but had been abandoned for quite some time. There were "Highwaymen" style landscape paintings in panels all over the building, which had obviously been housing the homeless for a while. After shooting this, I mentioned this building to a colleague, Times columnist Dan DeWitt , he did some research and was contacted about it just before it was to be demolished. He learned that the paintings were said to have been done by a white man called "Bard" from Kentucky and had seen that signature on one panel. We arrived just minutes before it was destroyed and I was allowed to make some hi-rez digital photographs of some of the panels before the bulldozers demolished it. I even took a brick from the rubble and am keeping it on my desk with Dan's Article from The Times. A CVS is planned for the property. Other pix of this building: FX No. 5 & FX No. 6.


This print was left on 6/27/08 on a public bulletin board in front of the main library of University of Florida in Gainesville. There were months of remains of fliers and posters making a nice collage including a shot of Alberto Gonzalez. I expected to "cross" this picture with the image of the bulletin board (PX No. 92), (see also SX No. 28) but now that the building's been torn down, I'm not sure where I'll leave PX No. 92.

-------------------------------------------------------

PX No. 24

CAMERA: Polaroid Land Camera Automatic 100
FILM: Fuji FP3000BSS
DATE: 4/2/08
LOCATION: Ruth Eckerd hall - Clearwater, Florida
PX No. 24 (LC No. 42) is another shot at from Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. The building was designed by Taliesin Associated Architects, led by William Wesley Peters, the apprentice to and protegé of Frank Lloyd Wright.
This frame shows the bench and wall in front of the box office. I really like the shadows in this shot.

I left this picture on 5/20/08 in the valet stand just in front of the lobby. I felt like I was getting some strange looks from the box office staff and there were security cameras everywhere. I was sure someone was going to come out and tell me to leave but they never did. I also left PX No. 54 the same day actually in a detail from this picture.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The SX-70 ND Filter solution!

OK - Here are FOUR Options I'm offering for sale. (PHOTOS BELOW)

Each of these are a perfect option for those of you not wanting to spend a hundred dollars to send your precious SX-70 off to someone who will tear her apart to try to modify it for 600 film. Or trying to attach those flimsy ND film filters to each film pack - only to have it spit out half the time.

You just attach the filter to the flash holder and shoot away. Then just take it off when you're done. It's that simple.

Filter#1 =$ 45.00 - Polaroid SX-70 Accessory Holder with hand-cut ND4 plexiglass filter.
(This is subject to me having purchase access to the accessory holder at a reasonable price)

Filter #2 = $26.00 - Just the ND4 plexiglass filter, hand-cut and sanded to fit the Polaroid SX-70 accessory holder. (You supply the holder)

Filter #3 - $30.00 - This is a hand made accessory holder (using aluminum and electrical tape) with the ND4 Plexiglass filter cut and sanded to fit.

Filter #4 $15.00 - The same hand made accessory holder with a thin ND film instead of a Plexiglass filter. (I only have 4 of these)

(Please do not fool yourself into believing that my hand made accessory holder is going to be some precise, machine-tooled beauty. I'm by no means an engineer of any sort. But this is a simple and cheap, if ugly and flimsy, solution.


FILTER #1 ( I realize it says ND8 - but it will be ND4)

FILTER #4 (click to enlarge)

eMail (lance@lancephoto.com) or Flickr Mail me for info or to order. PayPal is preferred but I can also accept Money Orders. I am custom making these so please allow at least 5 days for production time before they are shipped.
Peace - Lance