Author Topic: Where's everybody gone? (Read 2451 times)

Francois · « **on:** February 05, 2020, 03:53:54 PM »

Where's everybody gone?
Is everyone suffering of wintertime blues like I am?
The site is at an all time low in terms of activity, and it seems there's nothing I can do.
I've been here since May 2006 (one of the early members) and I feel like I'm the only one left here after the party has moved on.
Am I the only one who has things to say even if I don't have anything to show?

AJShepherd · « **Reply #1 on:** February 05, 2020, 04:33:49 PM »

Not done much for a while, largely as the weather's been pretty dull and dreary over the last few months.

Pete_R · « **Reply #2 on:** February 05, 2020, 04:39:46 PM »

I'm here. So that's three posts I've made today. Does that help?

Francois · « **Reply #3 on:** February 05, 2020, 09:51:09 PM »

Quote from: Pete_R on February 05, 2020, 04:39:46 PM

I'm here. So that's three posts I've made today. Does that help?

Thanks for not leaving me all alone here

Bryan · « **Reply #4 on:** February 05, 2020, 11:10:39 PM »

I'm here, been quite busy with life and work this winter but I check in regularly. When I was home the weather was not good for getting out and doing much photography. I did work on my 4X5 photo-microscopy and made a few contact prints.

Now I'm in Honolulu for work so I can't use the weather as an excuse. I'll be here for about two months but we're working six days per week, 10 hours per day so it's mostly dark when I get any free time. I have been busy shooting a lot on my day off so I'll have at least a roll shot each week. I'm set up to develop and scan black and white film in my hotel room so that should keep the photos coming.

There is a nice little store here that sells nothing but film photography stuff, cameras, film, darkroom supplies, etc. It's right next door to a record store that a friend of mine used to own so I know where I'll be doing most of my shopping.

Francois · « **Reply #5 on:** February 05, 2020, 11:19:34 PM »

Well, talk about convenience!
Records and film within walking distance...

John Robison · « **Reply #6 on:** February 05, 2020, 11:40:49 PM »

Quote from: Francois on February 05, 2020, 03:53:54 PM

Where's everybody gone?
Is everyone suffering of wintertime blues like I am?
The site is at an all time low in terms of activity, and it seems there's nothing I can do.
I've been here since May 2006 (one of the early members) and I feel like I'm the only one left here after the party has moved on.
Am I the only one who has things to say even if I don't have anything to show?

I check once a day but don't always post....except today to complain about the price of film.
Was just gifted a Kodak Brownie #3, don't know the vintage, and want to and will expose some paper in it soon. Since discovering paper negatives I can try out all manner of old filmless cameras as long as they have a 'B' setting (almost necessary for ISO 6) and tripod bush is nice to have to.

02Pilot · « **Reply #7 on:** February 06, 2020, 01:43:33 AM »

I'm lurking about. Trying to get more active with the cameras, but the semester just started up and that's keeping me busy. Going to try to do some shooting this weekend.

I wonder if starting some themed threads where people could contribute photos might spark some activity. RFF's Words/No Words subforum is a good example of this sort of thing and seems to generate some traffic.

Faintandfuzzy · « **Reply #8 on:** February 06, 2020, 02:33:23 AM »

I visit daily..but haven't had much to post recently with work keeping me busy. I have noticed the traffic declining the last few months. I hope things pick up for all of us.

cs1 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 06, 2020, 05:53:27 AM »

I'm still here. Don't know why I've been posting so little lately. Part of it may be stupid Instagram. I'll try to shift my activity over here again.

kentish cob · « **Reply #10 on:** February 06, 2020, 11:51:28 AM »

Same as noted above... I drop by and take a look pretty much every day, but only log in if I have something to contribute... and I'm a man of few words (and even fewer pictures, it would seem)...

Head full of ideas, but I seem to be short of opportunities to make anything of them... must try harder.

Francois · « **Reply #11 on:** February 06, 2020, 03:36:21 PM »

You know, you don't need to have some pictures to post to come over and have a chat!
While filmwasters is a photography forum, the software we use is at its base a text forum with the added benefit of being able to post photos.

We are a group of long time friends who have the chance of having their very own pub to hang out, to chat and have fun. And there are not many things sadder than an empty pub where people just walk through without stopping.

astrobeck · « **Reply #12 on:** February 06, 2020, 04:21:01 PM »

Still here, just checking in and not sharing anything because I've been working on a pinhole camera made out of random LEGOs and a printed 6 x 7 roll film adapter that was made by Ethan Moses of Cameradactyl.
I'll post some pix of it later after I resize them....It still needs some work.
In the meantime, it's freaking cold here in the sunny southwestern USA. It was minus 2 yesterday morning, so I'm not too motivated to go out and make photos.
We also got walloped with six inches of snow when the weatherman said we were only expected to get a half inch!

Also, our little group of Film users here around Albuquerque is going strong. We meet the first Sunday of each month and usually have about 10 people!
Joe Van Cleeve and Mike Coneally plus Ethan Moses are regulars. It's a fun group and we've already had our first local photo show at a library and are scheduled to have another one next month and then another in September.
The one in September has a theme of photos made with Toy cams, pinhole sand box cameras....so...I bought an Agfa Synchro box that is being delivered sometime this week to use for summer shots I plan to show in September with the group.
(There's a typo up there but I've elected to leave it because now I want to make a pinhole sand box camera! ha!)
Anyway, that's about it...plus I've joined a book club and have been reading...novels.

Stay warm y'all!
.

Francois · « **Reply #13 on:** February 06, 2020, 07:09:00 PM »

That film group sounds like a lot of fun.
Book club? it's a bit funny because I've never been a big fan of novels. I never found one that dragged me in the story, and it's not to say I haven't tried. I did read Generation X by Douglas Coupland simply to know why it was considered so important. But in the end, while it was well written, all I did was find it depressing.
I also tried my hand at Jules Vernes... boring.
One book I did enjoy a lot was Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. In it the author explains how discounters work. It's extremely interesting and amazing to see.
But things like that never go to the top of the list when it comes to book clubs...

Mike (happyforest) · « **Reply #14 on:** February 06, 2020, 08:08:35 PM »

Like others I visit most days to cee what is going on, but my personal photography activity leaves a lot to be desired presently. For exampe last year I only ran one film through a camera, and whilst I did get prints made for this, I have yet to scan the film.

Maybe I should and add some images to a weekend thread or something.

Rest assured analogue has not been replaced by d*****!

The music room thread has taken me down some musical rabbit holes recently and before I know it the evening has gone.

Mike

Bryan · « **Reply #15 on:** February 06, 2020, 11:07:45 PM »

Quote from: astrobeck on February 06, 2020, 04:21:01 PM

(There's a typo up there but I've elected to leave it because now I want to make a pinhole sand box camera! ha!)
Anyway, that's about it...plus I've joined a book club and have been reading...novels

Before I finished reading your post I was googling sand box camera, got some weird augmented reality stuff, not what I was expecting. It'll be interesting to see what you come up with.

Francois · « **Reply #16 on:** February 07, 2020, 02:43:39 PM »

I guess it's going to take a whole lot of epoxy to make a sand camera

zapsnaps · « **Reply #17 on:** February 10, 2020, 08:53:55 AM »

I'm lurking daily. But I'm on here each day, too.

I haven't posted for a while - largely for most of the reasons offered by others. Although I did replace a lens last week, so I should post on the Just picked up thread. I'll also start a new thread with an open question. A few years ago I posted What camera are you most disappointed with? and that got people thinking and chatting. I started the ball rolling with my Leica M6. While I now regret selling it, I just didn't bond with it. There was nothing wrong with the camera, it just wasn't for me.

I'll try and contribute more

irv_b · « **Reply #18 on:** February 10, 2020, 10:11:30 PM »

Much like everyone else I lurk about often enough with not a great deal to say from day to day
Becky's book club comment did make me think though, what if we could get a picture based monthly themed thread going, on a topic to which we all post a shot interpreting the subject- pretty much like the collabs we used to have.
Hopefully it'll get more people here more often and seeing all what we come up with could be interesting.

Francois · « **Reply #19 on:** February 10, 2020, 10:54:22 PM »

Maybe.
But what I think we need is more things to talk about. We obviously don't all have either the time, the money or the will to go out and photograph. So I'm trying to find a way to get us all reunited by something simple that everybody can do even when they've got an extremely busy life.

John Robison · « **Reply #20 on:** February 11, 2020, 06:39:35 PM »

What is it about the desert southwest?
Astrobeck, Mike Coneally, Joe Van Cleave, and Ethan Moses?
All in the same room? An embarrassment of riches I’d say.
Well, at least the rest of us can keep in touch via the board.

Francois · « **Reply #21 on:** February 11, 2020, 09:14:48 PM »

Yeah... and lucky for you all to not be living in the same suburb as I am. It's got to be the most depressing place in the world when it comes to photography, especially the film based variety.

Bryan · « **Reply #22 on:** February 11, 2020, 09:41:09 PM »

Quote from: Francois on February 11, 2020, 09:14:48 PM

Yeah... and lucky for you all to not be living in the same suburb as I am. It's got to be the most depressing place in the world when it comes to photography, especially the film based variety.

Look at it as a challenge, or wander out of your neighborhood.

Francois · « **Reply #23 on:** February 11, 2020, 10:30:42 PM »

I've actually been wandering so much that I pretty much know the entire city like my back pocket!
It's mostly rows and rows of houses built using the same book of plans. Then rows and rows of uninspiring apartment buildings. Then you go back to the houses.
We have quite a few shopping centers, some nice parks. But once you've seen it all, comes a point where things start to all look the same.
Since it's a suburb, people drive everywhere. And here, there's an odd law that basically kills street photography, so that's out of the question unless you want to have legal problems.

We're also the most rapidly aging city in the whole of Canada... so it's not the place to go if you're looking for models

Here's the map to my city https://www.google.com/maps/place/Longueuil,+QC/@45.533212,-73.5100189,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4cc91b69886574f9:0x1c63438a7316da2e!8m2!3d45.5369442!4d-73.5107131

Bryan · « **Reply #24 on:** February 11, 2020, 11:44:41 PM »

I agree Francois, I tend to loose inspiration in my town. I feel like I've shot it all, but every now and then something catches my eye. I also tend to shoot the same things multiple times, like plants, cows, dogs and junk people leave lying around. Thant's one reason I like to dive into the macro and micro world for inspiration. My travel for work does give me a boost of inspiration but after a few months in one place I sometimes feel like I've shot it all. Finding inspiration would be a good topic for another thread.

Out of curiosity I did a search of my Flickr account to see everything I've shot in my town, Bothell, Washington. Out of 1,287 photos only 107 are tagged Bothell. Maybe a few didn't get tagged as Bothell, especially macro and micros shots.

https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=60348236%40N07&sort=date-taken-desc&text=bothell&view_all=1

02Pilot · « **Reply #25 on:** February 12, 2020, 01:28:49 AM »

My "town" exists as such in name only. It's basically a relative scattering of houses littering several valleys. There's no walking around as such, at least outside of the parks. Any sort of photography I might want to do requires going somewhere else. Even so, I feel like I've shot an awful lot of the places around here, at least the ones I'm inclined to visit. That said, I'm close enough to the endless photographic opportunities of NYC that I really have no excuse. I need to get back down there at some point soon.

Francois · « **Reply #26 on:** February 12, 2020, 02:21:06 PM »

Distances between places are a funny thing. I don't think I've ever found anything as relative as that. I live maybe 10km away from Montreal yet it can take up to 1:30 simply to cross the bridge. So that takes a lot of fun out of going to the city. And taking the metro from where I live is a real ordeal as our only station on the south shore is so badly designed that it turns every trip into an endless walk.

02Pilot · « **Reply #27 on:** February 12, 2020, 04:43:49 PM »

Yeah, getting into and out of major cities is not about actual distance. I'm ~50 miles from NYC as the crow flies, but getting in without driving (because driving into NYC is not something I do willingly) is a couple hours of driving to the station, finding parking, and riding the train in to GCT. And that's just to get to Midtown. Anywhere else and you've got subways on top of that. It can be exhausting - probably why I haven't done it in some time.

Francois · « **Reply #28 on:** February 12, 2020, 08:41:46 PM »

Same here... there's currently a Cindy Sherman exhibit at the museum of fine arts. Going there involves taking the car, going to the store to get an electronic bus pass, driving to a bus stop, taking the bus to the metro, changing from the yellow line to the orange line, getting off at the Sherbrooke station, not forgetting to get two Montreal bus tickets added to the e-card, taking the bus to the museum... and redoing the opposite on the return way.
There's been a ton of shows I missed because they were such a pain to get to.
And that's depending on the weather and whether the metro is actually working or not. I once spent 2 hours in a bus that was stuck behind the big snowblower the city uses...

And taking the car means fighting traffic, orange cones, expensive parking (if you can find it) and hurrying up to avoid getting a parking ticket (that is if there isn't some odd contradiction in the signs on the pole like is usually the case in Montreal. Parking on the street in some parts is 3.25$/hour...

The other option is driving to the local metro, taking the expensive parking (if it's not full), walking about 1km to get to the station, then walking some more to go to subway level (about ½ km indoors)... and then you arrive too tired to actually appreciate anything.

Sandeha Lynch · « **Reply #29 on:** February 13, 2020, 10:06:00 PM »

Hey François - I just noticed you and I are both exhibiting pinholes at the Mustard in Norwich over the coming month.

Francois · « **Reply #30 on:** February 13, 2020, 10:43:49 PM »

WOW!
That's super cool!
I'll need to download that poster

A while back Joe Baker offered in the pinhole podcast to put a show together. I jumped at the occasion.
I'm a bit sad because it's not my best print (I had a ton of issues in the darkroom that day) but still happy that it's going to be on show.
It's a super soft print that was taken facing the sun. It's got some very delicate flare that I like.

cs1 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 22, 2020, 03:20:54 PM »

I would really love to meet fellow Filmwasters again IRL. When we met last year in London, it was fantastic. So much fun, such a lovely bunch of people. Manuel_L and I actually considered going to Birmingham to the photography show in March which would've been an ideal meeting place to meet some Filmwasters from the UK but to be honest, it's quite expensive to go there for a long weekend and our ecological conscience said it was a "no no" to fly there for just a long weekend.

Which leaves me to say: If any one of you comes to Germany, make sure to let people know. I'd gladly go quite a distance for a chance of a good chat and a photowalk.

Francois · « **Reply #32 on:** February 22, 2020, 09:28:11 PM »

You're lucky in a sense because flights are relatively cheap in Europe. A Montreal-Toronto-Gatwick flight is the cheapest I can find at 718$ + tax + airport fees... And then I have to find a way to London and I don't have a place to stay. 743$ if I want to land at Heathrow.

cs1 · « **Reply #33 on:** February 23, 2020, 11:34:48 AM »

I know what you mean, François, but I'm still reluctant to blast so much CO2 into the air for just a long weekend. If the occasion for a longer holiday arises I'll make sure to inform local Filmwasters. That way my conscience is a little clearer.