February 2023 Film Photo Dump

Photos of things and people I found interesting.

Last month I wrote about how I was getting back into photography—film photography to be exact—because of an old Nikon I found at Goodwill. I’m happy to report that I’ve been shooting many photos and recently received a couple of rolls of film from my developer.

Naturally, these photos look better printed on film versus a digital scan, but I can’t mail them to you so here they are for your viewing pleasure. I have not made any edits or adjustments to these images. These photos are presented as they were shot.

Again, I used a Nikon N8008 35mm camera with Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and Nikkor 24mm 2.8 lenses with Kodak Portra 400 film to capture these images.

1. I’m intrinsically drawn to taking photos of my 911. It was and is still my dream car. Here it is parked adjacent to the old Athens jail. I especially love the sepia color tone.

2. What you see here is the backend of a 1973 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 that a friend of mine owns. I’ll be honest with you, I don’t know much about these cars beyond how gorgeous they look. The sunlight reflecting off the trunk gives a nice flare to the photo. The Ferrari 348 in the background nods to its Italian brother. And if you look closely, you’ll see the reflection of a Lotus Esprit in the rear quarter panel. Not a bad lineup.

3. Creature Comforts is a staple of Athens Downtown. It’s a cool location housed inside an old tire shop. I walk by here frequently on my way to and from downtown. The gentleman who owns the lovely 911 Targa is my kind of owner. He drives his car a lot and isn’t afraid to park it on the street.

4. I snapped this shot one evening while playing with my kids in the backyard. I turned on the patio lights as the sun was setting so I could see the bulbs in the bokeh. The ivy on the tree adds texture and color to the shot.

5. Dr. Henry Alexander “H.A.” Lowrance was a dentist in Athens, Georgia. He was born September 22, 1832, and died February 2, 1915, aged 82 years. His obituary says he was one of the oldest citizens of Athens at the time. I stumbled upon this marker while out on an afternoon walk. This stone sits in front of his former office, which is now a house, right next to the street. Dr. Lowrance passed away 108 years ago but his memory lives on through this stone. I found this stone to be a somber reminder about how little time we have, and that we can’t take a single day for granted.

6. We all know the Google Maps car exists but not everyone has seen it. I took a quick snapshot as the car passed by to prove that I saw it. I also thought that taking a photo of the Google car on film was a nice juxtaposition of how much technology has advanced in the last 30 years.

7. I love this candid shot of my sons. They wanted to experience the “Wheels on the Bus” in person. This old UGA bus is a kid’s wonderland of possibilities. My son was practically glued to the steering wheel. He didn’t want to stop turning it.

8. I snapped this picture of Max with my new-to-me 24mm 2.8 lens. He didn’t want me to take a picture—and almost got away with his hand across the lens—but I beat him. I love the warm white balance of this photo. His face is the only thing in focus. The blurred hand in the foreground and background emphasizes the focus on this face.

9. The harsh light of the morning sun made interesting shadows on the trainset my kids were playing with. I caught this yellow train just as it entered the light.

10. I love old Volvos. I’ve owned several but never a 164. My friend Terry owns this 1971 example in white over a red leather interior. These are actually quite rare, especially in this condition. There’s just something so stately about the appearance of this car. It’s not quite a Mercedes but it’s not exactly a 240 either. The sunlight coming through the trees provides warmth to the photo. Old Volvos shot on film always looks right.