Downtown Tampa on Kentmere 100
Back in September, I had the itch to shoot some black-and-white film stock. I picked up a roll of Kentmere 100 from my local film shop, Coastal Film Lab. The photographs in this gallery were taken during a photowalk on Tampa’s Downtown Riverwalk.
A brief encounter in a Las Vegas Buffet Line
Fujifilm XT30 | 18-55mm | Las Vegas, NV 2023
For reasons I may never understand people find me approachable. It doesn’t take much. Typically, anyone within a 3-4 foot radius of me finds it necessary to discuss whatever is on their mind. I can’t go to the grocery store without someone venting to me about the price of eggs. I’ll be shopping for something and someone will ask me if I ever had a specific brand of chips. I’m a lighting rod for small talk and anecdotes. There’s just something about me that communicates “talk to me”. I find this funny because, for all intents and purposes, I try to limit human interaction as much as possible. I generally don’t like talking to strangers. I don’t identify as an introvert. I like being around people…well certain people. Maybe I am an introvert.
One situation always sticks out to me. I was in Vegas a few years ago. 2014 to be exact. My wife and I were only dating at the time. We flew up on a red eye to meet up with her cousins who had planned the trip the prior year.
On our second night in Vegas, we were trying to figure out a place to eat. I floated the idea of eating at the paradise buffet. The restaurant was featured in the 90’s indie classic “Swingers” which had an impact on me in my 20’s. This was back when I thought I was going to be a write/director. The buffet was fine. It was good, not great. One person in our group called it “aggressively mediocre”. I didn’t mind it though. I was more into the idea of eating a place that was in one of my favorite movies. It was also the first time I had eaten crawfish.
After eating my weight in crawfish and crab legs I made my way to the dessert section. I wasn’t initially impressed with the spread. Everything had that hospital food aesthetic. I tend to spend an inordinate amount of time deciding on what to eat. One of my biggest fears is making the wrong decision, especially when it comes to food. After much deliberation, I had arrived at a decision. I landed on a piece of pie. Its filling to dough ratio was best in class for its type of dessert. It was a decent size as well. Small enough to eat within a few bites but also big enough to eliminate the need for a second treat. The apple pie was perfect for the situation I was in.
As I’m making my way back to the table, ready to regale my wife and her family with the harrowing journey that was me getting this perfect piece of pie, a man shoots towards me and says “Why don’t you let me get that one and you can have this one”. He does this while also attempting to hand me a piece of pie in his hand.
I looked at the piece of pie he was presenting me. It’s all wrong. There’s too much filling. The piece is far too large. It’s also a completely different flavor of pie. Worst of all, this piece is entirely too close to his right thumb. I’m taken aback trying to process why and how this person would think it is appropriate to barter at a buffet. Especially with his thumb so close to what he’s offering.
The smart thing would have been to gently but firmly tell the man no and go about my business. I was so confounded by the situation that I just couldn’t let it go. I needed to understand why this was happening to me. I needed to understand this person on a cerebral level.
“Why do you want this one?” I asked, “This is different than the one you have.”
“I don’t want this one anymore,” he said.
“Yeah, but this is different than the one you have?”
“I don’t mind”
“Well, I do.” I fire back.
“Here just take this one and I’ll grab that one. Even trade” he says, advancing towards me.
I took a step back guarding my precious dessert.
“What about that one right there?” I ask, pointing to another larger piece of apple pie.
“That one’s too big” he says, “The one you have in your hand will be perfect”.
I was finding myself less and less interested in unpacking this person’s personality as the conversation went on. I tell the man that the situation he has found himself in feels like a personal problem. I wish him the best.
I made my way back to our table only to find everybody getting up. They asked me what took so long. I tell them about the dessert bar, the apple pie, and the man. They feel bad enough for me to let me sit down and eat the pie. I didn’t even enjoy it.
a dream I had…
I have this dream where I’m driving.
I’m driving down a highway
But not really driving
It’s on a loop
A loop of the same stretch
It’s like maybe a quarter mile give or take
So I’m driving down this highway
And every so often
My vision freezes
My vision freezes but I’m still in motion
It’s Ike a flash from earlier
The thing is
I can’t remember the drive before the loop
I can’t remember how I got on the highway
Certainly not what I did before
That’s the scary part
I don’t know what brought me here
Why I’m traveling this same loop
What I did before….
Before the highway
Most importantly
I can’t remember what I’m running from
.
.
.
Then I wake up….
My Day Off in Ybor
A few weeks ago, I found myself with a day off with not much to do. I decided to head to Ybor for lunch and grab some photos with my Canon Rebel G. All of these were shot on Canon Rebel G with an 85mm EF lens. Film stock Lomo Color Negative 800.
Long Exposure Photos taken from the Passenger Side
The other night I was sitting on the passenger side of my best friend’s wife’s ride and decided to experiment with some long exposure shots. I used my Fujifilm XT30 with a Meike manual 25mm lens. Shutterspeed was between 1.5 - 5 seconds.
A New Direction
Fujifilm XT30 | Meike 25mm
With the summer coming to a close, I took some time to reflect on this space I’ve created.
I feel like I’m getting away from the initial motivation for starting this site/blog.
For me, photograpy is a way for to share my perspective and tell stories.
I feel as if I’ve fallen into the trap of trying to create what I see others doing within the space.
It’s part of the reason why posts are few and far between.
I don’t want this to feel like a chore.
I don’t want to fall into the habit of finessing content.
I don’t want this to feel like every other photo blog.
I’ll be using this space as a photo journal going forward.
The photo series collections will still be a part of what I’m doing but it won’t be the focus.
Scenes from Films that Don’t Exist
The Simulation (2024)
First Date (2018)
Lady by the Lake (2024)
Flight Delays (2023)
The Empty Apartment (2020)
Ball is Life (2024)
Cool Street Art in Saint Petersburg, FL
I found some cool street art in St. Pete while hunting for records. The photos above were taken on a Fujifilm XT30 using an 18-55mm lens and a variable ND filter.
Lomochrome Metropolis
I tried out Lomochrome Metropolis a few months back. I was intrigued by the sample photos and read somewhere that in certain condition it can resemble films like Saving Private Ryan and Minority Report. The photos below are a sample of the frames from the roll. These were taken on a Canon AE-1 Program. I used a variety of lenses and can’t recall which correspond to the photos below.
I did not like most of the photos that came out of this roll. I recall telling my wife I’d never buy this film stock again. Lomochrome Metropolis is a variable film stock. I read that I should be fine using ISO 200 or ISO 400. I err’d on the side of caution and chose the upper limit. The images still came out pretty grainy. I don’t mind usually mind grain on my pictures but some of the scans, for instance the the second one above, were a bit too much.
I will say, I did like the colors it produced. There’s a noticeable vibrance in the reds. It especially pops in the flower picture above. I was also impressed with how deep the blues came out.
Part of the issue with the results here may stem from shooting in a bright sunny environment. I likely would have had better success shooting on a more overcast day.
While I wasn’t overly impressed with the photos from this roll, there were a few things I did like.
Scans from a film roll I found in a box
In early spring, I found a couple of rolls of film in a box while searching for an extra phone charger for a guest. These pictures were taken on a Holga 135BC loaded with what I believe was Kodak Porta 400. The pictures were taken between 2014 - 2016.
Out of 72 exposures, the few above were the only ones that were somewhat salvageable. The film was expired and had been knocking around in a box for the better part of a decade so I wasn’t too broken up about the lack of keepers. Frankly, I was surprised they were even able to process what was taken.
It was nice revisiting these moments. The first picture was from my old apartment. It was my first and only solo apartment. At the time it felt like a struggle but I look back and there’s a sense of pride I feel over the year I spent there.
The last few were taken at my wife’s apartment when we were dating. Those were wild and formative times for our relationship. It’s where we would dream about a future and plan our lives together. We also saw pictures of her late dog Capone that we thought were lost in time.
Trying out Cinestill BWXX
I recently tried out Cinestill BWXX film stock in my Canon EOS Rebel G. Below are some examples of how they came out after processing. All photos, including the one above, were processed and scanned at Coastal Film Lab in Tampa, FL.
Two Birds (2024)
Fujifilm | XT30 | 18-55 mm
I took this picture while walking on the Riverwalk in Downtown Tampa. The birds caught my eye and I felt as if they were starring at me. Their beady little eyes followed me as I centered myself to get the shot. The two birds held their gaze as I walked away. It was a truly chilling moment and I haven’t been able to shake the uneasiness since taking this photo.
Caledesi Island - Film and Digital
Caledesi Island | FujiFilm XT30 | 18-55mm
I took a day trip out to Caladesi Island near Dunedin, Florida with my family and a group of friends. The top gallery features photos taken with a Canon AE-1 Program loaded with HP5. The bottom gallery shows photos taken with a Fujifilm XT30 with an 18-55mm lens. I’m also using a variable ND filter as well.
Canon AE-1 Program Photowalk
I recently won an eBay auction for a Canon AE-1 Program. I’ve always been interested in film photography but never felt I was ready for all of the nuance that comes with analog photography. In early May, I took my new camera out for a test run. Here are some of the results.
Downtown Tampa | Canon AE-1 Program | Cinestill 400D
Downtown Tampa | Canon AE-1 Program | Cinestill 400D
Downtown Tampa | Canon AE-1 Program | Cinestill 400D
Downtown Tampa | Canon AE-1 Program | Cinestill 400D
Downtown Tampa | Canon AE-1 Program | Cinestill 400D
Downtown Tampa | Canon AE-1 Program | Cinestill 400D
Downtown Tampa | Canon AE-1 Program | Cinestill 400D
Introducing: B.A Dues - Photographer
“I’m B.A Dues and I’m a Photographer.”
It took me a while to be able to say that.
Well, not my name but the latter half.
“I’m a photographer.”
The joke used to be “No, I’m not a photographer. I’m just a guy that owns a camera.” I thought there was some virtue in being humble and downplaying my work. In all honesty, I think I was terrified of the title. I
felt that if I went around calling myself a photographer I would be opening myself up to more criticism. The photographs I produced would be met with harsher commentary than if I was just doing this for ‘fun’. It all seems silly now but that’s what kept me in the dark for so long. I put this barrier on myself out of fear of criticism.
In recent years, I’ve made an effort to own the title.
Lean into the idea of being a photographer.
Embrace all that comes with that.
This website is part of those efforts. I wanted needed a space to showcase my work and share stories.
Welcome to space. I hope you enjoy.