Can you believe it’s already 2022?

As I get older the years seem to fly buy. An energetic shift has already happened with the new year; despite being a new year it feels like the closing of a 20 year long chapter of my life as I am moving back to my home town of Sydney in just a couple of weeks. It is crazy to think how much courage I’ve gained in 2021, having faced some of the most unexpected trails, conquered fears, but also experiencing unforeseen joys and liberation. 2021 was a numerological “10” year for me which is both the closing of a cycle and a new one beginning which feels true. Sometimes change doesn’t happen straight away, we need to let go and say goodbye to all we have experienced before we can truly take a leap of faith into the future.

I reigned in the new year with some of my friends from church as we had dinner and watched the lovely fireworks. It’s been a few years since I’ve got out of NYE and seen fireworks so it was a lovely change of pace from my regular NYE routines.

2022 has so many blessings and adventures awaiting me and I cannot wait to experience them.

Photos taken on Canon Autoboy Luna 105S and Agfa Vista 400 35mm film. Scanned by Lazarus Lab (I also chose to have borders scanned for this roll) which I love.

Last weekend my friends and I made a little trip to Chambers Flat Strawberry Farm!

It was such a fun experience to pick our own strawberries and spend the day together. We are all in our late 20’s now and have been friends since we were 12-13. We all have busy lives in different stages of life so we don’t always get the chance to get together, but the few times we do every year is always a blessing and feels like nothing has changed in the last 15 years.

Bringing my film camera was the best idea I could’ve had. Shooting my friends in natural lighting is my favourite things to take photos of and film truly allows them to shine! I chose my Pentax Spotmatic as it had a half-used roll loaded that I wanted to finish (the first half was from mid-2019 when we could still travel and COVID-19 didn’t exist!). The Pentax Spotmatic for some reason isn’t my go-to favourite camera, but it is a wonderful experience shooting with it and I’m always pleased with the results. It’s a great beginner camera and I’d highly recommend it for anyone wanting to get into shooting film.

I truly love my friends and am so grateful for these adventures with them. I highly recommend scouting your local area for different fun activities like this – it’s spring in Australia so it was the perfect time to pick some strawberries and have some fresh strawberry ice cream!

Strawberry fields forever

Recently I caught up with some friends! It had been about 3 months since I’d seen them and I’m not going to lie, it felt so good to see them again. I found out that my friend Kara is pregnant which was super exciting – her and her husband are the Kids Pastors at our church and I know they will be amazing parents to their little one.

I was a little rusty with my camera and all of our energies weren’t in the best photoshoot mood, but we still managed to get a few cute photos.

Also sunny.designco on Instagram turned my photo of Kara into a new piece of art. So cool as that’s the first time that has happened with one of my photos! Please head over and give it a like.

View this post on Instagram

me @ target // inspo from @colourmekara

A post shared by Sunny Design Co (@sunny.designco) on Jul 10, 2020 at 7:36am PDT

Earlier this year my friend Amanda asked me to do a photoshoot with her! She’s a musician and was hoping to get some photos she could use for her album covers, flyers and marketing. Of course, I was happy to take photos of her!

Amanda brought a creative and confident energy to the photoshoot which I appreciated a lot. It was definitely a collaboration!

My favourite thing about shooting with Amanda was her modelling and her creativity. She was full of ideas and inspiration for the photoshoot and had several outfits prepared. Her friend Kate did her makeup and it was stunning in person.

Enjoy the photos!

Can’t wait to take more photos of Amanda in the future!

In 2019 I got back into photography!

Specifically, digital photography. I had a few disappointments with shooting film this year – mostly because a roll came off the spool, the battery died in the camera and I didn’t know, and one of the backs on the camera opened that exposed the film. Recently I sent off 6 rolls to be developed and am not hopeful that they will come back with great photos but I will share when they are back.

I started taking photos for my church and it really made me get better at shooting manual on my digital camera and getting better at asking people if I can take photos of them. Fortunately a lot of my social circle loves having their photo taken and everyone wants good Instagram content these days.

Kara, Brittany, Phoebe and I decided to have a photoshoot in late December and it went amazingly! We went to Home of the Arts and the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens and there were such a variety of locations and places to shoot at those two places. We want to have photoshoots regularly and be more creative with them as time goes by.

Hope you enjoy, I know I did!

Photos taken with Canon 60D and 50mm f1.8 lens.

I can’t believe it’s Halloween again! I thought this year I would post a throwback to last Halloween where I got to spend the day with my friend Simone and her two babies Lilly & Mason. At the time she was pregnant with her third baby, Ella who is now 6 months old. Seeing these photos again make me realise how much things can change in one year and how much the babies have grown and changed! This time last year Mason was very attached to his mum & dad and didn’t really want to know about me when I was around, but now he loves to give me cuddles and is growing into such a sweet little man.

Lilly is getting smarter and maturing every single day and each time I see her I am blown away by how bright and beautiful she is. Her vocabulary is better than most adults and you can have a normal conversation with her like you would any adult and she doesn’t miss a beat. It’s a testament to how good of a mum Simone is, she was born to be one and is doing an amazing job.

Happy Halloween!

All photos taken with Canon AE-1 Program using Kodak Portra 400 35mm film.

A couple of months ago my friends Kara, Phoebe & I went to the Sugar Republic pop up at Pacific Fair!

The experience was amazing and we absolutely loved it – the “sprinkles’ rainbow ball pit was our absolute favourite, who said adults don’t deserve to have a bit of fun?

We all serve in Kids Church at our local church and had a such a good time connecting with our own inner children throughout the Sugar Republic experience. I don’t know about you, but the last time I was in a ball pit was when I was about 7 years old but as a 27 year old I can confirm it is just as fun as it was back then. It’s actually a really relaxing sensation and almost like a mini massage. I need to find a way to incorporate more ball pits into my life because it’s way too fun to only be in one every 20 years.

The staff at Sugar Republic were super friendly and offered to take photos of our group which was lovely, the experience was well-paced and very enjoyable for everyone who attended. Highly recommend you visit Sugar Republic if you need some new insta content and want to let your inner child run free! They have a permanent location in Melbourne but otherwise keep an eye out for their pop ups near you!

Photos taken with iPhone XS and edited with Lightroom mobile using Chelsea Jean presets.

Visiting my brother in Melbourne is one of my favourite things to do. We used to spend a lot of time together, almost every weekend and day after school we would hang out at home watching some tv series whether it was Friends, How I Met Your Mother or Charmed, and just bond and hang out. We were born 22 months apart and have always been close, both in age and as siblings. Tom is one of the only people who understands me on a cultural and intellectual level and I value him so much and am so grateful we got to the privilege of being brother & sister in this lifetime.

The one thing he hates is when I make him pose for photos, but I’m glad that he does it, even if it’s begrudgingly and to be honest he is glad too months later when I get the film developed! 

We didn’t get a lot of time to spend together on the trip as he was working, but we did get one day where we got to sleep in, go swimming in the pool, and walk around his town of Richmond. It’s still wild to me that he is almost 26 living on his own, working, studying, with a long term partner. He is so successful and I’m so proud of him for all he is doing and achieving for himself.

Until 2018 I thought my favourite 35mm film was Kodak Portra 400, but Portra 160 has definitely overtaken my love for Portra 400 and I think it’s because I live in a very sunny, well-lit country that doesn’t need a film with 400 ISO. Portra 400 also has a slightly yellow tone that disappears with Portra 160 which is more pink/neutral which tones down the bright yellow Australian sun. Portra 160 hits the sweet spot for me and the colours are more to my taste. I don’t think I’ll buy Portra 400 again anytime soon.

All photos taken on Canon AE-1 Program using Kodak Portra 400 and Kodak Portra 160 35mm film.

Last Christmas I went to Melbourne! We usually don’t travel at Christmastime but decided to so we could spend a couple of days in Melbourne with my brother. One of the things I really wanted to do whilst we were there was to visit the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel. In season 2 of the hit Australian tv show “Please Like Me” there is an episode that takes place almost entirely on the wheel and I loved the concept of it. I’ve always been someone that loves ferris wheels and was really excited to see Melbourne from a bird’s eye view.

A change in perspective every now and then is so important to understand that we are so consumed in our day to day lives, instead of on the big picture.

Shakespeare famously said, “All the world’s a stage and all  the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”

I find that quote to be true. We are all here playing the roles God gave us, just trying to make it through the show as best we can. I love thinking about life in that way as it helps take the pressure off us a little bit.

Initially I was surprised and disappointed that a lot of the photos from this roll ended up as double exposures, but now I love it. I never usually shoot any roll of film with the intent to have double exposures as I like clean, crisp, clear photos that I can put in a photo album for my kids one day, but it’s always good to switch things up creatively every now and then, even if it was an accident.

All photos taken on Canon AE-1 Program using Kodak Portra 400 and Kodak Portra 160 35mm film.

On New Year’s Day I ventured up to Brisbane to spend the day with my friend Chynna! We went to the Botanical Gardens and lookout at Mt Coot-tha and got a lot of Vitamin D. Going to the Botanical Gardens and in particular the Tropical Dome was a great start to the year as I’ve wanted to go for awhile now.

Late last year I picked up some Kodak Portra 160 35mm film and couldn’t wait to use it! Although I’d had a great experience with Portra 400, I found that some of my photos were overexposed and maybe I should step down to a less light sensitive film. Fortunately, that was a brilliant decision! The lower ISO works perfectly for Australian weather, and I couldn’t be happier with how the photos came out. The roll started on my last day in Melbourne and ended with Mt Coot-tha and I love every single frame of the roll.

The photos came out so clear, and amazing quality. I did some minor brightness adjustments to make sure the blacks weren’t too black and the whites weren’t too white but these photos were pretty perfect straight out of the camera.

I found that Portra 160 has more natural and neutral colour tones, and has less yellow than Portra 400. Portra 160 think it is the most accurate colour film I’ve ever used and I’ve tried quite a few!

I have a stack of 35mm film I want to get through before buying any more, however Portra 160 is the next film I will be buying and I think will be my new go-to.

All photos taken with Canon AE-1 Program and Kodak Portra 160 film (new fave).

Although I’ve been back at work for a couple of weeks now, we are still in the heat of the summer and I can’t help but reminisce about times experienced just weeks ago. In December & January I spent more time at the beach than usual, and found a lot of answers there. In typical Australian fashion, you’re in a pool or at the beach most days of the summer.

Someone said repeatedly to me the other day, “Seek God“, and I think the beach is the ideal place to do that. The beach is freeing, and connective with something so much greater than the day to day life we life. My emotions come out at the beach, they have a safe place to be released and heard. The ocean is so intense and mighty, but also has a flow and calm to it that I need more of in my life.

My flatmate Mel came along a few times and it was great. She has a very calm energy that doesn’t drain me at all. Most people do drain me in a way but I feel very comfortable around Mel, and we have a lot in common that complement each other.

Photos taken with Canon AE-1 Program and Kodak Color 400 35mm film.

As promised, here are the Hunter Valley Gardens photos!

In my last post I showed my road trip photos from the drive to Cessnock from the Gold Coast. It was my first ever road trip by myself and it was awesome. I listened to a lot of worship music and Kyle and Jackie O podcasts to get through and it was so fun to be alone and have complete freedom. I would love to go on another road trip in future, just gotta figure out where!

One of the highlights of the trip was going to the Hunter Valley Gardens to check out the various themed gardens and attractions they have their. It was a slightly overcast day which was perfect for walking around for an hour or two. Taking photos of my friends and family is one of my favourite things to do and Fiona & Sophie were more than willing to be my models! The Gardens are so lovely but I have to say the Storybook garden stood out the most, it truly was magical.

I loved the trip and the wonderful connected, intuitive conversation I had with Fiona & Sophie. I rarely get to experience conversations like those anymore and it was so soul renewing for me. It’s been a few months now since the trip and although I was only there a few days, I’m still adjusting to my regular interactions with people and searching for that same ease of conversation. I’ve found myself to be very emotional and feeling unfulfilled by conversations since returning home and I’m hoping that feeling passes soon.

All photos taken with Canon AE-1 Program using Kodak Portra 400 35mm film.

In late October I went on my first ever road trip by myself down to Hunter Valley region in New South Wales. Driving down the coast was a pretty calming experience, and I got to see a few things I hadn’t seen since I was a child, like the Big Banana at Coffs Harbour! I also went to Sealy Lookout near the Big Banana and was blown away by both the drive and the view – definitely worth the 15 minute detour.

I stayed with my friend Fiona in Cessnock, and our mutual friend Sophie came to visit as well. The three of us met at University in 2010 whilst studying film & television and I’ve always felt like I have a very deep connection with them. Our trio communicates so well and have so many interests and personality traits in common. I see the parts of myself that I love reflected in them, which is a blessing.

We had a really great time in our few days together – we got aura photos, went to trivia, saw A Star Is Born, and of course, went to the Hunter Valley Gardens which is where I took most of the pictures on the trip, which will be the following post, but for now enjoy the trip itself!

All photos taken with Canon AE-1 Program using Kodak Portra 400 35mm film.

Every now and then you come across a camera that has a brilliant concept. To see the sprocket holes? YES PLEASE. But some can disappoint. That’s how I’ve felt about the Sprocket Rocket by Lomography.

You get some okay shots, and some awful ones.

A big downside to this camera is the cost of processing. It cost me $42 for develop & scanning the photos in this post, as they have to use their medium format equipment in order to scan the sprocket holes. I don’t think I’m completely done shooting rolls of film with sprocket holes, however I think I will try to find another camera to use (maybe a medium format one with 35mm adaptor as the cost/benefit of using the Sprocket Rocket unfortunately fails.

I think the photos turned out exactly as you’d expect from Lomography – they love light leaks and imperfections, but I prefer clean photos from my favourite SLR cameras (eg. Canon AE-1, Pentax Spotmatic) that I can put in an album to pass onto my kids one day, so I’ll be sticking to those cameras for the foreseeable future.

Honestly this roll of film was so old (dates back to 2015) that I don’t really remember where anything was taken, especially the giant apple; I have no recollection of taking those photos at all!

Photos taken with Lomography Sprocket Rocket using Kodak Color 400. 

If you didn’t know, I work with engineers and architects! I’m the token admin girl who keeps everything running smoothly behind the scenes so the boys can focus on designing libraries, outdoor venues & event spaces, depots, aquatic centres, road and streetscapes & so much more. 

As the only girl in the office I’ve gotten a lot more used to male energy and how different it is from female energy. I spend 95% of my time in my personal life with women so the last couple of years have been a great way go gain more balance in my life and also to open me up to what men are like. 

My dad passed away when I was 8 years old, then my pop died 3 years later, and then after high school my brother moved away (I swear only I could make a post about a work Christmas party about death and loss). All the loss of males in my life means that I have grown up without much male energy around me, and rarely feel safe or comfortable around men. In many ways I still don’t, but I think I have gotten a bit better since working with 10-15 guys and being the only female in the office. 

The guys in the office have very calm energy, and it’s also interesting to see how much neuroticism women have in comparison to men. It seems like the stresses and burdens in life that men carry are either kept quiet & not expressed at all, or just don’t exist to the same extent that women take on everything. They just move on and get the job done whereas it tears women up on the inside and they can’t set their feelings aside as easily. I’ve also noticed that men ask for things be done for them & utilise their resources, and are great at delegating, whereas women hate burdening others and instead do everything themselves.  

In 2018 when people are fighting for equality of the sexes and demanding that we not make judgements about gender or sex, my observations may seem stereotypical, but for me they are true. 

For the second year in a row, this week we headed up the Gold Coast to Tipplers Island on a luxury yacht for our annual Christmas party. It’s always a good idea to have everyone stuck on a boat together for 4 hours as we rarely socialise on a day-to-day basis at the office and usually have a quiet atmosphere. I left the party at 5:30pm when we arrived at the dock so I could go to a Shania Twain concert (it was amazing!) but apparently the party continued on past midnight. 

I decided to bring my Instax Wide camera on the cruise to get some fun shots that are a bit different that the DSLR photos we had last year. I love how Instax photos are a bit different – almost everyone on the boat had never seen an Instax Wide camera before and had the same few questions for me (how much is it, how many photos in a pack of film, how does it work). Although the questions were repetitive, it made me happy that people were interested in the camera and some of them wanted to get one themselves! The more people shoot instant film the happier I am

I’m very grateful for my job and the people I work with. They are hardworking, respectful, intelligent and accomplished and I’ve learned a lot since working with them. 

Merry Christmas!

Surprise! I started using my Lubitel Universal again!

A few months ago I started looking into Medium Format cameras and nearly bought one, but figured why do that when I don’t even use the Lubitel I have? I thought about selling it and even put it on Facebook Marketplace and had a lot of interest, which actually made me excited about the camera again. I dug it up out of the camera drawer under my bed and started shooting it! I shot almost 2 full rolls of expired Kodak Ektar 100 at Crystal Castle and I think the photos turned out gorgeous. It made me so excited to be shooting with this camera again – it’s definitely had a learning curve, and been a long couple of years to get me finally excited about shooting it, but now I want to keep going!

As you can see I got a couple of cool light leaks which weren’t very surprising as the camera back is a little loose. After how badly previous rolls have turned out using the Lubitel, I think I finally understand how focusing, aperture, and shutter speed work on this camera and am so grateful that the photos turned out so nice straight out of the camera.

Can’t wait to finish the next roll!

I thought it was about time I finally posted this. I’ve got to tell you, it’s taken a long time because I either kept adding to my collection or didn’t have sample images. I still wouldn’t say it’s 100% complete but keep checking back as I will add to it in the future.

Name: Polaroid 1000 Land Camera

Type: Instant SX-70 Polaroid Camera

How much I paid: $120 for the camera and Polatronic 1 Flash

Everyone wants a Polaroid camera. Even if you’ve tried other instant cameras, everyone knows of Polaroid and loves the classic look of their images. Polaroid has dissolved and been taken over by other companies now, so The Impossible Project stepped in to bring Polaroid back.

I’ve had varying results with The Impossible Project’s SX-70 Colour film and have had more consistent results with the Black and White. The first pack of colour film I tested produced the top three images below, and the second pack (Gen 2.0 film) produced the bottom middle image. That was the only image I liked from the second pack I used as the rest were far too green-toned for my liking. In future I may only use black and white film with this camera and colour on my Instax Wide, as unfortunately Fujifilm have not produced black and white film yet.

This camera in particular has an issue with blurring – it’s very difficult to not get a blurred image as the shutter speed is very slow. You can of course get some great images as a result of that, but more often that not it’s blurry when you wanted it to be sharp. This is a super basic camera but you don’t get great results, so I wouldn’t recommend picking this one up. If you want a real Polaroid camera and are willing to put up with the obnoxious price of film, get an SX-70 – it’s what I plan on doing eventually.

Name: Pentax ME Super

Type: 35mm SLR

Lens specifications: It came with a Auto Zoom CPC CCT 28-80mm f3.5-4.5 lens but I bought the Pentax-M 50mm f/2 manual focus lens and have been using that ever since.

How much I paid: $89.95 USD plus shipping

This is my favourite 35mm film camera. It turns out that I’m a Pentax girl. I love the lens and the camera itself. I’ve been really happy with the shots I have gotten back from it – more than any other film camera. It’s smooth to use, lightweight (as far as SLRs go) and I just love it. The one problem I have with it at the moment is that the back won’t stay closed – for now I’ve just put some rubber bands around it so it looks very well-loved (and not at all tacky). I assume this would be an easy thing to fix but I’m not sure how to go about it at the moment.

Name: Fujifilm Instax Wide 300

Type: Instant film camera

Film Type: Fujifilm Instax Wide (I bulk buy the film in lots of 100 on eBay as it’s the cheapest.)

How much I paid: $179 at JB Hi-Fi

All of my photos in my 92 Day Instax Challenge were taken with this camera. I previously owned the Instax Wide 210 but I gave that one to my brother when I decided to purchase the 300. There honestly isn’t much difference between the Instax Wide 210 and the Instax Wide 300 except for the design and button location. I do prefer the 300 as it’s less tacky in appearance and the functions are more conveniently located. In the future I would like to switch to the Lomo’Instant Wide as it’s a bit more advanced and has many more features (you can even plug in a strobe light!) that I am dying to try out but I think the best feature is that you can get up to 10cm close to your subject.

The things I love about this camera is how sharp the images are, but something I hate is how easily the close up lens attachment breaks. On both my 210 and 300 the lens attachment only lasted about a month and ever since then I have been using blu-tack to attach it to the lens. What I find baffling is that they don’t sell the close up lens attachments as open stock – you can’t even get them on eBay, whereas you can for the Instax Mini cameras. Overall, I recommend this camera if you just want to simply point and shoot and not worry about any settings, but if you want something more advanced do some research on the Lomo’Instant Wide and see if that floats your boat.

Name: Zenit EM

Type: 35mm film camera

Lens Specifications: Helios-44m 58mm f/2

How much I paid: $30 + $17 shipping

The Zenit EM is definitely not my go-to camera. I’ve only put a couple of rolls through it and am rarely happy with the results, although you do get some really lovely ones. The viewfinder is really hard to look through and the body of the camera itself is very heavy, making it difficult to carry around. However, the lens is so lovely that I bought an adaptor so I can use it on my DSLR as well. I really should pick it up again and give it another go but it really is very heavy in comparison to other cameras like my Pentax ME Super which doesn’t make it easily portable.

Name: Canon FTb

Type: 35mm film camera

Lens Specifications: Canon FD 28mm f2.8

How much I paid: $155 USD

I’ve developed one roll from this camera and unfortunately lost the shots but I know remember I wasn’t very happy with them as I had used a zoom lens. I recently bought the 28mm lens and look forward to getting the shots back. I will definitely add them to this post once they’re developed.

Name: Canon AE-1 Program

Type: 35mm film camera

Lens Specifications: 50mm

How much I paid: Nothing – it was a gift.

Oh how I adore this camera. I was lusting after it for quite a long time and then a man we know offered one to me out of the blue once he saw my collection! I need to send it off to be repaired at the moment as the shutter would not fire just due to old age and lack of maintenance (it hadn’t been used for years), but fortunately this camera had a wide release back in the day and parts are quite easy to come by. I love how easy this camera is to use, particularly with this lens. It is so easy to focus, and I have a lot of fun with it knowing that the lens will save even the most terrible shots.

My first roll through this camera really overexposed the shots, which I managed to fix in Photoshop, but after replacing the battery it’s been working fantastically. I’ve found I love shooting Kodak Portra 400 with this camera more than anything else. The combination is a winner with almost every frame.

Name: Mamiya Press Universal

Type: Medium Format Camera with Polaroid Instant Back

Film type: Instant peel-apart film camera – Fuji FP-100c (Colour) and Fuji FP-3000b (Black and White)

Lens specifications: Sekor 150mm f5.6 lens

How much I paid: $633.80 including shipping

Name: Lomography Fisheye One

Type: 35mm film camera

How much I paid: $54.99 USD

For years I’ve wanted to try out a fish eye lens and this was my way of testing it out. This camera was a decent price and has been fun to play with, however, I hardly ever reach for it. The quality of the photos aren’t great as the lens is pretty poor so I have only shot two full rolls with it since I purchased it in 2013 and donated it since then. It’s most definitely a toy camera – you can have fun with it but you won’t get stand out, incredible images.

Name: Sprocket Rocket SUPERPOP! Pink

Type: 35mm panoramic camera with optional sprocket holes

How much I paid: $62.30 USD

The thing I love about this camera is the sprocket holes. I love being able to see pictures touch the edge of the film; it adds so much to the experience for me. Something that has been difficult with this camera is focusing and getting the exposure right, even though you can’t really control it. You need to use at least 400 ISO film when using this camera. You can do unlimited exposures with this camera which is awesome and has been fun to play with.

My brother bought me the Diana F+ flash after I received my first roll back and seeing how dark a lot of the images turned out. I look forward to seeing how that changes the images.

Name: Olympus 35 RC

Type: 35mm rangefinder camera

Lens specifications: E. Zuiko 42mm f/2.8

How much I paid: I don’t remember but I believe it was less than $120

This camera is a great pocket-sized camera and feels great in your hands. Unfortunately this camera broke when on one of my walks and hasn’t been able to work since. The shutter is stuck and I’ve not come across any solutions as of yet and I’m pretty sure it’s not fixable judging by the research I’ve done online. I’ve considered buying another one as the photos you can take with it are stunning and I didn’t get to really test it out, but it’s not worth it in the end as I have so many other cameras.

Name: Polaroid Big Shot

Type: Instant peel-apart film camera

Film type: Fuji FP-100c (Colour) and Fuji FP-3000b (Black and White)

What else you need: MagicCubes

How much I paid: $120 + postage on Gumtree (it came with a pack of film and a magic cube)

Name: Pentax Spotmatic

Type: 35mm film camera

Lens Specifications: Pentax M42 SMC 35mm f3.5

How much I paid: $205

This camera arrived in perfect good condition which made me very excited to use it. It’s also my first 35mm lens which is great as even though I love 50mm lenses, sometimes it is too close to what I want to focus on. I love using this camera but haven’t got any shots back. I will update when I do.

Name: Polaroid Miniportrait 203 with Polaroid Back

Type: Instant film camera

Film Type: Fuji FP-100C, Fuji FP-3000B

How much I paid: $180.99 USD

One thing to be aware of with this camera is that there are a couple of different versions. My camera has two lenses, but there is another version with four. It’s a really fun setting to play around with and you can either choose to take two different photos, or have both sides the same. I’ve found focusing to be quite tricky with this camera but I think it comes with practice.

Name: Lomography Lomo’Instant

Type: Instant film camera

Film Type: Fujifilm Instax Mini Film

How much I paid: $119 USD on Kickstarter

I was so excited when Lomography announced the Kickstarter campaign for this camera! I was hoping they would do the same with the Instax Wide size and they have but unfortunately i haven’t gotten my hands on that one yet. Personally, I dislike the Instax Mini size and prefer the Instax Wide so this camera doesn’t get used very often – most of the sample photos were taken in 2014. I got the extra lenses and colour filters which I am very happy with – those are a great addition to the camera. I will probably give away this camera once I am in the financial position to purchase the Lomo’Instant so keep an eye out on my blog for that.

Name: Lomography Lomokino Super 35mm Movie Maker

Type: 35mm film camera

How much I paid: I can’t find the exact price but it was around $100. I got it in a “Directors Bundle” which comes with the LomoKinoscope, Smartphone Scanner, and 2 x Lady Grey B&W 400 ISO 35mm film.

This is quite an interest camera – it’s a ‘shoot from the hip’ type camera and you wind the wheel every time you want to take a frame so it can be as fast or slow as you’d like. I highly suggest looking it up if you’re interested in Super 8 film at all. I look forward to getting my first roll back.

Name: Lubitel 166 Universal

Type: 120 film camera

How much I paid: Around $67 on eBay

The results with this camera are so varied but I have found I am getting better results over time. I love experimenting with the different medium format film stocks and the high resolution files you can get. It provides an entirely different shooting experience than a 35mm SLR which is very valuable to me at this point in my photography journey. I love the square format of the photos and have been impressed at how the photos have improved so much over time.

Name: Hanimex Power Zoom

Type: 35mm film camera

How much I paid: It was free from a lady at work who was moving house and wanted to get rid of a bunch of stuff. The film was pre-loaded and I haven’t finished the roll yet. It’s a fun mystery to unpack once I do!

Name: Hanimex Standard 120 Box Camera

Type: 120 film camera

How much I paid: Nothing.

This camera belonged to my family back in the day. Last year I went through a box of old stuff of my dad’s and found this buried at the bottom of it. I was so excited to find it and was hoping there was some film in there but unfortunately there was none. As you can tell in the picture the lens is so fogged up that it would be absolutely impossible to sue these days, but I still treasure it anyway.

CANON AUTOZOOM 518 SV, POLAROID SPIRIT 600 CL, POLAROID ONESTEP 2, LOMO’INSTANT WIDE, OLYMPUS MJU II + HOLGA 120 GN COMING SOON!

I hope this post was somewhat helpful and interesting! It took me awhile to finish but I finally got there. I’d love you to leave a comment with the cameras you own, or are lusting after. I didn’t include digital cameras as I only have a couple of them, but I do have a lot of lenses & accessories so if you’d like to see those please let me know and I’ll work on it.

Each year I like to visit the Swell Sculpture Festival at Currumbin Beach. This year my friend Simone, her two babies & I went to have a look. Going anywhere with a two-year-old can be difficult and we experienced a couple of tantrums but overall it was a nice day.

2015 was the best Swell Festival I’ve seen and this year’s was an improvement on last year’s so it fell in somewhere in the middle. The highlight was the bird, and the lowlight was the traffic cone square.

Afterwards we headed to a local park to let the kids run wild. Mason is now able to walk with a little bit of assistance which is soooo cute.

Photos taken with Pentax Spotmatic using Kodak Profoto XL 100 35mm film.

This time last year my friend Simone, her babies & I went to the Burleigh Markets & the park. The kids were dressed in matching I’m so cute it’s scary outfits which were adorable, and it was also my first time shooting Kodak Portra 400 after hearing everyone talk about it for a few years.

This is the first roll of film where i was happy with 95% of the photos and I do think it’s thanks to Portra 400. Portra has a pretty fine grain so you aren’t bombarded with it like some other films (*cough cough* Lomography) so it doesn’t distract. You get a high quality photo with beautiful colours, some film grain but no one element of the photo distracts from the subject which is something I love about it.

On this particular roll I was really happy that the close up photo of Lilly on the swing turned out to be perfectly in focus as I waited quite a while to press the shutter, and the photos of Mason on the blanket turned out exactly how I wanted them to, if not even better. I need to start taking more photos of them together as a family but in the moment it proves harder than you would think!

I recently purchased some Kodak Portra 160 and can’t wait to see what the results are like.

Photos taken on Canon AE-1 Program with 50mm lens and Kodak Portra 400 35mm film.

This little disposable camera was with me for a year and a half (January 2017 – August 2018! Seeing my friends and cousin’s babies grow in just one roll of film is amazing and a true blessing. These are the kinds of photos and memories I want to look back on when I’m 70 years old.

I busted this roll out of the disposable camera myself to avoid excess shipping costs which is why I think there were the leaks on the photos. I don’t mind; it just adds character to the photos.

This disposable diary series has been a joy. I bought a 10 pack of disposable cameras back in 2016 and have been slowly getting through them. I’m not sure if this series will continue once they’re all done (there’s about 3 left to finish!) due to all the wasteful plastic, but it is an absolutely joy to truly just point and shoot.

View more from the Disposable Diary series here.

Recently I’ve been getting really into film photography again and have been going through my camera & film collection to try to use what I have, and also sell some unused items. I realised that I have a lot of SLR cameras and that the Zenit EM was the one I enjoyed using the least, despite it having an absolutely beautiful lens (Helios-44M) which is known for it’s swirly bokeh. Even with the lovely lens, I still found it would take me a long time to finish a roll of film in the camera, and instead I would prefer to use my Pentax Spotmatic and Canon AE-1 Program. I knew I wanted to keep those in my collection, so unfortunately it was time for the Zenit EM to find a new home.

I listed the camera on Gumtree & Facebook Marketplace and later that day it was sold to a lovely girl called Jessica who was new to film photography. I showed her some basics about how to use the camera, gifted her some film, and sent it on its way! Before she came to pick it up I had to quickly finish off the film in the camera and I had about 5 shots left to take, which ended up being some of my favourites I’d ever taken with the Zenit EM.

This specific roll took about 3 years to finish – I just wasn’t inspired by the camera and I didn’t connect to it the way I wanted to. I really hope the new owner loves it and finds a connection I never had.

A few weekends ago we were lucky enough to have a long weekend on the Gold Coast! My friend and I decided to make the most of it and head an hour south to Byron Bay to see the sunrise. We got up at 3:30 am and got there at the perfect time. We walked for a few minutes in the pitch black darkness of night and before we knew it the darkness subsided and gradually the landscape was illuminated by cool daylight.

At 5:59am the sun was rising and had shone its brilliant warmth over the lighthouse and the scenery in front of us. The ocean reflected and shimmered with its magnificence, and I felt so at peace.

Whenever I see a sunrise or sunset I feel a rare sense of belonging and tranquility. To see the breaking of dawn on Saturday morning made me feel connected with the world, when I often feel disconnected from the wonder and instead stuck in the mundane, monotonous existence of everyday life.

the dawn is breaking

a light shining through

We had breakfast at a local cafe afterwards and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the empty streets and the early morning.

On our return to the Gold Coast we headed to Springbrook National Park where I shot most of my photos on film (coming soon) and I am so excited to revisit it in summer and swim in the lagoon under the waterfall.

All photos were taken with my Pentax Spotmatic, 28mm lens, and Fuji Pro 400H film.

Last week I got 5 rolls of film back! I’d been shooting some of them for a long time, and this is definitely one of them.

I got a Pentax Spotmatic with a 35mm lens off eBay back in October 2015 (Cost: $180) and for some reason didn’t shoot much with it. It took me 2 and a half years to finish the first roll of film because I just wasn’t inspired by the camera once I got it. The camera is in great condition, came with a great carry case and a good lens, but I just rarely picked it up.

The Pentax Spotmatic is very easy to use and is fool proof. I would definitely recommend you consider it as an option if you are looking to get your film camera. I also really love my Pentax ME Super – Pentax film cameras in general really work for me. They are more compact which makes them easy to carry around with you.

Shooting film is such a joy and although I wasn’t very inspired by this camera at first, after seeing the results and falling in love with them, I’m very excited to shoot more with it over the next couple of years, especially as my Pentax ME Super (former favourite SLR) needs a repair.

I was fortunate enough to be gifted a Canon AE-1 by a lovely older man a couple of years ago and although I’ve only put 3 rolls through it so far, I always love the results.

Over the last few months I’ve been to Melbourne, Byron Bay, Crystal Castle, and the park with my friend & her babies and brought the AE-1 along for the ride.

The camera is so easy to use and always gives beautiful results, especially when using Kodak Portra 400. Hope you enjoy x

Can’t wait to shoot the next roll!

The other weekend I went up to Rocks at Seventeen Mile Rocks to celebrate a one year old’s birthday and I decided to take out my new Petzval lens for the first time. I’ve only played with it at home so far so it was a bit of a challenge to work with, but I think I got some beautiful shots.

As you can see, focusing can be difficult with this lens. It requires patience and a lot of trial & error to get it right. I can’t wait to play with this lens more as you really can get some beautiful results. I’d love to take it to the beach next time I go with my friends.

* All photos were taken with Lomography’s Petzval 58 Bokeh Control Art Lens.

My beautiful friend Chynna turned 25 this month. We ventured up into the Scenic Rim with our friend Brittany to have a gorgeous tea party at Tea & Niceties, and explore the local area.

The three of us have known each other for over 12 years but had lost touch since graduating high school in 2009. This year I reconnected with them and I’m so grateful to have them in my life again.

Brittany is full of life and laughter, and is the person I go to if I want to connect with nature and be brought back down to earth. She is very adventurous but also loves spending time relaxing at home which works well for me.

Chynna is one of my more spiritual friends and is the most heartfelt, beautiful, and emotionally connected person I know. She is a kind and generous soul. We spent a lot of time together during our teenage years but didn’t connect on a deeper level and speak about what we felt and were going through until this year.

Photos taken with Canon AE-1 Program with 50mm lens on Kodak Portra 400 35mm film.

As you may know in November I went to Tangalooma Island! It’s only a two hour journey from where I live which made it the perfect island getaway for a couple of days. The only cameras I took were a Fujifilm disposable camera and my Instax Wide 300. I used up all the pictures on the disposable camera and was really happy with how they turned out.

Since I posted a couple of pictures on Instagram the other day quite a few people have asked me what filter I used – I used absolutely no filters and didn’t edit the photos at all. They turned out wonderfully because they were taken on film and film does all of the editing for you. Disposable cameras really are the perfect thing to take on holiday with you – I highly recommend it for your next trip.

View more from the Disposable Diary series here.

I first started shooting this roll in January and didn’t finish until mid-November. It features Sydney, Crystal Castle, and some babies (the more babies the better in my opinion).

Tom – my one and only brother. Happens to be my favourite.

Sydney

Sydney

Zakk. 3 months.

At the airport after spending the day in Sydney training for my new job. May 2016.

I was home alone and Sarah couldn’t get home because of a storm so she came over and we built a fort and watched Friends for hours. Sometimes the unplanned days are the best days.

Lilly

Soren. 1.5 years old.

I bought myself red roses. Not going to wait around for a guy to buy me them someday.

The view from our balcony. This always ends up being my standard final shot to finish a roll.

I love not knowing what I’ve taken a photo of, getting it back and being pleasantly surprised. Something I learned over the course of the year is to use the flash with disposables if it’s not a well lit shot.

All photos taken with my Kodak Fun 400 ISO disposable camera.

View more from the Disposable Diary series here.

Here is part two of my first shots with the Lomo’Instant. I’ve definitely had a lot of dud shots with this camera but for the most part it is an enjoyable camera to work with. I rarely change up the lens or use the coloured gel filters, but maybe in future I will need to break those out.

I’ve always loved Instax photos and can not believe how many doors the Lomo’Instant has opened. My favourite feature is definitely the self timer/remote shutter and I am still having issues with the focus settings. Hopefully I’ll sort that out in time…