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!

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.

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…

On Saturday night I hosted a Christmas party with my high school friends.

It was so good to catch up with everyone in person as it’s been over a year since this group got together. I absolutely love hosting. Getting to create an atmosphere that will make for the most joyous and enjoyable experience for everyone at the event is really satisfying and fun for me.

As most of you know, these days it can be hard to truly connect with people on a human level. I often say that we are turning into robots – constantly relying on our phones, computers and self serve checkouts at the grocery store. It seems like basic human connection is not enough and we need to constantly be connected to the world at the same time, but this night proved me wrong. People still want human connection and friendships. We still want to laugh around the dinner table while taking pictures wearing silly glasses and hats. We want to create genuine memories and have honest conversations about life.  It’s a shame that this group doesn’t come together more often. I’m going to try to change that next year.

All photos were taken with either the Fujifilm Instax Wide 300, or the Lomo’Instant Wide. The Lomo’Instant Wide was perfect for this event thanks to the remote/self timer.

For those of you who were following me early this year you might remember that I did the 90 Day Instax Challenge which I absolutely loved but I think for a few months after that I just stopped using Instax cameras. It made me realise that there weren’t a lot of things in my life worth taking photos of and that I had to change that before I did another challenge like it. I’ve been trying to live more which has meant trying to be more present and less distracted, especially when hanging out with friends or family. 

I hope you enjoy these pictures taken with the Lomo’Instant Wide and the Fujifilm Instax Wide throughout the year. 

A few months ago my Instax Challenge ended and since then I’ve not been picking up the camera too much, but I wanted to share these few photos with you. I really do love Instax Wide film and highly recommend it if you’re looking to get into instant photography, as it’s cost effective (compared to other instant film) and the size is great.

Obviously my brother is not as good at taking photos of me as I am of him….

My cousins! I love having them visit & miss them already.

The sun was really, really bright.

Simone & Scott brought their 12 week old baby Lilly over which was lovely.

My first week at my new job.

There was a really horrible storm the other night and Sarah got stranded at my place for quite a few hours, so we made a comfortable blanket fort which was awesome. It was better in real life than in the picture.

I ran out of film but I should be getting some more very soon!

Today I hung out with my friends at Hinze Dam. We all hadn’t been there since grade 9 when our whole year level went so we thought we would go and check it out. We were all pretty disappointed but we managed to have a great time anyway. The most hilarious thing that happened was when we were eating. There was a lot of birds around and we could tell they wanted our food and eventually a kookaburra swooped down, scared the shit out of all of us and then we realised it had taken Janice’s meat off her plate! Kinda crazy. It freaked me out a bit so I went and sat on the swing for a while to calm myself down. Australian animals can be crazy!

After we left Hinze Dam we went to play putt putt. Sarah won and I lost but I did get 2 hole-in-ones!