You Win Some, You Lose Some.

That was my first roll with the Roloflex and honestly it might be my last.

>> I always find it funny when we're filming in the woods because I really like to capture as many sounds as I can.

Natural sounds and it's just me and always lane sound bites.

Isn't it weird when people are watching your your work?

>> I got to go.

>> He's like, "You got to leave, eh? I

can't be around."

>> No. No. Not my thing.

>> Time to send it off to the lab, get it developed, and see if uh see if anything came out of that. It's also really hot.

Okay. I hope you're here for the Roloflex photos. The 12 shots that uh I

Roloflex photos. The 12 shots that uh I can happily announce made it to the lab safely. The uh the dude in the window, I

safely. The uh the dude in the window, I guess, worked at the lab. The transfer

was made and the uh the photos were saved and Grain Nation was able to process and scan those photos and get them back to me inside in under an hour, which is unreal. This video isn't

sponsored by anybody, but if anyone deserves a shout out, it's Gray Nation.

Um, best lab in Toronto. So, I got the pictures back. Let's talk about this

pictures back. Let's talk about this camera super quick. General experience

using this, I will say mixed reactions.

When you're looking down through a waist level viewfinder, everything is inverted. So, what's left is right and

inverted. So, what's left is right and what's right is left. And it makes it very difficult to line up shots. It

makes it very difficult to get things square. I had a lot of difficulty not

square. I had a lot of difficulty not making every building look super crooked and warped and cockeyed and I just I didn't love the experience of a waist level viewfinder. I much preferred it

level viewfinder. I much preferred it with the viewfinder on it. That

obviously adds a bit of an extra footprint to the top. Very easy to focus. Medium format. The bright screen

focus. Medium format. The bright screen I put inside looked great. It was very easy to to see what was focused and what was out of focus. The two knobs right here on the camera, one is the shutter speed, the other is the aperture. and

the light meter was not working. But

there are so many apps on the app store that are light meters that you can use and just fire off a reading and it'll tell you in real time like what you should be setting your camera at if you

don't have a working light meter,000. So

you're getting 500 at 28. It is what it is boys.

>> Numbers, man.

>> Yeah, whatever. It's not like it actually matters.

>> Alternatively, if you don't have a working light meter or an app for your phone, you could just follow the sunny 16 rule. However, it was too dark in the

16 rule. However, it was too dark in the woods and the light was too far gone to rock and roll with Sunny 16. So, I was stuck to a little bit of guesswork in

combination with the app that uh yeah, I would normally recommend it, but I think after my experience with it on uh last Friday, I'm going to hold off on recommending this light meter app until I can. Anyway, so to start, I love

I can. Anyway, so to start, I love experimenting with new cameras. It's

it's both, I think, great, beneficial, educational, and also really teaches you and helps hone into what you like and what you enjoy shooting and highlights also what you're really good at. And it

might not necessarily be the new camera that you're testing. And in my case, what this highlighted is there are many other cameras that I own currently that I enjoy using more, that I'm better at

using. And that has led to some

using. And that has led to some decisions that uh I'm going to make that I'll I'll inform you with at the end of the video. But you're here because you

the video. But you're here because you want to see the photos. So, let's let's bust open the laptop here and get to some pictures. So, I'm happy to report

some pictures. So, I'm happy to report every shot turned out. I I didn't ruin any of them. There aren't any that are super underexposed or very overexposed.

When it comes to shooting film, anything underexposed is very hard to save. It's

usually just you blew it. Anything

overexposed, you've got a lot of grace with film. There's a lot of what's

with film. There's a lot of what's called latitude. Let's call it

called latitude. Let's call it forgiveness. The highlights are retained

forgiveness. The highlights are retained very, very well with film stock. So

you're safeish. A lot of people shoot overexposed all the time just to get a certain look out of a film stock, more pastel look. So you're not really having

pastel look. So you're not really having to be worried with that. But when you underexpose a photo shooting film, that's when you run into some scary business there. You don't want to do

business there. You don't want to do that. Okay, I will show you my favorites

that. Okay, I will show you my favorites first. Uh but you'll see the full 12

first. Uh but you'll see the full 12 shots. I don't love all of them, but

shots. I don't love all of them, but there are definitely some favorites. I

guess let's start with my favorite. Um

no, you know what? Let's start with the very first shot. Um, you'll see it from the video where the boys are standing by the fire and I called out to them, "Hey." And they turned around and when

"Hey." And they turned around and when they turned around, I wanted it to be natural. So, I didn't want them to pose

natural. So, I didn't want them to pose for a photo. I just wanted to call them.

They turn, I shoot. That's great. And it

keeps things casual. I think part of my goal in this was shooting stuff a little bit differently, trying to be more of a fly on the wall. There are some scenes that I set up because the framing just looks so good, but they were usually

based off of a way someone was already sitting or hanging out or or existing in that scene. I wasn't taking someone and

that scene. I wasn't taking someone and placing them there. Minus the portrait of Jay that I shot. This is the official first shot with the Roloflex ever in my life. Bam. Shot one. Roll one. Right off

life. Bam. Shot one. Roll one. Right off

the bat, medium format is insane. Okay.

Like the negative size of a medium format is so much bigger than a 35mm negative. You're getting way more

negative. You're getting way more information to the point where this starts to look digital. It almost looks like a digital photo. The depth of field is incredible. The compression is

is incredible. The compression is incredible. And the color from film is

incredible. And the color from film is unmatched. to this day. There's just It

unmatched. to this day. There's just It looks I love it. The grain, textures, colors, feelings, it has everything.

Very exciting. Obviously, uh Jay was like midlink. So, I I wish it either had

like midlink. So, I I wish it either had sunglasses on or was looking straight at the camera. I don't love that he's

the camera. I don't love that he's mid-blank. I like that Lane's kind of

mid-blank. I like that Lane's kind of just casually looking over. This dude's

tending to the fire. Didn't even bother turning around. Awesome. But I don't

turning around. Awesome. But I don't love that we're mid-link with Jay. So,

damn it, Jay. Not his fault. wasn't

ready for it. If I just pushed that shutter a half second later, probably would have worked great. But I think like as far as exposure goes and my first shot with the Roloflex, it turned out great. So frame number one, we're

out great. So frame number one, we're like we're cooking cooking. Frame number

two, still cooking. This was Lane having his coffee in the doorway. Now, this is what I was talking about earlier by I wasn't trying to set up scenes, per se.

He was already standing there hanging out, and you'll see the point in the vlog where I'm like, "Oh, hang on. Stay

there." I love that frame that I like that frame a lot.

I think that looks good. One sec.

Grab my camera. Move the tripod. This is

where I had a lot of difficulty. The

first shot was out of focus when I was using the waist level viewfinder. Here's

what that looks like. Which is then why I went and put on the viewfinder so I could look through it. And then I got this shot, which I I like quite a bit.

He looks It's very like it's like very Canadian. The lumberjack flannel. Hang

Canadian. The lumberjack flannel. Hang

on.

Like my light might be too hot.

better. I'm sorry if the grade just changed mid video. Yeah, I apologize. I

I didn't quite c I should bring my monitor closer. It's the old age, guys.

monitor closer. It's the old age, guys.

I'm turning 40 this year.

I got to do something crazy before I turn 40. Like, I got to steal a car or

turn 40. Like, I got to steal a car or something. Maybe I'll start smoking. So,

something. Maybe I'll start smoking. So,

this shot I do like the axe leaning against the door because he was legit just chopping wood. you saw having his coffee in his little wood cup, just looking out to the spring weather that's that's coming. Not fast enough, but it's

that's coming. Not fast enough, but it's it's on the horizon. Uh it's just a nice shot. I feel like it looks good. It's

shot. I feel like it looks good. It's

framed well. Very Canadian. I'm very

happy with that. The one before it didn't love, but again, because of this.

The next photo that we took were the boys checking out the handcarved bow in the the roadway, the driveway there.

This is what that one looks like. Pretty

cool. I love the angle he's holding the bow at, like checking if it's warped or if it's straight. I think that's such a cool perspective. You got Cody looking

cool perspective. You got Cody looking up at it to check it out as well. This

was the first photo from the Roloflex where I really noticed the 6x6 framing, the format, cuz all the photos are square from a camera like this, which I like it. It made composing the images a

like it. It made composing the images a lot more interesting and unique. I'm

used to framing everything horizontally for so long, then we've been shooting vertically for social media for so long.

So to go to an old school medium format camera where the frames are 6x6. I think

sometimes just small differences like that challenge us as photographers and ultimately make us better and make us frame better because at the end of the day it all just comes down to composition, light, and story. And if

you can mix those three things together, it doesn't matter what camera you're using. If you can nail the light, nail

using. If you can nail the light, nail the composition, and tell some kind of a story, you've got a great photo. So this

I thought was pretty cool. It was

slightly underexposed. If we look at the scan, when I'm editing film scans, I don't tend to go very hard. Mostly just

curve adjustments, some contrast, highlights. That's kind of it. Now, the

highlights. That's kind of it. Now, the

next photo I had of Cody testing the bow, I'm not a fan of. Let's take a look here. The light was coming through the

here. The light was coming through the trees in a little pocket that was hitting his face, but it was making everything way too warm. So, that's not just like the Charlie in the Chocolate Factory edit, the jaundice edit on

Cody's face there. That's just the golden sunlight of sunset illuminating his face. And I just uh I don't love the

his face. And I just uh I don't love the composition. I don't love the trees in

composition. I don't love the trees in the background. Dead trees in most

the background. Dead trees in most photos I just don't think look good. I'm

always trying to avoid them and pick trees that are green all year round.

When you have all the branches just going everywhere. It's ugly. It's ugly.

going everywhere. It's ugly. It's ugly.

And I feel like the ugliness of winter shows in this photo. I just don't love it. That one's a miss for sure. The one

it. That one's a miss for sure. The one

before that, them standing in the roadway. This is after I moved them. I

roadway. This is after I moved them. I

should have just kept shooting in the spot they were at, but I actually asked them to go further down the road so I could maybe try and like umbrella them in the trees. Weird composition. Too far

away. Can't see any expression. His

hands covering his face. A bit dark. No.

Next up is the portrait of Jay. Now,

this is probably my favorite shot from the whole set. I think it worked out great. It's sunny. It's warm. It looks

great. It's sunny. It's warm. It looks

exactly as I had it planned when I was shooting it. It looks just like it did

shooting it. It looks just like it did when I was there. And I feel like film is very good at making things feel and look how you remember them feeling and looking. It's one of its superpowers.

looking. It's one of its superpowers.

And if authenticity is the name of the game these days, film delivers that authenticity all the time. Probably one

of my favorite portraits of Jay. Also

helps that he just always looks so freaking cool. It's just one of a kind.

freaking cool. It's just one of a kind.

There's no one that looks like Jay. That

light was looking so good that we framed me up for a portrait so Lane could shoot it. So the settings I kept exactly the

it. So the settings I kept exactly the same. I changed nothing. Just showed him

same. I changed nothing. Just showed him how to use the camera. And then he had me stand in the light. Whereas I was using it to rim and background light Jay so I could see some of that flare. Lane

flipped the composition and used that light to light me instead without having to change anything on the camera. This

is the shot that we got which is awesome. The light lighting up my coat

awesome. The light lighting up my coat framed off the background of trees that have leaves, not just branches. The

smoke of the fire creating an atmosphere separating me off the background even more. You've got some glow of the fire.

more. You've got some glow of the fire.

We've got glow from the sun on the right side. It's just enough of the jacket

side. It's just enough of the jacket showing. This is a film shot. Look how

showing. This is a film shot. Look how

sharp that is. Look at my frizzy hair.

That's crazy. Sometimes I actually start to not like shooting medium format because it looks so digital. And it

becomes a little bit closer where those lines blur and you're wondering at this point, should I just shoot digital and forget all the things that make this difficult? And this and this photo I

difficult? And this and this photo I feel like is a great example of that. It

is just and like you think about this camera from the '60s and look how sharp that is. That's rivaling some of the

that is. That's rivaling some of the stuff that's been made in the last decade. Unbelievable. Now, we're more

decade. Unbelievable. Now, we're more than halfway through the roll at this point. We've got four shots left. Three

point. We've got four shots left. Three

of them are campfire shots. Actually,

all four of them are campfire shots.

There's just like a little subtle difference in each one. I'll blow

through them really quick. This one,

there's no flames coming out of the fire. This one, there's like a nice

fire. This one, there's like a nice spark coming out of the fire. And this

one is my favorite because I backed up.

I show the full wood pile. The most

sparks are coming out of the fire. And I

feel like it's just composed the best.

You can see the thought process, which I think is cool. Shot this and thought, I need more sparks. Shot it again. I have

sparks, but I missed the wood pile. So,

I back up and you can see that in the video. I back all the way up, shoot that

video. I back all the way up, shoot that last frame, which has better framing, sparks, and the wood pile. So, this one wins for me of those three. And the last shot of the role is Cody, the man who

owns the property, the man of the forest, trust in timber, standing there warming up over the fire. And I really like the glow on his uh his jacket. If

you look at his sleeve right here, I like that. Like it's it's just like a

like that. Like it's it's just like a nice little warm hit of light. Those

little things that just make me get me so excited. I love like the sparks in

so excited. I love like the sparks in the air. All the little embers floating

the air. All the little embers floating up into the blue night sky. And you can see just a little bit of like warm light on the edge of his face. Not a ton. Some

ash on the back of his jacket. Again,

the detail that it picks up is just wild. That was my first roll with the

wild. That was my first roll with the Roloflex. And honestly, it might be my

Roloflex. And honestly, it might be my last. I think what I learned in shooting

last. I think what I learned in shooting with this is I just like other cameras better. If I'm going to do medium

better. If I'm going to do medium format, I don't want to mess with a waist level viewfinder. I didn't

necessarily love putting that extra viewfinder on it. It's still kind of weird to use. I have other cameras that I way rather use like a Mamia 72 when it comes to medium format or a contact 645,

which is what I started on 15 plus years ago. Those types of cameras I feel I

ago. Those types of cameras I feel I would rather use way over something like this. You don't know what you like if

this. You don't know what you like if you don't try. And I think this is in a way me trying to continue to push my craft. No matter how long I've been

craft. No matter how long I've been shooting, I'm always looking for ways to get to the next level. And I think by trying new stuff, being unsure, testing my skills and my knowledge, failing, trying again, adjusting, seeing what

photos I liked and what worked, what went wrong, and then going back and trying it again. Those are all things that are going to make me a better artist. Now, you don't just need to buy

artist. Now, you don't just need to buy a new camera to try and push yourself to be a better artist. You can try shooting new subjects, shooting at different times of day. Maybe if you're most uncomfortable in low light, only shoot

in low light for a whole month and see what happens. At the end of that month,

what happens. At the end of that month, I promise you'll probably have some of your favorite photos you've ever taken.

Progress. You will have increased, not stayed the same or gone down, you will have gained valuable knowledge that makes you better at your craft. So, the

next time you're in a situation where you need to shoot in low light, you've got this. You still need to practice

got this. You still need to practice your craft no matter where you are in the journey. This was just practicing. I

the journey. This was just practicing. I

think sometimes we always try to look for the most epic thing we can get wherever we are working. I'm in the woods with my friends around a campfire and I want to shoot the most epic, coolest photo I possibly can. I'm going

to get back and if I didn't get it exactly how I wanted, I'm going to be upset. You're putting too much pressure

upset. You're putting too much pressure on yourself because at the end of the day, you got to look at things for what they are. It's just some friends hanging

they are. It's just some friends hanging out in the forest with a fire. You're

only going to get what you're going to get. So, I chose to use that as a

get. So, I chose to use that as a learning experience. This definitely

learning experience. This definitely pushed me to some new boundaries and I've learned I'm going to sell this.

It's not for me and I don't want to just keep it on my shelf as an ornament because it looks cool. I would rather someone else that wants to try wants to learn buy this camera, use it themselves. Maybe it becomes their

themselves. Maybe it becomes their favorite camera. Maybe they learn

favorite camera. Maybe they learn something from it as well. Perhaps get

the best portraits they've ever shot in their life or get the worst photos they've ever had in their life, but they learn something about themselves and the art that they're making. So, this is for sale. I have the original box and the

sale. I have the original box and the viewfinder. If you want it, get in

viewfinder. If you want it, get in touch. I might leave it downtown at

touch. I might leave it downtown at Green Nation and they can sell it. I'll

make a post on Instagram or a story or something and you can follow where I'm going to end up leaving it for sale. But

yeah, if someone does want it, it's the Rolllex. It's the 2.8 Plane R2, so it's

Rolllex. It's the 2.8 Plane R2, so it's like the nice sharp. It's in beautiful condition. But yeah, someone out there

condition. But yeah, someone out there will probably have a time. All right,

that's it for me. Thanks so much for watching this video, guys. Coming back

for part two of the Roloflex journey. 12

shots, 12 frames to make it happen.

See you in the next one.