Lights, Camera, Action!

Harris Cooley and Braden Biddings at the Q Street Diner

And away we go! Here it is folks, the day so many of you have been waiting for. The day when local production company Gitgo Productions (Kate Kiminski and Betsy Carson) launches its highly anticipated and totally hilarious web series 'Willard Beach, The Real Story.'

Ok, so it launches tomorrow, April 1st (no, this is not a joke), but I wanted to give you just a tiny bit of warning.

Denise Poirier at the Empire Dine and Dance

There is something for everyone in this fun new web series, from gossip to local celebrities to lover's quarrels to what happens in everyday, small town America where everyone knows your business. It also features really good looking, local talent hanging out in fun Portland landmarks (think: Q Street Diner, Enterprise Records, Empire Dine & Dance...).

Jennywren Sanders and Braden Biddings at Enterprise Records

Kathryn Morrison and Keith Anctil making their way through morning coffee

It's comedy meets quirkiness meets soap opera meets satire. And just so you don't forget, it's called WILLARD BEACH, THE REAL STORY. You can learn more here and here. You should probably bookmark those two things so you can be sure to tune in every week. That way you'll always have something to discuss at the water cooler.

David Wallace reads the local news and eavesdrops at the Q Street Diner

And why am I telling you all this? Because I'm the project's still photographer. Oh, and because I know a good thing when I see it and I wouldn't want you to miss out.

Hip To Be Square

Ferry Beach - Scarborough, Maine. My favorite beach in the whole wide world.

Recent jaunts around town with my dusty Hasselblad have served me well. Using a medium format film camera forces you to slow down, something I think we all should do every once in awhile. Plus, it got me out exploring some of the jewels Maine has to offer us all. A solitary walk along Ferry Beach and a trek around Macworth Island with another photographer were both good ways to feed the soul and work on the craft.

There are more rolls of film waiting to be shot and places waiting to be explored. More chances to shift gears and slow down. More reasons to love photography.

Thank you Victor Hasselblad and Carl Zeiss. I owe you one!

Missing the Grain

Avocado Party, Bowdoinham ME

I miss film. I miss it like you might miss an old friend. An old friend who lives far away and always makes you smile. Maybe you've forgotten that you miss this person and suddenly a memory triggers something, you laugh, then smile, then wish you could hang out together. You remember how many good days (and nights) you've had with this old friend. That's how I feel about film right now.

I miss seeing grain. I miss the surprise when you get a roll of film back. I miss the feel of a sturdy camera in my hands. I love you digital, but you still don't hold a candle to my love for a technology that may have passed us by.

Matrix Ben, NYC subway

Why this sudden sentimental overload? I think it has been building slowly. When I look at some images shot in a square format I remember that I own a Hasselblad and that I can also go out make cool square images . Then I sigh and go do something on my computer. The final kicker was Friday night when I went to see a show at the Portland Museum of Art called 'Backstage Pass'. Brightly painted walls covered with Rock & Roll photography, grainy and gritty and sometimes candid but all amazing. I stared at image after image shot on film, often in low light, sometimes even exposed somewhat poorly and ached for my old equipment and a roll of film. I wanted to take my Pentax K1000 and stand on a street corner, camera dangling at my waist and shoot an entire roll of Tri-x 'from the hip'.

The Naked Cowboy, NYC

So, I have pulled out the rugged Hassy today and realized there is still an unfinished roll in it that has been in there at least a year. I searched for more 120 film at home and was sad to discover there was none. I'm not sure why that was a surprise to me, especially since I have always been much more of a 35mm shooter, but it was. I could take the ancient Pentax for a walk, but the battery is dead and the battery compartment seems to be sealed shut. Guess it's been awhile since that camera has been put to use! So, I am dusting off the medium format beauty (ashamed that I let it get dusty in the first place) and heading out the door to get some film, find some inspiration, and remember what it feels like to shoot film. Then I will wait impatiently for the results.