FINAL DAY of sale, off to Cherokee

Just about my favorite place in St. Louis right now is Cherokee Street. Besides City Museum. And all my other favorite places. But really, I love it. A lot of cool stuff going on and it just keeps getting better. In fact, did you know I have another blog? Well, I do. Trying to keep track of all the art-related goings-on on Cherokee. Because there are a lot. Galleries, art supplies, music, dancing, theater, etc. Here's that blog, should you ever want to take a peek.

I need to take some more film for my developing class Tuesday, so I'm packing up the cameras to go take some on Cherokee right now. Sometimes I feel awkward taking photos when there are a lot of people around. Despite ... well, everything about me, I don't always love attention. So my hope is early-ish (for me, anyway!) on a Sunday morning it will be pretty empty over there. We'll see.

The photo above was taken from the upstairs of Foam. Don't they have a great view? I can't wait until that place opens. I think I read a rumor there may be something brewing (I swear this was an unintentional pun) sometime this summer. The photo was shot on Ilford Delta film on my Canon AE-1.

For anyone who was considering ordering a photo or postcards during my 30% OFF sale -- it ends as soon as I wake up on Monday morning, so place your orders now! Take advantage of the sale!

3, 2, 1 & Chain of Rocks

You know how people will do the dumbest things for love? Well, I'd never do that. That's dumb.

I will, however, do dumb things for photographs! Boy howdy.

I needed to finish a roll of film for my film developing class this past Tuesday.

On Sunday I awoke to light rain outside. Looked at the radar, thought it looked like it was going to clear up for a good while, drove to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, which is an old alignment of Route 66, now a pedestrian and bicycle bridge. I got about 2/3 of a mile onto the bridge when the skies opened up and the rain began to pour.

But I got like four photos -- including this one above, so you know, totally worth it. And -- this is from the very first roll of film I've ever developed. Hooray! I've done it!

The sale? In my Etsy shop? Just three -- 3 -- days left!

Only 4 more days for 30% off ALL photos; more film developing

Last night I finally developed a roll of film! All things considered, it could have gone worse. I would like to do at least a couple few more before I feel like I've sort of got the hang of it. Haven't made any prints yet, but maybe next time.

Haven't finished scanning last night's roll so here's another one from last week's. This is from the garage roof of St. Louis University Hospital.

That sale I won't shut up about? The one that's 30% off any and all photos in my shop? That ends Sunday! Hurry hurry, step right up!

Don't forget 30% off SALE & at last -- film developing class!

The film developing class I've been wanting to take has really started this time. Last night a couple of other students and I began a 5-week black-and-white-film-developing class. I have whined about doing this for some time, so I'm really excited to have begun.

The photo above is from one of the rolls I shot for the class, on Kodak Tri-X film, with one of my Canon AE-1s. I have bought several different kinds of film and am nerdily keeping track of which photos I shot with which film (and which camera) so if/when I hit upon something I really like I'll find a formula I can stick with.

I must confess that I didn't actually develop the film myself. The instructor used the rolls I shot to demonstrate the process of developing film. But I watched! I was standing right there! I asked many many questions! I hope to develop a roll or two next week, and then get to printing some at some point.

Oh oh oh -- the sale I'm having in my Etsy shop? The 30% off sale? That's only going on for just about 10 more days, so if you have been eying something, now's the time to snap it up! If there's a photo you like but don't see in my shop (or you want a different size, etc.) let me know and I'll be happy to see what I can do.

30/30

I've just listed some new photos in my Etsy shop, including the one above.

And, and, AND! My birthday is on the 30th of this merry month of May, so I will be offering 30% off everything in the shop through the end of the month. Stop by and see what's in stock, or don't hesitate to ask me about custom orders.

Darkroom class: a whole brand new one

Okay, I believe I'm starting film developing class next week, for real this time. Yay!

Got to talk to the instructor on the phone last night and she said I could bring 120 film in addition to 35mm, which is great because I love to take photos with my medium format "toy" cameras (Holga and Diana) and I've not been delighted with any of the prints I've gotten so far from when I've sent that film out to be developed and so now I can try my hand and it and see if I can get something a little more like what I had in mind.

The above was shot with the Diana at Bellefontaine Cemetery in North St. Louis, at the grave of General William Clark (as in Lewis &...), double-exposed with Louis Sullivan's masterpiece Wainwright tomb.

(blog post title sort of swiped from Michael Bernard Loggins. Have you ever encountered his work? Get your butt over to the This American Life web site and listen to a reading of an excerpt from his Fears of Your Life. It is beautiful.)

STL handmade feature

Oooh oooh oooh!

I am behind on a couple of things here, but before I catch up on those.... St. Louis Handmade, the super-neat site for locally made goods posted up a feature on me this week. The site's owner, Tammy Tutterow, did a beautiful job with this, didn't she?

Check the profile out here.