FOCUS ON: magnesina

I would like to introduce you to Agnieszka of magnesina. I decided to feature a member who has had her shop open less than a year with less than 5 sales. I hope you will browse through her shop and get to know this talented photographer. Click on the images to go to their Etsy listings.

I heart nature

Q: Where did you grow up ?

A: I was born in Poland in 1987 and since that day I still live here. My country surprises me everyday, I like the mixture of cultural, historical and political spheres, every minute is interesting here. I adore the variety of landscape, nature goods, weather and temperate climate. Every little part of living here can be inspiring. That’s why I try to take my camera everywhere I go!

DropSlide

Q: When did you get your first camera ?

A: It’s a very difficult question for me, I had to dust off my photography memories… When I was a little girl I had a simple compact camera and I took many photos with it. I remember, that I often borrowed a digital camera from my older sister, but I’ve got my first digital camera (Canon Powershot A520) in 2006 and I called it ‘my baby’ :) I’ve learned a lot with it during three years. I also used an old analog Zenit. In December 2008 I finally bought myself a DSLR and my photographs became more professional. It’s amazing how a lens can bring colours, light, bokeh and quality.

Dance with me

Q: What do you use for a camera, and what is your favorite lens?

A: My basic set is Nikon D60 with 18-55mm kit lens, but since few months I usually use 50mm manual Helios macro lens to take close-ups and macro. It brings more light to my photography!

Liliacs

Q: Do you have a favorite photo editing software ?

A: I’m in love with Photo Shop! Sometimes I also use Macromedia Fireworks and Gimp.

Teardrops

Q: What is your favorite subject ?

A: I think the answer is obvious – NATURE. I’m very passionate about every little thing around me. I observe life and catch beautiful moments in close-up photographs. I call this activity “cropping the world” :) I have to mention, that I adore people’s faces: eyes, look, smile, wrinkles... Portraits are my 2nd favorite subject.

Reflection

Q: With your camera, where would you like to go if you could travel anywhere ?

A: I would definitely go to Italy. This country makes me feel warmer, my heart beats faster when I hear Italian language, I love Italian food, antique culture, romantic narrow streets, landscapes, architecture and passionate people. My dreams and hopes are aroused when I think about this land…

Water Dreams

Q: What is something people would be surprised to know about you ?

Don’t know if this could be surprising ;) I study psychology and I strive to be sexologist and art therapist. I’ve always wanted to acquire knowledge and build up my personality to help people live better. When I need some rest, and the weather is not so fine for taking photos, I create jewelery. I have a plan to start a second shop on Etsy soon! :)

Inspire Me

You can find more of her work at the following sites... Blog, Facebook Fan Page, Flickr, and Devianart.

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This Focus On was compiled by Pam Hardy. Pam lives in beautiful Alberta, Canada. She has always been fascinated with cameras and has been taking pictures most of her life. Her favorite things to photograph are flowers and animals, and she enjoys experimenting with new subjects and techniques. See Pam's blog here and her shop right here.

Focus On: House Of Six Cats

NYC Subway Station Ceiling

Life/Photography...Photography/Life

Nearly two years ago, House of Six Cats, a.k.a. Bill (or House, as many of us refer to him) opened his photography shop on Etsy. Right away, his wit and affable personality allowed him to make lots of friends on the site. House has a unique combination of blunt honesty and kindness that make him trustworthy and someone to go to for information and inspiration. I was lucky enough to meet Bill right after I opened my own Etsy shop shortly after his, and it's with much pleasure that we've all gotten to know him and his family. I'm quite certain his friendliness and entrepreneurial spirit have encouraged many others to create their own photography shops and galleries.

We had a chance to talk earlier this month about Bill's life as a photographer, some of his favorite techniques and what's he's up to these days.

Sepia Charlotte Anne

Ann: Here's one thing I've always liked about you and your work -- you've taken the time to scan your work from your earlier days with your film camera. The results are wonderful. What have you learned over these years?

Bill: Wow, OK, so you're gonna make me think, huh? Well, this might have something to do with the fact I didn't pick up a camera for more than ten years before I got a DSLR and fell back in love with the art. When I started taking pictures seriously again, I went through all my old slides and negs looking for images that might be marketable. While doing this I started to remember why I fell in love with photography in the first place! I felt like I was learning to shoot all over again. It's like riding a bike, I mean, you know how to meter and expose an image. However, the nuances of creating an image, and not just a picture, isn't as easy. Looking through my hundreds of images really helped me remember how to compose an image. Now, whenever I'm looking through the viewfinder, I'm thinking to myself, "composition, composition, composition!"

Rusted Gear

A: Your Etsy shop announcement shows your exhibiting in the Portland area! Fantastic! When did you start doing art shows? What's it like -- nervewracking or exhilirating -- and why? What do you like and dislike about art shows?

B: I was invited to do "Hip Happening" in the Sellwood district of Portland in March, and it was my first show. I had a great time. I earned my table fee back, and I did tons of networking. It turns out that Hip Happening is held every second Saturday, and I did it again in April. I did much better at that show and got a few leads on local shops, and I started collaborating with some local artists, too! I plan on doing this event every month. Every show I tweak my setup and always get rave reviews of my stuff! So far, I love doing the shows! I love meeting other artisans, and it is all about the networking! Almost everyone I've met at the shows are friendly, helpful and always willing to talk shop.

Moss Forest

Because of a connection I made at a show, I got a lead on a new retail gallery opening at the end of May. I e-mailed the owner, and she accepted me just from what she saw in my Etsy shop! The place is called "Love Art", also in the Sellwood district of Portland, only a few blocks from where the monthly show is. The grand opening is June 5. I'll be taking photographs at the opening for advertising and press releases. The gallery is a collection of local artists, and we'll always have space in her gallery and a catalog of our work for patrons to browse. I am VERY excited about this, as you can well imagine!

Midnight- metallic print

A: Tell us more about your TTV (Through The Viewfinder) photography.

B: I discovered TTV images on Etsy nearly two years ago. I fell in love with the look and feel. While visiting my wife's grandfather in August, 2007, I asked him if he might have any old cameras lying around in his attic, and I totally scored! He had an Argus 75 in excellent condition, and he was awesome enough to let me have it! On that same day, I created a make-shift contraption for the camera to be able to take TTV photographs. During that trip, I must have taken over 1,000 photographs, and nearly half of them were TTV images! Since then, I've made a much nicer housing, and when I go out to shoot, I must decide if I'm going to shoot TTV or not. I find it too much of a hassle to try to shoot both ways every time I go out.

Seaside Memory TTV

A: Can you briefly describe how to make the TTV contraption which links your digital camera to your old camera? Have you found any good tutorial links on the internet you'd care to share?

B: Well, first you need to determine the shortest focal length of your lens, and that should be on the lens somewhere. Then measure that distance from the viewfinder and see if the image is in focus on your digital camera. Now, find a box or cardboard that's long enough and can go around all four sides of the old camera. Next, you will need to experiment with how you want the cardboard to fit the old camera body and new camera lens, so the image on the viewfinder is in focus and the whole thing is comfortable to use.

You can see my rig here.

I've found another tutorial which is extremely helpful. And, this one on Flickr is also good.

Dirty Needle TTV

A: If you had the freedom to spend an entire day doing nothing but taking photographs, how would you spend that day? What would you look for?

B: Well, that's not an easy question to answer. I have quite a few ideas and locations I need to find the time for. I'd want to have a fellow photographer along with me, but most likely I'd go out on my own. I want to go up to the mountains to shoot there before the snow melts. I want to go out and drive around looking for abandoned barns. I need to get to downtown Portland and shoot some architecture. There are more, but those jump to mind first.

As far as what I'd look for, that's easy -- seeing the world just a little differently than everyone else!

Dewdrop Trail

Thanks, Bill!

Dandelion Wishes

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A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website, and say hello to her on her blog too.

Focus On: Starsign

Into the Woods

There are so many great stories here in the POE about how we found photography to be our voice. Craig Gillespie, aka Starsign, a photographer/writer/landscape designer from Winnipeg, Canada, found photography partly from necessity as he formulated his career as a writer. Read on to find out how the passion for all things film has taken Craig on a marvelous journey for which there's no end in sight.

Ann: Are you a writer/photographer or a photographer/writer? Does writing pay your bills?

Craig: My intention was to be a writer; strictly writing fiction. But I took a magazine writing course and began sending out query letters and opinion pieces. With a little luck I happened to get a couple of acceptances -- one was a gardening piece (I studied to be a landscape designer), and they asked me to supply the photographs. Which I did. Long story short, I soon found there is more demand for someone who can do both -- write the article and take the accompanying photos. So, I enrolled in a photography course and fell in love with the medium. So much so that writing has taken a back seat to photography. I guess then the real answer would be there has been a steady evolution from writer to writer/photographer to photographer/writer and now primarily photographer.

Do they pay the bills? Let's say they contribute (more and more) and get me through the winter months. Living in Canada, that is a large portion of the year. Come summer it's landscape design work that's my primary source of income. I've found ways to incorporate photography into this as well as offering before-and-after photos and photo journals of the gardens I've designed.

Nothing Rhymes With Orange

A: What's your favorite photographic subject?

C: I love to photograph old buildings -- especially churches and farm structures, like barns, out-buildings, and barbed wire fences. The more wear and tear on the subject the better -- peeling paint, collapsing roofs, broken windows. They lend themselves so well to black and white. I love texture and atmosphere -- weathered wood, crumbling stone walls, shadow (I love shadow).

Frosty Horizons

A: Do you head out with deliberate intent to photograph something, or do you just find things along the way?

C: I do often go out with a specific subject in mind; on occasion a specific shot. There are times I see something and I know I have to photograph it,and I know exactly how I want it to look in the final print. That being said, I'm just as likely to find any number of subjects other than the one I had in mind, and I end up following my lens.

Forget-me-not

A: You shoot film and digital. Do you have a favorite, and why?

C: I do shoot both film and digital. For colour work, I shoot exclusively digital. The technology has made it just so much more convenient to work in digital. And I'm a hands-on type of person -- I like to be able to control every aspect of the image (from the choice of lens to final colour correction). When it comes to black & white, though, I still rely on film more often than not. Having a darkroom set-up in the basement makes this possible.

On the Fence

A: How did you build your darkroom?

C: Piece by piece I acquired the equipment. With so many people abandoning their darkrooms for digital, it really has become affordable. I've had it in operation for four years. Living in a hundred-year-old home, the basement isn't suitable for finishing into living space. Aside from a laundry area, the space was basically used for storage. So, I picked up a couple of used kitchen cabinets and set them up in the back corner, changed a couple of lights, boxed out a window, and voila! -- instant darkroom. It works out really well.

A Touch of Frost

A: Can you give us some details of your setup?

C: I use a Bessler Print Master 35 enlarger. I purchased it used, but it's in great condition. It's a fairly simple enlarger, and I'm comfortable using it. I've had experience using a number of other enlargers, only to find that as long as the enlarger is in reasonably good working order, and if you know your enlarger, you can achieve excellent print quality.

Paper-wise, I'm all over the place. I love to experiment with different finishes and tones. Finding the right paper for the print means so much. I remember back in one of my first courses, the instructor tried to steer me away from matte finish paper, but for certain images I wouldn't dream of using anything but.

The best purchase I made was a Fuji light desk and loop. being able to select a good negative means so much; you can only work so much magic on a poor negative. With digital you can take a good image and work with it, but with film you really need to start with as good a negative as you can.

threads

I do process my film when time permits, but if I've got a pile of rolls, I will take them to a professional lab. If I've just a couple of rolls, it's no trouble to get out the canisters and twist, flip and repeat, but otherwise, I'd much rather spend my time at the enlarger.

I try to keep things simple in the darkroom. I use the basic chemistry -- Kodak Polymax T developer, Kodak stop bath, and Ilford Rapid Fix. There's really not a lot to it. I wash my prints afterward in an old (but clean) bin and then hang to dry.

One thing I've learned is dust is the enemy. When I'm done everything gets covered up.

Perhaps the biggest influence on my darkroom work is Eddie Ephraums. His book, Creative Elements, is a must read. Not only are his prints gorgeous, but he also explains everything so well.

Settler's Wall

A: Are there any other photographers you admire?

C: I also enjoy Freeman Patterson's work. He's got such a broad range, and he shoots so well.

I think you take something from all photographs. I love seeing how others shoot. I could literally spend hours examining others' images, trying to place myself in the shooter's place, and trying to see how they see. It's an ever-evolving process for me -- there's always something new to learn. That's part of what keeps it fresh.

Re-awakening

Thank you Craig!

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A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website, and say hello to her on her blog too.

Focus On: mattallen

White Flowers

Enthusiasm and passion for life and art is infectious. Think about the people you've met who project a sense of joy and discovery and make you feel the same way when you talk with them. Please meet Matt Allen -- he's a father of three, a husband, a photographer, and he fits in a day job with all those roles. Matt's love of photography shows in his skill set, and it also is reflected in his attitude and tone. Etsy is made up of some pretty fine individuals, and Matt stands at the top of the heap. You are sure to find some inspiration here.

Here's our talk, and although I was sitting in Utah, and Matt was in Boston, we kind of felt like we were just sitting around having a coffee and shooting the breeze:

Ann: What got you into photography?

Matt: It's hard to say what initially got me into photography, but I can say without a doubt it was having kids that got me back into photography after a long quiet period. I had taken a class in college on digital photography (using a borrowed Canon AE-1 and scanning the negatives into a Mac), and I really enjoyed it, but one reason or another I never kept up with it.

When my first daughter was born almost 4 years ago, I knew I wanted to document her first years on film, but after being frustrated with the point & shoot camera we had, I picked up a Canon Digital Rebel dSLR. From the first time I took it out of the box and started shooting with it (I picked up a 50mm f1.4 lens along with it), I immediately remembered how much I loved photographing things. I started to expand beyond just taking photos of my daughter when I signed up for a few classes at a community center in San Francisco. I learned how to shoot, develop and process black & white film, how to shoot for the abstract and how to handle night photography. The classes also served as a way to get me back into the "photography as an art" groove, and it's something I've been building on since.

Snowy River 2

A: You mention in your Etsy Profile you seem to wait for things to materialize to photograph rather than seeking them out, and you are trying to change this. Why do you make this distinction?

M: I like the spontaneity of stumbling upon a scene and making an image of it. That's not to say that I don't do some setup shooting, especially when taking photos of people and objects inside my house (like a flower, for example). But one thing I have trouble with is dedicating the time necessary to wander with my camera. So even though I think the best photos are the ones that appear in front of me, I am finding that I need little "projects" or "concepts" to shoot to. In a sense I am still just going out and capturing things that appear in front of me, but the difference is that I am going out with a subject in mind. I find it easier to dedicate time to photography when I have certain themes or concepts to shoot for.

Romolo Alley

A: I like how you describe your photographic process and how the classes you took helped you find your creativity again. What's your idea of the perfect photography class?

M: In my mind, any photo class is the perfect photo class. What I like most of all about photography classes is that they give you the opportunity to make images. It gets back to my point about having a project to shoot to. If you're signed up for a class you make it a point to dedicate some time to photography. I find that my hobbies are always what end up on the chopping block when I'm pressed for time, so being involved in a class forces me to commit time to my hobby. Beyond that, I'm also learning how to further my abilities as a photographer. For example, I signed up for the abstract photography class mostly for the chance to meet other photographers and so that I could dedicate one night a week to photography. I got more out of it than I expected though -- some of the techniques I learned from that class I may have never come across had I not signed up. So, not only was I able to devote time to photography, but I also picked up an appreciation for a new way to make images that I had never experienced before.

Zoom Goes the Judah

A: Your Etsy shop shows you based in Boston. Did you move from San Francisco to Boston? What's that like, and are you using photography to make discoveries in your new city?

M: I actually moved from Boston to San Francisco and then back. I grew up just north of Boston, then moved to Burlington, Vermont, for college. Just after college I relocated to the Bay Area for work and spent two years living in the city, then the remaining six living down on the peninsula in Palo Alto. My wife and I decided to move back to the East Coast to be closer to my family when we learned we'd be outnumbered by our kids -- we already had an 18-month old daughter when we found out we were going to have twins. We knew we'd need reinforcements so we decided to head back here.

While Boston isn't technically new to me, it had been such a long while since I spent any time here, it's like a new place. I am definitely rediscovering the city when I can, either coming in on weekends with the family or alone with my camera on my lunch break. The cold weather and snow has put a damper on my exploration, but with spring around the corner I am looking forward to spending more time walking around the city. Boston is a great city for photography -- there is such a diversity of neighborhoods that you can walk for less than 10 minutes from one part to the next and see a completely different landscape.

Just the Ferris Wheel

A: So, you are rediscovering your hometown. Pretend you are taking a group of photographers on a day-long tour of Boston. Where would you all go?

M: There are a few key neighborhoods I would definitely want to hit. First up would be the neighborhoods in the back bay -- the brownstones there have such incredible character. Also, the area around Beacon Hill has some incredibly beautiful small streets and alleys that are quiet and perfect for photographing, either early morning or just at dusk. Another neighborhood that would be great to photograph is the North End. Now that I think of it, taking the Freedom Trail through Boston, starting in Boston Common and ending either in the North End or continuing on across the Charles River to the Bunker Hill Monument would give you a huge variety of things to shoot along the way. Also, I personally would love to take a tour of the underground T-stops and put together a book of photos from there. But even though it sounds touristy, if I had to limit it to a single day trip, I'd say following the Freedom Trail would be a great way to see a lot of Boston.

A forest in Juneau

A: Night photography is a challenge. Can you give some tricks and tips you've learned that have helped you take successful shots after dark?

M: The biggest piece of advice I can give is to invest in a solid tripod (don't skimp here) and a remote shutter release. Because you need to have relatively long exposures to capture night scenes, these two pieces of equipment are required. You can improvise the tripod by putting your camera on something solid (hand-holding is not going to yield good results), and a tripod gives you a lot of flexibility -- you might not have a level surface to put your camera on. The remote shutter release will also help keep the camera stable -- alternatively you can opt to use the delayed shutter timer if you don't have a shutter release cable.

Paper Lanterns

Here are some non-photography related tips that will also help:

-- Bring a flashlight, even a small LED flashlight will do. It's going to be dark, so you'll need some help seeing where you are setting up. If you have a headlamp for camping or running at night, that works really well.

-- Dress warm -- make sure you dress appropriately -- you'll cool down pretty quickly just standing around, so a warm jacket is key. Also, fingerless gloves help. Obviously, this doesn't apply during the summer...

-- The most critical piece of advice is to team up with somene when you go out shooting at night for safety's sake -- don't go out there by yourself.

Ice Cream & Ferris Wheel

A: What brought you to Etsy?

M: A friend of mine who does some great work with toy cameras (Holga, etc., -- see her here: sfjamiejones.etsy.com) turned me onto Etsy. She had been selling some of her prints there, and I ended up purchasing two of them. I never really thought about putting my own stuff up there until she encouraged me to. I'm really glad I did, not only because of the ability to earn a little money from my art, but also because of the huge network of really talented people I've been able to tap into.

Initially, I just put up a few pieces, not really knowing how the whole Etsy thing worked. About a month or so after I opened my store, I came acrss another photographer who was part of the POE team. I had no idea that so many photographers have their work on Etsy, and I really had no idea how great a community the POE team is. I put my hat into the POE ring and started browsing through the forum posts from POE members and immediately felt inspired. That's the great thing about Etsy -- it's not just a place where you can put your work up and hopefully profit from your art, it's also a great source for inspiration.

The Bay at Night

I've added a few prints to my store since I first created it back in November, 2008 -- I think I am up to 29 listings now -- and one of the main reasons why I continue to add to the store is because it has become one of my fundraising sources for an event I am training for. I am currently working with Team in Training, a fundraising group that's part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. With the group I'm training for my first half-marathon in Lake Placid, New York, on June 14. The Team in Training organization helps individuals prepare for a variety of endurance events. As a participant in T in T, you commit to raise a certain amount of money (it varies by event) to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to support their cancer research, education and patient support programs, among others. I am using the proceeds from any sales I have on Etsy to help me reach my fundraising goal. It's a great way to share my art with buyers on Etsy and help out a really incredible cause at the same time. You can read more about Team in Training by visiting www.teamintraining.org -- there are chapters all over the US.

A bridge in Juneau

A: What do you do besides being a dad, a husband and a photographer?

M: Believe it or not there isn't much time left over after the dad, husband and photographer duties are finished for the day! I do have a day job though -- I work in IT as a project lead. But outside of work, family and my hobby I recently started getting into running. I completed my very first road race last October (a 5k held in my town), and I am currently training for a half-marathon in June.

It may sound strange at first, but my approach to running is very similar to my approach to photography. In order to stay committed to running, and knowing my personality, I need to have something out in front of me to reach for. With photography it may be a concept or a project I am shooting for, with running it's a race in the not-too-distant future. I find that if I have a goal to reach it's much easier for me to stay focused. Another similarity I find between running with Team in Training and shooting and being a part of the POE team on Etsy is that I draw a lot of inspiration from the groups I am part of. Seeing the strength of other members of the same running team pushes me to work harder than I would if I were just on my own. In a similar vein, seeing the talent and work ethic of the POE members and the greater Etsy community pushes meto work harder at my craft and hopefully learn from and be inspired from those around me.

Right After the Snow

I would say that Matt is a pretty inspiring guy himself! Thanks so much, Matt, for a great interview!

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A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website, and say hello to her on her blog too.

Focus On: Bueller

Starry Eyes

What an amazing and diverse group our Photographers of Etsy are, and it seems the word is starting to spread. Our group and our photographers are being featured in some pretty great sites these days. As I was interviewing Bueller for this week's article, at the same time, she was featured in Apartment Therapy. It's an amazing blog that gets lots of attention throughout the interior design world, and I think they made a wise choice in choosing to spotlight one of Etsy's best, Bueller. She's one of the pacesetters in TTV and Polaroid photography, and she inspires many photographers. Check out the Apartment Therapy interview, and read below for some questions we posed to her. Bueller was most gracious to grant an interview with the POE blog, even as she hits the big time!

How It Should Be

Ann Wilkinson: You've got a full plate -- photography, design, cooking. How do you balance all of it?

Bueller Designs: It's tough to balance it all. Usually, something falls by the wayside for a time. My photography is taking up most of my time lately, as I am upgrading everything, and I have to keep up with technology. There is a huge learning curve, since I am self-taught. If they had a photography/nutrition/design school I'd be in heaven! It would take me a decade to get fully educated in each one, so I have to do it myself at super speed. However, I always need inspiration, so that makes my design blog easy to keep up, and I'm always studying nutrition, as I'm determined to figure out how to stay healthy, so it's easy to keep that up. I have many passions that all feed each other and a very loving and supportive family, so I am very grateful. Probably explains why I'm still single, though!

When I Was Just A Girl

AW: What are you upgrading?

BD: I just upgraded to the Nikon D300, which I love, but it's a new camera to get used to. It's a metal body so it's very heavy and harder to do TTV's, but the sensor is amazing. I'm really enjoying it.

Girly Window

AW: If you could take one photography class, what would you take?

BD: I would take a camera RAW workflow class. With all this technology and everything being digital instead of tangible and real, it's becoming increasingly important to keep track of your work without compromising quality. I must say I really miss the days of the darkroom, film and negatives. That said, it's so much fun to be able to take pictures, sell them, etc., without having to pay for a roll of film or developing.

La Vie En Rose

AW: How do you make decisions on what to list for sale on Etsy?

BD: The images I list on Etsy are the ones that make my heart do a little dance. I list what I would want to buy or hang on my wall. The only thing that becomes difficult is that I have many different sides to my work. I have my soft TTV images that are dreamy, and then I have my New York street art series that is hard and edgy. I'm looking forward to featuring more of my work when my new website launches in two weeks. Etsy is a little limiting when it comes to that.

In My Dreams

AW: Does your heart have a favorite passion? If so, what is it and why do you think you lean toward that aspect of your life?

BD: My life is full of passions. It's so hard to pick just one, although if I was stranded on a desert island and could have only one, I would want my camera. I have been a photographer since I was 12 and an artist since I could walk. I just don't think I could live without it. I stopped photographing for a few years awhile back and that was okay. I needed the break, but I missed it and always felt like part of me was missing. I'm so grateful to have it back in my life and that people are responding to what I do. It makes me happy to create, and it that makes other people happy, what better way is there to live? The world needs more joy!

For Love of Surf

AW: Describe your perfect day out with your Nikon. What are your favorite things that feed your creative spirit?

BD: All I need is my camera and the beach, and I'm good to go! I love just being out by the surf with my camera. It's glorious! Of course, a good snack also helps keep the energy up, so I always bring almonds, tea in a thermos and some raw chocolate. I tend to get caught up and stay out there for hours, so it helps to have a snack.

Take Me Back In Time

AW: Who are your favorite "celebrity" photographers?

BD: My favorites would be Brad Pitt, who has done some wonderful infrared shots that are really cool. He has a great eye for architectural photography. Richard Gere's work from Tibet is really spiritual. Aaron Eckhart takes amazing gritty portraits. Adrien Brody, who's mother was a photographer, takes some great images. Julie Delpy has some really beautiful Polaroids, and Matthew Modine published a stunning book of his photos from Full Metal Jacket. And, Dennis Hopper's urban street collection is really cool and reminds me of my own New York street art series.

Thank you very much, Bueller. We will watch for your new website. In the meantime, you can follow her food blog, her design blog, and her photo blog. And, Bueller's work will be displayed in the brand-new spa at L'Auberge Hotel Spa in Del Mar, California, as it opens this month!

The Chair

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A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website.

Focus On: futurowoman

Lake Superior-Polaroid SX-70 print

I've got to tell you -- I love my "job" here on the POE blog. I get to meet and get to know some of the most interesting people around, and we get to talk about photography. I can't think of much better things to do, quite frankly! If futurowoman, a.k.a. Nancy Stockdale, could have her way, she'd probably have an extra set of arms and one more pair of eyes, and perhaps an Airstream trailer to follow her wherever she travels. Nancy is a prolific photographer who has mastered the use of more than several cameras. Read on to find out more about how she juggles all her equipment to create images of things you've probably seen before yet Nancy has made look unique and beautiful -- to make you say, "wow."

Liquor Sign-Lomo print

Ann Wilkinson: How did you get your start in photography?

Nancy Stockdale: As long as I can remember, I've been an obsessive photo-taker. I got my first camera as a child -- a Kodak Instamatic that took 110 film -- and I've never been without a camera since. However, I did not get serious about photography as an artistic pursuit until the late 1990's. At that point, I had a few online exhibitions, using photos I'd taken with automatic, vernacular 35mm and APS cameras. Then, in 2005, I got my first digital camera, a dSLR by Olympus called the Evolt 300. With that camera, I became an obsessive photographer, particularly of urban decay, vintage details and nature. Having a digital camera allowed me to shoot unlimitedly, and my composition, focus and manipulation of light began to improve. However, shooting with a digital camera reminded me of how much I actually love film, and by the end of the year, I was shooting with a variety of film cameras that are so incredibly different from digital, including the Lomo LC-A, the Holga and the Polaroid SX-70. I've never had any formal training in photography, but by the end of 2005, I began to acquire a following on art-sharing websites, such as DeviantArt, Flickr and LiveJournal. That has transitioned into brick-and-mortar gallery shows, selling prints (at my Etsy shop and elsewhere), and so on. Although I enjoy the ease and fun of digital photography, I am, by and large, an analog photographer who appreciates the otherworldly nature of what happens when light touches film.

Brown Is the New Black - Holga Print

AW: Just how many cameras do you own, and which one(s) are your favorites?

NS: I'm not exactly sure how many I own currently, but it's a lot -- around 30! All but three are analog. I do love my sSLR Evolt and my Panasonic Lumix point-and-shoots with their sweet Leica lenses. However, I simply adore shooting with fine vintage cameras, such as my Praktica FX (a beautiful East German camera from 1952) and my Rolleiflex T1, as well as plastic and toy cameras from the past, such as my Fujipet, my Diana, and my Agfa Clack. I also love, love, LOVE my Holgas! I have a few, and I use them for various things: one is my dependable Holga CFN for straight shooting, one of my Holgaroid for instant Holga photography, one is my backup Holga FN in case I want to shoot color and black-and-white at the same time, and my latest Holga is a 3-D stereoscopic cam with a special viewfinder for enjoying the effect!

I'm also a complete Polaroid junkie! My favorite Polaroid camera is my SX-70; it was a perfect camera for the peerless, and now defunct, Time-Zero film. However, I've had good results using other films with it as well, and the optics on that camera are simply wonderful. I also love shooting with my Grandmother's old Polaroid 104 Land Camera, my Polaroid Spectra System SE, and taking pinhole photos using my Daylab Polaroid pinhole camera. To top it off, I'm a Soviet-era Russian camera junkie! My Lomo LC-A is my favorite 35mm camera, and I particularly love to cross-process film shot with that elegant little device. I have several other cameras, too, including a variety of fun toys from cereal boxes and other product promotions, dollar store cameras, other Lomo-company Soviet cameras, a sweet new Black Bird, Fly camera and old Zeiss Ikonta from the 1930's...and the list goes on and on!

Double Vision Amsterdam-Holga print

AW: Can you describe a typical day in the life of Nancy-the-Photographer?

NS: When I go out shooting, it's often a time set aside just for that -- exploring for photo opportunities. Because I like to take photos of everyday details, I spend a lot of time wandering the streets wherever I am, looking for something to shoot. Once I find it I then determine which camera and/or film seems best for the subject matter. Sometimes, however, an unexpected opportunity presents itself, and you have to do your best with whatever is in your hands. For me, that's the mark of a photographer -- being able to create an image using whatever tools are available, not just setting up a shot using one particular tool over another. I tend to take many pictures whenever I go out shooting, but, if I can get just one that I think is wonderful, then it's been a great day.

Lucky Four Leaf Clovers

AW: There are some photographers who don't use film at all. Perhaps they made a complete switch from film to digital, or they are so young they never experienced using it. how would you recommend someone begin to experiment with film?

NS: I think that one of the key things to keep in mind is that "perfection" is not very interesting. Film, in my opinion, is fascinating because of its potential for changing the reality of the subject and for the flaws it imposes upon the image. I honestly believe that anyone can take a "perfect" photograph given the proper high-end tools and some practice. However, what is interesting to me is the imperfection of film media and the surprises that film delivers. All film stocks are different, and they change the reality of what the photographer sees through the viewfinder, depending upon the optics of the camera, the lighting, the temperature, and the development chemicals. That is exciting and gives film photography an unpredictability that I find exhilarating!

Model on the Streets of New York City

Once a person abandons the quest for the "perfect" film photo, film becomes super-fun! Experimenting with various films, including expired films, and in various cameras allows the photographer to expand his or her repertoire exponentially. A great way to start is to invest in a few cheap cameras -- such as a plastic 35mm camera from the dollar store, a Holga that takes medium-format film, a retro manual SLR with a reliable lens, etc. -- and then just go out there and shoot! Play with focus, aperture, lighting, and give up worrying about "the rules" and see what happens. Film is a blast, so don't be scared! Abandon your ideas about what "the perfect photo" looks like, and I'm sure you'll find that perfection is found in the flaws.

Personally, I think the proof of the appeal of film is the vast number of photographers who use Photoshop and other digital editing tools to manipulate their digital photo in the quest to make them appear like film. I don't have a problem with that per se; I have used plug-ins like Alien Skin's Exposure to simulate various film stocks using digital photos. However, I wish there was more honesty about it. Fake Polaroids are particularly glaring to me. Polaroid artists can always tell the real from the fake, and it's sad to me that people who make fakes don't always come out and admit it.

Airstream SX-70 Time Zero

AW: Do you work in the darkroom?

NS: I do not currently have a darkroom, but I do know how to develop my film, and there are pieces in my Etsy shop currently that I have developed myself. Working with instant films, especially peel-apart films, is as close as I come to photo chemicals these days. However, I've been making plans to turn the extra bathroom in my house into a darkroom, so that may happen in the near future!

Kiefer's Wing

AW: When you travel, how do you make the decision on which cameras to take with you?

NS: I am very fortunate, because my job allows me to travel relatively often. I am a university professor (of Middle Eastern history), and I attend conferences and do research in various places around the USA and the world fairly frequently. I make it a point to schedule photography-time whenever possible. If I'm traveling by car, I can take a large batch of cameras and film with me, but when I'm flying, I am forced to reduce my stash to whatever I can fit in my carry-on luggage. In that case, I make decisions based on a few criteria: (1) What are my favorite cameras? (2) Which cameras seem to fit the location, and (3) How much do I feel like lugging around in that place? Usually, I never leave for a trip without a digital camera (usually my dSLR and at least one lens for it), my Lomo LC-A, and a Holga. Often, my Polaroid SX-70 comes with me, and, if space permits, I'll bring at least one or two others, depending on the place. For example, when traveling in places that are unfamiliar to me, I prefer not to lug around a lot of flashy equipment, such as a dSLR. Instead, a cheap plastic camera, like a Holga, suits me and allows me to blend in and get a feeling for the environment. That being said, I've been known to wander urban streets and country roads with a backpack full of 5 or 6 cameras, films, lenses, etc.!

Japanese Garden in Autumn (SX-70)

Thank you Nancy!

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A world traveler and self-taught photographer, look for Ann wandering around city streets and tromping through woods and hiking trails with her camera. After owning an international transportation business for many years, Ann has found her creative spirit again through the lens. See more at Ann's shop and her website.