Obsolete Technology

At a family portrait sitting, when I pull out my Rolleiflex, invariably somebody in the younger generation says "wow what a cool camera!" The older generations, and most professional photographers, relegated these cameras to the scrap heap Ebay a long time ago, which is where I picked up mine and had it refurbished in 2005.

A Rolleiflex is a German medium-format film camera manufactured prior to modern electronics at the height of mechanical craftsmanship. The thing is like a big Swiss watch with two lenses and a shutter. Read more here. My camera was manufactured around 1958. Note for movie buffs - this is similar to the camera that Natalie Portman uses in "Where the Heart Is."

For family portraits and headshots, I love using black-and-white film in this camera and developing the film myself to achieve a unique look. Timeless and comforting. Not bad for a camera that turns 50 next year!

Repeat Customers

Two things I love: word of mouth advertising and repeat customers. It's one thing to be recommended for a job, but it's even more gratifying when your customers call you back for repeat business. This must mean we're doing something right!

Our very first customer after we incorporated our business was a family portrait sitting. Jean and I showed up at their house very nervous. The family had two girls - an infant and a toddler. We did portraits indoors, outdoors, groups, individuals, kids napping, with several outfit changes etc. We were exhausted but the pictures turned out great. Well this family has had us back for five years in a row now, and we've seen their kids grow up. They call us "Mr Paul" and "Miss Jean" when we arrive. And, taking pictures of the same family year after year forces us to expand our creative repertoire - can't get away with the same recipe every year.

Last week, I received an email from a customer asking about a print of her daughter that was taken in 2004. I remembered the image well because it was so moving. The mother wanted a 16x23" enlargement to fit a custom frame in their living room. I still had the original "raw" digital file and was able to apply modern processing techniques (software has come a long way in 3 years!) to produce this heirloom print. Enjoy.