Saturday, April 11, 2009

Abby-Guest, photo inspo!


We are so lucky to have Abby from abbytryagain as some inspiration. [: I'm so in love with her endless dreamy, soft, colourful snapshots of life. find her here; blog. flickr. shop.

Q: What camera(s) do you use? And your favourite?

I have so many cameras!
I am often trying to experiment with my vintage ones like old brownies or old slrs…but for the most part I stick to my Holga, my Polaroid One Step, a Polaroid Land Camera 100 and my very favourite-my Yashica Tl Electro.



Q: What is your film of choice? Why?
I almost always use Kodak gold 400 because it is super cheap and readily available. I know people are into funky film types, and that is great-but I go for easy.

Q: Any favourite settings on your camera you use a lot? (i.e. slightly overexposed?)
Uh…settings? Uh, I don’t pay any attention to those. I’m bad! I pick up a camera-adjust the focus and shoot! Sometimes I remember that it is sunny-so I need a shorter exposure or vice versa-but here in Portland it is almost always overcast, so I just keep it the same for the most part.



Q: Favourite place/thing to shoot?
Everything! I love bringing my camera with me wherever I can…I love shooting every day scenes like my meals, my friends, my clothes, little vignettes around the house….


Q: Flash or no flash?
No flash!


Q: How do you deal with low-light conditions?
I smile. Because I live in dreary Portland, most of photos are shot in low light. I like the dreamy quality it gives. It is SO hard for me to shoot in sun.

Q: Are you technical, or more of a ‘shoot-and-see’ kind of photographer?
I am so far from technical! To be honest, I have no idea what most things on a camera are! I just load up my film and shoot. Someday I’ll learn, but most of the time I get frusterated or overwhelmed with too much technical stuff-I’d rather be shooting….


Q: Do you take your camera with you all the time?
I try to. Lately, I’ve been slipping when I go to work. But I really try to.

Q: Tripods and other kit? Do you carry one around with you or only sometimes, or not at all?
Never! Although I do own a tripod and used to use it for my point and shoot digital camera. I should probably use one, I just forget…


Q: Did you take any courses/classes at school in photography? Were they beneficial technically?
Nope. I wish! I’d love to take one now…

Q: Do you develop your film yourself or at a shop?
At a shop or I use instant.


Q: How many rolls a week or month do you take?
I take about two to five rolls per week.

Q: What made you decide to ‘go analogue!’?
Almost all of my possessions are from thrift stores, including most of my cameras. There’s no way I could afford a digital slr but I bought my yashica for $10 or $15 at the Goodwill and it works great! Also…there is something so great about the detail and color of film…


Thanks Abby!

3 comments:

Anna said...

this is a great interview. i'm glad you asked abby all the technical questions because i was interested in knowing them, too. and now i'm excited to explore the work your soul blog!

thanks!!

mary said...

Abby is one of my faves. Not only do I love, love her work but she is a genuine breath of fresh air. I love this interview because she doesn't pretend to be anything more than herself -- and she's fabulous!

Unknown said...

I love Abby's work, her pices always have vivid color, nice angle.