Essays

168 Photo Essays, Shot on Film

Scratching the Surface: A Visual Process
Composing Images as Textures
August 11, 2025
Bastien’s images and written portion differ stylistically and technically from most articles I’ve published on this blog so far. However, I thought his introspection and images, reminiscent of essays illustrated with Holgas and Agfa Clacks, give a compelling insight into the mind of a musician treating visual art as textures (more so than the content).
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Photographing a Cartel With a Fuji Instax Mini
July 31, 2025
This past December, I travelled to Michoacán, Mexico — a place I’d visited years earlier while working on a long-term project about migration — to photograph daily life in a region fully controlled by organized crime. My plan was to spend a few days with a family I know along the coast before heading into the hills to photograph a big wedding, where I expected there to be a noticeable cartel presence.
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How Photography Helped My Mental Health
Especially Analogue
June 2, 2025
I had depression. After over two years of therapy, I can happily say — ‘had’. Let me start by saying that help is available everywhere; no matter how dark it may seem around you, you are never alone! Taking photos has always inspired me. This is a story of photography, especially film photography, helping me find a way.
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The Kubrick Code
In Praise of Knowing How Things Work
May 19, 2025
This article explores the balance between technique and artistry, as the London exhibition showed it in Kubrick’s work. It is not a review of the exhibition—there are plenty of those—but a reflection on what it takes to create something well.
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Lucky Mistakes
A Few Words About Accidents on Film and the Workings of the Universe
May 15, 2025
Among all the lucky mistakes I’ve managed to make in the years I’ve been doing film, some of which ended up being exhibition-worthy with a little help from the mysteries of the Universe; the ones that surprised me the most were the double or triple exposures... Oh, those rare lucid moments when you are so grateful you didn’t get what you thought you wanted…
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Becoming a Creative Professional
A Brief History of Analog.Cafe, a Side Hustle That Changed My Life
October 7, 2024
I worked on this blog for so long that I can no longer imagine my life without it. In this essay, I’d like to take you on the journey of this creative project’s evolution — which ultimately transformed me into a full-time, independent film photographer.
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Nature
Colors, Shapes, and Textures
August 1, 2024
These are a collection of some of Derrick Buckner’s favourite photos of various landscapes, flowers, trees, and other things of nature that caught his eye.
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Visiting Algeria With My Olympus XA
A Long Story Short
July 1, 2024
@tomodayes returned to Algeria to see his grandfather with his faithful Olympus XA. This photo essay is about that trip with a bit of history about the country and his family.
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Windows to the Soul
Of New Orleans
November 14, 2023
A study of the many New Orleans’ beautiful neighborhoods through their windows in 7 frames, shot on film.
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Summer Hikes on Film
Sunshine Coast and Garibaldi Highlands
September 6, 2023
A short photo essay about the days by the sea and near the tops of the mountains of British Columbia.
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Timepeace
Abandoned ADK
August 5, 2023
These photographs were the first images I shot with my late-1960s Rolleiflex soon after I acquired it. My family frequently vacations in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York, so one weekend I brought the camera with me with the goal of shooting a full roll.
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Hydraulic Fracturing
Frac Fleets on Film
June 22, 2023
A walk through a hydraulic fracturing site with a Fujifilm disposable camera.
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Sea to Sky With Olympus PEN FV & CineStill 400D
May 3, 2023
An old friend came to visit my hometown, and we took off on a short road trip. I review the photos that turned out.
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Back to Nature
March 27, 2023
In this portrait series, I’m focusing on the connection with nature that we have as humans.
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The Link Between Cinema and Still Photography
Through Works of My Favourite Visual Artists
December 29, 2022
An exploration of the intertwined nature of still photography and cinema through works of Magnum photographers, Wong Kar-wai/Wing Shuya, and historical figures.
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Red-Colour Experiments
The Red as a Monochromatic Approach
November 21, 2022
In this essay, I’d like to discuss my fascination with the colour red and the techniques I used to achieve the results.
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Steganography
Slow Pace Photography
October 20, 2022
I’ve been granted access to a different view of Santa Eulària des Riu (Ibiza). I’d like to share it with you.
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London in a Fishbowl
A Looking Glass, Unfamiliar Take on the Everyday
August 18, 2022
An exploration of London's famous landmarks from the fish-eye-lens’ photographic perspective, what that means for the observer, and the tools that create this unusual view.
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Clusters of Discrete Dots
Photographing Hammersmith Bridge on Sub-Miniature Film
June 28, 2022
Exploring architectural photography on 110 film format with Minolta 110 Zoom SLR mark II subminiature camera.
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Cadillac Club
A Photo Essay From South Phoenix
May 16, 2022
Frankie J caught my eye, and I asked if I could take his picture. “Hell yeah. ” I said I liked his ride, a Cadillac from the early 2000s, fading from an ivory roof to a gold-flaked champagne at the bumpers. “I added those gold flakes myself,” he said.
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