12 Months, 12 Cameras-- Rolleiflex

What is it about vintage film cameras? Is it the build, the artistry (some of them are literal works of art!) the nostalgia, the tactical handling with that unique shutter sound and and the crank of the winder, is it the the aesthetic of the photographs or the fact that they are the ultimate conversation starter? When it comes to the Rolleiflex 2.8…It is yes. YES. All of the above. This is a roll of Kodak Gold 200 I shot as I spent a weekend visiting many of the coffee shops we have at our disposal here in Santa Barbara CA. I love every single one of them. <3

These photographs were captured in Santa Barbara CA in April 2024. I was using a Rolleiflex TLR with Kodak Gold 200. The film was processed and scanned by Indie Film Lab in Montgomery AL, my go to for the best quality film development and scanning!

If you are a photographer visiting or residing in Santa Barbara, I would love to go on a photo walk with you. Send me an email at denarobles@gmail.com

12 Months 12 Cameras 12 Films

My February roll of film for the 12 Months Challenge was actually not a ‘roll’ of film, but a pack of Instax film shot through my Lomo Instant Square. As far as Instant Cameras go, this has been one of my favorite ones. It prints out a square which is a nice size compared to the mini Instax film and it slots in perfectly with the way we now see everything in squares since the beginning of Instagram. This camera also gives me the best multiple exposure results and the most successful exposure and color outputs of any of the instant film cameras. So for this pack of film I enlisted my ever-ready son to a little trip to Santa Barbara Funk Zone and just let things fall where they may!

12 Months on Film

Over the years, in my professional as well as my personal and creative life I am resigned to the fact that I need to be pushed, motivated, inspired and competitive to DO THE WORK. And that’s okay. It’s also probably why I don’t live on an isolated sparsely populated island. It’s also probably why I will some day seek out that island. :)

Enter a new photography challenge for me. I have bags and shelves and a closet full of vintage film cameras and I need a reason to go through each one and shoot it and decide if it is worth keeping. I also have a freezer and refrigerator full of film. I am psyched to have the framework of shooting a different analog camera and different film every month. For January I chose one of my Holgas and Ilford HP5 b/w film. I took my camera on a walk in my neighborhood and I am happy to share the results here!

Over the last few months, the google algorithms have been working some magic for me. I’ve suddenly been getting new inquiries for photo sessions, weddings and photography classes as well, right here in Santa Barbara. My weekends have been getting booked with all these opportunities and I am so excited to be back in the game after taking an extended break after moving to California. SO. Take a peek at my Classes tab and or my People Gallery and send me a message! Right now I am teaching in-person hands-on camera and photography classes on the weekends in Santa Barbara and I have loved seeing the ‘a-ha’ moments with the people I am teaching and they are producing some great work too!