I’m aiming to try out the popular film simulations for Canon cameras – like the popular Fujifilm emulations on the X series cameras. While Canon cameras do not come with film emulations baked in, they are available via Canon’s Picture Style editor and camera profiles.
This Kodachrome-style film simulation comes from Cinescopophila: a giant pack of 150+ picture styles featuring a ton of favorites – almost too many to practically try out. But seeing Kodachrome in the list, I had to give it a spin on a recent trip with the family to Detroit.
Unlike the Fujifilm simulation from Thomas Fransson, these Kodak colors are more my vibe: warmer, much better skin tones, and a healthy amount of contrast.
And those reds? They POP. The greens are nice too. There’s none of that washed-out blandness from the Pro Neigh High series.
Overall, this is a reliable film simulation if you’re a JPG shooter or don’t want to worry about editing. Most of these came out correct as-is, with a little tinkering on a few images for exposure and contrast.
Do these photos mimic Kodachrome? Not really. But for my style of shooting, and even some video, these are a good film-like preset to get you started. With a bit of adjusting, you can get this slide film emulation looking just the way you want.
There are plenty of other Kodachrome versions to try, although many come at a cost. This picture style from Vision Wrangler comes with 150 more to try, with everything from wacky out-there stuff to tried-and-true black and white film emulations.
Ten years ago, I introduced my first big creative portrait project called Artists In Jackson. Through that project, I got to know our local artists. Together, we told their stories and let our community know we have a talented bunch of people right here in our hometown.
And – bonus! – I met and made some good friends along the way.
Since then, a lot has changed. I worked on a spiritual sequel, Musicians In Jackson, and then the pandemic hit. Here we are five years later, and I’m happy to announce I’m working on my next big portrait project, Artists In Jackson 2.
This one will be a little different. Instead of disappearing for six months and re-emerging with a fancy book and a bunch of pictures, I want to treat this project more like a platform.
Here’s how it works:
Over time, I’ll work on photo subjects and help tell their stories.
You will see these profiles periodically as I work on them and get them done. You don’t have to wait for a book – you’ll see my progress as it’s happening, either on social media or my website.
And it will just keep going. There’s no end, there’s no finish line. Artists In Jackson becomes a platform to tell stories, not a website or a book.
At a point in time, when I have enough profiles done, I can collect them all and make a book or a ‘zine of some kind.
But that’s not the goal. The goal is to tell stories about creative people in our community.
And I have some profiles already set up to publish – one, reaching back several years, on Dione Tripp (above). Others I have a head-start on and you’ll see those soon. As always, I’m open to your ideas and tips on creative people in and from Jackson.
I hope you’ll join me in this new experiment. I’m excited to once again share these homegrown artists, their work, and their stories.
The Law of Fuck Yes or No states that when you want to get involved with someone new, in whatever capacity, they must inspire you to say “Fuck Yes” in order for you to proceed with them.
“What have people left behind,” Sean asks in this video, which is a great discussion about how street photography can include remnants of people if not people themselves.
I’ve successfully launched four email newsletters this year. Not bad for starting totally fresh.
Content-wise, I’ve covered everything from sunshine to digicams and shared proud parent moments and books I’m into. Along the way, I’ve also added some new subscribers (thanks!).
Catch some of the action by subscribing here. I hope to see you in your inbox.
Our middle daughter, Madelyn, was born to perform.
Last year, she had a starring role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. And for the past few months, she’s been working on writing and performing her own song for our elementary school’s winter concert.
In late January, she hit the stage – and nailed it.
The whole concert focused on well-being, kindness, and self-realization. Madelyn’s song centered on overcoming anxiety and doing your best in spite of obstacles. She stood there, spotlighted on the stage in front of the whole school, and sang her heart out.
My wife wrote about the community collaboration it took to get this concert up and running with the school’s integrated arts teacher, and the benefits of music for the kids:
The impact of music in elementary education—especially in today’s post-pandemic world—cannot be overstated. Children are facing higher levels of anxiety, decreased attention spans, and increased dependence on screen-based dopamine stimulation. Public schools, now more than ever, need programming that fosters resilience, emotional regulation, and connection.
Don’t we all need a bit more of those, too?
Thankfully, our elementary school was open to the idea, and we saw it pay off at the concert.
It’s a crazy world out there. Thank goodness for music.
I often drive by perfect scenes or interesting settings and add them to my mental “I have to photograph that” list.
My list is pretty long, and the geography of it stretches across counties and even states.
When I’m on the highway, I must drive by this little one-room schoolhouse a thousand times on my way to work. When I do, I think, “I have to grab that little building out in that field.”
Sometimes, the light isn’t right, or I don’t have time on my commute. But on this day I did, so I grabbed an old Nikon D700 we have at work and tromped out into the snowy field to photograph the little schoolhouse around sunset.
One by one, I check these little scenes off my list.
Do you want to know the benefits of being a hobbyist photographer?
No pressure.
No client to please. No money to make. No expectations. No deadlines.
If I’m working on a big portrait project, the only deadlines or expectations are the ones I put on myself. And I do, but no one else knows that. It’s just me.
I can go out on a foggy winter morning, after dropping off the kids at school but before heading to work, and explore. Just me and my own desire to make something, see something, photograph something.
My recent trip to Arizona included a stay in a sprawling resort just outside of Phoenix. Throughout the work conference, we never had to leave the place: golf, dinner, swimming, hiking. It was all there.
The sun was also always there, with light bouncing off the faux adobe façades. That, combined with the bright colors, made for a photography feast.
Winter makes the sun a little lower in the sky, meaning there wasn’t a bad time to walk around and make pictures.
And that’s fitting for my way of doing things: I use photography as a way to explore a new place. Walk around, look for good light, capture what I see – that’s 90% of photography for me.
Luckily, I had lots to see and photograph here in Arizona.
Embrace the discomfort of going out alone, of putting the phone away, of talking to strangers, of existing through a time of rapid and overwhelming change. Remember that we are in a revolution, but that revolution itself is nothing new; it only manifests in new ways.
If you can get comfortable being uncomfortable, discomfort becomes the norm and is easier to process, while comfort becomes the exception to the rule. More importantly though, if you can get comfortable being uncomfortable, you can get in touch with the only thing that really matters in times of uncertainty and change: your humanity. Stay human. Talk to humans. Help humans out.
I’m still feeling the effects of that winter trip filled with gorgeous West Coast sunshine. A week full of vitamin D does a body, and a spirit, good.
That’s why I looked so forward to a recent work trip to Phoenix, Arizona. The forecast? Sunny and mid 70s. Perfect for this winter-worn Michigander.
We had a few chances to stroll through the Sonoran Desert surrounding our conference resort, through the Phoenix Mountains Preserve near North Moutain Park. One morning we traveled with a hiking company, through a tunnel under the road, and wandered around a valley to watch the sun come up.
On the other side, we watched the sun set over a nice BBQ dinner. In both cases, the desert light never left.
The real challenge isn’t in upgrading your tools, it’s in upgrading yourself.
That’s when the investment shifts. Instead of pouring money into a new lens you don’t actually need, you start to invest in the work itself. The personal projects. The stories you want to tell, the places you want to explore.
It’s true that I upgraded my original Canon M early last year with the Canon M200.
As the year went on and I used it more and more, a little itch in the back of my brain started. The itch, which weirdly has a voice, started saying, “Using this camera should be easier – and more fun, like your original Canon M was.”
What the itch said was also true.
Some of those true things included:
The M200 is not a customizable camera. You get what you get, no mods allowed.
I also missed the little handgrip bump on the front of the M. The M200 is as flat as Ohio
Last March, I said:
There aren’t many buttons or options, it’s not the toughest model, and you don’t have the in-the-hand control you have on a more advanced camera. But coming from the original M, the M200 felt at home in my hands.
“Trust your instincts,” the itch said, and there I was with this 2019-era mirrorless camera that did not bring me joy.
With all these truths in mind, I went back and looked to see if I could still upgrade to a Canon M6 mark II. The price was still high, and it still wasn’t widely available. That’s when my budget-friendly brain had an idea:
It doesn’t have all the modern bells and whistles of the mark II, but it does have:
Customizable buttons – and lots of them. The M6 has an almost Fuji-level amount of physical dials and buttons.
A physical button to recenter the focus point.
A wonderful hand grip on the front – more DSLR-style than a modest bump like the M had.
All the features of the M200: higher resolution, flippy screen, faster focus, etc.
And, little itch, the silver version looks kind of cool, cashing in on the retro silver-and-black look of film SLRs and rangefinders.
So that’s what I did: I purchased a refurbished Canon M6 and sold off my M200.
Here are some glamour shots with the EF-M 32mm f/1.4, taken on the Canon 5D and EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.
So far? I dig the M6. I love the improved ergonomics, retro styling, faster speed, and manual controls – especially the bumpy, knurled dials for aperture or ISO.
A few things I don’t love:
I do wish it had a viewfinder, even though I’m used to not having one on the M series. A rangefinder-style viewfinder would be so handy.
There’s a greenish/cyan tint to the files in Lightroom. I’m not sure if it’s the camera or Lightroom’s raw file handling, but I load up some files and they look icky.
Certain buttons on the camera drive me crazy: the touchscreen zoom button in the lower right and the physical manual focus button on the main dial. When I go to focus on a subject, the camera is unresponsive because I accidentally brushed that MF button. I turned it completely off in the custom settings.
Those quirks tell me that modern cameras, with so many hybrid demands put on them, are never perfect. My Canon 5D is perfect. Everything else has limitations or annoyances.
The above shot shows me using the M6 exclusively on a new photo project to learn my new camera.
This leads to the larger question about my camera strategy: what am I going to keep, and why do I need a different system than my EOS+EF system?
Mobility: I like the Canon M lineup’s weight and small size. It’s a perfect everyday carry and travel setup, including if I ever want to do some video.
Quality: Images are good, and the lenses make for sharp, pleasing photos.
Vibes: Since that first Canon M, I’ve admired the series, flawed though it is. It’s weird investing and tinkering with a dead mirrorless camera system, but I do love these little cameras.
With the M6, it’s so far, so good. This combined with my old, clunky (but reliable) M as a backup, and I’ve got an old+new system similar to my Canon 5D plus 6D.
I brought the M6 with me to Austin, Texas, and Monterrey, Mexico. It served me well during the holidays and on random photo outings. It feels so much better in the hand.
Parts of the U.S. are facing an arctic blast – one of those goofy named weather phenomena. In the past few winters, we haven’t had much winter action in Michigan. So on this occasion, I laced up my snow boots and walked around the neighborhood to see what five degrees felt like.
The bright sun and crisp air were nice for a brief minute. But then the wind would pick up and I felt like my face was stinging.
I always want to do more night photography. Living in a small city, there’s not a lot of opportunity to grab night images like I’d like to.
Thanks to Austin, however, I had a great chance to tour around a decent-sized city to capture light, shadow, and color. My co-worker and I also stumbled on a commercial filming shoot taking place on 6th Street, near Voodoo Donuts, which provided an interesting behind-the-scenes view into a commercial production.
This night out inspired me so much that I thought, hey, Detroit’s not that far away. It might be worth a visit to get more of these kinds of photos.
The trip also inspired me to continue working on a long-term night photography project closer to home. More on that soon.
After I launched my Artists In Jackson project, I also launched an email newsletter to keep my subjects and buyers updated. Over time, it became a periodic vehicle to share what I was doing, interested in, or working on.
Then, midway through the pandemic, I lost it. I couldn’t bring myself to work on it like I wanted to, and the newsletter slipped away from me. Mailchimp closed my account for inactivity, and I lost all the momentum I had built.
Now I’m relaunching my email newsletter with beehiiv, and I invite you and anyone interested to sign up (or re-sign up) and join me as I get this thing started again.
I’m shooting for monthly or bi-weekly, and I may try out a few new formatting ideas, but mostly, this newsletter will be an update, a few items I found around the internet, and some new blog posts.
Quiet music, winding down the to-do list, cozy days at home catching up on movies, and looking back on the year that was – that’s my ideal Christmas.
Yes, we have the spirited family get-togethers and the hustle of Christmas morning with the kids. There’s all that shopping and cooking. But mentally, when I think of Christmas, I think of a quiet season—peace on Earth, goodwill toward men, that kind of thing.
This year, I’ll use the quiet to plan ahead to next year and develop some ideas.
One that’s been simmering for a while now is the idea of turning my creative portrait projects into an ongoing series. Instead of just artists and musicians, I could expand the scope into other creative arenas.
I also want to experiment more with video: how-to walkthroughs, on-location tours, and even video profiles of people. I do it all the time at work, so there’s no reason why I can’t try it for personal projects.
Finally, I’d like to bring back the idea of a studio where I can invite people in and take their portraits. Hang a sheet, grab a light, and fire away.
There are always more ideas than time and energy to see them through. That’s just how I work.
But mulled long enough, like a fine dark wine or some spiced cider, good ideas get better with age.
Settle in. Enjoy the season. See you all in the new year.
