August 9th 2025

Starting late last year with the first installment of the Missed Shots Series, I’ve been trying a few new and different things on the site. Over the past six and a half years, I’ve only shared about 10% of what I do in the film photography realm. This year, I’ve been trying to change that. Articles on cameras and history will continue to be my favorite to make and the 5000+ word mainstay of the site, however shorter pieces will debut periodically to keep the site active in the large swaths of time in between. The plan for these smaller articles is a more relaxed, free flowing, and casual writing style. I will not be offended if you don’t like these shorter articles or skip them entirely; it won’t be everybody’s cup of tea.

In this new contribution to the growing list of article series, every month I’ll be writing about recent inspirations, whether they are from photographers, sites, movies, books, podcasts, or what have you. This will be a ‘check these out’ kind of series, a recommended reading/looking/listening if you will. Here are a handful of things within the film photography sphere that have inspired me recently.

Recommended Reading

Making Movies - Sidney Lumet

I used to read a fair bit when I was younger, slowing down considerably to maybe one book a year in my adult life. What I like to read falls into the Sci-Fi/Fantasy and History realm, loving books like Fredrik Pohl’s Gateway to All Quiet on the Western Front. Fewer books without a doubt, but I never stopped reading altogether.

I read a whole heck of a lot online; every day for about an hour or so, going through film photography sites, various electrical engineering things I’m working on, world news, plant care, article research, cooking tips… you get the picture. All that said, the last real book I read was the first half of Dune. I read it right before the first part of the recent films came out, and was absolutely enamored by it. The movie was fine, but the book is something incredibly special. Beautiful storytelling with a very deep and engaging world. I could not stop reading it, but that was a few years ago now.

In an effort to start reading books earlier this year, I was passively searching for ‘the one’ to get me to fall back in love with reading. Back in April, I finally found it. The book Making Movies by Sidney Lumet was mentioned on an older episode of a movie podcast I enjoy called Blank Check, and it sounded right up my alley. Before we continue, a little sidebar here. If you’re into watching movies, this is a great podcast. Their enthusiasm for films, directors, actors, and all things movies is infectious. However, this recommendation comes with a warning, it’s not a very typical podcast. The silly sense of humor may be off putting to some, but I personally adore it.

What episode it was escapes me, but they had a humorous description of this book, calling it still very accurate to working in the industry today, and it sounded like something I would enjoy. It chronicles the entire process of making a movie, start to finish, in the film only era. From a few anecdotes on pleasant interactions with actors, how they work and where they excel, to the challenges of people, large productions, location shoots and studios, it covers almost everything. The book is also written complementary to you, explaining things in a way that’s not looking down to the reader. For example, he includes paperwork like call sheets and walks you through a typical shooting day. It’s getting to be an older book, published 30 years ago, but it holds up extraordinarily well. I cannot recommend it enough!

Between Darkness & Light - Alex Luyckx

Fellow film photography writer and friend Alex Luyckx created a series on his site called Between Darkness & Light, chronicling his adventures exploring abandoned (and sometimes only partially abandoned) places throughout North America. Alex has been sharing the experiences he’s had over the last two decades, as stories along with the photos taken there. I love to learn about history and people’s photographic adventures, and I really enjoy this series.

In his latest entry, Alex ventures through an old foundry that had a long and storied history. From wooden goods and wartime efforts in the beginning decades, to finally settling on a foundry which stayed in operation in one way or another for the next 75 years. It’s an interesting story with some very cool pictures of a lot of intact machinery and other gubbins.

It’s not easy explaining something like the history of a paper mill while keeping it interesting and engaging. I take real inspiration from the storytelling, down to the layout of these articles. Crawling through dangerous wreckage to hiding from the authorities, it really keeps you fully engaged. I’m always trying to improve my writing skill, and these are a wonderful lesson and a joy to read. The pictures are pretty damn good too, you should check them out. Keep it up Alex!

Words and Pictures from the Middle East - John Wreford

This was introduced to me on an older recommended reading post from the site Down the Road by another fellow film photography writer and friend, Jim Grey. He posts these lists every weekend and has more or less prompted me to start this series. It must have been a year or two ago now, but this has been my absolute favorite addition Jim has made to date.

John Wreford’s site, Words and Pictures from the Middle East, is a stunning log of this man's life and something I always look forward to reading. He posts very infrequently, but each one is a snippet into his life and his journeys through the Middle East. Aside from being a great photographer, the storytelling is on an echelon of something I cannot even begin to describe. It envelops me completely, in a strange sort of way. When I’m reading one of the articles, everything else melts away, and I’m fully in the world and with these people. I adore it and cannot praise the site enough. Do yourself a favor and read a few articles; it’s truly great stuff.

Recommended Watching

Subway 1985 - Luc Besson

I watch a lot of movies. I’ve been keeping track on Letterboxd since 2020 of what I’ve been watching, and I realized I find a lot of inspiration from the things I consume. Black and white 50s masterpieces to ‘B’ 80s wackiness and everything in between. The most recent movie that comes to mind was the 1985 French movie Subway. The soundtrack is incredibly 80s, the story is a little crazy, albeit interesting, but the main thing that stuck out to me was the use of a lot of wide angle shots. Not fisheye, but very wide at times. I struggle when it comes to shooting with anything wider than a 40mm, and took a lot of inspiration from this movie.

The structure of a wide angle shot, moving or still, has a lot to do with how you're filling the frame. You have a lot more to contend with the wider you go. Landscapes were the only real thing I ever used wide angle lenses for, but in the film, they go about it in a different way. Some of the shots are indeed a ‘landscape’ type, but others have a lot going on in the foreground as well.

Looking back at my wide angle work, I guess I’ve never really tried to compose in that way. I would either shoot really close up or a landscape. Nothing in between. Subway has a lot of shots where everything is in focus, from a subject in the foreground to the background, with a way to sort of guide your eye. I never thought of that for some reason, and that’s why I love watching movies. Inspiration! Give Subway a watch, it’s a fun time.

YouTube - Sissi Lu

Film photography content delivered in a video format can be very hit or miss. I watch bits and pieces of it online in my free time, and occasionally find some real gems. It’s been a few years, but I think I remember seeing Sissi’s videos recommended to me through another YouTuber five or so years ago.

Fully in the throes of the Polaroid I2, in her latest video from about nine months ago, she started exploring the newest black and white Polaroid film. She takes a bit of back and forth to get the hang of the exposure in the new emulsion, but really enjoys her results.

This is only one of around 30 videos she has made in the past five years. But do not let that be a deterrent; they are worth the wait. Not only are the videos well made and on interesting topics, but she has different styles from a simple vlog type to a full out production. I’m talking basic YouTube to professional editing, music choice, audio quality, and videography. You get the best of both worlds! It’s an excellent channel, and it’s always good to see more representation of women in the film photography community. I hope to see more videos and photography from her long into the future.

Recommended Listening

Camerosity Podcast

Created initially on the Classic Lenses Podcast feed, Camerosity has grown to be a podcast I quite enjoy listening to. If you have not heard of it before, it’s a mainly film photography focused podcast, with a few sprinklings of digital conversations here and there. What makes it special is the ‘World’s First Open Source Film Photography Podcast’ aspect. Anyone can join the Zoom call when they record and ask a question or even answer one.

Featuring the hosts Mike Eckman, Theo Panagopoulos, Paul Rybolt, Anthony Rue, and Stephen Strangeway, each episode has a general topic being covered, but does not adhere to that strictly. The discussions are alive and moving from topic to topic, with a really good mood and fun atmosphere. If you want to talk about anything from the Minolta SRT-101 to something like a cosmetic variation of a Detrola Model K, this is the place. I’ve even been on it a few times as well, if you would like to hear me mess up how many years I’ve been running the site and say ‘like’ a few too many times! I’m not always comfortable with public speaking, but the last time I was on in the Camera Bloggers episode, I was much less nervous. But enough about me, this is a genuinely great podcast, and I appreciate what these gents have made. You should really give it a listen!

That is all for this edition of the August recommendations list. Thanks for taking a look. Being a young-ish guy of recently 30, loving things old and new, I thought I would have an interesting take on what inspires me and the media I consume. Funnily enough, creating this was a much more difficult endeavor than I thought it would be. Hopefully, you found something new and interesting to check out. As for this site, more to come as always!