Welcome to the first weekly blog post for the One More Stop photography collective! Lunar here, I am excited to take a chance to highlight and discuss the great things our community has been up to this past week, as well as wrapping up the final week of 2023! Due to this post being a double, it will be a bit longer than most weeks, strap in!
Before we get started with the community happenings, I’d like to talk a little about who I am, and shout out the other lovely photographers who will be working on this blog.
If you don’t know me, I am Lunar Hades, and I am one of the Trustees of the One More Stop collective. I shoot primarily digitally, and I have a great appreciation for all kinds of photography. I hope to highlight work that is diverse and inclusive, which is one of the main ideals we strive for!
Also working on this blog are Ezo and OwlEye, who will introduce themselves more in their blog posts.
With all of that out of the way, let’s head into the final week of 2023, and the first week of 2024!
Gallery Gems
In one of the most striking and unique portraits I’ve ever seen pebble delivers an image I’ll never forget, and neither should you. This process involves viewing distorted videos on a Sony Trinitron television, and then taking stills from them on film, in this case Kodak Vision 3. Please check out pebble‘s instagram for more of his cyberpunk-style photography, taken in a really interesting way!
There’s a lot to love about this photo! Not only am I a sucker for monochrome, but the framing and balance provide an image with a lot to see that isn’t too cluttered. You really feel the winter, and end of the year excitement. The city in fog makes it an even more delightful scene, providing interest without drawing your attention away from the ice skating crowd. You can find more of Gary Indiana‘s work on his Instagram.
I love the mood that the lighting and colors bring to this image, and I like the sense of speed you feel while looking at it. Just enough of the train is in focus so that you can see it in detail, while the blurred parts of the image create a nice almost negative space. OwlEye is a wonderful contributor, and you should check out his website for more!
The grim juxtaposition of an ammunition vending machine next to a candy vending machine is striking. The colors are bleak but represented perfectly. You can see the level of detail and quality you get out of Kodak Portra 800, and the Hasselblad isn’t hurting either. Overall a very interesting and thought provoking piece. You can find more of Fabri’s work on his Instagram.
Heinz rings in the new year with a delightful long exposure of his local fireworks, and with such a sharp and well framed photo of fireworks, you can forget that they usually have color! I love all of the little details you can see in the exposure. Aside from continuing to pile on the praise, there’s little to say about this photo, I just find it breathtaking. For me this feels like a wonderful “goodbye” to 2023. Please take a look at Heinz’s website!
Community Collaborations
Instant Ecstasy
Managed by Sheorun
Instant Ecstasy is an effort to push members to take photos on instant film cameras (polarioid, instax, etc) and share them with the group in the collaboration thread. An instant photo exchange was also managed through this collaboration.
The collaboration is over now, but the thread is still active for sharing and discussing instant photography. Thank you Sheorun for managing all of this! I’d also like to highlight a shot by Hot Pink Bulb, using a Polaroid Big Shot. Please check out both of their internet presences!
Club f/64
Managed by Rob
Our other collaboration that is running beyond the year’s end is Club f/64, which promotes shooting photos that are large format, that are metered well, sharp, with a wide open aperture. This is meant to be an homage to the Group f/64, a group that had prolific members such as Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. This collaboration is currently ongoing, with time to shoot and post from now until the 3rd of February 2024. A zine could even be made at the end, depending on interest! Hop in if you dare, and/or love Large Format photography. Thank you Rob for heading this collaboration!
The Liquid Challenge 2024
Managed by Hot Pink Bulb
The Liquid Challenge is a way to force the use of, and creativity with, cameras one already owns; and it intends for this to be done across a variety of camera/film formats. This year’s version comes with two small game boards, to help keep track of the rules you’ve set for yourself.
The rules are simple: Fill out these cards and lock in your choices by the end of January, and then commit to them for the rest of 2024. No new gear (aside from the use of Get out of Jail Free cards). You also have to do your best to post the work you’re shooting on these cameras every 3 weeks.
Do you have too many cameras and want to try to limit your purchase of new ones? Do you want to find a creative spark through limitation in 2024? If yes to the above, come check out the Liquid Challenge for 2024!
This has been a wonderful year, and a great start to a new one! I am truly excited to move into the new year! I can’t wait to see what 2024 continues to offer us! If you’re not already part of the collective, please click here or the button below for a link to our Discord server, where all of this is happening in real time!
With much enthusiasm and hope,
Lunar Hades
Please take a look at my Instagram for more of my work!