Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #93: Random Acts of Art

 by Kevin Lane

If there is one thing on which most normal people would agree, it would be that we could all use more kindness in the world. Not to preach, but the only way to make that happen is to take on the role of spreading kindness ourselves. Kindness comes in many forms, but they all do the same things. They make people feel better, and they inspire people to pass kindness on to others. 

We all have our own way of spreading kindness, but Wayne's Random Acts of Art is one of my favorite. In the past, in the past, Wayne has made a series of small prints and put them in mats that he cut from leftover mat board. Then, he places the print in a sealed plastic bag and leaves it in a random public place for someone to find. Also inside the bag is a note about the print and who made it. The person who finds it is invited to take the print home for free and also encouraged to email Wayne and let him know that the print has found a home.

Random Acts of Art soon to have a new home.

I am fascinated by this. Wayne is essentially giving away his work to people he likely will never meet. And yet, to me this is a win/win. Someone get a free photograph ready to frame and display. Wayne gets the satisfaction of knowing that his work is displayed and appreciated in someone's home. Of course, it cost Wayne money to make these prints, but I think it evens out with the enjoyment Wayne gets from being in the darkroom making photographs. Sometimes I think that Wayne actually comes out on the plus side. And let's be honest. Very few photographers are able to make money (much less a living) from their print sales. Most of us who consider photography a hobby know full well that hobbies like photographs  costs money. But we keep paying it, because it gives us something back. Using out hobby to benefit others seems to me to be the icing on the cake.

Meanwhile, I continue to think about my forthcoming trip to Ireland and which camera(s) I should take. Originally, I my plan was to take my Leica M2 and photograph Ireland with black and white film. Any color photography would come from my iPhone. This is what I did for my eastern Caribbean cruise last January. However, the more I considered this, them more dissatisfying I found this plan, mainly for two reasons. First, I didn't make a book with the eastern Caribbean cruise photographs, not did I intend to. Second, We're talking about Ireland here. Visiting Ireland has been a dream of mine for decades, And when I think of Ireland, I see color. I simply have to shoot a lot of color in Ireland. As good as the camera on my iPhone 16e is, am I really going to rely on my iPhone for what could be the majority of my photography there?

I want my Ireland photography to look like it was shot on film, bie it b&w or color. Otherwise, I would just take a digital SLR and shoot away, changing pictures into b&w when I wanted. But since I want the look of film, I will shoot both color and b&w on film. However, that means taking two cameras. Or does it? I actually can't believe that I didn't immediately think of taking my daughter's Hasselblad 500cm, a camera that uses interchangeable film backs. With color film in one back and b&w in the other, I only need one camera. Furthermore, I like shooting square format.

Nevertheless, I'm still not completely sold on this idea. Why? First of all, the Hasselblad is a heavy camera, and i will be on foot most of the time in Ireland. And second, do I really want to leave my M2 behind? It's the perfect travel camera. I even purchased a half case for it.

My Leica M2 with its new half case from Cam-In. How can I not take this to Ireland?

I have a little more than three months to work this out. Stay tuned.

Our listeners have really leveled up with their emails lately, and on this show, we get a great question about mixing and using homemade chemistry. Both Wayne and I mix our own film and print developers from raw ingredients, and it works well for us. I get most of my chemicals from Photographers Formulary, but some chemicals, such as instant coffee (for Cafenol C-L) and Borax (for D-76) can be purchased at your local grocery store. A small digital gram scale is essential, and a magnet stirrer makes mixing your chemistry much easier.

All this and distilled water, and you get a fresh homemade liter of D-76

As always, we love to hear from our listeners. Drop us a line at unclejonesyscameras@gmail,com and let us know what you've been up to with your photography. You also can find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Happy Photography! Now go get some good pictures!