Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #96: The Great Film Photo Meetup II - Louisville!

by Kevin Lane

It's a known fact that many photographers like to practice their craft alone. It's not hard to picture the lone street photographer doing his or her best to remain invisible while looking for both human and human subjects, the single nature photographer looking for just the right place to plant a tripod, or the solitary figure adjusting an enlarger in the dim red light of the darkroom. I think that most photographers like to work alone, because they believe they do their best work when they are by themselves. I happen to be one of these photographers.

However, that doesn't mean that I avoid connecting with other photographers or photographing with them. In fact, while most photographers may prefer to work alone, I believe that most of them like to get together with other link minded people and talk craft and, of course, gear while walking around looking for viable compositions. It for this reason that Wayne and I have organized our annual Photowalk with the Shutter Brothers each of the last four years, and we will do it for the fifth time this October. And last year a number of film photography podcasters decided to do the same with The Great Film Photo Meetup in my hometown of Chattanooga, TN. It was particularly enjoyable for me, as I finally got to meet several fellow podcasters in person.

Those same podcasters are dong it again this year with The Great Film Photo Meetup II, which will take place August 14-16 in Louisville, Kentucky. And know this: this event is for all photography enthusiasts. You don't have to be a podcaster or a film shooter to participate. At The Great Film Photo Meetup II you can enjoy the company with photography enthusiasts while photographing in a city known for horse racing, baseball bats, and bourbon. Wayne will be there (sadly, I cannot attend). You should be there, too. The link for the Facebook event page is here.

Meanwhile, I've been on an extended travel vacation with my wife, Debbie, to celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary. Our fourteen day adventure took us through fifteen states and two countries (Canada), and to say that we had a wonderful time doesn't come close. We visited great museums and saw incredible scenics, and I walked around with two very different cameras. One of those, Wayne's diminutive Canon Canonet QL17 GIII, needs no introduction to film photography enthusiasts. It's often called the "Poor Man's Leica," but there is nothing 'poor' about it. It may even be the ultimate vacation camera.I used it for color film, and I give a full report of my experience with it in show #96. 

But what about the other 'walk around' camera? 

A Hasselblad 500CM? Are you kidding me?

No, I am not kidding. I walked around Niagara Falls (both the Canadian American sides) for two days shooting black and white film. Was it heavy? Yes, certainly heavier than the QL17 GIII, but not unmanageable for me. I rather enjoyed using it, and I explain my reasons in the show.

Finally, the aforementioned 5th Annual Photowalk with the Shutter Brothers will take place on Saturday, October 24, 2026 in Huntsville, Alabama. Want and I are putting the finishing touches on the details, so look for an announcement and a Facebook event page soon.

Before I sign off, Wayne and I need your help. As things stand now, we are projected to release our 100th episode in October, and in show #96 threw it out to our listeners to make suggestions on how to celebrate such an achievement (something I never thought would happen, by the way.) If you have a suggestion, please send to us in an email to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com. Even if you don't have any 100th shobw ideas, we'd still love to hear from you. Also, please follow us on our Facebook and Instagram pages. And we also want to thank our special listeners who have made financial contributions to help us with production and hosting costs. If you would like to help, you can do so at our Ko-fi page.

Happy Photography! Now, go get some good pictures!