I still shoot digital here and there but considering how fast photo “innovations” hit the streets I don’t mind looking to the past and simpler times. I’ve been a fan of half frame cameras and photographers who use them like Bob Kronbauer, Andy Mueller and Isaac Mckay-Randozzi for years. After drooling over these camera gizmos for some time but got my first one on ebay a few months back.

It’s nice getting twice as many pictures crammed on to a roll of film. The “relic” of a camera I hooked up was probably one of the best point and shoot cameras of 1962 and still works well today! The reality is that whether your camera is a metal, plastic or pinhole it’s a photographer’s imagination that’s at the soul of a good picture.

When Lomography announced the release of a new plastic half frame camera, the Diana Mini, I pounced. Their remake of the classic Diana is quite good but they seem to have out done themselves with this mini version. 120 (medium format film) is harder to come by so a cute 35mm version of a Diana is a welcome surprise.

The camera is in the mail, just in time to catch the madness at The Ex. For those allergic to carnies and mail order I’m sure that Urban Outfitters or the good people at PIKTO will be stocking the Diana Mini for your own photo adventure soon enough.

Glad I took some time out from the hustle, bustle and market mayhem yesterday. Picking up my film cameras (and my digital) was a welcome change to the mindless grind. I always try to experiment with a new photo technique on 1024, in the past it was cross processing, pinhole photography, shooting B+W film… Never hurts to have a creative distraction.

TenTwentyFour was originally a Lomography based event in 2002. The international photo day in the life is now open to all formats/cameras and I’m proud to have been a contributor for most all of them. It’s been awhile since I shot film and even longer since I’ve tinkered with my Diana. The “mystery” of film is part of the allure and I’m anxious to see what images will look like when shot with regular 35mm instead of 120 film. Of course it will be exciting to see the images from around the world once the gallery for 2008 gets assembled later this year.