• You'd love to have a family portrait session that fully captures who you are, how you connect, and how much affection surfaces when all the members of your family are present within the camera frame.

    We're happy to capture your family in our studio, complete with gorgeous light and minimal distractions, or in your comfy-cozy home full of familiar toys and routines. No matter where our session takes place, we'll delight in your delight. And we'll encourage you to pay attention to one another instead of the camera, because there's no 'add happy' button in Photoshop.

    We don't care whether you're barefoot or wearing fuzzy slippers, and we won't be sending over a twenty-page list of suggestions about what to wear. (We can make you look beautiful in sweat pants if you love each other.) We just want to capture your family. Your habits, your quirks, and your love. Die-hard beach goers? World travelers? Animal lovers? Trekkies? We wanna see it. And when you view the images we've created together for the first time, we want the depth of love you feel for your family to grab you by the collar and bring tears to your eyes.

    The video below provides a peek at how portrait sessions unfold. If you have questions or would like to schedule a portrait session, click on the 'Contact' link above or call 215-206-3689. Oh -- and thanks for stopping by, lovely!

    -- Kristen & Haunani, Essential Imagery owners

    P.S. That's Kristen up in the header -- Haunani is camera-shy.

  • The studio is closed through August 10th for summer vacation -- vive la France!

  • GRAB THE NEWSLETTER & PORTRAIT GOODIES.





03.16.10

BLACKBIRD FLY CAMERA REVIEW

Blackbird Fly camera, image copyright http://www.japantrends.com

My Blackbird, Fly 35mm toy camera is orange.  And you all know I’m a sucker for orange.  I received it as a gift a few months ago and haven’t yet blogged about how much I love it!

The twin reflex Blackbird, Fly allows me to shoot at waist level, maintaining eye contact with my subject or pretending to be fiddling with that orange contraption in my hands while firing away.  The camera’s use of 35mm film makes it easy to find photo processing services that ring in at less than $20 per roll, and the turnaround time for 35mm photo processing is typically less than twenty-four hours.  I can have my CD of Blackbird, Fly camera output back and blogged all impatient-like.

The camera is reasonably well-constructed; I have no doubt that if I drop this bad boy, it will stay together.  There’s no need for batteries — another bonus — and rewinding film is easy-peasy.  Loading the film is a bit of a beast, as it’s unlike the standard 35mm camera construction, so you’ll need your instruction manual.

The Blackbird, Fly retails for $119.99 USD.  Its use of 35mm film will quickly offset the expensive-for-a-toy-camera cost, and you WILL be stopped by strangers to ask about its unusual qualities and color.

These images were shot on the Blackbird, Fly inside Terrain at Styer’s.  If you haven’t yet visited this gorgeous local nursery, go!  Go now!

1/125 shutter speed, 400 ISO Kodak film. Soft greenhouse light from above.

The final images were shot on a visit to the Bamboo photography studio in Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania.

1/125 shutter speed, 400 ISO Kodak film. Outdoors with cloud cover.

The Blackbird is akin to a jaunt around town in a vintage convertible: fun, memorable, and retro all in one.  It’s worth it if you intend to shoot vertical 35mm images and want to indulge in the look of film without the heavy vignetting or unpredictable focus of other toy models like Diana or Holga.

Posted in neat stuff

show hide 2 comments

Jeni - I recently bought a Lomo LC-A and I can’t wait to use it sightseeing in Chicago in April. In terms of having your 35mm film scanned, what type of lab are you having this done and what resolution does the lab use? Thanks!

Karyn - gosh darnit woman. you’re making me spend all my birthday money already. I wants one!

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