When looking to level up my assortment of film cameras, it seems all roads lead back to the Contax G2. Although my proclivity to rangefinders typically pushes me to more manual systems, I was pumped to give the G2’s infamous auto-focus/exposure a try through Film Objektiv.

I recently got bit by the film photography bug and acquired a Pentax 645n (among some other 35mm film cameras) earlier this year. Given medium format’s stunning picture quality, I was curious to try some different formats and found Film Objektiv’s offering of a Hasselblad 500CM a must-try.

When I first heard Hasselblad made a 35mm camera, I knew I had to try it out. But to be honest, the panorama freaked me out — how can you compose a sound image in such a large frame? The weeks I had it were reminiscent of when I first started shooting wide-angle on a 6x7: a new ratio made me reevaluate how to captivate with all the space you are given.

The beauty of behind-the-scenes photography within the context of a fashion show is that it allows an all-access pass to the viewer. After experiencing the dynamic, fantastic and/or glamorous worlds, and collections created by the designer on the runway, you can take a deep dive into the world of a creative.

I took the Mamiya 7 II with me on my trip to see friends in Seattle last month. This was my second time shooting medium format. The first time was pretty discouraging because I had only taken one photo before I accidentally locked up the mirror (I thought for sure I broke the camera).

Earlier this year I became increasingly interested in medium format, and someone in the /r/analog Reddit community recommended Film Objektiv to me. I placed my order, and the rest is history.

I’ve never thought that there was a middle ground between digital and analog photography; but my time with the Contax G2 proved that there is always a first time for everything.

At the end of June, my wife and I were to make a road trip from our current home state of Wisconsin out to Wyoming, visiting Badlands National Park on the way. Our ultimate destination was Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks, where we spent the weekend camping.

The earliest memories I have of Beijing and my grandparents were captured on film. The prints were kept at home in a scrapbook; the negatives in a drawer. Their physical permanence somehow made those recollections more real and tangible.

As a self-taught professional photographer who grew up in the era of digital cameras, the technical side of photography is not my forte. And although film is completely foreign to me, I’ve always loved the look of it and aimed for film-like imperfections in my digital photos. But the fact that I have no experience with actual film makes me feel like a bit of a fraud!

I couldn’t have been happier with my rented Nikon F5.  I have wanted to get my hands on this camera for such a long time, and it didn’t disappoint — I did.

With a trip to Cuba quickly approaching and recently stumbling upon Film Objektiv, I knew I’d be leaving my DSLR behind and shooting this project solely on film. Photographing a city frozen in time like Havana on a sterile digital seemed so wrong.