Photography Chat with Merlin

After taking a year off to regroup the chat is back and we are kicking it off with the awesome Lauren aka @coolperolike on the instagram. She is a rad photographer and human in the Bay Area, but I will let her speak for her self :)"hi i’m lo! i don’t know how to talk about myself so i guess i’ll start with i’m a photographer and i shoot everything from instant photos to large format to super 8! i love learning about new mods my friends make, learning about the people i take portraits of, and learning what i enjoy the most during the process. meeting and growing with the community of people i’ve met has been my favorite part of photography so far. everyone has a different journey and a different story to tell. i can’t wait to expand on this beautiful community in the bay area and beyond!"

Matthew s a wicked awesome cat, so much fun to chat it out with him. He shared how he got started with film photography and his connection to skateboarding with it. We talked about punk music and going to live shows. He shared how he get involved with Filmphotographic and his involvement with Our City which was a cool exhibition. Then we finished off with being old but still rocking skate style haha. Matt was wicked rad. Looking forward to seeing him at PolaCon Bay Area in 2023.“A little about me, I’ve been photographing in general since I was 15 started with skateboarding because I wasn’t a strong skater but they gang needed a filmer and photog so I got into it. Live in a small northern ca town called Rio Vista which is on the CA delta. I got back into primarily shooting film in 2015-16 when I joined Instagram and found out a lot of people still shot it and found some great communities. I’ve been lucky to be apart of 3 filmphotographic group shows. As of recent I was BetterOff Zine’s feature no. 6 photographer and currently enjoy going to different areas of CA when I can and documenting what I see.”Follow Matthew at https://www.instagram.com/mattoriousfilmphoto/Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmESTGive me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

I am so glad to have finally connected with @irisxsagitta she is so rad to chat with. She shared with us how she got started with photography. Then we got into social media and the relationships that we have with different platforms. From there we got into the intention of shooting, the importance of the tangible, and creating images just for yourself. We got into film stocks and then Polaroid. Such a rad time hanging out with Iris, I hope y’all enjoy this chat!'Iris Sagitta is a Hungarian-American queer photographer and model based in Manhattan specializing in self-portraiture and film photography. She strives to depict intimacy and beauty in and out of the studio through layered compositions and cinematic colors. Sagitta constantly experiments with new formats of film and post-processing techniques to evoke nostalgia in every audience.'Follow Iris at https://www.instagram.com/irisxsagitta/Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmESTGive me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

We’ve been talking about having Juan of @beersandcameras on the chat for a while now and we were finally able to make it happen. He talked to us about his recent trip to Germany to see the Leica HQ during the new M6 launch. We got into how Beers & Cameras got started and what the future looks like for the group. We talked about male domination in the photography world and about how we can bring more inclusivity into the community. Then he ended off with some future stuff about the meta space meeting the real world, so give them a follow to stay tuned to updates there :)“Juan Carlos Martinez considers himself a super-enthusiast with a rekindled love for photography after the birth of his first child. Always with camera in hand, the family documentarian founded the community building meet-ups known as Beers And Cameras (B&C) virtually by accident after a few casual meetings with like minded friends at craft breweries and sharing these events on Instagram. With as many chapters around the United States as years under their belt, B&C community has come to stand for a lifestyle brand for photographers with a love for connecting with their local community and gear. A place where community is first foremost and many network and connect making lifelong friendships. Film and digital friendly, the B&C community loves to partner with brands with the same philosophies to synergistically leverage each other and push the narrative which is for uncompromised love of photography and to ‘shoot everyday.’”Follow Juan at https://www.instagram.com/beersandcameras/Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmESTGive me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

I have not laughed so much in a while, chatting with @maxsprkplg tonight was so rad. Mario is such a chill dude and his talent for camera-building is incredible. We talked a little bit about my trip down to the states for Polacon. We also got into what was fun about Polacon for both of us and some of the moments we shared there. We got into a bunch of silly movie remake ideas and then he schooled us on 3D printers. I also dropped the giveaway for a @cameradactyl Polaroid scanning tray, look for details on where to sign up for that soon. So stoked to see what else Mario is going to create and contribute to the film community.“Mario Machon (@maxsprkplg on Instagram) is on a mission to create his own perfect homemade cameras. He considers himself more of a camera sculptor than a designer or manufacturer. Always happy to share files and knowledge with those who can print on their own, or happy to make high-quality builds for those who can’t.He is currently studying Convinceyoutogetaprinter Studies at the School of Cameradactyl.”Follow Mario at https://www.instagram.com/maxsprkplg/Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmESTGive me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Oh boy did we ever have an animated chat tonight. We talked about the new Leica M6 release, shooting instant film, fav alcohols, Jesus, baby Hitler and time machines, why malt liquor is for kids, and cameras that fuck. It was nice to catch up with Abel after spending so much time in person with him over the last couple of months. Looking forward to more hangs and adventures in the future.‘Instant Flamingos or instant flamingoes /ˈɪnstənt fləˈmɪŋɡoʊz/ / are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae. Although originally from Chile, some specimens have been observed habiting in the Seattle metropolitan area. They are characterized by carrying antique image-capturing devices to photograph anything that calls their attention, from landscapes to people.A group of instant flamingoes is called an "instant flamboyance."’Follow Abel at https://www.instagram.com/instantflamingo/Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmESTGive me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

What a rad time chatting with one of the sweetest boys from @sweetboysuniversity Ethan is a real mensch and a super interesting cat. A real renaissance man of the ’20s. We talked about stuff all over the map, from his work on ultra-large format cameras to his work on 3D printing all kinds of things. Check out his page for more cool things."Ethan Moses is the stable genius behind Cameradactyl.com.He is the inventor of The World's Best Pencil Holder.He became the first 3D Printed Billionaire when he started selling his files online for photographers like you to print his designs at home.”Follow Ethan at https://www.instagram.com/cameradactyl/Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmESTGive me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

Such a rad time chatting it out with Jason in his studio. We talked about his latest exhibition in San Diego ah @plnu that is running until November. We got into who inspires him and what kind of work he has planned. We got onto talking about making books and chatted about @filmphotographic and his upcoming Leica show in London in 2023. Alberta showed us some of her artwork and will be taking over hosting my show :)“JASON LEEb. 1970, Orange, CaliforniaA native of Southern California, Jason Lee is a photographer, producer, writer, director, and actor. Having established a successful career as a professional skateboarder during skateboarding's pivotal late 80s and early 90s period, Lee would go on to pursue acting before developing a passion for photography in 2002. His photographic works have since been featured in multiple group and solo exhibitions, magazines and books, with A PLAIN VIEW (2018) representing the debut publication for Film Photographic, the book publishing company Lee founded in 2015. Prior to the release of A PLAIN VIEW, Refueled magazine published Lee’s first ever photography book, a 2016 special limited edition hardcover issue featuring selected American instant film photographs. June 1, 2019 saw the opening of OK: Jason Lee Photographs, Lee’s premiere museum exhibition. Commissioned by Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum of Art and on view through December 2019, the exhibition featured 178 Oklahoma photographs spanning the Meinig and Burnstein galleries in the museum’s satellite location, Philbrook Downtown. A selection of Larry Clark’s original Tulsa prints were concurrently presented in the adjacent Smith Gallery. A hardcover OK exhibition catalog will be released at a later date. In December 2020, UK publisher Stanley/Barker released IN THE GOLD DUST RUSH, a 112-page book featuring a selection of Lee’s previously unpublished American black-and-white photographs spanning 2008 to 2020. In 2021, Film Photographic in association with Galveston Historical Foundation published a book of Lee’s selected Galveston, Texas photographs.”Follow Jason at https://www.instagram.com/jasonlee/Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmESTGive me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/

The state of the emulsion panel for Polacon 7 was dope. So nice to hang out with all these folks again in Denton. Some technical difficulties but we got through it all. I haven't seen some folks since 2019 so it was nice to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. Polacon is a yearly celebration of Instant Film that happens in a few cities across North America.

It took a while but it was incredible to have @r.barbee on the chat. Such rad energy and is a great storyteller. He talked about how he got into photography and shared some of his stories about going pro and his love of Ilford (and Kodak too). We got into his music and he shared some of his fav pedals and what musicians have inspired him. He talked to us about which photographers have inspired him over the years. Such a rad dude, if you have the time to check out the recording it is well worth it.“Ray is an American skateboarder, photographer, and musician from San Jose, California. A humble yet remarkably talented skateboarder, musician and photographer who believes that all 3 passions are crafted by various factors outside of the artist’s control. From making prints in a darkroom to making music in a studio, Ray embraces the imperfections of analogue formats.”Follow Ray at https://www.instagram.com/r.barbee/Photography Chat is a weekly Instagram Live @merlindb hosts every Thursday at 5pmPST/8pmESTGive me a follow if you want to see the episodes live https://www.instagram.com/merlindb/