Summer heat, Stinky Tourists...

Back from the Holiday weekend.. but instead of hitting the beach, we hit the city for some shopping and dining.. take a good look at the couple above. While dining at our favorite lunch spot, at our favorite table, this couple brazenly requested our table- While we were still eating!
No offense to tourists, but please don't vulture tables while in Philly. Or at least not at the Pontiac Grill. They were none too pleased that I wanted a photo to remember them by...

Other then that.. finally got to scanning, and getting some new work up on the site. I tried to find some farm animals during a trip south, but instead found a flock of sheep made of metal. I also toured a beautiful garden and met the angriest street magician ever, but more on that later..

Also thanks to Boonika.com, Artdorks.com and Wurzeltod.ch for posting my images.. Check them out for some great imagery!

40 Countries this month?

There must be quite a few people with some extra time on their hands, cas in the last month there were over 5,000 unique visitors from over 40 countries...

Just want to say a big thanks- and give some shout outs to my peeps in Estonia.

Oh, and Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Sweden, England, Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Singapore, Portugal, Taiwan, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Uraguay, Switzerland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Argentine Republic, Hungary, Norway, Romania, Turkey, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Philippines, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic and Vietnam!

How you found the site, I have no idea- but keep coming back!
I will be adding a ton of new stuff this month, and more great links..

....email me the oddest place you are on the planet, and if you win, I will personally send you a 12x12 inch print of your choice!

London images on ToyCamera.com

Check out Hogla images of London on ToyCamera.com-
while you are there, make sure to have a look at some great images from toy camera photographers from all over the world.. and if you have some toy camera images, submit them and support this great site!

New Street Images

Check out the Streets section for some new street photography images.. from all across America, I have met some pretty interesting folks.. and some even let me take their photo..

Also have a look at the updated links page for some great photo and design sites!

Links...

Added a new links page.. so check out some of the other great sites out there,
and if you have a site you'd like to link back to, drop me a line.

Check out Gommamag.com- they add nicnichols.com to the review section, so hit them up and be generous when you rate my site..

And from the far reaches of I-don't-know-where.. La Tu Vu put a link to my site on their photo section.. check them out for some pretty interesting stuff.. and thanks to berth99.com for finding me..

File Magazine features Beach Series!

I am really honored to be included in File Magazine's collection. They have put together a really inspiring group of images and photographers. Have a look at the Beach series here, and make sure to take in the other projects as well. The BBC named them one of the best in the web!

Thanks again to the guys at File Magazine for a chance to be included with all of their other great projects.

Updates...

Back from Philly, and new images from Eastern State Penitentiary- if you haven't had the chance to visit them, take a day and head up... while you are there, try out a Segway Tour from iglidetours.com.. We did that in the morning, and could have stayed on those things all day! If you are in the area, its worth the time- and you get to learn a few things about Philly as well...

For those of you on a PC that are having issues with the nicnichols.com font, don't worry- version 2.0 is on the way very soon..

New Images, New Newsletter....

Spent last weekend among some of the strangest areas in rural Maryland.. its amazing what you find driving through some of those back roads. Got a few of the new images up in the Port Deposit section on the site.. have a look and let me know what you think!

Some of you may have seen the new update in your inbox.. if not,
get on the mailing list!

Free Font from nicnichols.com!

Check out the menu page and download the official nicnichols.com font from our friends at Chank.com. Available for both Mac and PC, its just a little thanks for all of you who have supported the site, bought prints, hit the shows or just stopped by for a look...

Thanks go out to Chank.com for creating a great font!

New Images from Eastern State Penitentiary...

More images from Eastern State are up, and with the Historic prison about to open for the spring next week, I will be back up shooting more as soon as possible. Check out the new gallery, and visit easternstate.org for more info!

nicnichols.com featured in "LightLeaks" Magazine!

I just got word that Light Leaks magazine will be publishing my work in their next issue (Issue #2), and if you have not had a chance to check it out, go order a copy now! Its a great visual forum for film photographers using toy cameras. Its a little pricey, but hey.. you'll get a hell of alot better inspiration from one issue then from the last 5 years of Communication Arts!

Toy camera vs. Digital Camera?

I have received several emails in the last few weeks about how I created the ‘effects’ and ‘light leak textures’ in my images, so to answer them all in a few quick notes: All the images you see on the site were created on film. Most using ‘toy cameras’. What is a toy camera? It’s a camera made of plastic, costing less then a few rolls of film. People ask me, if I work for one of the most cutting edge digital photography companies, and teach advanced photoshop to college students, why do I choose to create my images using a $19 Holga and 4 year old film?
I guess it would come down to the organic nature of the image.. while digitial photography has made tremendous progress over the last ten years, I see so many photographers spending hours in photoshop trying to create an organic look to their digital captures. Do you need a $5,000 camera, a big G5 and Photoshop to create a great image? Of course not..
Why struggle with photoshop filters and cheap effects, when you can simply grab a Holga, a $1 roll of 120 film and go shoot? My philosophy on images comes down to this: If you need to add effects, filters and embellishment to your image to make it better, then you didn’t start with a very good image.
Ya.. I admit it, I was the first person around to get a Nikon D200, its great for images of my family and my dog loves having her photo taken… but that’s about all it will ever be used for.

What is the best Toy camera, and where do I get one?

My first choice has always been a Holga, they are cheap, you can change the image shape from square to rectangle, (6x6 or 6x4.5) and you can make modifications to them pretty easily. The new ones even have film tensioners, tripod mounts, shutter speeds and interchangeable film plates. Don’t bother going to the local camera store and spending five bucks for a roll of 120 film, hit up eBay, and buy a big box of out dated film and just go shoot..After all, it’s a $20 plastic camera- why use good film? If 35mm is your film size of choice, then you need to pick up a Lomo, and while you are there, check out some of the other cameras they offer, like the action sampler.. it’s the only camera I took to Vegas, cas if you’re going to be seeing double, you might as well photograph like that..
eBay is the best resource for film and some of the cameras, but watch their prices on the Holga.. Freestyle Photo has the new ones cheap, and Maine Photographic Resource even gives you a discount when you buy a bunch at time. Buy a half dozen, and set up each one a little differently… I have one for square, one for rectangle, one with a flash… even one with the Lomo tunnel vision lens.. its like getting 6 different cameras for a whopping hundred bucks.

Whats up with the Impaled Teddy Bears?

Driving down a side road in the farms of Maryland, I was surprised to see a row of stuffed animals nailed to trees… my girlfriend said it started with the farm owner finding a lost stuffed animal, and sticking it on a branch so the owner could hopefully see it while driving by and get it back. Instead, more people pulled over and nailed more of the stuffed bears to the trees.. the last time we went back, there was even a giant stuffed monkey. I don’t know if its gruesome or just odd, but I keep going back to see what’s been stuck up there.. I have seen a lot of weird stuff, but I have to say this is right up there.. keep checking their gallery, because I’ll be heading back every few months to see the new arrivals and document the teddy bears as the wind, rain and snow starts to tear them apart…

Where is the American Pitbull Terrier Info?

I have received quite a few emails from people asking where my website with information on the American PitBull Terrier and Breed Specific Legislation went, and when I googled my own name, 90% of the returns were for my previous site, dedicated to the positive image of the American Pitbull Terrier. I live in Wilmington, Delaware, and a few years back, our inept city council decided that to get some media attention, they would ban the American Pitbull Terrier and a few related breeds from the city limits. As you all know, I am a proud owner of a beautiful Female American Pitbull Terrier, and as a city resident, I was shocked to hear that they city wanted to make it a crime to own a dog of this great breed. So a group of responsible dog owners banded together, and with a strong grass roots effort, got the ban repealed. I am proud to say that the animal rights and rescue group that I helped found, which has now evolved into Faithful Friends, inc, still contues the effort that we started five years ago. Visit them for more information, and I will soon be adding a APBT resource page with links and info back to my site.