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.

More Images Online today...

The 2006 updates are almost finished.. with new galleries coming every week or so. Check out what happens when we get to borrow a Porsche GT3 for the weekend, and some odd images of travels around the US.. Keep and eye out for the expanded Eastern State Penitentiary Gallery, and more info on Toy Cameras..

New Images Featured on ToyCamera.com

New images taken in rural Maryland are being featured on ToyCamera.com! Check them out and support this great site. While you are there, have a look at some other great images created with toy cameras.Check out this link: Nic on toycamera.com for my gallery, and this link for the main page.

2006! @ nicnichols.com

Finally added the new galleries to the site, so have a look at what's been going on for the last few months. Lots of new images, places and adventures... Been tromping through the hills of Maryland to find impaled Teddy Bears (More on that later).. Spending more time at Eastern State Penitentiary shooting, so look for more Eastern State Galleries soon.. Keep checking back, over the next month the 2006 changes should be complete and the new site will be up and running.. Until then, thanks to all of the returning visitors and welcome to the new ones! --> NIC