Neil aka xnedski

Black and white photo of the focusing knob of a Leitz microscope.

Black and white photo of the slide stage of a Leitz microscope.

Black and white photo of the lens turret of a Leitz microscope.

I really enjoyed this episode! David’s fall down the rabbit hole of old microscopes, then Leicas was an interesting listen.

I found a mid-century Leitz microscope in an antique store many years ago and it’s as well-made as you’d expect. Also fun to photograph!

Two birds perch on a snow-covered feeder, both facing right, and each have a grain of millet in their mouths. Another bird is in flight in the upper right of the picture.

Birds at the feeder during the tail end of the snowstorm.

I tried doing it on my phone and realized it would be impossible without my reading glasses which, of course, I cannot find 👴🏼

Mabel Chi Chan; two men in suits; and a man in long beard, ornate cap, and voluminous red dragon cap eat the parade.

Three lions - red, orange, and yellow - dance outside a business.

The yellow lion with its mouth wide open.

The orange lion dancing. The photo is blurry from the movement of the lion and the camera.

Lunar New Year midnight parade, 2/16/2026

Nikon N80, 35mm f/2.0 AF-D, Portra 800

#filmphotography #believeinfilm #filmisnotdead 🎞️ #portra800

A person in a red patterned jumpsuit dances with a Michael Jackson impersonator because why not?

The dragon running through the crowd.

One of the lion dancers under the lion’s head.

People walking on 10th St with the Friendship Gate in the background and fireworks in the sky.

Lunar New Year midnight parade in Philly.

#lunarnewyear #yearofthehorse

Lions dancing while firecrackers explode in front of them.

Two lions dance in front of a business surrounded by a large crowd.

An orange lion dancing.

Three lions dance in front of a business surrounded by a crowd.

More from the Lunar New Year midnight parade in Philly.

#lunarnewyear #yearofthehorse

Red fireworks exploding over the Friendship Gate.

A woman on a ladder speaking into a microphone. She holds red envelopes and one is frozen in midair near her head.

People dance in a circle around a fire in the street.

A man in an embroidered red vest shovels burning cardboard.

Lunar New Year midnight parade in Philly.

#lunarnewyear #yearofthehorse

Black and white photo of a man with a tambourine at a podium singing Lift Every Voice and Sing with a crowd of people holding signs.

Black and white photo of a group of people holding anti-ICE signs.

Black and white photo of a woman at a podium speaking. A woman with a cane rests at the base of the podium, and a crowd looks on.

Black and white photo of State Senator Art Haywood and faith leaders head the march to ICE offices.

MLK Day of Action march from Immigration Court to the local ICE office, 1/19/2026

Nikon N80, 24-120mm f/4 and Canon P, 21mm f/4 Color-Skopar, Tri-X

#filmphotography #believeinfilm #filmisnotdead 🎞️ #trix

The Don Quijote theme song got lodged in my brain after shopping there and occasionally pops up without warning. "Don, Don, Don kee-ho-taaaaaaaaay!"

A1: No, but I got my daughter a Kodak Charmera and she loves it! #photochat

Black and white photo of a woman in a park. She has white makup with spattered black around the eyes, a white wig, white fur cloak and black spiky crown.

A2: Every year I do photos at a neighborhood winter solstice celebration called the Parade of Spirits. Aside from that, family photos during the holidays. And there is a big snowstorm coming up this weekend... #photochat

Nikon F5 covered with snow.

A3: A lens hood to shield the front element, a towel in the bag to dry stuff off, a pack cover for my camera bag if it's really supposed to pour. It also helps if your camera is weather resistant! #photochat

IIRC someone said that in the case of peel-apart films like Type 55 the machinery was lost but the chemistry is known. For integral films Impossible saved the machinery but had to recreate the chemistry.

2/2

The chemistry for peel-apart b/w isn't complicated but all the precision manufacturing machinery is gone. New55 had to recreate a pod-filling machine, paper coating was a struggle. Packets were hand-assembled with night vision goggles. Despite my gripes I am amazed at what they accomplished!

1/2

Black and white photo of a woman in scary white makeup with a fur collar and a bird mask hat. They are holding a broom.

I loved that the negative was still sensitive to light after a peel, and it would solarize if it didn't go into fixer right away. I did not love the prints - they were hot garbage - and the iffy quality control. Clips that fell off, too much chemistry in the pods that would gum up the rollers.

In 2016 I had high hopes for New55, a recreation (of sorts) of Polaroid Type 55. Even taught a workshop on using it. That‘s gone.

In ‘15 or ‘16 my local lab shut down their E6 line so I started shooting less slide film and more B/W.

More from the MLK Day rally in front of Immigration Court and ICE office, on the day we learned that another person has died in custody in Texas.

Man speaking and gesturing in front of the Philadelphia ICE office. A sign in the background reads "ICE = GESTAPO."

Marchers, a couple with US flags, marching.

A person carrying a large Abolish ICE banner in a crowd of marchers.

The ICE office visitor's entrance.

MLK Day rally in front of Immigration Court and ICE office, on the day we learned that another person has died in custody in Texas.

Black and white photo of Dr. Pickles, a cat, at the door of the Book Trader, a used book store in Philadelphia.

Meet Dr. Abraham Horatio Pickles, employee of the Book Trader in Philly.

Picture of a Nikon camera wet from the rain.

There was a good turnout on a chilly, grey, rainy day.

Best chant of the march. Sadly, the Birds' season just ended. 🦅🙁

Still more from the ICE Out for Good rally in Philadelphia @indivisiblephl.bsky.social

The march ended in front of the Federal Detention Center, where a 46-year-old Cambodian immigrant being held was found unresponsive and died Friday.

More from the ICE Out for Good rally in Philadelphia @indivisiblephl.bsky.social

A woman holding a megaphone leads a chant; a sign behind her reads "ICE OUT FOR GOOD."

Photo of a hand holding a small sign, which is a portrait of Renee Good and text that reads "Justice for Renee Nicole Good."

A woman with a megaphone speaks to a crowd gathered on the City Hall apron across from Tom Paine Plaza.

A man holds a sign that reads "End ICE." In the background behind him another sign reads "The safest place to be should not be the Epstein files."

ICE Out for Good rally in Philadelphia @indivisiblephl.bsky.social

Black and white photo of two sweetgum tree spiky fruit balls.

Sweetgum tree fruits

Nikon N80, 60mm f/2.8 AF-D Micro-Nikkor + SB-27 flash

#filmphotography #believeinfilm #filmisnotdead 🎞️ #trix

Meanwhile Texas has moved east, between Siorigia and Glfekkns.

Black and white photo of a woman in white fur with white hair, a ghostly white face with black drippy eye makeup, and a black crown.

Black and white photo of a person dressed as a tall black goose.

Black and white photo of a man wearing a horse skull mask trying to drink through its jaws.

Black and white photo of a person wearing an abstractly painted white devilish mask.

Parade of Spirits 2025.

Nikon N80, 35mm f/2.0 AF-D

#filmphotography #believeinfilm #filmisnotdead 🎞️ #krampuslauf #krampus #philadelphia

Black and white photo of a metal can stuck to a brick wall filled with hundreds of incense sticks. Also visible is a door with the faded words "Flow Temp" and some Chinese characters on it.

Incense

Nikon F2, 28mm f/2.0 Nikkor-N•C, Eastman Double-X 5222

#filmisnotdead #believeinfilm #35mm #kodak_photo #filmphotography

An eight foot tall black duck, BeeBee, dressed as the Korean monster Yeongno.

A winter spirit with long grey hair, a garland, a blue shawl, carrying a wooden staff.

Winter spirit wearing white fur, a black spiky crown, and splattered black eye makeup.

Owl with horns, a bloody butcher apron, and a wooden staff.

Portraits from the 2025 Parade of Spirits, a neighborhood celebration of the winter solstice.

A large white and brown dog in a pink plaid coat appears unfazed by the chaos of the parade preparations.

A person dressed as psychopomp Gedreier Eckhart of Deitch folklore. A bearded man in corpse like makeup, wearing a green jacket, knickers, a green hat and red and black Krampus scarf.

A veiled woman wearing a deer skull with antlers and a string of lights marching in the parade.

A couple marching in the parade. The man wears a hat with garlands, a dark jacket, and a decorated shirt. The woman wears a lighted headdress, a red dress with gold trim, and an iridescent cape.

And even more photos from the 2025 Parade of Spirits, a neighborhood celebration of the winter solstice.