In the 2000s, digital cameras made their appearance and we tend to believe that this marked the end of film photography. But that’s not entirely true: the film photography is back in vogue and back in the spotlight. Maybe it’s for the nostalgic side for the older generation, or the retro side for the younger ones. Whatever the case, it’s easy to find publications of film photos on social networks. One thing’s for sure: with digital photography, it’s hard to reproduce a single image taken with a film camera. There are lightroom presets or fujilm film simulations, but nothing can completely reproduce it. Convinced and fascinated by a photo you’ve seen by chance, you too may want to get started, but you don’t know where to begin. But you don’t know where to start.

You know what? I’ve got the solution for you ArgentiK Factory, a service launched by two enthusiasts including myself, offering film photography discovery workshops. We can lend you cameras if you don’t already have one, and then set off on a one-day adventure together to discover this magnificent universe. In the morning, you’ll be accompanied by two experienced photographers eager to share their knowledge, and in the afternoon we’ll lock ourselves in a darkroom to develop the photos. A unique moment of sharing, you’ll learn how to develop your photos, from shooting, to the darkroom, to digitizing, and even enlarging your favorite photo. The price of the workshop is 2850 sek per person, but we’re currently launching a special introductory offer at 1500 sek, so it’s well worth it.

If you’re eager to learn and want to be able to do your own developing afterwards, don’t hesitate to take part in one of our workshops. We also offer a 24-hour processing service, so you can bring your film with you or send it to us by post.

The use of the lock option in cameras is very practical. I can think of at least two uses for it. Make a first filter during the photo session by adding a lock to our favorite photos. The second use is to make sure you can’t delete the photo if you make a mistake. However, Lightroom doesn’t offer a way of finding locked photos.

The DamLock solution is a lightroom plugin that does just that. This is the first version and a new one is already under development. New features and enhancements will be added. For the moment, it’s a very simple application, DamLock will search for all locked photos and add a purple color label.

DamLock isn’t free, it’s to support the work done and the future development. Nevertheless, it’s very inexpensive, and you can get it for the measly sum of 2 dollars, not enough to burn a hole in your wallet. You can buy it here, and for it’s launch you can have a 50% discount, which becomes a symbolic $1. To have the discount use the code DAMLOCK42, in reference to the universal response.

To install the plugin, in Lightroom Classic, go to File -> Plug-in Manager:

• Click Add at the bottom of the left hand list.
• Navigate to and select the damlock.lrplugin directory and click Add Plug-in.

Once the plugin is installed, select the photos you wish to run it on and then go to Library > Plug-In Extras > Find locked menu. Then let the magic happen, in principle you should see a purple label on the locked files.

In the next version, it will be possible to choose the label’s color, add a keyword, display message if no locked photos found, add an attribute and finally improve performance. An option will also be added to execute the plugin on the open collection.

In conclusion, a little plugin in active development that happens to be very practical. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any ideas for improvements.

As a sports photographer, I’m often called upon to travel. One of the most beautiful places in the world is certainly Norway. In the last 4 weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to visit this country 3 times, and each time it’s been a unique experience with breathtaking scenery. The west coast is simply magnificent, I don’t have the words to describe the beauty of the landscapes and all the fjords.

The last place I visited was Sandnes, a small town in the southwest of the country. The first good point is that Stavanger airport is very small, so there’s no stress. When you leave the airport, you’re immediately at the rental car counter, and on the day of departure there’s no long wait for the security check. I was already impressed on the plane by the mountainous landscapes, sometimes with long white sheets of eternal snow and long stretches of water crossing the peaks. All I wanted was to be able to take a small private plane or helicopter and tour the region with my camera, taking pictures from the air. Drones are great, but sometimes it’s better to have a big sensor and interchangeable lenses.
I wasn’t lucky enough to be able to do that, but I did have the opportunity to go on a unique hike with two great colleagues. I’m not going to lie to you, I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the end, or even that I was going to die. I’d been told it was a very easy trail and a quiet walk, and to say the least, it wasn’t exactly the case. The first problem was that I had a heavy rucksack with my gear, the second was that thinking it was an easy trail I didn’t have hiking boots and was wearing dress pants, and the third was that I hadn’t trained in a while, all of which made itself felt during the climb. But it was really worth it, it was a dream to be at the top and I don’t regret it at all. The path was very steep, a lot of it rocky, so you had to be very careful, and there were places where you’d better not fall if you didn’t want to leave to meet the angels and dance in paradise. Once at the top, I was breathless, the scenery was simply amazing. First we had a more or less clear sky, then clouds, which gave it a dramatic feel, it was just great. Then rainbows pointed their noses and came to meet us. I think that at that moment the 3 of us were overwhelmed by this spectacle and this timeless moment and we didn’t want to leave anymore. I would have liked to have a tent, I would have liked us to sleep there, to be able to fall asleep lulled by this view and wake up with this spectacle. Imagine starting your day with this kind of image in mind, for sure it is a boost of energy and motivation assured. The moment of the descent arrived, it was difficult and it causes a little moment of sadness. We were filled with emotion, we had stars in our eyes, we were excited by all the landscapes and we had filled up on dopamine (the hormone of happiness) with the effort of climbing, especially me, so the return in reality was difficult. The descent was nevertheless easier, on the other hand it requires constant concentration.  The rocky path and the fact that it was very steep could quickly lead to a fall. I also lacked attention for a second and it did not fail I kissed the ground, fortunately nothing serious, more fear than harm.  Funny little anecdote, out of 3 people, two of us fell and we fell at the same time, our colleague turned around and found us both on the ground.  Back down, I felt good, I was very tired but it was a good tiredness and I wanted to go for a hike again. 

There’s a company called radical storage that’s a luggage storage solution that’s looking for an overnight train tester. You can find out a bit more here[1], and I applied so fingers crossed. It would allow me to combine my three passions, writing, photography and travel. So do not hesitate to help me by sharing my article to as many people as possible. Which may allow me to stand out.

People often ask me what I like so much about photography, and well, it’s the possibility of writing stories, creating memories and immortalising moments in life. Meeting people, getting to know them and discovering their stories. Travel to unique places that make you dream. 

[1] https://travel.radicalstorage.com/night-train-tester/