Smotzer's Photography

Smotzer

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Well I wanted to start a thread for me to post my photography.

Little bit of background: I was on a direct career path to being a photographer as a career and degree and that got side tracked due to active addiction and then after I had gotten clean and sober after 2yrs I regrettably I stopped shooting for a few years but over the last two years I have gotten a body back in my hand, pick it up frequently, and I am investing time into it again.

I shot film and developed it myself for a while started in highschool and have shot film on and off throughout the years but its probably been 8yrs since I've developed anything in the darkroom. I absolutely love film and was even for a bit in the 2010's rented a 4x5 and shot color and B&W slides/negatives on that monstrous thing for a solid 6mo. Talk about composure!!

I shoot film side by side with digital now and I often if I go to shoot something will take almost duplicate shots with both film and digital. Im not really into mp, its not what makes a good image, I had paying photo gigs, featured work, and shot 10-12mp bodies and produced images that still hold up today. but enough about that, on to posting some photos ive taken in a bit.
 
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Smotzer

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These were the last self portraits I have taken and this was I believe December 2010 while I was working on my photo degree and completely lost to addiction. I was alone in this house I believe on Christmas break, a full blown addict, journaling because I had completely lost myself to addiction here at 18, but in reality years before at 14, and I wrote these few lines of poetry that I did a self portrait shoot based off of;

"My emotions mimic the rain, falling down one drop at a time, Washing me away, the colors run right out. What will I do? Im not ready to be black and white."

Falling Down One Drop At A Time- Self Portrait
10.2mp
ISO 100
f/5.3
1/5sec
Flash- did not fire

5272492917_db51dca294_o.jpg

Washing Me Away- Self Portrait
10.2mp
ISO 200
f/5.3
1/5sec
Flash: did not fire
5275683663_920c32e1be_o.jpg

Lost- Self Portrait

10.2mp
ISO- 200
f/5.3
1/5sec
Flash: did not fire
IMG_0327.JPG
 

Smotzer

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good to read you made it to recovery and survived your addiction
thank you!!! it was a journey!! it took me another 10-11mo from these pictures and almost dying of ODs/alcohol poisonings and suicide to be broken Enough to give up the fight. But on Oct. 16 2011 I had used it the night before, got kicked out ‘slept‘ on a church bench and found my way to an AA meeting the next day and have stayed in the rooms every since! it was a journey for sure! thanks for reading and commenting friend!!
 

kingshockey

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thank you!!! it was a journey!! it took me another 10-11mo from these pictures and almost dying of ODs/alcohol poisonings and suicide to be broken Enough to give up the fight. But on Oct. 16 2011 I had used it the night before, got kicked out ‘slept‘ on a church bench and found my way to an AA meeting the next day and have stayed in the rooms every since! it was a journey for sure! thanks for reading and commenting friend!!
i am hoping to make it 8 years clean this sept covid messed things up bad and going to n/a meetings but knowing i am an addict helps with keeping my t collection low in numbers:rofl:
 

Smotzer

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i am hoping to make it 8 years clean this sept covid messed things up bad and going to n/a meetings but knowing i am an addict helps with keeping my t collection low in numbers:rofl:
Conegats!! That is no small feat! proud of you! I did not know we shared that bond!! thanks for sharing that with me! and yes it surely does!! 😂😂😂
 

kingshockey

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Conegats!! That is no small feat! proud of you! I did not know we shared that bond!! thanks for sharing that with me! and yes it surely does!! 😂😂😂
thanks hoping we both do what we need t do to make it to our next clean date yours is soon to
 

Smotzer

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This is a ‘recent’ stack I did of a Cicada that was composed in camera

I believe the settings were built up of shots of
f/5.6
1/200sec
(At least this is what the final stack reads.
Canon Rebel T3i
Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro USM
C1AF750E-3BD8-4D94-9E1C-EC485FB754D8.jpeg
 

Smotzer

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Argia alberta Male Damselfly

Nikon D750
105mm f/2.8 micro
(I’ll post the exposure settings later, I forgot to export the metadata)
Natural light (no flash)
Single shot.
AF7B9C03-6ED4-4C97-8134-4B97065E45E3.jpeg
 

RoachCoach

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My grandmother shot B/W in the 60's. She even shot Biden in the 70's. She is 91 and still to this day has talked to me about B/W photography for like 200+ hours. If you like it, then stick with it. You will probably do it till the day you die. I'm probably the last person that should be telling you anything about photography though. My brother got the photographer's eye and I got alcoholism/depression and tarantula fever. I dig your shots dude. Most people don't understand what it takes to shoot good stuff. I for one, look forward to your progress and admire your recovery. When (not if) you land that gig with Nat Geo or Life don't forget to credit the weirdos here.
 

Smotzer

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Some photos from a parks in my hometown in NJ.


Nikon D750
Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro
ISO 100
f/2.8
1/250sec
Flash: did not fire

Spring bud AB.jpg

Spring Leaves on Acer Dreams
Bit Depth and Focus Stack
Nikon D750
Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro
sugar maple leaves_-2.jpg

Swamp
Bit Depth and Focus Stack
Nikon D750
Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro
swamp 2 AB.jpg


Sylvatica grandifolia
Nikon D750
Nikon 105mm f/2.8 micro
ISO 200
f/7.1
1/200sec
Fagus 2 AB.jpg
 

Smotzer

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"Swamp" is amazing!
Thank you very much!!! I was alot of fun to shoot and to compose!! The full uncompressed image is far better than this!! I compress down to usually 10-12mp to upload on AB! So that’s less than to half resolution for this image!! I’m going to be posting the full res on Flickr later on today I think!
 

Smotzer

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Prowl - Neoholothel incei (1.5in DLS)

ISO 100
f/11
1/125sec
Flash: Fired Manual
-14mm
-1/10p


Neoholothele dramatic portrait 2-3.jpg
 

Smotzer

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Very creepy The Last of Us vibes
It was an abandoned motel that was on the edge of town it was the last remaining remnant of a little local mom and pop “strip mall” also with a petting zoo at one point, little by little everything closed down and was bulldozed, the last remaining building was this motel and before it was bulldozed I went it and got a few photos!
 

Smotzer

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Photos from my walkabout this morning at my local park! It was mostly an Odonata day how it worked out with what was willing to grace me with a moment of their time for prosperity. Haven’t ID all the Odonata yet, but I’ll post them later on. The spider is Argiope aurantia.


32B16CB9-4A85-45F7-8047-A2816454C051.jpeg
6ADF393F-72A0-48A6-BE50-7ECBCD55CDC5.jpeg 6428651B-896E-4A35-8BE4-7C5896D2F3D9.jpeg AA055252-2D09-4C95-91B7-2E07E9BE02C1.jpeg A53AAE9D-A691-490B-8D13-EE9DA308081B.jpeg 1A20E1AF-797E-4108-B646-C975F6FD29FE.jpeg
 

Dorifto

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Photos from my walkabout this morning at my local park! It was mostly an Odonata day how it worked out with what was willing to grace me with a moment of their time for prosperity. Haven’t ID all the Odonata yet, but I’ll post them later on. The spider is Argiope aurantia.


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Great photos!!! And glad to hear that you have overcome that adiction!
 

Smotzer

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Great photos!!! And glad to hear that you have overcome that adiction!
Thanks friend!!! And thanks I appreciate that, no beating it but I’m living a better life everyday in this daily reprieve, I have the rooms and the people in them to thank for what has been so freely given to me!
 
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