Shadow & Light Monthly #36

Shadow & Light is a list of curated photography stories, features, techniques, news and inspiration that I’ve come across this month.

In this month’s edition we visit a 1980s Brooklyn roller disco and look at Kodak’s brand new half frame camera. We discover the story behind the secret photographers of the Holocaust and look at Godox’s quirky new retro flashes.

So, with no further ado, I give you this month’s Shadow & Light Monthly. Go grab yourself a cuppa and enjoy this month’s selections below. Please let me know in the comments what you think.

Pick of the month – Joyful photos from 1980 at the Studio 54 of roller discos

If you’re a whippersnapper you may only know Roller Discos from Stranger Things but as a child of the 80s I actually spent quite a few evenings strapping on my roller boots at our local roller disco.

Granted, I don’t remember any of us looking quite as cool as the subjects in late Italian-American photographer Patrick D. Pagnano’s book ‘Empire Roller Disco’. You could argue that maybe Brooklyn, and its people, were just cooler than Derby in the 1980s but that would be pure speculation.

Captured during one night at the Empire Rollerdome, it’s fascinating to see Pagnano’s images especially given the recent resurgence in 80s culture driven by shows such as Stranger Things.

Throughout Empire Roller Disco, which is all shot in black-and-white and features a number of regulars across multiple pages, there’s a strong sense of vitality and moments of collective euphoria that speak to the spirit of the club.

“There are several regulars in this series, and I think seeing their obvious joy at being in a place they loved, with friends just immersed in the night having a great time, was really nice to see. And there are photos that really do emulate that. There’s some where they’re mid-stride, mid-dance move and loving every second of it, and it just speaks to the energy that was in the club that night.”

Jesse Pollock. Editor, Empire Roller Disco

Head over to Vice to read the full article and see more of Pagnano’s images from the book.

Additional reads

The story behind the secret photographers of the Holocaust

This month I came across a trailer for a new documentary From Where They Stood which explores the secret and unauthorised photographs that concentration camp prisoners clandestinely took during the Second World War.

The trailer shows how brave inmates would wrap the camera in newspaper and tuck it under their arm. The photographer would then stand near evil Nazi guards and shoot “with his body and not his eye.”

As you might expect the documentary contains some horrific content.

“These ghostly images depict nude women on the way to the gas chamber and, afterward, corpses left in the open air. Shot from a significant distance, apparently through holes in the gas chambers, these figures are small and not greatly defined, but no less devastating.”

Nicholas Rapold, The Times

You can watch the trailer below and find out more on the film’s website.

Kodak’s new half frame Film Camera

If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll remember I own a very quirky little Fujica half frame camera. One I managed to break in the process of trying to resolve a film jam.

Imagine my surprise when I read about a new half frame camera from Kodak!

The recent resurgence in film photography has seen a few exciting, plastic toy cameras hit the market. Kodak has now delighted the community with these stylish half frame cameras manufactured in collaboration with the Reto Project.

Although the words economical and film photography are kind of an oxymoron these days, half frame is arguably the most cost-effective format you will find. As Kodak puts it:

“Half the Frame, Double the Fun.”

For anyone unfamiliar, instead of a regular landscape aspect ratio of 24×36 mm negative, half frame give you a portrait orientation of 18×24 mm, even though you hold the camera in its regular horizontal position. This means that for a 36 exposure roll of film, you can expose 72 images. 

You can find out more by watching the video below.

And finally – Godox go retro with their new Lux flashes

While we’re on the subject of unexpected new versions of vintage camera equipment I was fascinated by these new releases from Godox this month.

I’m a huge fan of Godox products. My core lighting setup consists of a pair of Godox AD 300 Pros as well as a Godox V1 which I often use at events or together with the two AD 300s using an Xpro trigger.

Earlier this month they released the Lux Junior. A very retro-inspired little flash that, while clearly being a bit of a novelty, I couldn’t help but love a little bit due to its manual controls.

However, if the Lux Junior peaked my retro-living interest, the Lux Senior that they released a week or so later grabbed it with an airhorn. If the Junior gave a nod to the cameras of the past the Senior unashamedly gave them a big hug.

I’ve actually got a flash a little like this in amongst my old cameras. Just like this, the blades fold out to form the distinctive shape. I have no idea when my flash is from, the 60s I think but the idea of someone making something like that today is, of course, preposterous. Enter Godox!

I won’t lie, when I first saw this I let out a little squeal of delight. I’m really struggling to see who this particular little number is aimed at exactly but I love it all the same.

Take a look at this lovely little retro wonder below.

Until next time…

I hope you enjoy the articles above. Don’t forget you can follow my Shadow & Light magazine over on Flipboard if you’d like to see more of what I’m reading if you like what you’ve seen here.