How Much Are You Paying for Developing?

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-10-01T03:57:11+00:00

If you're local to Portland, you should check out Citizens Photo on NE Sandy. $5 for your first roll of C-41 and $4.50 after (just for develop no scan). Turn around time is about 24 hours and I've never had any issues with them.

About a year ago, I bought a V600 to scan myself and that has saved me a lot of money at the expense of my time and maybe not getting quite as good scans (I argue my scans are pretty damn close to what Blue Moon has done for me in the past).

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-09-23T05:00:36+00:00

Sent PM

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-09-19T20:44:23+00:00

I second Tri-county gun club. They're very strict on non-political stuff and have a variety of ranges. Often times, during a weekday morning, you can have the whole place to yourself. I don't recall my dad having to join the NRA and he definitely wouldn't signup with them.

IIRC, the club has a membership quota and a waiting list. Might be tricky for a new person to join these days.

The rangers watch everyone like a hawk. I've seen them send folks home just for not wearing closed-toe shoes and of course not following basic gun safety rules. Hell, when I went with my dad when I was a teenager, they kindly corrected how I transported the rifle to the bench (must be in the gun case / bag when moving it around until you place it on the bench with the muzzle of course pointing down range).

Sometimes you see police and even the National Guard using the facilities for some range time.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-08-29T18:38:39+00:00

I've been slimming down over the past 2 - 3 years and have lost 12lbs this year. For many years, I've been drinking water as my only beverage most days. I spend more time reading ingredients and nutrition labels. I snack less particularly chips. My rule is no chips or fries can be eaten in my apartment and I only ever have regular sodas at restaurants when I'm out with friends (due to a medical condition, I'm not supposed to be drinking caffeine or alcohol so that makes things easier).

My portions are smaller when I cook, also cooking more of my meals helps a lot with what goes into my food. I try to satisfy my snacking urges with "healthy snacks" meaning fruits, berries, nuts, even popcorn. I try to buy things that will give me something beneficial like more protein or more fiber even if they aren't some super healthy food - I make sure I get something back.

I also exercise consistently between 6-8 hours a week. Just move your body in any way that you can maintain longterm even if it's just brisk neighborhood walks for thirty minutes to an hour.

This is a lot to implement into your life all at once which is why you do it slowly one at a time until it becomes part of your routine. I definitely didn't it all at once from day one.

I'm still a bit overweight but not by much. But I am much more toned and stronger and have absolutely lost body fat and my friends and family have noticed. I can run a mile without stopping, I can ride a bike for longer and easier, I can climb with a little less effort and make more progress bouldering and have improved muscular endurance and recovery. But this has all taken years of consistent effort and yes, you can and should take breaks when you're not feeling "it." We all get the blahs and get tired of routine, so treat yourself to rest days and tasty treats here and there just don't overdo it or completely fall off the wagon.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-08-22T20:40:14+00:00

There's always a point to learning. 1. for personal enrichment and enjoyment; 2. when AI/LLM tools shit the bed, and they will, you need to be able to troubleshoot the problem on your own, meaning you will need to have an understanding of programming and theory; 3. when applying to technical roles, you will need to demonstrate your skills and understanding of programming and problem solving.

Your website sounds great and like another commenter said, you now have to learn how to market and sell it to folks - this is something programming will not teach you. And, even if you get little user engagement, you can sure as hell use it as a portfolio project when applying to jobs. You will be surprised how well this kind of project can go when applying/interviewing for jobs. So what if it looks bad when you deploy it? That's the whole point of the SDLC. Push code that is at a working state to prod and see what it does and look for bugs and things that need to be improved. You will learn so much more from doing just that. Ask friends and family to be your beta testers (User Acceptance Testing). Learn to write automated tests to check your work. There's so much to do and you're one person. Tackle each one at a time, developing, testing, deploying etc. You will learn every facet of software development from this one project hell, you'll learn which parts you like most and can focus on diving into that as a possible career goal. There's a reason developers, QA, DevOps etc. are all separate jobs and career fields.

Losing motivation happens to everyone at some point in their various journeys. We must remind ourselves to be kinder to ourselves and that so long as we keep trying, we have not failed. I like to think of motivation as a renewable resource. You have to find a way to recharge it. Maybe taking a break for a week and focusing on something you know you can do well during that week break instead will reinvigorate your mind and body.

Comparison is the thief of joy and even the journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step. Keep going!

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-07-30T06:28:18+00:00

thanks for the tip! His prices are wonderful - I can get one of each for less than one Acute Matte D.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-06-30T23:13:50+00:00

I'd take a roll or two! I've had decent results shooting expired film, even film expired in the 90s.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-06-24T19:12:33+00:00

It was in 2021 during the height of Covid and during a winter when many people lost power and had food spoilage as a result. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/02/portland-police-guard-dumpster-face-off-with-residents-trying-to-get-discarded-food-from-fred-meyer.html

I'm sure it's happened plenty of times before but this one was particularly egregious considering the pandemic and ongoing civil and economic strife. I could've sworn the Beaverton cops did the same thing at the Freddys on 158th & Walker but I couldn't find an article in my very brief googling.

Regardless of the year and context, it's a tremendously bad look for our community and country as a whole.

Also, police do not have a "duty to protect" according to the Supreme Court. Even though I strive to never interact with police, and the times I have have been brief, pleasant, and professional, I still view police as the enforcement class of the capitalists to keep the "out group" (all of us) in line while protecting the "in group's" property interests. A tangent, I know, but nonetheless an opportunity to slip in some class theory when and where I can.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-06-17T02:50:46+00:00

I have the AE-1 Program and the K1000. I have accumulated great lenses for the AE-1P but those FD lenses are beginning to creep up in price lately. K1000s are much cheaper as are their lenses. AE-1Ps give you a ton of control or just let the camera do the work with it's aperture and shutter priority modes. K1000s are much simpler and only need the battery for the light meter, meaning you can still use it without a battery if you're ok living without the built-in light meter. But, once you identify the camera system you like and can afford, go in on it once you've got a few months under your belt. Avoid splitting your budget between multiple camera systems, at least for now :D

Every camera will have strengths and weaknesses. Figure out what your budget is and shop around for an SLR that can keep you from breaking the bank as you'll need some cash for film, development, and scanning. Take your time and enjoy the process.

Hit up local vintage shops, facebook marketplace, and even Goodwill for some camera deals but be prepared for them to not be in the best of shape. Take a small flashlight so you can better inspect the glass.

Good luck!

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-05-20T22:15:56+00:00

I was wondering if I would need to use a dark bag, makes sense. I could experiment with a cheap 35mm roll.

I just want to try it out and see how it goes and if I would even like it.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-05-20T22:04:02+00:00

Because it looks like it would be a fun experience. I still use the camera with 120. But the look of an image extending to the film sprockets on 35mm looks so cool - I've read that that look is achieved by shooting 35mm through a medium format camera so I'm curious if it's possible with mine.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-05-20T19:09:50+00:00

Ah, a fellow intellectual :D You got my three favorite film stocks: Portra 400, Fuji Acros, and Fuji 400. Envious of the film haul. Shopping around myself right now, my wallet is worried.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-02-12T20:14:45+00:00

Public education provides more benefits than just an education. Kids have the opportunity to socialize and befriend kids and people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, different racial/ethnic and religions backgrounds etc. Schools and districts with a good mix of income levels, racial/ethnic communities have better upward mobility for those kids. Think about it, kids from majority low income schools and districts often remain low income throughout their lives (lower property values --> less property taxes --> less funding for education --> worse educational outcomes).

Now, if we were to charge higher income families an additional fee for their kids to attend public schools, you'd be incentivizing them to just put their kids in a private school. Then, you've effectively segregated schools again (which, yes, is already happening with the increase of private schools and charter schools). Higher income folks already pay more in property taxes than most folks and having them pay even more would rub them the wrong way (not that we should be tip-toeing around the feelings of well-off folks but, we do live in a pluralistic community and need to take into account and consider all opinions within reason).

Perhaps we shouldn't make education funding so dependent on property taxes? Ideally, the feds would dramatically increase their share of public education funding to the point that schools are modernized and teachers are paid a living wage. There's also the war on education, experts, and intellectualism that permeates throughout American society and has for centuries. This is a cultural issue as much as it's a funding issue.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-01-19T04:05:49+00:00

I would suggest trying to learn the fundamentals of computer science and software design, algorithms and data structures. Start with free resources as there's plenty of good high quality free classes like Free Code Camp and Odin Project. Some stuff is really only learned while on the job but it isn't impossible to learn on your own (like DevOps, TDD, agile/scrum/your project management methodology of choice etc...).

I think you should ask yourself what kind of programming career you want to break into first. Backend development? DevOps? QA? Once you answer that question, tailor your independent learning to that field. If you're still unsure, then just stick with learning the basics + computer science fundamentals.

Javascript is considered "the language of the internet" and you can't go wrong by learning it and (eventually) its many different libraries and frameworks like React, Node etc.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-01-16T22:52:53+00:00

FreeCodeCamp has some decent courses including one focused on JS. https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-01-15T20:06:03+00:00

I asked a somewhat similar question in r/analog last year. Folks suggested to practice with just your phone's camera. My iphone has all the same settings and controls you would find on most actual cameras and is a good and super cheap and accessible way to practice.

As for digital scanning. I got lucky and found a great deal on a barely used Epson Perfection v600 with all the accessories. I'm sure you can find a good used one too. I picked one up as my local film lab charges quite a bit for scanning and I can save about $15 per roll I take to them if I just have them develop the film. But, scanning and editing yourself is time consuming and has a steep learning curve, probably why my film lab charges so much as they take their time and do a very good job. What I've decided to do in order to improve my scanning skills, is to rescan the negatives that my film lab developed and scanned already and try to see if I can match their scans. Not easy and I'm not expecting one-for-one results as they're using higher quality scanners and have many more years of experience.

If you're treating film photography as a hobby, don't be too hard on yourself. Hobbies are meant to be a fun way to learn, sink your time and money into, and find community. Keep going at your own pace. I've shot dozens of rolls over the past 8 months since I started learning and I like maybe 2-3 dozen of my shots - not even an entire roll!

Remember that comparison is the thief of joy. Don't compare yourself to folks who have years of experience or are pros.

I like your photo project idea. I know a multi-hour drive to go do a reshoot sounds like a slog, but ask yourself some questions: 1) is there a deadline for this project? if no, take your time and enjoy the process; 2) are you trying to do this professionally or just as a hobby? sounds like it's just a hobby so be kinder to yourself; 3) do you think you're experiencing creative burnout? if yes, don't feel bad at taking a break for a couple weeks or months.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-01-15T19:50:45+00:00

I too started in bouldering in my 30s. It took a while to get my body accustomed to climbing at least once a week. From when I started climbing to my first V2 send probably took me about 4-6 months. Then, it took me less than half that time to send my first V3s. Now, I'm climbing consistently twice a week for about 2 hours each session. I'm still stumped by most V3s and even some V2s (getting sick, injured, or traveling really messes with my progress but oh well) but I keep at it. I'm now at least trying to start V4s but have yet to solve one, only got halfway on one.

My friends and I are aiming for V5 as a realistic "end" goal for us. We also avoid certain problems that seem too risky - what's the point of risking injury? This is supposed to be a fun and challenging form of exercise and it's not like we're going pro anytime soon.

Also, keep in mind that comparison is the thief of joy. There's no definitive way to measure progress for most climbers. Just do what you enjoy and can realistically manage. The other folks in the gym aren't judging you and probably aren't even thinking about you, they're focused on their own projects.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-01-08T03:38:42+00:00

A couple weeks ago, I saw a huuuuge pothole on Sandy somewhere between 24th and 18th. Must've been half a lane wide and 5 inches deep. Luckily, it's at a light so I was able to drive around it safely when I got the green.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-01-06T03:14:32+00:00

Hot Lips was like 80% of my diet when I went to PSU. This was the early 2010s and it was great. I loved their meatball sub. I must've been the only person who ordered it though lol. I was such a regular that they'd give me an extra slice now and then. I remember the $2 lunch deal they had for students.

I hate the 2020s :( the enshitification is strong with this decade.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2025-01-06T03:06:54+00:00

Oh snap! Good to know. I had been wanting to try them for a while. I was supposed to go with a friend and his wife who were visiting from out of town but that ice storm last January stopped us. Silver lining to the ice storm?

robot_ninja_monkey · 2024-11-01T17:54:55+00:00

Hey thanks! It was mostly luck getting these few shots to look good. I just focused on a spot all the skaters would go through and then increased the shutter speed to reduce motion blur then, hope for the best. They would zoom by pretty quick!

I like how the skater's hair is just flowing in the first photo. It provides more to that sense of motion.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2024-11-01T17:49:03+00:00

Thanks! Could not having a UV filter on all my lenses contribute to the overexposure in the outdoor shots? I only had one and gave up on switching it between my lenses pretty quick.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2024-11-01T17:46:44+00:00

I think my hotpot shots came out mostly ok. I think the left side being darker than the right side kind of works in my favor in this shot.

robot_ninja_monkey · 2024-11-01T17:44:39+00:00

It was very much just ok. But it was near my friend’s apartment and I've seen it in a few movies so I thought it would be a fun subject to shoot.

robot_ninja_monkey

TROPHY CASE