Building a photography community in Hong Kong, featuring Anson (Tahusa)

Max Adams on shooting for work and shooting for fun

Last week I had Max Adams on the Photography Community Camera Clara livestream/podcast. He runs a YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@maxadams69] with almost 80,000 subscribers (as April 2026, important to say, because it’s growing fast!). Max is known professionally for doing restaurants/food and real estate photography, and on his own time he’s a film photographer like us. We showed up wearing the same hat. We talked for over an hour and covered a lot of ground. Find the full episode in this post’s header. Below, some highlights worth reading even if you watch the whole thing, especially if you are curious to learn if food photographers eat the dishes after photographing (sorry for the clickbait, I have to do it to survive 😂). Shooting for a living Max photographs food on location with one light during operating hours. Cheese goes cold, meat loses its shine, soups stop steaming. He shoots fast. Every time, someone asks who’s eating all the food. “I am,” he says, staring at 15 dishes. I asked if clients request artistic direction. His method: say “I got it” and ignore it. Sensors, shutters, and fake blur He rented the Sony A9 III and showed why global shutters matter. A drone propeller at 1/8000s looks banana-shaped on a regular sensor. On the A9 III, perfectly straight. Every pixel reads at the same instant. The fake depth of field debate came up. Software blur still can’t handle hair, glasses, or the gradual falloff from sharp to blurry. A decade of “it’s just a matter of time.” We’re still waiting. Film, cameras, and strong opinions I shared my Japan mistake: 20 rolls of CineStill 800T, shot temples and snow in Sapporo. Cold and flat. There’s a meme: “If NASA used CineStill 800T,” and there’s a gas station on the moon. Because that’s what we do. Max said, “Can I say something controversial?” and dropped: “I’m not a fan of halation.” Bold move. Let’s all now altogether cancel him on the Internet. 😅 Near the end he casually pulled out a Leica IIIC from 1941. Delivered to the Luftwaffe. 85 years old. It works. We want to do more of these. Go subscribe to Max Adams on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@maxadams]. Almost 80K subscribers and he still responds to everyone. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ Camera Clara is a film photography newsletter. If you're reading this and haven't subscribed yet, you can do that here [https://www.cameraclara.com/subscribe]. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ Get full access to Camera Clara at www.cameraclara.com/subscribe [https://www.cameraclara.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Developing film in traffic, in the woods, on a UHAUL! Meet Kat and Everett, the creative minds behind FridgeFilm

Kat and Everett from FridgeFilm [https://fridgefilm.com/] joined the Camera Clara live stream last week, and it was one of the most fun episodes we’ve done. If you don’t know them yet: they’re two LA-based film photographers who develop film in the most chaotic places imaginable [https://www.instagram.com/p/DPuOTzEEq-I/], film the whole process, edit it with great energy, and post it on YouTube. Think about Spider Man asking for 50 bucks (lmao), a Scientology security guard showing up and challenging them in their matching blue jumpsuits while trying to evangelize the church, chemicals flying inside a UHAUL at 7am (LMAO), red wine as a film developer, camo faces paint in the woods, a bucket melting onto someone’s arm in LA traffic, and much more fun! The content is awesome in the best way, and the technique is actually solid. We talked about temperature tolerance in C-41 (more forgiving than most people think), what happens when developer gets exhausted, and what it actually feels like to invert blix and dev by mistake (I’ve been there). They also dropped some news: a FridgeFilm original film stock is coming soon, with pre-orders opening shortly. Name and box design are still under wraps. Watch their videos on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@fridgefilm] and follow them on Instagram at @fridge.film [https://instagram.com/fridge.film]. I’m already planning a New York collab with rowboats on the Central Park lake. They’re in. YOU don't wanna miss this episode, I guarantee you will have a good time watching it! Get full access to Camera Clara at www.cameraclara.com/subscribe [https://www.cameraclara.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Video tutorial: How to un-delete photos from your SD card

I spent the afternoon on the Staten Island ferry with a full battery and high hopes. The light was perfect coming off the water, Manhattan doing its thing in the background, and I kept shooting. Felt like one of those rare sessions where everything lines up. Got home, pulled the SD card, plugged it in. Nothing. Completely empty. No error message, no corrupted files, just blank. I still have no idea what happened, and at this point I’ve accepted I never will. I think it was my storage USB that corrupted the SD card filesytem or so. I also had the Mamiya 7ii with me for medium format shots. Those rolls are safe, sitting on my bathroom drying from development. I’ll post the results once they’re scanned and converted. Before starting the recovery process, I turned the camera on and recorded this tutorial, because you might need it one day. If you would like any help with this, please consider being a paid subscriber to Camera Clara, and I would be more than happy to help you out. Rescued photos All taken with the Leica M10-R and a 50mm f/1.4 Summilux. Imagine losing these… Get full access to Camera Clara at www.cameraclara.com/subscribe [https://www.cameraclara.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The Ricoh GR IV HDF, reviewed by an experienced street photographer

Note 1: this is a video-article. Make sure to click on the video to play the full thing (I know, Substack is confusing sometimes). Note 2: This is not a traditional review in the sense we will fully cover tech specs. That’s not what CameraClara is for (go to PetaPixel or DPReview for that, they do a better job). Of course we will talk about specs here and there, but our conversation is focused on bringing the perspective from what an experienced street photographer thinks about Ricoh’s new street-photography camera. Juno Morrow is a NYC street photographer known for her bold color work. Follow her at instagram.com/juno.morrow [http://instagram.com/juno.morrow]. We sat down for a live stream to talk about her first weeks with the Ricoh GR IV HDF. Juno has been shooting street in New York for decades, mainly with a Nikon ZF. The GR IV is a big departure. Here is what she thinks so far. Camera Clara is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. What’s the HDF thing? HDF stands for High Definition Filter. It’s a built-in diffusion filter on the lens that softens the image with a slight glow, similar to what you’d get with a physical filter in front of the lens. Ricoh sells it as a creative option for a more cinematic or film-like look. The HDF version costs $100 more than the standard GR IV. The effect is more intense than Juno expected. The standard lens already has some diffusion built in, which she had only heard one other creator mention before buying. She has mostly kept HDF mode off and wonders whether she should have saved the $100 and bought the standard version. Still, it’s a nice option to have. Positive points of the Ricoh GR IV HDF The size is the main draw, and it delivers. Juno is an overpacker by her own admission, often carrying several cameras and heavy lenses. Having something this light and pocketable is a real relief. She looks like a tourist with it, which works well for street. People notice it, shrug, and move on quickly. The lens is impressive. Zone focusing is also easier than expected, with the deeper depth of field on APS-C making snap priority mode much more forgiving than on full frame. The menu is well designed for street photography. If you skip auto-area AF and lean on snap priority, shooting is fast and straightforward. Negative points of the Ricoh GR IV HDF Build quality is the main concern. The buttons feel loose, the battery compartment is flimsy, and after just a few days, crud is already getting stuck in the lens mechanism. For a camera at this price, it does not inspire confidence. The screen is bad. Low resolution, fixed, no tilt. Juno compared it to a screen from a 2008 DSLR, and the actual spec backs that up. High ISO is a weak spot. Colors and dynamic range fall apart before noise becomes obvious. It’s acceptable at 3200 but nothing to celebrate. She notes this is her first APS-C camera in 14 years, so her tolerance for sensor limitations may be lower than most. Metering is unusual. In night scenes, the camera meters for highlights and the results can come out very dark with no adjustments. Framing from low angles is harder than expected. The camera is light enough, but the lack of a real grip makes it tricky to control the angle precisely. What does she think? She went in knowing the trade-offs and so far the camera is doing what she needed it to do. Remember me to ask Juno again about the camera in six months. Watch it now! Get full access to Camera Clara at www.cameraclara.com/subscribe [https://www.cameraclara.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Building a photography community in Hong Kong, featuring Anson (Tahusa)

I had a fantastic conversation with Anson, the man behind Tahusa. This is the second time Camera Clara features Tahusa. This time, we are talking about what we have in common when building a film photography community around the world. Timestamps and topics As usual with our livestreaming videos here in Camera Clara, I split our conversations into different parts and included the corresponding timestamp, so you can see what we discussed and cherrypick the topic you’re most interested in. Wow! Breaking into topics → That alone is a good reason to subscribe to Camera Clara, isnt’it? I know your time is valuable, so I do my best to make these conversations accessible and easy to navigate. If you appreciate that kind of care, consider subscribing. It’s free, and it means a lot. 00:00 Introductions 02:05 Anson’s Journey in Photography 06:37 The Evolution of Film Photography in Hong Kong 11:40 The Growing Film Community 16:23 Fujifilm’s Impact on Film Photography 20:17 The Physicality of Film in Modern Content Creation 24:41 Interacting with Fellow Film Photographers 28:02 The Humbling Nature of Film Photography 31:40 The Art of Printing: A Unique Experience 37:07 Digital vs. Film: The Value of Uniqueness 42:58 Community and Collaboration in Photography 48:08 The Dynamics of Photo Walks: Learning and Sharing 52:27 Photography Etiquette in Public Spaces 54:43 The Art of Street Photography 57:38 Capturing Portraits and Urban Landscapes 01:00:35 The Influence of Equipment on Photography 01:03:36 The Unique Experience of Film Photography 01:07:48 Building Community Through Film Photography 01:12:40 Reflections on the Conversation and Future Plans If you wish to read Tahusa’s previous interview here at camera clara, check the content down below: I hope you enjoy all that! And if you want to be in a future live streaming, get in touch, let's talk, I am interested on what you have to say! Check more about Tahusa and Anson at his website [https://tahusa.co/]. Get full access to Camera Clara at www.cameraclara.com/subscribe [https://www.cameraclara.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]