Mostly FIlm Archives

Posted on June 28, 2025January 5, 2025 by Clay Duda Posted in Fish Stories, Mostly Alaska, Mostly FIlm

One Roll of Film Shot During a Summer Fishing in Homer, Alaska

The first frame on a roll of Tri-X 400 film shot during the summer of 2021 in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{The first frame on a roll of Tri-X 400 film shot during the summer of 2021 in Homer, Alaska.}

I’ve been working on charter fishing boats in Homer, Alaska since the summer of 2017. I started out deck handing on a six-passenger boat, and I liked it so much I stuck with it and eventually got my captain’s license and started running boats myself.

Summer days are long and summer season is short here in Alaska. And when you’re working a fishing boat, there’s not many down days. It’s easy to get caught of in the minutiae of things when most weeks I’m working every. single. day. That’s right, seven days a week when the fishing is good, roughly late-May through mid-September.

Every year I tell myself I’m going to take more photos, but most years I get caught up in the daily grind and the artsy stuff falls by the wayside. However, the past couple of years I’ve kept a cheap point-and-shoot camera onboard and managed to snap a few photos here and there.

One of my favorite film photography exhibitions is this roll of Tri-X 400 I shot during the summer of 2021. It was kind of dumb luck that this single roll — the only roll of film I shot at all that summer — did such a great job capturing my life on the water that year. A lot is left out, of course, but these 33 frames definitely tell a story.

Sittin' on the dock of the bay... Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Sittin’ on the dock of the bay… Kachemak Bay, Alaska.}

Capt. Drewbert and his son hanging out at Alice's Champagne Palace in Homer on a rare off day. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Capt. Drewbert and his son hanging out at Alice’s Champagne Palace in Homer on a rare off day.}

My neighborhood in Homer. A view of Beluga Lake and the mountains across Kachemak Bay. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{My neighborhood in Homer. A view of Beluga Lake and the mountains across Kachemak Bay.}

Windowsill plants and a Toyota Tacoma in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Windowsill plants and a Toyota Tacoma in Homer, Alaska.}

Capt. Jordan cutting bait on the Diamond Cape. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Capt. Jordan cutting bait on the Diamond Cape.}

Capt. Faithany fishing on the D.C. in Homer, AK. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Capt. Faithany fishing on the D.C.}

Choppy waters on Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Choppy waters on Kachemak Bay.}

Deckhand "Kevin" on the Diamond Cape charter fishing boat out of Homer, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Deckhand “Kevin” on the Diamond Cape charter fishing boat out of Homer.}

A family and their fish aboard the Diamond Cape in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{A family and their fish aboard the Diamond Cape in Homer.}

The Tustumena ferry coming into the Homer Harbor. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{The Tustumena ferry coming into the Homer Harbor.}

The Grand Aleutian outside of Homer. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{The Grand Aleutian leaving the Homer Harbor.}

Summer sky off the Homer Spit. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Summer sky off the Homer Spit.}

The West Cape charter fishing out of Homer, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{The West Cape charter fishing out of Homer, Alaska.}

Another day at the office on the Diamond Cape. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Another day at the office on the Diamond Cape.}

Valley of the Moose near Nanwalek, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Valley of the Moose.}

A deck load of fish on the Diamond Cape, a charter fishing boat with Homer Ocean Charters. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{A deck load of fish on the Diamond Cape, a charter fishing boat with Homer Ocean Charters.}

Flapjacks the seagull made a nest on the fuel dock in the Homer boat harbor. She had 3 chicks. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Flapjacks the seagull made a nest on the fuel dock in the Homer boat harbor. She had 3 chicks.}

The Bay Explorer catching halibut in Cook Inlet. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{The Bay Explorer catching halibut in Cook Inlet.}

My nephew TJ visited from Georgia. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{My nephew TJ visited from Georgia.}

George of Buttwhackers fame with his weapon of choice. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{George of Buttwhackers fame with his weapon of choice.}

Deckhands and captains hanging out at the Buttwhackers Fillet Company in Homer after a long day of fishing. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Deckhands and captains hanging out at the Buttwhackers Fillet Company in Homer after a long day of fishing.}

My wife and her mom in Homer. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{My wife and her mom in Homer.}

Deckhand "Kevin" whacking and stacking on the deck of the Diamond Cape. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Deckhand “Kevin” whacking and stacking on the deck of the Diamond Cape.}

Readying fishing gear on the Diamond Cape. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Readying fishing gear on the Diamond Cape.}

Dogfish Bay in lower Cook Inlet. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Dogfish Bay in lower Cook Inlet.}

Sea lions in China Poot Bay. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Sea lions in China Poot Bay.}

Party boat in China Poot Bay snagging red salmon during July 2021. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Party boat in China Poot Bay snagging red salmon during July 2021.}

Dipnetting red salmon in China Poot near Homer, Alaska. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{Dipnetting red salmon in China Poot near Homer, Alaska.}

The view from China Poot. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{The view from China Poot.}

That time Capt. Ben caught a salmon shark in the Chugach Islands. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{That time Capt. Ben caught a salmon shark in the Chugach Islands.}

My anchor buoy, vandalized. Photo by Clay Duda. — ^{My anchor buoy, vandalized.}

Posted on March 9, 2025March 9, 2025 by Clay Duda Posted in Just For Fun, Mostly FIlm

Wine Parties, Weddings, Beach Vacations, and More from the Long Lost Film Archives of Strangers

The feet of an unknown photographer sitting poolside. Photo from an undeveloped roll of film found in an Olympus Stylus Zoom I bought on eBay in 2024. Photo by Anonymous. — _{The feet of an unknown photographer sitting poolside. Photo from an undeveloped roll of film found in an old film camera I bought on eBay in 2024. Photographer unknown.}

I think I learned it from my Mom — I have a hard time passing up a good deal. For me that’s especially true when it comes to cheap vintage film cameras. Sometimes I fix them up and take photos, other times I just test them out and sell them on eBay to fund my film photography habit. Every once and a while one of the old cameras I buy will have a roll of undeveloped film still sitting inside, forgotten from a time long ago.

Over the past couple years I’ve taken these abandoned rolls of film and done pretty much what the original owners did. I tossed them in a drawer and forgot about them.

Until now.

A few weeks ago I came across @anthonys_lost_film on Instagram, a place where this random internet stranger develops and shares found rolls of film just like the ones I had sitting in a drawer collecting dust. And I thought it was a pretty cool idea. Anthony’s work inspired me to develop my own rolls of found film, and these are the results.

Posted on May 2, 2024May 2, 2024 by Clay Duda Posted in Home Sweet Homer, Mostly Alaska, Mostly FIlm

First Friday: ‘At Road’s End’ Photographs at Homer Council on the Arts, May 2024

Photos on display as part of 'At Road's End: Analog Photography by Clay Duda' exhibit in the Homer Council on the Arts gallery in Homer, Alaska. May 2024. — ^{Photos on display as part of ‘At Road’s End: Analog Photography by Clay Duda’ exhibit in the Homer Council on the Arts gallery in Homer, Alaska. May 2024.}

I’m pretty blown away to announce that my first solo gallery show opens this week at Homer Council on the Arts in Homer, Alaska. ‘At Road’s End: Analog Photography by Clay Duda‘ will hang in the HCOA gallery for the month of May, and in the main hall at South Peninsula Hospital for June and July 2024.

The First Friday opening reception is tomorrow, May 3 from 5-7pm at Homer Council on the Arts, 355 W. Pioneer Ave. in Homer. If you’re in town and interested in that sort of thing, please stop by and say hi.

Posted on March 12, 2024March 13, 2024 by Clay Duda Posted in Home Sweet Homer, Mostly Alaska, Mostly FIlm

That Time I Scanned Some Slides from the Thrift Store and Unearthed Historic Photos of the Kilcher Family

Siblings Bennet and Kathy Smith stand in front of Portage Glacier in this undated photo. — ^{Siblings Bennet and Kathy Smith stand in front of Portage Glacier in this photo dated May 1985. Photograph from the Kilcher Homestead Trust Archives.}

In the summer of 2023 I was cruising the aisles of the local Salvation Army thrift store in Homer, Alaska and came across some old slide projector carousels and a Crown Royal bag sitting on the shelf. I peaked in the purple bag and pulled out a couple dozen old slides with pictures of family, mountains, glaciers, and other Alaska stuff.

“Pretty neat,” I thought to myself, “maybe I’ll scan these and see what’s on them.”

I paid $1 for the bag and tossed it in my truck. Little did I known the histories and memories it contained.

Posted on March 1, 2024March 13, 2024 by Clay Duda Posted in Mostly FIlm

The Best Silverfast Settings for Scanning Harman Phoenix 200 ‘Experimental’ Film

^{What is the best Silverfast profile for scanning Harman Phoenix 200 film? Photo by Clay Duda on Phoenix 200.}

Like pretty much everybody else in the analog world, I was pretty stoked to hear about the release of a new color film stock by Harman Technologies. It’s not every day (or even every decade?) that a new 35mm film stock is developed from scratch and released into the wild during the age-of-digital-everything. Even though I mostly shoot black-and-white, I coughed up $35.97 to buy three rolls of the new Phoenix 200 “experimental” film from the Film Photography Project store in early December 2023.

Clay Duda

Words, Photos, and Fishing in Alaska

Category: Mostly FIlm

One Roll of Film Shot During a Summer Fishing in Homer, Alaska

Wine Parties, Weddings, Beach Vacations, and More from the Long Lost Film Archives of Strangers

First Friday: ‘At Road’s End’ Photographs at Homer Council on the Arts, May 2024

That Time I Scanned Some Slides from the Thrift Store and Unearthed Historic Photos of the Kilcher Family

The Best Silverfast Settings for Scanning Harman Phoenix 200 ‘Experimental’ Film