Getting Abstract With The Olympia SM3

Black and White FilmPhoto SessionsStudio PhotographyFine Art Nude
Written By Alexis Kennedy

I’ve always been fascinated by machines. Specifically mechanical machines that are dedicated to doing one task perfectly. This fascination is part of the reason why I got into photography in the first place. I really like learning how to use the all mechanical tools associated with the craft and tying my best to get the maximum potential out of them. My favorite cameras including the Hasselblad 500c/m used in this image, my Minolta SRT-101, and my Mamiy C330 TLR are all purely mechanical devices designed around the purpose of just making still images.

Nude model posed with an Olympia SM3 Typewriter using black and white film.

I love typewriters for the same reasons. In fact I collect typewriters. A typewriter does one thing and one thing only. It prints letters on a page quickly and efficiently. That’s it. No electricity. No apps. No ability to save a file or correct my own mistakes. Just a direct linkage between my finger and the mechanics of the machine that will print letters on a piece of paper.

So given all of that it should be no surprise that every so often I’ll pull out one of my typewriters during a photo session. I’ve always found the Olympia SM3 to be a particularly beautiful machine with human like lines and curves and I feel like it made a nice addition to a rather abstract image of a human body.

Camera: Hasselblad 500c/m with 80mm f/2.8

Film: Ilford HP5 in medium format. Developed with Rodinal.

I support my photography in part with fine art print sales. All prints are limited edition and printed using traditional darkroom techniques on fiber based silver gelatin paper. If you like my work, consider supporting the arts and buying print via my Saatchi Store.

Alexis Kennedy

My name is Alexis Kennedy, welcome to my site! I have a passion for making images wherever and whenever I can. I seek to capture humanity and the world around me with a focus on the figure. Film, digital, pinhole, and instant photography are all fair game for me.


I grew up in the California Bay Area and started taking photography seriously in High School. I was one of the lucky few who had a chance to go to a high school with a working darkroom and a teacher who understood that making images was an art form – care and patience was a necessity in the image making process from start to finish.


Later in life I attended the University of California in Santa Cruz where I received a Bachelors Degree in the History of Art and Visual Culture. After having my fill of the California sunshine I packed up my life and moved to the Pacific Northwest. I quickly found the overcast skies, lush forests, cooler temperatures, and creative communities to be a perfect match for my work.


Over the years I have exhibited my photographs in several galleries and art shows including the Seattle Erotic Arts Festival and Cascade AIDS Project. I’ve published a few books and taught workshops up and down the west coast of the United States. Through this site I’m hoping to share my work and perhaps inspire others along the way.

http://www.alexiskennedyphotography.com
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Downtown Los Angeles With A Holga Plastic Camera