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John B. | Photographer

@machineandflower

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Documenting beauty. Appreciating aesthetics. Sharing light. On 120 film and digital. Husband. Girl Dad. Writer.
Orlando, Florida.
@rainekbrandon 💍

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Photos from last month's trip to the mountains of North Carolina to celebrate a homie who is getting married later this month.
Shoutout to @markiszarate and @ohhroudebush.

As a certified city boy, I can't lie, I was slightly nervous taking my WiFi, air conditioning, and concrete loving self out into where the wild things are but I have to say I think this trip did something for me. No, there was no miraculous change from city boy to tree hugger, but there is something undeniably captivating about seeing the sun rise while on the top of a mountain- high up enough to almost make your eyes think the clouds you see below are pools of water... That being said, my head stayed on a swivel for bears or rattlesnakes (or any other animal that i prefer to see on Google images rather than in person).

It wasn't a long trip but it was long enough to make memories and remind me that the world is so much bigger than the corporation I work for, the places I frequent, and the small amount of knowledge I know. Mankind has done a lot of damage to this planet, but the world God made is still overwhelmingly beautiful. taken in Pigsah National Forest by @machineandflower

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7 days ago

On a weeknight after work. Contemplating taking off tomorrow but also grateful for the free time I do have.
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I have never been the biggest fan of black and white imagery, but i am the type of creative who also enjoys challenging my own biases in the creative boxes I choose to exist in.
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Posting to Instagram at night feels like there is less pressure to care about how to present it. Less eyes (ironic right?). Less overthinking.
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Self-Portraits taken on the Mamiya RB67 on Ilford Delta 3200. taken in Orlando, Florida by @machineandflower

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2 months ago

Shots from last month's trip to Jacksonville, Florida. taken in Jacksonville, Florida by @machineandflower

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3 months ago

I don't know who is sinning but this Florida heat feels like Biblical punishment. It feels like the sun is giving Florida its full undivided attention. I go outside and can immediately sympathize with a baked potato. 😩 Hot breath and sheol...
Anyways, these are some random photos my 1970's era camera has seen recently.

1.) The camera in question plus a flower stolen from Raine's bouquet.
2.) A self portrait double exposure when I was overthinking.
3.) A little shop on East Colonial that always catches my attention.
4.) First person who can guess where this stop sign is wins a prize.
5.) Somebody's property. I am not sure why I was drawn to this composition, but I take the photo then contemplate it later.
6.) Candles in the shapes of fruits and vegetables that my daughter keeps trying to take.
7.) Another angle.
8.) It was over a hundred degrees when I took this photo. I know that grass was sizzling.
9.) Another double exposure. taken in Orlando, Florida by @machineandflower

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4 months ago

Flowers, old technology, and love.
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I don't feel like typing anything more than that.
Have a great Saturday.
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Also, it's my birthday tomorrow. The past few years, I have felt no excitement for it but this year I am intentionally changing that. I get the privilege to say i made it another year on this crazy planet by God's grace.
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All photos on medium format film.
#mamiyaRb67 taken in Orlando, Florida by @machineandflower

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4 months ago

Some proof of life in black & white:

1.) A cafecito sans the espumita (but maybe a lil honey) is a love language.
2.) Have you ever clocked out of work but because of responsibilities or one energetic little girl, found yourself still wearing work clothes at 9pm?
3.) Babygirl found this in the backyard. I liked it. I kept it.
4.) Milk after dinner.
5.) This dad mainly creates at night.
6.) Movement.
7.) Midday light in her room.
8.) A horse, obviously 🐎
9.) Sometimes my vision is shaky, but there is a book with words that reaffirm the foundation my soul clings to.
10.) A building in downtown Orlando that always catches my attention and I don't know why.
11.) When procrastinating turns into a self reflection opportunity, sometimes I take it.
12.) Light & sound.
13.) Re-writing the every-other-day Life task list at a coffeeshop after a work day.
14.) Another building that catches my attention that I want to get access to the top of. Somebody get me in there 👀

All shots taken on a film camera 14 years older than me. Shoutout to grainy 3200 speed film.
#tmaxp3200 taken in Orlando, Florida by @machineandflower

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5 months ago

The scriptures say "Whom The Son sets free is free indeed" so don't mind me just being extra in my dining room. Just a black man with a camera, a space to create in, a chill sabbath day and way too much creativity and caffeine in his body. taken in Orlando, Florida by @machineandflower

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5 months ago

It's Earth day so here are some greens, some blues, some brown. There is a lot of chaos happening in the world right now but, despite that, I choose to take note of the pockets of beauty, the light, the little things, the promise of peace that can't be taken away...
All photos taken on 120 film (Kodak Ektar) on a camera I will most likely never get rid of, the Mamiya RB67. taken in Orlando, Florida by @machineandflower

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6 months ago

Ten years with this one. From Maryland to Florida. From highschool to careers. From friendship to beyond. Two houses, and an apartment. From being a kid to having one. There could be no ocean without the rain. There could be no me as I know it without the woman who helped me grow. I love you, Raine. Let's see how God, and the next ten years, transforms us and also solidifies who we are. taken in Florida, USA by @machineandflower

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7 months ago

I have this habit of not posting photos until months later. Let's not ruin that streak now then 😅. These photos are from the island both of my parents were raised on. The birthplace of Juneteenth. The place where my Grandma participated in sit-ins when segregation was still an arguable concept. Galveston, TX. The place i remember I first smelling saltwater and where one of my cousin's was the first black man I knew who surfed (or even could).
These photos were from around Thanksgiving 2025 and it was slightly surreal not being the kid just following his family around from one relatives house to another, but actually being able to just walk and explore with my own child behind me.
Galveston has some new buildings. It seemed a bit more gentrified than I remembered it, but the "new" can't eradicate the history. There's still a lot of warmth in the air. The food is still good. Family is still there. It's not my home but it also kind of...is. taken in Galveston, Texas by @machineandflower

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7 months ago

Thank God for slow mornings, a quiet mind, and la greca.
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Photos shot on the MamiyaRB67. One of my last rolls of FujiPro400h 🎞️
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#filmwave #blackwithfilm #shootfilmnotbullets taken in Orlando, Florida by @machineandflower

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8 months ago

Nineteen shots from a pit stop in New Orleans while on a roadtrip to Texas a few weeks ago.
I hadn't been back here since I was a kid, and I had been less than interested in the city ever since finding out my ancestors were once slaves not too far from there. On top of that it also seemed a lot more gentrified than I remembered. Despite the negative points, i shocked myself with how fascinated i was while walking the streets. The buildings looked like their bricks were made out of history, and the chicory coffee still hit. The amount of photos I took in only a few hours was egregious 😆
I found out recently that I will be back in New Orleans sooner than I could have planned. If you've been there, are from there, or simply have a lot of love for the city, give me recs on places i should visit when i return.
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Also- this has nothing to do with New Orleans- but have y'all heard the song "Autumn Leaves" by Frank Kole? I am not usually into instrument-only music but i haven't been able to get it out of my head. That's the track i was looking for to pair with this post. So imagine that as you swipe through the images AND LIKE THE POST. Thank you 🤝
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#neworleansstreets #takeyourcameraeverywhere #sonyalpha taken in New Orleans, Louisiana by @machineandflower

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10 months ago