John W Sheldon
LightNews LightNews
banner
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
John W Sheldon
@johnwsheldon.bsky.social
490 followers 280 following 390 posts
Designer, Artist, etc.

Wear a mask in public.

He/Him/His, agender
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
John W Sheldon @johnwsheldon.bsky.social · Mar 25
Show off your style.
A graphic ink drawing of soldiers in a snowy wood. One in the foreground prepares to throw a grenade bundle, while one further back readies an RPG. A skeletal astronaut floats in the starry void, while deep sea life swim around her. An armored man with huge feathered wings wades through liquid. He brandishes a black-bladed sword while magic swirls around his other hand. A tank hidden behind a berm fires from cover, causing serious damage to a heavier tank rolling in the woods.
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Paw paw is extremely delicious.
September 20, 2026 at 11:41 PM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
hishgraphics.bsky.social
Happy 60th Anniversary, #StarTrek! I finished this not 20 minutes ago.

#StarTrekDay #Art #Watercolour #TrekTuesday #SaltVampires
Artwork of inks and watercols of Kirk, Spock and Uhura as Salt Vampires.
September 8, 2026 at 2:40 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Spent part of yesterday afternoon taking advantage of the bright sunlight to make some cyanotypes out in the yard. This was the first of the day, using some photo negatives and plants from the yard.

#cyanotype #photoprinting
A blue cyanotype print with negative impressions of a maple leaf, a clover, and some mint leaves. Under these are prints from photo negatives.
September 8, 2026 at 1:53 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Real natural lens flare from the Takunar 35/2 early version. Very dramatic, but surprisingly controllable.
A large cat sits in the foreground, nearly eclipsed by a dramatic yellow lens flare
September 7, 2026 at 10:59 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Shot some engagement photos on 4x5 two weeks ago and just got done processing and scanning the film.

So much fun!

#largeFormat #petzval #filmphotography
A couple sits on a low wall in a black and white photo. Behind them is a beautiful manicured park with a large fountain. A couple in suits hold hands and look into eachothers eyes in front of a large fountain. The background blurs into a swirl around them.
September 7, 2026 at 1:13 AM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
pghgraffiti.bsky.social
September 4, 2026 at 1:53 AM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Gotta run more cyanotypes soon, using more large format negatives for contact prints but also more photograms, transparencies, and mixed media stuff.
Fingers hold up a small print in blue and white depicting an antique tractor on a farm. It is a cyanotype positive from a large format negative.
September 1, 2026 at 2:52 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
A clear and present danger to Pittsburgh's photography community.

Come see me and a bunch of much cooler stuff in Millvale today!
A table with a Vintage Cameras sign is loaded with a huge variety of cameras.
August 29, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Saturday! Come to Millvale and check out cool analog photo displays, activities, and goods & services! Commerce!

#pittsburgh #millvale #analogLiberation #filmphotography
August 28, 2026 at 12:08 AM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Saturday! Come to Millvale and check out cool analog photo displays, activities, and goods & services! Commerce!

#pittsburgh #millvale #analogLiberation #filmphotography
August 28, 2026 at 12:08 AM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Sometimes you have to do something slightly ill-advised and pull all the optical elements out of a couple of large format lenses, blow out all the dust, clean them all with isopropyl alcohol (and two elements with hydrogen peroxide to get rid of tiny fungus spots), and put them all back together.
A Wollensak Velostigmat f/4.5 lens mounted on a Graflex Crown Graphic camera. It is wide and clean.
August 26, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
jilllightner.bsky.social
Street art in her honor from SE Seattle
A glittery tinsel-fringed illustrated portrait of Dolly Parton on a telephone pole. There's a cartoon voice bubble with a quote from her that says "find out who you are and do it on purpose."
August 25, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Like film photography? Gonna be in Pittsburgh next weekend?

Check out Analog Fest in Millvale, with tons of great exhibits and experts, plus vendors like me selling cool cameras and photo stuff!

#analogLiberation #filmPhotography #pittsburgh
A poster for Analog Fest, presented by Analog Liberation. August 28-30 at the Maple Leaf at 115 Sedgwick Street, Millvale, PA. Cameras, Photos, Movies, Gadgets, Art, Workshops, Hand-made instant photos with Sophie Wisdom, Tintypes with Ashley Kouri.
August 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Like film photography? Gonna be in Pittsburgh next weekend?

Check out Analog Fest in Millvale, with tons of great exhibits and experts, plus vendors like me selling cool cameras and photo stuff!

#analogLiberation #filmPhotography #pittsburgh
A poster for Analog Fest, presented by Analog Liberation. August 28-30 at the Maple Leaf at 115 Sedgwick Street, Millvale, PA. Cameras, Photos, Movies, Gadgets, Art, Workshops, Hand-made instant photos with Sophie Wisdom, Tintypes with Ashley Kouri.
August 24, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
alanofalltrades.bsky.social
Me: ...compared to stuff like Purify Food and Drink, firearms aren't that big of a deal. Sure guns are deadly, but being able to make sure your troops don't die of dysentery would change the battlefield so much more...
Gary Gygax (pointing at me and shrieking): EEK! A Slav! Kill it! Kill it!!
August 23, 2026 at 9:01 AM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Post a perfect album from the 2000s (2000-2009).
Cover art from Tool's 10,000 Days album. A head with three faces rotates ahead of the viewer.
August 22, 2026 at 9:10 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
A nasty poison ivy rash on my arms is surprisingly good at interfering with photography plans. Can't load large format film if I can't stick my arms in a dark bag.
August 20, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
epidiah.bsky.social
Running for president with the slogan "By tax or by ax, no more billionaires" not to win, but to nudge that Overton window.
June 3, 2026 at 6:29 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
A few years back I went to a museum that featured a display on early digital image editing, and they described the difficulty deciding and displaying image formats from the 1980's and the trouble they had finding intact period files to display. Significant effort went into putting them on screen.
philsalv.bsky.social Phil Salvador @philsalv.bsky.social · Aug 19
Not only do digital things not last forever, digital objects are even more fragile than physical ones! You can put a piece of paper on a shelf for a century, but you probably can't read a Unity project from 10 years ago
rileybruce.bsky.social Riley Bruce @rileybruce.bsky.social · Aug 13
What’s a thing from your area of expertise (or special interest) that you think it would behoove everyone else to know?
August 19, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
ass.golf
Another day as a Fromsoft NPC. Was having a great time staggering around in a circle moaning when some fucking speedrunner bastard dodge-rolled past me and then killed my boss in the cathedral. fml
August 16, 2026 at 9:10 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Took this apart and serviced the shutter today: the self-timer works reliably now, and the shutter fires at different speeds as long as you use the self timer (the manual shutter release holds the shutter open because of a broken part).

Better than it was before I took it apart!

#lubitel2 #tlr
A black twin lens reflex camera labeled Lubitel 2 hangs from its strap.
August 16, 2026 at 1:22 AM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
jaydotdice.com
Having a sneaky second zoo trip this year and got this baller pic of the polar bear and his reflection
A polar bear resting at the edge of his reflecting pool
August 12, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by John W Sheldon
danielsolis.bsky.social
I have a request for a trekkie with more time and data experience than me: Please make a three-circle Venn diagram labelled STRANGE||NEW||WORLDS. Place each episode of Strange New Worlds according to whether it features something strange, and/or something new, and/or a world. Thank you!
#StarTrek
August 11, 2026 at 3:25 PM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
Not quite a shitty camera, but I am deeply surprised that it works after having a pair of exploded batteries sitting in it for almost 30 years (they expired in 1997). One thorough cleaning later and a pair of fresh batteries brought it back to life.
A black and white photo of two cats on a hardwood floor. One is on his back wrestling with a larger cat who is walking past. A Nikon One Touch 35AF camera.
August 11, 2026 at 1:00 AM
johnwsheldon.bsky.social
The shitty camera, the pictures it takes.

#ShittyCameraChallenge #mediumFormat #120film #filmPhotography
An Argoflex E twin lens reflex camera. A budget 120 medium format camera. Double exposed portraits on black and white film. A man stands beside his Honda minivan while another man is superimposed above him. A glass storefront plastered with posters and flyers. Dead leaves accumulate in the corner where they are blown by the wind. Flowering vines climb a chain link fence. Two bright flowers stand out.
August 10, 2026 at 3:47 PM