Welcome to the F6 Project – A web site devoted
to the finest 35mm film camera ever made.

After decades of wandering the Rocky Mountain West with Nikons in hand, they’re finally here: Blue Hour Journal Zines.

Blue Hour Journal Zines are concise, inspiring digital magazines designed to visually share select regions of the country I’ve had the privilege to visit. Packed with quality images and a little text for background, they are the culmination of  decades of photographs, an intense curiosity of what’s around the next bend, a lot of gas in the car and film in the cameras, and the desire to self-publish in a format easily attainable by everyone. Imagine… a magazine with no ads.

Visit our Patreon store to check them out. After decades of thinking about it, I finally took the plunge in September of 2024. Scanning thousands of images and attempting to assemble into creative, coherent bodies of work, this its a long-term project evolving and maturing as I go.

So please – let me know what you think, and feel free to make suggestions. In step with the timeless nature of film photography, the ultimate goal of this project is producing highest-quality content with a no expiration date.

Blue Hour Journal, Issue no.1: Badlands
Blue Hour Journal, Issue no.2: Nebraska digital zine
Blue Hour Journal, Issue no.3: Introduction to 4042N

Issue no.1: Badlands, focuses on a special visit to South Dakota’s Badlands National Park one late autumn afternoon. After a clearing storm, light was magical, revealing colors in the park that were nothing like one might expect looking through typical imagery of the area. Badlands is a short, beautiful photo essay of an area that’s often overlooked and under appreciated.

Issue no.2: Nebraska. Nebraska, as some would say, is ‘where the west begins.’ Inspired by Arthur Chapman’s poem, “Out Where the West Begins,” Nebraska represents the beginning of something more… After years of driving back and forth through, the desire to explore Nebraska as its own destination grew, leading to discovery of the small towns and people of this great state.

Coming soon: Issue no.3: Introduction to 4042N. It’s true – this issue has taken some time to assemble–but for good reason. 4042N represents the core of what I’ve been working on for the past 16 years. 4042N encompasses a vast swath of land between and 40th and 42nd Parallels, straddling the border of Colorado & Wyoming, including border sections of Utah and Nebraska.

Nikon F6: Good Design – Long Life Design Award

This surfaced the other day and I thought it was worth a mention on the F6 Project. The F6 was won the Good Design Long Life Design Award. What's noteworthy about this is it's awarded 11 years after the camera was initially released in 2004. This feeds well into the...

Santa Fe and Vintage, Nikon Film Bodies, chapter 1

In each blog post I attempt to roll in an application to the F6. The F6 is, after all, the reason for this site - and why so many people come here: to read about it. For this series of posts in the spirit of "try something new... you might like it," I'm...

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico (2016)

One of the things I've looked forward to each year since - forever - is my fall trip. This year it was down to the Four Corners area of the US and covered territory in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah then back in Colorado. We visited a handful of awe-inspiring destinations...

Nikon F6 Auto Focus

The Nikon F6 has many amazing features. There’s one that often gets overlooked, the autofocus. Perhaps this is because those who continue to shoot film tend to take photographs over which they have complete control, i.e., the ability to meticulously set-up the shot, and with a stationary subject.

All In

The D3s and F6 have worked side by side for 10 years. It's time to say goodbye to one of them - and it's not the F6. It's January 1, 2020. Not just the beginning of a new year, but a new decade. Tonight in the local news the question was asked what things you'd like...

Terra Firma

Terra Firma: Landscape Photographs from Around the United States: Comprised of color images from around the United States, Terra Firma focuses on the land. A seemingly endless variety of landscapes lie within Terra Firma: topographic features from slot canyons to grand canyons; from ant hills to foothill; front mountain ranges to still, quiet vallies and everything in between

Long-Term Review of the Nikon F6

What’s the F6’s real usable life span? Is it worth investing in? What are the weak points? What does the F6 still excel at? Does the completist in you constantly tug at your billfold causing you to wonder if you should you buy an F6?

Santa Fe and Vintage Film Bodies, Chapter 3

Sometimes returning to your roots is a good thing. When we lived in Santa Fe from the mid 90’s ’til 2000 I was in a different phase of photography. In recent years I’ve enjoyed returning to this beautiful country with a better understanding of light – and how to coax more out of a frame of film with subtle adjustments here and there.

Old Growth

The Shop

Wood smoke, grease, charred wood, machine oil, steel, dried, cracked varnish, leather, copper, dead mice, fly traps and old stuff that’s been sitting in coffee cans for 50 years. Not just a visual cacophony, but an experience all your senses will never forget.

Other Efforts:

johnbcrane.com

Other Efforts:

bluehourjournal.com

Other Efforts :

cranedigital.com