Jeff Self Photography Blog

Old Dominion’s first conference home game of the season took place October 4, 2025 at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk as they hosted the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. It was a 6pm kickoff and it was a beautiful evening for football with temperatures in the low 70’s at kickoff. I was bringing along my Nikon Z9 and Nikon Z8 along with my Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 VR S and Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lenses.

Old Dominion’s home season kicked off September 6 at S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk as they hosted the North Carolina Central Eagles. It was a 6pm kickoff but it was still a very warm evening to start as the day’s high temperature was 95°F. I was bringing along my Nikon Z9 and Nikon Z8 along with my Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 and Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena lenses.

Old Dominion was coming off a 27-14 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers and were looking for their first win. Trequan Jones of Old Dominion had a monster game gaining 163 yards on only 5 carries. Three of the carries went for touchdowns including runs of 93 yards and 39 yards. Complete coverage of the game can be found here.

I ordered my Nikkor 800mm PF lens from Nikon on Friday night and it was delivered late Saturday evening thanks to priority delivery from Nikon Professional Services.

I went out to the Great Bridge Lock Park on Sunday morning to put it through its paces. The first thing I noticed was how light it was. It’s pretty amazing that a 800mm lens is light enough to be hand-held. It’s only September, so the winter migratory birds have not arrived yet. The Brown Pelicans that were so abundant in February were nowhere to be seen. All in all, the pickings were very slim.

Exploring with Ilford Delta 400 and the Nikon F6

For this roll, I loaded Ilford Delta 400 into my Nikon F6 and carried it across several locations in Chesapeake and Norfolk between December 28, 2024 and February 14, 2025. Delta 400 is one of my favorite black-and-white films because of its fine grain and wide tonal range, which make it a good fit for different subjects and lighting conditions.

Battlefield Park – Great Bridge

I caputured a couple of images at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens after changing film on my F6. From there I moved to Battlefield Park in Great Bridge, where the film’s tonal range really stood out. The mix of open spaces, tree lines, water and the Great Bridge bridge made for varied scenes, and Delta 400 delivered consistent results across them.

Fading Malls and Coastal Light with Kodak Portra 400

This roll of Kodak Portra 400, shot on my Nikon F6, gave me a good mix of subjects to work with—abandoned malls, lakes, bridges, and gardens. Portra 400 handled everything well, showing why it’s such a versatile film. The colors came out natural and balanced, the grain stayed fine, and the film’s wide exposure latitude made it easy to manage both tricky lighting indoors and bright conditions outdoors.

City Streets, Quiet Trails, and Wild Marshes with the Nikon FM2n

This roll carried me through a mix of urban scenes, quiet parks, and wild marshland—an excellent showcase for what black-and-white film can reveal in such different environments. Shot entirely on my Nikon FM2n with Ilford HP5+, these images reflect a season of exploration between August 1, 2024 and November 3, 2024.

HP5+ is one of my favorite black-and-white stocks. Its slightly more pronounced grain and high latitude give it a grit that feels at home in both city streets and natural landscapes. It rewards careful metering but also forgives a lot, making it a perfect companion for wandering with the FM2n.

It’s been a long while since I posted my film photography. I developed several rolls in March and I’m finally getting around to blogging about them. This roll of film was all about slowing down and letting the Nikon FM2n guide the experience. The FM2n, fully mechanical and as dependable as they come, has a way of making you think about every frame before you press the shutter. No screens, no autofocus—just pure photography.

The 2025 football season kicked off at Norfolk State last Thursday night as Norfolk State hosted Towson University. It was a 7pm kickoff so I parked at MacArthur Center and hopped on the Tide to take me over to Norfolk State. I was bringing along my Nikon Z9 and Nikon Z8 along with my Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 and Nikkor Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena lenses.

Michael Vick’s debut as Norfolk State’s head coach drew plenty of attention in Norfolk on August 28, 2025, but Towson spoiled the occasion with a decisive 27–7 victory. Freshman quarterback Andrew Indorf stole the spotlight, completing 14 of 26 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns in his first collegiate start.

After Winter Storm Kingston came through, I knew it could be an interesting time at the Great Bridge Locks. So once again, I headed out with my Nikon Z9 and brought along the Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.4 VR lens because I wanted a little more reach for the eagles, and I felt I hadn’t used it much since getting it.

There was a lot of ice on the water, along with a lot of dead speckled trout due to the recent cold snap that brought arctic temperatures to our area. It was kind of funny to watch the pelicans come down and try to get the trout that were dead below the ice.

I had the opportunity to shoot a Saturday night Sun Belt matchup basketball game in Norfolk between the Old Dominion Monarchs and the Georgia State Panthers. The Monarchs came out strong in front of their home crowd at Chartway Arena, playing with energy and intensity on both ends of the court. Georgia State made a push in the second half, but ODU held firm down the stretch to secure a 73–66 victory.