Ben Rains
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benrains.bsky.social
Ben Rains
@benrains.bsky.social
2.5K followers 660 following 940 posts
Forever lost in light & shadow, actinic alchemy, and the beauty of everything. I'm a photographer who mainly works with film.
🇺🇦Slava Ukraini🌻

https://linktr.ee/benrains
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benrains.bsky.social
Ben Rains @benrains.bsky.social · Dec 11
Sharnayla in the studio.
#filmphotography #portraitphotography #photography #35mm #benrains #bnwphoto
A black and white photographic portrait of a woman sitting on a small settee. She's leaning back and illuminated by dappled light from a nearby window.
Reposted by Ben Rains
alexis-images.bsky.social
I somehow got into a lot of debates over the weekend about the value of AI art. Its defenders kept coming at me with the argument that it is just another tool. However, mastery of a tool is not the common denominator that makes art good. No, the secret sauce is risk, and AI is devoid of risk.
December 15, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Ben Rains
balkowitsch.bsky.social
Kole Wayne Three Irons "One Who Achieves At A Young Age", Spirit Lake Nation, captured for the first time in the historic wet plate collodion process of silver on glass for the series "Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective".
February 10, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Reposted by Ben Rains
balkowitsch.bsky.social
Kiliah Hope Neconie "Walks With A Limp", Kiowa / Comanche / Apache, captured for the first time in the historic wet plate collodion process of silver on glass for the series "Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective".

Carl Zeiss Tessar 250mm lens, f4.5
February 12, 2026 at 2:43 AM
Reposted by Ben Rains
andyd10.bsky.social
Anastasiia. Living room studio. Single light (small octabox). Large white reflector to lift the shadows a little.
February 9, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Ben Rains
wired.com
Filming federal agents in public is legal, but avoiding a dangerous—even deadly—confrontation isn’t guaranteed. Here’s how to record ICE and CBP agents as safely as possible and have an impact. www.wired.com/story/how-to...
How to Film ICE
Filming federal agents in public is legal, but avoiding a dangerous—even deadly—confrontation isn’t guaranteed. Here’s how to record ICE and CBP agents as safely as possible and have an impact.
www.wired.com
January 31, 2026 at 10:34 AM
Reposted by Ben Rains
john-abernathy.bsky.social
My last two shots before my world went dark.
January 17, 2026 at 9:55 PM
benrains.bsky.social
From another photo this looks to be a Leica M10-R with a 28mm prime of some flavor. Just chucking that $10K camera across the pavement to save what he recorded. A brave man for sure, but I'd use something a bit less expensive for documenting the protests given how violent ICE are.
john-abernathy.bsky.social John Abernathy @john-abernathy.bsky.social · 28d
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
January 17, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by Ben Rains
wendybett.bsky.social
Coffee toned cyanotypes 🖤
#cyanotype #photography
January 16, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by Ben Rains
timothysnyder.bsky.social
"10 Crucial Things You Can Do in 2026
Your activism will be even more important this year" @rbreich.bsky.social
substack.com/home/post/p-...
10 Crucial Things You Can Do in 2026
Your activism will be even more important this year
substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by Ben Rains
jameswigger.bsky.social
0338_IV

Model: @lucymagdalene.bsky.social

Rare outside shoot
8x10 wet collodion plexitype
2023

#wetplatecollodion #largeformat #plexitype #fuckai #socialmediaisn'tverysocial #postingforme
January 13, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Reposted by Ben Rains
wired.com
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest. www.wired.com/story/how-to...
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:39 PM
benrains.bsky.social
Madeleine in winter light (2018).
#filmphotography #portraitphotography #blackandwhitefilm #35mm #madeleine #benrains
A black and white photographic portrait of a woman lying on a wood floor. She's resting her head on her crossed arms and her face is illuminated with a narrow shaft of light. Photographed with a Nikon FM2 and Ilford HP5+ film.
January 6, 2026 at 2:40 PM
benrains.bsky.social
A pair of pears (2009).
#filmphotography #stilllifephotography #largeformatphotography #4x5 #instantfilm #polaroid #fp100c45 #benrains
A color photograph of a still life with two pears. The pears are arranged on a tabletop covered with a white cloth. Photographed with a Sinar F2 4x5 on Fujifilm FP-100C45 color instant film.
January 6, 2026 at 2:05 PM
benrains.bsky.social
‪A portrait of Selina (2014). Wishing a happy birthday to the brilliant and lovely @selinkamayer.bsky.social today!
#portraitphotography #selinamayer #benrains
A black and white nude photograph of a model seated on a wooden floor in a pool of light coming through a window. Photographed with a Nikon D90.
January 6, 2026 at 11:53 AM
benrains.bsky.social
A little something from my collection of vintage photographs. One of the most magical things about photography is being able to witness past scenes from ordinary life. It's a form of time travel.
benrains.substack.com/p/the-picnic
#photohistory #vintagephotography
The Picnic
Rescued moments
benrains.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 8:42 PM
benrains.bsky.social
Roarie at the stone mill (2014).
#portraitphotography #artnude #roarieyum #benrains
A color photographic image of Roarie Yum standing in a shaft of light against a backdrop of piles of broken stone. Photographed with a Nikon D90. A color photographic image of Roarie Yum standing against a backdrop of a stone quarry wall. Photographed with a Nikon D90.
January 5, 2026 at 2:42 PM
benrains.bsky.social
A portrait of Selina (2014) with @selinkamayer.bsky.social.
#filmphotography #portraitphotography #largeformatphotography #blackandwhitefilm #11x14 #selinamayer #benrains
A black and white photograph of a woman sitting on a sofa, in profile, with her face hidden by her long hair. Photographed with a Century 8 11x14 camera, Zeiss Tessar 50cm/4.5, and Ilford HP5+ film.
January 5, 2026 at 12:57 AM
benrains.bsky.social
A portrait of Roarie Yum in the studio (2014).
#filmphotography #largeformatphotography #portraitphotography #artnude #blackandwhitefilm #8x10 #roarieyum #benrains
A black and white photographic portrait of a woman. Photographed with a Century 10A 8x10 studio camera, Wollensak Vesta 14-in/5, and Ilford HP5+ film.
January 3, 2026 at 2:05 AM
benrains.bsky.social
Somnio series with Sharnayla (2014).
#filmphotography #blackandwhitefilm #surrealism #35mm #sharnayla #benrains
A black and white photograph of a nude woman and a rectangle of wire mesh. Her back is turned to the camera and she's in front of a white wall. Photographed with a Nikon FM2, Nikkor 35/2.8, Speedlight SB-15 flash, and Ilford HP5+ film.
January 3, 2026 at 1:52 AM
benrains.bsky.social
Ephemeral pool (2017). Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
#filmphotography #landscapephotography #nationalparks #canyonlands #utah #35mm #benrains
A landscape photograph with a shallow temporary pool of water seen in the foreground and the dry desert of Canyonlands in the middle distance and far distance. Photographed with a Nikon FM2, Nikkor 32/2.8, and some sort of Agfa color film.
January 1, 2026 at 3:36 PM
benrains.bsky.social
Noelle (2013).
#filmphotography #portraitphotography #largeformatphotography #blackandwhitefilm #8x10 #noelle #benrains
A black and white photographic portrait of Noelle in the studio. She's reclined on a small sofa. Photographed with a Century 10A 8x10 studio camera and Ilford HP5+ film.
January 1, 2026 at 1:17 PM
benrains.bsky.social
‪
A portrait of Sharnayla (2014).
#filmphotography #portraitphotography #artnude #blackandwhitefilm #35mm #sharnayla #benrains
A black and white photograph of a woman standing against a plain white wall. Photographed with a Nikon FM2 on Ilford HP5+ film.
January 1, 2026 at 3:23 AM
benrains.bsky.social
A portrait of Mo (2015).
#filmphotography #portraitphotography #largeformatphotography #blackandwhitefilm #8x10 #mo #benrains
A black and white photograph of a model standing in front of a folding room divider. The model's back is turned to the viewer. Photographed with my Century 10A 8x10 studio camera, Wollensak Velostigmat 12-in/4.5, and Ilford HP5+ film.
December 31, 2025 at 7:17 PM
benrains.bsky.social
If you've ever puzzled over the old standard portrait photographers' exclamation "Watch the birdie!" this object holds part of the answer.
benrains.substack.com/p/the-canary...
#photohistory #portraitphotography
A photograph of brass bird shaped whistle.
December 31, 2025 at 7:09 PM
benrains.bsky.social
Roarie Yum (2014) and Renée Jeanne Falconetti in La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928) directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. The visual similarity here wasn't planned. It was just something I noticed.
#filmphotography #portraitphotography #blackandwhitefilm #35mm #roarieyum #renéejeannefalconetti #benrains
A black and white head and shoulders portrait of Roarie Yum in the shower. Photographed with a Nikon FM2, Nikkor 50/1.8, and Ilford HP5+ film. A black and white still of Renée Jeanne Falconetti in the 1928 film La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc. She's wearing a straw crown.
December 30, 2025 at 6:29 PM