Meet Ralph D. Apel | Aspiring Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ralph D. Apel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ralph D., we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The main reason I started going out and shooting film was due to the pandemic and being furloughed from my job. Being cooped up in my apartment for such a long time, really made me appreciate the outdoors. I’ve always liked shooting pictures, but I wanted to make my experiences a bit more special. You can go out and take thousands of digital photos on your phone and never look at them again. When it comes to film, you only have a limited amount of exposures. You have to decide if you’re going to take the shot or not. Is this moment worth capturing? If I do capture this image, will I run out of exposures down the road and regret missing out on a really special shot?

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love taking photographs of unique people and places. I started off just wanting to do shots of roadside attractions and places from my hometown of Downey, CA. My wife got me a Holga 120N as a gift. It is a really cheap camera. It’s almost entirely plastic, including the lens. There aren’t a lot of bells and whistles to it. The viewfinder isn’t accurate and you basically have to guess if you are in focus or not. It is a camera that takes zero skill to shoot, but it takes a lot of time to figure out. There is a lot of trial and error involved with the Holga. In the following years, I have moved on to more advanced cameras, but it was that Holga that taught me patience for film. With the ability to only take 12 exposures, it really made me question if I wanted to commit to taking a photo, or move on to something potentially more interesting. Even though I take better quality shots with my other cameras, the cheap plastic Holga has created some of my favorite images.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love taking friends to Downey. I grew up there and know it like the back of my hand. From it’s fast food roots of being the birthplace of Taco Bell and the home of the oldest operating McDonald’s, to it’s role in the space race with Rockwell International, Downey has a lot of history to check out. It’s the home of The Carpenters and James Hetfield of Metallica. I’d definitely do a small walking tour of the Downtown Downey area, which is filled with mid-century modern architecture. Lunch would have to either be at Glen Bell’s El Taco or Uncle Henry’s Deli. Maybe we’d stop by for a shake at Bob’s Big Boy Broiler.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to thank my wife, Stevi, who has been completely supportive and excited about my photography.

Website: https://apelfilm.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apelfilm/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casinoskunk/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/apelfilm/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apelfilm/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@apelfilm/

Other: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apelfilm/albums/
https://bsky.app/profile/apelfilm.com

Image Credits
Profile Portrait of Ralph D. Apel by Kevin Nelson Photo
All other photographs by Ralph D. Apel (@ApelFilm)