Perennial Favorites

Do you find yourself returning to certain themes or compositions all the time in your photographs? I'm pretty sure most of us do. One of my perennial (hehe) favorites is the 'wall of flowers'. Like the gardenias in this image. A sea of foliage sprinkled with blooms. I collect 'em. On this day, the experience was elevated by the scent of the flowers. Perhaps one day I'll have enough nice photographs to make a little book or zine. 

Tasting notes: Olympus E-330, 25 mm f/2.8 pancake lens.

Quote of the Day: EM Forster

“How can I tell what I think till I see what I say?”
                                                    --E.M. Forster

I found this quote in the middle of a NYTimes article about the artist Christopher Wool, who uses photography as a part of his overall artistic practice. While it must feel amazing to get featured in the Times, the link to an article from two decades ago describing Wool's work as 'unrelievedly dull' must smart just a little. Why do they always do that? Oh well, sounds like his paintings are selling like hotcakes, so, like, whatever. We all tend to draw our own conclusions about art these days anyway it seems.

I guess the photographic version of this statement would go something like: "How can I tell what I think till I see what I saw?" A bit clunky. Somehow, just extrapolating from Forster seems better. But the concept of making a photobook from time to time to see how your work hangs together, that is a pretty solid idea that would be a good part of anyone's process. 

Enjoy the holiday as best you can...

A Bridge Too Far?

I've always had a bit of a soft spot in my otherwise cynical heart for the so-called 'bridge camera'. Historically, I guess this term had meaning. One could look it up if one wanted, I suppose, but these days it seems like one of those bridges to nowhere you read about in the tabloids. Or maybe a bridge to the past. Yeah, that actually seems pretty much spot on. Anyway, I picked up a really nice copy of a bridge camera that I somehow missed when it came out in 2011. The Fujifilm X-S1. The lens runs from an equivalent of about 24 mm on the wide end to a magnificent 624 mm on the long end. That, dear reader, is the longest telephoto presently in existence here at the Albus & Fergie world headquarters. The camera is equipped with a 2/3" sensor that gives very nice results that hold up reasonably well today. The image above was taken at an ISO of 640 and the digital noise looks very much like the shadow areas of scanned Tri-X. 

See You Out There Fellow Traveler...

For many of us, Memorial Day marks the start of the summer season. I don't know about you, but I tend to have fewer standing commitments this time of the year. So, I'm really looking forward to getting out and photographing more. You don't always find the best light in the summer, but you learn to takes what ya gets, as Popeye might say. I hope to see you out there, fellow traveller. Perhaps our paths will cross at some point.

Storied

 

One of the most interesting things to me about older homes is that they often have a unique history. Things that happened within their walls, famous or infamous people who once lived there, stories that essentially beg to be told over dinner and drinks. I used to know the folks who owned this house located not too far from the Tappan Zee Bridge. They're both gone now, but I still remember them both, and some of their tales about this wonderful place. For instance, about how Edward Teller, the famous physicist, had a special alarm system installed when he lived there, a direct line to the local police. 

The house I currently live in is far less storied, but was once owned by a man who spent several years here under house arrest for embezzlement. Nobody famous, a local politician, just a garden variety asshole in other words. I keep hoping to find a bag of cash under the floorboards, but so far... nothing.

Good light to you this weekend!

Don't Be So Hard on Yourself

At the time I took this photograph, my intent was to incorporate it into one of the trippy kaleidescope images I was into at the time, so I didn't bother to include in the frame any obvious clues that what was being photographed was actually a reflection in water. Back home, I did, in fact, make a composite image that also included a field of stars and a shot of the full moon. Hehe. Cool though it was, it ain't something I want to share right now. The point is, your studio is a place to get out of your comfort zone and experiment. Some of the misses are better described as near misses, so don't be so hard on yourself. 

Quote of the Day: Peggy Guggenheim

"A collection means hard work. It was what I wanted to do, and I made it my life's work. I am not an art collector; I am a museum."

– Peggy Guggenheim

I like cameras and lenses well enough, there's no point in denying it, but I guess I'm not a bona fide collector cuz I can't say I work very hard at it. For me, it's been more of a random walk through the wilderness. Still, this image was made using the Mamiya 645 and a 80 mm f/1.9 lens. At one time the 80 mm was the fastest medium format lens you could get. Definitely collectable. A good, but not stellar imager, if I'm honest.

The Doors of Transmutation

Yeah, man, I went through a bit of a cosmic phase in my photography a few years back. It's okay, I survived and I'm doing fine now. Really, I've got everything squared away. It was all because of that 16 mm f/2.8 Nikkor fisheye lens I bought that had these built in color filters -- red, green, yellow and UV. That red one really sent me over the edge for a while. And playing around with the images in Photoshop to get that whole kaleidoscope thing going. How groovy is that? The thing of it is, I know these things aren't destined for the gallery wall. But I still like 'em on a personal level, if you dig. Who knows, they might have more life in them yet. Perhaps I'll make a video of me burning one and turn it into an NFT. It could happen.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Macro shooting is not something I typically enjoy doing on film. The fact is, digital is just so much better in so many ways for this application, why bother? That said, it is always an interesting challenge to try to do things the old fashioned way, just to see what your forebears had to contend with. Once in a while you end up with a satisfying result. It is good to know that you don't actually *need* technology, it just is incredibly convenient. So when I discovered this molted snake skin outside the studio door, I knew what I had to do..

Tasting notes: Leica R6, Leica 100 mm f/4 macro lens. Svema blue sensitive film.

Canon L2 Rangefinder Camera: L is for Lovely

A couple of years ago, I came across a listing for the Canon L2 film rangefinder on a famous online auction site. I had never heard of this camera before, and I couldn't find much information about it from my usual online sources. So, I had to walk over to the studio and look it up in a physical book. At any rate, it looks like the L2 was mainly sold in the Japanese market from 1956-57. Apparently, just over 7000 copies were sold, so it is kind of rare. Although past the normal retirement age at this point, my copy still works like a champ. I like to shoot it with the Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens attached. The top shutter speed is 1/500 s, which could be a bummer for some folks. The 'cool' feature is that the rangefinder has settings for the 35 mm and 50 mm focal lengths, as well as a position labeled RF. This gives you a magnified view for more precise focusing. Nice. Other than that, it is a solid, workman-like light tight box for making photographs, if that's your thang.

Candidly, I'm not much of a tennis player, though it is a way to burn a few calories and break a sweat. Finding these images of the local courts (now replaced with newer and better ones) was the most enjoyable part of the outing.

Tasting notes: Canon L2 rangefinder, Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens, Kodak Tmax 100. Highly recommended.
 

The Parallax View

On my last trip to Europe, I brought along what I think turned out to be a pretty good combination of cameras: a Sony digital camera with a 35 mm prime lens and the Rollei 35 film camera. I was able to tuck both into the nooks and crannies of my single carry-on bag and I was a happy traveller. Anyway, I loved the Rollei as a travel camera, although composing a relatively close shot like the one shown here was not very precise. I did my best, fully intending to crop later. And, I can always find another crop if I tire of this one.

The Parallax View is a decent film from 1974 with really outstanding cinematography. If you happened to be interested in a double feature of conspiracy thrillers from the 70s, it would pair well with The Conversation (also released in 1974).

Tasting notes: Rollei 35 film camera, Acros 100 film.

Making Room For Something More Awesomer

A couple of years ago, I heard that this building was scheduled to be torn down to allow the construction of something more awesomer in its place, so I put it on my informal list of things to photograph during one of my upcoming shutter therapy sessions. The building itself was not all that meaningful to me, but I have always really enjoyed photographing these large old industrial widows. Something about the grids just grabs me, I guess. The lens I had with me was a bit too long for the shot, given where I had to stand. But I needed the therapy, so decided to shoot anyway and correct the perspective later. I still remember reading one of those technique articles in Popular Photography back in the day about correcting the keystone effect by tilting the enlarging easel when printing the photograph in the darkroom. That could be a bit tricky, but these days all you gotta do is click a button in software, and voila!

Good light to you this weekend, fellow travelers.

Tasting notes: Canon F-1 and 50 mm f/1.4 lens.

Rollei SL2000F: One Hour Camera

The Rollei SL2000F sure sounded like a wonderful camera when I read about it online. A modular system camera, but it shoots 35 mm roll film. What's not to love? Me want. So, when a copy became available at a reasonable price, I ordered it straight away. And, it was as lovely in the hand as I had imagined. But, well, I was able to make about 10 exposures before it turned into a brick. Just flippin' died in my hands. Not a good feeling. I couldn't make it come back to life no matter what I tried, and I tried everything. Luckily, the seller was a decent human and I was able to get my money back. But the love is gone. All gone. Finito.

Trigger Warning...

... I converted this Cinestill 800T film photograph to black-and-white in software. :) I never much liked the color balance in the original scanned image, but I do love the shadows cast by the stairs. I resisted the temptation to toss out the color information, but finally just went ahead and did it because frankly the image just works better for me in monochrome, with the heavy grain and halation adding to the overall vibe.

Tasting notes: Taken with the amazing Fujifilm GA645Zi, one of my favorite cameras of all time.

Pictures While Streaming

I admit it, sometimes I take photographs while streaming. I'm just weird that way I suppose. Decades ago in my college psychology class, I remember learning about subliminal messages being embedded in movies and television shows, information that is likely completely out of date by now. Anyway, I'm happy to report that I've never managed to find evidence of candy bar images hidden within the timeline of a murder mystery. Still, sometimes funny moments are revealed, just as in real life I suppose. Hmm, maybe there's an idea for a conceptual project here somewhere... 

I Work With Zombies...

I no longer work at the place where this photograph was taken, but for the most part, I have to admit that it was a really good gig. Nevertheless, I still needed my daily walks with a camera in order to cope. It was still a job after all, with other people and management to contend with. The sticker reads, 'I live with zombies', and it made me smile to know that others were aware of the truth.

Tasting notes: Panasonic LX-3.  

Positive Thinking...

Photography still has the ability to surprise and delight me. Like when a shot I was a little bit unsure of at the time I pressed the shutter button ends up being better than expected. Turns out, I was in a pretty good mood when I made this exposure, having just learned that one of my images had been juried into a group show. Could that positive energy have been a factor? The frosting on the cake was getting the tones to match reasonably well with my film images of the same tree.

Tasting notes: Canon G1x, Silver Efex Pro.

Quirky, Elderly Cameras

Every once a while it is fun to shoot with cameras or lenses with personality. Semi broken, I mean. Old. For instance, I have an Aires rangefinder that requires a hard counterclockwise twist of the lens to insure that the shutter will fire. It doesn't get used very often... On the other hand, the photograph above was made with a different elderly camera, the 64 year old Minolta V2 rangefinder from 1958. Its main claim to fame is a top shutter speed of 1/2000 sec, which means you can shoot wide open at f/2 in daylight. Pretty rad. The lens is an uncoated 45 mm f/2 that gives pleasant, old school results. Alas, the camera came back from service with the shutter firing about a stop too fast. Rather than throwing any more money at the problem, I just compensate when shooting. Don't know about you, but I like how my old film cameras connect me to an earlier time in our history.

Crappy bokeh...

I don't consider myself a wildlife photographer, but I do really like this image of a dragonfly I made several years ago. The fact is, when I pressed the shutter button, I was not in an exotic location. Nope, I was sitting on the bench next to our koi pond with a cup of coffee and a camera. The lovely green background comes from the murky pond water which is mostly algae and fish shit. Now that's putting bokeh to good use!

Have a pleasant Friday the 13th with good light as well as good bokeh. 
 

Caveat Emptor, baby!

Personally, I've never taken advantage of any of the road side car detailing businesses that pop up during the warmer months, like the one shown here. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to look good down the road. I'm just a bit persnickety about who lays hands on my vehicle, is all. Consequently, my car is pretty much always a dirty mess until those rare occasions I get around to cleaning it myself... That said, my wife did try one of these places once, and immediately afterwards the headliner in her sweet VW GTI started to drop. I guess they used a cleaner that was a bit too strong in the solvent department. Caveat emptor. Kind of how we operate these days.

The Stegosaurus of Trees

For the next couple of weeks, the magnolias will be in bloom here in the heart of Dixie. To me, these plants are simultaneously majestic and prehistoric, the stegosaurus of trees, so to speak. Which, of course, is the origin of their charm for me. Survivors from a previous era, food for thought there, but I ramble. One observation I've made over the years is that the flowers only last a day or so before turning brown and dropping their petals. Ya gotta be quick, in other words. If I photograph them past their prime, I tend to prefer a monochrome treatment, like here.

Tasting notes: Pentax KP, 35 mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

Nothing Fancy

The fact of the matter is, I don't need a ginormous telephoto lens in my life. Most of my shooting is pretty easily covered by a typical 24-105 mm zoom lens, and nearly all of my lenses fall within that focal range. So, I guess you could say I felt a little under equipped on my first trip to Wyoming. At the time, I was shooting with a Nikon D300, and my biggest gun was an old 180 mm f/2.8 from the film days that I purchased second hand. Most of the other photographers I saw were toting some seriously long glass. C'est la vie... I buried my head in the viewfinder and did my best to snag a few memorable images. In my opinion, that old 180 is definitely a classic.  

Mocktail Hour

The other afternoon, I was going through my old images while sipping a phony Negroni, my new favorite non-alcoholic beverage. I came across two frames from my first visit to Wyoming nearly two decades ago. For some reason, I had neglected to merge them into a panorama, but when I finally did, I rather liked what I saw. It definitely pays to make a few passes through your photographs to make sure you don't miss any gems. Perhaps the mocktail put me in a better headspace, who knows?! I've noticed, too, that my tastes have changed a little bit over the years. These days, I often prefer the gentler images to the high test ones. 

A Special Flower on Mother's Day

The large leaf magnolia is by far my favorite of all the magnolia varieties. I enjoy photographing the one near us during every stage of it's yearly cycle. Yesterday, the blooms were close to their peak. They are about 18 inches across when fully open like this, one of the largest flowers I am aware of.

 
Happy Mother's Day. 

Trying Too Hard?

When I saw this image in my archive, I thought, 'Whoa, dude, you were trying a bit too hard"! Not sure I would compose a shot like this these days, but still, I am really glad I kept the image. You see, even though it was taken almost 15 years ago, I still remember exactly how I felt at the time I made the exposure. Funny, right? I remember being bound and determined to somehow get the damned arrow in the frame. And I did, too. :)

Tasting notes: Nikon D300, 35 mm lens.

 

Photographic Jiu Jitsu, Kinda

Alas, my days of active grappling are pretty much behind me at this point. Which is fine. I do miss it, but my body is certainly grateful. Thankfully, too, some of the knowledge I picked up over the years transfers pretty well to my photographic practice. 

It was a very breezy day in Oslo and it soon became apparent that, try though I might, and I did, there was no way I was going to get a perfectly sharp image of the flowers. And I didn't. So I stopped down to f/16 and shot at 1/8 sec for a decent impression. :) 

In rolling, sometimes simple survival is the point.

Good light and fair winds this weekend.

Tasting notes: Fuji X100S.

Quote of the Day: Wolfgang Tillmans

 

'The true authenticity of photographs for me is that they usually manipulate and lie about what is in front of the camera, but never lie about the intentions behind the camera.'

 - Wolfgang Tillmans

Tasting notes: Quick collage of images from an old Fujifilm S5 Pro digital camera.

Diamond in the Rough

My wife has been experimenting with arranging flowers and wildflowers picked from our garden, definitely a boon for my photography. Late afternoon light was streaming in from a nearby window and made for a very nice natural still life. I was shooting with the Olympus E-330 digital camera, a teenaged four thirds camera. The 25 mm f/2.8 pancake lens was attached. After doing a little internet research, I learned that the E-330 sports the same sensor as the Leica Digilux 3 and the Panasonic Lumix L1. The older Olympus cameras sure do produce pleasant images. Poor man’s Leica? Only you can decide, but for $75, it’s fun to discover for oneself.

And May the 4th be with you!

This Was My Experience

Sometimes the photographic medium will surprise you, such as when you shoot a colorful subject in black and white and the result is better than you visualized at the moment of exposure. Recording your subjective experience is more important than you realize.

 
Tasting notes: Contax T, HP5+, DDX 1+4.

Contre-jour

Not sure about you, but I definitely love shooting into the sun. It can work well with a great lens, as was the case with this photograph, and sometimes even with a lousy one, if you like 'character'. I had just walked up a long grind of a hill and noticed the fine light as I caught my breath.

Tasting notes: Contax T, HP5+, DDX 1+4.

Impressionistic Images With An Old Half-Frame Camera

Several years ago, I purchased an old Canon Demi half-frame camera from the 1960s. It was only $35, but needed a little TLC before it could be used. And it took a couple of years, but I recently got a round to completing the little project. I started thinking about this old camera again as I read more and more about the increasing cost of film photography. I found the Demi to be stylish, a fun camera to shoot, and quite affordable, but the results are pretty low-fi. Not suitable for everything, but for casual shooting: two thumbs up. As it turns out, the cost of film photography can be kept pretty low, but if you want to be a hipster, you will need deeper pockets.

Tasting notes: Canon Demi, HP5, DDX 1+4.