The passage of time...

Even though I have pretty much stopped making photos like this much any more, at least as stand alone images, every once in a while I see a remarkable old building such as this one, and I can't seem to help myself from grabbing a shot. In the right context, I think photographs like this one could actually become significant images. So, I thought to myself, may as well take the photograph. Leica R9, 50mm f/1.4, Ilford Delta 400. I do wonder what is going to happen to older towns as folks find opportunities elsewhere.

Lazarus cameras

Let's face it, photography should be enjoyable, at least some of the time. I'm sure an argument can be made in favor of perpetual angst, but today I'm in the mood to talk about fun. Several months ago my beloved Rolleiflex SL66 started misbehaving so badly that I had no other choice than to send it across the country for repair. It was going to take a minimum of 3 months to complete the work. Ugh. What was I going to shoot in the meantime? I decided to purchase a couple of Lazarus cameras. Two medium format cameras that shoot 6x6 cm negatives just like the Rollei. The constraint was that the total investment in each was limited to $200. I figured that at those prices, the laying on of hands might be required, so I decided on snagging two cameras to double my odds of raising at least one Lazarus.

The first camera I purchased was a Kowa Six. I was familiar with the Kowa brand from that time long ago when I bought a spotting scope to try my hand at birding on a trip to Galveston. Meh. Birding, not Kowa, not Galveston. The Kowa Six came with a 85 mm f/2.8 lens for a total price of $175. The body was in pretty decent shape, and did not require extraordinary measures to bring back to life, but the lens was a total disaster. But, Youtube. So, I took it apart and cleaned off all the schmutz and reassembled it. Wow, pretty nice little set up! The image below doesn't pretend to show off the high quality optics, but instead takes a deeper dive on the concept of fun.

These days, it sometimes seems as if everything has a name associated with it, and I learned that the technique demonstrated in this photograph is called intentional camera movement and has an official acronym (you guessed it, ICM). Ha ha! I'm pretty satisfied with my first ICM shot.

A nice walking around camera

Brunch may not be your favorite assignment if you are a line cook. After all, the dining room will probably be totally packed, and the menu won't be the restaurant's most innovative, either. Face it, brunch is the bread and butter shift and is what gives you the wiggle room (so to speak) to offer items like braised octopus on the dinner menu. On the other hand, as a photographer, brunch can be a good excuse to get out and shoot some nice images after an enjoyable meal accompanied by copious amounts of coffee. 

The walk home from our favorite brunch spot is very pleasant and rich in photographic opportunities as the area is undergoing serious and rapid gentrification. The question is, what is a good walking around camera to take with you on such an adventure? Fortunately, there are any number of good answers to that question, but one set-up I particularly like centers on the Leica R4s. It's small, light weight, intuitive to use, and allows you to mount that yummy Leitz glass on the front. As well, they are as cheap as chips on the used market. You can pick one up for around $125. Crazy. The R4s was made in Portugal and has the reputation of having flaky electronics. At the end of the day, it isn't particularly collectible, which is good news for us shooters. My attitude is that all the units with bad circuitry have given up the ghost already, leaving the fit to survive. I decided to just grab one and go shooting. 

I had chosen an older 50 mm f/2 as my lens for the day, to keep things compact. These older Summicrons can also be had for a decent price. Indeed, you could put together quite a nice little combo for under $500. Anyway, the film of the day was Ilford Delta 400. 

The sun was high in the sky after brunch, but that helped accentuate the textures on this clapboard structure, which was past due for a fresh coat of paint. I am really glad I documented this building because it has now been renovated. I'm sure the occupants are much happier, but its less interesting photographically.