A rose from a friend’s garden

When I graduated from high school I thought I might become a physician. That concept lasted for about a month, if that long. But I took a number of biology courses my first year, my absolute favorite being botany. I did really well in the class, but I had the unfortunate knack of killing most of the plants I came into contact with. So I’m always impressed when folks I know are accomplished gardeners. Over the weekend, some friends came over for tea and brought one of the last roses of the season. It was on its last legs and the petals started dropping right away. I liked seeing the patch of color where petals were in the vase. The fluorescent coloration of the flower was captured accurately by the Pentax KP. I was using the wonderful 35mm macro lens set at f/8. 

Camera schleppin'

My favorite camera bag of the past few years is called the 'Seven Million Dollar Home' from Crumpler. I think it is one of their classic designs of a generation or so ago, and new ones have not been available for quite a while. I bought one in almost new condition from that famous used camera place in Atlanta. It is well designed yet does not scream 'cameras inside'. These days, I like to go out shooting with a digital camera, a film camera, and my EDC stuff in tow -- and this bag is perfect for that. The other day, I grabbed the smallish Pentax KP fitted with the 20-40mm lens and paired it with the largish Leica R9 with the 50mm Summilux. The Leica was loaded up Ilford Delta 400.

 
If I had a loft, I would surely have at least one of these big ass ladders around, and we might even own a his-and-hers set because my wife likes 'em too. Well, we don't live in a loft, so I took the opportunity to photograph this beauty on a recent visit to a museum (Pentax left, Leica right).

Camera KonMari

Over the past year and a half, I've picked up a few extra cameras and lenses here and there as a way to cope with things in the world. Nothing too crazy mind you -- I can still comfortably make my house payment each month -- but I sure have acquired a few extra goodies, there's no point in denying it. Cameras and lenses to facilitate experiments in seeing differently, to capture light in new ways, to allow me to try out things like pixel shift resolution, and to shoot with the film cameras of my childhood dreams. While there is absolutely no guilt, all this stuff does occupy mind space, and carrying all this mental baggage around with me every day has recently reached critical mass. So, I am in the process of thinning the herd. The most painful decision was parting ways with my beloved Leica Q. The fact of the matter is that I don't enjoy shooting with a 28mm field of view all that much. Red dot or no. In fact, my preferred use of the camera was in its macro mode. How crazy is that?!

I'm not a perfect Kondo-er though, because one of the biggest joys of the process for me was seeing the check at the end. That will help ease the pain of a recent car repair, too.

Digicam madness

I recently completed my twice yearly image archiving process, which is how I became infatuated with the low resolution images from old CCD-based cameras like the Canon Powershot G2. I thought about picking one up again, but ultimately decided a better strategy would be to get a more modern camera that I had never owned before. Something that I'd missed out on back in the day, if you dig. So I looked at the G9 - G12 series of Powershots, the most recent models with CCD imagers in them. At this late date, the differences in specs among the various models are of no particular consequence to the modern photographer, so after looking at the available inventory online, I ended up snagging an almost new G11 for about $125. That was also a nice way to satisfy the desire for a shiny new thing without breaking the bank. To boot, it produces surprisingly nice results, and I am thinking of using it on a project or two just for the extra spark of creativity it brings to the table. The 10 MP files are fine for a zine type of project and the old school color, noise and dynamic range properties give a pleasing and coherent aesthetic. No one need ever know the secret, either, which just adds to the fun. So, I've been taking the camera with me everywhere. 

Recently, I've made the decision to quit worrying and just trust science, and have been getting back out into the world a bit more. I don't think my friend thought I was being obnoxious at all when I pulled out the G11 to grab this shot from the outdoor patio where we were having lunch. It is a nimble little tool, far more nimble than I was after my plate of fried catfish.

Don't drive by!

 

Build a little extra time into your travel plans to allow for a few stops along the way. If you don't end up taking a photograph, you can do a little stretching. Street yoga. We were going to drive past this old wreck of a building but thankfully my wife insisted on stopping for a minute or two. And I am glad she did. It may not be a perfect photograph, but I am far less precious about these things anymore. The image may find its way into a future narrative, who knows. Meantime, I am happy that I took the shot! I used the Leica R9, the 50mm f/1.4 lens and a 36mm x 24 mm rectangle of Ilford Delta 400.

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.

Ominous trees

A few years ago, I was starting a new role at work, and was unsure about the future. I was getting some training about how to be a decent 'team leader'. The Kool-aid sure was delicious, and after the day's indoctrination was over, I spent an hour or so wandering around Winston-Salem, NC where I saw these unusual trees. I still have no idea what they are, but I thought they would look kind of ominous in silhouette, so that's how I shot 'em. From the EXIF data on the file, turns out I was using the Fujifilm X-100S. Now, that was a camera that I really had a lot of fun shooting.