VMLP 10: Minolta 50mm f2.8 Macro (AF) —The Everyday Macro
To be honest, the only reason I bought the 50mm f2.8 macro lens was was fear of losing or damaging my 100mm f2.8 macro. I’m almost embarrassed to say this now. The 50mm 2.8 is sharp and handy, and it allows one to shoot from only a few inches away.Continue Reading
Pink Flirt Daylily— A Short, Short Story
Description: Pink Flirt Daylily Background: I grew up seeing orange and pale yellow daylilies everywhere. We had a huge mound of the orange ones in our yard. I always considered them as little more than weeds, as yard background noise. My attitude toward daylilies didn’t change until I discovered there were othersContinue Reading
From Gear to Images
There is something special about looking through a viewfinder, framing a scene, pausing to be sure all is as desired, then slowly pressing the shutter button. Anticipation–that itch to see the scene on a negative–starts right then. The unknowns account for some of the allure of using film—failure is alwaysContinue Reading
Vincent
When I was a child, maybe eight or nine years old, I discovered paint-by-numbers kits. The kits were cheap and plentiful, always oil, and usually 8×10 or so in size. Completing a painting usually took only an afternoon. For some reason, no painting ever made it into a frame, andContinue Reading
The Final Three Cameras
I have shot seven rolls of film in the last week or so–usually this happens when I have a lot of new ideas to try. But this time, it’s because I got a few new cameras. They are the last purchases for the VMLP; my collecting efforts are complete! TheContinue Reading
Baby Lemons
“Lemon tree, very pretty, and the lemon flowers smell sweet,” as the song goes. I have learned these words are indeed true as I’ve watched the yearly cycle of the lemon tree in our sitting room. The tree was a gift for my mother-in-law (we all called her “Mommy”) sixContinue Reading
Refining My Development Technique with Df96 and Ultrafine Xtreme 400
I have had good results with Ultrafine Xtreme 100. The grain is always pleasant and the images sharp. The same has been true of HP5+ and Tri-X. However, I had begun to avoid Ultrafine Xtreme 400 because the grain was so pronounced that it had become distracting. I use CineStillContinue Reading
