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
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
I have too many cameras and lenses. When buying gear, sometimes it’s necessary to buy an entire lot just to get one item. This happened to me a number of times, and now I need to find loving homes for the overflow. I decided to do the VMLP forContinue Reading
Sometimes things seem destined to go wrong. Last week I decided to try out my new black XD11. It came in a lot, and the owner said it had been stored unused for 15 years. Usually, I would insist on proof the camera worked. But this XD11 was black and said toContinue Reading
Over the last few weeks, my posting has been sporadic because I was dealing with business matters that demanded my attention. Blessedly, those came to a very satisfactory conclusion, and I have time to devote to EarthSunFilm again. I plan my posts to follow a specific schedule, and my businessContinue Reading
After reading yet another article about scanning software, I realized that scanning and I have a marriage of convenience. I will never figure out how to use SilverFast; it’s the most unintuitive software I have ever encountered—and that includes learning Unix commands. Epson provides a free copy of its softwareContinue Reading
The cost of film has gone up a lot in the past year. The first time I bought Lomography 400 film, it cost about 17 dollars; it’s now 27.00 plus shipping. Ilford raised prices, and Kodak did the same. My five-pack of Portra 160 that I bought for 35.00 atContinue Reading
Description: Bottle of añejo rum with accoutrements Background: I discovered añejo rum for mixing drinks only five years ago. For years, I only kept and used white rum, usually Bacardi. My introduction to rum happened many years ago. The first attempt was sophomore year in college, which didn’t turn outContinue Reading
Gardenias are lovely, evergreen shrubs, and aside from yearly trimming, they are generally carefree plants. When in bloom, they send out a lush fragrance that lingers far beyond their location. The west side of the house has harsh growing conditions compared to the rest of the yard. It is aContinue Reading
I’ve had to delve further into metering, or more correctly, into inaccurate metering, than I cared to. While shooting film for the SR-3, I decided to do a few studio shots with the SR-3 and a Minolta 8000i. The SR-3 is from 1960 and has no internal meter, so IContinue Reading
