From the Maxxum 7000 to the Maxxum 70: Ranking My Minolta Autofocus Sevens
Back in the 1980s, I dreamed of owning a Minolta 7000i. At the time, it was far beyond my budget, so I never got one. In February 2019, after deciding I wanted a film camera to record my garden, the first camera I looked for was a Minolta MaxxumContinue Reading
Cabbagetown, From Mill Town to Art Colony
Cabbagetown is a small, historic neighborhood just east of downtown Atlanta. It was a mill town. That is, the residents were the employees of the Fulton Cotton and Bag Mill, which opened in 1881. The neighborhood consists of simple one and two-bedroom shotgun houses (built by the mill’sContinue Reading
VMLP 37: Minolta MD Tele Rokkor 100mm f2.5 (MD II)—Buy One (NOW!!!)
Once I added manual focus cameras to the VMLP, I had to decide which lenses to explore. Initially, I settled on zooms because I had the standard 50mm lenses, and prime SR lenses were more expensive than the AF lenses I used. Once I had a decent collectionContinue Reading
Sphere in Summer
The last time I visited this sphere it was late winter, construction of the space was not quite finished, and the ground was still bare clay in many areas. Now the sphere is surrounded by greenery and benches. I noticed for the first time there is a sculptureContinue Reading
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
The idea of a neighborhood pub intrigues me. Probably because, like many others, Cheers was one of my favorite TV shows. Pub life is often portrayed as consisting of convivial times in good company with a few drinks. Bars, in my experience, are the opposite of convivial—thereContinue Reading
Carter Center: Around the Grounds and Down to the Lake
The Carter Center is in the middle of Atlanta, sitting between two Freedom Parkway lanes. When driving by, it is inconspicuous, nestled behind a collection of trees. I’ve passed by many times because Freedom Parkway is a quick way to get from downtown to the east side ofContinue Reading
VMLP 36: The Minolta XE-5—A Good Camera, but Mistakes Were Made…
The XE-5 and XE-7 intrigued me because they were part of the Minolta-Leica collaboration, and I wanted to see what the fuss was about. My first XE-5 was a Goodwill buy. It arrived with a good 50mm f2 lens, but the film advance was stuck. Fortunately, a little tinkering resultedContinue Reading
Hosta Hostage
Three years ago, many front-yard ferns were banished to the backyard because they had overwhelmed the halcyon, raspberry sorbet, and Fire Island hostas. Things went well for two years, but this year, we are back where we started. This halcyon leaf tells me that it still survives, but itsContinue Reading
Turn on the “Juice”
During my childhood days in Southwest Virginia, I often heard my parents refer to electricity as “juice.” And that word still comes to mind when I see a meter. The vibrant colors of these meters look like juice flavors, and even though they are for gas, I can’t help thinking…lemon,Continue Reading
Hahn Woods: Neighborhood Wilderness
Most cities have public parks where one can stroll, picnic, or shelter from the bustle of city life. I’m discovering that Atlanta has taken the notion of public greenspaces to the next level. Patches of wilderness are tucked away in the most unexpected places, and Hahn Woods is a perfectContinue Reading
