The Woes of Using Seven Kinds of Cameras
I have seven types of cameras: AF SLR, Manual SLR, P&S, rangefinder, TLR, folding, and digital. I count the Pentax 645 as a manual SLR. There was a time when I had only AF Minoltas. They all work pretty much the same, with the higher-level models having more features. AsContinue Reading
Atlanta Botanical Gardens—Orchids and Such
Walking into the Fuqua Conservatory, one is met with a wall of humidity and the smell of moist earth. A few steps more, and one enters the Tropical Rotunda, where I spent most of my visit. Home to exotic tropical plants, the rotunda feels like another place, another time. OrchidsContinue Reading
Getting Reacquainted with the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Two years ago, I decided to take a camera to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It was the Earth Goddess display that piqued my interest. She seemed like the perfect subject for an early-morning image. Unfortunately, summer and autumn passed, and the visit was postponed until 2023. Last April, I purchasedContinue Reading
Flash-a-Palooza 2: Setting Up a Studio Flash Using Carl Shipman Guides
User manuals are good for learning controls and basic functions, but using a camera effectively requires more information. Eventually, I discovered the Hove Foto Books and the Magic Lantern Guides, which helped me take better advantage of camera features. Along the way, I came across Carl Shipman’s guides, which coveredContinue Reading
An Evening with Roy Hargrove
Roy Hargrove was one of the “young lions,” jazz musicians who formed a vanguard of talented newcomers to the jazz scene in the 80s and 90s. Being partial to trumpets, I came across his music while browsing the bins at Tower Records. It’s hard to pin down his style, butContinue Reading
Thinking Beyond 50mm, I: Going Wide with the Minolta MD W Rokkor 24mm f2.8
I’ve spent much more time testing cameras and lenses than trying to produce art. My still-life ambitions and desire to shoot North Georgia landscapes haven’t lessened. However, casual shooting has made it clear that I need a better understanding of the tools of the trade. A fundamental question for thoseContinue Reading
Society Garlic—Maybe This Year…
The Society Garlic has never had a fair chance. I planted it in July 2022, too late for Atlanta, but it seemed to hold on over the summer, which had more frequent rains than usual. It faded in the fall, but I had expected as much. However, the polar vortexContinue Reading
Konica Pearl II—An Awkward First Outing
The first time I saw a picture of the Konica Pearl II, I knew one was in my future. It had the right balance between art and machine; what little I had read about it was decidedly positive. My quest for a Pearl grew from my desire to shoot withContinue Reading
Succumbing to Passion (Fruit)
I don’t quite recall when I first experienced passionfruit. More than likely, it was at one of the two Brazilian restaurants we frequented in DC. “Brazil Tropical” was on the way to Georgetown, on Pennsylvania Ave (I think), while “Dona Flor” was on upper Wisconsin Avenue across from the movieContinue Reading
Flash-a-Palooza!-1: Here a Flash, There a Flash
Like most people who buy eBay lots, I have extra items that sellers tossed in. For example, very early on, when I had no intention of forming a Minolta collection, I won an X-700 system that came with a “G” winder still new in its box. That and the VC-7Continue Reading
