Album Art
As a child, few things were more sublime than a bowl of cereal eaten leisurely while reading the Sunday comics. My sisters and I would each scheme to be the first to grab the newspaper. Newspaper comics, in color, happened only once a week, and scarcity made them more cherishedContinue Reading
Headaches Using an M1 Mac, MacOS Ventura, Epson V600, and Epson Scan 2 Software
The Epson V600 arrived in 2020 when the pandemic closed everything. My first scanning setup paired the V600 with a 2012 MacBook Pro. Once I got the correct drivers, that combo worked fine. Then, two years ago, without warning, my Mac died, and I got an M1Continue Reading
VMLP 32: The Minolta X-600, a Little Something Extra
For me, the Minolta X-600 was only a little less mythical than the Minolta Sky. I had seen references to the X-600 in passing but had never seen anyone mention one until a member of the Minolta Collector’s group showed pics of his newly-arrived prize. Intrigued, I searched forContinue Reading
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
