Looking Back Six Seasons: My Advice for Would-Be Gardeners
Looking back over six seasons of gardening, I have a few nuggets of advice to pass on. Take what I say as a stern warning with enthusiastic encouragement. Gardening is good for the soul, but so is fasting—remember this… Get a good bookAssuming you have never had a realContinue Reading
Developing Color at Home with the CineStill 2-Bath Cs41 Kit
By May 2020, I had a few rolls of exposed color film that had been lying around for a while. Usually, I would shoot three or four rolls of color film, then drive out to The PhotoSpot in Douglasville and have them processed. The PhotoSpot is an old-fashioned film labContinue Reading
A Week of Flowers–Day Six
The Words with Herbs blog suggested readers create “A Week of Flowers” posts where they shows off their summer flowers, so I decided to jump in. It has been a wonderful growing season here in Atlanta, but next week will be the first frost, and most of my perennialsContinue Reading
Mastering Film Photography–Finding the Right Books
In February, it will be two years since I bought my first Maxxum, a 7000i. I’ve made it past the basics of understanding exposure and seem to be getting a handle on composition, but there is much more to master. Drawing and finding the best ways to light still lifesContinue Reading
Chipmunk Paparazzi
I have waited a very long time to get this shot. Chipmunks have been around the entire time we’ve lived here, but sightings became rare when the hawks and owls arrived a few years ago. Since then, two large trees have been cut down, and the raptors have moved on.Continue Reading
Frame Works? Ars Gratia Artis
Description: Studio workspace in afternoon light Background: In an earlier post, I recounted my foray into drawing, and to a limited extent, painting. My painting has consisted of creating backgrounds for still life photography projects. As with many things, it is difficult to do just a little, which describes my efforts withContinue Reading
Introducing Lens Love!
When I decided to do the Vintage Minolta Love Project, the focus was on camera bodies and how camera features and technology had changed over the years. The plan was to own only a few lenses and use them to evaluate all cameras. Having started with autofocus cameras, I hadContinue Reading
The Meaning of the Blues
The “blues” is bespoke, even though you never ask for it. It always fits you exactly, like a well-tailored suit. The blues comes in degrees and gradients. Sometimes, it’s the bittersweet melancholy of pining for a love now far removed. At other times, a mild setback that one combats withContinue Reading
Frame Works? Vase with Flowers
Description: Vase with flowers in brilliant window light Background: In April, late in the afternoon, the sun shines for an hour or so from the southwest into our dining room window, forming a narrow beam. Walking past can be blinding if one is not careful. The brilliance is a blessing. With lightContinue Reading
VMLP 4: The Minolta Maxxum 7000—Let There Be Autofocus!
After using the Maxxum 7000i, my first Minolta and real camera in more than three decades, I realized I wanted to try other Minolta cameras. That realization led me to research other models. On learning that Minolta favored the numbers 5, 7, and 9 when naming cameras, I decided that,Continue Reading