Library Update: Two More Black and White Photography Books
Like everyone else, I’m always looking for ways to improve my photographs. I’ve read books on foundational topics, such as the zone system and rules of composition, and now, after six years, it’s time to do my photography—time to explore. As with any creative field, the next step isContinue Reading
VMLP 43: Minolta AF 28mm f2.8—Adequate and Inexpensive
Autumn in Atlanta this year was warmer than usual, making November sunny with comfortably warm days and clear nights. Inspired by the weather, I wandered around the city more than usual, shooting nine rolls in two weeks—a record. When deciding what to shoot, it dawned on me thatContinue Reading
The Towers That Be
I have attempted to photograph these columns multiple times, and each time something has gone wrong. On one visit, the lens’s field of view did not fit my conceptualization. Next, I used a 24mm lens on a camera with a bad light leak. Another time, I droppedContinue Reading
Okay—Who Did What?
This warning sign is near the back (south side) of the Old Fourth Ward Park reservoir, where the water is quite deep. Whenever I see a sign like this, I wonder what triggered its installation. At the north side of the park, the reservoir has a shallow edgeContinue Reading
The Fab 50’s: Slowly Working My Way Through Minolta’s Normal Lenses
The 50mm focal length is a mainstay of photography. Budding photographers are advised to get a 50mm lens as their first purchase. Leica Thread Mount (LTM) rangefinders offered 50mm lenses before SLRs existed. And when SLRs arrived in the late 1950s, 50mm lenses were among the very first lensesContinue Reading
Film Fare: LomoChrome Color ’92–Blue and Grain
As the saying goes, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” When it comes to Lomography’s range of color films, this saying rings true. The traditional color films: CN 100, 400, and 800 are pretty standard in their renditions. The more artsy films–Turquoise, Purple, Metropolis, andContinue Reading
So—It’s Not a Cannon…
From 50 yards away, this looks like a cannon. That was my impression every time I drove by. It always seemed odd that a cannon would be in Old Fourth Ward Park, because I never read of it being a battlefield. But I went with my impression and decidedContinue Reading
An Odd Year in the Garden
Usually, by late November, all the flowers are gone. This autumn has been different. After a one-day freeze, the temps returned to the 70s, and flowers are still blooming. The coneflowers have new blooms, and the red sage is still vibrant. Even the sweet alyssum, which usually dies with theContinue Reading
VMLP 42: Minolta MD Zoom 24-35mm, f/3.5 — A Good Thing in a Small Package
The early 1980s seem to have been the glory days for manual Minolta zooms. The 24-35mm f/3.5, released in 1981, was among the early wave of MD III lenses introduced between 1981 and 1983. Many members of this group — 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5, 28-85mm f3.5-4.5, 70-210mm f/4, and the last versionContinue Reading
Film Fare: Going Through the Freezer
Starting in the middle of the pandemic, I began buying an assortment of films to experiment with. Prior to that time, I had used only Kodak and Fuji consumer films (UltraMax and Fuji Superia X-tra 400) bought locally. Black-and-white film entered my repertoire in late 2020, via UltrafineContinue Reading
