Ektar 100? Yes, But with -1.5 Exposure Compensation for Reds
This is a story about reconciliation. Flowers have been the main focus from the beginning of my photography journey. I wanted to capture the garden’s color and vibrancy and make a few elegant floral portraits. During the 2019 flower season, I tried six color emulsions: Portra 400, Portra 800, Ultramax,Continue Reading
Frame Works? “Shadow and Light”
Description: Light band across columns in afternoon light Background: With plenty of windows on the western, southern, and eastern sides of the house, I witness changes in sunlight patterns over the year. For some reason, the specific set of windows through which the sunlight washes in conveys a mood and a feelingContinue Reading
Curious Weather
Gardening makes one pay close attention to the weather. I keep a rain gauge and check the levels after each rain, then average those values over the week to determine whether I need to water. I never imagined caring that much about rainfall. Weather changes receive the same attention. IContinue Reading
VMLP 18: The Minolta Maxxum 7000i—A Nod of Appreciation (With Affection)
If I were writing VMLP posts based on how much I’ve used each camera, the 7000i would have been one of the first three posts. The 7000i is the camera that drew me into Minolta madness. For the benefit of those who don’t know my photography origin story, I willContinue Reading
Changing My Approach to Evaluating Cameras, Lenses, and Emulsions
I’ve tested a lot of new-to-me cameras and lenses over the last few years, and the process has become something I dread. Fortunately, all basic testing has been completed, and now I am in the “will I keep this” phase of testing. Most earlier tests were driven by the needContinue Reading
Earth, Sun, Film: Looking Back Two Years
Lately, I have spent a lot of time thinking about why I started EarthSunFilm. Maybe it’s the rarely seen snow swirling past the window and the stillness that descends at the insistence of the cold that invite me to reflect on the last two years. The impetus for EarthSunFilm beganContinue Reading
Kodak Tri-X (Mis) Adventures: Tales of Discovery and Woe
As regular readers know, I have taken a fancy to rangefinder Minoltas. That new itch has been scratched by three recent rangefinder buys: 7sII, Super A, and basic Minolta A. The 7sII (my second) was bought cheaply for parts, although the seller said only the meter did not work. TheContinue Reading
Photography, Drawing, Gardening: Looking Forward to a Busy 2022!
Starting a blog is the beginning of an open-ended journey. One never knows what path it will take and where/when it might end. Looking back, some things have turned out well; others are still just plans. For example, I expected that by now, the fourth year of the blog, IContinue Reading
Garden Year 2021—End of Season Review
Every winter, I look back over flower season to rue mistakes and cheer successes. This year has been a mixture of both. Since 2014, the first season, I have documented the garden—first with an iPhone 4s, and now with an iPhone 8 and Minolta Maxxum 7D. Documenting is a separateContinue Reading
Hama Time!
Mark Hama is a legend in the Yashica TLR world. He actually worked at Yashica assembling TLRs for years. I became aware of Mr. Hama after buying my Yashica Mat 124. It seems that, going back years, every mention of having a Yashica repaired referenced him. His continued provision ofContinue Reading
