Looking Forward to Spider Day!
This is Bob—or, more accurately, Bob the 8th Duke of the Window. I have dispatched the duke’s predecessors many times, and now, as always, an heir has shown up to claim the family estate. There is a small crack between the frame and the bottom of the window that isContinue Reading
So…I Bought a Lightbox
Some things look far easier to accomplish than they are. I learned this lesson again when trying to capture images of gear to use for user experience reports. Often, I would set up a spot to shoot and find that window light didn’t work—too much reflection, too dim, wrong angle,Continue Reading
VMLP 15: Minolta Maxxum 7xi—Comme ci, Comme ça
I get that some people love the xi models. I get that one size does not fit all. And I get that Minolta was focused on innovation, which I applaud. I really, really tried to the like the 7xi—I really did. The xi camera series is an example of technologyContinue Reading
Garden Frame: Bella, Bellflower
Description: A bellflower cluster (Campanula Carpatica) shot in the late afternoon sun Background: I knew almost nothing about bellflowers when I bought this plant. What little I knew had been gleaned from the label on the pot. They made their way to the garden by overwhelming me with their bluish-purple color presentedContinue Reading
Buying Film: Places and Prices
Over the last two years, I have seen emulsions disappear and prices skyrocket. For example, two years ago, I bought two rolls of 35mm Kodak Ektar to use for garden shots. Those two rolls sat in my freezer until this July, when I finally used one. Thankfully, many of theContinue Reading
On Images: Beauty and Meaning
Recently, I watched a series on impressionist painters. It included my favorites—Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. I’ve seen their works in museums in Paris, DC, Chicago, Boston, and other cities, and I never tire of looking at them. I’ve even had the opportunity to visit the Lautrec museumContinue Reading
Butterfly Season
When planning the garden, I deliberately chose plants that attracted bees and butterflies. I had no idea which butterflies to expect, but whatever showed up was welcome. Over the last eight seasons (has it really been eight!?), six kinds of butterflies have been regulars–Black Swallowtails, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails (yellow), Silver-spottedContinue Reading
VMLP 14: Minolta Maxxum 70-210mm (Beercan)—It’s De Rigueur
Get a Minolta Maxxum camera, then ask around about what lenses to buy. If you already have a 50mm lens, the next suggestion will nearly always be “get a Beercan.” I ran into this advice on just about every blog and forum I visited, so the 70-210mm f4 was theContinue Reading
Twelve Exposure Film: The Good, The Bad, The Unfortunate
Buying old cameras, regardless of source, requires one to test them for functionality before any serious use. So, when I started buying vintage Minoltas in February 2019, I had to create a testing protocol. The first film I used was Fuji Superia Xtra 400 with 36 exposures (all I couldContinue Reading
Crocosmia: A Remembrance of Seasons Past
Looking out over the garden in late August, I see the flowers entering the final stage of the season. The Black-eyed Susan blooms are fading, producing seeds that the goldfinches love. The verbenas along the sidewalk have given up, no longer able to take the heat reflected off the cement.Continue Reading
