The Stages of Minolta Collecting
It has been two years since I bought my first “7,” the Maxxum 7000i. That Maxxum 7000i was my gateway to Minolta collecting. I was happily snapping away with my 40.00 7000i until I discovered it was only the second generation of level-seven Maxxums. Finding out there were five “7”Continue Reading
Garden Frame: A Rosemary Flower Portrait, Finally!!!
Description: Portrait of a small bouquet of rosemary flowers Background: When I planned the herb garden, two herbs, rosemary and thyme were accorded top billing. These I use frequently, and I liked the idea of being able to step outside and get them fresh. Thyme, I had successfully grown in the past,Continue Reading
Everyone Has a Dream Camera
There are cameras one dreams about having, and there are cameras that, owning them, one dreams about using. They aren’t necessarily the same camera. My father-in-law had a classic Leica from the 50s and a Rollei TLR. Those were his dream cameras. Until May 2019, the closest I had comeContinue Reading
Ilford XP2: Scan in B&W or Color Mode???
When I first started shooting film, I quickly learned that the days of cheap film development and processing were long gone. The biggest shock was that B&W cost two to three dollars more than color, anywhere from 15-17.00 per roll. Development times were also longer. Of the local shops, Dunwoody Photo, pre-pandemic,Continue Reading
Garden Frame: Exuberance
Description: A garden in full bloom, late-April Background: I live on a street in the middle of the city. Lots are small with front yards to match. Tired of trying to grow a decent lawn, I settled on flowers. Having decided to plant flowers, my design inspirations were bees, butterflies, birds, colors,Continue Reading
Flower Photography Books—Exactly What I Needed
Every now and then, someone will show up with the perfect gift. In this case, it was my wife with flower photography books! I have two older garden photography books, but they have proven to be less helpful than I had hoped. They are wordier than I like and areContinue Reading
VMLP 7: The Minolta SR-3–The Best Version of the Minolta SR-2?
The Minolta SR-3 was the next upper-level Minolta SLR after the SR-2. The SR-2 is a collector’s item because it was Minolta’s first SLR and only about 20,000 were made. The SR-7 is noted for its built-in meter, the first Minolta SLR with this capability. The middle child SR-3 goesContinue Reading
If Winter Comes…
At the end of the first season of the garden, when the frost hit and everything died, I felt such a sense of loss. Browns replaced greens, indigos, pinks, yellows, and lavenders. Gray skies joined the brown and muted the landscape. Sunny days only made the loss more noticeable. ButContinue Reading
Questions about Shooting Red and Yellow Flowers
It’s offseason in the garden, so I have time to plan. Getting detailed images of red and yellow flowers is at the top of my photography-skills-to-improve list. Shooting red and yellow flowers often returns colorful blobs with little detail. I’ve had some success, but it’s unpredictable. Looking back at myContinue Reading
Du Jazz
I hated jazz. In a conversation with an older friend, 30-year-old me held as ridiculous that anyone really liked jazz. I grew up with the last major wave in jazz expression, “free.” This was the style that came with Ornette Coleman in the early 60s. Bitches Brew, the much-heralded 25-minute soundContinue Reading
