Deciphering eBay Camera Listings: A Guide for Newbies
Since last year, when I dove headfirst into photography, I have taken chances buying gear from Goodwill and eBay. Both sites worked well for me because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on gear, then decide I had no passion or talent for photography. Well, I’ve foundContinue Reading
I Think I Killed the Butterfly Bush
How often should new plants be watered and how much each time? Both questions plagued me that first summer. The best advice I found said water new plants every day, then as often as you water the rest of your garden. Having never had a garden, I didn’t find thatContinue Reading
A Passion for Still Life
I started doing photography to get better pictures of my garden—the iPhone 4s was not cutting it. I never considered becoming a photographer; it simply wasn’t a consideration. Nor did I intend for photography to become a hobby. The cost and bother of getting film developed led me to takeContinue Reading
Meet Haki
This is Haki. He was a gift that arrived one Christmas twenty-five years ago. Since then, he has lived everywhere I have. From time to time, I rub him down with ointment (he is covered in thick leather) to keep him shiny and soft. He is sturdy, weighing about 40Continue Reading
Planting Day: June 3, 2014
By June 3, the azaleas on the east side of the yard had been moved to allow for the hosta garden. The herb garden had been planted, and now it was time for the botanical section, so named because it was the intended home of the more exotic plants. Belatedly,Continue Reading
Rules of Composition: Leading Lines
Photography for Dummies was the first photography book I read. The chapter on composition was brief, providing an overview of basic techniques. There were a few images offered as examples, but, in all, the chapter was not very helpful. The Rule of Thirds was the first rule I learned. ItContinue Reading
Crocosmia: So It May Secretly Begin (Floral Version)
So It May Secretly Begin (listen) is a song track from my favorite Pat Metheny album, Still Life (Talking). I have listened to this album, especially this song, hundreds of times—driving, falling asleep, studying, romancing. I like its fluid elegance. It starts softly, tentatively, as if expressing contemplation or uncertainty. As itContinue Reading
The Vintage-Minolta Love Project: Shooting Every SLR from the SR-2 to the Maxxum 5D
The day I held the Maxxum 7000i for the first time proved to be a turning point in my life. I thought I was buying an inexpensive AF camera to take pictures of my garden. In reality, I was joining the ranks of Minolta collectors. I started down this pathContinue Reading
All My Perennials: Coneflowers, Susans, Salvia, and Phlox
By the end of May 2014, I had mapped the sun’s movement, chosen plants, and bought topsoil, mulch, and composted manure. I owned two types of shovels, a garden rake, a hatchet, a digging fork, a kneeling bench, and various smaller implements— all I needed were the plants. I hadContinue Reading
DF96 Monobath? Yeah, Baby!
For the first few months after getting my 7000i, I shot only color film because local labs charged more for B&W and only processed it once per week. I wanted to try shooting B&W, and the only workable solution at the time was to use chromogenic film. Ilford XP2 wasContinue Reading
