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
Stepping into Medium Format with the Yashica Mat 124
A growing interest in still life photography brought me to medium format. More specifically, it was the desire for larger negatives. At the time, early February 2020, I was focused on darkroom printing and wanted to print larger than 8×10. Ahh, the good old days… Although I did not startContinue Reading
Bright and Putrid
Winter in Atlanta is the rainy season. Fall and spring have regular, predictable rain— the kind one expects. Winter is different. From late December until February, it rains—drenching rains. The temperature varies with the rain. Sunny days are cold, while rainy days tend to bring warmer temps. A sunny dayContinue Reading
Frame Works? Monet-ish
Description: Late-spring flowers in a vase, window and incandescent light Background: Since my eighth-grade French class, I have admired impressionist paintings. Alongside pictures of famous chateaux, many of which I’ve since visited, there were posters of works by Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Degas. Of all those poster images, Monet’s water liliesContinue Reading
The Wonder of Fragrance
It has been cold here since early December, at least cold for Atlanta. As usual, it has rained regularly, leading to many chilly, damp days. Looking out over the garden, everything has died, even the creeping Jenny—something that hasn’t happened for the last three years. The air alternates, one dayContinue Reading
VMLP 6: Exploring Manual Minolta Zooms
When I set out to do the Vintage Minolta Love Project, the idea was to try as many SLR bodies as I could afford. Thanks to eBay and people cleaning out garages, attics, and closets, I have been able to get the bodies I desired. With lenses, I took aContinue Reading
