Season Finale
It hasn’t rained in almost seven weeks. Despite the lack of rain, many flowers are happily blooming. I cut back the black and blue saliva, which had become yellowed and ungainly, to the point where only one-foot stalks remained. Six weeks later, it’s lush and loaded withContinue Reading
Minolta Chiyoko Super Rokkor 50mm f2—No Longer Neglected
Last summer, I wrote about my experiences with three LTM lenses: Super Rokkor 45mm f2, Super Rokkor 50mm f2.8, and the Canon Serenar 50mm 1.9. All were better than I had expected. Since then, I have obtained what is considered the best Minolta standard LTM lens, the 50mmContinue Reading
Lomography CN 400 with the 150mm f3.5 and Pentax 645
This has been the best summer ever for garden images. The Pentax 645 finally made it back into the rotation after two years of neglect. I bought the Pentax 645 expecting to use it mainly for studio shots because it’s too large to carry around. However, using aContinue Reading
It’s That Way…
After a few moments’ consideration and looking around, I could not find a clue as to why I should visit the trestle or go up to the roof. Continue Reading
Iron Ivy
The shadows made by the late-afternoon sun caught my attention. I walked around the iron ivy a few times, looking for the best angle to capture the feeling I hoped to convey with the image. Should only the ivy and the wall show? Would background beyond the wallContinue Reading
Made of Stone
Odd collections of stones are scattered about Old Fourth Ward Park. After passing by them a few times, I decided to photograph three. However, I could not quite decide on how to do so. They have no color at all, so color film is pointless. There are few shadows,Continue Reading
Down the Rangefinder Rabbit Hole with LTM Lenses
If you are considering buying a classic interchangeable lens rangefinder, be warned: things can quickly get out of hand. Leica led the way with interchangeable lens rangefinders, and current market prices reflect that influence. The Leica thread mount (LTM) was adopted by many camera manufacturers, creating a vastContinue Reading
Flowers on Portra 400: Pentax 645 and Macro 120mm and 13mm Extension Tube
This summer I’ve shot a lot of flower images, more (probably) than any previous year. I’m aiming for portrait images, but not macro-photo views. Capturing colors with good fidelity has been a challenge, especially for the “Pink Flirt” daylilies. They have colors that are not replicated well byContinue Reading
Old Fourth Ward Park Lagniappe
June 1st was a beautiful spring day, with low humidity and high, fluffy clouds, accompanied by a gentle breeze. I loaded two cameras and went for a stroll that eventually took me through Old Fourth Ward Park. As odd as it may seem, I have only visited the parkContinue Reading
Learning to Use Extension Tubes With the Pentax 645
After trying macro lenses for the last five years, I decided it was time to try extension tubes. Typically, one uses extension tubes for higher magnification than is possible with a dedicated macro lens. However, at present, I’m more interested in experimentation with decreased minimum focus distance for regularContinue Reading
