(Camera: Olympus 35RC; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)
I’m fresh back from a trip to Costa Rica to see the stars. Once I’ve done all my processing and caught up on sleep, I’ll assemble an image gallery. Until then, here’s a sample image taken on a wonderful afternoon walk.
(Camera: Hasselblad 503cx; Lens: 150mm f/4 Zeiss Sonnar; Film: Fuji Acros 100)
An interesting thing happened on the way to this picture. I came upon a stand of red alders and carefully set up my camera and tripod. I spent more time than usual trying to get just the right camera position to include the trees I wanted, and exclude the ones I felt were just clutter. In fact, I spent so much time framing the shot that I neglected to set the shutter speed on my camera and wound up underexposing by two stops.
Comet Hale-Bopp, April 1,1997.
(Camera: Yashica FX-3 Super 2000; Lens: Yashica 28mm; Film: Kodak Ultra Gold 400)
Comets bright enough to be seen without a telescope or binoculars are rare. Those that can rightly be called “great comets,” are rarer still. For stargazers of my generation, a long drought finally broke in the 1990’s when two great comets appeared in rapid succession. The first of these was Comet Hyakutake, which arrived in the spring of 1996, but was long gone before many people even knew about it. A year later, Comet Hale-Bopp rose to prominence. In March and April 1997, Hale-Bopp was so bright that I could see it from my living room window in downtown Vancouver. Under a pristine, dark sky, it was beyond magnificent. Continue reading
(Camera: Olympus Stylus Epic DLX; Film: Kodak Ektar 100)
We don’t get a great deal of snow here in Victoria, so when we do, it’s quite an event. And perhaps because it’s so rare, it seems especially beautiful. I took this picture after waiting out a sudden squall in the shelter of a big, Douglas fir tree. In a matter of minutes, it was all over and the sky turned a brilliant blue. On the right edge of the photo, you can see the storm retreating across the Juan de Fuca Strait. It was exciting while it lasted.
(Camera: Canon Sure Shot A-1; Film: expired Kodak Gold 400)
Most photographers gravitate towards a one-lens solution, especially for their “walking around” camera. And more often than not, that one lens is a zoom. But what if you prefer the crisp images provided by so-called prime lenses? Or, what if your camera of choice is a fixed-lens classic, or a compact point-and-shoot model without a zoom? By using a couple of basic, old-time photographer’s tricks, you can combine the versatility of a zoom with the tack-sharp image quality of a single-focal-length lens.
This was my second camera and my first SLR. It’s also one of the few I ever bought brand new. The year was 1989, and I knew I wanted something basic — no auto focus, auto exposure, no auto anything. But by the end of the 1980s, the world had moved on from the era of the all-manual SLR and few options remained. The only ones I knew about were the venerable Pentax K1000 and this camera, made by the Japanese manufacturing giant Kyocera. Continue reading
(Camera: Yashica FX-3 Super 2000; Lens: Yashica 50mm f/1.9; Film: Kodak Tri-X Pan)
There are some photographic subjects so burdened with powerful associations that it’s difficult to see any representation of them as “art.” Take, for example, this photograph of a cat. His name is Beau. I’ve always liked this portrait, but while in the darkroom printing this negative recently, I wondered if this was art, or simply a competent photo of a handsome tabby? I think most of us would agree that a portrait can simultaneously be a representative likeness and fine art. But can a photo of a cat — any photo of any cat — dare have such lofty aspirations? Continue reading
(Camera: Canon Sure Shot A-1; Film: expired Kodak Gold 400)
Although the days have been getting longer since the winter solstice back on December 21st, from this latitude, all the extra daylight has been added to the evening, with later and later sunsets. If, like me, you hate getting out of bed when it’s still dark outside, then the extra daylight so far has been of little consolation. That slowly began to change a week ago, but it’s this week when things really begin to take off with nearly an extra minute of daylight tacked onto each morning. Sunrise today was at 7:59, but by next Monday it’ll be at 7:53 — 6 minutes earlier. Now we’re getting somewhere! Continue reading
(Camera: Horizon Kompakt; Film: Kodak T-Max 100)
In the Bleak Midwinter, by Christina Rossetti.
(Camera: Olympus OM-2n; Lens: Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.8; Film Kodak Ektar 100)
As of today, the days get longer and the nights get shorter. There’s a lot of winter to get through yet, but we’ve turned the corner. Oh tidings of comfort and joy.
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