may 2017—roll 8

I will straight up own the fact that these aren't good photos. From subject matter to perspective to framing, they are pedestrian in every way you can imagine. They are tourist photos. But sometimes it's fun to be tourist, and that's what I was up to the afternoon I took these; biking around D.C. to snap shots—large, 6x9 negatives—of my favorite Civil War monuments in the city. A little known fact about the town is that it is rife with memorials to the generals who actually won the war. They are one of my favorite parts about the District, and on the eve of my move, I wanted to get some on film.

I haven't printed any of these, but I wouldn't be opposed to it, if you're interested in a print.

may 2017—roll 7

For Mother's Day weekend, I flew down to Charleston to see my parents (and my brother, who was on leave and back in the states). I had a bit of free time, so I took the ferry out to Ft. Sumter, which was a first for me. It's a neat little trip, but there isn't much as far as photography goes, especially when you're handholding medium format film. It was mid-afternoon, and I tried to shoot images that emphasized the hard shadows of a hot South Carolina sun. You see some of that in the first two, of which I like the second photo most, as there's a bit more abstraction in the relationship of the structure to the rest of the picture.

In general, however, I'm not thrilled with this roll. Then again, I wasn't thrilled with the last two rolls either. Some of this was a lack of inspiration that carried through the month. But some of it is the focal length. This camera, the Fuji GSW690, has a wide-angle lens, equivalent to roughly 28mm. I'm not great with that perspective, and it shows—I'm never sure of what to excise from the frame to tell a story or build a visual. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

may 2017—rolls 5 & 6

I'm moving from D.C., and have been working hard to get in as much D.C. stuff as possible. To that end, we recently took a long walk through Rock Creek Park, to enjoy the scenery and the weather. I brought a 6x9 camera—loaded on a tripod—and a smaller camera for quick shots in color. The color photos were in a previous post. These are (obviously) in black and white. I shot two full rolls (about 16 exposures) and I think these are the photos that work best. I tried to capture the various tones of green by adding a green filter to the lens, which lightens that color and provides more separation between the foliage and other elements in the scene.

With the exception of one photo, I'm honestly a little lukewarm about this whole set. But, I'm committed to sharing just about everything I shoot, so here they are. 

may 2017—rolls 3 & 4

These photos are from two separate cameras using two different kinds of film. The first five are from the Leica and were shot using Lomography film. The second five are from an Olympus XA2 (that I have since sold) using long-expired Kodak Ektachrome film that was cross-processed (i.e. processed in chemicals for a different kind of film). Most of the photos are from D.C, as usual, but the car was seen in Tacoma, Washington and the windmills and wildflowers were in Chino Hills, California.

fun with a vintage camera

For some time now, I've wanted a "folding camera." These are vintage cameras, produced from the 1920s until the 1950s, that literally fold and unfold, with the lens attached to a leather bellows that retracts inside of the camera when not in use. They were the compact of the era, a camera small enough to fit into a bag or a large pocket, or wear around your neck. Most such cameras are medium format, taking 120 roll film.

Not long ago, after lots of eBay hunting, I found the camera for me: a Mamiya Six KII, first produced in 1956. It's a 6x6 format camera with a coupled rangefinder (rare!) and the ability to shoot in 6x4.5, if you want more frames per roll. 

Now, these cameras—or specifically the lenses on these cameras—were made when color photography was still new. They are built for black and white, and lack the coatings that capture the full vibrancy of color film. They still render color, they just do so with a bit of character. Which brings us to these photos. This is the first roll I shot with the Mamiya. You'll notice that things are very sharp and clear—that's the lens, which is in good shape for its age. You'll notice that the colors are vibrant—that's the film, Kodak Ektar. And you might also notice a certain character to the photos. They are sharp and saturated, but they don't quite look modern. That is whatever magic happens when you use modern film with a 60-year-old lens. I'm a fan, and I can already see that this camera will get a lot of use.

As for details re: these photos: I took the first four while observing a public art installation in D.C. I took the other eight while walking through Chino Hills State Park in Chino Hills, California.

new mexico—part 5

These last photos are a bit of hodgepodge. They are shots taken at various points during our week in the Santa Fe area, although a good chunk were shot on our last day in town. Most of these are of structures—churches, missions, etc.—or the city's scenery. The first photo in this slideshow, fittingly, is of the last sunset we saw before we came home. It was a lovely sight, and a nice way to end a pretty wonderful time out west.

new mexico—part 4

On our penultimate day in Santa Fe, we drove out to Bandelier National Monument to see the cave wall dwellings and take a nice hike. (The weather out there was amazing.) It was also a great opportunity for me to get my inner Ansel Adams on. The contrast of the sky and those geological structures made for a few pretty strong photos. The one I want to highlight is up front, a shot that emphasizes the size and scale of the cliffside. I haven't received my negatives yet—I sent these photos off to be developed by my lab—but when I do, that is the first one I'm taking to the darkroom.

new mexico—part 3

Okay, so these photos are from that aforementioned drive, and specifically Taos, where we took a visit to the Taos Pueblo, one of the oldest continuous settlements in North America. I'm not even going to feign humility here: I love these photos. And I think this first one, in particular, is one of the best photos I've taken since I've been in this photography game. I like the composition, I like how it show cases the geometry, and I love the tonality. We get bright white from the clouds, black from the deep shadows on the pueblo, and everything in-between. I give myself a solid A. (Which, I know, is a bit conceited.)

new mexico—part 2

We spent one of our days in New Mexico just driving, taking the road from Santa Fe to Abiquiu—home to Georgia O'Keefe's Ghost Ranch—from Abiquiu up through Carson National Forest, across the Rio Grande, on to Taos, and then back to Santa Fe. It took the entire day, and while I'm not a huge fan of long drives, this was worth it. At every point, the scenery was beautiful. These photos are from that drive. My favorite, as always, is the first. The scenery is nice, but what I like here is the composition, and the sense that the subject—my wife—is walking into the distance, but not quite the unknown. It works.