To Be a Pinhead
Who hasn’t been intrigued by pinhole photography? Particularly those images balanced with sharpness of place and ghostly action moving through it. But, like most people who use a camera regularly, whether for paycheck or hobby,…
Crank it and Go
Graflex Series B RB is… fun. And finicky. But, mostly fun. I never thought that the biggest issue with a Graflex SLR—the large focal-plane shutter variety—would be the size of my hands, which are not…
Found film, found moments.
I’ve always been one to drop into an antique store, particularly those in an out-of-the-way town I visit—which I try to do as state highways expand to resemble interstate freeways and bypass those towns they…
The best time for photos? When you have time.
There are those who advise one should wait for certain times of the day to go take your outdoor photos in the best light—that advice, primarily: Avoid midday! It’s not bad advice, but if I…
Hate for Instagram breeds…appreciation?
I posted recently to Grainery, the sorta new photo-sharing platform, for the first time in a long while. I opened the account about seven months ago as I, along with many Instagram users, had grudgingly…
No problem? Create one.
Do I need a pneumatic shutter release? Likely not. So, best to figure out how to fix the one I have…because? I was prompted recently to dig out the remnants of a pneumatic shutter release…
The photos that grow on you
When I pulled this image’s negative from the tank and held it in front of the bathroom light fixture, I was pleased. Not because I thought it was a great shot worthy of sharing and…
Ukraine inspires, and we need that.
Writing about one’s efforts fiddling with aging cameras and the film that goes in ‘em seems like a trivial exercise lately. Here in the US within the last month, we’ve had two mass shootings—both committed…
Lesson From Competition: Get Out of Your Head
If you’re digitally attached to LensCulture, Aperture or other photography foundations/organizations, you’ve no doubt seen the notices for competitions, be they “portrait,” “art,” “street”—whatever. I entered two during the last year, and paid the fee…
It’s true, the FED-2 is a can-do
With Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, threatening the global order like the good ol’ Soviet Union used to do, how timely is it to write some words about a classic Soviet-era camera, the FED-2?…