The Photo Walk Went Mostly Digital

Last week's post about our Denver photo walk was a treat to write and bring you along to where we went, what we saw. I love how photography and words--storytelling--allowed me to bring you the stories of the day. Take you along, in a sense. But though I had film cameras with me, I know...

I Can’t Help But Want to Shoot a Ten Dollar Nikon

It was the end of an estate sale. No one had bought it for $20. It had a couple, maybe three rusty screws on the bottom. Batteries were dead, so of course, it didn't power on. No one knew if it worked. I offered $10, they said sure. Glad to sell it. Move it along....

A $2K Leica M2 or a $30 Nikon N80

The difference in price is perhaps $1970 (possibly much more!) That amount will buy 328 rolls of Ilford HP5 film. That's 11,808 exposures, frames of film or pictures. Each line represents one roll of film, picture your refrigerator full of film. |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| |||||||||| ||||||||||...

Saturday Photography & Street Portrait Workshops in Colorado in 2022

From time to time, I have photographers asking about scheduling street photography workshops, to make both candid street photographs as well as street portraits. I enjoy making both, and often shoot on both digital mediums as well as 35mm, medium format and large format film. 35mm film street portrait in Boulder. I also am one...

One Leica M2, One Rolleiflex 3.5F, One 5×7 LF Camera — That’s All I Need!

And this Nikon FM2. And this Polaroid SX-70. That's all I need. I don't need anything else. Except this Wista DX 4x5. A Leica M2, a Rolleiflex 3.5F, a 5x7 LF Camera, the Nikon FM2 and the Polaroid SX-70 and Wista DX. That's all I need. I don't need anything else. Except this Nikon S4....

Telling Our Stories in Photo Series

That's essentially what this is. A group of adults trying to figure out how to stop a ceiling fan from always turning. Then finding the missing switch, hitting it and celebrating. Simple little photo story that tells the tale of a single moment in the life of a bunch of friends. What could be a...

Cameras Can Inspire Our Work

I recently picked up a Nikon S4 rangefinder with a Nikkor 50mm f1.4 lens. It was made in 1959, I've shown it here before and it's been the one I've been using lately and it inspires me. I like looking through it, working with it. Loaded with Ilford HP5, it's ready in any kind of...

Photographs Last: There’s No Substitute for Film

A young woman admired my Nikon S4 Rangefinder film camera, which prompted me to ask to make her portrait. For me, there's nothing like shooting a film camera as it's the only kind that produces a negative that I can print in my darkroom and gift a photograph to the subject of the photo. A...

If New Camera Equals Inspiration Then Go Get It

Whatever it takes. Call it GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), JWSN (just wanting something new) or NWCIB (now what can I buy), but if a new camera is what it takes to inspire us to create, then get the new camera. The end result is all that matters. The photographs. They don't care what they were...

The Camera In Hand Makes the Photograph

Which camera inspires you to make what type of photograph? There are times when I carry a small Leica IIIg with a tiny 50mm f3.5 or Leica II with its 35mm f3.5 collapsible lens in my front jeans pocket because they make me feel good having a small candid camera always at the ready, and...