1/60 at f2.8 and Be There with Film for $8

I was with some friends last weekend for dinner who afterward were going to a book reading and launch party by a relative of theirs (and an acquaintence of mine) and they invited me along. I was going to bring along a digital camera, but then figured they would be shooting phone photos so I...

Give Me H.I Over A.I.

It seems you can't turn on a news program or read a newspaper without getting another story about A.I. How it's the greatest thing, the best thing, the smartest thing, the worst thing, the most dangerous thing, and every other variation. I'm all for technological improvements but it seems we as a society don't know...

I Make Snapshots (They’re Really Good Well-Composed Snapshots!)

When I'm with friends I'm often photographing them doing what they're doing so I can share photo prints with them later once the moment is past. That's what a snapshot is, a look back on a special moment in time when we were together, sharing time. My friends all know whenever I join them, I'll...

Photographing The Beatles

Linda McCartney looked pretty stealth working in those Beatles Get Back sessions that were shown on Apple TV last year, wielding her Nikon probably loaded with Kodak Tri-X film. The beauty of black and white for documentary photographs--that's something that only can be done with a camera using film. Sure, today you could shoot on...

Camera Exposure Settings I Use (Film & Digital)

I thought I'd share my exposure settings for how I make photos on black and white Ilford HP5+ negative film and also on a digital full-frame Nikon. Proven ways that work for me. Often without a light meter on a Leica. First off, you can certainly use (A) aperture priority if you have a camera...

The Value of the Documentary Photograph

As you know, I have a camera everywhere I go and Christmas Eve with friends was no exception. They always have a houseful of family and friends and you can count on there being a sing-along of holiday carols. I made the choice of a Pentax MX with a fast 28mm f2 lens knowing that...

Your Photography, Your Story

I think about what I make for street photographs, street portraits, and documentary photographs and how altogether they add up to my story. They tell you how I see, what I see, and the way I see it. It's a connection for you to my world, places I've been, and people I've met and seen....

“Thanks For Choosing Us!”: Making Someone’s Day with a Portrait

Tim Gilbert I enjoy using a camera to meet people as I have written about numerous times. Yesterday was no different. A photographer friend of mine, Tim Gilbert, who is the mastermind behind Stearman Press and the SP-445 developing tank in which you can develop four sheets of 4x5 film, handed me a prototype of...

My Work Featured in Ilford Film’s Online Magazine

Ilford Film (a UK company that makes black and white film) featured a story about my Longmont Lake Project in their online magazine. I worked for 10 weeks with a Rolleiflex 3.5F loaded with Ilford HP5+ film. We make work to be seen. At least I do. I have heard of photographers who just like...

Beauty and the Beast

One of these is a photographic tool used to create images with light, to make framed and matted photographic art to hang on walls and savor memories. The other is a computer with a lens that makes files. One gives you endless possibilities for creating photographic prints. The other has a desktop computer job waiting...