Like I said a couple posts ago, the more you go out, the more people you meet. This time I went out to McIntosh Lake with a roll of Ilford HP5 in a Rolleiflex 3.5F to see who I'd find. I always start on the promenade--that's what I call the sidewalk that wraps around the... Continue Reading →
Portrait Stories on 8×10 Film by the Muse’s Design
Sometimes I just feel like the writer taking dictation from the muse. As a portrait photographer making portraits of people I meet in public, I think of all the people I've photographed, and how little control I have over who I meet, who I approach, who says yes, who says no, who becomes a part... Continue Reading →
My Satisfaction = Photographing Folks Where I Find Them
A photographer friend recently sent me a video link to a talk by a photographer named Adrian discussing photography and his expectation to fail, concluding disappointment was just a part of the process. In the notes of the video titled, The Curse of the Photographer, he wrote, "Photographers might be destined to permanently feel dissatisfied.... Continue Reading →
What You Can Get with an Ask
Sometimes you just have to ask. You might get what you're asking for. I was recently in Urbana Illinois and I thought to look up online if there were any photography exhibits happening locally. I got the first result: Urbana Museum of Photography. Wait, what? There's a museum of photography right in this town? Wow,... Continue Reading →
Always the Rolleiflex for an Introduction
I've used a lot of different cameras and of them all, I'd say the Rolleiflex is the one that helps me meet the most people. This trio of photos tells a story. This is Juneau, the dog I was taking care of for three days last week. This is the owner of a cafe in... Continue Reading →
There’s Something About Portraits on 4×5 with a Graflex SLR
I went to the local lake with an Auto Graflex, one of the early 4x5 SLRs that didn't have a revolving back (RB) but a fixed back for horizontal photos. When I take a camera like that out in public, people respond with interest and wonder. It's a camera I picked up at a local... Continue Reading →
Taking a Leica M3 Everywhere for 30 Days
I switch out a lot between many cameras in different formats. I enjoy working with large format view cameras as well as the miniature format (as it was originally called)--35mm. And my favorite camera is my Rolleiflex. But for the next 30 days I'm carrying a Leica M3 with a 50mm rigid Summicron with me... Continue Reading →
A Gift of a Portrait to Add to My Worldwide Home Gallery Collection
The greatest gifts are those that expect no return. I dropped these two photographs off to Norm, who I wrote about in a previous article. Well, those portraits don't matter unless I print and frame them and get them to him so his family can enjoy them for some time to come. And that's exactly... Continue Reading →
Listen To Me, I Know Best (And See You Better Than You See Yourself!)
I showed some wonderful film photographs to a friend and they didn't like them. They said so. Which makes me say, "Hmmm, I know how to edit your photos better than you know how to see yourself, and I assure these are strong photographs that feature you looking your best." When I get my hair... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →