So What Are You Reading? Agfa APX 400 Film Test

 

The Wide View, by Reed A. George

Zeiss SW, Voigtlander 12mm f5.6 Lens

Agfa APX 400 Film

 

I'm testing and getting my shooting parameters down for a new (discontinued) film, Agfa APX 400. My friend Dennis Gallus gave me (!) a 100' roll, which I've started to bulk load. My first roll came out underexposed and possibly underdeveloped (7 mins in D-76, 1:1). After seeing that, I read up about the film online, and found that many people used to shoot it at 200 instead of the indicated 400 speed. I will try that, and believe it will really help.

 

This shot was made with my widest lens, the Voigtlander 12mm f5.6. You can see my current book of choice in the foreground, Eight Girls Taking Pictures, by Whitney Ott. It is a fictional work, telling the story of eight female photographer/artists. I'm enjoying it very much.

 

Thanks again for the film, Dennis! I'll have it all worked out in another roll or two.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

Readers and Reading - On Books

 

Reading Japanese Books with Upside Down Face Covers, by Reed A. George

 

I absolutely love to read. Always have. Even though I'm not a fast reader by any means, I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction.

 

So what got me on this subject today? An incredible portfolio by Lawrence Schwartzwald, featured on Elizabeth Avedon's blog. (Click Here) to see it. You really must.

Japanese Subway Reader, by Reed A. George

 

So, go grab a book and learn something! Looking for something to read? Try The Lotus Eaters, by Tatjana Soli (see the link below).

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Haruki Murakami and Photography

Black Dog, by Reed A. George

I love to read Japanese fiction. Haruki Murakami is probably my all-time favorite author. As with many Japanese authors, Murakami's works leave us with stories that don't just end on the last page. They're rarely wrapped up with a bow and finished when the book ends.

 

This weekend, I read Murakami's latest novella, The Strange Library. True to form, it's got all of the oddness of Murakami's mind, nicely packaged in under 100 pages. I highly suggest giving it a try. There's an Amazon link to the book at the end of this post.

 

Looking into what others make of the meaning of this story, I happened across some interesting photography on Murakami's web page.

 

First, (Click Here) to see a gallery of images by Eizo Matsumura, sharing scenes of Murakami's Tokyo. These seem like they could have been made with a Holga, Diana, or other toy camera. Lots of interesting feel to them.

 

Next, (Click Here) to see a gallery of images that were contributed by readers of Murakami's Facebook page, specifically answering the question "What's the strangest thing in your library?" Obviously targeted to the new book mentioned above. It seems that Murakami's readers may be as interesting as the author himself.

 

DMC-365.blogspot.com