Visit to a Buddhist Temple - With My Rolleiflex 2.8F

Wat Lao Buddhavong, by Reed A. George

Rolleiflex 2.8F, Kodak TMax 400 Film

 

I made a visit to a local Buddhist temple that I'd never been to before - Wat Lao Buddhavong in Catlett, Virginia. Anticipating a festival that never materialized (I guess my information was wrong), I took the opportunity to walk around the grounds. These are a few of the things I saw there.

 

Shooting with TMax 400 in the bright sunlight and with snow still on the ground meant very fast shutter speeds (1/250-1/500) and small apertures. I did use a yellow filter, which reduced the sensitivity by about 1 - 1 1/2 stops, so really, I was shooting at an equivalent of about iso 150.

 

The square composition worked well for me here. The detail that the 2.8F's Carl Zeiss Planar bring out are just amazing.

 

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Brownie Reflex 127 - Some Results

Remember when I posted the question pondering why cheap old cameras are so much fun? (Click Here) if you don't remember, or want to see what the Brownie Reflex looks like.

 

Here are a couple of results from my first roll of Efke 127 (I bought it a couple of years back), developed by Dwayne's. The first is just an odd perspective of the new Metro station in Reston, Virginia. I actually like the way the film exposure numbers show up at the top (who knows why?).

 

Metro, by Reed A. George, Kodak Brownie Reflex Camera

And here's a scene you may have seen before, as I shot it with both the Brownie and my new Nikon Df. (Click Here) to see the Df version.

End of the Season, by Reed A. George, Kodak Brownie Reflex Camera

 

I like the randomness of shooting with very basic old cameras. They're cheap, and I think at least as much fun as shooting with a Holga. Once you've loaded film, the only variable in your control is composition. Exposure and focus are fixed.

This Brownie Reflex was $10, and cleaned up very nicely. However, getting 127 film is not easy, and it's expensive ($11-$12 per roll, twelve exposures). The only place I know to get it reliably is The Frugal Photographer (frugalphotographer.com). I bought a few rolls last time, including some black and white and some color.

 

You can still get 127 developed with no problem. This time, I used Dwayne's. But, I'm not as happy with their work as I am with The Darkroom (thedarkroom.com). Just my opinion. It's good to have them both as options.

I've got a few more images to share from this first roll, so stay tuned!

 

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Dusk at the Old Homestead - Outside El Reno, Oklahoma

Nikon Df, Nikkor 35-70mm f2.8 Lens at 35mm

iso 1600, f4, 1/30 sec.

 

I made my trip to Oklahoma with only one lens on the Nikon Df. I must say that I found it slightly limiting, but also liberating. No decisions to make, no fumbling to change lenses.

 

I made this shot right after sundown. I couldn't find the right spot for my tripod, as I was shooting from the roadside, and there was a fence in the way. So, I cranked the Df up to 1600 (no problem at all for this camera), leaned on a fencepost, and shot.

 

Can you imagine the stories this old place could tell?

 

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You Know How They Say The Camera Doesn't Matter?

Well, based on this morning's browsing of the Rolleiflex and Rolleicord group on flickr, I don't buy it.

Ada, by flickr user Traveling Darkroom

http://www.metaroundthecorner.wordpress.com/

 

Okay, I know, the photographer matters more than the camera. That is true. But there's an abnormally high frequency of great images in this particular group, if you ask me.

 

(Click Here) to judge for yourself.

 

Now, it could be the square image format that I happen to like. Or, it could be the different perspective that you can get with any twin lens reflex (TLR) or other camera that has a waist level finder. But, I think there may be more to it than that.

 

I went out with my Rolleiflex yesterday, and without seeing any results yet, feel more confident than usual that I got at least one or two great images. The film ships out to The Darkroom today, so we'll know in a couple of days.

 

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Visual Poetry - Audubon Park, New Orleans

Visual Poetry, by Reed A. George

Leica M9, Leica Summicron 35mm f2 v.3 lens

iso 200, f3.4, 1/1000 sec.

 

Knowing that it was important to get out of the French Quarter, at least for a little while on my recent trip to New Orleans, I hopped a streetcar to Audubon Park one morning. After my own SNAFU, whereby I rode past the station where I needed to change lines, walked several blocks to recover, then discovered that the streetcar line was under construction and being supported by bus, I was quite a bit later arriving than I had planned. The bright Louisiana sun was well up in the sky when I got to the park. That did not stop me.

 

This is one of my favorite couple of images from that morning. I saw this composition as soon as I walked into the park; an hour later and the lighting would have been all wrong. There are several things I love about this shot. The light is at nearly exactly the right position to put the statue's face in a nice combination of light and shadow, and light the body of the statue perfectly to stand out against the dark backround of the live oak branches behind it. I love how the statues interact, including the third and fourth, slightly out of focus in the background above the child statue at bottom right. They're barely even elements in the composition, which is how I wanted it. The palm tree in silhouette way back there is another important element to me. The similarity of the main statue's pose and arm position to that of the lovely live oak tree behind is probably what attracted me to this composition in the first place.

 

Of course, the next time I go to New Orleans, I will be at the park at sunrise; that would just be spectacular. Not having made it at the perfect time on this morning, I'm quite pleased with this result.

 

The Leica M9 and 35mm Summicron pulled it off nicely for me. I think this one warrants a print.

 

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DMC-LX7 Landscape in Two Versions - Which Do You Prefer?

Here's a shot I took in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii:

Lahaina Seawall's End, by Reed A. George

Panasonic DMC-LX7

 

I used Snapseed on the iPad to crop and straighten it. The square format worked much better than the original rectangular composition. I like the shot, but don't love it. The fence in the shadows is a major drawback in my opinion.

 

As I sometimes do, I took this image quite a bit further with some of Snapseed's effects. Here's the result:

 

Same Shot, Manipulated

 

Personally, I think the modified version has more feel to it. The fence is still there, but doesn't bother me nearly as much. I hate to admit that I enjoy manipulating images, as I consider myself a "straight" photographer. I also find it ironic to add imperfections to a perfectly good digital image. But, I do like the outcome.

 

Opinions?

 

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AMAZING Photography With New Fuji X100S and X20 - Colin Steel on Steve Huff Photo

Truly Inspired Photography by Colin Steel

Image Source: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2013/04/15/easter-in-sicily-with-the-new-fujis-by-colin-steel/

 

Every once in a while I see a series of photographs that makes me say "I am not worthy." Well, thanks to Steve Huff's website, and Colin Steel's photographs from Sicily, that is how I feel right now.

 

I will summarize a few key points from Colin's write up, but you MUST

 

(Click Here) to see Colin's images on Steve Huff Photo.

 

Colin used the new Fujifilm X100S and X20 on this trip. I really enjoyed Colin's take on cameras and technology. He says that to him, image quality means "how effectively can I crate interesting photographs with these tools?" Colin concludes that there are many great camera options out there today, including the two new Fujifilm models. Instead of focusing on the equipment, he focused on capturing spectacular images, and boy, did he succeed.

 

He focused so little on equipment, the pictures don't even say which of the two cameras they were taken with.

 

Colin likes to shoot in square (1:1) format, in black and white. He reports that the X100S has a very nice square frameline in the optical finder. He also found the new manual focus tools in the X100S very useful. He says the X20 made a good pairing with the X100S, mostly based on the similarity of the controls.

 

Colin post-processes using Nik's Silverefexpro2 software, which I have just recently gotten myself. Interestingly, he likes the Tri-X film emulator in Silverefexpro2, which is my favorite so far. I tried many times to find Lightroom settings to emulate Tri-X; I never came close to what Silverefexpro2 provides.

 

As I wrote some time back, even though I'm very attracted to the Fujifilm X100S, I don't think a fixed 35mm equivalent lens works that well for me. I prefer 50mm field of view. The X20 is a different story. I handled one in Japan, and really, really liked it. For now, I'm still enjoying my new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7, but the X20 still may make its way into my kit.

 

In any case, Colin set a new benchmark for me with these images. I'm so impressed.

 

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This Would Make a Great Skeletons From The Closet Camera - Crazy Fedya Shares Some Zeiss Ikon Tenax II Pics on Rangefinder Forum

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131173

 

When I read Crazy Fedya's post on Rangefinder Forum this morning, I was intrigued by a model of Zeiss Ikon camera that I had not seen before, the Tenax II.

 

(Click Here) to see the post on Rangefinder Forum. There's another nice shot there, too.

 

Since my Skeletons From The Closet camera for March was the Zeiss Ikon 120 folding camera with f3.5 Tessar, I thought the Tenax II may be comparable. Crazy Fedya's has a Tessar f2.8 lens, uncoated (made in 1939). By the way, if you haven't tried shooting with an old uncoated lens, you owe it to yourself to try. One of my all-time favorite lenses is a Leica Summitar 5cm f2 lens, which is uncoated. It's tough to explain the look, but I'll be happy to show you in upcoming Whole Lotta Leica posts - I'll definitely be featuring that lens soon.

 

I love square format images, and usually that's an immediate clue that the camera is a medium format camera, usually shooting 2 1/4" square images on 120 film.

 

Then, I did a quick search on the Tenax II and found Mike Elek's post about his:

 

(Click Here) to read Mike Elek's excellent post about the Zeiss Tenax II. You MUST click through the first page to see a great series of Mike's images with his Tenax II, which has a Sonnar f2 lens. Even nicer than the excellent Tessar!

 

But here's the surprise - for me, at least. The Tenax II shoots 35mm film! That's right, it makes 24x24 mm. images on 35mm film. How cool is that? Boy, I'd like to have one of these.

 

And more surprises - this was actually a system camera, with interchangeable lenses. A quick look online tells me they're somewhat uncommon, and can be quite expensive.

 

So, I'll keep the Tenax II in the back of my mind - if I ever find one for a reasonable price, I'll try out square format imaging on 35mm film.

 

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Skeletons From The Closet - March's Camera - The Zeiss Ikonta 521/16 With "Eagle Eye" Tessar

 

Zeiss Ikonta 521/16 With Tessar 75mm f3.5 Lens, by Reed A. George

 

My original plan for March's Skeletons From The Closet (SFTC) pick was a 35mm folding camera. Since I'm taking probably my most exciting trip of the year (to Japan) in March this year, instead of April when I normally go, I decided that I really wanted to carry a medium format camera this month. So, I decided to take my Zeiss 521/16.

 

This is a beautiful old camera, produced between 1948 and 1953. It uses 120 film, and produces 6x6 (2 2 1/4" square) images.

 

You may have seen my post back on November 19 of last year, sharing some found film images from this camera. It was used to shoot a presidential speech by John F. Kennedy in the early 1960s.

 

(Click Here) to see that post of old images from this camera.

 

I also wrote a tongue-in-cheek nod to Edgar Allan Poe's Telltale Heart about this camera. You can read that on JPG Magazine's site if you (Click Here).

 

I want to shoot some color images with this camera while I'm in Japan, so I've already purchased a five roll box of Portra 400. With a maximum shutter speed of 1/200 sec., that may be a little fast if the weather is nice. I'll also take along a roll or two of Fuji Reala that is waiting in my refrigerator.

 

Oh, and don't worry, that 35mm folder will be out in a later month as the SFTC pick.

 

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