the verdict on f/1.4...

Ended up having a friend tell me about a Nikon FG-20 that his parents had for sale locally. Since this was the model of camera that I first bought when I was in the 7th grade, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to own this camera again. The shutter button on my original camera broke a few years back when I was on a trip and I that was when I bought my Leica M6. One thing that I had forgotten was why I decided to stop buying lenses that stop down to f/1.4. I had bought the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 right before the shutter button broke and never really got to try it out much. It produces beautiful photos, when you can get the focus right. The last part is becoming harder for me as my eyes age. That is why I've pretty much stayed with f/2.0 and above on my Canon and Leica lenses. With my first roll in the Nikon, I decided to shoot mostly on f/1.4 to see how I would do. Well, the proof is in the photos (most of them anyway).  I need to stick with f/2.0 and above...

hung up on the detail...

I posted an iPhone photo of this on IG a few months back. It was a wide-angle view of the room, compared to this closeup of the hangars. There is merit to both, but I mostly prefer the detail of closeup...

big inside sale...

 

It's your typical small-town downtown with all sorts of interesting store fronts. After reading all of the signs, I was even getting confused...

the moments matter...

In a matter of moments, things change from all smiles to taking medicine. I love having a camera with me at all times to catch these type of moments. It's not always about getting everyone to look at the camera. Sometimes, you just have to document what is going on. This is a style of photography that I want to master someday...

celebrating pyper...

Today is Pyper's birthday. So excited to celebrate 6 yrs of being around this little girl. Her expressions have been in so many of my pictures and I look forward to adding many many more over the coming years...

what really matters...

how can 'what I am to the people around me" make a difference. that's all that really matters...

missed memories...

Another image that was taken from a fairly close distance. I shoot mainly with the 50mm, so it seems even closer (with no distortion). So many images with so many expressions and I love them all. I have been looking at many unscanned negatives that I have taken over the last few months. Gosh, I take a lot of photos of Pyper and Allister. I guess maybe I am trying to make up for all the memories that I might have missed with Maci and Sadi. It's crazy to think that I only had one camera almost the entire time when Maci and Sadi were growing up. No wonder I missed capturing some of the memories...

who else but kids...

Who else, but kids, can you photograph outside in their PJs sucking their thumb and carrying a blanket with a stuffed animal. 

On another note, the BWXX film seems a bit grainy in this roll. The more I figure out about film developing, the more I realize that there is more to it. Plan on trying another Ilford developer (Ilfotech DD-X) soon to see if I can improve the grain...

a consuming part of my life...

A moment outside, in close, where I caught her staring at the lens. Imagine that this was captured on some plastic film with some emulsion (that has silver halide in it) using a box and some glass that funneled the light onto the film. I continually am amazed that I do this so often and take for granted that I have the tools and the material to make this happen over and over and over again. So the question was asked. Is photography an important part of your life? I think I can honestly answer that photography (and capturing moments just like this) consumes my life...

it's a matter of focus...

I've said it many times. My favorite photos are the ones where I get in close. Pyper was so focused on coloring that it didn't bother her one bit that I come in close to capture this memory. In reality, we were both pretty focused. Just on different things...

Figuring it out...

I bought a box of Kodak Tri-X Pan 4x5 sheet film off from eBay a few weeks ago. It expired in May of 1978. I couldn't wait to try it out and I finally got the opportunity today. I exposed and developed it as ISO 50 film (vs the original ISO of 320) to compensate for the age of the film. Sherri was such a good sport on this. I originally took a New55 image, but I realized that the pod had burst when I was loading the film, so I wanted to take another image as a backup. So glad I did. This image turned out so good. Its a perfect example of figuring things out to get an image that you want...

worth the wait...

Pulled this image off from a negative that's been in my Canon Elan iie for quite some time. Image was probably taken almost a year ago. Sometimes the wait is well worth it...

kids with cameras...

To build on yesterday's post, it never gets old shooting kids (aka "future photographers" with cameras...

photograpers with cameras...

It never gets old shooting photographers with cameras...

a moment of clarity...

Some shots don't need a face to complete it. This is one of those images that is the poster child for medium format film. When you zoom in at 200 percent, the camera almost becomes the size of my 27 inch monitor and the letters on the lens are crisp and clear with a beautiful rendition of grain surrounding this crisp focus point. The Zeiss optics, the Ektar 120 film and the bright sunny day all contribute to the end product and make this image what it is. I strive for the day when more of my Hasselblad images turn out this stellar. After a few thousand more, I may eventually make it...

a reflection of sundance square...

A window reflection from Sundance Square in downtown Ft Worth captured earlier this year. So many Texas elements in this photo, including me and my Leica M6. It definitely has a Ft Worth vibe...

three things...

Taken over the summer when we were living at a friends farmhouse while we were waiting on our house to be finished. Such great memories. Looking through my film scans makes me realize three things. (1) I take too many pictures of Pyper. She is probably going to be emotionally scarred from this someday and have a fear of people with cameras. (2) I love pictures with grain more than ever before. I never thought I would prefer grain over sharpness. (3)  Most of my photos are taken with a horizontal perspective. I think that is just how my brain sees the world...

the passing of time...

A photo of Maci from all the way back in February of this year when Maci, Tyler, me and Sherri took Pyper and Allister to the Sports Park playground in Greenville. I am not for sure that there are many times that I show up to anything without a camera. I guess I am afraid of missing something special. Even though most of what I capture seems to be the ordinary (such as this). That being said, I am starting to realize that the ordinary seems to become special as time passes...

goodbyes are never easy...

A few weeks back, I flew in from Boston and Sadi was on her way back to college. We met for dinner in Arlington because I didn't get to see her when she came home for a few days. No matter if the time is short or if we get to spend a week together, goodbyes are never easy.  We are so proud of everything Sadi has accomplished, but we miss her nonetheless. I love the fact that I always have a camera with me (in this case, my Leica M6) so I can capture these special moments for permanent memories...

shootout...

A good film day today... I received the email with the link to some of my color film scans. Some of the film was taken quite some time ago. Here is a photo of Toby during one of my visits to Southern California during January of this year. We all ended up at Laguna Beach to try and catch some sunset photos. It was that typical photo of taking pictures of each other taking pictures (a shoot out of sorts). Better late than never on posting the photo...