photography
I have been interested in photography for a long time. I remember getting a series of Kodak Instamatic camera's as a child. Eventually I graduated to a Yashica Electro 35 GSN (which I still have), a Minolta 201, than a Minolta XK (which I wish I still had), a Nikon F3 (still have), a Nikon F100 (still have), a Leica MP and a Hasselblad XPan II. As a teenager, I experimented with shooting black and white and developing and printing it in my parents bathroom. I still shoot black and white today, but I haven't developed film myself in at least twenty years. Even in this day and age of digital, I would love to have a darkroom. I have many fond memories slaving over the enlarger trying to get a print just right. Oh well, hopefully again in the future I can put together a real darkroom.
I have been using Nikon SLR's for more than twenty years, but in the last few years I've added Leica rangerfinders, and recently the Hasselblad XPan II for panoramic. I still like my Nikons SLR's for Macro and landscape, but once I started using the Leica's I found myself actually shooting more film. But I think that has partly to do with my choice in subjects and the fact that I am trying to carry less gear. It's taken me many years to learn that carrying more gear doesn't make you a better photographer. And whether your using a Nikon or a Leica, you don't have to haul along the kitchen sink to make good photographs. That's advice I seem to be able to follow with the Leica's but not the Nikons.
As a simple example, Nilsa was out in Phoenix in July of
2006 for training. I went out for a weekend so I could visit her and we could go to the Grand Canyon. I did the smart thing, I purchased a Lowepro Nova 5 shoulder bag,
which comfortably carried my MP, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 90mm Leica lenses, some accessories, and my XPan II. This bag fit under the seat of the airliner,
so I was able to carry it on. I did bring along my big Manfrotto 3021BPRO tripod, which I had to check with my luggage. Since the tripod is too big to fit into
my suitcase I had to check it in its own case. I had a case for it so it wasn't a big deal, but now I had two pieces of checked luggage. I did good with the cameras, but the tripod is
was simply the wrong tripod for this trip. And at around 7 lbs (w/head) was painful to carry around out in the field. And because it was a pain to carry around in the field,
I used it for maybe two of the nine rolls of film I shot. A tripod is no good if you don't use it.I need to look at a much smaller and preferably carbon
fiber or basalt tripod. So one accessory on my wish list will be a Gitzo G-1098 Compact Basalt Tripod. With a folded length of 18.1", it will fit into my
checked luggage.
The one thing I have not done in a long while is macro photography. My Nikon F3, with 6x finder, bellows, and 105mm Macro lens, is well suited for doing that kind of work. I just haven't felt the interest. I did some macro work a couple of years ago, but just don't have the interest for it today. I don't know why. It almost seems like such a pain to have to plan, setup, and execute. It's just easier to grab some film out of the freezer, take a camera or two and just go out and explore the world. I don't know maybe I'm just lazy. I think the interest will come back sooner or later.
One thing I have always like is landscapes. Going to the Grand Canyon was as great chance to photograph vast amounts of open, rugged space. The Hasselblad XPan II was well suited for that subject matter. I've posted a few of my XPan II pictures in my gallery. When I get some more time, I plan on posting more. The bad thing about photographing the Grand Canyon is that no matter how well you do it, any photograph pales in comparison to being there. And since I was there, I look at my photographs and those of others and they just don't capture the magnitude of the place.
