I've enjoyed taking pictures for as long as I can remember. It was probably at the age of 6 or 7 that my photographic fascination began, with the gift of a 110 Kodak Instamatic from my parents.

 

I have also always been fascinated by "gadgets" and mechanical things. I would guess that my interest centers around the questions, "what do these gadgets do, what can they do to benefit me and how do they do what they do?"

 

Well, it should come as no surprise that I decided long ago that cameras are incredibly fantastic gadgets!

 

At the age of 13, it all "clicked" for me after I took advantage of a photography class at the middle school I was attending. When I signed up for this class, my father gave me his Pentax Spotmatic II. I learned so much in the two years that I spent in that classroom. I learned about exposure, shutter speed vs. aperture vs. ISO, composition, B&W film processing and printing, etc etc etc. It was a great time! I continued to attend photography classes in high-school when the opportunity presented itself.

 

Soon after I graduated from high-school, I was the victim of a burglary. Much was lost, including my camera and accessories. For reasons I can't explain, I never did replace that camera. I did continue to take pictures with far less capable gear and still managed to take some nice pictures by using what knowledge I had gained in the classes I had attended.

 

Fast forward two decades... after a vacation to New Mexico, I came to the realization that I wanted to do more than what my point-and-shoot camera was capable of. I decided to finally invest in a new SLR! So, I shopped around and bought a Nikon D200 with several lenses and accessories. Wow! What an incredible camera!!! I couldn't believe the capabilities of todays' cameras vs. the "old school" Pentax that I learned on. After almost a year of shooting the D200, I wanted more. The D200 is a great camera, but I wanted the superior high-ISO performance of a full-frame sensor... I now shoot a D700.

 

Recently, the thought occurred to me that digital, program exposure and autofocus, with all of the benefits and conveniences they offer, have also been detrimental. I've become more complacent and sloppy, taking for granted the "automatic" nature of it all and the almost unlimited number of exposures that are possible with a large memory card. It's too easy to shoot "continuous" and take for granted that there will be one or two good shots in the bunch at the end of the day.

 

So...... With the intention of forcing myself to "work for it", I've gotten back into film. Of course, I still have the D700 and still shoot with it, but I have also acquired an assortment of film cameras ranging from a Mamiya RB67, Mamiya C33, Nikon F3, Nikon F100, Nikon FE and a Pentax Spotmatic!

 

October 2010 I took the plunge and have been gearing-up for 4x5 large format!

 

I've really been enjoying this backward step to the "old way" of taking pictures. Maybe I'll learn something new, hone my skills and possibly capture a nice image as a result.

 

Although I've attended classes and have years of experience behind a camera, I feel like I am nowhere near "there" with my photography. I still make simple, preventable mistakes and still have much to learn about taking pictures and processing/post-processing. I find post-processing especially difficult due to my color deficient vision. I don't see colors "normally". I can not tell the difference between certain colors. This is a curse and a blessing as colors that look "right" to me might be far from it. Could make for some interesting images!

 

All criticism is encouraged and appreciated.

Thanks for looking at my photos!

 

If I happen to add you as a contact, that simply means that I admire your photography.

 

Equipment addiction inventory:

 

Nikon:

Bodies:

D700

F100

F3

FA

FE

Lenses-autofocus:

AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 D

AF Nikkor 20mm 1:2.8 D

AF Nikkor 80-200mm 1:2.8 D

AF Nikkor 14mm 1:2.8 D

Lenses-manual focus:

Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8

Nikkor HC 28mm 1:3.5 AIS'd

Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 ais "pancake"

Nikon Series E 50mm 1:1.8 "pancake"

Nikkor 28mm 1:3.5 ais

Tokina 70-210mm 1:4-5.6 ais

Nikkor 35-135mm 1:3.5-4.5 ais

 

Mamiya:

Bodies:

RB67 Pro

RB67 Pro S

Lenses:

Mamiya Sekor-C 50mm 1:4.5

Two: Mamiya Sekor-C 90mm 1:3.8

 

Pentax:

Body:

Spotmatic

Lenses:

Super Takumar 50mm 1:1.4

Super Takumar 135mm 1:3.5

 

Canon:

G11

Canonet QL17

 

Zeiss:

Zeiss Ikon Nettar 515/16

  

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