Thoughts From The Void
November 3, 20142 CommentsMusingsFor the first time in a decade, I took a break from photography without existential angst being its impetus — but that's not to say it didn't nearly prevent my return.
Pi
September 24, 20148 CommentsMusingsBy employing the world's most circuitous path, this article predicts the impending return of a vibrant and burgeoning film camera market. Crazy? Or crazy like a fox?
The Are-Bure-Boke-Matic
September 1, 201411 CommentsPhoto GearGrainy. Blurry. Out-of-focus. To the average photographer, these are characteristics to avoid at all cost. Fortunately, I never claimed to be "the average photographer." So for all you not-so-average photographers seeking to infuse some low-fidelity grunge into your high-fidelity world, I present the Olympus Pen EE-2 camera for your consideration.
Psycho Semantics
August 1, 201410 CommentsMusingsYou'd think, after a decade-and-a-half of widespread moaning, bragging, posturing, marketing and pontificating, that every conceivable angle of the film vs digital debate would have been covered ad nauseam by ten thousand bloggers and a hundred thousand forum participants. So how is it I managed to uncover a heretofore un-debated cranny?
The Blacksmith’s Lot
July 7, 20146 CommentsPhoto GearLike telegraphs, typewriters, turntables and anvils, the Voigtlander Vito III 35mm folding camera is a relic of an earlier time. To many, that makes it obsolete. But for those who truly enjoy the act of photography, its antediluvian origins do not equate to uselessness. Distilled of all bells and whistles, it performs the same fundamental function as any current-generation digital SLR or mirrorless marvel — it takes photographs. And it does it quite nicely.
Caffenolog 2: A Shot in the Dark
July 1, 20147 CommentsPhoto TechniquesPart 2 of the Caffenolog ostensibly discusses developing Acros 100 in Caffenol-C-M. But because this is an ULTRAsomething article, that whole caffenol angle might actually be an elaborate excuse to further hone my Hasselblad XPan skills (and the word "skills," as used here, is infused with irony). Then again, it's entirely possible that both the Caffenol and Xpan threads are diversionary tactics, meant to obfuscate the true topic — my distaste for being labeled "a blogger." Likelier still, it's all of the above.
Cones of Silence
June 12, 20145 CommentsMusingsULTRA newsEveryone redesigns their website now and then. But only ULTRAsomething would use such a mundane task as justification for an observational post on the state of humanity.
Caffenolog 1: Enter the Dragon
June 1, 20141 commentPhoto TechniquesOnce upon a time, I believed instant coffee was one of the most insipid substances on earth — but that was before I started dunking my film in it.
Sigma vs. Nerd (Part 3: The DP3)
May 18, 201426 CommentsPhoto GearIn Parts 1 and 2 of this series, I spent a tremendous number of words discussing the merits of Sigma's Foveon sensor for BW photography. In this article, I'll look specifically at the DP3 Merrill as a camera, rather than as a box that holds a Foveon sensor.
Sigma vs. Nerd (Part 2: The BW Merrill)
May 15, 201410 CommentsPhoto GearAfter Part 1's discussion of the theoretical advantages of Sigma's Foveon sensor for BW photography, this next installment looks at the BW process in detail, making it even nerdier than Part 1. The article includes a discussion of the tonal differences between BW photos taken with Sigma cameras vs. BW photos converted from color images taken with "traditional" digital cameras. It then segues into an examination of the BW workflow required by Sigma, including both the advantages and disadvantages of the process, plus my recommendations for improving both the process and the cameras.
National Biplane Lady Day
May 1, 20145 CommentsMusingsWhich of these two is more ridiculous: "Film Photography Day" or "National Biplane Lady Day?" In this article I present the arguments. You make the decision.
Sigma vs. Nerd (Part 1: Sensor School)
April 14, 20149 CommentsPhoto GearMany people love cameras because they love gizmos, gadgets and technology. My love for cameras is more of an adjunct to my true love — photography. But that doesn't preclude me from occasionally going full-on camera nerd — particularly when it comes to something like Sigma's Foveon sensor, which has the theoretical potential to transform my BW photography.
A Treatise on X and Z
April 1, 20143 CommentsMusingsPhoto TechniquesI've often said that photography's closest art form is not painting, but poetry. So perhaps it's not surprising that I've uncovered yet another link between photography and language.
The Fallacy of Saw
March 13, 20149 CommentsMusingsWhat I see when I see what I saw is not the same fiction as most others divulge.
Fractured
February 17, 20148 CommentsMusingsI can no longer deny my propensity for "fractured photography." Now I just need to figure out what, exactly, that means.
Cats and Dogs
February 1, 201410 CommentsPhoto GearIt's not often I give my impressions of modern digital cameras because, frankly, it's not often that modern digital cameras impress me. So hold onto your socks, because this article contains impressions of not one, but two modern digital cameras — the Olympus OM-D EM-1 and the Ricoh GR.
How Many Wrongs Make a Right?
January 10, 20144 CommentsMusingsIf two wrongs don't make a right, then how many wrongs does it take? At last, the answer is revealed!
The Ponce Factor
December 2, 20136 CommentsMusingsUnsurprisingly (and like most photographers), my Holiday wish list is once again filled with all manner of photo-related paraphernalia. The surprising part lies in my definition of what constitutes "photo-related paraphernalia."