Great idea. I did that once in the 70's with an old barn about 15 miles from where I was working. Whenever I drove by with the camera I took a shot. All went well until a wind storm did in moments what gravity was taking months to do. I did get the rubble however. On film. Photos and negatives long lost after multiple moves.

It was a wonderful camera. I bought one in 1977 as my first camera. Some time in the late 90's I loaned it to a friend who wanted to learn photography (he never did, nor did he return the camera). Recently one crossed my desk. I held it, caressed it, and enjoyed the flashbacks to the years that I used it. And then, I gave it to a guy in the community who has a collection of old cameras. Buff up the outside the best you can and display it attractively.

I prefer number one. Might experiment with dodging the background just a bit to add some balance and a bit more interest. Both are terrific.

Have used Adorama for six years since finally getting back to photography. No complaints at all. Good prices and very fast shipping are attractive options. Have purchased everything from the camera to lenses and small attachments or lens covers (I lose those with distressing regularity).

Digital is only less expensive after dealing with the higher startup costs. My photography mentor took 2000 slides on a trip to Australia some 25 or 30 years ago. The cost of processing then was high. Today that cost would pay for the new computer.

Those are great! Reminds me of one of the happiest afternoons in years shooting in an antique store in a remote part of South Australia. The owner was pleased and even offered to help with light or suggested a different angle.

Buggy whips. You've obviously never lived in the Pennsylvania Dutch parts of PA (not necessarily the Lancaster area). In the Mifflinburg area of central PA (about 50 miles east of Penn State's University Park Campus) the shopping centers have hitching posts. And all those buggies have whips.

On the matter of photography. I had to stop using a film camera when I entered a religious order because of the expense of developing. Two years ago, when I was sent to Australia, I took some 20,000 images. It would have been impossible to afford contact sheets to say nothing of prints. Many of those images flash in front of me as a screen saver and trigger memories and moments of deep contemplation.

A point about manipulation. While working in D.C. a friend and I went to the National Gallery. We saw Ansel Adams' iconic Bridal Veil Falls. Nearby was a print made from the original negative. The print was pure Brownie Starflash, small, pale and grainy. The combination of paper, silver impregnation, burning and dodging gave the result that is considered a masterpiece. I use Aperture 3 (one cannot add heads on different bodies in Aperture) on an iMac. Have rescued some photos affected by flare simply by changing them to b&w, heightening contrast, polarizing etc. I can't send any at the moment as I am working on a laptop rather than at the desk. I think that the creative possibilities exceed "the heights of film". I am also grateful I can do this seated without the stench of chemicals.

Don't even bother thinking, simply do it. I've never shot jpegs because of the ability to manipulate the photos afterwards. You will need a larger card. I use 32 gb in a 12 mp camera, and perhaps have a back up when traveling. The download takes longer but the payoff is being able to correct white balance easily with excellent results and a much larger photo for cropping if needed.

I am a Jesuit priest in New England, older in age but fairly young in terms of years as a Jesuit who stumbled across this forum by accident a few weeks ago. It would be easy to spend way too many hours on it looking at images. On a recent retreat in a cloistered monastery I noticed a small cluster of milkweed down a dirt path off the paved road. It was about noon under full sun. As I was focusing on the milkweed I didn't notice the red and black bug until the photos were on the computer. The little intruder certainly adds interest.

Milkweed pod