Old Guy
Jan 18, 2015 20:00:01 #
I remember taking pix with a point and shoot (Argus?) with Kodak 120 film just before and at the New York World's Fair in 1939 - age 11. Don't remermber what happened to the camera.
In 1947 or 1948 I bought a "Kodak 35" rangefinder with my share of dog track winnings. Later bought a Weston Master II hand held light meter for better exposures than the recommendations packed with the film. Did some B&W and hundreds of Kodachrome slides. Don't remember what happened to this camera.
1968/69 bought a Olympus Pen-F (?) half frame point and shoot with built in meter - produced 72 Kodachrome slides on a roll of 36. Cost an extra dollar to have the 72 slides mounted.
1969 bought a Nikormat with a 50 mm. lens, then added a 200 mm. lens.
1969 took the Olympus half-frame camera and the Nikormat on an almost monthlong trek in Nepal to the Mt. Everest area. Walked up and down daily for around 200 miles - lost 20 pounds. Ended up with 1,000+ Kodachrome slides. Sold the Nikormat and lenses to a colleague.
Bought a used Leica M-3 with 50 mm. f/2, then bought several used Leica lenses. Sold them for more than I paid for them.
1974 bought an Olympus OM-1 with a 50 mm. lens. Later an OM-4 because of its spot meter capability. Then a used OM-3 (best of all, entirely mechanical). Each camera was loaded with different knids of film (Kodachrome 64, Tri-X, T-max). With time I acquired 28 mm., 35 mm., 75-150 mm. zoom (my favorite) lenses, and a 35 mm. shift lens (rarely used).
By 1997 I had many thousands of Kodachrome slides in Carousels and boxes, projector, screen, etc.
With a 1998 move from Florida to New Mexico and a new house built to our specs to include a darkroom, I bought a Zone VI Studio 4x5" wooden view camera, 120 mm. and 210 mm. Schneider lenses, a monster wooden tripod, many film holders, dark cloth, Pentax spot meter, etc., etc., etc., along with a variable contrast enlarger, two Schneider enlarger lenses, etc., etc., etc.
Upon seeing an exhibition of Polaroid fine art prints around 1999 at the University of New Mexico (you could spot the Ansel Adams prints from across the gallery) I immediately purchased a Polaroid film holder for my 4x5" view camera and produced some of my favorite images on Polaroid Type 54 film.
Then another house in New Mexico with a darkroom built to my specs. Friends were making over one hundred images with their digital cameras while I would make 4-6 negs and Polaroids during the same time on our joint forays.
Still another house in New Mexico so a relative in poor health could live with us. No room for a darkroom. The view camera, tripod and accessories getting too heavy for an old guy. Polaroid stopped making instant film. Darkroom equipment, view camera, lenses, film holders, etc., donated to a local design college that requires its photo students to learn film before digital. Olympus OM bodies and lenses given to grandson and his photography student friends who wanted to do film photography in addition to digital.
Despite great reluctance decided to give digital a try. After explaining by phone to a B&H sales person how I was used to working, he suggested a Nikon D90 and the kit lens that would come with it. I protested that it had many, many features that I knew nothing about. He replied that I did not have to use them, just use the features that would allow me to make photos my way. One of my photo colleagues suggested the same thing when I expressed apprehension re dealing with the new technology. Both turned out to be right. I use the Zone System for exposure and mostly use manual settings.
Now all I have are the Kodak Retina IIa (35 mm. film), the Pentax spot meter (no darkroom so both are rarely used), and the Nikon D90 with a single kit zoom lens. My tripod and grip action ball head go back to 1997 when I attended a week-long Freeman Patterson workshop in New Brunswick, Canada; now heavy for an old geezer to lug around but still they function well. It was at that workshop that I first learned of B&H from Canadian as well as US photographers.
The D90 and lens combo along with a Canon Pixma Pro 9500 Mark II printer produce fine B&W or color prints up to 13x19". All are just tools; they work fine and produce the results I want. My ego does not need or desire a battery of cameras and lenses - unnecessary expense and weight to lug around.
I dislike editing. I have had Photoshop Elements 9 for several years - have not read the books I have on it (maybe I'll do it soon, but don't bet the rent on it). As an old Kodachrome photographer, I learned to get it right in the camera or throw it away.
About a year ago we moved into a much downsized new house. To prepare for the move we disposed of a lot of stuff and looked at every one of the many thousands of Kodachrome slides and B&W negs - most were thrown away but many still remain to be scanned. But who knows when? Goodwill got the projector, screen, carousels, stack loader, etc.
I wonder if anyone will read this far. Amazing perserverence.
'
In 1947 or 1948 I bought a "Kodak 35" rangefinder with my share of dog track winnings. Later bought a Weston Master II hand held light meter for better exposures than the recommendations packed with the film. Did some B&W and hundreds of Kodachrome slides. Don't remember what happened to this camera.
1968/69 bought a Olympus Pen-F (?) half frame point and shoot with built in meter - produced 72 Kodachrome slides on a roll of 36. Cost an extra dollar to have the 72 slides mounted.
1969 bought a Nikormat with a 50 mm. lens, then added a 200 mm. lens.
1969 took the Olympus half-frame camera and the Nikormat on an almost monthlong trek in Nepal to the Mt. Everest area. Walked up and down daily for around 200 miles - lost 20 pounds. Ended up with 1,000+ Kodachrome slides. Sold the Nikormat and lenses to a colleague.
Bought a used Leica M-3 with 50 mm. f/2, then bought several used Leica lenses. Sold them for more than I paid for them.
1974 bought an Olympus OM-1 with a 50 mm. lens. Later an OM-4 because of its spot meter capability. Then a used OM-3 (best of all, entirely mechanical). Each camera was loaded with different knids of film (Kodachrome 64, Tri-X, T-max). With time I acquired 28 mm., 35 mm., 75-150 mm. zoom (my favorite) lenses, and a 35 mm. shift lens (rarely used).
By 1997 I had many thousands of Kodachrome slides in Carousels and boxes, projector, screen, etc.
With a 1998 move from Florida to New Mexico and a new house built to our specs to include a darkroom, I bought a Zone VI Studio 4x5" wooden view camera, 120 mm. and 210 mm. Schneider lenses, a monster wooden tripod, many film holders, dark cloth, Pentax spot meter, etc., etc., etc., along with a variable contrast enlarger, two Schneider enlarger lenses, etc., etc., etc.
Upon seeing an exhibition of Polaroid fine art prints around 1999 at the University of New Mexico (you could spot the Ansel Adams prints from across the gallery) I immediately purchased a Polaroid film holder for my 4x5" view camera and produced some of my favorite images on Polaroid Type 54 film.
Then another house in New Mexico with a darkroom built to my specs. Friends were making over one hundred images with their digital cameras while I would make 4-6 negs and Polaroids during the same time on our joint forays.
Still another house in New Mexico so a relative in poor health could live with us. No room for a darkroom. The view camera, tripod and accessories getting too heavy for an old guy. Polaroid stopped making instant film. Darkroom equipment, view camera, lenses, film holders, etc., donated to a local design college that requires its photo students to learn film before digital. Olympus OM bodies and lenses given to grandson and his photography student friends who wanted to do film photography in addition to digital.
Despite great reluctance decided to give digital a try. After explaining by phone to a B&H sales person how I was used to working, he suggested a Nikon D90 and the kit lens that would come with it. I protested that it had many, many features that I knew nothing about. He replied that I did not have to use them, just use the features that would allow me to make photos my way. One of my photo colleagues suggested the same thing when I expressed apprehension re dealing with the new technology. Both turned out to be right. I use the Zone System for exposure and mostly use manual settings.
Now all I have are the Kodak Retina IIa (35 mm. film), the Pentax spot meter (no darkroom so both are rarely used), and the Nikon D90 with a single kit zoom lens. My tripod and grip action ball head go back to 1997 when I attended a week-long Freeman Patterson workshop in New Brunswick, Canada; now heavy for an old geezer to lug around but still they function well. It was at that workshop that I first learned of B&H from Canadian as well as US photographers.
The D90 and lens combo along with a Canon Pixma Pro 9500 Mark II printer produce fine B&W or color prints up to 13x19". All are just tools; they work fine and produce the results I want. My ego does not need or desire a battery of cameras and lenses - unnecessary expense and weight to lug around.
I dislike editing. I have had Photoshop Elements 9 for several years - have not read the books I have on it (maybe I'll do it soon, but don't bet the rent on it). As an old Kodachrome photographer, I learned to get it right in the camera or throw it away.
About a year ago we moved into a much downsized new house. To prepare for the move we disposed of a lot of stuff and looked at every one of the many thousands of Kodachrome slides and B&W negs - most were thrown away but many still remain to be scanned. But who knows when? Goodwill got the projector, screen, carousels, stack loader, etc.
I wonder if anyone will read this far. Amazing perserverence.
'
Jan 18, 2015 21:10:49 #
You have had an incredible journey in photography. It must be an important part of your life for you to have kept track of the details so well. I hope you are still shooting on a regular basis. It will keep you young!
Jan 18, 2015 23:29:40 #
What a wonderful journey, and it sounds like you had fun - that's what counts...
I learned B&W in '72 via Fred Picker's Zone VI workshop - probably one of the smarter things I did back then ;)
Nice to know other folks use it...
I learned B&W in '72 via Fred Picker's Zone VI workshop - probably one of the smarter things I did back then ;)
Nice to know other folks use it...
Jan 19, 2015 00:27:11 #
I have had fun and continue to make images. I am still learning about the features of my D90 after all these years (I got it in 2009) but still have most confidence in manually setting everything. I still think that my brain is better than the camera's, even at almost 87 years of age.
A little over ten years ago I did not like the way judges were evaluating images at a camera club in Albuquerque. I quit the club and invited several photographers (some club members, some not) to monthly critique sessions at my home. The critique group (now six of us) continues, three of us from the original group. We include both amateurs and professionals, each with his/her own interests and styles, and very much non-competitive. Now we meet about monthly at different homes. Each of us brings two prints for critique: 10-12 per session depending on whether everyone can attend. Critiques are reasoned and detailed. Many times critiques differ or are conflicting (that's ok, there is no right or wrong). We usually spend 2-3 hours on the 10-12 images. We learn not only the good and bad and how our images can be improved, but we also have the benefit of seeing some unually fine work by others. We have had two public group exhibitions which were well received by those who saw them; perhaps another one in the near future. One of the best features of this group activity is that there is no formal organization, and there are no rules - the way we do things just evolved - and it all goes smoothly. Perhaps drinking wine during the critiques has a positive effect on all, and coffee, dessert and chat afterwards also helps the convivial atmosphere.
I recommend similar critique groups to others.
A little over ten years ago I did not like the way judges were evaluating images at a camera club in Albuquerque. I quit the club and invited several photographers (some club members, some not) to monthly critique sessions at my home. The critique group (now six of us) continues, three of us from the original group. We include both amateurs and professionals, each with his/her own interests and styles, and very much non-competitive. Now we meet about monthly at different homes. Each of us brings two prints for critique: 10-12 per session depending on whether everyone can attend. Critiques are reasoned and detailed. Many times critiques differ or are conflicting (that's ok, there is no right or wrong). We usually spend 2-3 hours on the 10-12 images. We learn not only the good and bad and how our images can be improved, but we also have the benefit of seeing some unually fine work by others. We have had two public group exhibitions which were well received by those who saw them; perhaps another one in the near future. One of the best features of this group activity is that there is no formal organization, and there are no rules - the way we do things just evolved - and it all goes smoothly. Perhaps drinking wine during the critiques has a positive effect on all, and coffee, dessert and chat afterwards also helps the convivial atmosphere.
I recommend similar critique groups to others.
Jan 19, 2015 05:52:21 #
Jan 19, 2015 06:25:23 #
Welcome LJR. What a great life story! Glad you found us. Lot of awesome folks here to play with and learn. And to make some life long friends! We have a lot of different forums here to play on. Just go to the top of the page and you will find them. Hope you have as much fun here as I do.
Erv
Erv
Jan 19, 2015 07:31:47 #
Jan 19, 2015 08:35:27 #
Welcome. You will find that this site is alive with experienced photographers who will always share their knowledge.
Jan 19, 2015 09:39:17 #
Welcome to the Hog, LJR. I very much enjoyed your introduction and yes, I read all of it. Brought back some memories of my own. Really glad you joined us and look forward to hearing more... ;)
Jan 19, 2015 09:40:00 #
Jan 19, 2015 11:52:20 #
Jan 19, 2015 12:02:46 #
Jan 19, 2015 18:11:46 #
Greetings LJR and welcome to UHH. Glad you joined us. Read your intro all the way to the end, fantastic story. If I reach 87 hope that I am half as sharp as you, now 66. You will enjoy that D90, my brother shoots with one.
Have fun and enjoy the forum.
Don
Have fun and enjoy the forum.
Don
Jan 22, 2015 20:44:25 #
Nice story. I also went to the 1939 fair but I was much younger. I didn't get into photography until the late '40's. I had a lot of the gear you had. Worked my way up to a SLR (Exakta VX) and a press camera (Speed Graphic). Don't know where they are now.
Had a Nikkormat from mid-60's, but went digital in 1999. Great fun. (Used computers at work, so fairly comfortable with digital).
I like the idea of a social group for photo critique. Maybe we should all have a glass of wine in our hands when we log into this site. (Maybe not all you young whippersnappers out there who are under age).
Had a Nikkormat from mid-60's, but went digital in 1999. Great fun. (Used computers at work, so fairly comfortable with digital).
I like the idea of a social group for photo critique. Maybe we should all have a glass of wine in our hands when we log into this site. (Maybe not all you young whippersnappers out there who are under age).
If you want to reply, then register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.