Kajin Tora....

Fujifilm GA645Zi Fujinon 55-90 f4.5/6.9 Fujifilm Acros 100 Arista 76 1:1 - One of the first shots from my GZ645Zi, our cat Kajin Tora was striking a great pose so I could not pass her up. She has stunning eyes and a killer instinct.

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Watch that first step!

Fujifilm GA645Zi Fujinon 55-90 f4.5/6.9 Fujifilm Acros 100 Arista 76 1:1 - A door to nowhere, this one adorns the side of the Academy of Music in downtown Lynchburg VA.. Now a part of Lynchburg Academy of Fine Arts the old theatre has been under active restorations for several years.

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GMC

Fujifilm GA645Zi Fujinon 55-90 f4.5/6.9 Fujifilm Acros 100 Arista 76 1:1 - An example of why the GA645Zi is my new love. The Fujinon zoom lens, if a bit slow, is absolutely stunning. The sharpness and contrast jumped off the negatives even before I scanned them. There are many reason I still shoot film, habit, nostalgia, the process, the smell of fixer and images like this.

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My new girl Koni

Koni-Omega Rapid Omega 200 Super Omegon 90mm f3.8 Kodak Tri-X Arista 76 1:1 - A shot from the first roll through my recently acquired Koni-Omega Rapid Omega 200. A Koni-Omega has been on my camera "must have" list for some time and I finally got an opportunity to buy one for a great price (Thanks Jeremy!). The Koni-Omega line of medium format rangefinder cameras are have a 6x7 frame size rendering 10 exposures on a roll of 120 film. They have a unique single stroke "pull and push" film advance mechanism built into the interchangeable film backs, that is both quick and positive. Film advance and shuttle cocking are coupled to prevent double exposure and inserting the dark slide locks the shutter release. One oddity is the film advance does not require the shutter being fired to advance again, so it is easy to skip frames if you are not paying attention. The Super Omegon 90mm f3.5 lens has impressive sharpness as illustrated in the image above. I also have a wide angle  Wide Omegon 58mm f5.6, I have yet to test.

Technical Specifications

• Negative size 2 1/4 x 2 3/4" (10 pictures on standard rollfilm 120)
• Rangefinder Camera with automatic parallax correction
• Interchangeable lenses 58mm f5.6 with optical finder,  90 mm f3.5, 135 mm f3.5, 180 mm f4.5, all with integrated leaf shutter B, 1-1/500 s, synchronisation M/X, built-in retractable lenshood
• Film magazines 120 and 220 with preloading roll film holders 
• Rapid advance lever for film advance and shutter

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A Slight Breeze

Lomography Society Diana F+ Kodak Tri-X Professional Arista 76 1:1 - The last of this "Dark Corners" series. There was very little wind this day. I squatted patiently, waiting for a breathe of life to lift the flag. It teased me... lift slightly then falling, until finally an exhale.
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A Mute Reminder

Lomography Society Diana F+ Kodak Tri-X Professional Arista 76 1:1 - Another from the Old City Cemetery, interesting shadows and tones. Many of the grave marks here are so old the marking have been lost to wind and weather, mute reminders.
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Coleman and Virginia

Lomography Society Diana F+ Kodak Tri-X Professional Arista 76 1:1 - Coleman and Virginia, there may be more detail buried beneath the surface, but this is all time has left visible. A loving couple? A Son and Daughter? We cannot tell. I could shoot for week in the Old City Cemetery and always find something new. There are some many layers, textures and new angles to explore.
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Tree of Stone

Lomography Society Diana F+ Kodak Tri-X Professional Arista 76 1:1 - An interesting Grave marker in the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg Va.. Reminds me of the trees that come to life in the Lord of the rings, or a Hobbits lawn monument.
Scanned with and Epson V500 using Epson's OEM Software.

Double Exposed

Lomography Society Diana F+ Kodak Tri-X Profession Arista 76 1:1 - An Accidental Double exposure that came out well. Shooting with the Diana F+, you must remember to advance the film after each exposure. Sometimes you forget, but the results can lead to some of your most interesting shots.....
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Dark Corners and Diana

Lomography Society Diana F+ Kodak Tri-X Professional Arista 76 1:1 - From a walk through The Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg Va. with 2 rolls of Kodak Tri-X and a Lomography Society Diana F+. Actually my first rolls of 120 film through my 3 year old Diana. I originally purchased the Diana with a Fujifilm Instax Mini Back and have used it as an Instant camera until now. I love the dark corners and focus falloff of the plastic lens. Perfect for the mood of this site.
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Coal Tower Lower Basin - Lynchburg VA exposure no. 6

Kiev 60 Arsat 80mm f2.8 Kodak Tri-X Profession 400 Arista 76 1:1 - This coal tower is located in the Lower Basin switching yard, Lynchburg VA. This is actually my second attempt at shooting the tower, the first was on and overcast day and and the lack of shadows reduced the impact of the image.
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Piedmont Flour Mill - Silos Exposure no. 1

Kiev 60 Arsat 45mm f3.5 Kodak Tri-X Professional 400 Arista 76 1:1 - These old grain silos were made to be shot with a wide angle lens... I love the Arsat Mir 266 45mm f3.5, this lens has just the right amount of barrel distortion and great sharpness. The love the vines growing over the 1 silos on the right, they almost look like a tree painted onto the structure.
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Piedmont Flour Mill exposure no. 4

Kiev 60 Arsat 250mm f3.5 Kodak Tri-X Professional Arista 76 1:1 - This one is all about textures for me. The stone, bricks, wood and window screening all adding their piece.

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Piedmont Flour Mill, Back Door exposure no. 2

Kiev 60 Arsat 80mm f2.8 Kodak Tri-X Profesional Arista 76 1:1 - Tones of an old friend, I have had a lifetime love affair with Kodak Tri-X, for years it was my "go to" film for almost everything. My mantra for the 1980's was push, push push, I loved grain and contrast and Tri-X pushed to ISO 800, 1600 or even 3200 would give me plenty of both. I am older and maybe little smother now, so this is Tri-X shot at 400 and developed in Arista 76 (D76) 1:1. Beautiful tonal range, great sharpness and well controlled contrast, maybe I have mellowed with age, not likely, I have just gained more range.
Shot of the back door the the Piedmont Flour Mill, downtown Lynchburg VA..
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Alternative Energy Revisited

Mamiya Press 23 100mm f2.8 FUJIFILM Neopan Acros 100 Arista 76 Developer 1:1 - Created from a mistake during the shoot from my post Alternative Energy no. 2, this image contains a little more Photoshop work than I normal post here, but I believe interesting enough to share. I broke out my Mamiya Press 23 for the first time in many years and had for gotten that the film advance for this 6x9 rangefinder was a 2 stroke affair. Though I remembered after the 4th exposure, the 1st 4 frames were overlapped. What surprised me was the consistency and position of the overlaps. I used Photoshop to balance the exposure between the different sections of the overlaps, but decided not to blend the edges, as I believe the actually contribute to the feel of the image. I love the final result.

Below is the orginal "un-shopped" scan for comparison.

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Missed exposure no. 10

Kiev 60 Arsat 80mm f2.8 Adox Art CHS 100 Arista 76 1:1 - We walk razor's edges of endless possibilities. Indiscernible paths, side by side, each with its own destination. As we change paths, the others go from what could have been, to what will never be.....

Disappointing Fruit of Misguided Labor

Kodak Brownie Bull's Eye FujiFilm Neopan Across 100 Arista 76 1:1 - Sometimes things just do not work out. I acquired a Kodak Brownie Bull's Eye Camera sometime ago and have been dying to try it out. Two weeks ago I respooled roll of FujiFilm Acros 100 120 film onto a 620 spool and loaded the camera. That seemed to go smoothly enough, but life got in the way and it was not until this weekend that I actually got out to shoot the roll.

The Bull's Eye has a "guestimation" focusing system. Basically you guess the focus and set the distance. The camera also has a "fixed" focus setting, where the lens locks at 10 ft and everything from 6 ft. to Infinity should be in focus. Being my first time out with this camera I decided to use the "fixed" focus setting, so I set the lens and threw the camera into my bag and headed out. I happily roamed downtown Lynchburg VA. snapping the 8 6x9cm frames.

On returning home and removing the camera from my bag I discovered mistake number one. Sometime while sliding the camera in and out of my bag ,I knocked the lens off of the 10 ft. "fixes" focus point. Worse yet, I moved it to the close side, so the lens was focused at somewhere between 4 to 10 feet,,, CRAP! Oh well, at least some of the shots should come out. When I went to unload the camera I ran across mistake number two. The film hand wound very loosely. The film was not fully shielded by the sides of the 620 take up spool. This was probably caused during the respooling process by my failure to keep enough tension on the film. Making matters worse the take up spool fits snuggly inside the Bull's Eye and the loose wind meant I had to pry the roll of of the camera with a screw drive,,,, crap, Crap, CRAP!

Pushing forward I developed the film. Luckily the loose wind caused nothing more than some minor edge fogging. That is where my luck ran out. Apparently, the focus on the camera was knocked out of position prior to the first shot. All the shots would suffer from a severe case of near sightedness. I proceeded to scan the film and confirmed my worst fears. The image above shows the results. Though image has a great retro look, and the poor focus would not be uncommon for the cameras of the time, I cannot help but imagine it would have been great if correctly focused.

The Post War Dream

Start Twin Lens Reflex Euktar 75mm f4.0 FujiFilm Neopan Acros Arista 76 1:1 - Shot about 3 weeks back on Monument Terrace in Lynchburg Va., this image started the following verse from Pink Floyd's some "The Gunner's Dream" looping in my head.

A place to stay
Enough to eat
Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street
Where you can speak out loud
About your doubts and fears
And what's more no-one ever disappears
You never hear their standard issue kicking in your door.
You can relax on both sides of the tracks
And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control
And everyone has recourse to the law
And no-one kills the children anymore.
And no one kills the children anymore.

© Pink Floyd from The Album The Final Cut

As the Politicians, Spin Doctor, PACs and Talking Heads squabble, prattle and lie to accomplish nothing more than the status quo on either side, I cannot help but think we fail to honor the memory of those who gave some much to insure that we, as a society, would not live in tyranny.

Distorted Reflection

Pentax Auto 110 50mm f2.8 Lomography Orca 100 Arista 76 1:1 -  The last post from my 1st Pentax Auto 110 outing. I am amazed this is 110 film. Those of you that have ever used a typical 110 Instamatic Camera know what I mean. They made Kodak Brownies look like pro quality gear. I cannot wait to shoot my 1st roll of color... The Lomography Society also has Color Tiger 110 Film, and I have a roll loaded and read to go.

Hollin's Mill Dam, Blackwater Creek Trail. Lynchburg Va.

Pentax Auto 110 18mm f2.8 Lomography Orca 100 Arista 76 1:1 - Another shot for the Pentax Auto 110. The optics and crisp and have perfect contrast. Edge to edge sharpness is flawless.