My Nikon FM2 arrived today. It is no longer in production, so I bought it used from Adorama. For a camera in E- condition, it sure looked pretty dinged up.
I saw an FM2 in really nice condition at the local camera shop for $275, but decided to get the less than perfect condition unit for $75 less. Part of me wishes I paid the premium for the cleaner camera. On the other hand, my camera came pre-dinged, so I won't be too upset should I add another ding or two in the future.
I haven't purchased a lens yet. I can't decide between the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI or the 50mm f/1.8 AI. For now, I plan on using my 50mm f/1.8 AF-D lens.
Stay tuned for the first set of photos from the FM2....coming soon.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Nikon FM2 is in the House
Monday, April 4, 2011
My "Day in the Life" Project
I shot my first roll of film in years. I trialed Ilford XP2 Super 400 B&W film for the first time....and loved it! The beauty of this film is it can be processed on standard color equipment (C-41 processing). I took it to the local Wolf Camera today and they developed and scanned it in only 30 minutes. It's much more practical than "real" B&W film.
With this roll of film begins a new photographic journey, which I'm calling the "Day in the Life" project. My intent is to capture everyday life in black and white. I anticipate capturing these images on film, using a Nikon FM2 camera and 50mm lens. My plans are to keep it simple and shoot for the joy of photography. My tools will be simple (manual focus, manual exposure film camera), the subjects will be simple (everyday life), and the process will be simple (minimal post-processing). The photos will be stored in this photo set.
Some people think I'm crazy for shooting film again or for spending $200 on an "ancient" manual focus, manual exposure camera. But the goal here is not just the destination (the final print), but the journey itself. I want to manually set the exposure, I want to manually wind the film after each frame, I want to hear and feel the distinctive "click" of a mechanical shutter, and I want to experience the anticipation of waiting for the film to be developed....
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Santa Cruz
We spent the day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk today. The weather was beautiful, not too cold and not too hot. Goldilocks would have loved it because it was just right!
The girls had a great time on the rides. The adults spent more time eating funnel cakes....the diet starts tomorrow! I did, however, burn a few calories exercising my shutter finger...mostly seagulls.
The seagulls were happy to have the people visitors. Unattended picnic lunches and bags of snacks were devoured quickly by flocks of seagulls.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
PGSL Thunder
The weather today was nice, but the Thunder was deafening!
It's Easter Break here and a significant number of girls were out of town, leaving only six girls available to play today. The minimum number of players required to play is eight, so the team forfeited. They did, however, play the game for fun....and killed the other team 18-10! The bats were hot today!
Kami played another solid game on offense and defense.
Friday, April 1, 2011
New PR
Kevin set a new PR today, clearing eight feet in the pole vault, placing him second in the Freshman competition. This is his first year pole vaulting and I was proud of him. I loved watching his intensity and competitiveness. He, on the other hand, wasn't happy at all....apparently, second place is the first loser. Hmmm, who taught him that?!
Since this was only my second time photographing a track meet, I practiced shooting the varsity boys pole vaulting. This gave me an opportunity to get some experience, find more interesting compositions, and work on my timing. Unfortunately, the Freshmen boys vaulted last, so I had to shoot Kevin's vaults in poor light. But, it was fun shooting anyway!
The only thing I was really disappointed about was missing Kami's softball game, which was occurring at the same time. She played an incredible game, especially her defense at shortstop and pitching. The opposing coach called her the "secret weapon." Kami's coach awarded her the MVP of the game. Although I didn't get to watch her game (or take pictures), I heard all about it and I am equally proud of her performance. It must have been the practice she had with her incredible father on the road earlier in the week. =)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Day 367
It's been two days since I finished my 365 photo a day project...and nothing has really changed. I still carry my camera around with me, I still look for daily photo opportunities, and I still try to schedule some photo time into my schedule.
The kids have a lot of activities this week and today was looking like one of the few open afternoons. I decided to head over to Shadow Cliffs for a quick photo walk. I took a handful of shots with the film SLR and a couple shots with the digital SLR. Here are the digital shots...the film photos will get posted once I finish shooting the roll of film and get it processed.
After shooting my Nikon D80 every day for a year, it feels very comfortable and natural. The Nikon FM, on the other hand, feels a bit foreign to me. I set the f-stop, set the shutter speed, frame the image, manually focus the lens, press the shutter release button, and.....nothing. I forgot to advance the film!
The manual, film SLR is going to require some practice. It's been over twenty years since I've used a camera like this. It may take a manual camera 365 project to fully master it.....NOT!
I'm slowly figuring out the nuances of this film camera. I've become accustomed to shooting digital and will need to make a few adjustments.
First, I'm shooting C-41 processed "B&W" film, which is essentially B&W film that's processed and printed using color film processing. Unfortunately, this film is only manufactured in ISO 400. I love shooting with a shallow depth of field, requiring a large aperture. Shooting with relatively fast ISO 400 film and a large aperture in bright light doesn't work well...especially when the camera is limited to a 1/1000 shutter speed. I may need to get a neutral density filter to allow me to use larger apertures in bright light.
Second, I can't photograph the huge goose flying in front of me. By the time I set the shutter speed, f-stop, and manually focus the lens, the goose is long gone....if I'm lucky, I'll catch up to her 15 minutes later, perhaps while she's laying the golden egg.
Third....well, I'd better stop here. It's past my bed time. I'll continue this later, once I gain even more experience with the camera.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Mission Accomplished - 365 Finito
Today marks the completion of my 365 photo project. For me, the project was more than snapping a photo per day for a year. Without a doubt, it has been the most rewarding, learning experience I could have imagined.
Like many cameras, my Nikon D80 (and Minolta film camera before that) lay dormant for most of the years, seeing daylight primarily on special occasions, including birthdays, Christmas, backpacking trips, vacations, and elementary school performances. It was used merely to document life’s achievements and record the scenery. In the three hundred sixty five days since starting my project, the camera has become a part of me. I've learned to appreciate light, notice the beauty in my daily surroundings, and come to realize every day is a special occasion worthy of being recorded in an image.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
A New Journey Begins
I went hiking with some friends on the Pleasanton Ridge yesterday evening. The weather has been wet and rainy for a week now, but we were able to squeeze in a decent hike between rain showers. We started our hike around 6:45 PM and hiked into the darkness, finishing around 9 PM.
The light was never really good, so I set my camera to its maximum ISO, aperture at f/1.8, and as slow as shutter speed as I could...then snapped a few shots. I envisioned the final images to be pictorialist-like...soft focus, grainy, dark, and moody B&W.
One of my friends was kind enough to let me borrow his Nikon FM camera. The FM is the predecessor to the FM2 I plan on purchasing. I'm looking forward to life with the FM2. My plans are to start a "day in the life" photo series, shot primarily with the FM2 and 50mm lens...and in B&W, of course!
Here are a few images from last night's hike.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A Dog's View of the Dinner Table
When my daughter was a baby, Rusty, our beloved Golden Retriever, loved to sit next to her at the dinner table. Every time she dropped some food unto the floor, Rusty would snatch it up. At the end of the meal, Rusty would stick her nose into the high chair and clean it up. That was a decade ago, but while at work yesterday, I visualized a re-creation of those moments. Rusty is no longer with us, so I decided that I (and my Nikon D80 camera) would play her part.
Once I was finished with the photo, I posted it online and titled it, the “Dog's View of the Dinner Table.” I called my daughter over to get her thoughts on the photo.
She looked at the color photo and asked, "Dad, why isn't it in black and white?"
I said, “Because I think it looks better in color.”
She said, "But dogs can't see color."
Well, that was a good point…and one that I think has broader photography-related implications. Is the purpose of photography to document reality or is it an art form? Does it matter that dogs can't see color?
The camera captures what is in the viewfinder. From this perspective, a photographer is in essence documenting reality. However, there is a level of artistic control which affects the image, rendering it very like or unlike what is seen in reality. The photographer controls what he wants the viewer to see in the photograph by framing an image to include (or exclude) specific items. A zoom lens compresses perspective and effectively “crops” what one would normally view with two eyes open. The photographer also selects an aperture to control the depth of field, again controlling what the viewer sees. He selects a shutter speed, which controls how motion is displayed in the image. The same applies to the selected film choice (affecting color rendition, contrast, etc.), ISO, and the specific exposure selected.
So, if photography captures reality and is an art form, when is a photograph no longer a photograph…and when does it become just an art form? Are you scratching your head with that question? What I mean is, how much manipulation is “allowed” to a photograph after it’s captured before we need to call the photography police? In today’s world of digital photography and PhotoShop, for example, one can make power lines disappear from a beautiful landscape, replace a frowning child’s face with a smiling one, add clouds to a cloudless day, add textures, convert a photograph into a watercolor painting, etc. I believe all of these manipulations have its place in the art world, but at what point do we lose the essence of the original capture and transcend “photography”...effectively transitioning into another art form?
Okay, I’ll let you ponder that last question. Perhaps a discussion on religion and politics would be less controversial…
I'm not sure if dogs can see color, but if not, here's the physiologically correct photo.
Monday, March 21, 2011
How to Lose on eBay
My brother has a saying...."the best way to save money is to not look at stuff." I believe his exact words replaced "stuff" with an American slang for "merde." Anyway, his point is, if one spends a lot of time checking out eBay, Amazon, the Dollar Store, the Sunday newspaper ads, etc. one will find absolutely great deals on hundreds of items one does not need.
For that reason, I don't have an eBay account. This prevents me from catching the highly contagious auction fever and saves me a lot of money. I have only purchased a few things from eBay and got some pretty decent deals. For example, a professional Wilson A2000 baseball glove, an aluminum baseball bat, and a Hawaiian turtle (honu) pendant. Actually, I think that may cover just about everything I've gotten on eBay. When buying these things, I've asked my brothers to place the orders for me. Typically, these have been "buy it now" deals that were significantly cheaper than the non-eBay competition. I could probably have saved a few bucks by actually bidding on these items, but for me, it's not worth the hassle (especially for things that are already priced well).
I've been shopping around for a Nikon FM2 camera. Today, I found a great deal on one in mint condition. The auction was ending in 1 hour and 45 minutes, so I asked my brother to bid on it. Unfortunately, he wasn't in a position to bid on it, so he gave me his login info so I could bid on it....and I logged in immediately and bid on it.
Lesson learned....that's not how to win on eBay. I was supposed to wait until the last ten seconds and then throw in my bid. But, I probably did myself a favor. The title for my blog today is "How to Lose on eBay," but I should probably have named it "How to Save Money on eBay."
Here's a picture of the little one with her new glasses. She was focused on the computer screen, doing her homework.
Below is a picture of our family crest. This photo is dedicated to the people of Japan, especially those who have been impacted by the enormous earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster.
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