Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Simple Joys

 I have been in a bit of a creative slump lately, whether it's writing or making photos. Today, I have felt the best in about a week, after getting over some lower-back issues that had me in a lot of pain and limiting my mobility.  Thanks to some stretches, ibuprofen, and heat pad, I now feel pretty good.  It's a rainy day, and the daffodils are looking quite good.  Spring is here, a bit later in the mountains than along the coast.

But what I want to write is about how some simple pleasures can bring joy to a day.  I was eating breakfast, and my second slice of toast was in need of some jam.  I went to the fridge and pulled out the small jar of raspberry jam that my mother-in-law had made the previous year.  She's 97 years old, and is still able to make jam.  There was just enough left in the jar for one slice of bread, and as I emptied it and smoothed it over the toast, I anticipated how good it would taste.  When the raspberry jam reached my taste buds, I had this singular moment of joy.  Accompanying this were thoughts of how wonderful a gift this was, and the knowledge of how the berries were picked and eventually ended up hundreds of miles from the source.  THIS was the spark I needed to get my mojo back!  


In our ever-challenging world, we need moments like this to remind ourselves that a simple pleasure such as home-made raspberry jam should not be taken for granted.  Whatever small pleasures you enjoy, take time to experience them.  Appreciate the sublime.  Photography does not have to be about the fantastic, outrageous, or unique. A sublime image can connect us to shared experiences, and if photography is a visual language, no text is needed to tell the audience what's happened.  


While that was it for that jar, I am comforted in knowing that we have a few more in the pantry. 

For me, photography is also a simple joy.  I photograph for myself, and if others like my images, that's great. If I did not enjoy doing it, I'd be doing something else. My artistic skills in other mediums are not great.  While I also enjoy using film, I won't deny the advantage of immediacy with a digital image.  It does not matter what you use, only that you are doing something that brings you joy.  



Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Revisiting Tucson with the Ricoh 35ZF

 



In 2021, I purchased this camera from an antique mall in Tucson, but in that incarnation, it was part of a mechanism to record store robberies - as discussed in this post.  This time, the Ricoh 35 ZF (ZF= zone focus) returned to Tucson as part of my gear for a week of photography and travel in the Tucson area.  Since the meter no longer works, I attached a small hot-shoe meter, which I received from Reflx Labs.  I ran two rolls of film through the Ricoh, and am really pleased with the results.


Since the ZF is so compact, it was easy to carry along as an extra camera in my bag, and using it on this trip with color emulsions made it a nice option.  I know some people have problems with zone focusing, but in reality, if you are shooting at f/11-f/16, anything more than 15 feet away will be in focus if you set the focus scale at “mountain.”   It really only comes into proper guestimation when shooting wide-open and less than 15 feet.  So, for most things, I just left the focus on infinity and worried about the aperture/shutter speed, which in the ZF, is completely manual, and that’s another reason I like this camera.  

For a mid-1970s compact camera, it’s not exactly something special.  However, the 40mm f/2.8 lens is good enough, and the range of shutter speeds -B, 1/8-1/500  are pretty standard.  There’s certainly other 35mm compacts from that era that get more attention, but this delightful little camera is a fine companion. 


Shot on Superia 200

Salt Lake City (SLC) terminal

our VRBO on the outskirts of Tucson

Mammoth, AZ Mining memorial

Mammoth, Mining memorial

Mammoth PO

closed on 77

El Capitan pass roadside park

Many towns have a large letter on a mountainside -
I presume for the local high school sports team. 
Globe, AZ

days gone by

Globe, AZ

Taken on Karmir 160 (actually Kodak Aerocolor IV)

Sweetwater Wetland Park

Saguaro National Park W

Saguaro National Park W, Signal Hill

raindrops on Cholla. Saguaro NP East

Saguaro NP East

Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson

Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson

Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson

Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson

Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson

Barrio Viejo neighborhood, Tucson


The Karmir film, purchased from Ball Photo in Asheville


Saturday, February 10, 2024

Don't waste $20 on an onn. camera

Walmart’s Simple 35mm onn. Camera


I confess, I made a trip to WalMart- that store that just sucks the life out of you. I had to, so that I could acquire one of the cheapest simple-use 35mm  cameras available.  After seeing photos of the onn. camera online, I decided that it was time to give one the Random Camera Blog test.  So, I went and bought it for $19.98, and the best thing is that includes a 27 exposure roll of ISO 400 color film.  So really, the camera is something like $13 + plus the $6.98 for a roll of film.  All good, I suppose, considering that cheap Kodak M35 is over $40, and that’s without film.  This is what I thought BEFORE seeing the results, so read further.




What’s in the box - a well-packaged camera, with the roll of film inside but not yet loaded onto the take-up spool, a lanyard for carrying, and a brief printed manual.  There’s also a QR code to see an online version of the manual.  It appears that onn makes other cheap digital devices and accessories, and they are based in China. 



Camera features:

  • 28mm f/8 lens -  focuses from 1 meter to infinity
  • 1/120 sec shutter speed
  • thumbwheel film advance
  • rewind crank recessed into take-up side
  • optical viewfinder
  • on/off switchable flash


The 27 exposure roll of film was in one of the newer 2-piece plastic cassettes that we’ve been seeing from a number of sources, especially Lomography.  Of course, I was curious to know exactly what that 400 iso film was.  

I shot with the camera over a couple of days - mostly in downtown Asheville and Weaverville.  That’s the beauty of a little point and shoot camera - it can be put in a pocket and ready for use at any time.  After I shot the roll, I dropped  it off at Ball Photo for development.  I picked up developed the film and was rather surprised to find that the roll was not typical C-41 color print film, but Eastman 5207 - also known as Vision III 250D. Of course, the remjet had been removed prior to spooling the film.  First, the rounded sprocket holes indicated it was a cine film, and the film rebate told the rest.  Normally, I would not have a problem with using 250D, but in this instance, it was advertised as 400 ISO film, and as I saw on the film scans, a true 400 ISO film would have been preferred.   What I don’t know is how fresh that 250D is, as the film base looked more magenta than I remembered.



Oh, the scans…. I scanned this roll with my Epson V700, like I have for hundreds of rolls, and I have to say, this film is expired.  The images were muddy, and every single exposure, even those in bright sun, needed adjustments and correction.   

Here is a selection of images from the roll:
















this one had fade correction applied in addition to the usual adjustments


Objects that were about 10 feet away or so seemed to be the sharpest.  Now, at this point, the acrylic lenses in simple-use cameras have been around for a long time, and the manufacturer went to extra trouble to make the lens on this camera subpar.  Maybe it’s the f/8 aperture, but to be honest, that should also have resulted in sunny exposures to be brighter.  Compounded with the outdated 250D film, what I ended up with was disappointing.  You need to have slightly lower standards of expectation for a simple-use camera, but this one even failed to meet that.

I would not even recommend this as a gift to someone wanting to start out with a simple to use film camera.  They will be disappointed.  

So, save yourself $20 and DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA!


Addendum, 02/11/24

In my Instagram post about this camera, it was pointed out to me that the film has the date 2023 - which I had overlooked, so the film isn't outdated. The same person from Reflx_Lab also stated that the weird color was probably due to an improper treatment to remove the remjet layer. Because the "remjet layer was removed, and C-41 process used, the ISO is higher - 400."  I still stand behind my statement that the 250D is NOT a 400 ISO film, no matter what process was used.  Whoever is filling those film canisters with 250D and not using a true ISO 400 film is shortchanging the customer.


 

Wednesday, February 07, 2024

Sonoran Desert in January

 

Sabino Canyon Recreation Area

Adrienne and I flew out to Tucson, Arizona for a week in the Sonoran desert and to also visit with our daughter who lives there.  It was perfect timing for us, as the temperatures at home went down into the single digits while we were away.  Our original flight plan had to be adjusted due to some delay in Asheville, which resulted in flying from AVL to ATL, then ATL to SLC, and from SLC to TUS, instead of just a flight from ATL to TUS.  The stopover was okay, as SLC has a beautiful airport with great views of the Wasatch mountains from the windows.  However, leaving AVL at 9 am and arriving in TUS around 11:30 pm made for a very long day of travel.  By the time we went to pick up our rental car, our choice was a van.  It turns out that the Chrysler van was perfect for this trip, as we found out a bit later.  We arrived at our vacation rental, located along the Catalina Highway, around 1 am.  I think I slept really well when I finally tumbled into bed.  Arriving in the dark, we didn’t see just how beautiful our location was until we got up in the morning.

At SLC

In packing for this trip, I had to simplify my gear, since we were flying.  I brought my Nikon Df DSLR with a 35mm f/2 AFD Nikkor, 24mm f/2.8 AIS Nikkor, and a 28-200mm AF Sigma zoom lens.  In the film department, I brought my Leica M2 with the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux, Ricoh 35 ZF (the former Tucson Police camera), Ansco Pix Panorama, and the Lomo Sprocket Rocket.  Of course, my iPhone XR was used quite a lot, too.  I packed my Manfrotto travel tripod, which it turns out I never used on the trip. My favorite shoulder bag is a canvas messenger bag, which held all my cameras, etc. (the tripod sat in the van all the time).  Since the TSA in Asheville uses the new high-power CT scanners, I mailed most of my film ahead of time to my daughter, and brought about 5 rolls with me, which were gladly hand-inspected by TSA.

it all fits in the bag

Our first day in Tucson was Jan. 17, and the weather was really quite nice, with a high in the low 70s.  Light wispy clouds made for better conditions for landscape photography.  We were in downtown Tucson for part of the day, had a nice lunch at La Yaquesita, and then went out to Sabino Canyon National Park later in the afternoon.  Sabino Canyon has a bunch of trails that pretty much allow you to wander anywhere you want.  The first bird I saw was a roadrunner, and never saw another one during the trip. It was a good first day in the Sonoran Desert, and the low angle of the sun made for some wonderful photo opportunities.  As we were about to leave, I saw some lenticular clouds that were illuminated by the setting sun, and swapped the 35mm lens out for the 28-200.  As I view those images now, I find it hard to believe my luck.  

Those clouds!

Our daughter Jorie had the next 5 days off and we used the morning of the 18th to do some shopping and thrift store looking. One seller had a bunch of cameras, and although there were none that I felt I needed,  I did buy four late 1950s issues of Popular Photography for $1.50 each. While they are in excellent condition, they have that smell of being in a basement. Oh, but the ads inside them!  A great peek at the late-1950s photographic  market. 

The Catalinas, the Saguaros. Leica M2, Kodak Pro Image 100

Our next visit was to Catalina State Park, which lies off AZ Route 77 E of Tucson, and borders Coronado National Forest. Some portions of the park were burned in the Bighorn Forest fire of 2022, and you can see the effects on the lower trails and into the mountains.  Catalina State Park has numerous trails, and we took the nature trail, which gave us wonderful views of the Santa Catalina mountains.  A big forest fire impacted some areas in the park a few years ago, and you can see the damage as you go towards the mountains. There’s riparian habitats there as well as desert scrub, wonderful Saguaros, and lots of interesting boulders.  It was a beautiful afternoon with some clouds, and I highly recommend the park.





On Friday, we all traveled to Globe Arizona, and the journey is the reward, as some might say.  To get to Globe, we took AZ 77 out of Tucson, and as we approached Oracle, we saw the signs for Biosphere 2.  I knew that Biosphere 2 was originally conceived as a sort of self-contained environment to test the survivability of people in a closed system, such as one might have on Mars.  Those missions in the early 1990s, ended, and now the Biopshere 2 is a teaching/research facility (Earth is Biosphere 1)  operated by the University of Arizona.  It’s definitely on my list for my next Tucson visit.  Farther on, it was obvious that we were amid ranch land.  Large yuccas lines the edges off the road.  Then, we came to Mammoth, an old mining town that has perhaps seen better days.  Mammoth borders the San Pedro River and the Galiuro mountains.  My first thought was that it could have been a movie set for a post-apocalyptic film, but as we drove around a bit, I got a better sense of the town, which was incorporated in 1958.  There is a park on the W side of 77 that features sculptures and a memorial for miners and their families that died working the mines in the area.  If I were a story-teller, it would be worth the time to spend a couple of days there talking to people.  As you drive N, you come to North Mammoth, and there are places to dine and stay.  

Mining memorial, Mammoth. Sprocket Rocket, Derevpan100

We continued on towards Globe, and as we looked to the AZ  77 roadsides, it was evident that the Saguaros there are doing quite well.  Many have arms on the arms.  The road gains and loses elevation -- up to 8% grades, and our first roadside stop was just after Winkelman. We could see the giant smokestack from miles away, which is part of the copper ore processing.  The town of Winkelman has less than 300 people, making it the smallest incorporated town in Arizona.  Our next stop was at a roadside park - El Capitan Pass at milepost marker 162 (33° 15.796′ N, 110° 46.307′ W), which overlooks the valley to the NE, and the nearby mountains had some snow on them. The bronze plaque, installed in 1964, has bullet craters, because, you know, idiots with guns.  



We finally arrived in Globe, which is an old mining town, founded in 1875. Silver mining was followed by copper mining, which continues to this day to the SW near Superior.  Globe is the seat of Gila Co., and has a population of about 7200 people.  Some walking around the downtown resulted in a few photos, and a visit to an antique mall, which did not have any heat, and it was cold!  Some antique/junk stores were not open that day, but they certainly had some interesting item displayed.  I’m not too sure about the giant gold head of Nixon.  What the hell was that about?  From seeing old postcards of Globe, it’s not the town that it was 100 years ago, but then, that can be said of many small towns in America.  Jorie mentioned that Globe greatly reminded her of mining towns in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, particularly Houghton. I have to agree.  There were some other parts of the town that we drove past that definitely deserved some photography, but in the short daylight  of January, I could not stop and give it the attention it deserved.  We proceeded to Besh Ba Gowah, a state archeological site that features a very nice museum next to a partially reconstructed prehistoric Salado pueblo. It looks like the inhabitants deserted the pueblo before 1450, and much of it was studied/excavated in the late 1920s- 1940s.  The museum is particularly well-done, and really worth the visit.




Besh Ba Gowah reconstruction


We headed home to our rental, but took US 60 to AZ 177, and that was a really exciting drive with 10% grades, a view of the gigantic Ray Mine, and brief looks at Miami, Superior, Kelvin, Kearny, and Hayden, and then past Winkelman to AZ 77 and “home.”  Definitely a series of old and currently running mining towns that need to be photographed.  We stopped at one roadside “park” near Superior, and Jorie took the trail down to Queen Creek.  The volcanic rocks there are purported to be popular rock-climbing spots, and there are many amazing-looking canyons that the road passes through.  

Ansco Pix Panorama, cliffs along US60

near Queen Creek

AZ-177


Saturday, Jan. 20 turned out to be a big surprise, as we decided to visit the Sweetwater Wetland park, which is on the West side of Tucson.  The park is part of the Tucson Water Dept. water treatment facility, where treated wastewater is pumped into a series of ponds, and then into the underground aquifer.  It’s an oasis in the Sonoran desert, and the ponds are full of bullrushes and cattails - and ringed with willows and cottonwoods.  It’s a big place for birders, too.  I saw a Vermilion Flycatcher, a Snipe, coots, several species of ducks, herons, egrets, and many little birds whose names elude me.  We saw quite a few people with big telephoto lenses as we hiked the trails. It’s no surprise that the ponds also draw in other animals, as bobcats have been photographed along the trails.  What impressed me the most were the confused cottonwoods.  Some still had fall foliage, while also showing spring buds/green leaves, or brown leaves from the controlled burns that they do there.   Controlled burns are periodically done in different ponds to control invasive plant species.  At one point, all the trees and shrubs and flowering plants looked like someone had put flocking on them, and as I turned around, I realized that it was from heads on the cattails. That’s a lot of fluff.   There were plenty of compelling scenes to photograph, for sure.  It certainly is something I had not anticipated in the Sonoran desert.







Ansco Pix Panorama, Derevpan 100

Ansco Pix Panorama, Derevpan 100


Afterwards, we traveled to Saguaro National Park West for the remainder of the afternoon. That’s a beautiful drive through Gates Pass Rd, past “Old Tucson” and then into the park.  The highlight of that visit was the Signal Hill area, and seeing the Hohokam petroglyphs on top of the hill.  It was a delight to see the vista from the top of the hill, and on the way out, I photographed a beautiful old VW bus that was in the parking lot.  I once thought it would be fun to travel in one, but that’s when I was in my 20s, not now.

Petroglyphs, Sprocket Rocket, Fomapan 400

classic VW

Gates Pass

gnarly mesquite

Hohokam Petroglyphs

On Sunday, Jan. 21, we woke up to a cloudy and drizzly day. It had rained heavily all night, and the low clouds obscured the mountains.  Jorie and I headed for a quick visit to Saguaro NP East, and the mist reminded me a bit of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but the desert scene was gorgeous amongst the clouds.  It was my first time on a wet trail in the desert, and I know how people got the idea for adobe.  That soil, when wet, dries to a hard surface. 

Leica M2, Lomochrome Color '92

 Jorie and I then headed to the Barrio Viejo district of downtown Tucson, where the adobe/stucco homes and small businesses predominate.  I love the more organic look of those buildings, and just about every one has a different colored facade and door. Some have intricate ironwork adorning the windows.  In the soft light of the cloudy day, those places were perfectly suited for color film in my Leica M2.  I also finished up the roll of color film (Karmir 160) in my Ricoh 35ZF. We passed by a a place that had two stories, and on the second story balcony hung a Trump for Prison 2024  flag, which made my day.  The lady on her balcony greeted us two photographers below on the street and I said, I second that!  She saw my yellow block M on my jacket and then wished the Lions good luck on their upcoming game.  There are a lot of retired Michigan transplants in Arizona, and my jacket was a conversation starter on a number of occasions.

Ricoh 35ZF, Karmir 160

Ricoh 35ZF, Karmir 160

Ricoh 35ZF, Karmir 160

Leica M2, Reflx Lab pro 100

Leica M2, Reflx Lab pro 100

Leica M2, Reflx Lab pro 100

Leica M2, Reflx Lab pro 100


We headed back to the rental, but not until after we picked up some delicious donuts  from Le Cave’s bakery (since 1935).  The rain started up again in the afternoon, so we did some shopping and errands.


Monday, Jan. 22 was our last full day with Jorie, and we headed out to Sabino Canyon again.  However, this time, we were treated to dramatic low clouds and no rain, but everything was wet from the night’s rain.  Seeing water drops on the cholla was something new.  This time, we looked for the amazing crested Saguaro cactus, and it is indeed, quite a sight.   The air temp was in the lower 50s, which did not feel chilly as we walked.  There were quite a few people at the park, probably enjoying their hikes in cool weather.  This time, we took the Sabino Lake trail, and gained elevation.  There are several campsites near the trail, along with a bathroom.  While we were there, a good size male Javelina was poking around for food when it startled Jorie.  I watched it, and never even took a photograph!  As we continued up the trail, it got more in the bedrock rather than a gravelly trail.  I’m sure it would have been slick if it were raining.  We reached the top of a ridge and could look right down on the Sabino Creek, with its rushing waters from the rains.  That was a good turnaround spot and also a wonderful view.

 

desert mistletoe

rocks are no impediment for Saguaros

Looking down into Sabino Canyon

cristate Saguaro

FPP Red Scale 25, Leica M2

FPP Red Scale 25, Leica M2

Tuesday, Jan. 23 was our last full day in Tucson, and I mailed out my exposed and unexposed film back home to NC, with 1 roll left in the Leica.  Amazingly, my box of film arrived the day after we returned!   Adrienne and I drove to Saguaro NP East, and parked at the end of Speedway Road where the Douglas Spring trail begins.  We walked that trail for better than 3/4 mile, and when we saw that an impending storm was coming our way, we headed back to the car.  It was good timing, because we had hardly left the parking lot when it started raining.  I got some good photos of the storm clouds and the mist among the peaks.





Wednesday, Jan. 24 started about 2:30 am for us, as we had to be at TUS airport by 4 am-ish for our flight to ATL. We returned the van, and had plenty of time to have a morning snack before boarding.  The flight to ATL was uneventful - though I should note that the only time the ground was not obscured by clouds, was over central New Mexico.  Otherwise, it was cloudy all the way. We had to hurry to the gate for our flight to AVL, and we made it in plenty of time.  We touched down in Asheville a little before 1 pm.  

AVL is undergoing renovations, so we had the old-time outdoor ramp

It was a great trip, and the only thing I would have done differently was not bring the tripod. I didn’t over pack for camera gear, and the cameras and lens selections were perfect. 



I’ve now gone through all the digital images, developed and scanned the film, and I certainly came away with some wonderful shots.  Seeing the Sonoran Desert in January was a first-time experience, and the really comfortable temperatures combined with some interesting clouds and rain was a bonus. I'll definitely have some material for future zines.