Well, it’s the Solstice!

AuTrain Bay, June, 2008.  Summer in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is pretty nice.

Summer Solstice, that is. The longest day of the year, daylight-wise. Still, it’s a special day. This year it is also Father’s Day.  My daughter, who is 38 (how can that be?), is visiting us, and that’s the best Father’s Day present.  It seems that June has just been flying by this year. Maybe it’s just because I’m older.  I think June needs an extra day.

I have been dealing with a health issue that is hopefully going to improve. My lower spine is causing me some awful leg pain that my doctor thought was arthritis of the hip.  I thought it might be bursitis, but a visit to the orthopedic doctor and some x-rays revealed that my hips are fine. It’s my lower spine that’s causing the pain.  I have to say, that the past month has been difficult, and the pain has put a damper in my mood as well as my wanting to go out and shoot.  Anyhow, I am on some medication that seems to be helping, and hopefully, I will be my usual jolly self soon.  At least I know that it’s not my hips.  As the doctor said, “I have some good news and some bad news.”  Hopefully, the spinal issue will not get worse.

Mine will be similar to this

I just purchased a monorail 4x5 to augment my Intrepid 4x5 field camera.  It’s a Calumet (Kodak) Orbit that I paid #112.50 + $19 postage.  I had one very similar to it when I lived in Ann Arbor.  Easy to set up and easy to use.  Definitely a camera for studio and around the yard shots, as monorails are not really travel-friendly.  My previous monorail camera had a custom case for it.  This is the same model camera that Ansel Adams used for many of this photographs in his series of books.  I’m looking forward to playing with it.

Marc Akemann getting photographed by Bill Schwab. Two great men gone. Photostock 2009.

In some years, I planned a photo day for the summer solstice.  A full day of photography from sunrise to sunset.  I won’t be doing that this year, as I am taking it easy.  In some previous years, it was the time to attend Photostock in Michigan.  Those were great times, and the loss of Bill Schwab means that the Photostock will no longer be held.  I met many people that I never would have met without Photostock.  Many of them are large-format and alt-process practitioners, who would not normally be in my “orbit.”  I really enjoyed those encounters with the smell of ether in the air.  

06/21/2012

Yesterday was “620 Day” and I confess that I didn’t even drag out a 620 film camera.  We have had 127 day, 120 day, pinhole day, toy camera day, 35mm day day, etc., and at one time, I did all those things, even Argus Day. Argus Day was by far, my favorite, as it made me get out an Argus camera and shoot with it.  My Argus of choice these days is the C-4.  

06/21/2016, Nikon 1J1.

Happy Summer Solstice!

AuTrain Falls, Argus C-4, June, 2008.