The other day I finally developed a roll of film shot with this unassuming, cheap, and plastic camera. It's a Vivitar IC 400, with what appears to be a 28mm f11 or f8 lens. I paid a dollar for it at the Recycle Reuse Center in Ann Arbor. My daughter looked at me with disdain when I picked it up - "That's such a piece of junk." She said (or something to that effect). Well, I have a thing for these often-maligned little cameras. For one, they usually have a fairly sharp lens. Second, we all know it's the photographer, right? Think about the usual target audience for these cameras -- people that use a camera for some special event or a trip to the zoo, etc. All they know is they think they need to record the event, and hey, that camera is 6.99 -- it ought to do the trick. Like legions of people before them, using box cameras from Kodak and Ansco, or plastic 127 cameras, and later still, Instamatics. All for the same purpose - snapshots. Photos destined for some album -- maybe. Now we have digital, with the same people taking the same shots. (Trust me on this... I see them on Flickr).
So, where does that leave this sad little 35mm snapshot camera? A $1 buy at a thrift shop, now destined to take images that the snapshooters would never imagine.
I used a roll of Ilford HP-5+, developed it in D-76, and the negatives were scanned on my cheap Epson 3170 scanner. I adjusted the curves a bit, toned some in Photoshop, but that was all. I think the results look pretty good.
The set is here
My thoughts and activities in photography, camera collecting, current events, and photographic tips.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Back Roads
Yesterday, March 25; Marjorie and I went for about a 5 hour drive, starting from Chelsea. I drove down M-52 to Adrian, and we stopped there to shoot some photos of the Lenawee Historical Society's building and some other nearby structures. Then it was back on M-52 into Ohio. We travelled W on what was 120, and we must have taken a turn into Morenci, MI. Mo was delighted to find a cute little theater called the "Rex." I was amazed that the small town had a theater, but bigger places were some distance away. Always good to see that some things can survive.
From there, we travelled W on Territorial Road, which is at the MI-OH border, and I saw some nice terrain that could be good places to go back to in the summer for dragonfly work. We eventually ended up in Fremont, IN, and then went back N into MI, going up Quincy Rd to US-12. There are quite a few Amish farms in that area, and some pretty nice scenery. At a small lake, we saw dozens of Sandhiil Cranes, and more came flying into land in the late afternoon sunlight. It was a beautiful moment.
On US-12, we started near Allen, which is a HUGE antiques place. Will have to go back there again. The drive back took us through more small towns, some strange weather -- a brief snow/rainstorm that was quite intense for about a mile. Then it cleared up again.
It was a nice drive, and something that I enjoy doing with Marjorie. I wonder how many teen-agers enjoy doing that?
The photo was taken along Quincy Road in Branch County, as the sunlight raked across the field. I saw the scene coming together and pulled over and had time for about 5 shots before the sun went behind a cloud.
From there, we travelled W on Territorial Road, which is at the MI-OH border, and I saw some nice terrain that could be good places to go back to in the summer for dragonfly work. We eventually ended up in Fremont, IN, and then went back N into MI, going up Quincy Rd to US-12. There are quite a few Amish farms in that area, and some pretty nice scenery. At a small lake, we saw dozens of Sandhiil Cranes, and more came flying into land in the late afternoon sunlight. It was a beautiful moment.
On US-12, we started near Allen, which is a HUGE antiques place. Will have to go back there again. The drive back took us through more small towns, some strange weather -- a brief snow/rainstorm that was quite intense for about a mile. Then it cleared up again.
It was a nice drive, and something that I enjoy doing with Marjorie. I wonder how many teen-agers enjoy doing that?
The photo was taken along Quincy Road in Branch County, as the sunlight raked across the field. I saw the scene coming together and pulled over and had time for about 5 shots before the sun went behind a cloud.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
See them soon...
In case you haven't already seen them, the 14x20 Pt/Pd prints by Kenro Izu of the grounds and temples at Angkor Wat are really something. The show, at the Univ. Mich. Museum of Art (UMMA) goes until April 2. Platinum/Palladium prints have deep rich grays and blacks that look like no other b&w material. The images are just amazing, and evoke a mood akin to what the first western explorers may have seen when they encountered these amazing structures in the Cambodian forest.
The thought of toting around a 14x20 view camera is pretty daunting!
For more info: Passage to Angkor: Photographs by Kenro Izu, January 21, 2006–April 2, 2006
The thought of toting around a 14x20 view camera is pretty daunting!
For more info: Passage to Angkor: Photographs by Kenro Izu, January 21, 2006–April 2, 2006
and I just found this out -- lectures coming up:
Kenro Izo talk tomorrow (Friday, March 24) at 12 Noon at the U of M International Institute, 1080 S. University, Room 1636, "Photography as a Tool for Social Activism"
Kenro Izu lecture and interview, Sunday, March 26, 3:00 PM at the Museum
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
good book, fun cameras
I finished reading Mike Johnston's book this evening, "Lenses and the Light-Tight Box" -- a collection of essays on cameras and lenses, which for photographic gearheads like me, is a fun read. Mike is a good writer, and some of the chapters in the book have appeared elsewhere in photographic magazines. He's not out to push a product-- he tells what he thinks of a camera. He does not mind shooting sacred cows when necessary. His take on lenses is that almost any lens is good at f8. It's what you do with the lens that matters. If you enjoy reading about cameras and lenses and photography, it's a book you'll want to read. It's available online at lulu.com
Monday, March 20, 2006
Peace, Please
On Sunday, Marjorie and I attended the "Stop the War" rally on campus. It was pretty crowded compared to last year, and seemed better organized, since it started on the Diag in front of the UM Graduate Library. Dick Siegel sang at the beginning, which was a nice addition. I spent my hour there shooting the various people with signs, symbols of a growing frustration with the current regime in Washington. I had to leave at 2 to go to a friend's place for a get-together, but Marjorie apparently did the march downtown, also taking photos.
To say that I am angry with Bush and his cabinet would be an understatement. The arrogance, incompetence, and hubris of the white house goes beyond anything I have seen since I started voting many years ago. We will unfortunately, bear the weight of their misdeeds for many years into the future, both politically and economically.
To say that I am angry with Bush and his cabinet would be an understatement. The arrogance, incompetence, and hubris of the white house goes beyond anything I have seen since I started voting many years ago. We will unfortunately, bear the weight of their misdeeds for many years into the future, both politically and economically.
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