Lens Hoods for the Leica Summitar

I touched on this topic a little bit in a previous blog about hoods for various LTM lenses entitled Throwing Shade, but I wanted to drill down on lens hood options for the Leitz 50mm f2 Summitar. As previously stated, I think that earlier Leitz lenses require a hood in many circumstances to perform their […]

Johnny Martyr’s B&W Darkroom Grocery List

If your New Year’s resolution is to start processing your own b&w film at home, or you’re just interested in comparing notes, I thought it would be handy for me to share my darkroom grocery list. Disclaimer – I am not a chemist! I’m just a photographer who has found some products and methods that […]

Rating + Processing for Available Light Portraits – EI 3200 ISO

It bears repeating: International Center of Photography shooter James Mignogna once told me that a good photographer matches their light, lens, film and developer. Nowhere do I think these decisions are more critical than portraits in dim lighting. That was the intro I used in my previous entry: Rating + Processing for Available Light Portraits […]

A Post About Louise Post and the Importance of Photography

A few years ago, I photographed a Veruca Salt concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. I wasn’t an official photographer, I was just having fun with the then still available Fuji FP-3000b peel apart instant film and my 1960’s Polaroid Automatic Land camera. But it was a great night anyway and I’ll always […]

On Fuji Pro 400H and Any Discontinued Stock

You’ve probably heard by now that Fuji have discontinued what was for many shooters, their go-to, general purpose color film, Pro 400H. For anyone who’s been shooting film for more than a few years, we know this rodeo all to well. Fuji or Kodak announce a discontinuation (notice that Ilford never does). The bloggers pick […]

Rating + Processing for Available Light Portraits – EI 1600 ISO

International Center of Photography shooter James Mignogna once told me that a good photographer matches their light, lens, film and developer. Nowhere do I think these decisions are more critical than portraits in dim lighting. With all of us spending so much time at home lately, I have gotten a number of emails asking for […]

Autopsy of the Nikon F6

This time last year, photographer Thomas Eisl and I set out to dispel myths and to remind the world that we could still buy the world’s last newly made 35mm SLR, the Nikon F6, brand new. Sadly, nearly exactly one year later, Nikon has officially announced that this important camera is being discontinued after a […]

One Year with the Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 Nokton MC

Since buying, shooting and writing about the Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 Nokton MC, I feel like I see this lens everywhere! I didn’t realise how popular it is. The blog I wrote about it is my third most viewed of all time, I see it mounted to many of the cameras that I read reviews of […]

Three Common Issues with the Nikon FM2n

If you currently own or are interesting in buying a Nikon FM2n, you’ll want to know about the three common issues that I’ve found with these cameras. As previously noted, I’m a big fan of the Nikon FM2n. I’ve owned five and have whittled down to just two black FM2n’s. I’ve been shooting on them […]

Is Your Camera Due for a New Strap?

I wasn’t really hyperbolizing when I said that the Leica 14312 is the best camera strap in the world. I own one for each of my Leica bodies and swap them onto my other rangefinders and SLR’s too. So when Mark from Due North Leather Goods in Canada reached out to me about test-driving one […]