Postcards

by Johnny Martyr Ever since I was a young art student visiting museums on class field trips, I enjoyed buying postcards that depicted the work of my favorite artists. Most people cannot afford original prints of famous photographs, and who really wants to display large prints that are anything less than original? Small postcard sized...

Rapid Firing With Manual 35mm Cameras

"I guess I've shot about 40,000 negatives and of these I have about 800 pictures I like." - Harry Callahan One of the major differences in the way that I see digital and film photographers approach each medium is how rapidly we shoot. A common mantra among film shooters is "I shoot film because it...

Leitz 5cm f3.5 Elmar: The Meaning of Gestalt

I'll admit it. As I shuffled around the streets of downtown Frederick, Maryland anticipating the paths of passersby and lifting my little black Leica to my eye, I imagined that this is what it was like for Henry Cartier Bresson before this equipment was legendary, new methods were standard practices and the genre was a...

Happy Birthday, Kodak Tri-X

Kodak Tri-X, as a concept, has been around since the 1940's when it was a 200 ISO b&w sheet film. Because it was their first fast film, when Kodak released the 400 ISO roll film version, the Tri-X name was maintained. Just like Kodak TMAX P3200 revolutionized low light photography in 1989, Tri-X was an...

Johnny’s Favorites

For my last entry, I shared The Very Best of Johnny Martyr, but as with most greatest hits compilations, so many great songs get left behind.  Often the songs that mean the most to the author are not the chart-toppers. So if you don't mind, I'd like you to give the blogs below a second...

One Photographer’s Experience; The Frederick Maryland March for Justice

It's a little after 10pm on Friday, June 5 2020.  My negatives are hanging in a nearby window to dry and my shoes are still sopping wet too. Today was the Frederick March for Justice, one of innumerable nationwide demonstrations in honor of George Floyd. A storm front began lingering around the area Thursday afternoon...

One Photographer’s Experience; the George Floyd Washington D.C. Protests

Guest blog; all text and photos by Ben Eisendrath, depicting his experience on Sunday May 31st, 2020 When the crowd’s chants and weight against the steel barricades diminished, the wall of police stepped back, careful to remain shield-to-shield. The quieter the protesters, the further away law enforcement fell. But when the chants turned instead to...

Martyr’s Leica’s vs. Eckman’s Copies: Canon IVsb

A while back, fellow blogger/photographer Mike Eckman sent me his three favorite Leica copies to compare to my originals. I posted a brief intro before I assessed a Leica II clone, the Zorki-1c. Next was a variation on the classic Barnack design, the Zorki-3.  Today's third, and final review is a curve-ball in every sense,...

Sidetracking with the Voigtlander Bessa R2 and Series Overview

You may have visited my blog expecting the final installment of Martyr's Leica's vs. Eckman's Copies and a review of the Canon IVsb.  However, as this isn't a paid site and my inspiration/motivation is a wavering mess, I've decided to postpone the IVsb blog another week (hopefully).  Instead, I humbly submit, for your enjoyment and/or...

We Choose to Go to the Moon; David Burnett @ the Leica Store DC

This past Friday, the Leica Store DC hosted a gallery opening for famed photojournalist David Burnett's Apollo XI 50th anniversary photo series, We Choose to Go to the Moon. Though the astronauts made it to the Moon in 1969, my wife and I barely made it to DC!  We were about 40 minutes late but...