I remember first seeing these Mountains 30 years ago. On a recent trip through New Mexico we decided to stop by Las Cruces to see the Organ Mountains:
I’ll have more views of the Mountains coming soon. For more information on the Ogan Mountains CLICK HERE.
Happy Easter!
IFor the 4th Quarter of 2020 I tested the Agfa Billy Clack No. 51, a 645 medium format camera from 1934/. The cost on EBay was $35. The Photos were quite successful, leading me to try my other less than $50 Pre-1940’s cameras:
| Pre-1940’s Cameras | Year | Cost | Format |
| Mom’s Kodak Art Deco 620 Camera | 1933 | Free | 620 |
| Kodak Jiffy Series II SIX 20 Camera | 1928-32 | $14 | 620 |
| AGFA Billy Clack 51 6×4.5 German strut folding | 1934 | $35 | 120 |
| AGFA Billy Clack 74 6X9 German strut folding | 1934 | $40 | 120 |
| AGFA Isolette 6X6 German Strut folding | 1937 | $35 | 120 |
So these are the primary cameras I will be using for The Frugal Film Project.
AGFA Billy Clack 74 6X9 is the January 2021 Camera I will Start with. Using Ektar 100 Film to capture the end of the Holiday Saeson.
The rest of the Cameras givin in no particular use order. I’ll just have to see what the conditions are and what’s going n that’s of Photographic interest. In other wirds, I’ll let the circumstance pick the camera and the film.
AGFA Billy Clack 51 6×4.5 I’ve had a lot of success with. So it may make more than on appearance in the project.
AGFA Isolette 6X6 shows some promise. I will probably reserve it for the faster B&W film, the Tri-X 400.
And now for the Kodak Cameras……….
Mom’s Kodak Art Deco 620 Camera. This camera needs a bit of a work out. It uses 620 format film (similar to 120 film). I’ve only put one roll of film through it. There’s no formal unboxing. M mom simply gave it to me Christmas 2019 in a cloth bag.
NEEDS PHOTO
Kodak Jiffy Series II SIX 20, The non-Art Deco version of Mom’s camera. I have not yet tested this camera. So we shall see…….
There are also some Post-1940 cameras, such as my Grandfather’s Argus Brick, which will likely be a part of this year;s Frugal Film. We’ll introduce those cameras as I apply thm.
I choose this image to sum up my feeling about the Year 2020:
A Word from My Inner Monet
Check here for my 202 0opes and Dreams.
What am I looking forward to for 2021?
Well, my brain tumor decided to return with a vengeance at the end of 2020, leaving me partially blind and with an uncertain future.
My Hopes? To maintain the stability of the sight that I have and retire on disability. Technically I am legally blind and cannot continue my work. But I can see well enough to continue with my photography. And there is a slim chance of visual improvement.
Right now I am waiting….Patience. As my surgeons try to decide if more surgery will help……
Hopefully Next Year will be better!
So I am going to go ahead and make plans for 2021, including photographic plans:
+Of course, continuing my own Blog
+Working with Pre-194’s cameras for My Inner Monet
+Continuing with the Frugal Film Project
+Continuing the Thursday Doors
+Continuing the Inspired By Series
+Adding more Pinhole work, consistent with My Inner Monet…..
+Occasionally entering contests; although not a high priority.
So I am Looking Forward to a Happy, Healthy and Productive 2021
Have a Merry Christmas and Happy 2021!
I decided to summarize my participation in the @ILFORDPhoto #CameraChallenge on Twitter, and posted on my Long’s Peak Journal.
@ILFORDPhoto and @_JasonAvery sponsor Photo Challenges on Twitter……..
@_JasonAvery
By the time you read this we will be on our way back to the Phoenix Mayo Clinic for the next 30 days. We made arrangements to stay at the Condos we had used before.
After talking to the second neuro-surgery teleconference it was decided to run some additional tests before scheduling surgery. I will tell you that I had started the steroid therapy and there was some improvement, especially for my left eye. Undoubtably this is the source of my extended testing.
Now I have the results or a preliminary evaluation…..Surgery now or Later? The vote for surgery later (maybe). We are in a wait and see mode hoping to stabilized my vision and move forward. I wii definitely ready to hear that news.
So I am off into the Mountains for a drive today. Still testing ‘old cameras’ and ‘new’ films. Taking it easy for the rest of this year. And can I Say “Hallelujah, Amen”!
A friend recently sent me a link to a professional photographer, Jay Zukerkorn, who is dealing with the changes in his photography resulting from Parkinson’s Disease. He has tremors to deal with, but decided to work with them instead of against them.
Here are two quotes from the article that are especially pertinent to me:
Absolutely. In my former career, my photos were hyper-sharp and perfectly retouched. Now I embrace these blurred imperfections.
My photos represent a new way of walking through life. I’ve had a life-altering diagnosis, which has been humbling, but it hasn’t stopped me from moving forward.”
So I no longer reject the ‘out of focus’. Especially since I am experimenting with all if these pre-1940 cameras. In this case My Kodak 1913 Autographic:
Then I found some problems with my right eye; a vitreous detachment. Luckily it won’t cause blindness and will probably even show some improvement. But oddly now each eye has its own specialist…….
So now I am moving in a different way (figuratively and literally) and seeing and experience the world differently. So check out some of My Inner Monet as well…….
No Palms for Palm Sunday, but something to think about during our time of social distancing……..I recently read the Alyssa Chiarello article “5 Photo Books for the Quarantine Life“, as recommended by Jim Grey. Social Distancing does not mean that you never go out unless your goal is to go crazy!
And so I have been inspired by Alyssa to go out and document what life has become under these quarantine conditions. And as she suggests, look back at those photos in a few years and see what is different. I decided to start with photos of my current state of being, AND the often called for Masks…….These are leftover from my days as a geochemist when I was processing rock samples for analysis. Seems like they’ve found a new use.
It is also important to remember that “stay-at-home” does not mean that you lock yourself up at home. It means maintain proper social distancing when you do have to go out. The need to go out includes getting some fresh air at the local parks, or taking a safe ride in the country.
I finally grasped Film as a Journey at a 2016 B&W Photography Workshop in Condon, Montana with the Photographer’s Formulary Crew, and Nathan McCreery as the instructor. Corrected some lazy mistakes I was making, but learned new things too!. And I was finally convinced to use a spot meter! (Well, OK I still often use the camera meter).
Nathan will be the Artist in Residence , September 2020 at the Big Horn National Forest, Montana………..
Tech Info: Mamiya 6X7, Kodak T-Max 400, film developer Formulary’s FA-1027, exposure (spotmeter) f/22 for 2 seconds.
Check out Craig Sheaks on Film as a Journey that can transform you……And another perspective on the Film Photographic Journey.
