Rain creates interesting opportunities for photographers…

June 19, 2019June 19, 2019 - Joel Heffner

It’s raining again.

Although I’m not a big fan of rain I do recognize there are interesting possibilities for taking pictures. One of my favorite photos was taken just after the rain.

My wife and I were leaving the house when she called me over say, “Look at this.” She was pointing to the hood of the car. I reluctantly walked over and looked at the car. I liked what I saw very much. Here’s what I saw, with a little help with saturation from my Mac’s Preview app (which happens to be my favorite photo app).

When I entered it in a photo contest I had to put an arrow on the back so they’d know which way was up. It got a blue ribbon. The only time I’ve ever entered a photo contest. 🙂

Incidentally, entering a contest doesn’t hurt. The worst that can happen is that you don’t win. But, you never know unless you try.

The Hasselblad…Pen!

June 17, 2019 - Joel Heffner

Years ago, when I had a Hasselblad 500C (which I loved) I got a pen with the name Hasselblad on it. I don’t remember where I got it. I never saw another one like it since.

I couldn’t make this up…

June 16, 2019June 16, 2019 - Joel Heffner

Sometimes, little signs are very interesting. This one we found in a local laundry when our washing machine was broken. We had to go to the laundry for a few days until the repair person showed up. This was on the washing machine. And, no I didn’t try to get inside.

Cropping counts…a lot!

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 - Joel Heffner

When you see a good looking girl it’s usually easy to take a nice photo. Here’s an example…

The problem is that there’s a load of distractions. The easiest cure is cropping. Here’s the cropped version.

Cropping can help…a lot.

What’s your favorite camera?

June 9, 2019 - Joel Heffner

Over the years I’ve used a 4×5 view camera, Kodak Instamatic cameras, a variety of Nikon 35 mm cameras, Mamiya C330, Hasselblad, several iPhones, several digital cameras, and other cameras that I’ve forgotten.

My favorite is also the camera I’ve used least often!

Why? It’s very slow to use. You have to add film one (4×5) sheet at a time. Because it shoots at f/109 (that’s not a typo) I have to carefully calculate the exposure time. I don’t do my own darkroom work (anymore) so I have to send out the film for development. So what camera is it?

This one.

I got it on eBay several years ago. Dennis Wilder made it. Unfortunately, he doesn’t offer them on eBay anymore.

I thought these were dead!

June 8, 2019 - Joel Heffner

On my daily walk in the Staten Island Mall I noticed this in a corner that I usually don’t walk near. A photo booth! I haven’t seen one in many years (actually decades). When I build up my courage (and am not embarrassed) I’ll go in a take some pictures. It should be fun!

Simple, meaningful, and effective…

June 7, 2019June 7, 2019 - Joel Heffner

Whenever my wife and I visit Chester, NJ I always stop by and look at their Blue Star Memorial.

For those who may not be familiar with the Blue Star Memorials, they are described here.

Ever see a vending machine like this?

June 6, 2019 - Joel Heffner

It wasn’t that long ago that I used film in my cameras. I must admit that I never saw a vending machine that dispensed Kodak film. The 127, 620, and 120 films were much wider than the better known 35mm variety. I had cameras that took all of them. The good old days?!?! Very cool machine!

A rare alteration…

June 5, 2019June 5, 2019 - Joel Heffner

Although I rarely alter photos drastically, I played with this one. It’s a picture of the Mohonk Mountain House. [Incidentally, it’s a great hotel.]