Southern Ohio Panorama

Southern Ohio Panorama – December 2008. I’ve driven past this sorry collection of human detritus a couple times. It never ceases to amaze me how folks living in otherwise beautiful surroundings choose to trash things up. Double click on the image. Nikon F3HP w/50mm F:1.4 Auto Nikkor

Sunrise on East Glacier - 20 November 2009. One of the few perks of doing locum tenens in some parts of Montana is the scenery. This panorama was stitched together from five images shot looking west from about 4 miles east of East Glacier. One doesn't get to see this sort of thing drving home from work in Ohio . . . anwhere in Ohio. Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX2 - multiple images stitched together.

Technics RS M224 Cassette Deck

My example died today. The last time it had been to my repair guy in Columbus was in January 2005. He advised me that the component that had failed would fail again - and there were no replacements available. Years of manufacture for this model were 1982-83. Back then their list price was $180.00.

By way of contrast - a less than 6-year old Sony TCW - WHO the Devil Cares went belly up today. The last time it was in the repair shop was January 2008. The logic circuit that controls the fabulous autoreverse mechanism went crazy and wound about ten feet of tape around a spindle. I never liked this unit with its' manual the thickness of a Phoenix Metro phone directory and its legion of nested functions - any one of which could go south in an instant. It was an exercise in cold technology.

I'm replacing the Technics RS M224 with another Technics of slightly older design - a Technics RS M24. It was made in 1980 and listed at $260(!). I aso note that it weighs 11-lbs vs the 8.75-lbs of the just retired deck. I'm looking forward to this machine.

Yeah - I'm old school.

Red

Red - Columbus, Ohio

Red - Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden Columbus, Ohio - 03 January 2009. Canon Digital SLR. I borrowed a fellow photographers' camera to make this shot. I had my Leicas with me - but as anyone who even remembers what rangefinder cameras are about - close-ups like this on the fly are impossible.

1967 Ford Galaxie

My current rental car is parked behind this MACHINE. I don't know the mechanical particulars - only that late 1960's muscle cars have a certain physical presence that modern machinery completely lack. One either finds the design and mechanical imperfections endearing or not. Fortunately - I look at them as rolling sculpture. Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2 at ISO 400.

Lone Pine - Glacier National Park off Two Medicine Road - 27 October 2008. I was too late for any good fall color, but there is always something interesting to photograph if one stays attentive. Asahi Pentax SP (Spotmatic) w/28mm F:3.5 Super Takumar

Oil Pump - North Dakota - 21 July 2008 – Panasonic LUMIX DMC LX2 w/ND400 filter.

What is an “ND400” filter? It is a neutral density filter that cuts light by 400 times. I’m guessing that most of them are sold to astrophotographers shooting very bright objects like the sun. What they do is effectively reduce the speed of the film you’re using. If you’ve got ASA:400 film – or your digital camera set at ISO:400 – an ND400 makes it ASA:001 or ISO:001. Bright sunlight ASA:100 is usually F:16 at 1/100th second. With an ND400 filter ASA:100 film becomes ASA:0.25. The “Sunny 16 Rule” delivers an exposure of F:16 at 4-seconds. Trees blowing in the wind turn to green smears. Water loses its’ individual waves. A corner of a street with hundreds of people scurrying past suddenly becomes nearly vacant. People standing still remain – but everyone else turns to a grey mist. It’s a delightful effect. Convert this image to B&W – and it still works.