Reunited and if feels so good.

My "new" Pentax 6x7 with non-metered prism

Around six months ago one of my favorite cameras, my Pentax 6x7, stopped working. The shutter seized up, and that was it. Toast. Since then, I have been scouring ebay and other used equipment stores to find a replacement. After THREE failed attempts (mostly due to careless/clueless sellers), I finally bought another body that functions correctly. It came with a nice non-metered prism as well.

My poor old broken 67 body with bulky metered prism

I tested it out today in my backyard, and even though I was just fooling around, I was instantly reminded why I love this camera, and why I have gone through such great lengths to purchase a new working one.

Over the last year, I've been working almost exclusively with 35mm cameras because of their portability, ergonomics, and speed. However, I've been itching to get back into medium format. 35mm ( and even most digital sensors) simpply can't match the shallow depth of field and detail  medium format provides. I'm extremely excited to have the opportunity to use a Pentax 6x7 again, and hope to produce some quality work very soon!

Print: Living Room

Today I made a print from a negative I made while visiting the abandoned house in Kildeer, Illinois. As the title explains, this is a shot of the living room, the first room you see after walking through the front door. I just love that amidst all the rubble, dirt, and grime, a vacuum cleaner sits on the floor, still plugged into the wall. The shadows contrasting with the bright window almost turn this shot into an abstract piece. I used my Pentax LX with an SMC 24mm F/2.8 lens, and Ilford HP5+ film. The physical print is 7 x 10 inches.

Print: The General

My friend and very talented illustrator, Peter Blair, gave me this George Washington (at least it looks like George) marionette about a year ago. For a year, I let George lounge around our backyard in Chicago's unforgiving climate. For much of the time, he sat in a flowerpot, where plants and spiderwebs grew around him.  We just recently moved Mr. Washington to our front porch to scare off trick-or-treaters, but before we did, I photographed him in his favorite little pot. I used my Pentax LX with a 50mm lens and Ilford Delta 400 film. The physical print is 10 x 8 inches.

Roll: Quebec City (Part 2 of 2)

Here is the second roll from our honeymoon in Quebec City. I used my Pentax LX, 50mm F/1.4 lens (For most of the shots), and Ilford Delta 400 film.

Roll: Quebec City (Part 1 of 2)

Last month Katie and I got married! For our honeymoon, we traveled to Quebec City for six romantic nights. I was pretty astonished at just how European Quebec City is, especially considering it's less than a 3-hour plane ride from Chicago. We stayed at a charming little hotel called the Chateau Fleur De Lys for the first night, but for the next five nights we crashed at the Chateau Frontenac, the most photographed hotel in North America (I purposefully did not make a picture of it solely based on this fact). I brought along my Pentax LX and shot a couple rolls of Ilford Delta 400. Here are some shots from the first roll. I mainly used my SMC 50mm F/1.4 lens.

Thanks for looking! I will have the second roll up very soon.

Roll: Metropolis (Part 3)

Last weekend, I bought a(nother) Nikon F from a nice older guy I met through meetup.com. This F is decked out all in black, and came with a standard prism, Nikon soft release, three Nikkor lenses, and a Luna Pro meter. From the looks of the camera, it was very lightly used, and looks breathtaking. It's almost near-mint.

My black Nikon F with standard prism, soft release, and 50mm F/1.4 lens

At the latest Photorama camera show, I bought a waist-level finder for the camera. It's pretty sexy:

With the waist-level finder and 24mm F/2.8 lens

I took the train down to the city to test the camera out, and had a lot of fun shooting with it. I just love the weight and durability of the F; they don't make them like this anymore, that's for sure. I shot with the 50mm F/1.4 and the 24mm F/2.8 lenses, on Ilford Delta 400 film. Here are some of the results I obtained:

Thanks for looking!

Print: Two-Car Garage

This is the garage of the split-level home in Kildeer, Illinois. There was a bunch of random stuff thrown into this junk pile, including golf clubs, a Pocahontas coloring book, and a Snoopy-dressed-as-a-Christmas-Elf plushy. I got pretty lucky with the afternoon lighting here; the junk was lit just about perfectly, allowing for the windows not to be completely blown out in my exposure. For this photograph, I used my Pentax LX with a 24mm F/2.8 lens on Ilford HP5+. The physical print is 8x10 inches.