My son has been involved in Jiu-jitsu for about a year now. It has not come to define him, as new combat sports sometimes do to a person, but is something he really enjoys and is good at.
He entered his first tournament last weekend and placed second in one of the divisions that he was in. So Proud! Not just that he placed, but that he is out there doing it. Striving to be better. Testing what he has learned.
He is the big blond feller on top, trying to pass guard and finish his opponent 🙂
I have a couple of Canon AE-1 cameras – ok, I have 4. That I have acquired over the years. They just seem to show up. I will be taking pictures with another film camera and a friend or acquaintance will have an AE-1 and ask if I want it. The answer is “yes” as I am always looking for a camera battery door or new lens or attachment.
I recently had another drop in my lap and as I was putting it away with it brothers, I found that one of the others had a roll of film in it… I opened it up (after making sure it was rewound!) and the was some Fujichrome Velvia 50 ASA/ISO slide film in it! I haven’t shot slide film in an AE-1 in YEARS!
It was a mystery, so I dropped it by my local camera shop in Eugene, OR (Dot Dotson’s) and was blown away by what came back! There was a whole roll of film that I took of my wife in 2007 or 2008 in Hamburg, Germany and the Planten am Blomen park, near the Damtor train station.
She was and is my muse, but I had forgotten about this sort of impromptu phot session right up until the very instant that I saw the contact sheet. She looked stunning, and it got my level just right to capture her inn the falling light. The film aged beautifully and love the effect it gave the negatives and prints! I am really happy to have found this roll of film!
It was such a gift to “find” these and for them to still be viable after 16+ years. This was early in out marriage and life was a huge adventure filled with food and travel and possibilities.
I have a couple of 8×12 prints up at the house and these are going in my portfolio!
We have Purple Flowering Jacarandas trees all up and down our street. they are very pretty, but they throw leaves, twigs, flowers and sticky sap all over the place. my Jeep was parked in the same spot for a couple of weeks and it was starting to look like a glue trap. I decided it was time for a real deep-clean wash.
a soapy soak, then hand wash using the three bucket method and Chemical Bros soap, a pressure washer rinse, I dried it off with a chamois, cleaned the windows in and out, and finally applied a light coat of Blazen’ Banana Spray wax, wiped off with a micro fiber towel. Before parking it again, I dressed the tires and winch cover as well to make the black pop out.
The jeep, a 1986 CJ-7, cleaned up really nicely!
Saturday:
Up early moved some patio furniture into place
Hung 6 shelves above doors in bathroom and laundry rooms
Coffee
Unpacked 14+ boxes - 19,483 left to go…
Broke down and loaded 20+ boxes for recycling
Installed two metal shelves in master bath to help de-clutter the vanity
Took a nap
More coffee
Took Logan and Truffle for a walk
Hung two pictures in hall
Snuggled
Even more coffee
Moved Logan’s new covered sandbox into placeÂ
Struck out at the recycler - don’t accept cardboard - GRRR!
Made trip to Lowes and got some needed supplies
Hung a couple of pictures
Installed 2 more security camerasÂ
Had a yummy take out BBQ dinner with wife and baby
Wine was consumed
Watched an episode of Shogun on iPad
Fell asleep in 3.256 seconds after head hit pillow
Sunday:
Up with Logan at 6:30, let Laurel sleep in
Played and sand and read and sang
Went to French bakery with baby
Came home and made coffee and breakfast
Ate and sang and watched BlueyÂ
Laurel up and we all played with stuffed animals
Updated personal and business websites
Sent 6 overdue e-mails
Spend a little time screwing off on Instagram
Took Logan for walk in the backpack
More Coffee
Lunch
Unpacked 4 more boxes
Completed small organization project for new shop
Installed pipe and tube organizers in shop
Hung a picture of Daddy and one of Bob and award certificates in the shop
Unpacked in shop some.Â
Listened to hours of podcasts
Found spilled gallon of oil
Said Dirty words!
Spread cat litter on it
Smacked head on pipe
Said some more dirty words while bleeding a little
Published an Instagram post and stories about project and stuff in the shop
Came in and played with baby
Had yummy Italian dinner
French wine was on offer and consumed
Took recycling and trash out
Read 4 books to Logan
Set up and installed 4 Apple Airtags - tired of losing my keys!
Took Truffle for a little walk before bed. Â
Asleep by 10:30
Somehow my wife and I find ourselves off on another adventure: Life in sun-filled Orange County, California!
In the span of about a month, I quit my job (soul sucking), did a bunch of work on the house, made some long needed updates to my VW van, was presented with a job offer that I couldn’t refuse, packed our house, and moved South – like 902 miles south – to our new home in Orange County.
The move was a little nuts with a bunch people showing up to pack and load our house into a 40’ trailer. It was a Bedlam! A single day pack and load became a LONG 2-day affair with up to 10 packers in our house the final day. Laurel was a trooper during it all.
My shop was on me to move and my dear friend Mark flew in from Colorado, we rented a forklift and had everything packed up in a 26’ Penske truck like a Jenga set. The truck was rated at 26,000lbs GVW for the type of license I have (class C) and we weighed in at 34,450lbs, less than the vehicle’s true capacity, but still REAL HEAVY! That was before I hooked up the 2-axle trailer with the jeep on it as well! Driving the mountain passes from Eugene to SoCal was not fun in any single sort of a way! I could not have done it without Mark. He followed behind in the FULLY loaded Subaru with a heavy trailer for the whole drive south and was amazing in general! He out worked the team of movers I hired to help load and the team on the other end I hired to help unload. A BEAST!
My new Company paid to have the VWs shipped and the transport company showed up the same day as the house movers. It was a little nerve racking seeing them both go up on the trailer and then drive away, but they arrived safely and the only damage was to an interior door pocket that the shipper used as a handle getting up into the Doka.
We really are looking forward to this adventure. It is not our first go-round in SoCal: We actually met here and fell in love, so it is a home coming of sorts and this time we are looking at it with older, wiser eyes and those of new parents. Logan is going to love it here!
This was not in our plans, but “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans…”
In the never ending (really, really) work on updating and personalizing our van, I installed a new retro looking floor, including 3/8″ marine grade plywood underlayment. I added aircraft-grade t-track to make sure that anything I wanted to hold down – like the fridge – is super secure.
I also installed a gas fueled heater to keep the inside of the van TOASTY when camping in cold places or in crap weather. It was a requirement from my wife and a Valentine’s Day present for her. It was VERY well received and insures year round van camping with my little family.
I have wanted to customize the plan upped cabinet door panel since the first day that I stepped into the van. This is what I can up with and laser etched into the wood. The phrase and image speaks to my should and the coordinates are from the spot that Laurel and I found our tribe. VW folks are the best folks in the world!
Twenty years ago this evening, I went to a St. Patricks party ant my Friend Mathew’s house in Tustin, California. I met this cute girl, played a little pool, and gave her my number. We have been together since.
She make my life, adventures, heartache, joy all better. I am blessed and lucky. I am grateful for her and our relationship.
It took WAY too long, but the mantle project is done. I really like how it turned out. Steel and oak (from when we lived in France) with custom support/stocking hanging brackets, epoxied to the wall with all thread and the internal filled with koawool to keep the mantel surface cool so not photos are damaged or candles melted when the fire is going.
I found this note from my mother in my work notebook. I don’t know when it is from, it has to have been in the last 2 years before her passing. She slipped in onto a random page in the back of the notebook for me to find. It is tiny and simple, and I got emotional when I found it. I love and miss my mother very much and this note felt like a sweet little time-traveling arrow straight to the heart.
Today would have been her 82nd Birthday. Happy birthday Mother.
Oh the kitchen island… “The cobblers children have no shoes and the thatcher’s house has no roof.” This thing has been on my list to complete for 18 months. I had plans for the cabinets that I sort of obsessed over. I planned for a cookbook cabinet, plugs for the undercounter microwave, and a wine fridge. I was going to do drawers and slides and a set of 4 swivel bench seats. I had three iterations of design – from a notebook sketch to 3D model. All for naught.
In the end, with a move looming, I ended up with big-box store ready-made cabinets, juiced up with trim and wired for just the wine fridge. I put on a remnant granite top – that matched the current kitchen granite perfectly! It looks great. Works beautifully in the house. My wife loves the island as well, BUT we had some words on why it took me so long and why she had to live without a “sweet chef’s island and out new renter’s get to have one…” There is a lesson there that I need to take more to heart: sometimes good enough and complete is better than AMAZING and not started.
Our deck is done. It cost more than I wanted to spend, but I didn’t have to touch it. Instead of my normal route of obsessing over the design, spending 6 weekends of my time over building the structure and finish, and buying >$1000 in new tools, we outsourced the whole thing. My lovely wife had 5-6 bids done, found a contractor, organized the schedule and it just got done. I did not pick up a single square, hammer, or screw-gun. Â
We went with Trex decking and treated structure. All the joists tops are taped and stainless fasteners were used everywhere as Oregon winters are hard on decks and exposed wood. We did not install any handrails as it is not more than 30” above the yard. Am happy with build and finish quality. The new deck makes the flow from the master bedroom to outside and onto the grass effortless and it truly adds to the aesthetic and functionality of the back yard.
My youngest is a year old and it has gone by in a FLASH.
Today would have been my dad’s 90th birthday. He is missed every single day.
After 4 months, I am FINALLY done with this video!
Descend 2023 was a wet and windy affair this year, but still was a great time connecting with friends and making new ones. Humans Being.
We didn’t see one fight or any ruckus and folks just seemed to be having as good a time as we had. The event was a little smaller this year, but better in some ways – toilet lines. In other ways, there is still some work to be done – site logistics. There were again this year YouTubers and folks on Instagram that I follow or that follow me and it was cool getting to know everyone in real life.
I want to say a huge THANK YOU to all the folks that let me take their picture this year. If you see any still on the video or MP4 of you or your van and you want a copy, let me know.
Also a big thanks again to the High Desert AirCooled Volkswagen Club, the Descend Organizers and volunteers, and the temporary residents of DubTown 2023. Jonah, Misty, Daniel, Ang, Steve, Tony, and Lennon let me use some of their video and pictures for this YouTube video and I am super grateful. We did not miss the descent into the Hole in the Ground this year and it was pretty epic! A great cap to the weekend. Once again, Cesar, Daniel, Ang, Jonathon, Misty, Tony, Mason, David, Brian, Dave, Steve, Jimmy, Jonah, Scottie, Laurie, Randy, Lennon, Sara, and the rest of the group treated us like family and made the event for us!
We will be in the circle next year!
WE got 6″ of snow and ice on 1/13/24 and took Logan outside all bundled up with get a taste of the season. She didn’t hate it….
We went for a walk today during a sunny-ish break in the cloudy gloom and I took a few Medium Format 120 pictures of Laurel and Logan
We are THOSE people… We did the whole matching PJ Christmas picture thing for our holiday cards! We even got a set for Truffle – she NEEDED to match!
These are a far cry from our very first Christmas card photo together in 2004. We were so young! I love her more now than I did even then though.
My biological father, Robert A. Burns, had a picture of slain Paris Texas Police officer David Roberts hanging in the hallway of his home for years, right up until his own passing. David was his cousin and was killed in the line of duty in 1985. Bob teared up telling me the story of David’s death 37 years later. He had been part of the manhunt for the killer and had witnessed the eventual execution in 1997.
We toured family cemetery and graves and David’s was the 2nd grave that Bob ever took me to. He had so much love and affection for David and still had so much anger over his loss and the circumstances around it. When Bob passed, I inherited his papers that would eventually go to the University of Texas. As part of the preparation for that, I started trying to close looks, doing a lot research about Bob, filling in gaps, and looking for audio and video of Bob and the events of his life. I had heard about the Dateline episode at some point from one of Bob’s other cousins, but couldn’t find a copy anywhere. I contacted NBC and their digital archives only went back to 2004 and not every episode was present.
By chance, I ran across a pile of VHS tapes in Bob’s vacation home about a year after his death and the Dateline NBC: The Last Mile (S6E59 originally airing January 9,1998) was in the pile. I immediately had it digitized and uploaded it here so that it would be available to anyone that might look for the show, to preserve the story, for the Roberts family, and in memory of both David and Bob.
In a final coincidence, the day that Bob’s obituary was published in the Paris, Texas newspaper, on the page directly opposite was a tribute article about David Roberts and the memory of his death.
Bob can be seen in the footage in a few places:
As a pall bearer (second on the right) @ 06:34
With the family during and after the execution @ 38:50 , 40:12 , and 43:00
WE didn’t host Thanksgiving this year – the 1st time in over a decade. WE instead went over to a cousin’s house and let them make the Turkey and deal with the stress and logistics of what everyone eats and who doesn’t/won’t eat what.
It was freeing!
My contribution was an a homemade apple pie with a light, flakey, homemade crust – Crisco is the key! Here is a short video of my process.
From the Town of Bedrock…
Halloween is a big deal at our place. Like THE holiday when you are married to a university-trained and degreed costume designer. We go all out. No one will ever accuse us of not having the Halloween Sprit!
The missus was beautiful nd Logan was the perfect little Pebbles. We did have a couple groups of kids stop in that had no idea who we were. their parents did, but they were clueless. It made me feel sad a little.
So, I made it to 50…. I am as surprised as you are! Truly. As a young man, doing stupid things in far away places, I didn’t think that I would ever live to see this milestone – 30 seemed like a real reach at that point.
It has been a ride! A really good one so far! I have been presented opportunities that I couldn’t have ever dreamed of growing up in East Texas and have been really lucky so many times! I have a great career, an amazing wife (more to come on that subject), three healthy children, a shop full of tools, tales of high adventure, a warm & love-filled home, and 50 years of happy memories. There have been rough spots. Lord knows, I have had heartache, debt, fear, injuries, and disappointments, but measured on a set of scales in my heart, the bad times are so very small compared to all the other. Â
For my birthday itself…
I knew something was going on. Laurel is bad a secrets. There were whispers, deliveries intercepted in the driveway, probing questions, and phone calls that I was not allowed in the room for. I knew there was going to be a “surprise” party, but I didn’t have the details.
I was off work for the latter half of the day the Friday before my actual birthday and I had to run an errand in town around 2:00. When I came back, my buddy Mark, his wife, and their two boys were in sitting on the floor in the baby’s room playing with blocks! There were hugs and laughter and smiles all around. This was my first time meeting his boys in person. Shortly after that Grover rolled in. More hugs and laughter. Next, my son just opened the front door and bounded up the stairs two at a time. I cried when I saw him – big tears. Carlton almost immediately sat on my couch and held Logan. It was so moving and again the tears just flowed (there is a pattern there). Seeing the two of them together with everyone else in the same room was all I could have ever hoped for. There were a lot of miracles sitting in that one spot.Â
Herbert was next, a huge surprise, with a big bear hug and more shock and tears. His wife, Cyndi, came in the next day. David ninja-walked up the stairs after and I was shocked/amazed! It is not often that a Lt. Colonel in the Army gets 3 days off in a row. Adam and his girlfriend Anny came in later. I felt so amazing lucky and loved that night!
Ross and his son Beckett arrived the next morning (American Airlines screwed their trip up and messed with Laurel’s surprise). There were more hugs and laughter all around. She did this. My wife got almost every single one of my friends together for my “Done Got Old” party. I was so proud of her colluding and sneaking! My heart grew two sizes filling with love and admiration for that terrific woman and what she had done. Â
I don’t know if I can adequately express my feelings of gratitude for all of my dear friends, their wives, girlfriends, and children taking the time and expense to be with me on my birthday. It was not a small thing – it was/is a giant act of love. Travel is tough (American Airlines and all) and vacation days are precious. The fact that Laurel and all of them made it happen, in-spite of the distance and challenges, truly made me feel as if I had won the lottery. I get weepy about it as I type these words. Seeing all of my people come through my door brought me so much joy! It is a thing that I will carry in my heart for the rest of my days.Â
It was awesome getting to spend that much time with two of my children and most of my oldest friends! Truly such a treasure. Just sitting outside under the porch roof, sharing a beer or three and laughing, talking, smiling, listening, with some good natured cajoling thrown in.
We had a little party Saturday night, with 25 or so folks. Old friends, family, new friends, and neighbors. We fed everyone smoked brisket, southern sides, and Dwayne’s yummy/tender smoked ribs. There were two ice chests full of beer, a table laden with wine, champagne in the fridge, and lots of alcohol-free choices for the folks not drinking. I needed zero presents. Absolute zero. My heart was full.
But some really thoughtful and amazing presents showed up as well.
Carlton, who is a budding and talented leather crafter and holster maker, presented me a fittingly simple, old style hand-tooled holster for my Daddy’s inexpensive .22cal DA revolver. I love it for punching paper and Daddy loved it too, maybe even more than his 30/06 rifle, but not quite as much as his Ithaca shotgun. That pistol has needed a good holster for a couple decades and it means so much that it now rests in one that my son/his grandson made with his own hands. I will treasure it. I have shared pictures of the holster with a few people that want their own versions now. So proud!
Dwayne gave me some cool VW related decor that was very much needed in addition to smoking the ribs for the party and delivering the cake. There were giant F-YOU! glittery middle finger candles in the middle of the cake. A good egg that one.
Grover, like Carlton, gave me the gift of his time. He made me a Star Trek (original series) themed USS Enterprise (NC-1701) bridge diorama with my Star-Date birthday engraved on the top. It is by far and away the “coolest” present that I have been given as an adult! Seriously! Grover went all out: He built the box, CNCed the emblem and date, 3D printed some of the missing and custom model parts, painted the scenery and figures, applied the decals, wired the circuit board, did some coding for the Arduino, painted and finished the box. In all seriousness maybe 200 hours of his time was put into this. When is the last time you spent 200+ hours for someone you know that is not your child, spouse, or someone you are trying very hard to make the sex with?! It is UBER nerdy amazing! Here is his video of making it. He said nice things!
During the party, and after the cake, I was sat down and given a large heavy box. I unwrapped and told a couple stories while doing so and when I got to the center of that particular Tootsie Roll Pop there was a watch inside. Not a Micky mouse watch. Something MUCH more amazing! I was given an Omega Seamaster Professional Planet Ocean. All my friends pitched in and helped my wife buy it. She and Ross spent days looking and deciding – something like 60 text messages between the two alone.
I was beyond stunned and I cried again – As I said, there is a pattern. A video of the occasion and me crying like a baby can be seen here.
I have wanted this watch for years. It has been my unattainable dream. Something that I lust after through shop windows and know I will never be able to afford – Like a 14 year old wanting a Lamborghini Diablo and a 6’2” supermodel girlfriend. I was and am still stunned that my wife put all this together and that my friends come all the way to Oregon and then did this and the watch has not left my wrist except when I am in the shop or at the forge.
As I said to the folks that night at the house, I feel loved and seen and appreciated. I am just so full of gratitude.
Folks hung around for the entire weekend and we went to see some of the local sites, went to the ocean and played in the sand and water. There were video games, laughter, brunch, board games, scotch, stories and no drama what so ever. If I never celebrate another birthday It will be OK.Â
I will treasure the memory of that long weekend and of my 50th Birthday.
So, my biological father as been gone for a year. In that time we have all said our good-byes and even had a large Memorial Service for him in Cimarron, NM. His ashes will be interred at the Texas State Cemetery next spring – something that would have made him giddy.
Everyone has a Bob Burns story. Everyone. I just heard this one recently (this is Brad Newberry’s account of the events) and thought I would post as it is pretty good and really sums Bob up:
“Bob was county judge and overseeing a commissioners court meeting. Paris, TX had a “very brief” television station and they were filming it. Bob was already sideways with a couple of the commissioners but one in Particular was Ronald X. We had an over crowding problem in the jail and when Bob addressed the number of inmates total, Ronald said “why don’t you just read each inmates name and why they are incarcerated”? So, Bob began going down the list. When Bob got to one certain name, Ronald said. “Oh…won’t you just tell everyone who he is kin to?” (apparently to Ronald, which was unknown to Bob at the time)
Bob was confused and asked Ronald why and he said “you know why”. But Bob was still confused so he took a recess. The tv crew began to put cameras away etc. Bob called Ronald up to the bench. He said what the hell is this about and things got heated. Bob had a reputation as a gun carrier and Ronald said “oh are you gonna pull a gun in me?” Bob said “I don’t need a gvn for your ass”. And Ronald said “you can kiss my ass” and Bob slugged him right in the mouth.  The sheriff grabbed Bob and the county attorney grabbed Ronald. The tv people grabbed their cameras but were only able to get the end of it.  I was driving to junior college that am listening to the radio and they had a news break saying there had been a fight between the county judge and a commissioner. I knew Bob was sideways with a couple of them so I turned and drove to courthouse. I went in and his secretary Nadine let me in. He was smoking a cigar at his desk and was sitting in the dark. Is asked him what happened and he said “I knocked fire from his ass, but Katie is gonna kick mine”.  He remained sideways with several of commissioners…
Now, Katie was Bob’s very tiny and very proper wife. For a man that served two tours in Vietnam as a marine and who would fight a grizzly bear if it offended him in any way, for him to be afraid of her reaction to his behavior is very telling 🙂
I miss Bob. I miss his pipe, his drawl, the boyish twinkle in his eyes when he was being naughty, his cigars, his stories, and I morn the missed opportunities and despise the thief of time that came with his sudden and untimely passing.
We made it home from a wet and windy Descend on Bend this year and even though the weather conspired against us, we had an amazing time! Saw and laughed with old friends, made new ones, and a generally fantastic time.
Once again the circled the wagons around the DubTown Tree and our little camp was known far and wide as THE spot. We had tourists come in from Schoolie World and Sprinter Town, soaking up our small town collective vibe.
This was Logan’s first camping trip and she did great. We did great. The van was trouble free with the new engine/trans, updated electrical, and solar power to spare. We were much better prepped for this year than last year – gear, fridge, shade, hot water shower…
The plan was to take the Doka as well, but the Doka has turned into a bit of a nightmare – ask me who not to buy a vehicle from or to have any work done by in the small world of West Coast VWs… We rallied though and took the car and the van as we needed a second vehicle in case there was a hasty baby-related retreat required by one of us 🙂
I took my 1951 Medium Format Rolleiflex 3.5a and shot portraits of folks and their VWs as a yearbook-ish of this years events. I also shot a ton of video and of drone footage. I sent everyone copies of their portraits and people were so awesome about them! Made all the work and expense 100% worth it! I will post a YouTube video as well (BETTER THAN LAST YEARS!) when I come up for air soon – life is complicated 🙂
I was an early adopter of digital cameras. They made life easy and better as a 20-something traveling engineer, parent, mountaineer, and cyclist. The old CF cards littered my desk and luggage. I still have like 8 digital cameras from 2001 (Canon 2.1mp Ixus) and onward. They are mostly point & shoot or small travel handhelds. I still shoot digital with a Canon – EOS R8 & Canon 77D and there is the Canon Rebel T5i that I blog and shoot YouTube content with (Magic Lantern is my friend!). You will come to see that I am a Canon nerd, tried and true, but that is only trivia as it pertains to this post…
In the vain of transparency and honesty, I take a lot of pictures and video with my phone as well. I mean a LOT! There may be 10,000 photos on my current iPhone. 98% of my social media images have been shot with an iPhone.
However, when I want to take pictures outside of people or cars or architecture – pictures that I want to be either iconic for family, or have just a little more gravitas to them, I shoot them on film. 35mm and 120 Medium Format is my go to. I will take color pictures, especially with slide film, but mostly I shoot in B&W.
I don’t have a closet full of random cameras and I don’t trade cameras or lenses constantly. I have been mostly methodical in my choices of gear, gotten to know it, and tried not to introduce a bunch of extra stuff or gimmicky accessories to my general and simple set ups. I feel that by doing so, I can concentrate on the shot or subject instead of fiddling with the gear.
So, here is what I shoot with:
After years of looking and waiting for a “real camera” to appear in my lap and after shooting thousands of pictures (mostly b&w and slide) with a very old/crusty Canon AE-1 (more about that later), I found my dream 35mm for a fair price at a shop in Kamakura, Japan – just south of Tokyo. It is a Canon F-1n from 1983 that is in perfect shape and takes stunning pictures even when I try and screw them up. No, it is not a Leica M3 or M6 Classic with a $7K lens, made with a unicorn retina… I have simpler dreams and a tighter budget. All the lenses for my Canon are available and affordable and it shoots stunning pictures.
I have outfitted the F-1 to be an extension my hand and set up for what/how I like to shoot. I have some really slick combo polarizing/tint filters for slide film, 3 types of amber/red for sunlight, hoods, a shutter button, Peak quick attach anchors, 3 different straps, a cold shoe, the works. I have had it CLA’ed twice in the last 3 years – I dropped it with the lens off in a horse arena… It is my go-to camera just pull out and take a shot or 4. It is always loaded with film just in case. Love this camera.
My favorite medium format camera that I own is a Rolleiflex 3.5a or Automat MX from 1951. It is one of my tangible loves. True Rollei connoisseurs want a model 3.5F or if they have deep enough pockets a late model 2.8F. Now, I wouldn’t say no to either of them if they show up at my house, but my Automat is a fine camera that was in my budget range in 2006 and is in perfect working order. I have been lucky enough to have composed some very memorable photos with it – some hang on my wall at home, on friend’s walls, and even a couple are on public display. I had the screen replaced by Bill Maxwell and recently (2023) had a full CLA and rework done by Harry Fleenor, the current guru of all things Rollei. The work was not cheap, but it is a lifetime camera for me. If all of my other cameras went away, my Rollei is the one that I would want to keep/run into a fire for. I hope to take my last picture with it and that one of my children uses is for decades after I don’t need it anymore.
Someday, when I am long-dead, and when there is a retrospective of my life, craft, criminality, art, and madness, I hope that there is a display of pictures that were originally taken on film with this camera.
My “studio” medium format portrait camera is a Pentax 67 that is a BEAST. I only ever shoot with it sitting on a tripod. I have a lighting set up, shutter speed, and lens combo that is dialed in for Black & White face close-ups and sitting portraits in my shop. I also have a setup that is sort of mostly worked out for using it set up in the field – like taking it to VW meets or for posed pictures of family and friends “en plein air”
I got the Pentax and all the lens for a screaming deal from a local shop employee that I am friends with. He needed some quick cash and I was there to help. I never get great deals and usually pay full retail, but I am proud of this snag. I wasn’t even shopping for a new camera, but couldn’t pass this one up! The image quality is outstanding and I would say that it rivals my Hasselblad – seriously I will stand by that statement. I have a 200mm Zoom lens, a 135mm, 105mm, and the 75mm. The later two get the most use. As far as accessories, I have a few filters (red and amber only ones really used) and a 3D printed right body grip. I recently sourced the much coveted wooden left hand grip. Scored at a local used camera shop!
Then there is my Hasselblad 500C/M… It is the Mercedes Benz of medium format cameras. I wanted it years and it takes amazing pictures. Amazing. I splurged during the last days of Velvia slide film availability and actually bought it is a camera shop in Hamburg, DE in 2008 with a couple different view finders and like 5 different film backs. It was a pro photographer’s kit that he sold in its entirety it was not cheap at the time, but nowhere near the prices today (body, lens, back =$3500 in 2024).
After using it consistently for two years, I sold it to a hobby photographer friend when we left Germany and actually bought it back from him a couple years later at a steep discount because he just never used it and needed some cash. I regretted that sale almost every day and didn’t bargain a cent when he asked me to buy it back – I like it that much and I wish I used it more. It is just heavy and awkward to carry. The Pentax is heavier, but it is always on a tripod. The Hasselblad is “handheld”. Because of the heft, I just don’t pull it out as much as I would like and take it outside. It does have a better flash sync capability than the 67 so is better for low light shooting.
My set up only includes 2 lenses: the Zeiss 80mm f/2.8 and the Zeiss 150mm f/4. I would LOVE a 250 zoom lens, but I would also love to be 6’2″ and have a body fat percentage hovering at around 5%… It is a crazy expensive lens for a hobbyist who’s Hasselblad looks pretty on a shelf. Of all my film cameras, this is my “Shelf Queen,” but won’t be giving her up again.
There are a few other cameras that I shoot with and love to use: The Olympus Pen-FT Half Frame that gives a lot of bang for the buck in relation to film cost savings and is fun to use for artsy diptych portraits and architectural stuff. Used mostly for travel photography due to the amount of pictures that I shoot per roll. I end up doing a lot of bracketing and photos of buildings and tourist attractions. I have 4 different cool lenses for it as well as the glass on this little camera is top notch!
Speaking of lenses, I keep a spreadsheet of what is available vs. what I have for all my cameras – you can find a copy here. It is a nice reference to pull up when I accidentally find myself at a random camera shop that has a wall of lenses for sale :-). My 35mm and 120 film recommendations are there as well.
Then, there in my father’s Zeiss Ikon Contina 1a that he bought at an Air Force Base Exchange in Italy in 1954 and that he used for 20 years before it went into a shoe box. I remember seeing it here and there and it even sat on his desk as a memento for a few years (next to the cigar box). the little camera was packed away again at some point in the late 1980’s for me to find many years later and after his passing. After a decade of it holding down a bookshelf in various houses, I had it CLA’ed, bought a few filters (super cheap!), screwed in a shutter button, and sourced a new leather case for it as the original had turned to dust. Because of the lens configuration, it shoots pictures that are VERY 1950s – Fun to run a roll of Provia 100F through (I sure do miss good old Kodachrome!) and I keep it in my backpack/laptop bag to pull out here and there.
Lastly, there are four (!) old and really battered Canon AE1s, the camera that I learned to shoot film on. People just keep giving them to me. Only 1 is presentable (my original) in public and the other three are the aesthetic equivalent of Quasimodo and one has the battery door permanently glued shut. However, all are solid cameras and I have all the lenses, flashes, and filters for them one would every want. They don’t see much action anymore, but with an eBay price hovering between $30-$60, I will hang onto them.
Some of my Medium Format shots that mean something to me.
Film at the lowest ASA (ISO) speeds is getting hard to come by, as is film in general, but Film Photography Project and Glazers, among others, are good sources for specialized film stock. I can still find Fujifilm Velvia50 here and there, but slide film is as scarce as a snake in heaven. I shop locally whenever possible, more than anything to keep some resources local. In Eugene, I shop at Dot Dotsons and The Shutterbug, the former being my favorite. When we lived in Seattle, I used Glazer’s and Ken’s Camera. When in Portland, I go to Advance Camera, who also get the lions-share of my cleaning and repair work. Quality work and they stand behind their warranty.
In Seattle, my Film goes to Glazers and in Eugene, I let Dot Dotson’s do my developing and scanning, but I send film out to The Darkroom when traveling or if I am going to have really high resolution scans done. They are affordable and have all the right chemical combinations for some of the Film Photography Project’s specialized film.
I am a firm believer in Peak Designs straps and accessories. I have their little buttons on every camera, but the Pentax 6×7 and the Hasselblad. I also have Peak Design Quick deploy strap clip. love it for my F1 and the Half Frame. I also use a Voigtlander external light meter. I don’t trust the ones in my 35+ year old cameras 🙂
I will continue to use film as long as it is offered. I am a hobbyist, at best. I will never make a living with a camera in my hand, so I can afford to be as anachronistic as my little heart desires.
