I took the original version of this picture of Mom & Dad on Christmas in 1957.  My brother took this picture of the print many years ago and then recently sent me the picture in a text message.  I then copied the picture in the message and loaded it into LR and then later resized it to what you see here. 

Looking at the old picture I started thinking about the camera I used.  It was the first camera I ever owned.  I think it was a Brownie Bullseye.  I made a number of pictures with my first camera, and I don’t think I have a single original print (the negatives were never saved), but my brother has some of the old prints. 

In 1957 I had one camera, and now I’m going back to one camera.  I sold all of my Pentax cameras and lenses, and plan to sell the Fujifilm X100V camera and the Olympus TG-6 camera.  I feel like I am starting over just like some 63 years ago.  I am first trying replacing what I had with a Sony A7R ii camera, Sony 50mm F1.8 prime lens, and the Tamron 28-200mm zoom lens.  I’ll let you know what I think of them and if I’m keeping them, and if I keep them, what other lenses I’ll be using.  If they work for me I’ll go ahead and sell everything else that is left.

If the Sony doesn’t work for me, I could keep the Fujifilm X100V, or replace everything with another camera.  Hopefully it won’t take too long for me to decide so that I can get on with some other things.  Some of the other cameras I’m thinking about are the Leica CL, the Leica D-Lux 7, or maybe an Apple iPhone.

I have an excess of cameras and lenses that exceed my number of photo opportunities.  For that and other reasons, I’m in the mode of trying to decide what to sell off, which will probably be some or all of my Pentax gear since they are the oldest technologically.

I had, like lots of others, thought that the covid-19 disruptions would diminish faster than it is happening.  We haven’t even peaked yet.  Even if, or when, we have vaccines available, it will take time to learn which are the most effective and then get enough people to take them so that we can get back to social activities, travel, etc.  I am now expecting that we will be wearing masks and social distancing at least until next summer, and it could be longer, even after we have the vaccine distributed.  That is too long for me to just sit here with photography gear as I wait and twiddle my thumbs.  By the time I can get back to photographing similar to what I used to do, I might not be physically able or desire to do the same things.  In addition, too many of my cameras would have become obsolete and I would be wanting newer ones.

One thing that I would like to do in the interim is sell off some of my gear and try some new and different cameras and lenses.  That would give me something to do to occupy my time, make test images, and write about my findings, but it probably will not happen due to the cost and no real need for the cameras.  Rationally, the best thing to do is to probably sell off all of my Pentax gear, and then as conditions improve, watch the reviews of the new gear that might come out and wait and get only what I might need … not want.  I plan, for now, to keep my X100V and the TG-6 for blogging purposes.

As I get older, the more I like this kind of older looking monochrome image.  Most will claim that is because I’m remembering how some images used to look in small B&W prints, and they are probably correct, to a degree.  In addition, I have been finding that a lot of current processing is “too much” in the sense that the images are over saturated, over sharp, and with colored tones that aren’t real, so I’m rebelling.

With thoughts about another bleak winter coming, I have been working on a style that I think I like better.  I have been flattening, reducing dynamic range, decreasing contrast and clarity, etc.  So far I have been using it on all of my cameras, mostly in B&W; but, it also works well in color.  I like that it works nicely on my Olympus TG-6 which is a small camera that I can carry in my pocket.  In addition, other than for focal range differences with different lenses, I can create images with any of my cameras and it is hard to tell which camera was used.  I am even going to go back and rework some much older images I made while traveling.

My biggest concern is lack of new things to photograph so I keep trying to find different views of things right here at Homewood at Plum Creek.  The images above were all made a short distance behind the Community Center.

There is a great deal of worry going around, even here at Homewood, but nothing to photograph, yet.  After the so-called debate in the U.S., I heard nothing but worries from those around me.  They are worried about what Trump is doing to the country and what will happen during and after the elections now that he is so widely using his antidemocratic ranting and raving to encourage violence and actions to discredit the very foundation of democracy:  Our right and ability to vote.  I will never understand, or vote for, any republican since they have all enabled him to destroy so much in the U.S. and to turn us against each other in a manner that hasn’t been seen since the Civil War.