I bought this 4×5 view camera several weeks ago for super cheap. It came with a lensboard, but no lens, so I was experimenting with different large format lenses I have, but couldn’t find one that was the right size for the hole. So I was playing around with a magnifying glass only to find that it actually worked. And if you’re familiar with my large format work, you’ll realize that the loss of focus in the edges is hardly a downfall of using this. So I taped it to the inside of the lensboard, and here you have it. I have yet to shoot any polaroid with it, and I don’t feel like developing sheet film (nor do I have the supplies for that right now), so I’ll post the first image when I do shoot it.

It’s funny how one thing leads to another. I started out shooting Homer (our basset hound) at the top of our stairs. He was sitting around the corner in a way that just struck me as a wonderful composition. But he kept moving every few seconds, and the noise gets far too noticeable at higher ISOs, so I grabbed the tripod. By the time this was done, the shot was gone, and I was working my way down the stairs. As I entered the dining room, I realized how much I loved the way the light was hitting the stairwell. Originally I had intended to post it in black and white, but it actually seemed to work better as a color image. Maybe it was because the highlights were blown out too easily if I pumped up the contrast and brightness a tad.

Stacy read her book on our flight back from San Francisco. I think the blur came more from the awful turbulence we experienced than the low light.

The sunlight was hitting this wine glass in our hotel room at the White Swan when we came in one day.

From our trip through the hospital ward of the prison.

From our trip through the hospital ward of the prison.

From a series of long exposures shortly after I got my new Canon Digital Rebel for graduation. Homer was my willing model.