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Recent Posts
- Our Truly Amazing TV Debut: Behind the Scenes
- Holi in Bangladesh Part 2: the Ruined Roll
- Holi in Bangladesh
- Hashing Out Old Dhaka
- The Blog is Back: First Impressions of Dhaka, Bangladesh
- A Few Words About My Father
- The Sky is NOT Always Blue in California
- “Artisans” documentary series – final (?) episode
- Every Day is a Surprise. Also, People are A$$h0Le5. (part 2)
- Every Day is a Surprise. Also, People are A$$h0Le5.
Author Archives: Tom (Admin)
One Last Trip – “Lemur Island”
Given today’s justifiable flak surrounding the keeping of pet lemurs or the existence of lemur “petting zoos” that rely on capturing lemurs from the wild, Madagascar’s “Lemur Island” (officially “Vakona Private Reserve”) near Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is seen by some … Continue reading
Off the Beaten Path in Vatomandry, Madagascar
You could live in Madagascar – for as long as three years – and have trouble getting to see all of the on the beaten path things there are to see in that country–in fact, that’s what I just did, … Continue reading
Testing Kentmere 400 Film
I’m not sure why I’ve never really heard of this film – most online discussion refers to it as a “cheaper” film produced by Ilford Photo, but I was quite impressed. I found the tones and the grain very pleasant, … Continue reading
Locust Swarm in Madagascar
Shortly after arriving in Madagascar a few years ago, we watched the BBC’s Planet Earth II episode in which a film crew found it amazingly difficult to track down a swarm containing more than a billion of the tiny, destructive … Continue reading
Posted in Aerial photography/videography, Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature
Tagged aerial, locusts, video
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Camera Review: the Pho-Tak Traveler 120
Never heard of the Pho-Tak Corporation and the cameras they manufactured around 1948-1950 in Chicago? Neither had I, until I unwrapped this Christmas gift from my daughter, who sparked my interest in vintage cameras about 6 years ago. It’s a … Continue reading
Ektachrome Returns!
I followed with interest the hype surrounding the re-release by Kodak Alaris of Ektachrome 100 slide film, announced in early 2017, after having been completely phased out by 2013. Honestly, initially I wasn’t that interested, but as time wore on … Continue reading
Rice Harvest in Antananarivo
After three years living in Antananarivo, you gradually stop noticing the things that you found so fascinating and unique about this city as a newcomer. Antananarivo is a city of 1.5 million people. It has a downtown – an older, … Continue reading
Great News: Jerome is Learning English and Coding!
Way back in 2016 when I was still new to Madagascar, Anne and I saw an online notice that a crowdfunding initiative on the eastern coast of the country was looking for a photographer and a videographer to produce a … Continue reading
Posted in Good Causes, Madagascar
Tagged coding, crowdfunding, innovation, Madagascar, Onja
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Swimming with Whale Sharks in Madagascar
Check another item off the bucket list: in November, we made it to Nosy Be to see the whale sharks – considered endangered by some – feeding on the plankton that “bloom” there the same time every year. This capped … Continue reading
Posted in Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature
Tagged Chelonia mydas, green sea turtle, green turtle, Madagascar, Nosy Be, Rhincodon typus, swimming, underwater, video, whale shark
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…but what’s there to do in southern Madagascar?
In our quest to see everything there is to see in Madagascar (for which, honestly speaking, there is simply not enough time, but we’re trying our absolute best!) we recently made our way to south Madagascar. Specifically, we went to … Continue reading
Posted in Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature
Tagged fishermen, fishing, forest, Fort Dauphin, kingfisher, littoral, Madagascar, Manafiafy, mangrove, Toalagnaro, Tolagnaro
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Vintage Camera Test: the No. 1A Autographic Kodak Junior
The No. 1A Autographic Junior was made in various versions between 1914 and 1927. it’s got a beautifully detailed brass and enamel faceplate, a fold-out foot with the Kodak logo, and its name engraved on a brass plate below the … Continue reading
Posted in Vintage cameras
Tagged autographic, camera, Junior, Kodak, No. 1A, test, vintage
8 Comments
My Experience with Kodak AEROCHROME
A few months ago, I’d never heard of “Aerochrome” film. What is aerochrome? According to Kodak, “KODAK AEROCHROME III Infrared Film 1443 is an infrared-sensitive, false-color reversal film intended for various aerial photographic applications where infrared discriminations may yield practical … Continue reading
Posted in Film tests, Photography
Tagged Aerochrome, experimental, film, infrared, Kodak, Madagascar, Rolleiflex
1 Comment
Making a Camera Work: The No. 2 Folding Pocket Kodak Model C or Maybe D…
Among the growing group of people who collect and operate vintage film cameras, there are two types of people: those who quickly figure out a way to make an old camera work again, and those who obsess way too long … Continue reading
Posted in film processing, Vintage cameras
Tagged 101 film, 122 film, antique, Bergger Pancro, Folding Pocket Kodak, No. 2, review, test, vintage
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Results, #ShittyCameraChallenge, October Edition
Back in June, I was excited to post my results in the first Shitty Camera Challenge. At the time, the results were completely appropriate for the camera I used at the time, and I still lie awake at night wondering … Continue reading
Posted in Photo Contest
Tagged #ShittyCameraChallenge, @ShittyCamera, camera, cheap, contest, inexpensive, plastic, Shitty
3 Comments
Vintage Camera Review: No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak No. B-4
The No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak No. B-4, despite its “pocket” moniker, is a hefty folding camera made between June 1908 and April 1909 which I got from my parents for Christmas a few years ago. It consists of a … Continue reading
Posted in Vintage cameras
Tagged 122, antique, film, folding, Kodak, No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak, postcard, vintage
2 Comments
Vintage Camera Review: Kodak No. 1A Folding Hawk-Eye Model 1
This was once a beautiful camera. It’s made of sheet metal painted black and covered in leatherette, with a wooden baseboard and shiny nickel and black metal parts, and a little brass, complemented by red leather bellows. It folds open … Continue reading
Posted in Vintage cameras
Tagged antique, Kodak No. 1A Folding Hawk-Eye Model 1, review, test, vintage
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Vintage Camera Review: No. 1A Folding Pocket Kodak
Of all my cameras, this has probably been one of the most difficult to work with. But once I figured out the problem, I firmly kicked myself. A couple of times, for good measure. Made of brass, wood, stainless steel … Continue reading
Posted in Vintage cameras
Tagged Kodak, landscape, Madagascar, No. 1A Folding Pocket Kodak, vintage
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Whale Watching in Madagascar
Every June or July, thousands of humpback whales migrate thousands of miles north from Antarctica to have their young just off the coast of Madagascar. And finally we made it up in time to see them (September is best!) Not … Continue reading
Posted in Aerial photography/videography, Madagascar, Wildlife and Nature
Tagged aerial, drone, humpback, Ile Ste Marie, Madagascar, mammal, Nosy Boraha, video
4 Comments
Twelve Months, Twelve Cameras, Twelve Decades…and One Film. #ATG365
In August 2017, the hosts of podcast Against the Grain discussed photographers’ tendency to immediately look at photos they’ve shot (chimping) and how film photography slows the process down, resulting in an increased emphasis on capturing the photo, without constantly worrying about … Continue reading
Posted in film processing, Photography, general, Vintage cameras
Tagged 365, 400, Against the Grain, antique, chimping, decades, film photography, Kodak, tri-x, vintage cameras
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Andringitra Park in Madagascar: Sheer Cliffs and Ringtails
Andringitra National Park is one of those places where adventure travelers go. It’s got peaks that people go out and climb over a four-day period. The one in the photo above is just a two-day climb for rock climbers, not … Continue reading
New Project: Mini-Documentaries on Madagascar’s Informal Sector
I’m excited to be working on a new and admittedly somewhat ambitious project: a series of short documentaries examining some jobs in Madagascar’s informal sector. I plan to describe the work itself, but also spend some time thinking about why … Continue reading
Posted in Video Editing
Tagged artisan, blacksmith, brick maker, documentary, informal sector, job, project, trades, weaver
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Review: Canon FTb
I received my Canon FTb in a box of cameras I ordered on eBay when I was bored a few years ago and have run several rolls of film through it over the years (after I repaired it) with outstanding … Continue reading
Camera Review: Ansco B-2 Cadet
For reasons known only to them, camera manufacturers have, over the years, felt that “cadet” was a good name for a camera. There are at least 20 or so cameras (plus an exposure meter and an enlarger) called Cadets, to … Continue reading
Posted in Found Film, Vintage cameras
Tagged Agfa, ansco, B-2, B2, box, camera, review, vintage
4 Comments
Testing the 1937/8 Falcon Model F
yes, it came to me with a roll of film inside! Sadly, I was unable to rescue any images from it. I have no idea why, but I really wanted this old Falcon camera to work well. Sadly, I would … Continue reading
Posted in Vintage cameras
Tagged camera, Falcon, Model F, review, Utility Manufacturing, vintage
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Reviewing my Newest Addition: A Rolleiflex 2.8c
One of the most attractive and most iconic vintage cameras ever made, in my opinion, is the Rolleiflex Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) camera. Manufactured from 1929 until (in some form) 2015, the Rolleiflex was one of the longest-running camera models … Continue reading