Tag Archives: Photography

Testing Kentmere 400 Film

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Tom (Admin)

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 →

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Testing Silberra’s New Film

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Tom (Admin)

Tell most people there’s a new kind of photo film and they’ll think you’re crazy.  But there have been a number of new film types over the last year or two – some reboots by companies like Kodak, new film … Continue reading →

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Test: Three Plastic Cameras

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Tom (Admin)

If you’ve spent 20 minutes clicking around on my blog, you’ll know that one of the things I enjoy doing is loading up old, often inexpensive, but working cameras with film and taking them out for a spin to see … Continue reading →

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Madikwe Game Reserve – One of South Africa’s Best Kept Secrets!

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Tom (Admin)

For most people, going on a safari is the trip of a lifetime.  And there are numerous well-known game parks and reserves, in many African countries, where you can do just that.  But if you decide to take the plunge … Continue reading →

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Heartbreaking

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Tom (Admin)

As in many parts of the world, when you drive around urban areas of Madagascar, people will tap on your window asking for money.  Frequently these are little people.  There are many theories about how to respond – sometimes the … Continue reading →

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Introducing Analog / Film Cameras to a New Generation

Posted on September 7, 2016 by Tom (Admin)

You don’t have to be as old as me to remember using analog/film cameras.  But there’s an entire generation entering university (depending on where you grew up) that has grown up with photography as a purely digital phenomenon – often … Continue reading →

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Photo Assignment: Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Tom (Admin)

Given that a trillion photos were snapped in 2015, the odds of snapping an “original” photo at a tourist attraction or monument/memorial in Washington are ridiculously low, but it’s fun to try and see what you can accomplish. The Vietnam … Continue reading →

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Testing the Aires 35 V

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Tom (Admin)

I found this rangefinder at an estate sale in Virginia.  It’s a heavy, solid camera and it came with a second lens, and despite never having heard of its manufacturer, I decided to add it to my collection.  Being from … Continue reading →

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Washington, DC by Night

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

Washington, D.C. is an interesting place to photograph, but it goes without saying that it’s completely different from the photography environment we had gotten accustomed to in India. A couple of weeks ago we became aware that there was going … Continue reading →

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Stars over Shenandoah

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

It’s Labor Day weekend in the Shenandoah Valley and it’s  packed with tourists escaping to the country to enjoy the fresh air, nature and sunshine.  I wonder how many of them noticed the night sky?   I used a low … Continue reading →

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The Chennai Photowalk

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

One of the best things about Chennai, for us, was the “photowalks.”  A photowalk is basically just walking around with a camera and seeing what you can photograph.  Often these walks are in groups.  I discovered photowalks in Chennai, though … Continue reading →

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Birdwatching from the Hotel Pool

Posted on July 26, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

One of the highlights from our recent trip to Jaipur was the beautiful hotel pool.  On our last day there, fed up with the heat, waiting for an evening flight, we arranged for a late checkout and decided to spend … Continue reading →

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Vintage Camera Test: Brownie Reflex Synchro Model

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

The Brownie Reflex Synchro Model was made between 1941 and 1952 in the US, and until 1960 in the UK, and closely followed the (non-synchro) Brownie Reflex. It was called a “Reflex” because, like most SLR (single lens reflex) cameras … Continue reading →

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Monkeying Around in Jaipur

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

With only a month or so before we leave India, we finally made it to Rajasthan, the country’s largest state, located on the northwestern border with Pakistan, and home to the inhospitable Thar Desert.  Literally translated as the “land of … Continue reading →

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Life Goes on in Kathmandu (part 2)

Posted on June 6, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

Last week, I shared some of my photos and experiences from my two-week trip to Kathmandu, which was mostly just hard work post-earthquake, but I did get one day off toward the end of my time there and spent it … Continue reading →

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Tirukalukundram

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

Eighteen kilometers west of the Tamil Nadu tourist town of Mahabalipuram is a town of about 24,000 called Tirukaludundram which is known for its hilltop temple, the Vedagiriswarar temple.  The temple consists of an upper part up on a hill, which can … Continue reading →

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Guest Post: Darkroom Blues: A Blast from the Past (Part II)

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

This is part 2 of an article shared by a photographer friend here in Chennai which was originally written for the Photographic Society of Madras, a local photographic society founded in 1857.  The first part of the article is published … Continue reading →

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Guest Post: Darkroom Blues – a Blast from the Past (part 1)

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

A friend of mine here in Chennai shared an article with me the other day, which he had written for the Photographic Society of Madras, a local photographic society founded in 1857.  It reminded me not only how far we have … Continue reading →

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Camera Test: Agfa Ansco No. 1A Ready-Set Special

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Tom (Admin)

This is a camera I bought, not knowing anything at all about it, simply because I thought it looked cool. It turns out that this particular model is not all that well-known, but the overall Ready-set series is. The Ready-Set … Continue reading →

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Big Photo Contest Win!

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

No, it wasn’t me.  Although I did get an “honorable mention.” We used to tease my wife Anne over her insistence on using a camera that had long surpassed its obsolescence date.  Until one day it was mysteriously found inside … Continue reading →

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Varanasi: The View from Mother Ganga

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

Varanasi, India is, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.  Also known as Benares, Banaras or Kashi, the city’s identity is inseparable from the River Ganges, along whose left bank the city of just over 1 million residents … Continue reading →

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It’s 1914 and Everyone’s a Photo Critic

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

One hundred years ago this month, much of the world was at war.  But in the United States – which would eventually mobilize 4 million military personnel – public opinion in 1914 was still firmly on the side of neutrality.  This … Continue reading →

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A Brief History of Photography…as of 1912.

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

I have a few old camera magazines – about a century old.  It’s fun to flip through them every now and then and consider how much has changed…and in some cases, how little has changed…in the field of photography. The … Continue reading →

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Badrian Street and the Flower Market

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

Badrian Street or “Budirian Street” as it is painted on the street sign, is the site of Chennai’s old wholesale flower market. While technically, the vendors in what is commonly known as “poo-k-kadai,” sell “wholesale”, their typical clients are ladies who … Continue reading →

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Testing the Agfa Silette Rapid F

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

When I’m considering vintage cameras for purchase, I specifically look for cameras that still appear to work, and for which film can still be acquired somehow.  Then, periodically, I grab a couple and test them out.  This week, it’s the … Continue reading →

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