Crown Graphic Press Camera

Butterflies and Photos

August 13, 2018 at 10:28 am by Claudia

I was running around, trying to get a photo of this beautiful monarch who kept flitting from one milkweed plant to another. So sweet.

At the same time, I saw a black swallowtail on the limelight hydrangea, but he was too fast for me.

I had 3 inches chopped off my hair yesterday by my friend, Dawn. She charges $10 for a cut. (Do you believe it?) I always end up tipping her $10 as well because she works long, long hours and deserves it. The cut was overdue as I tend to let my hair grow until it’s out of control – not a good idea when you have baby fine hair. I feel much better. Then, because Don was off taking pictures with his Crown Graphic, I went to the bookstore for the first time in a while and bought some magazines and a few books.

It’s been rainy for a few days now and today is no different. I’m over it.

Don has been getting some great pictures. He has learned how to get the kind of picture he wants in cloudy or sunny weather. He’s figured out framing. He’s honed in on his particular style. He has done great work for the past few days and I think he’s ready to start asking for a donation for each picture.

I’ll share a couple with you. What these digital pictures of his photos don’t show you is the luminous quality of the Fuji (Polaroid) film. It glows. It’s gorgeous. The digital camera can’t capture that, but let me tell you, when you’re holding that photo in your hand, it’s unlike anything else.

The film is expensive because it’s hard to manufacture and Polaroid stopped making it several years ago. Don has been investing in it, so he can hoard as much as possible until someone else comes up with an equivalent for Fuji’s version, which is still in stock, but will eventually be phased out.

Love this one.

We’re getting a little reflection from the iPhone lens, but you get the idea.

These are all a little lighter than what you’re seeing, but we were on the porch this morning and it’s raining. You can see more of his work on his IG account and in his stories.

I’ve never seen any film like this film. It’s beautiful.

So proud of his work ethic and what he has achieved in a few short weeks.

Happy Monday.

Later In the Summer

July 31, 2018 at 8:07 am by Claudia

The wonderful thing about planting zinnias from seed is that I never know what to expect. Each new bloom is a surprise. Will it be purple, or red, or white, or in this case, a combination of peach and pale peach?

They are my later-in-the-summer delight. This year’s crop is especially prolific. When you plant seeds, you are often told to ‘thin’ them once the seedlings appear. I never do that. I just let them be. What could be bad about lots of zinnias?

One thing I miss at this time of year: the lack of bird song in the morning. I used to sit on the glider on the porch each morning listening to a veritable symphony of birds singing and calling. Now? It’s pretty quiet. Yes, there is occasional bird song, but nothing like it was. I feel a bit melancholy about that. It’s too quiet first thing in the morning.

I know that autumn is coming. And I’m never ready for it.

One sound that does kick in at this time of year is the chorus of cicadas. Wave after wave of sound. Don and I listen to them as we drink coffee in the Secret Garden. They really are amazing.

The constant? The bullfrog that lives in our neighbor’s pond.

The hydrangea in the memorial garden is particularly pink this year.

And the limelights are doing their later-in-the-summer thing.

Don has been working every day with his new camera. Now, he goes to some local spot – in town, at the farm stand, outside a bookshop – and talks to people, who are, of course, fascinated by his camera. He then tells them that he’s a student who is learning to use the Crown Graphic and asks if he can take their picture. Most people are more than happy to help out. Each day, he is learning more and more about light and framing and apertures and F-stops and the adjustments he has been making are paying off.

This is from yesterday’s session and I think it’s my favorite so far:

Of course, this is a picture of a picture of a picture, so you’re not getting the texture and the sheen of the polaroid, but it’s everything you want in street photography; an interesting background with cars, buildings and people and a great subject, in this case, two very cool young people.

He captured the light beautifully. I’m so proud of his work ethic, his determination.

I love hearing him say, “I love this camera. I love it.”

He’s the bees knees.

One last thing: Happy Birthday, Mom.

Happy Tuesday.

Saturday

July 28, 2018 at 9:07 am by Claudia

We have reached our sixth day in a row of high humidity, storms and torrential rains. Every time I think I might be able to weed or mow or weed whack, I am faced with a wall of humidity or a sudden storm. Everything is waterlogged. More rain today, then a break for two days, then more rain.

We’re not used to it being this humid all summer long. We usually get a day or two here and there and August always tends to be humid, but from the get-go this summer we’ve been dealing with a lot of high temps and humidity. I can see the effects of it on my potted impatiens on the porch – the leaves on some of the plants are discolored and look mildewy.

The only plant that really likes it is the big fern that sits on the former kitchen island on the porch. He’s digging it, for sure.

We have had a few sunny breaks, like the one we had the other day when we were out and about. And I’m very grateful for them.

Speaking of that trip:

This is the little chair that I bought. It’s quite heavy. As Don said to me when he saw it, “The color!” He knows this is a favorite color of mine. Actually, it’s one of his favorite colors, as well.

It almost looks Mexican with its chunky, boxy design, but no, it has a fleur-de-lis.

Perhaps a plant of some sort should adorn the chair?

It will definitely come indoors for the winter.

It’s been a frustrating week for Don in terms of photography, simply because conditions have not photo or camera friendly. We finally got outside yesterday for a little session, which was eventually halted because of inclement weather. But he did really well, figuring out F-stops, apertures, and all of that stuff that I should have a command of but don’t. I’m real proud of his progress.

This was shot on the porch:

(I’d been pulling weeds and you can see the dirt under my fingernails!)

This is tricky work. It’s a very heavy camera with a polaroid back. Everything is manual. Nothing can be easily deleted as with a digital camera or phone. The viewfinder isn’t aligned with the lens, giving a parallax view, so framing a shot is also very tricky. Much adjusting has to be done. Eventually, all of it will have to be done rather quickly, but now is the time for figuring out what works and what doesn’t. He did a real good job on this one.

The zinnias (grown from seed) are really taking off this year and are the healthiest bunch I’ve had in a long time. Cheery zinnias are one of Don’s favorite flowers. Mine, too.

I’ll share photos from Milne Antiques tomorrow and some photos of the vintage suitcases. It’s a little too dark in the house right now to get a good photo of them.

Happy Saturday.

Butterflies and Photos

Later In the Summer

Saturday

claudiahillsparks

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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