We're in the midst of a second COVID death wave and the memory of what happened back in April is causing some stress. Submitted for the 100DaysToOffload project.
Memory
Stress can impair working memory.
Tag: mbnov
Billie Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve
Bhavna and I went for a walk in the Billie Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve.
Bhavna and I wanted some exercise. The Billie Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve is not far from home, but it's not quite in my neighbourhood. It's in Princeton, the town next door. While the border to Princeton is walking distance to my home, and I enjoyed (before COVID) meeting with friends for lunch in the restaurants and photo-walking around downtown with my photo groups, my social community is centred around Montgomery Township, where I live.
The sky was overcast, and a cool wind gentle wind made a noise in the leaves overhead. We walked in silence (mostly), stopping once to sit on a wooden bench, to do nothing but sit. I shot all photographs with the in-camera Classic Chrome Film Simulation.
I think the idea behind this challenge was to find opportunities for photography that are closer to home. I guess a lot of other people have been travelling the world pre-COVID. I've been photographing close to home for a while.
Three surgeries between 2018 and 2019 reduced my ability and desire to travel. I wasn't able to travel to the West Indies for my father's funeral last year. Now the global pandemic means continue to photograph close to home. SomeI'vee I've photographed several timeshaven'tven't left the state since 10 March, and my woodland photography is limited to the corners of the counties that border mine; Mercer and Hunterdon. If I had $1I'd, I'd buy a macro lens for my Fuji X-T2 and explore small things.
So nothing to change for this week challenge. Just keep on keeping on.
I think this is the first I've I've left my home in weeks.
Submitted for the 100DaysToOffload project.
Wear
When shopping for a vintage camera or lens online, one must be careful to look for signs of excessive wear and tear
Last summer I bought a Minolta X-700 from a downsizing retiree. When I picked up the camera, she gushed about her love of the camera and wanted it to go to someone would appreciate it. She shared with me some of the photographs she had taken with the camera over the year. We talked about my photography and the beautiful things I had photographed in the woods behind her home.
As we talked, I realised that I was not buying a camera. I was adopting a family member. I promised to make fair use of her cherished camera. I walked away with an X-700, an MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7, Auto Electroflash 132X, a Electroflash 20 Ultra Compact flash, and a Vivitar zoom lens. All for $70. Prices online are considerably higher.
It’s one of the best cameras I’ve ever owned. The first time I used it, I had so much fun I shot a 36 exposure roll each of Portra 160 and Ektachrome E100 on the same day. Then I bought an MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2 lens, and I began devouring article after article about Minolta. Near the end of 2020, I sold my Spotmatic II and ES II and SMC lenses (except for the 50mm) and bought a black XD-11 (of course).
I’m a casual photographer who primarily shoots digital (Fujifilm X-T2), but it seems I’m becoming a Minolta guy.
When I bought my vintage Minolta X-700 camera and MD Rokkor-X 45mm f/2 and MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 lenses, I was careful to look for signs of excessive wear and tear. I was fortunate with this purchase. The owner was a local casual photographer who took good care of her equipment. The lenses are spotless, and the body has the minor "brassing" one would expect from regular use. The MD Rokkor-X 50mm f/1.7 lens came with the camera, but it took me several weeks to find an unblemished copy of the MD-Rokkor 45mm f/2 lens. I have not had any CLA (Cleaning, Lube, & Adjustment) done, but the camera has performed flawlessly.
Submitted for the 100DaysToOffload project.
