It's hip to be square.

Ahh...Huey Lewis and the News had it right.....squares are cool.

So, for this weeks blog entry instead of giving you a bit of information on camera functions, or how to make sure your image is in focus, we're going to look at some fun pictures. I am going to show you some images I shot last week using my trusty TLR Yashica Mat 124 G camera.

For those who aren't hip to the jive of the vintage camera world...TLR stands for "Twin Lens Reflex" that means it has two lenses, one you see through, the other one actually takes the picture. These cameras generally require you to look down through a viewfinder located at the top of the camera to help you compose your image.

The particular camera I used takes photos on 120 film, that gives negatives that are 2 1/4 inches wide and
2 1/4 inches tall...well...officially they are 6 cm by 6 cm. The 120 format is generally referred to as Medium Format since it is larger than 35mm (small format) but smaller than 4x5 and larger field cameras (large format) The Medium format is a great way for film shooters to get more detail in their images in the form of larger negatives.

Really the only downside of the format is that you only get 12 images on a roll of film (or 18 if your camera shoots in a 6 cm x 4.5 cm format) instead of the 24-36 many are used to with their 35mm cameras. But y'know...having fewer shots makes us slow down, which if you've been reading my blog lately you know is a good thing.

So, without further ado, here are some of the highlights from my photo expedition through Portland last week.

Photo-Go-Round: My Choice

Today I present to you the final installment of my first series from the Photo-Go-Round assignment my roomate/friend/designer extraordinaire presented me with last year in her inspiration book. This final panorama is from sort of a rural setting near Helvetia, Oregon. Just off of the Sunset Highway (major Oregon throughfare between Portland and the Coast) there is a little tavern/cafe that is perported to have the best burgers in the metro area. No small feat I assure you...it's a big area.

I think my favorite thing in this photo, as with my urban location panorama, is how funny moving things can be in this sort of media. You'll notice a random floating golf cart in the center of the photo. It's actually being carried on a trailer behind a pickup truck. I was very curious what it would look like if I just caught random bits of the hauler as it passed by...now I know! I love it.

Even though this is the final installment of my first series, I will be persuing another series of Panos in the near future...very interesting things happen when you let photos collide. :)

So, without further ado...Photo-Go-Round installment three...my choice!

Photo-Go-Round: Urban

Last year I found myself in a photographic slump. I wasn't sure what to shoot, was uninspired, and just wandered around aimlessly with my camera hanging around my neck (or even worse, still sitting in the bag in the trunk of my car) and just needed help.

My buddy the Graphic Designer came to my rescue and created a handbook of concepts and ideas. Now, I'm primarily a technical photographer, I like to find things that present a challenge in that regard. This book helped me use my tech. know how and parlay it into some conceptual works.

A new series of blog entries simply tagged "Book Project" will show some of the assignments and what I was able to come up with.

For my first installment, I present "Photo-Go-Round".

"Pick 3 locations, one rural, one urban, one your choice. Stand in a central location, start in one spot and shoot frames all the way around. Make sure there is some overlap from frame to frame. Shoot one version with a tripod, one handheld and all horizontals, and one version hand held using horizontals, verticals and variable zooming."

Click to view the panorama.

Now, it has to be said that in full resolution...the final print would be 8" tall and just under 11 FEET wide. Awesome! Two fun things to notice - The magically disappearing Tri-Met Bus, and my friend Matty's confused face as I panned all the way around.

Coming Soon: Rural and My Own Choice of Subjects. Stay Tuned!