Jeffrey L.T. von Glück

Will be shooting a test roll at midnight Mass tomorrow evening, but all my stock in the freezer has never been a problem. Still successfully using long-outdated Agfa Ultracolor sitting in my freezer.

Great, expressive shot.

It's an older auditorium and best as I can tell, no LEDs, just old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, but will ask, just in case; didn't even think about that, thanks. Definitely 2 bodies, probably my M7 and M5, and no flash, never used that for any of my concert photography back in the day, verboten!

I'm going to be photographing a high-school drama-club play. My wife will be using her Canon digital gear for stills and video, but I've been asked to take some shots during the live production with colour negative stock (for a "retro" look). There will be no opportunities to shoot when they do blocking, during dress rehearsals, etc., so no going on stage to take close-up stills. I will be seated in the front row where my 50mm and 90mm 'cron primes will suffice. Back in the 1970s, I did some rock-concert photography for a large city daily and the only emulsion we ever used was Tri-X (rated at 800), which we developed in-house. I have never in my life used colour for a live indoor event. I plan on using Kodak Portra 800 as I have several bricks on ice in my freezer. My query here is whether I should switch to a tungsten-balanced film, such as CineStill 800T, or simply stick with the daylight-balanced Portra. I have a few bricks of Fujicolor Press 800 on ice also but again that's daylight. Is it worth switching to CineStill 800T? I'm doing the job gratis but the school has offered to pay for the cost of the film. Any thoughts will be appreciated. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Don’t discount Amazon, and if prime, delivery is just a few days free.

DDD used a Leicaflex with the 45–90mm Angénieux f/2.8 zoom to photograph all of Picasso’s works for his book.

Shop owners need to be armed as a deterrent. When the guy behind the counter is visibly armed, most thieves won’t take a chance. A relative owned a pharmacy in Arizona. He was the only pharmacy in town not robbed because he and his employees were open carrying.

Just saw this. 13,000 is madness. When I assisted my uncle in wedding photography back in the 1970s, we rarely shot more than 300 or 400 with the ‘blad, and maybe a dozen or so b&w with an old Speed Graphic using cut film if the couple wanted those kind of ‘retro’ shots. 13K is mind blowing! My late parents’ wedding album was shot in the late 1940s in b&w—looks like it was done last month, b&w holds up over the years. A relative who was a guest took some 35mm Kodachromes—they, too, look like they were shot last month, but the Agfas and Dufays are faded to nothing. With today’s bridezillas, so glad I have nothing to do with weddings.

The Darkroom, San Clemente, Calif.

Remember to keep a hat, toy or doll in your car as props to place beside the slain victims.

Fine looking kit. The Kodak Retinas of that era were substantial. I had an uncle give me his Retina IIIS kit with all the lenses from 28mm to 135mm. The IIIS itself was on the fritz, so he bought me a Kodak Instamatic Reflex, which used all the Retina interchangeable lenses for the Reflexes and the IIIS rangefinder. I used that for about a year, then bought the Canon F-1 when it was first introduced.

It looks like most of us got our start with roll-film cameras at quite a tender age. Then we graduated to 35mm. My next camera was an old folding Retina my grandfather gave me. I followed that with a camera I bought with my own money on a layaway plan at the local camera store, a Kodak Signet 80. I saved enough to buy the 35mm and 90mm lenses, plus every conceivable accessory Kodak offered for it. I still have the kit and occasionally run a roll or two through it every year or so. I dabbled a little with medium format and then bought the Canon F-1 when it was first introduced. Afterwards I inherited my grandfather’s Leica M3 with all three Summicrons, and haven’t looked back since.

How many of you remember what was your first camera that you actually owned and with which you took your first pictures? And do any of you still have that camera and/or the pictures you took? A favourite uncle of mine gave me a Kodak Brownie Starmeter camera when I was 7 or 8 years old back in the mid-1960s. That started me off as a camera bug which has continued my whole life. I still have the camera itself but since it takes 127-size roll film, it's not possible to use it any longer. Here's a page from a Feb. 1962 Kodak dealer catalog showing the Brownie Starmeter.

Sounds like junk to avoid. Thanks for the feedback.

I’m a big fan of Lutz Kronemann’s SFILL flash diffuser for my SF20 flash. I don’t use flash much in my M’s but when I do, the SFILL is great for softening direct flash, especially when photographing pets close up. Unfortunately, I misplaced mine on holiday and Lutz no longer sells them. I’m looking to purchase a new or used unit from anyone who is willing to part with one, or knows of any source from which a purchase is possible.