the little things that make us smile...

...while helping us keep our money and good cheer :-)

waking up from the brief yuletide depression (which stemmed from my inability

to afford the D3 :-)) i have compiled a short list of cheap trinkets that

considerably enhanced my picture-taking experience this year. if you have

something to add to this list, for the benefit of those who are grinding their

teeth unable to reach for the big toys, please do so by all means (don't forget

that different people get different mileage; please take the superlatives with

a grain of salt)

1. nikon B3 focusing screen. in my stable, the single greatest revelation of

the year. having checked out one, i refitted all my FM2Ns with it; my shooting

volume quadrupled and my joy shot up to the stars. it also made me return the

F3 back to the market--its cramped, dark, flaring viewfinder finally lost the

battle

2. domke shoulder strap. i lug my stuff around in a stealth reporter 600,

arguably the finest and the most inexplicably discontinued street bag ever

made. now when i have to march far and fast, i throw the strap over my head,

across my chest, and push the bag to the back--the huge, contoured pad would

always end up in the wrong place. fortunately domke offers their straps

separately. will fit many bags

3. developing tank and a box of HP5. wooo-hooo! haven't had this much fun since

high school. cost negligible for the amount of time it will steal from your

busy schedule... never look at XP2 again

a peaceful, and clicking, new year! :-)