Hector Javkin

This is the kind of question that brings back memories. I don't use my film Nikons anymore: FM2, N70, F80, nor my first DSLR, the D50. The one I feel guilty about not using is the FM2, because of its provenance. I got it from my wife's uncle and my dear friend, who received a Bronze Star and a field commission during World War II and passed away some time ago. I miss him.

Author Slim Randles with Rosy, central Alaska, 1976

Same table posted before in a different photo.

Bulgarian brass bracelet.

Glorious! by the Lompoc Civic Theatre Company, directed by Larry McLellan

Author Catherine Ryan Hyde about to sign perhaps her best-known novel, "Pay it Forward", at Santa Barbara Writers Conference, June 2017

My Tokina 11-16mm and Tamron 17-50mm (both f/2.8 an both screw-drive) provide results that I like, get used on a D7200 and are worth much more to me than what KEH would pay for them.

I nearly always carry my Canon G5x Mk2, purchased instead of the Richoh GRiii for longer focal length, and instead of the Sony RX100 Mk 7 for its faster lens. Canon is very versatile but makes a thick bundle in a pocket and the front lens cover is delicate. I damaged mine but Canon fixed it under warranty. A 56mm press-on lens cap is a nice addition if carrying in an unprotected pocket.

Pulitzer Prize winner and MacArthur scholar Jeffrey Stewart at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, Santa BArbara, California, USA, June 2019

I like flip locks on tripod legs, but I'm not consistent--much prefer knobs, rather than flip locks, on tripod head quick release clamps.

Many years ago, travel brought me back to photography. My interest had been quashed during high school when I discovered a sensitivity to the chemicals in photography. I couldn't breathe even in a well-ventilated darkroom processing black-and-white, and darkroom work had been a big part of my interest. Years later, when I was a graduate student, there came an opportunity to travel for a month in Alaska. I bought an Olympus OM-1, some lenses, a tripod, borrowed an additional lens, practiced for weeks before the trip (even at the zoo) and became a photographer again. With a supply of Kodachrome and the services of the Post Office, I didn't need to go near a darkroom. Since then, I've done a lot of travel photography, often with my wife, who likes to have photos but doesn't care to shoot them, and sometimes at the end of trips to conferences. Lovely photograph, Sam! Sorry you got hurt to create it.

Different version posted before.

George Orwell, in his essay, "Politics and the English Language," offers several rules to improve one's writing. His final rule is, "Break any of these rules sooner than say something outright barbarous." I think the same applies to photography--break the rules when appropriate.

Ray Bradbury in Santa Barbara, California, USA, June 2007.

Near Talkeetna, Alaska. Mostly made of wood, but also plastic and ceramic and used metal offest printing plates.

At "Meet in the Middle" demonstration for marriage equality, Fresno, California, USA, May, 2009

Chimney at my house, 1997. Hale-Bopp in the background. (Posted before)