Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Fall 2006
Moshe Cohen
Clown Moshe Cohen at the memorial service for Bruce (U. Utah) Phillips
F32 and BEES There #2
F32 and BEES There #2
Boris in one of his comments on Folio A asked for more detail on the Macrobox, which is given here:
The Macrobox is based on a contraption I purchased years ago from John Hart of Colorado. It was designed to hold 2 cameras at 90 degrees to each other, and both cameras were aimed at a 50/50 mirror (aka a beamsplitter) which is at a 45 degree angle. One camera shoots THROUGH the mirror, while the other shoots at the reflection.
Overhead view of the Macrobox
Side view of the Macrobox
In the sideview picture you can see the beamsplitter on the left side of the rig. If you look carefully at the mirror, you can see both cameras.
The cameras are individually mounted on sliders so they can be slid into position. Additionally, the Macrobox is normally mounted on a heavy-duty Velbon macro slider, to help with making fine adjustments to the positioning.
Beetle at the Night Market, Oaxaca, Mexico
This was another part of Oaxaca that I wanted to shoot at night. The market was very nearby, and the nightlife carried out into the streets. I really wanted to capture a Beetle while I was there as well, since they are such a part of Mexican culture and are common throughout. Needless to say, I was happy to see one pull up and park near where I standing while taking a different photo down the street. So happy that my ‘other’ Sputnik has sharp matching lenses, it really helps to get the shot right! Shot on Fuji Provia 100f film.
Nighttime Zocalo, Oaxaca, Mexico
I wanted to get a shot of the zocalo (or center of town) at night. There was a lot of activity in Oaxaca at nighttime, and it is such a large part of the overall culture of Mexico. It felt very safe to walk around with a tripod and camera. Not many people paid any attention to me, which was exactly what I wanted. The wind was doing me a favor in making this image a bit more interesting. Shot on my Sputnik, with Fuji Provia 100f film.
‘Chillin’ in the shade’ – Monte Alban, Mexico
Just outside of Oaxaca is Monte Alban. They are Aztec ruins, said to be over 2,000 years old. Very neat place to go and very easy to visit while in Oaxaca. I came across this gentleman hanging out under the shade of one of the few trees within the grounds. Thought that it captured the overall sense of the heat that day. Hit at least into the 90’s, but coming from cloudy Seattle, it was a welcoming sun exposure for me. Shot on my Sputnik, Provia 100f film.
Botanical Gardens, Oaxaca, Mexico
I recently went on a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico. Such a lovely place to visit, and I can see why it is such a popular destination. This was my first out-of-the-country trip since Covid hit in 2020. I brought along my ‘other’ Sputnik, the one that I usually would leave at home as a backup. My main Sputnik never could focus properly after two attempts of repair, and started to eat film for breakfast. So, needless to say, I was pleased with the overall quality of the pictures I got with the other camera. I just feel that I could have exposed a little better, too bright for my taste. Maybe I need some ND filters next time? This is the backside of the church of Santo Domingo, located in the botanical gardens in the heart of Oaxaca. Nice place to visit if you are ever there. Shot on my Sputnik, on Fuji Provia 100f. 
Ian Andvaag’s D24 submission
For this round, I set aside fifteen or so slides and asked a few people to suggest which four I should submit. There wasn’t perfect agreement, but I think these four came out on top.
I was inspired by Paul Gillis’ D22 submission “Drill, Grind & Dry” to try some more still life in MF3D, as I think it has been somewhat underrepresented in the folio. This view of the breakfast table at Easter was taken from a pretty unconventional perspective, but I wanted to limit the far point so I wouldn’t record too much on-film deviation. I had hoped to mount the image with the orange juice protruding through the window, but I was thwarted by the fruit bowl being closer to the camera. Oh well, the window isn’t so important in MF3D anyway.
Easter Breakfast
In 2018, some friends and I went on a road trip to Utah — it’s about the closest place that you can get decently warm weather in April. We did a lot of hiking, and I wanted to keep weight down so I brought my Sputnik rather than my TL120. I also didn’t bring a light meter, so this one turned out a bit darker than I’d hoped.
Staircase Escalante, UT
My last two submissions this round are from one of Saskatchewan’s National Parks, called Prince Albert National Park. It is better known as Waskesiu, which is the name of the lake where the town-site and cabins are located. This slide was taken on a 7 km trail quite near to the town-site.
Fisher Trail Waskesiu
Our campground at Waskesiu had several bright yellow lady’s slippers in bloom. The weather was punishingly hot, and so we spent a fair bit more time in our campsite rather than hiking. I challenged myself to shoot a full roll on the lady’s slippers. A question to all the close-up aficionados — how do you get enough depth of field to get everything sharp in medium format? I believe that I am well under MAOFD with this slide, but I can’t get everything sharp at f/22 unless I use a conventional depth range of 3-4 meters to infinity. Should I try to shoot with the camera pointed straight down to limit the distance of the background? When indoors, a wall can be used to limit the depth, but often I find it challenging to come up with a pleasing composition outdoors which has a limited depth range.
Lady’s Slippers
The Finally Part 2
End of the fireworks show where the pyrotechs pull out all the stops
End of the fireworks show where they pull out all the stops.
There is a strange set of blinking lights running through the middle of the photo. Maybe a drone?
Hosta Study
Hosta leaf patterns in black and white
Busy Pollinator
Close up shot of a honeybee on a dahlia
Keep it down up there, Willya?
Keep it down up there, Willya?
One of the reasons I wanted, and built, this Macrobox was to capture shots of Tess in MF3D. I knew it wouldn’t be an easy pursuit because the moment I started doing something she would be all over it. “No, Tess, I want you *in front* of the camera. Not *on* the camera.” That sort of thing.
I was able to catch her in a quiet moment when the camera and strobes had been pre-set for her position. I like to think that in this shot she is hollering at some kids upstairs to be quiet. In fact I caught her in mid yawn.
Sunset Log, Big Bear Lake, CA
Running out of daylight, but time for one more shot so I grabbed this sunset with the near silhouette of the log along the frozen shoreline of Big Bear Lake in February of 2022. You can see across the big part of the lake in this view and most of the lake is not frozen, just the end where we were. It was a satisfying journey to get out of the cabin and run along the nature trail and get back before the temperatures dropped to single digits. The next day would be great skiing.
Kids on the Log, Big Bear Lake, CA
The kids enjoyed a little climbing adventure on this log. Eventually we settled down into this arranged pose for the cha-cha shot on my Fuji GA645w. It was getting cold and the sun was going down fast. Glad to have this memory of my kids, who are 14,12,11,9 in this picture.
Kids at Frozen Shore, Big Bear Lake, CA
Lucky for me, I was able to encourage and coach my kids into being avid runners. We suited up and ran out to this frozen shoreline of Big Bear Lake before sunset and they were happy to take a break and pose for this cha-cha shot with my Fuji GA645w. I was fortunate the winds had died down and the lake water was still, allowing me to capture this moment from our 4 mile run.