Week 9 - Out and About with the 'Blad

Even once you technically understand how to use a new camera, there's still a good long period of acclimation before you really get a feel for it. I would say that, right now, I'm most comfortable with my 35mm Nikon F3; I've gotten to the point that I know where the controls are almost through muscle memory. I don't have to think about the equipment, it fades into the background and I just shoot.

I am not there yet with my new Hasselblad. It's bigger, heavier, uses a strange square aspect ratio, and is not exactly built for quick snapshots. It has promise, and I want to get comfortable with it, but I'm not there yet.

I don't have a lot of insightful commentary this week. Mostly I have been trying to take the Hasselblad out more and get used to shooting with it in public. This isn't the easiest thing to do because it's about as subtle as dump truck, but I think that we've reached a point as a society that no mechanical film camera with knobs on it is going to escape notice. I just have to embrace the fact that I'm walking around with an anachronism around my neck.

Here are some images I shot this week while I was out eating and walking around.

Light fixture at the Crestview light rail station (next to Black Star Co-op)

Sculpture next to the Crestview light rail station

Epoch Coffee, North Loop

Landscaping along Victory Drive

Fire hydrant along Victory Drive

I'm still getting used to the square format. It is really interesting for some shots but really frustrating for others. Working in 35 (and making movies) teaches you to visualize everything in rectangles, and it's a hard habit to break.

That's all for this week. Thanks for dropping in.