"About Ruminations"A number of titles for this page were given consideration. "Field Notes" and "Photo Blog" were among them. I am too embarrassed to mention some of the others. "Field Notes" was dismissed because, while that area may provide most of the content, I don't wish to limit myself unduly. "Photo Blog" was likewise eliminated; that name is already overused and "blog" to me has become just another four letter word.
"Ruminations" connotes chewing things over because, well, that's what ruminants do. I have forgotten who came up with the term "mental mastication" (i.e. chewing gum mentally) but that's pretty much what I plan to do here. Truth Seekers should seek elsewhere for nothing contained herein is purported to be "The Truth". My editorial policy is as follows: "I have in it communicated such notions as I have gathered, either from the reading of Severall Authors, or by conferring sometimes with Country People; to which I have added some Observations of mine Owne, never before published: Most of which are true, and if there be any that are not so, yet are they pleasant."
William Coles, The Art of Simpling, 1656 [Unless disclosed in a specific article, I have no affiliation with any of the providers of the services or products described in the following articles and I have received no consideration whatsoever by same. The opinions expressed are exclusively mine.]
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The Ebony SV45U View Camera
About eight years ago I decided to expand my craft by learning the Zone System employing the techniques devised by Ansel Adams. At the time I was using a medium format system that I had moved to after shooting with 35mm for many years and I was frustrated by my inability to translate the exposure and development tests from single sheet film as used by Adams to the roll film that I was using. I sent my exposed and developed film off for measurement on a densitometer only to find that the results made no sense. |
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What is it with Acura's new vehicle naming budget? They must not have any room for purchasing vowels. All of their offerings utilize consonants only: RL, TL, TSX, MDX, RDX. Their latest entry is something that they call "the first four-door coupe" - the ZDX. That sounds sort of like an athlete's foot remedy to me. |
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Radnor Lake State Natural Area |
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Walking is my favorite form of exercise and my favorite place to walk is Radnor Lake State Natural Area - a wildlife sanctuary just a few miles from my home in Brentwood, Tennessee. The park's 1200 acres are largely comprised of wooded hills that are laced with hiking trails. It was established in 1914 and before that it was the property of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, now a part of CSX.
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Cades Cove is the most popular spot in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited of our national parks. There are many reasons for this but two come most readily to mind. The first is that it is accessible by an eleven-mile loop road. Most visitors to the Smokies rarely get out of, or at least very far from, their vehicles. This is a great boon to those of us who like to hike, photograph, fish and explore. |
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In Praise of ... The Elegant and Eccentric Leica M |
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 1950's M3 on left, digital M8 on right First, the elegance. Having won many design awards over the years, the Leica M rangefinder camera is itself a work of art. It is a joy to look at and a pleasure to hold. It has a solid feel ("brick" comes to mind) but weighs less and is far less bulky than a digital SLR or most film SLR's for that matter. The controls are simple and intuitive even in the digital version. The photogapher need not waste time mining through a labyrinthine menu structure. The camera truly becomes an extension of the photographer's eye and brain. |
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In Praise of ... Billingham Bags |
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 My Billngham Hadley Pro bag My name is Weaver and I am addicted to photography equipment. Camera bags are a particularly notable weakness. Like knights of yore on a quest for the Holy Grail, I have spent much of my life (as well as a small fortune that by now probably equals the GDP of a third world country) in search of the perfect camera bag.
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