My Nikon F2

Not long ago I purchased myself an amazing piece of film photography gear that sat on my shelf gathering dust for one specific reason.

The Nikon F2 is the latest 35mm SLR that I’ve been playing with and should have picked up to sue 4 months ago when I bought it initially. The camera has a 35mm f2.8 Nikkor lens - a perfect lens for how I shoot - and a DP-1 view finder. The camera features something that I will always find cool - the ability to use a waist level view finder. The ability to change from an eye-level to a waist level view finder serves in my opinion a small benefit (shooting from lower angles than eye-level) but seeing the world through the exposed mirror is so surreal and greatly adds to the shooting experience. The silver camera body and black lens share that timeless design of many cameras built within the same era and the weight of this camera is definitely a good self-defence weapon.

Another thing I’ve found cool about the F2 is how easy it is to use the timer.

Now, why did this camera sit on the shelf for so long? Well, the biggest issue that was present in the system when i purchased it was that the light meter didnt work. Like many parents, time is precious and when you only get an hour after the kid’s are in bed to go out and shoot in the daylight you want to make the most of every minute out. Pulling out my phone to meter using a smartphone app simply did not appeal to me and purchasing a new DP-1 is not a cheap thing - until I found one on ebay for $120!

Posted, delivered and working I am now able to use my F2 and after putting the first roll of mine through it I am very very close to saying that this camera will be replacing my Canon AE-1 as my go to 35mm SLR. What’s stopping me from making the jump? Well I havent gotten the film developed yet and I want to know for sure it works properly!

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A trip to Bigga, NSW

Over the weekend my wife and I were invited to a wedding out in Bigga, NSW. This trip was the first trip away without our son ever since he was born over a year ago so we were definitely excited. We had never heard of Bigga so we had no idea what to expect on this little journey. The gear I chose to bring was my Fujifilm X-T4 and my Mamiya RZ67.

The two and a half hour drive was a nice trip through the Australian bushland. A cloudy day was a welcome shield from the sun. One of the things I really enjoyed seeing were the wind turbine generators closer than I have ever seen before. Passing through Gunning, Crookwell and Binda we finally got to the town of Bigga where the main strip was about a kilometre and a half long. The wedding venue was only 5 mins away but our accommodation was another 30mins away on dirt road. This dirt road was where I really got excited to play with my new X-T4.

Since I was in the helm, I had the freedom to pull over at this gorgeous little lookout that gave amazing views of the Lachlan River.

When we got to the accommodation we were greeted by many kangaroos, the smell of eucalyptus and a small bay on the Lachlan River where other holiday-goers were water skiing.

This is where I took the Mamiya out to take some photos of the flowering Patterson’s Curse flowers growing on the river bank that reminded me of a Canadian landscape. (Mamiya Photos being developed!)

I wanted to keep exploring but after the drive and the midday sun beating down on me I needed to rest and get ready for the wedding, the reason we were out in the sticks. The venue was a beautiful DIY creation built around a sheering shed with amazing panoramic views (which I did not capture much of unfortunately!)

We experienced all four seasons in one day this day. The ceremony was in the blazing sun, big gusts of wind blew in from the approaching storm and then as the sun went down the temperatures really cooled off. Despite Mother Nature really going crazy, the bride and groom’s big day continued to be an amazing time to celebrate their new lives together.

All scrubbed up!

After sleeping on the top bunk for the first time in years, I greeted the day with a solo drive around the holiday park. I came across this secluded wildlife sanctuary that you entered through a receded part of the river. I was so immersed in the environment and the novelty of this receded part of the river I had to stop and take some photos.

The sanctuary itself was so tempting to drive through but I didn’t know the off road capabilities of my wife’s car and couldnt risk getting stuck - guess its time to get an off roader!

Breakfast, bag packing and we hit the road home with our biggest desire being a cuddle from our boy.

What a trip, thanks Bigga!

Sample photos on my new camera lens!

I recently picked up a new (to me) camera lens for my DSLR - the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 MK ii.

This was by no means a planned purchase - let me share the story.

It’s always been on the my list to own this lens. Considering my work is of mostly portraiture and music I have read article upon article and seen photo after photos of some absolutely beautiful work from this lens. Dreams of this lens were almost always wiped away as I saw the hefty price tag of new and used prospects and my dreams were indefinitely kept as dreams until one day I stumbled upon my one.

During a lunch break at work I wondered down to the second hand shop and did my usual rounds checking for cool vintage video games and other trinkets that might peak my interest. The camera cabinet is at the back of the store and I always like to leave the best for last here. Inside I checked for some film cameras on the top, looked at the shelf below it and saw some cool digital bodies and lenses and on the very bottom of the shelf, tucked in the corner I spot the massive red and white box.

$1199. I instantly jump on my phone and look at eBay sold listings to see what the going rate is. Last sold for $1600, $1550, $1750. I ask the clerk if I could have a look at the lens and see what the condition is. Included is the entire kit - lens, lens bag, lens hood, warranty card - all for $1199. “This only came in yesterday evening” the clerk said with a smile.

Sold.

My Experience with the Pentax K1000

The Pentax K1000.

Such a famous 35mm SLR and I can definitely see why. We didn’t get along though - let me tell you why.

I picked my K1000 up in the spring of 2021. Found it on marketplace for a $100 about 15km away from home an absolute steal! I drove over, met up with the lady who was trying to clean up her father’s items which she inherited after his passing. Everything functioned as expected except the view finder had some funky looking black squiggles running through it. I inspected it once I got home and determined that the squiggles were in the view finder and not on the lens or mirror and therefore would not affect the image. A great buy and a functional camera - how exciting!

Fast forward about 8 months and this camera sat on my bookshelf unused and gathering dust. I contemplated moving it on but decided to run a roll through it and see what the fuss it about for this camera first produced in 1976.

Driving down to Cotter Dam in Canberra, ACT I put through a roll of Kodak Ultramax 400. My experience with the Pentax was really good. Being able to see the aperture through the viewfinder was very handy and corresponded well with the camera’s lightmeter. The lightweight body and the 50mm f2 lens was very familiar to me because of my experience with my Canon AE-1 which uses the 50mm f1.8.

Exctied to get home and send the film away for development, I felt the film winder jam as I was winding the roll up and then start to spin freely much sooner than I anticipated and I knew something was up. Opening up the film chamber revealed the ripped roll of Kodak Ultramax. I was shocked but surprisingly understanding as I knew someday this would happen to me.

A few days later I put through another roll of Ultramax through the camera to give it a chance to redeem itself. This time the roll did NOT rip and I was able to send it away to get developed. (See gallery down below)

All in all, the Pentax K1000 was a fun little camera. Small and lightweight with a very nice piece of glass on the front. A timeless design and a joy to use however we didn’t get along too well. Is it because I made it sit on the shelf for months on end without use? Is it because I was thinking about my Canon AE-1 the whole time I was using it? Is it just evil and decided to not work for me? Who knows.

Click the button below towatch my video on the K1000

Starting 2023

A new day, a new month, a new year.

January 1st is symbolic of a new beginning, fresh starts and hopeful aspirations for the year ahead. While I don’t feel as though I need a fresh start, I do see value in using this energy surrounding newness to create some goals and document my learnings/failures/insights throughout the year here on this blog. Some of the goals I have for myself follow themes of building a more productive, healthy and fulfilling life in 2023.

Some of the goals I would like to document here on this blog are:

• Continue to discover what it means to me to be a good father and husband

• Open my website to sell prints

• Truly define what I want from photography

• Finish the engine work on my Forester

• Complete the annual City to Surf marathon on the 13th of August

I do believe these goals cover most of the categories I would like to touch on in 2023 - family, business, creativity, hobbies, health.

Accountability is so important and sometimes you cant just go in with good intentions to get things done. Documentation of my journey will hopefully keep my spirits high when I feel as though I have not progressed in ways that are very noticeable.

Future Deo, I hope you are proud of what you achieve in 2023. It may not even be on this list!

First Blog Post

Contrary to what my belief surrounding my work was back in 2019, photographs sometimes do not tell the whole story and words can definitely be used to amplify how a photograph can convey their story.

Take this portrait of myself as an example. This photograph was taken on the bustling main street that connects alleyways and boutique shops together in Balmain Sydney, Darling Street. My wife took the photograph, there was a German Shephard puppy walking behind her who was chewing her leash, we had just finished having a coffee at our favourite cafe.

I hope to share these little anecdotes and smaller details on this blog for photographs that I love and maybe some that I dont!

People and photography evolve and this blog will allow me, and you the viewer, see how my photography evolves with time.

Promise all of my posts wont have this weird philosophical vibe in future!

- Welcome to my blog. Stay awhile! -