Old Photos

There’s a transient nature to photography that I really enjoy. Not so much that a photo captures a moment in time like no other medium, but that of the thousands of photos I take every year I only really remember a dozen or so. There’s an act of discovery that takes place whenever I flip through old galleries. It’s like seeing them all over again, remembering those places, being there - breifly - once more.

Here are a few, with context.

This first one is on the white cliffs of Dover. I had been in London for two weeks and desparately needed a break from the bustle. I took the train out and walked from the station to St Margarets Bay and back. It was only later that I discovered that most of the “popular” routes are to the south of Dover!

Mamiya 645, 80mm f2.8

The next is a…meta photo? It’s a shot of my Leica M6 and the Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f2, which is an amazing lens. I put ten rolls of HP5+ through this on Christmas morning. Those photos remain some of my favorites, some of which can be seen here.

Leica M10-R, Summilux 50mm f/1.4

This next one is from November of 2020. I had recently purchased a (heavily used) Leica M10 and took it and a Ricoh GR3 on a hike near Bellingham, Washington. I remember getting so frustrated on the hike - I couldn’t focus fast enough! I switched to the Ricoh a few hours in and used that for the rest of the weekend. I sold the Leica the next week and didn’t try a rangefinder again for another year.

Leica M10, Summicron 50mm f/2

The last one is the first time I rode down the Oregon coast. It was a beautiful June weekend…that quickly turned into a rainy June weekend, per usual in Oregon. I camped through the rain and rode home the next day. This was shot with a Fuji X-T2 using the 18-55mm kit lens, which is unreasonably good for the price. I wish I hadn’t sold the X-T2.

Fuji X-T2, 18-55mm