2007 in review

[Sirius Glass]

I thought that I do a quick update to see what happened this year:
January 2007, when I joined APUG, I owned:

Nikon N-75 f/2.8 20mm-35mm Nikon zoom lens, f/3.8 28mm - 300mm Tamron AF Aspheric zoom lens used this all the time
Nikon SB-800 strobe
Minolta X-700 f/2.8 21mm Minolta lens, f/2.8 28mm Minolta lens, f/1.8 55mm Minolta lens, 85mm-205mm Vivatar lens - not used since I got the Nikon in May 2003.
Mamiyaflex C-330 with 65mm, 80mm, 250mm lenses, Porroflex CdS Prism, Paraminder and lots of other equipment inherited from my father was on the way to me.
Two tripods
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December 2007:

Nikon N-75 f/2.8 20mm-35mm Nikon zoom lens, f/3.8 28mm - 300mm Tamron AF Aspheric zoom lens
Nikon SB-800 strobe
Just added Nikon F-100 body from KEH - it will be shipped 3 January 2008
Certo Super Dolly Sport circa 1935 - use occasionally.
Hasselblad 503 CX, f/4 50mm B-60 lens, f/2.8 80mm B-60 lens, f/4 150 mm lens, f/6.3 250mm B-60 lens
Omega 5D-XL Super Chromega D Dichroic II enlarger with f/4 50mm Rodenstock lens and f/4 80mm Rodenstock lens
Omega Arkay Dual Dri Professional Model 150 print dryer
The den is now a part-time dry darkroom
The master bathroom is now a part-time wet darkroom
Two tripods
The freezer is stocked with 120 Tri-X 400, 120 TMax-400, 120 and 135 UC400 [about 100 rolls], 120 VC400 , HIE 145-36 and 120 Fuji Pro 160S.

The Minolta and Mamiyaflex et al have departed.
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And I shot 50 rolls of film this year.

And I think I have G.A.S.!!

Thank you for your help this first year in APUG!

Steve

 

[Christopher Walrath]

I will list, since the gear is nearly the same as at the start of the year, the things that have happened this year that affected my photography.

January 2007 - Shot 'Cone and Needles'.

February 2007 - Bought twenty rolls of T-Max 400 120 roll film from B&H. Also got a kick a** 45mm Sekor-C lens for my Mamiya M645j.

March 2007 - My co-worker's girlfriend was taking a film photography course at the local community college and need to have a film SLR camera. Always having way too much camera crap (yes, I can do that), I give her a spare XG-M w/ two zooms and all the trimmings. She was the only student to read the syllabus AND show up with the needed equipment. A few months later I sold her the rest of my 35mm Minolta gear to go 100% MF with my Mamiya system.

May 2007 - Shot 'Leaf'.

June 2007 - I shot a wedding May 6th and it was abso-stinking-lutely horrid the crap that came out. It was crap and I knew it. Fortunately they were more than understanding and I got off with two out of three small payments and giving them the prints and negs to keep which normally I don't do. Enter: THE FUNK.

August 2007 - Family vacation to the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks and I forgot to bring any film and couldn't find any store that carried even color 120 roll film. Yep, left it in the cabinet at work where I had for some God-only-knows reason put it the week before. Tough to find an hour north of Lake George. Fortunately I had decided to take along my pencils and sketch book. Did some really nice work. The FUNK still pervades . . .

October 2007 - Exit: FUNK. I burned five rolls of film the first week. Also redid my home website and included much more about APUG, 'cause you guys have been here for me ever since, even when I had such a NEGATIVE outlook on things. Get it? Har-har, uh yeah. So anyway . . .

November 2007 - After tossing around the logistics and costs inherent of develop-in-your-johnny for a few months, decided it would be more cost effective and less hassle from the pretty little misses if I just bought the film for next year and got a gift card to my local camera shop for B&W developing only and make the occasional print as needed. Sorry guys. Much as I want to, it has to wait.

December 2007 - Sold my Sekonic L358 (that I don't use) for 200 on eBay to help fund the next forty rolls (no FUNK anticipated for the following calendar year). Am still presently trying to nurse the roll and a half I still have until tax time. Amazing how a funk can stretch out twenty rolls of film.

I am excited about the possibilities presented in my life and also in my photography and can hardly wait for '08 to get here so I can kick it off. Have a happy, safe and prosperous New Year all.