Attachment 52943
Printable View
my friend Laura
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Attachment 52952
I was 16 when I first met my father and he gave me a Kodak Retinette. no meter / no rangefinder capability
I've had people tell me it was an entry level camera, at best. No doubt they're right but to me, it was the nicest camera I'd ever had my hands on and I felt an obligation to figure out what all the numbers and settings were for. While I still have pictures from the first rolls I ever took with it...
Attachment 53001
the following is the picture I wanted to take once I got back from gill netting on Bristol Bay that summer.
Attachment 53002
I used to pass by it every day while riding the school bus back and forth then, later on my way to and from work.
I meant to take this shot for the longest time. Even so, I figure I got lucky with the converging paths and the cloud lending impact that wouldn't be there in a simple 'record' shot.
I also figure it's going to make for a good closing image.
more on that grave-
https://wanderingnevada.weebly.com/s...eer-grave.html
also-
"On the hillside above U.S. Highway 395, near Steamboat Springs, you can find a dark, gray granite marker carved with the image of a covered wagon. Carved words state the spot is the final resting place of Jeremiah Rogers, native of Indiana, born 1830 and died 1861. Rogers apparently died while making the journey to California. Fortunately for him, 20th century descendants hunted down the site of his grave and erected the impressive marker and a small fence to protect his final resting place."
Thanx for the opportunity to share.
Some got very good glass~ Schneider Kreuznachs and the like. Some also wore American glass that was almost the equivalent of the German stuff.
I would hesitate to call them entry level. Zone focusing and full manual control were the way things were done for the longest time. Coupled rangefinders may have been around, but they were barely affordable in that time period. Image Quality (I/Q) was very high for the retina/retinette series, and they were amongst the first proof that smaller formats would be a viable proposition. Their history is definitely worth looking up.
Regards,
Doc Sharptail
"Their history is definitely worth looking up."
Would knowing any of that help anyone take better pictures?
I've always viewed my Retinette IIa as having interest to me primarily because it was a gift from my father. There's a story there that I won't get into.
Something that's held my interest in photography has been the opportunity to dive into the various sub-sets of science and art(s) entailed. Just like racing involves a variety of things a guy can get into and still be out racing, two people can be focused on different aspects of photography and still be into photography.
I keep telling myself I'm a print guy.
I admire the thought and effort Ansel Adams and Ed Weston put into their images.
That doesn't mean I follow their rules and guidelines or that I even try, just that I admire their focus.