Amboseli N.P., Kenya 1979

January 10, 2017January 12, 2017Chris and Carol 3 Comments

Mount Kilimanjaro as seen from Amboseli N.P., Kenya.

After endless weeks and months at sea (Indian Ocean), my U.S. Navy ship arrived in the port city of Mombasa, Kenya for a bit of ‘liberty’. As a Sailor on government pay (1979) there would have been no way I would have been able to go on a photographic safari in Africa – I might have had a better chance at going to the moon. But along with a few of my shipmates we were able to afford (with the Navy’s help), to get out of Mombasa (a good thing) and see sights we might never had the chance to see otherwise. It was November 1979 – just a few days before the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and more endless days, weeks and months at sea for me and about 25,000 other U.S. Navy Sailors.

I traded one distant horizon at sea for another on land – no contest. I can say that my two days touring Amboseli made up for two months at sea (well almost).

These images are but a few from the dozens that I have still need to scan. The film used was Kodak Kodachrome 25 and 64 shot with my trusty Canon F-1 (1978 version) and Canon’s FD lenses.

Kilimanjaro from our VW safari bus. Canon FD 80-200mm f/ 4 lens at 200mm and a bit of cropping.

This image was taken from outside the ‘safety’ of our VW bus. Billions of mosquitoes kept me from wandering too close to this beautiful elephant.

Amazing animals… not much more to say.

The exposure was off a tad but elephants and Kilimanjaro are not an easy capture!

Maasai tribesmen giving me his ‘best’ hunters pose. He was a pretty funny guy and we hung out for a bit until an elder butted in and wanted in on the action (cigarettes for poses).

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I know I say this almost every time I post travel pics from the ancient days – if you ever get the chance to travel to Kenya and Tanzania on a photo safari then jump on it!

Thanks for your visit!

Chris

Canon F-1

January 9, 2017Chris and Carol Leave a comment

First version Canon F-1 with its gorgeous chrome nosed FD 50mm f/ 1.4 lens.

Canon F-1 from April 1972. This was the first version of the F-1 and it sports a rather low serial number. We’ve held this one back all these years with just occasional use (mainly in the studio). Our field tested F-1 (not pictured) was acquired new in 1978 (2nd version F-1) and it’s the one that’s traveled the world – getting seriously wet in Hong Kong, Japan and the US- dropped in a photographic safari bus in Kenya – slid off a train seat in Tokyo – and was briefly “lost” in Diego Garcia!

All original stuff from 1972.

Note that this super early FD lens does not have the SC or SSC markings on the lens ring.

I started 35mm SLR photography with a Nikonos II and then purchased my first Yashica (TL Electro-X) and then into Canon we went. We need to find some time to take this one out and put that classic glass to good use! Nothing like holding an old friend again.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chris

Florence… 1986

December 21, 2016December 21, 2016Chris and Carol 7 Comments

Nothing says Florence like the Cathedral of Florence. Canon F-1 with FD 24mm f/2.8 lens on Kodak Kodachrome 25.

In presenting a short series of images of Florence (one of the most beautiful of all cities in Italy), it’s a tough call on which images to include. In Pisa, it has to be the most famous bell tower in the world. I imagine for Rome I would choose the Coliseum – Colosseum or the Vatican. Since there’s so much beauty, history, art and architecture at every turn in Florence it’s nearly impossible to choose the one to use first. My visit to the Tuscony Region was in late October 1986 – the weather was perfect and the visibility was awesome!

My camera was the Canon F-1 (1978 version) with three lenses to use: FD 24mm f/2.8, FD 80-200mm f/4 zoom and the normal FD 55mm f/1.4. Since sunlight would be in abundance, Kodak’s Kodachrome 25 fit perfectly with the days shooting plan (no interiors in the plans).

Vista view to the north… FD 24mm while hanging the camera over the side of the railing (wobbly pieces of metal) loosely attached to 600 year old stone.

The Duomo with its instantly identifiable tiled dome. FD 80-200mm at about 150mm

FD 200mm braced on the railing.

Back to earth… Canon FD 24mm wide angle lens at f/22

More FD 24mm… my go to lens in the tight quarters of a city. It’s not easy to get all three in the same image.

The Canon’s light meter (spot) handled this tricky exposure well. Yep, FD 24mm lens.

Of course what would a visit to any city be without the required “People and Pigeon” shot.

Happy people and happy pigeons.

This of course is only a very small sample of what’s available in and around Florence and the Tuscany Region. I had only one short afternoon to visit so I was lucky to see as much as I did. The old “someday” I hope to travel back and do it right.

Thanks for your visit!

Chris

Pisa… 1986

December 19, 2016December 22, 2016Chris and Carol 6 Comments

Pisa… a gorgeous city filled with unbelievable wonders. Photographic eye candy to be sure. In 1986, shooting with a Canon F-1 and Canon lenses on Kodachrome 25 was as close to “perfect” in 35mm photography as one could hope to achieve (sorry Nikon guys and gals). In appreciation of the all the imperfections and limits of film photography (just like vinyl records), analog photography still moves me. Sure I love digital – some images with digital were impossible with film (or nearly so), but film has a softness of color and detail that I love.

These images were taken in mid October 1986. They’ve received only minor post production after scanning – mostly small crops to remove the edges of the 35mm slide mounts and some occasional color balancing and brightness tweaks. Film used was Kodak’s Kodachrome 25 (perfect for bright lighting and known for its fine grain).

My Canon F-1 (1978 version) and three FD lenses were all that I had in my bag: 24mm f/2.8 wide angle, 80-200mm f/4 zoom and the 55mm f/1.4. The weather was perfect – bright sunshine, low humidity with mild temperatures. Visibility was amazing as a recent cold front had passed through the area and cleared the air of haze and pollutants.

24mm taken on the south side of the tower.

80-200mm zoom. Until you see the tower in person you have no sense of the dramatic lean. Just amazing that it’s stood since 1327 like this.

The tower as a sundial. 80-200mm zoom

In silhouette. 80-200mm zoom hand held.

Holding the tower upright. 200mm

Enjoying the view to the north.

Pisa cathedral. 24mm

Gelato and soda. 80-200mm zoom at 150mm

Art in the streets. 55mm

An amazing city worthy of your visit.

Chris

Montauk Point Lighthouse, Long Island

December 17, 2016December 18, 2016Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The lighthouse at Montauk Point, Long Island, New York is one of my favorite spots to visit ever since I was a child growing up on Long Island. As a kid, the main attractions for me were – the ocean, the countless rocks in that ocean (big and small), the hills (Long Islanders are hill challenged) and finally the lighthouse itself. As I got older, the main attraction was the lighthouse with the other ‘likes’ fading into the background. When I earned my New York driver’s licence, Montauk was my first long drive from my home by myself. When I became a certified SCUBA diver, the waters near the lighthouse looked tempting for a dive but the great whites known to frequent the cold waters off Eastern Long Island kept me ashore – so I headed to Florida instead.

While going through some of my many mountains of slides from my collection, I came across these images of the lighthouse. The first set of photographs are from August 1972 and were shot with my Yashica TL Electro-X mostly using the normal Yashinon 50mm lens. The second set of images are from 2002 when I traveled to New York with my family for their first visit to Montauk. The 1972 images show how completely the original Kodak Ektachrome slides have degraded over the years.

August 1972. Yashica TL Electro-X with f/ 1.7 50mm Yashinon lens with 2x teleconverter on Ektachrome 64.

August 1972. The lighthouse in need of a serious restoration. I believe it was still under the control of the U.S. Coast Guard at that time. It’s obvious that 40+ year old Kodak Ektachrome didn’t hold up well – even when stored properly. Most of the vivid original colors have faded and the slide lacks depth.

July 2002. The lighthouse and grounds were looking much better after the restoration. Canon F-1 with FD24mm f/ 2.8 lens on Kodachrome. My son is the little one climbing up the hill (as I had done hundreds of times before).

July 2002. Canon F-1 with FD24mm f/ 2.8 lens on Kodachrome.

T.J. on the rocks… just like me in the 1950s.

The automated light of 2002. Wonderful view from up top too.

Captivating views from up top.

Gotta love the rocks!

If you ever get a chance to travel to Long Island, then the Montauk Point Lighthouse must be on your “to visit list”. It’s very photogenic and lends itself well to the digital age. There are images that a good camera phone today can capture that were a serious challenge to film photographers just 15 years ago. Happy shooting!

Chris

Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris

Yashica cameras and so much more!

Tag F-1

Amboseli N.P., Kenya 1979

Canon F-1

Florence… 1986

Pisa… 1986

Montauk Point Lighthouse, Long Island