Upcoming Events!
Just an FYI about some events coming up where I will be showing my work.
Saturday, April 30, 2011, 10am-7pm Life is Art Fest in Boca Raton, Florida
Friday, May 6, 2011, 6-9pm East Village Uncorked in Pompano Beach, Florida
Come on by, see my work in person and say “Hi!” All the work I sell at events is hand signed by me on the spot and I can even personalize gifts with the name of whomever you are giving it to 😉
Analog Soul Photography Booth at Riverwalk Blues Festival
Kathy’s Cameras 01 – Minolta Minoltina AL-s
Just decided it would be fun to make some videos introducing you to cameras from my collection. I started with my favorite little rangefinder since I’ve been collecting from 2009, “Tina” as I call her, or Minolta Minoltina AL-s. Enjoy!
Heartache for a place I’ve never been…Japan
Over the last week hearing about the devastation and seeing the chilling imagery on television has made me think about these people and their suffering. I can not even conceive of what they must be going through…I live in South Florida and certainly saw some with Hurricane Wilma, but that pales in comparison. It was nothing compared to what happened in New Orleans with Katrina and now this tragedy in Japan.
"Zen Garden" shot with vintage Minolta Minoltina AL-s
I have adored Japan for so long for wonderful traditions, food, and culture. I even purchased an English to Japanese dictionary and a tour book for the day that I do get to go. From the Harajuku girls of Tokyo to the wonder of Mt. Fuji…it is a place I can only dream of visiting one day. For these reasons, I wondered what I, a person of little means, could do for Japan.
"Knot a Big Tree" shot with plastic Holga camera
Upon thinking about it for the last few days, I remembered a time that I went with my husband and friends to the Japanese gardens in Delray Beach, Florida. I took many images that day with my trusty old Minolta Minoltina AL-s rangefinder and plastic Holga cameras. Being at this place is a small substitution for the real thing. I got images of beautiful blue tile roofs, zen gardens, and picturesque bridges.
"Zen Lake View" shot with plastic Holga camera
I finally thought of what I could do…I will sell the Japanese themed images that I shot at the gardens and send a portion of the profits to a charity organization that is directly involved with helping those in need in Japan. The images here are just a sampling of what I will be offering. Click on any of these images to see more in my gallery on the website.
"Zen Scene" shot with vintage Minolta Minoltina AL-s
Also keep in mind that any items purchased through my website are not signed as they are shipped directly from the manufacturer. If you would like hand-signed and titled versions, contact me directly and I can get those to you. Direct from me prices are for an 8×10 (approx) print in an 11×14 mat one for $29, 2 for $50, or 3 for $60. Again, with any images sold from my “Japanese Inspiration” series will have a portion of the proceeds send for relief in Japan, whether from the website or me directly.
What a weekend!
Still recovering from a long and fun weekend of food, fun, and great music at the Riverwalk Blues and Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale this past weekend. Our friend Vena Paylo (wonderful music portrait artist) asked me to share a booth with her to sell our wares and I thought it would be great fun and we might just make some money at the same time!
Joel DaSilva's Pedal Board
Joel DaSilva's Strat
I had matted up many of my images that I thought would sell to a blues and other types of musical interests crowd. I selected some of my New Orleans ones that I had just added to the website, along with many musical instrument “portraits” I have taken over the years. I had two images relating to Joel DaSilva of the Hep Cat Boo Daddies (great hard rocking rockabilly style music) pedal board with voodoo doll and set list and one of his well-loved Fender Stratocaster guitar with a retro pinup style woman on it. I also had another favorite local musician represented; Graham Wood Drout of Iko Iko’s (great “swampadelic” style) white Fender Stratocaster along with his amp that has his design of the Iko Iko logo snake. I also had a handful of images of resonator guitars which are one of my favorites…they are just art in themselves! I also love the way they sound 😉 Lastly, I thought some of my images from Clarksdale, Mississippi last year when we went to the Blues Music Awards in May would be appropriate. I had one from Morgan Freeman’s club “Ground Zero” and a shot of “Red’s” famous juke joint.
Resonator
A Row of Resonators
It was a great festival and I sold WAY more work than I ever thought I would…including every music-related piece I brought. I don’t think I missed any sales by not having selection though, which is good considering I wasn’t as prepared as I would have liked to have been. Now I know more what to expect and think I’d love to do more blues related music festivals…they’re fun, the music is wonderful, and the crowd is generous and courteous…oh, and they have great taste in photography, of course 😉
Red's "Juke Joint"
Ground Zero Blues Club Window
I love shooting cemeteries, graveyards, and tombs ;-)
"Hush" shot with Minoltina AL-s 35mm rangefinder
I was just going through my gallery on my website and realized how many images I have from cemeteries. I don’t know what exactly draws me to them…a sense of history, a mystery of a life I never knew, or simply showing respect to those that have left this world. I have been intrigued since I was very young and my brothers and I would sneak into graveyards to peek at the headstones.
"The Gaze of an Angel" shot with Pentax MX
Since my foray back into film photography, I have shot Key West Cemetery and Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Lauderdale fairly extensively. I think my favorite subjects would have to be the angels…beautiful heavenly beings watching over the souls that have passed on. Key West has some gorgeous hand carved marble angels that I adore. There’s even one there that had an eerie light flare no matter what camera or angle I took it from.
"Diana's Angel" shot with Diana F+ camera
My favorite cameras for shooting in these environs have been my modern Diana F+ and vintage Diana, Ansco Pix plastic 35mm, and Minolta Minoltina AL-s 1960s rangefinder.
"Heaven's Gate" shot with plastic Ansco Pix 35mm camera
My Rangefinder Mania Continues!
My foray back into film camera collecting began with the plastic Diana F+, but I got off onto a tangent with vintage rangefinders shortly thereafter. First, with the Argus C-3, Kodak 35 RF, and Minolta Minoltina AL-s. Once I started using that sweet little “Tina”…I was hooked once again.
The Minolta family grows…”Tina” is joined by the big & beautiful Hi-Matic 7s
My web searches on other desireable rangefinder models came up with the Minolta Hi-Matic line. The 7sII looked very appealing, but the prices were out of my range (I normally don’t spend more than $30-$40 on my new acquisitions), so I set my sights on the previous model, the 7s. It had appealing features with fully automatic, aperture priority, and fully manual modes. It’s amazing with a camera of this age to just have to point at your subject, focus, and shoot. I used it at an air show one day and had it on the “Auto” setting the entire time…here are some results from it:
“Patriot Wing” shot with Minolta Hi-Matic 7s 35mm rangefinder w/ Kodak bw400cn film
“C-130 Hercules” shot with Minolta Hi-Matic 7s 35mm rangefinder w/ Kodak bw400cn film
“View through the Galaxy” shot with Minolta Hi-Matic 7s 35mm rangefinder w/ Kodak bw400cn film
So, it was official, I am an addict. I began researching which one to purchase next 😉 See my full set of images of/taken with this camera here: Minolta Hi-Matic 7s set on flickr
Rangefinder Mania
I seem to be the obsessive compulsive type. I got hooked on rangefinder 35mm cameras back in the 80s using an Olympus XA and in the 90s when I borrowed my Dad’s Olympus 35 (DC?) in New Orleans, LA. Since my foray back into all things film, I have amassed quite the camera collection (in addition to what I already had). Rangefinders seem to be my weakness.
Argus C-3 aka “The Brick” 35mm rangefinder camera
Kodak 35 RF 35mm rangefinder camera
Minolta Minoltina AL-s 35mm rangefinder camera
It all started with a lot of three cameras on eBay. There was the obligatory “Brick” (Argus C-3), a freak of nature called the Kodak 35 RF (rather than redesigning a new model, they just put all the rangefinder gears and gizmos on the OUTSIDE of the body!), and a sweet little Minolta Minoltina AL-s. The Minolta was the one I was after…the other two were “fluff.” She had a fast 40mm f1.8 lens and looked to be very clean. I received the lot and every camera came in it’s “ever ready” case (or “never ready” as they are sometimes known 😉 and was in pristine condition. Yet another testament to purchasing from a seller who knows nothing about cameras and just sells them “as-is.” Think I paid $35 including shipping for the entire lot.
The brick and the 35 rf were kindof painful to use…strange dials to set, uncomfortable to hold and shoot, accidentally hitting the wrong thing instead of the shutter release, etc. But the Minoltina was another story…it just felt at home in my hands, very compact, selenium light meter works very well, and that fast lens sure does soak up some light! I dubbed her “Tina” after falling head over heels for her 😉 Here are some shots from her:
Hush
He stole her heart, amongst other things…
Monochromatic Bromeliad
Stay tuned for more “Rangefinder Mania!”
Analog Soul Photography 