Treasure Hunting

So, I went to a garage sale at a used photography store in Indianapolis.  It was pretty fun! They had lots of things that I am not well educated on, and lots of things I did not recognize.  Lots of old film cameras. I regret not picking one of those up just to try out.  But at least if I have the need to use film, I have my Diana F Lomography camera.  Ooo, maybe I will use that soon and blog about it! Anyhow, I did pick up a couple of old lenses.  The first one is a Hanimex 28mm f2.8 lens.  It is not a fancy lens.  In fact, it is credited with being the worst lens ever! Hanimex was an Australian distributor that produced several lens mounts to many different camera systems around the 60’s or 70’s.  (The time was a tough one to find so take that with a grain of salt.) But I wanted something that I could freelens with that would be super cheap. I have found that when you close down the aperture you get a really fun hexagonal lens flare! It’s a manual lens which is good, so that I don’t have to tape open the shutter when freelensing.  (Which you have to with Nikon lenses as the shutter is usually automatically closed on an automatic lens.)  So worst lens ever? Meh! I like it to get me out of a creative slump.  Sometimes just trying something new can help me get into a more creative mind set. 

I also got a Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm Macro lens. It is also known as the “stovepipe” due to its long profile with a wide front end.  Makes perfect sense.  It really does look like a stovepipe, and it is heavy!
This one is kind of in rough shape.  The aperture gets stuck, and I end up having to completely guess on my exposure.  I might have to take it apart and see if I can repair it.  It was not costly, so it is very low risk working on it. It also has a fun lens flare.  You can see in my photos that there are several little orbs.  So, this was a fun experiment as well!   

These two lenses are very different from what I have! I just thought I would share some of my fun experimentation’s with them.  Do you have any vintage lenses? Feel free to share some photos with me if you do!  

Thanks for reading.  

What to photograph (other than your children)

So many children, including my own, get tired of participating in pictures.  I always want to practice on my own kids, but I know they get tired of having a camera in their face.  I’ll admit this has been a struggle for me.  My kids are great sports!  Not to mention they will not object to a chocolate bribe now and then! But lately I have been wondering what I can photograph besides portraits.  I love portraiture. It is so fun, but sometimes I just want some creative alone time.  So, here are some ideas that I go to for pictures other than children.

Flowers:

Setting up a still life is an excellent idea.  Perhaps just walking around your yard will give you some inspiration.  I love flowers, and I have a decent flower garden in my own back yard.  So sometimes, I just like to walk around there and see if I can find bugs or butterflies, or interesting flowers.  Then I try to compose a shot in the best way I can imagine.  Sometimes still life is so much easier than a fast-moving child.  It is also a great way to learn how to free lens!  

Cars:

I have an automotive background, so I love to photograph cars! I know, it’s kind of a weird background for an artsy girl.  But combining my love of cars and art is so fun for me. Once again, it is so much easier than trying to get a genuine reaction from a child! There are so many possibilities with cars from light painting to panning! Cars are a great way to experiment.  If you have a fisheye lens this might be a good time to use it!

Landscapes:

Landscapes aren’t something that I am used to doing.  Maybe that’s because I’m in Indiana and it’s pretty flat around here! Ha! However, I think that no matter where you live you can make a beautiful landscape picture.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of beautiful light! I find what helps me with landscapes are layering and making sure that you have a subject.  Whether it’s beautiful light through a tree, or a mountain or a barn. 

Details:

Sometimes it’s best to just give your children something to do or play and then capture all those little details.  Think of your composition and light. Hands and feet tell part of the story! Dirty bare feet, hands full of frogs or mud.  There are many possibilities!

Hope you enjoy these ideas! Thanks for reading!