Single Shot Stories No. 011 – Matthew Morse, This is Normal

• Photographer : Matthew Morse
  • Camera : Leica M6 [our review can be seen here]
  • Lens : Zeiss Sonnar 50mm F/1.5 [our review can be seen here]
  • Film : Kodak Colorplus 200 [our review can be seen here]

My daughter turned five just before Christmas. The biggest heart I know got a whole year older and wiser and more stubborn.

She’s been through a lot in her first five years. Her mom and I split, and she's had to learn to live in two houses when all she really wanted was one. She got a great step-dad and, subsequently, a new little brother. The latter, more so than the former, ushering in a new wave of feelings — everything from jealousy and worry to a mom-like adoration for her new partner. She had a large tumor removed from her neck, the remnants of which are just barely visible in the form of a tight little scar on her right side — a reminder to me that I didn’t know anxiety, worry, or discomfort until I experienced it as a dad waiting in a coffee shop for the news that her surgery was over, and then the subsequent wait for her biopsy results to confirm what we hoped and prayed for — a benign mass.

Like many kids during the pandemic, she’s had to experience zoo closures and Door-Dashed dinners and limited access to public parks and amenities. My job at the time declared me an essential worker so she had to experience many of these things without me by her side. But I did (do) my best to make sure I’m present and engaged with her. We worked on riding a bike. We built a swing set. We dug in the dirt. We watched a thousand movies (or rather the same movie a thousand times — Frozen or Moana , whichever she picked until Halloween when she switched to watching Hocus Pocus obsessively).

And she grew up a little more than I wish she had to.

This shot of her, taken with my Leica M6 and Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar on Kodak ColorPlus 200 is maybe my favorite summation of her pandemic experience. She’s standing in our yard in Christmas pajamas (not even close to Christmas), insisting that she hadn’t outgrown her tricycle that she received for her first birthday. Like an eco-warrior chaining herself to a tree, she held fast to her first mode of childhood transportation, damning me for even considering the thought that perhaps another child might like to have it donated to them. She doesn’t need it. She doesn’t even want it. She has a bike. And two scooters. But for her, that little red trike is comfort. It’s a leftover from when she only had one house and all the parks were open and Door Dash was a luxury, not a necessity. When she was an only child and her neck was whole.

So, I’ll let her keep it. For a little while longer, at least. Because who am I to take away one of the only normal things she knows in a time when nothing is normal? Even now. Nothing is normal. But that tricycle… That tricycle is normal.

**Many thanks to Matthew for their contribution to Single Shot Stories! More of Matthew's photography can be seen on Instagram, and his website (which also features his design and illustration work).
**

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 011 – Matthew Morse, This is Normal appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#guestpost #kodak #singleshotstories #leica #zeiss

Single Shot Stories No. 011 – Matthew Morse, This is Normal

• Photographer : Matthew Morse
  • Camera : Leica M6 [our review can be seen here]
  • Lens : Zeiss Sonnar 50mm F/1.5 [our review can be seen here]
  • Film : Kodak Colorplus 200 [our review can be seen here]

My daughter turned five just before Christmas. The biggest heart I know got a whole year older and wiser and more stubborn.

She’s been through a lot in her first five years. Her mom and I split, and she's had to learn to live in two houses when all she really wanted was one. She got a great step-dad and, subsequently, a new little brother. The latter, more so than the former, ushering in a new wave of feelings — everything from jealousy and worry to a mom-like adoration for her new partner. She had a large tumor removed from her neck, the remnants of which are just barely visible in the form of a tight little scar on her right side — a reminder to me that I didn’t know anxiety, worry, or discomfort until I experienced it as a dad waiting in a coffee shop for the news that her surgery was over, and then the subsequent wait for her biopsy results to confirm what we hoped and prayed for — a benign mass.

Like many kids during the pandemic, she’s had to experience zoo closures and Door-Dashed dinners and limited access to public parks and amenities. My job at the time declared me an essential worker so she had to experience many of these things without me by her side. But I did (do) my best to make sure I’m present and engaged with her. We worked on riding a bike. We built a swing set. We dug in the dirt. We watched a thousand movies (or rather the same movie a thousand times — Frozen or Moana , whichever she picked until Halloween when she switched to watching Hocus Pocus obsessively).

And she grew up a little more than I wish she had to.

This shot of her, taken with my Leica M6 and Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar on Kodak ColorPlus 200 is maybe my favorite summation of her pandemic experience. She’s standing in our yard in Christmas pajamas (not even close to Christmas), insisting that she hadn’t outgrown her tricycle that she received for her first birthday. Like an eco-warrior chaining herself to a tree, she held fast to her first mode of childhood transportation, damning me for even considering the thought that perhaps another child might like to have it donated to them. She doesn’t need it. She doesn’t even want it. She has a bike. And two scooters. But for her, that little red trike is comfort. It’s a leftover from when she only had one house and all the parks were open and Door Dash was a luxury, not a necessity. When she was an only child and her neck was whole.

So, I’ll let her keep it. For a little while longer, at least. Because who am I to take away one of the only normal things she knows in a time when nothing is normal? Even now. Nothing is normal. But that tricycle… That tricycle is normal.

**Many thanks to Matthew for their contribution to Single Shot Stories! More of Matthew's photography can be seen on Instagram, and his website (which also features his design and illustration work).
**

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 011 – Matthew Morse, This is Normal appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#guestpost #kodak #singleshotstories #leica #zeiss

Single Shot Stories No. 010 – Justin Kingery, a Jump in the Park

• Photographer : Justin Kingery
  • Camera : Leica M5 [our review can be seen here]
  • Lens : Leitz Summicron DR 50mm F/2
  • Film : Ilford FP4+
  • Location : Phelps Grove Park in Springfield, Missouri (USA)

Our little boy is 16 months old and constantly on the move. He loves the outdoors, and we visit our city parks nearly every day to let him explore, stimulate his mind, and practice using his body. He came to us unexpectedly six weeks early in the scariest months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We worried about him so much then, and still do.

At the park he runs and climbs and tests out the new legs, which are a little wobbly from time to time. But with each passing day, they get stronger and allow him to play and investigate the desires of his new body. In this moment, his mother shows him a brand new ability, one he's likely never considered before: to leave the earth, to lift, to propel one's self up and away from solid ground and into all that's above. Though you can only see his expression from the side, you can tell he's in awe. She moves with the grace of a dancer, a ballerina, coloring this new experience with beauty and grace.

If you're so lucky, one of the best parts of co-parenting is witnessing your partner become so important to someone else, that special person bound to you both through miraculous nature and unfathomable luck. It takes work to be a great parent, to be present and attentive and without a phone in hand, but we're really trying and giving it our best. And I think that's something to be proud of.

**Many thanks to Justin for their contribution to Single Shot Stories!
**

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 010 – Justin Kingery, a Jump in the Park appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#leica #singleshotstories #blackandwhite #film #ilford

Single Shot Stories No. 009 – Alistair Hamilton, Bath Cat

• Camera: Nikon F2
  • Lens: Nikon 55m F/1.2
  • Location: Bath, England

In 1983, I got my dream camera, a 1977 Nikon F2SB with a 55mm f/1.2 Nikkor [ reviewed here]. This replaced a Nikon EL-2. I also had an Olympus OM-1 that I bought new in 1976, which I still own.

I loved that F2, and it is still my all-time favourite camera to use, but it was heavy! It got left at home all too often, and my Olympus XA came with me instead. Good as the XA is, its image quality is nowhere near a Nikon or Olympus SLR.

So, in 1987 I decided that the time had come for the F2 to go. I struck a deal with London Camera Exchange in Bath, where I was living at the time, to swap the F2 and 55mm for an Olympus OM-2n and 50mm Zuiko and 28mm Zuiko lenses. It was a straight swap; no money changed hands and I was happy. I used that OM-2 extensively before going digital in the 2000s, though I still use those lenses and OM cameras to this day.

On May 11, 1987, on my way to complete the swap, I still had some film in the F2, so as I walked through Bath I took a few frames more or less at random to finish the roll. Walking down Great King Street, I saw this beautiful ginger cat sitting on a window sill, perfectly framed by the window and with the shabby lace curtain behind. I took two pictures, and that was the film finished.

Bath Cat is the last photograph that I took with my F2, and it is one of my favourite pieces of work I have ever made. I love the balance of shape, tone and texture. I have made a lovely A2 digital print on Hahnemühle Barita in my studio, but it is best seen in a traditional selenium toned silver gelatin print. Sadly, I no longer have any of the darkroom prints I made – they are all sold. I must get back into the darkroom and make more.

In the ‘80s, Bath was still quite scruffy in places, although it was all just about to change, become gentrified and suffer from rocketing property prices. The cat looked immaculate, but the house it occupied still bore the black staining from a couple of centuries of domestic coal burning. These houses are now all clean, honey-coloured Bath stone.

Alistair Hamilton is a photographic artist based in Kirkcudbright in south-west Scotland. Alistair 's work and projects can be seen at his website and Flickr page.

**Many thanks to Alistair for his contribution to Single Shot Stories!
**

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 009 - Alistair Hamilton, Bath Cat appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#nikon #singleshotstories

Single Shot Stories No. 008 – Jarrod Hills, Asian Wok

• Camera: Fujifilm X Pro 1
  • Lens: Fujifilm XF 50/ 2 R WR
  • Location: Alexandria, Virginia

There's a song by Tracy Lawrence called Time Marches On. The chorus goes like this:

A star is born, a star burns out
The only thing that stays the same is
Everything changes, everything changes

Living outside of Washington, DC, this lyric is all too accurate. Things that seem to be staples of the community oftentimes seem to disappear overnight. You notice something interesting. You know that it has some historical significance. You make a mental note to photograph it. By the time you get to it though, it could very well be gone.

This happened with the Towne Motel. It had been in its spot since the 1950s. Close your eyes and imagine a ‘U’ shaped motel of that era and you have it. According to the people who had stayed there, it was very well run and affordable. Something you do not always get in this area. Problem is, everything changes and around it, older neighborhoods of brick duplexes were being torn down and replaced with massive, boring, town homes, each one selling for more than the one before. The starting " in the low $600s " signs everywhere made me laugh. “Low $600’s? Hell, I will write a check right now!”

Anyway, the point is that the land around the Towne Motel was appreciating quickly, so I knew I needed to get a photo or two of it before it was gone. But I was too late. Holiday Inn (despite there being a hotel directly across the street from it apparently bought the site and blew it apart faster than I can disassemble by daughter's Frozen Lego castle.

Opportunity missed, but lesson learned.

Next door to the now missing motel is a small, out of place restaurant. It is currently Asian Wok Café but it has been a few other things since its construction in the 1940s, a fact which its design shows. It serves Asian cuisine but looks more like a bar that the Keebler Elves would use to drown their sorrows when their tree home bakery is torn down to make space for that new 7-11. Little known fact, there are about 15 Keebler Elves, but we never hear or see them. Probably hit the sauce too hard in this very building so they’ve been excommunicated. But I digress.

The Asian Wok sits on a plot of land right next to the hole that used to be the motel. I saw a motel melt away into dump trucks and I have a suspicion that Asian Wok will be next. It gets great reviews and the food is quite delicious, but I know that good reviews and good food will not save it. It is destined to become a set of town homes whose developers will undoubtedly keep the ‘spirit’ of the building alive in their new project. You know, maybe they will save a bright green shingle or two and integrate them into the roof line of whatever blandness comes next.

I realize that I am an old man yelling at clouds with this. I am concerned that in this rush for bigger and better things, we are needlessly discarding a heritage and history that can be saved, or at least left alone. As an owner of property, I can see that the amount of money to be made from selling the land is massive. I just hope they resist for a little longer. I will miss seeing the eccentric little roadside restaurant every day.

Jarrod Hills is a high school teacher, father, and a fan of everything on wheels, being outside, and capturing family moments.

**Jarrod has written some lovely guest articles for the site in the past,which can be seen here.
**

**Many thanks to Jarrod for their contribution to Single Shot Stories!
**

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 008 – Jarrod Hills, Asian Wok appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#fujifilmxseries #singleshotstories #fujifilm

Single Shot Stories No. 007 – Chris Lonardo, Car Fire in Dumbo

• Camera & Lens: Leica SL2
  • Lens:Summilux-SL 50mm F/1.4
  • Location: DUMBO, Brooklyn, New York

There's a spot in DUMBO that's become an iconic location to capture the Manhattan Bridge. I've lived in New York for the entirety of my adult life, and until just recently I'd never been there. If nothing else, I can now say that photography gets me out of the house to enjoy the occasional car fire.

I was meeting a photography friend, Ariel, and his wife Lia for the first time in DUMBO. They arrived just as golden hour was beginning, cameras in hand. Thirty or so other photographers, some with accompanying models, were there taking photos on this lovely summer evening. The street is mostly not passable to traffic due to pedestrian traffic, but there was an ice cream truck, and locals' cars were parked along the street.

DUMBO has become a cool and expensive place to be in recent years, and those waterfront condos are all quite pricey. In front of one of these buildings on the blocks, as soon as Ariel and Lia arrive, a gray BMW M5 (E39) started smoking. At first it was a little, and then it was a lot.

This was shortly before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and as someone who grew up close enough to where it happened that kids at my school lost parents, I'm probably still traumatized. I assume the smoking M5 is about to explode. I basically shout at Ariel to run, as I turn tail and flee.

Anyway, it didn't explode, it just burst into flames. Must have been some kind of electrical problem. The owner eventually showed up and was quite shocked- it was a nice older BMW until, you know, it spontaneously combusted. But right after the fire kicks into high gear, the hipsters and Instagram models had mostly scattered, and I'm there with some of the finest photographic tools available in my hand- a Leica SL2 with a Summilux-SL 50mm F/1.4, in beautiful light, free to capture the response unfold as I please.

I got some banger shots of the car burning, the terrified crowd, and firefighters responding, and the owner's face. One of my great sadnesses is that there's not a real venue for people to see photos like this- how much editing is really worth it to make these documentary photos of a singular event shine, then they'll just be seen on a phone by a few hundred of my followers? It depends how much time I can find before the next singular event happens. New York is paradise for street photographers, because the chaos never ends.

But to encapsulate the surreality of the situation in my Single Shot Story, I chose this murky- you may say corrupted- version of the iconic view. You know something's wrong right away, but you're not sure what.

I'm glad that the owner cheaped out on his stereo install or whatever and lost his car on the altar of my creative journey. Nothing lasts and we must embrace the fluency of the ephemeral. Sorry about your car, bro, that sucks.

BONUS SHOTS!

[Chris Lonardo is a photographer in New York City. Many thanks to Chris for his contribution to Single Shot Stories! ]

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 007 – Chris Lonardo, Car Fire in Dumbo appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#leica #singleshotstories #summilux

Single Shot Stories No. 006 – Adam Dorius, Millcreek Fire

• Camera & Lens: Nikkormat FT2 [see our retrospective here], Nikkor-N 24mm f/2.8
  • Film & Paper: Ultrafine eXtreme 100, 5×7 print on Fomaspeed Variant 312
  • Location: Millcreek, Utah

Exit work, enter car. Ignition. Freeway. Interchange. Next freeway. Next interchange. Home stretch. Exit. Signal left. Acknowledge rising cloud of smoke. Hmmm, that's new. Cancel signal. Drive towards cloud. Park! Camera! Run!

Soon enough I can see it’s one of several new apartment buildings under construction. Three stories of timber frame above three more of concrete. In the few minutes since spotting smoke a giant black column has formed.

Traffic is slowing and people are gathering. I take my place outside a bicycle shop. Standing on a concrete barrier, next to a flimsy chain link fence surrounding the footings of another new apartment, I have a clear view of the scene 500 feet ahead. Even at this distance the heat is intense.

The top floor is already collapsing. Soon the level below glows brightly. This is when it gets REALLY hot. Flames scorch two cranes above. One sways listlessly as its steel beams lose their temper. Nearby utility poles and stacks of lumber first smoke, then spontaneously ignite.

From my distant perch a wide angle lens seems like the wrong choice, as does black and white. Well, better make it count.

"Visualize!" whispers Ansel's ghost.

"Yes, master. I see."

"Decisive moment!" Henri expounds.

"Thanks, HCB!"

"Expose for the shadows and…"

"Hey, yeah, workin' on it ghosties, OK? Shhh!"

There’s an uncomfortable beauty in the destruction. It’s impossible to look at anything else. Flames and smoke form kaleidoscope swirls in the white hot summer sky. Context is distorted through the lens. Time and place are removed.

Aaaaaand… clack.

Chaos has a firm grip on a good square mile. Traffic is snarled. Power transformers explode. Someone has rubbernecked their Jeep into a construction trench. Every fire truck in the city is on the way, sirens screaming. The bike shop guys pretend to be trapped inside when the power goes out.

It occurs to me that the exact spot where I'm standing was the scene of an accident last summer. A car drifted off the road, smashed through a superficial wall outside the bike shop, narrowly missed a taco cart, then wedged itself into the lawnmower shop next door. The bike shop is fixed, minus the superficial wall. Good, it was ugly. The mower shop and the ground it stood on are both gone. The taco cart relocated because hovering taco carts are not a thing - yet.

The engine crews get it under control. Jeep returns to pavement. People drift away.

Among the lingering crowd is the owner of a gym. It's behind the smoldering apartment. She's straining to get a better view, trying to call anyone who knows anything. "Some water damage," she repeats, an obvious understatement.

In these awkward moments language fails. What do you say to a woman who probably just lost her business?

"Umm, sorry your gym was destroyed." True, but insensitive. Pass.

"I'm sure it will be okay." False, but attempts compassion. Pass.

"I hope everything is okay." True. Attempts compassion. Yes, that is what you say.

[Many thanks to Adam Dorius for their contribution to Single Shot Stories!]

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 006 – Adam Dorius, Millcreek Fire appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#singleshotstories #blackandwhite #nikkor #nikon

Single Shot Stories No. 005 – Paul Hoppe, Beware of Train

• Photographer : Paul Hoppe
  • Camera : Olympus PEN E-P1
  • Lens : M. Zuiko 17mm/2.8
  • Settings : F2.8@1/60s ISO 1600

Something I used to do was visiting train stations in the evening or at night. There was something special about the atmosphere when most commuters had left hours ago and the station became eerily quiet with just train noises and announcements producing a strange soundscape.

The people I would see were an eclectic mix of travelers who arrived late after a long journey, people whose work days ended or even began in the evening or various types who would for one reason or another hang out at train stations. And the latter were usually not photographers like me although I would spot someone else with a camera on occasion.

Weirdly enough I would always be able to grab a coffee or a bite to eat even though it was mostly McDonald’s. I miss this special feeling of sitting there on the platform with a hot coffee and my camera watching trains go by and people enter and exit them. Where would those people go and why. I often wished I could just board one of the trains and go somewhere. Wouldn’t matter where, just away. But then my thoughts went to back to my job and the fact that I had to get up at six in the morning.

Sometimes I feel sorrow for not choosing a different life. Travel around by train, never staying long in a place, soaking up experiences, seeing different people. But when I was in my twenties, cheap travel was not really available, couch-surfing, airbnb, being a digital worker, instant access to all train schedules from your phone… that was very much in its infancy, if at all available. Also, I think my personality was simply not ready for these kinds of adventures. I think I was born ten years too early to really make use of these new technologies when it would have benefited young me the most.

Maybe that is why I like to watch others on YouTube doing the things which I, now with a career and family, can’t really do. Not right now, at least. But there is no sense in regretting the past. Maybe had I traveled around I might now write blog posts lamenting my lack of family and stable income. The grass is always greener on the other side right?

But the future is still unwritten (except if you are a determinist) and many possibilities still exist. I am sure once my daughter is a bit older I can grab a weekly railpass and we can just take any train we want to wherever we want. Not the fancy trains though… those passes are for slow trains only. But then those trains would stop at any little station. And we could leave and explore any of them.

[ Many thanks to Paul for sharing his shot and story. Let Paul know what you think of his photo in the comments below! ]

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 005 - Paul Hoppe, Beware of Train appeared first on Casual Photophile.

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Single Shot Stories No. 004 – Peter Toshe

• Photographer : Peter Toshe
  • Camera : Minolta Hi-Matic 7SII [our review here]
  • Lens : Minolta Rokkor 40mm/1.7 (fixed lens)
  • Film : Ektar 100 process by Rewind Photo Lab
  • Location : Paris, Trocadéro

I had a conference at the "AccordHotels Arena in Paris, or Bercy," the hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower allowed me to go to the Trocadéro. On these trips all over the world for conferences, I try to escape the hotel for an hour or two, when the security services allow me for my own safety. This year, I took the Minolta Hi-Matic 7SII because it is light and its optics are excellent. Normally I take the Leica M3. There, it was too much. I escaped for an hour. There were so many Chinese weddings. I was looking for something original, not too touristy, not too academic. What I saw was the contrast! This man who is resting with his sandwich placed on his shoes… perhaps to give it a touch of the flavor of cheese… He is calm. He is not influenced by all this cinema around him. I'm not sure if the bride didn't recognize me despite my maverick style. The fact that she is looking at me constitutes the contrast between the impassive man and the photographer.

The story of this photo is the exceptional tranquility of this man in this city of light and seven million people, even when beautiful brides strut around him. It's very Zen. It shows that peace can be everywhere, in fact it depends only on us! Peace is not dependent on others, but on ourselves. I like the thick blue socks in the sun that contrast with the white dress and the light stone used to build the Trocadero. It is a place where fashion influencers come to take a lot of photos, and weddings, and tourists, the “bobos” of Paris. The reclining man is like a hero of modern times. I took only one cartridge of film during that time. Kodak Ektar was perfect for this very sunny day. I had to be at f/8 and 250 seconds. I do a single exposure measurement, usually the distance is set at 5 meters. Everything is in focus. I don't care about anything anymore.

By the way, I like news pictures. Henri-Cartier Bresson with Magnum was the king of photo-journalism. In this world we need free journalists and very good journalists. Image is a great chance for news. Actually I am impressed by some great journalists, I would like to share some links to journalists and articles which I respect-

<https://twitter.com/sharrimarkson>

<https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6257585104001>

<https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6206163602001>

<https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210527-montenegro-learns-true-cost-of-china-backed-1-bn-road-to-nowhere>

In this world, freedom is a gem, but a gem in danger. Journalists and photographers with freedom to speak and show are important. I like this website because it helps film photography a lot, and all reviews and articles are wonderful. Thank you James, and also to others like Bellamy with Japan Camera Hunter.

[ Many thanks to Peter for sharing his shot and story. Let Peter know what you think of his photo in the comments below! ]

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 004 - Peter Toshe appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#singleshotstories #kodakektar #minolta #paris

Single Shot Stories No. 003 – Tom Raymondson

• Photographer : Tom Raymondson
  • Camera : Minolta CLE
  • Lens : M-Rokkor 40mm f2
  • Film : Kodak Tri-X, developed in D-76

This is a photograph of the display window at Triple S Camera in Ukiah, CA. It was shot in aperture priority at f/16 and probably around 1/125th of a second under a combination of indirect sunlight and some minimal interior lighting.

It is one of my favorite photos for several reasons -

It’s film. I developed it. I printed it. Had to get that off my chest. And it was one of my first shots with a newly acquired Minolta CLE, purchased after James’s glowing review reawakened my interest. After all, how could I resist “the best M mount camera around”, especially since I can’t afford a real Leica.

Those are the lesser reasons. Maybe enough for a film / classic camera snob like me. But it’s the subject that really pulls me in.

The girl on the old Kodak advertising poster looks remarkably like photos of my wife when she was eight, nine years old. She disagrees, but the hair, the freckles . . .

The enlarger is an Inter 66, from Czechoslovakia. My first enlarger! I purchased it new around 1970 and gave it away decades ago right here in Ukiah. Is this my actual enlarger? The details that might vary from model to model - the cord, the switch, the color of wood in the baseboard - look exactly the same. I’m saying it’s mine.

I’m a little troubled by the dog cut off on the left, but a tighter crop seemed to put the girl’s face too close to the edge and reduced some of the context on the right. The display is still there, I could go back, but I suspect I wouldn’t have the same emotional attachment to a re-shoot.

[ Many thanks to Tom for sharing his shot and story. Tell Tom what you think of his photo in the comments below! ]

Add Your Story to Single Shot Stories!

We’d love to feature you and your photography on the site and to share it with our many readers! Please pick your favorite photo with a story, and tell it to us. Everyone is welcome to submit a photo. Submissions are limited to one per photographer in a three-month period, and must meet the following criteria:

Along with the image sent to us via email, include in the same email the camera, lens and film (if applicable) which were used to take the photo, and location where the photo was made.

Include a story of no more than 500 words about the image. The content is completely open so long as it discusses the submitted photo.

The photo should be 2,000 pixels on the long end.

To submit your Single Shot Story for publication here on CP , send all of the above information and the photo in an email to [email protected]

Get Inspired

For more stories behind the images and photography from the community check out the many series we’ve published over the years below!

**Featured Photophile **– we shine a spotlight on amateur photographers whose work we love.

Photographer Interviews – in-depth discussions with professional and established photogs doing great work.

Female Photographers to Follow– get inspired by a monthly series focused on the beautiful and unique perspectives of female photographers.

Five Favorite Photos– a hand-selected examination of the oeuvre of ur favorite famous photographers.

CASUAL PHOTOPHILE is on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube

[ Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates atB&H Photo, Amazon, and eBay. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support.]

The post Single Shot Stories No. 003 - Tom Raymondson appeared first on Casual Photophile.

#singleshotstories #kodak #kodaktrixx #minolta #minoltacle