LINHBERGH — International Commercial Photographer

I’ve just received the latest issue of, the Australian based, Auto Salon Magazine which features an RX-7 which I shot. The issue also features the work of three other Speedhunters contributors; Paddy McGrath, Kevin Raekelboom, and Rod Chong! So if you’re in one of the lucky countries that receives this magazine, be sure to pick it up.

There’s always that saying that a learning photographer should always bring their camera everywhere they go –a saying which I totally agree on. But lately, I’ve been on a break from my camera and leaving it at home. When I am away, I feel the itch for it. Opportunities always arises to be able to take ‘that shot’ and when you’re cameraless, and you can’t help but feel a bit sad.

With the onset of iPhone photography (and with the help of apps like Chase Jarvis’ Best Camera) fast becoming as a popular and a some what serious medium for photography, the urge to not lug a mighty DSLR around everywhere starts to feel okay. But then there are days when I do bring that mighty black brick around. Yesterday was one of those days, and I did not regret it…

I finally had time to take my newly acquired (not to mention, ancient) camera out for the first time to the Los Angeles County Fair. It took some getting used to after coming from the super simple to use, Rolleicord. The first big hurdle to get over, with this camera, is learning how to properly load the film. If you load it up wrong, you will have overlapping frames. And, no one wants overlapping frames, right? The second big hurdle to get over is to remember to take it easy when winding up the said film. The eastern side of the Cold War did not know how to build quality cameras, and not taking it easy will lead to things breaking. But damn, the Carl Zeiss 80mm F2.8 is a fantastic piece of glass. The bokeh that screams out of this piece of light sucking Cold War technology is phenomenal. A blurry and unfocused view on life is a dreamy, and fantastical state. Bokeh isn’t for everyone, but it sure is definitely for me.

I can’t wait to do a proper shoot with this camera.

I finally had some time to dig through some of my shots from Formula D Sonoma and this photo of Vaughn Gittin Jr and Darren McNamara, initiating into the first corner, was one result of said digging. I can’t remember the last time I posted something rice related on this blog, and I don’t consider that Mitsubishi post rice!

If you’ve kept up with my facebook or twitter, over the course of the past two weeks, you would’ve noticed that I was selling my dear ‘ol Rolleicord camera. Today, the postman delivered the camera that was to replace that loyal TLR. Behold, the majestic, Pentacon Six TL! This is medium format SLR camera, which was conceived in the eastern block of Germany, and modeled after western 35mm SLRs, that boasts a lot of nerdy, technical improvements over the Rolleicord. All technical and nerdy things which I will not talk about because that is of little importance over the grand scheme of things. All you need to know is that this Pentacon Six TL will make the world extra blurry, and extra out of focus. Basically, more bokeh!

I’ll definitely updating the blog over the course of the coming weeks as I get acquainted and start shooting with the camera.