Blog Note: My Gear Geek List Updates

I'm trying to be better about remembering to update my Gear Geek list whenever I acquire a new piece of equipment. I've updated it recently to add my Sigma 10-20 lens and a few other bits and bobs.

I keep a link to it over on the right nav bar, so you can check back periodically, if you're so inclined.

From the Bookshelf: "Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual"

Black and White Photography, Third Revised Edition by Henry Horenstein

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book has been on my to-read list for quite some time now and now I realize why my photography instructors recommended it. Black and White Photography: A Basic Manual is a very rich, well-organized photography manual. Horenstein gives just enough instruction and detail without being overwhelming or leaving the reader feeling as though lighting or processing one's own film is too complicated.



This book is geared toward photographers who shoot film, though folks who shoot digital can learn a great deal from this book, too. And who knows? It may inspire some people to put down their DSLR and pick up a used Pentax K-1000 or Mamiya RZ67!


View all my reviews.

Middle Harbor Park, Oakland, CA

Shot on Kodak Ektachrome 320T film, which gives the image its blue cast since it's balanced for tungsten light. If I had wanted to balance out the color, I would have used a yellow filter. But since this was expired film I had no idea how much color shifting was going to occur anyway, so I just shot as-is.

From the Bookshelf: "John Hedgecoe's Complete Photography Course"

John Hedgecoe's Complete Photography Course by John Hedgecoe

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I've been dragging my copy of this book around with me for nearly 20 years now. It's a great reference when I want to get back to basics and a source of inspiration when my creative well runs dry.



If you can find a copy of this somewhere, snap it up, pronto!


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From The Bookshelf: "The Moment It Clicks"

The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters by Joe McNally

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Joe McNally makes great photography accessible to aspiring professional photographers (or serious amateurs).



Every page is filled with great anecdotes of a successful career, as well as a paragraph or two of "how I did it" to accompany the photographs. For all of the times I've looked at a great image and figured it was far too complicated for me to imitate (armed with just my camera and, when I'm lucky, an external flash unit), McNally shows that it can be done AND that it can be done without necessarily emptying the bank account.



McNally's kind of folksy, casual writing may be somewhat off-putting to grammar pedants out there, but he comes at this as if he's sitting across the table from you, sharing his favorite "war stories" and giving his best advice.


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Gear Geek: Sigma 10-20 Lens

My latest equipment acquisition is the Sigma 10-20 wide angle zoom lens. I got it specifically for scenic, landscape-y photos such as this shot of the Bay Bridge, taken from the ferry on my morning commute.

So far I'm really loving this lens. It's obviously not an all-around lens like a 28-135, but it beautifully handles most of the shots I like to take. At f-4.0-5.6 it is quite a light hog, and it is quite heavy, so nighttime cityscapes are going to require a tripod (and, uh, NOT being on the bouncy ferry) if I'm going for a sharp, clear image.

But overall, this is a good, solid lens that has given me a great reason to start using my DSLR again for actually taking photos, instead of as an external meter for my Yashica Mat. I can't wait to take it over to the Sutro Baths for more nighttime long exposure shots!

Blue Cat Silhouette