Uncle Jonesy’s Cameras Podcast #56:: A Carol for Clickmas

You’re invited to a special holiday gathering for people who love family and film.

Seasons Greetings from The Shutter Brothers!

Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #55: Flash Done Right (and Flash Done Wrong)

The Shutter Brothers are back! We know it has been a while (and Wayne and I have really missed you!), but I've had some family issues to work through, leaving no time for podcasting (or photography, for that matter) until now. So, we have some catching up to do!

Our show begins with a recap of our 2022 Uncle Jonesy's Camera/Safelight District Photowalk at Laurel Snow State Natural Area near Dayton, Tennessee. It was a complete success, and thanks to everyone who participated. We loved seeing your photowalk photos online, and Wayne and I hope to have ours out soon.

Next, I reveal my choices of cameras for my trip to Montreal and Quebec City the first week of December.  Yes, you heard right. I will be shooting my Panasonic Lumix LX-5 digital camera for color photography. However, I settled on my Minolta XE-5 SLR for black and white. Find out why in the show.

My Panasonic LUMIX LX-5, which I’ve had for years but
never really enjoyed using until . . .

. . . I got the LVF-1 live viewfinder. Now I can use the LUMIX 
as if it were a “real” camera. 😉

As for b&w, I’m going with classic tried and true.

Neither Wayne nor I shoot much flash photography, but there are times when flash is a must. Wayne has found a great flash option for his Plaubel Makina 67 medium format camera: the Olympus T32. It has all the functionality Wayne wants, and it looks good, too! Way to go, Wayne! However, over in this corner is Kevin, whose roll of blank film shows what happens when flash is done wrong. Listen to the show to find out how you can avoid making the same mistake.

Wayne's Makina 67 with Olympus T32 Flash

The T32 has a movable head that enables a full range of 
bounce capability.

Another cool flash is the Vivitar 283 with the sensor cord. Put
the sensor on the camera and place the flash wherever you want!

What Kevin was going for with his recent attempt at flash photography was musician portraits in the style of Francis Wolff, the co-founder of Blue Note records. While his main role with Blue Note was handling the finances, he also was an accomplished photographer. He shot over 100,000 frames at nearly every Blue Note session, and these photographs were used for the album cover art. He used a Rollieflex, but Kevin has replicated his style with the "plastic filmtastic" Debonair 120 from the Film Photography Store, which has a hot shoe. Put a flash on it and you can get portraits like this!

Believe it or not, if you put a flash unit on the
Debonair 120, it's capable of some cool portraits
in the style of Francis Wolff.

Finally, the Shutter Brothers discuss using Etsy as a platform for selling their prints. Does it work and is it worth the time? Listen to find out.

Kevin's darkroom prints can be found in his Etsy store, Chattalogphotography.

You can visit Kevin's Etsy store by clicking here.

As always, we love hearing from out listeners. If you want to contribute for a future show, you can send your questions, comments, tips, stories, and even voice memos to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com. You also can follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to leave your feedback there.

Now load that camera and capture some holiday magic!

Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #54: A Camera for Canada

In case you haven't heard, we're having a photowalk! Wayne and I are super excited, and it's just a few days away. Here are all the details:

2022 Photowalk with Wayne Setser

Presented by Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast and Safelight District Community Darkroom

Saturday, October 22 beginning at 8:30 am EDT

Laurel Snow State Natural Area (near Dayton, Tennessee)

Lunch and conversation afterward at Monkey Town Brewing, Dayton, Tennessee

Free!

You can let us know you are coming here.

Next, my wife, Debbie, and I are taking a week-long trip to Montreal and Quebec City in December, so what camera(s) should I bring? The weather will be cold, and there will be lots of walking, so keeping the gear to a minimum is a priority. Fortunately for me, Wayne and our knowledgeable listeners are here to help me decide.

The Minolta Maxxum 5:  a modern choice

The Leica ilia:  classic vintage

Wayne and his wife, Teresa, are planning trip to Norway next year, and if he were to shoot 35mm film, his camera of choice would be a classic compact rangefinder, the Canon Canonet QL17 Giii. Wayne's copy looks resplendent in its blue leatherette.

Wayne's Canon Canonet QL17 Giii with Canolite D flash

Speaking of good travel cameras, the 3A Kodak Series II folding camera certainly is not that, but it was a fine camera in its day. Wayne's copy is in excellent condition; all it needs is a roll of 122 film. Where can Wayne get that? A super helpful listener comes through with a source.

The 3A Kodak Series II:  a whopper!

Lastly, the UJC Podcast now has over 400 Instagram followers, and to celebrate, Wayne and Kevin give away prints to two lucky winners.

Thanks to all the listeners who offered camera advice and also those listeners who sent us questions or tips. As far as we are concerned, all of you are on the UJC Team! If you want to contribute for a future show, you can send your questions, comments, tips, stories, and even voice memos to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com. You also can follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to leave your feedback there.

Thanks for listening! Now let's get some pitches!

Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #53: Third Time's the Charm

In this information-packed show, we are super glad to announce our 2022 Photowalk with Wayne Setser, to be held on Saturday, October 22, at 8:30 am at the Laurel Snow State Natural Area near Dayton, Tennessee. As most of you know, this is our third attempt, having been thwarted once by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and again by dangerously stormy weather in 2021. So, as the title of the show suggests, we have a good feeling about this one.

You can get all the details by listening to the show, and you can let us know that you are coming by clicking here. We couldn't be more excited about the prospect of getting to photograph with some of our listeners in person and going to lunch together afterward. If there is anyway you can make it, please consider coming!

In our second segment, Wayne and I read an email from Billy Sanford regarding making negatives that are easier to print. Since both Wayne and I shoot film with the intention of making darkroom prints from our negatives, this question is really important to us. Wayne's helpful tips certainly caught my attention, and they may be of use to you.

Our third segment is a camera review (and yes, it's another Minolta). the Minolta Maxxum 5 wasn't even on my radar until about a year ago when I read an excellent article by James Tocchio on his fine blog, Casual Photophile, the title of which is We Should All Be Shooting Dorky AF SLRs and Here's Why. Even though the title of the post did not mention the Maxxum 5, it definitely was his dorky AF SLR "poster child," as he uses the Maxxum 5 to make his point. I recently had the opportunity to get a clean and functional Maxxum 5 with the original 28-80mm kit lens for about $20.00, and I have to say that it is one amazing camera. Even though the camera clearly is intended to be used by beginners to advanced amateurs, it feature lists goes on and on. I've never seen so many professional level features in such a small and light SLR body. When combined with my excellent Minolta AF prime lenses, could this be my "forever" 35mm camera?

We wrap of the show with a contest, and two lucky listeners will receive prints from Wayne and myself. Listen to find out how to win.

As always, we are so very thankful for each and every one of our listeners, and we would love to hear from you. You can send your questions, comments, tips, stories, and even voice memos to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com. You also can follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to leave your feedback there.

Thank you for listening! We'll see you at the 2022 Photowalk!

Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #52: A Walk in the Park in Wayne

Wayne and I are back with another show that begins with a simple walk in the park. On the morning of the day that we recorded this show, the two intrepid Shutter Brothers met at the North Chickamauga Creek Gorge Trailhead near Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, and had a nice time exploring the beauty of the creek and looking for things that, in the words of Wayne, "want to be photographed." Both Wayne and I exposed two sheets of 4x5 film, and by the time we made it back to our vehicles, we were ready to head to Chattanooga to get some lunch and record a podcast show. 

Our show begins with a camera, of course, a very cool and interesting product from Kodak:  the Signet 35. The Signet 35 was the finest of all Kodak's American-made cameras, and the build quality is readily apparent. Rumors are that this camera was originally designed for military use, and the oversized knobs and ease of repair makes this seem likely. Wayne has had several of these over the years, and he brought his current example for me to try out. You can count on me for a full report.

Our second segment is a tale of two developers. First, Wayne, inspired by listener Jr. Wyatt, shares his experience with Thornton's Two-Bath Developer, a developer based on the two-ingredient D-23 that I have been using of late. A complete guide to mixing and using Thornton's Two Bath Developer can be found on the very useful website, Pictorial Planet, which is the work of John Finch.Next, Kevin shares his experience with an environmentally friendly version of his beloved D-76, know as D-76H. Kevin learned of D-76H from a very helpful article by Tim Layton on his website, Tim Layton Fine Art.

In our third segment, we read (and listen to) some great listener feedback while sharing our tips on keeping dust off our negatives. Finally, we make an important announcement about our forthcoming third attempt at the UJC/Safelight District Photowalk. 

We can never fully express to you our gratitude for our listeners, and we want you to know that you are are a necessary part of the UJC Team. Therefore, we invite you to take an active role in the content of the show by giving us your feedback. You can send your questions, comments, tips, stories, and even voice memos to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com. You also can follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to leave your feedback there.

Thank you for listening! Now let’s go get some pitchas!

Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #51: In the Same Room at Last!

While Wayne and Kevin have enjoyed talking film photography with each other over the internet, there is noting like being in the same room for a face-to-face chat, and that is what show #51 is - an in-person session with two guys who love to make photographs using the analog process. Our first segment is all about our listeners questions, and we have some good ones about composition techniques, homemade developers, and two-bath developers like DD-23. Kevin was particularly interested in this topic, as he has been experimenting with homemade D-23 lately. Here is a link to a website that Kevin found with a lot of useful information about DD-23.

Our second segment is a discussion about the tension between the need to be creative on a regular basic versus the lack of inspiration in the form of subject matter. During a recent printing session, it began to dawn on Kevin that while he has a lot of negatives that were indeed fun to make, they didn't necessarily make for good prints in the darkroom. This left Kevin with a very disappointing feeling that the three ring binder in which he keeps his negatives is full of "fuzzy concepts." What to do?! Wayne shares his advice on reaching a balance between actually making photographs and other useful creative photographic activities. If you have ever struggled with  creative ebb and flow, you might find Wayne’s advice helpful also. 

Finally, Kevin shares his growing interest in making prints using the RA-4 process, to which one might ask, “Is this a good idea given that YOU ARE COLORBLIND?!” Nevertheless, Kevin has been doing A LOT of research, including this very helpful (and dryly funny) video by Gregory Davis, aka The Naked Photographer. Should he go for it? 

As always, we are extremely grateful for our listeners m and we would love to have your input for future shows. You can send your questions, comments, tips, stories, and even voice memos to unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com. You also can follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and feel free to leave your feedback there.

Now let’s go get some pitchas!

Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #50: And the Winners Are . . .

After taking a midsummer break, the Shutter Brothers are back, and we've got some winners to celebrate. First, Wayne announces the winner of his 35mm system shootout. You may remember from show #50 that Wayne was torn between two different 35mm camera systems. In one corner was his beloved Pentax KX, and in the other corner was a newly acquitted pristine Canon FTb. In that show Wayne discussed the pros and cons of each camera. He even got some help from some of our listeners. Well, "no more calls - we have a winner," and it's . . . (Did you think we would tell you here? Hey, you gotta listen to the show!)

Canon or Pentax? A decision has been made.

Meanwhile Kevin has a similar "quarterback controversy" (to borrow a football term) with two able twin lens reflex cameras, his Rolleicord Va(2) and his Yashica-Mat. 

Both are fine cameras, Kevin, but which one is The One?

Next, Wayne talks about his "butcher cover" lens that appears to be an Otar 58mm f2. But when he "peeled off the cover," he found something quite different.

Otar 58mm f2 lens in 42mm mount. Or so one might think . . . 

The ID ring hides a secret past . . . 

 . . . that is revealed when removed. 

Lastly, we announce the winner of our book giveaway! And thank you to Shaun Nelson of Utah Film Photography fame for donating this fine hardback book so that we could give it away. Yay!

An excellent guide for the newcomer to film photography.

As always, we here at Uncle Jonesy's Cameras would love to hear from you, so send us an email at unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com. You also can find us on Facebook and Instagram. 

Happy Shooting!