Can We Talk?

Can We Talk?Though it was a wedding that brought our clan to Oregon, I think we’d all agree that it was the time spent at Hartung Farms that defined the trip. It’s an amazing spot and welcome retreat from the concrete sprawl, full of wonderful things and even more wonderful people. Thankfully, our hosts put up with our pool intrusions, even throwing some burgs on the grill without a second thought. After all the splashing about it was hard to say goodbye, but we left the compound en route for Salem, not knowing that we had just experienced the calm before the (literal) storm…

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Kunu

KunuIn honor of the little one going back to school, and consequently leaving school three days later to come back to us, I present to you the Compendium of Kanooks, the Annals of Ansley, or more practically…the Facebook Prof-Pick Pool. All kidding aside, I’ve realized that I have done a bad job of posting the photos of my recent trips back to California, but a GREAT job of hoarding them all to myself. I tend to atone for my sharing sins starting with this post, a showcase of a sister who’s learned to cope with my incessant demands of “stand still” or “lean into the light.” Kunu, this one’s for you.

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Hand Picked and Hand Crafted

Hand Picked and Hand CraftedI’ve been called “The most domesticated 23 year old on the planet,” and I’m convinced that a recent berry picking outing contributed heavily to that notion. Nonetheless, it was a good excuse to jet out of the city for a day, and I knew a few baked goods would be in it for me if I tagged along.

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Who Doesn’t Love Twins?

Who Doesn't Love Twins

I’ve always been intrigued with the TLR (Twin Lens Reflex…ahhh now the title doesn’t seem so creepy right?) and last weekend I set in motion the plan to acquire one.  Conventional knowledge would have you believe that the Yashica Mat 124G is the best place to start for a relatively inexpensive, yet relatively high-performing, entry to the TLR game. That same conventional knowledge, however, has caused second hand prices to skyrocket past reasonable levels, shackling the conventional buyer to a decades old machine for 2x the appropriate price. But as we all know, I am no conventional buyer, I am a man of discerning tastes and abilities. That being said, I set my sights on the Yashica Mat LM, an older (and all manual) model without a coupled light meter or the stylish black trim of its attractive cousin. Why would I do such a thing? Because it’s the lens that matters, and this puppy has the exact same version as the 124G. Thus, hoping to keep my incredibly good eBay streak alive, I placed a bid on an “as-is” LM and won the auction for the low low price of $50 even. Would the gamble pay off? Would I be left with the world’s most beautiful paper weight? Will you even read on to find out?

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Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo

Well this is awkward. It’s 80 degrees outside and I’m posting about a snowstorm that happened 4 months ago. To be fair I have just polished off/developed the black and white roll that held most of these the images, you know how it goes, “never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.”

Putting posting negligence aside, this California kid had never seen a real snowstorm, so while most of Manhattan was just annoyed, I was frothing at the mouth (with excitement, not that other thing…)

More Nemo after the break…

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Sand, Sun, and Shark Eggs

Sand, Sun, and Shark Eggs

After much Graham-goading, Lauren finally helped me understand what a good idea it would be to get out of the city for a day. A quick call to Hertz and 2.5 of driving landed at the edge of New York State, finding a climate cooler than we had hoped, but beautiful nonetheless. Starting with our usual touring the Hamptons finest, oohing and ahhing at the once-described “f**koff houses,” we called an audible and decided to continue our journey on to Montauk.

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Santa Cruzin

Santa CruzinA few weekends ago, we had the pleasure of returning to Seabright Ave, a trip not traveled enough in recent memory. It was amazing to spend a relaxing (if not short) weekend at Grandma’s, mostly spent lounging in the backyard, but sprinkled with necessary visits to such classics as the Boardwalk Bridge, Seabright Whale, and of course the Wharf. Being the weirdo that I am, I agonized about what gear to bring before making the trip, and at the last moment called an audible and threw my newly converted Polaroid 110a into the bag. I’m so happy I did, it was awesome to be able to shoot and share with the group, and I was consistently stunned with the beautiful output. The scans just don’t do them justice (though Ansley’s insightful titles might), and hopefully one of these puppies will be honored with a spot on Grandma’s fridge someday.

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Polaroid 110a Conversion

Polaroid 110a ConversionIt all started with this. I had never seen anything like, and I had to have it.

The seed was planted, I’d caught the bug, I was painfully coming to grips with the fact that I couldn’t escape purchasing yet another camera. The only problem was, that version was $850.

After pulling an all night research session, I discovered that with a little know how and the right disposition, one could make a beast like this for themselves. I reasoned with myself, this purchase was different, it’s a project; A DIY creation that means more than any of your other meaningless ebay snap-ups. Plus, I’ve always had a thing for bellows (yes, that was intentionally meant to creep you out.) So it was settled, and the auction prowling began. Biding my time like a seasoned veteran, I let unworthy listings pass with reckless abandon. I had done my research, I knew what I wanted and for how much I was going to get it. After three weeks of uncharacteristic patience, the deal was done, and a beautiful Polaroid Pathfinder 110a arrived at 7S. Cradling my new baby, it glistening in my arms with a renewed lease on life, I couldn’t help but think about how I was about to f**k that thing up…

Read on for more Polaroid conversion…

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