On prints and darkrooms: An end of January film photography debate

Shogren Wall, 16 Jan 2023 Olympus XA/Fuji C200 Up until about the mid-nineties, unless you were getting slide film processed, the default method of receiving and viewing what you shot on film was prints. They were tangible items, a physical record of an analog format. I remember when I managed the Electronics/Cameras Department at the...

Midnite Bicycle League 2023: My first ride, Thursday January 19th

It took a little while before I could get my act together and ride the first ride for my Midnite Bicycle League Challenge. The motivation for after-dark riding if I'm not already out of the house isn't usually there. But on Thursday January 19th, I found motivation: I needed to pick up something from the...

A quick ride report: Palm Tree Ride 2023

Another year, another Palm Tree Ride! I've been doing it almost every year since 2005, skipping 2016 and 2017 when I was burnt out, and 2021 for obvious reasons. It's a ride that I still enjoy doing and have fun, especially when the weather is good. This year was no slouch in the weather department,...

The small notebook man

It's paralleled my move from bigger sketchbooks (letter size) to smaller (A5) to even smaller (A6) sketchbooks: Most of my notebooks are now pocket sized. I've had a pocket-sized Rite In The Rain notebook in my back pocket for a decade or so, as this all-weather book is great for quick notes. But up to...

My War Against Rain Gear, Part Umpteen

I've lived in Portland for almost twenty-two years, and for all of those years, I've been an all-year, all-weather cyclist. And if you are an all-weather cyclist in Portland, that means you're going to have to deal with rain. Rain is the default weather from sometime in October (or November if we're lucky) to sometime...

Introducing the Olympus XA into my camera stable

I already went ahead and got the fancy Gordy's camera strap for my Olympus XA! This month marks three years back into film photography. When I got back into it, I thought I'd be only attracted to big, bulky, metallic cameras like my Minolta Hi-Matic 7s and Minolta SR-T 101. And I am still attracted...

Palm Tree Ride is Sunday! There’s still spots available

My annual Palm Tree Ride is just a week away! Join me for a fun ride on Sunday January 22nd. And there are still spots available. The premise, as always, is the same: An approximately10 mile casual bicycle ride (not a loop) explorin’ the palm trees around town. I also throw in some other exotics...

A Midnite Bicycle League 2023 Challenge, and oh yes, there is still time to register

People who complete the challenge will get one of these reflective stickers! Hello folks! The first two weeks of this year's Midnite Bicycle League Challenge have passed. While this is still a "fill out a journal" type of challenge, there have been some electronic reports. I'm going to share here what I've seen so far....