Just a simple photo of a fire hydrant. It’s possible to make portraits of things, not just people.
Taken with my Rolleiflex 2.8E, Ilford FP4+, developed in Pyrocat HD.
Fire Hydrant, K Street
Category Archives: Photography
Anonymous CDV, by Hanson, Chittenango, NY
The CDV itself is rather unremarkable – in average condition, anonymous subject. What caught my attention, though, was the notation by Mr. Hanson in the lower left of the verso – “Formerly with Brady, New York”. This is the first CDV I’ve seen where the photographer marketed himself as having worked for the celebrated master, Mathew Brady. I don’t know if any of Brady’s other camera operators/studio assistants ever marketed themselves this way, but it’s a fascinating find.
More Street Scenes
Portrait, Sam Huang, Mad Momo’s Restaurant
This is my friend Sam Huang, one of the owners of Mad Momo’s, a Himalayan/fusion cuisine restaurant and beer deck in the Columbia Heights neighborhood here in Washington DC. He and another friend of mine took over a partially renovated space, finished the build-out, and turned it into this really cool restaurant with sidewalk seating, a dining room, lounge space, two bars, and front and rear roof decks. The food is inspired by traditional Himalayan dumplings, called momos, thus the name of the restaurant. I took this portrait of him in the front window of the main room using my Rolleiflex. Someone commented to me elsewhere seeing how much I’ve been using the Rollei lately that I’d better not wear it out… well, it’s only 57 years old now, so I figure as long as I do proper maintenance on it, it will outlast me.
Shot with Kodak Tri-X, developed in Pyrocat HD.
Washington DC
I just like the staircase at the National Gallery because by itself it has a sculptural feel, and combined with the bronze torso, it becomes almost an installation piece in itself. Plus in a way it reminds me of Frederick Evans’ cathedral stairs photos.
This is another of my experiments with motion and time on the Metro. I wanted to convey that sense of anticipation as the train arrives like I did last time, but in this shot I wanted to give more of a sense of the space and also to have the fellow passengers more visible.
These two are views from the building in which I work during the day. I wanted to capture that birds-eye view of the city you get from inside a tall building, and include the building itself in the image, to remind you of the vantage point.
DC Bikeshare
Two photos showing different perspectives on the Capital Bikeshare bikes. Shot with my Rolleiflex 2.8E on Kodak Tri-X, developed in Pyrocat HD. I had previously experimented with Rodinal as a developer for Tri-X trying to bring out the grain Tri-X is famous for. I don’t know if there was something I did wrong, or if my developer was old and no longer at full strength (Rodinal allegedly lasts forever, but mine was oh, a good eight years old, and the negs came out kinda flat). I ordered some new Rodinal to replace it to try at higher concentrations to see if I can get the look I was after. It’s nice to see though that if I switch to my tried and true Pyrocat, I can get negs that are as grainless as I want them to be on Tri-X.
Small Japanese Cabinet Card, Anonymous Soldier, Russo-Japanese War
Here is a Japanese carte-de-visite sized cabinet card of a young soldier, possibly a recent graduate from military academy and newly commissioned officer. This appears to be circa 1900, so it could be from as early as the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, or somewhere in between. He’s quite dashing looking in his uniform, and he has the look of someone anxious about his future (thus the wartime attribution). Any uniform and military experts out there who can correct my timeline are more than welcome to chime in. And if anyone knows anything about the studio, information as always will be greatly appreciated. Looking at the back of the card, it was once glued into an album, and only a numeric marking in pencil exists on the back, so whoever removed it from the album has eliminated a prime means of identifying the sitter.
Food Truck Portraits
I’m starting a new series of portraits of the food truck vendors I frequent here in DC, in or around their trucks. Here are the first two. It’s an important project because the food trucks themselves are endangered by some incredibly ill-considered proposed regulations that would basically make it impossible for them to do business. After looking at the pictures, please go to the Save DC Food Trucks website and sign the petition!
These were taken with my Rolleiflex. This time I’m using Kodak Tri-X, a film I had resisted for years as being too grainy. Well, as you can see in these photos, it’s not. In 35mm, it’s a different story, but then almost everything in 35mm is grainy short of say Ilford PanF or the former Kodak TechPan.
DC Street Scenes – Columbia Heights
Some twilight photos taken on 14th Street in Columbia Heights. All shots were taken with my Rolleiflex 2.8E on Kodak Portra 160. This time I was using a tripod – the black and white shots were hand-held. While I was out taking these photos, I had someone from Cavalier Liquor come outside and tell me, “you didn’t get permission to take pictures”. He then broke into a smile so I knew he was just teasing. I’ll make a nice print of the picture and bring it to them, one of these days.
I also had someone approach me as to why I was photographing Gloria’s Pupuseria and Pan Lourdes. I explained to the guy I’m a photographer and I take pictures of things I find interesting. He explained his interest in why I was taking pictures with a throwaway line about 9/11 and can’t be too careful these days. As a Pentagon attack survivor, and photographer, I find the gratuitous abuse of 9/11 as an excuse for anything and everything intrusive to be highly insulting. If I were scouting potential targets for a terror attack, I sure as shootin’ wouldn’t be using a Rolleiflex on a tripod! I’d be doing what everyone else is doing and using my cellphone, to be as inconspicuous as possible. And I’d not be scouting out a Latino bakery in a transitional neighborhood. Suspicious behavior is not taking photographs – suspicious behavior is leaving a bulky bag unattended in a busy location. Photography is not a crime, and telling people to look out for photographers is up there with the porno scanners at the airport as the worst kind of security theater – it harasses innocent, law-abiding citizens and presents the illusion of “doing something” while not actually addressing real security needs.
Another for the collection
I love the personal touch on this card – “Yours with Respect, Chas. Cain” and “Emma” in the negative number spot. He looks like he’s barely old enough to shave, yet out in the world on his own. The handwriting is somewhat unsteady – teenage nerves at dedicating the card to an intended? At first I thought the phrasing was a bit odd for a teenage boy, but that was the 19th century, now we are in the 21st. A 21st century kid would probably not send a picture of himself in an ill-fitting suit to a girl he liked with the inscription “yours with respect” (he’d probably sext her with a photo of his nether anatomy from his cellphone), but “yours with respect” is VERY much in keeping with a 19th century teenager’s style of expression.
Also note the feet of the posing stand peeking out from behind his legs – because photography is so instantaneous these days, it’s something we never experience today unless you happen to get into alternative process photography, so it stands out as anomalous to a modern viewer.
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