This is a window back to 1946, when my grandfather took this photograph. The smallest boy to the left is my father, three years old at the time. My grandfather owned a Zeiss Ikonta bellowcamera which he took a lot of nice pictures with. My father later also photographed a lot and developed his own film. When I was a boy we had a darkroom in the basement. Now I use the camera as often as I can. I use old cameras and lenses which I combine with digital techniques.

Photography: Karl Wirf © 1946, with Zeiss Ikonta

My daughter is not old enough to stand behind the camera yet, but she very interested in the camera and is a good little model with a pretty smile ;)

Photography: Mattias Wirf © 2010, with Yashica DSB 50mm/1.9

I made an inspired trip with the Helios 44-3 the other day, after I got some questions from Ali in the comments to my review of the lens (one of my first manual lenses and reviews by the way). I got out early one morning, but the result was … ok. Since I have not photographed for a while I guess I need to work some to get mojo back. But I’m quite happy with this shot, into the dawn with the MC Helios 44-3 58mm/2. It also made me photographer of the day at twitter.com/photoandpicture.

It’s quite fantastic what photos can be done in the artistic range of a lens. My Yashica ML 35mm/2.8 is a nice landscape lens but also very good for closeups, sometimes soft but in the picture below sparkling. In the springtime it nice for catching the flowers without that exaggerated wideangle that is so trendy now.

Yesterday I bicycled round lake Tysslingen and made this image of whooper swans with Super-Takumar 135mm/3.5 M42-lens on Canon EOS 350D. The swans here are an attraction for wildlifephotographers every year, and they were lined up at the fence with their big tele AF-lenses… all getting the same image I guess, of the same birds and with the same weird look on their faces when they looked upon my little Takumar ;)

Every year I get cought up in the autumn bokeh again, the leafs turning red. It is one year ago I did the same thing with the Auto-Takumar 85mm/1.9, this year it’s Super-Takumar 85mm/1.9. It’s bokeh suits me for this type of images. I just hope I can grow as photographer even if the motifs are the same ;)

I wonder how you look upon this question, “What makes a good picture?”. I believe it is when the artist manage to communicate a feeling.

This image of grass, I wanted to relay the sence off standing in a field with waving straws, the freedom. One might even start thinking about what happened to the straws not standing up any more: Crop field circle by aliens? Animals having a feast? Winds?

But the image is very simple. I have tried to cut out what I wanted to show and no distractions. That’s why I sometimes have a hard time with photographers who want the biggest effect out of everything, to use the most extreme angle or perspective or color just because they can not because the image needs it. It’s also why I have a hard time with photographers only concerned by technical qualities – they bore me to death. But that’s just me.

This field was made with the 60′s M42-lens aus Jena Sonnar 135mm/3.5 zebra on Canon EOS 350D.

I have read in several places now that Kodachrome production will end. I thought this was old news, but I might be suffering from deja vu. Sad, surely, but I have to admit I never actually used it. But that’s true for many old things which I love, I use them today instead. If you wan’t to read more there’s a thread on MFlenses, feel free to give more source in the comments.

Update:
Tribute on Kodak
On FLickr blog

Jim claims film is dead
Jim was writing the other day that film is dead. But I’m not so sure. Small cameras shops and filmprocessing haven’t really been around here in Swedens smaller towns for a while, and interest is still catching on with young people. I have no proof of that, just a feeling when discussing on the internet and watching price-development for used filmcameras in Sweden.

Good post though, Jim – interesting reading.

New 120mm film
Kodak is releasing the Ektar-film in 120mm format. Wow, that is great news I think. Just to think that there is still film for my old bellow Agfa Isolette makes me happy :)

By the way…, I’m no filmfanatic, I love digital too ;)

Ripped film

I was thinking today about what makes a good lens? Well, I don’t believe there is a straight answer to that question. I know some photographers think in terms of resolution, sharpness and charts. But I don’t want to take images where everything is sharp, that would be boring to me eventhough I can respect others who do that sort of thing. I don’t believe art can be measured in charts.

My point is what you look for in a lens is subjective, but here is what I like:

• Bokeh
  I started of as a painter (and still look upon myself as one eventhough it has been ages since I painted anything). I want soft transitions, a painty feeling. Bokeh is very important to me in a lens. I often try to use the contrast between soft and sharp.
  
  

  Butterbokeh of tha Auto-Takumar 85mm/1.8

• Build quality
  My theory is if I like the feeling of the lens, holding it and looking trough it, I will take better pictures becuase I can feel comfortable with the tool. I like the feeling of the lenses I keep, if I don’t like the feel I usually sell it.
  
  

  Yashica MC Zoom 35-70mm 3.5-4.5

• Speed
  A faster f-stop make the viewfinder brighter. This is important if you use manual lenses like I do, brighter viewfinder means easier to focus. But sometimes there can be other reasons – some of my f3.5 lenses give a clearer, brighter viewfinder then others.
  
  

  Yashica ML 50mm/1.4

• Colours
  Contrasty, saturated? Actually I can see the use of most qualities here for different occasions, but I tend to like saturated colours or black and white photographs with good contrast.
  
  

  Colours of the S-M-C Takumar 55mm/1.8

• Sharpness
  Ok. Sometimes I want to make a sharp image to, or at least a part of it.
  
  

  Waterline with Yashica Zoom

• Peculiarity
  Some lenses you just got to love. Like the Industar 50-2, small baby pancake and silly looking. Russian-improved tessar ;) That lens has personality.
  Or the Yashinon-DX 50mm/1.7 with it’s silver frontrim, it’s buttery bokeh and sharp details. Made by Tomioka.
  I guess the header for this paragraph could also be “personality”.
  
  

  Industar 50-2 on Zenit ET

The last year was a big one for my photography, I discovered a new world in 2008. I’m talking of manual lenses and old cameras, but also my own views and skills in photography.

The start of this blog
24th July – Installation and first post (modest) on Retrocamera.net as an international version of my swedish blog. At the end of the year – 21st December – I reached 4500 unique visitors on my article “5 reasons I love manual lenses”

Retrocamera article

Winning a contest
21st – 27th July I participated in a contest in Sweden which I won. One picture a day from nature, for seven days. Partly using manual gear. I was very proud of this, since the competition was some photographers I respect.

Set with the 7 images I won with

Circle of lenses
I started cheap last spring trying Pentacon 29mm/2.8 on and ended testing Yashica ML 50mm/1.4 on the same spot in the woods. I have reached a collection of lenses I like, except for long telephoto.

With Pentacon 29mm in march 2008

With Yashica ML 50mm/1.4 december 2008

1000 posts on YashicaForum.com
During the year two brands in particular caught my attention, Asahi (Takumar) and Yashica. Asahi/Takumar/Pentax sites exists, but I wondered why there was no YashicaForum.com so I decided to start it. Before new year we reached over 1000 posts and 77 members.

YashicaForum

What does 2009 have in mind?
Well, looks like I will participate in at least two exhibitions, of which one is my own. Me, me and myself ;)

Have a good year 2009!