The History of Photography: 1995

by Matthew Cole
1994 The 1990s 1996

Be Friendly with your Subjects
Be Friendly With Your Subjects: Remember, those portraits will endure for decades, so set your subjects at ease so that their natural ebullience and warmth come through. Here Henry and I get ready for Halloween. Mamiya 6, Vivitar 283.

Use Mamiya and Nikons equally in Texas wildflower country in spring. Mamiya takes beautiful Velvia slides which, like my original Rolleicord slides of 19 years ago, I have never projected. Instead I hold them up to the light, which reduces their impact somewhat. Use both cameras through fall trip through west Texas and New Mexico. Nikon used primarily at Confederate Air Force show where 20mm (for planes on the ground) and 300mm (for planes in the air) are valuable lenses. I of course take too many pictures at the airshow. College buddy Holmes shows up with a Yashica T-4, but then he has a Yashica SLR and (among others) the excellent Zeiss 25mm lens for it, so knows the reputation of the lenses first hand. The T-4 replaced a Minox 35 which was handy because it had a hot shoe and Holmes could use his 283 with it, comical though it looked. They have a B-1 down at the end of the runway, so Holmes and I stroll down intending to hit the scramble button on the back of the nose gear leg to see if it'll start up but unfortunately they tow it away just before we get there.

More Photo Hints from 1995

Achieve Artistry in Your Landscape Photographs
Achieve Artistry in Your Landscape Photographs: Many photographers believe that if they travel to fantastic locations they would make fantastic pictures. Not true. Technical mastery is needed to achieve this sort of artistic impact. West Texas, September 1995. Mamiya 6, 75mm lens, Fuji NPS 160
Emulate the Masters
Emulate the Masters: I never could figure out why Ansel Adams worked in black and white. You can't get that developed at Wal-Mart in an hour. Go figure. Anyway, here is my own interpretation of one of Ansel's classic images, Moonrise Over Subaru, New Mexico. near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, October 1995. Mamiya 6, 75mm lens, Fuji NPS 160

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