Taken at a nearby public garden. The horses (there were more than just this one) had just returned from a ride and were about to be groomed and fed. I can’t really articulate why I like this one.
Horse and (dismounted) rider
By the roadside 8: Unknown flower
Another picture in the “By the roadside” series. I have no idea what this flower is, and my efforts to find out have so far led to nothing. I suspect that it’s not a wildflower as it’s the only example I’ve seen during my walks around the lake (I’ve seen multiple examples of all of the others in the series). I believe it’s probably a cultivated flower of some kind, a seed having been blown from the garden to the side of the road where it’s flourished. It’s a very attractive flower though.
Seating arrangement
Interesting arrangement of objects seen in a nearby garden. I’m a sucker for rocking chairs.
Photographing the photographer
The conservatory at Stonecrop Gardens in Putnam County, NY. I didn’t particularly want the woman with the camera in the picture but she didn’t look like she was moving any time soon and I was too lazy to wait. In any case there was no guarantee that she would not have been replaced by someone else…
According to this piece by the Hudson River Valley Institute:
The Conservatory at Stonecrop has four wings. Each wing has the ability to maintain a unique
environment with climate control systems. It was completed in 1997, and is used as a display house
in the winter and spring. At that time of year, the display house consists of non-hardy plants and various blooming bulbs, trees, and shrubs. In the summer, most of the plants are moved out into
the garden, so the Conservatory becomes a space for special projects.
For those Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) aficionados out there
If you’re into Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) cameras you’ll love this site. It has a very simple name: TLR Cameras Website and it’s not all that attractively presented. It has a very ‘old style’ look to it, but it’s packed with information about TLRs of all kinds. The section on his collection (one of eight sections in all) contains sub-sections on:
Other sections include:
It’s a veritable treasure trove of information on TLRs. I never knew that there were so many different models of TLRs, from so many different manufacturers.
The copyright notice on the site extends only as far as 2013, which makes me wonder if the site is still being maintained. A contact link provides a mechanism for getting in touch with the site creator.
The camera above is my own Rolleiflex. I’m by no means an expert on the various Rolleiflex models, but according to the lists of serial numbers on the internet it’s a 1954 MX-EVS type 1 with 75mm f3.5 Schneider Xenar lens. This makes it about the same age as myself and it’s in similar condition: cosmetically not great and a bit worn around the edges, but still ticking. I bought it on a whim sometime in the 1980s. I think I used it twice and wasn’t too happy with the results (I’m sure it was because of my lack of familiarity with the camera and my photographic skills, which were much more rudimentary in those days). I tried it out again today. Everything seemed to work. The aperture opened as expected and the shutter fired with no problem. To my untrained ear the shutter speeds seemed to be working OK (e.g. 1/8th second sounded much longer than 1/60th). I’ve read that after not being used for such a long time it’s likely that the shutter speeds are off. I guess I’ll have to try it and find out and then possibly arrange for a thorough CLA. Focus was fine even if the viewfinder is a bit dim.
I really like TLRs and I have a sneaky feeling that I might be on the verge of a GAS attack.