A tangent

I've developed a sudden romantic attachment to film cameras.

It all started in December. I'm in the habit of perusing Craigslist and a few other places for camera deals. I'd been watching for a decent price on a second strobe to complement my SB600 and a fast lens with longer reach than my 50mm 1.8. Late December, I stumbled across a man selling his backup kit - which included a SB25, and 85 1.8. Besides a few other interesting lenses, it included a Nikon F4s (all for $450). I was instantly hooked.

A few weeks later, I went on a film photostroll with the Seattle Flickr Meetup group. While I had a blast with the F4s (and continue to do so), I was intrigued by a pair of photographers with an eclectic collection. Looking back, I realized that all my photography had been with either a simple viewfiner camera or 35mm SLRs. I wanted to explore.

I quickly stumbled across another deal on Craigslist - a Rolleicord IV for $35. Suddenly I was hanging out on APUG, a film photography forum, getting exposed to even more types of cameras - and so many of them were so cheap!

Around that time, Ali expressed an interest in a Polaroid camera. With the demise of 600 film, we found ourselves researching older Land cameras. We eventually went with a 450. The research leading to this choice fueled an interest in rangefinders.

And that leads to my current position - fascinated by rangefinders and rapidly collecting them to try different models. There is a wealth of information on the internet about interesting models. I'm still early in the process of exploring them. More on this coming soon.

A Debt of Gratitude

A blue Fisher-Price 110 camera. The camera was produced in 1984. I was probably five or six when my parents bought it for me. I still remember my first trip out with it. We went to the Oakland Zoo. I don't recall much from the trip though I distinctly remember taking a picture of a yak.

By the time I reached high school, I was quite comfortable shooting in manual on my parents A1. My hours spent in photography class in high school were some of my favorites. I love all of it, from the time spent with exploring with a camera to the chemical smell of the darkroom. The process was magical.

And then I walked away for a decade. Life got busy and hobbies were the first to go.

A year and a half ago, my wife pushed me to start taking pictures again. I was really on the fence about it, fearing I would spent a bunch of money on a shiny new toy that would be relegated to the closet within days. After much nudging from both she and other acquaintances, I picked up a D70s and a pair of lens.

For a solid year, I was out every weekend taking pictures. She arranged my first studio shoot as a surprise after I failed to get into a limited attendance photography event. When I found an interesting bundle of gear on Craigslist, she threatened to make contact with the seller herself if I didn't make an offer.

I am incredibly fortunate and thankful to have someone so supportive in my life.

An Introduction

Hello there. My name is Brian. Welcome to my blog.

First, a warning: This blog will contain half formulated thoughts, poor grammar, lackluster spelling and the occasion non sequitur. I am not a writer by nature. Two of my many goals in creating this blog are to improve at writing and to write more frequently.

I'm a game programmer by profession. Many of my posts will likely be about the game development or programming. I'd like to use this forum to bounce ideas off of others and give back a bit of what I've learned. I've had opportunities to work with many very talented people and am always looking for ways to give back. Oh yes, and there will be occasional rants.

Other points of interest include photography, economics and politics. I appreciate constructive feedback and debate; I am a student first and foremost. That said, I have a low tolerance for dogma - I reserve the right to be a jerk if necessary.

Obviously my posts will meander.

In true developer nature, this blog will be somewhat iterative. Until writing becomes a bit more natural for me, I'm going to take a 'publish frequently' approach. As I sort this out, Second Pylon may evolve in unforeseen directions. Bear with me.