Both of these plugins are only as clever as they are useful. I have release Twitter and copyright plugins for Indexhibit v.070e on my photography site. Enjoy.
I have finally managed to put together a small portfolio of my photography at swttl.com. I used Indexhibit and you will probably not be surprised to know I plan to publish a few plugins I developed in the process.
This year was great for me. Great because I got to do some traveling with Binita (Morocco and Nepal/India) and great because of all the camera gear I went through. In 2009, I got my first Leica, a Leica M9, which I am enjoying more than any camera I have had before it. But getting my M9 wasn’t easy, though I can’t complain.
What I learned in 2009 is that no matter how many lenses I have, I can only have one on a camera at a time. Realizing this brought me to the conclusion that I should sell what I can’t (and don’t) use to get something I would use. But in order to figure that out, I had to buy and sell a lot of gear.
This was a ridiculous amount of buying and selling. Pretty much deduct three lenses and one camera and all of this stuff almost equaled the cost of the M9. Was it worth it? So far, yes. I am left with a Leica M9 and three lenses: Summarit 35mm, Summicron 50mm, Summarit 75mm.
The upside is that after all this buying and selling, I got to experience a whole bunch of different focal lengths, manufacturers, camera styles, and so on. For the first time, I feel like I am at least an informed user. I’m not using the Summicron 50mm because it is the only lens I have, I’m using it because I prefered it over the Planar and the pre-Asph Summilux.
Now let me get back to shooting.
I meant to post this back in May, but lost track of time. I wrote a short bit about the first days I spent at post as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal. It might not be terribly palatable for everyone, as I lay on the sentiment on pretty thick. But for those of you interested, have a look.
First Days in Birganj
There is a restaurant on the main road in Birganj, Himanchal Cabin, just south of the clock tower, across the street from Maisthan Chowk, smack in the middle of everything happening in the busiest border city of Nepal, a place I spent most of my Peace Corps experience—Himanchal Cabin, that is. Above the rear-most seats is a concrete Shiva, sprawling the width of a whole window, arms wagging, hovering above you in what I can only describe as Technicolor. A menu is available, but only spoken and shouted rapid-fire, not containing periods or commas but a single hyphenated item . . . .
Also, be sure to check out the article on the Friends of Nepal grant projects. FoN does good stuff, so if you’re interested in support good projects that are collaborations between RPCVs and locals, you can donate to one (or all) of the projects listed.
Anyhow, here’s the newsletter. Enjoy.
Last time I posted, I was selling some camera gear. The update: sold. I sold my entire Nikon kit (a Nikon FM3a, four lenses and corresponding filters, a couple flashes, and cases and whatnot) and 80% of my rangefinder M mount lenses. I was left with my Zeiss Ikon, a Leica Summarit 35mm f/2, Summicron 50mm f/2, and Summilux 50mm f/1.4 and Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4. But still, I can only have one lens on a camera at a time, so no matter how extensive this last gear purge was, I am still left with a surplus.
Binita and I returned from a month-long trip to Kathmandu. We spent most of October in Kathmandu but made a mad dash trip to Darjeeling. We had a nice time. Plus, this marked what is probably the last time I’ll be using the Zeiss Ikon—or rather, 35mm film—as my primary camera. True, with the money I made from selling all that gear, I bought a Leica M9, and I am very excited. It’ll be my first ‘real’ Leica.
I’m hoping that the Leica glass and the new full-frame sensor in the M9 will provide the great textured images that I can make film consistently produce. For example:
I’m still 11th on the waiting list over at Pop.Flash Photo (who are great guys simply waiting on Leica like the rest of us). Looks like I might not have my M9 until the end of November or even mid December. I am told that each camera is hand-assembled in Solms, Germany. If true, then take your time.
Scott is an editor living in Queens, New York, who enjoys language (specifically English). He is strangely fascinated with Web typesetting, if such a thing exists. Scott is married to Binita, for whom he once ghost wrote a blog about court reporting for almost two years. They have been married four.