The Art of Chris Froelich

After leaving Death Valley, I drove to Mesa, AZ where I stayed with my sister, did some work on my in-laws house, bought an iPhone, and took a few photos. While in AZ, a Shen Hoa 4x5 camera and Calter N 210mm lens found their way to my doorstep. I can tell you, I was excited. After using the Crown Graphic I was surprised by a few things, how ugly but amazingly easy the old Graphic was too use compared to my new Shen Hoa, and how much I instantly loved my new camera. It is a work of art all on its own.  After a few days of anticipation, I finally had a chance to take the camera out. I drove out to Saguaro State Park, AZ and hiked for a few hours, not really knowing what I would find. I came over a little knoll, and was greeted by this view and decided "this is it". It seemed like a good fit for the 210mm Calter. It's a short telephoto on a 4x5. It equates to about a 70mm on a 35mm camera. Weaver's Needle and Saguaro. Shen Hoa 4x5 with Calter N 210mm Lens. Shot

I know about 12 people read my blog, but if you're one of those few people who wander along and find this post, you should check out this photostream on Flickr. It's a project by an American soldier, William Harris, currently serving overseas. The photo stream is pretty self explanatory, but I want to make sure you notice a little link to donate to his project. It doesn't take a lot of $$ to make a difference. William uses a press kit to develop the film himself for the unit and then digitizes the film. He is paying for everything out of his own pocket. Here is one of the photos in the photo stream This is amazing photography and it is for a good cause. The portraits are for the soldiers and families and help document their deployment. He also has some nice candids on the stream as well. If you have a blog and actually have people read it, you might want to consider posting something as well. In addition to this project, his photo stream has lovely photos. H

I made a huge mistake. I sold my Olympus 35RC about six months ago just because it had a sticky aperture and the autoexposure didn't work. The lens and rest of the mechanics on my version were flawless. A few months after I sold it and regret was gnawing at my photography psych, I saw another sitting on the shelf in the local camera store as decoration . The shop owner told me it was brought in many years ago by a customer who wanted to get it repaired. When told there was nothing they could do, he never came to pick it back up. So there is sat, collecting dust.  It was missing the shutter speed dial and rewind crank, and I suppose the lack of available parts is why they gave up on it .When I asked him how much he'd want for it, he looked at me kind of odd but said "you've been a good customer for the last couple of years. You can have it." Well, the price was right so I brought it home and put it on my shelf thinking I would use it for parts when I got a nice