Photography Hobby

Photography has been a passion and hobby of mine since I was a child with that box camera from Agfa! It was always a dream of mine that I would one day convert this hobby of photography into a paying career.

I've competed in a couple of photography contests and actually taken first place! I am one of those who would love to be a photojournalist. I love nature photography probably the best. Let me tell you more about my hobby, photography!

Agfa Click-1 (1958-70)

If there is Clack there have to be Click also. Click could be considered as an evolution model of Clack (You can easily prove it by pronouncing "clack" and "click" definitely the sound goes upwards.) A new feature is an internal yellow filter, instead the close up lens in Agfa Clack. Two aperture settings, one for sunny and the other for a cloudy weather. Body material is plastic and the shutter noise is civilized.

An inexpensive snapshot camera that makes photography really simple. Synchronised For Agfa Clibo flashgun. Click I with meniscus lens and Automat shutter for instantaneous exposures. Built-in yellow filter. Large, bright viewfinder.

Specifications :

Film type roll film 120 Picture size 6x6. Weight slightly more than a feather of a goose. Lens single element meniscus f11. Shutter speed 1/30sec. Viewfinder simple galilei

In 1963 my dad gave me his photo-equipment and I felt like a real photographer!

Next: I’m talking about things like loading film in a camera, developing black and white film, loading film reels, mixing chemicals, and other topics of that nature. So as I take that step back and try to identify the needs of the beginner film photographers, the one burning question I have is: Why don’t you develop your own film? For those that do, you know it’s not all that bad. Heck, some of us wouldn’t have it any other way!

As I think back to my "pre-film” days, my biggest apprehension about shooting film was dealing with the unknown aspects such as developing the stuff. Of course, once I actually did it, I realized that my fears had no substance.

Why aren’t you developing your own film?

April 1970 I bought me a Exakta VX500

Manufactured by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co, Dresden, East Germany
Model: c.1969, (produced between 1969-70),
All Dresden Exactas produced between 1936-70
35 mm film SLR camera
Engraving on the top plate: aus DRESDEN

Lens: Jena B 58mm f/2, (B means Biotar), Semi-automatic aperture,

(the lens had an external plunger cocking lever, and when pressed, it would close the aperture to the set value, then you must press the shutter release on the lens, no internal aperture coupling)

Exakta bayonet mount, filter thread 49mm,

Focus range : 0.50-15m +inf
Aperture: f/2 - f/16, settings and dial:
Shutter: horizontal focal plane double cloth type, Speeds: 1/30-1/500, +B, no long speeds, setting dial: push-out and turn knob, on the top plate, left side
Shutter release: a knob, on front of the body, left side of the lens,
w/ a safety locking cap, and cable release socket, it can be pressed with the plunger on this special lens, w/cable release socket also
View finder: eye level SLR penta prism finder P.3, interchangeable with waist level finder,
Finder release: via a knob beneath the Exacta logo
w/ a triangular red indicator appears in the top-right of the viewfinder when the shutter required winding
Mirror: instant return
Cocking lever: also winds the film, short-stroke, right to left film transport, left upper side of the top plate
Frame counter: coupled with winding lever, decreasing type, resets manualy
Re-wind: via a Folding crank handle on the bottom plate,
Re-wind release: a push knob, on the top plate, just in front of the cocking lever
Flash PC socket: two, on front of the camera, F and X, sync.1/40,
Setting: a flash symbol on the speeds dial
Memory dial : for ASA: on the top plate right side,
For film type: on the camera support knob, bottom plate, left side
Take up spool: Special type, movable
Back cover: Hinged, non-detachable, opens via a latch on the left side of the camera
Tripod socket: 1/4''

The Exakta is an fully-manual cameras will require you set both aperture and shutter speed yourself. Set either my aperture, shutter speed, or both, depending on the requirements for the scene, until the needle sits more or less at the half-way mark. When i shooting negative film (rather than slide film), it doesn't hurt a bit for the needle to go slightly above the half-way mark; negative film has a huge tolerance for over-exposure. I use an external light meter.

Gossen is a quality brand in the field of light meters. A light meter is a device that measures and displays the amount of light in a particular space or area. Light meters are usually used in photography, cinematography and scenic design. Using a light meter helps a photographer choose a shutter speed, determine the proper exposure and overall the optimal level of light when taking pictures. The calibration of a light meter establishes a connection between the particular camera settings and scene or subject.

The advanced photometers then could be used either to measure the light from the potential picture as a whole, to measure from elements of the picture to ascertain that the most important parts of the picture are optimally exposed, or to measure the incident light to the scene with an integrating adapter.

I thought i wanted to make a movie. If you want to make money working in 'the industry' then yes, I highly recommend film school. Not necessarily for what you learn, but for the 'networking,' the relationships and connections you forge there that you can't as an outsider. The bottom line in film is that you have to have films to show off. And the way to have films is to make them yourself. So do it. Right now. I'm not kidding.

But remember, making a movie is really about telling a story -- your story. A lot of amateur mistakes in film are forgiven if the story is great. Research and planning are necessary, but the main point is to tell your story!

My Photography Gallery

Develop my own film and prints

My first step super 8mm

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