Road Stories : That One Show I Regret Missing Is........
‘96 was the second year Alligator Records Photographer Eugene Kimmons would toss me a bone, The year before (because of him) I covered the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival featuring Blues greats such as Luther Allison and Eddie Campbell.
James Brown, there I said it. No build-up to what this blog is all about, just "BOOM", there it is, I guess the image above gave a hint to who it was. It was July 5, 1996. The show was to be at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park in Chicago (I was still living there … That's the one show I had been eagerly anticipating but had to miss. '96 was the second year Alligator Records Photographer Eugene Kimmons would toss me a bone. The year before (because of him), I covered the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival featuring Blues greats such as Luther Allison, Otis Rush and Eddie Campbell. Eugene, a mentor and friend, always thought I was capable of becoming a music photographer. However, I was much harder on myself and my abilities, both as a visual artist and more so as a photographer. So, back to the "why," this is the one show I regret missing. I remember I had my gear with me at LaSalle Photo, where I worked at the time; it was at least a 40- to 45-minute ride by bus and train, and on a good day, it was about an hour when there were festivals in the downtown area.
Before I departed for the show, I had been nursing a migraine all day long. My 30s were a time in my life when I started to get migraines; they'd come and go, and I'd go about my day, but it was also in my 30s that the frequency and intensity would get worse over time. This debilitating condition was one of those times it was not going to let up, and it left me totally incapacitated. Still, I decided to try and make the James Brown show later that day. I was able to convince my boss to let me leave early that day, all the while thinking to myself that the sun was too bright, and I was feeling sick to my stomach. Despite my condition, I made the choice to go to the show. I always made it a habit to arrive early for any event I was involved in; it helped me plan for the day. To my surprise, the press table was already open, even though I still had a few hours to kill. I made my way to the line.
My migraine was worsening; I was light-sensitive, nauseous, and dizzy. I knew my blood pressure was likely being affected as well. Soon, I found myself next in line to get my credentials for the show. At that moment, I informed the staff that I wasn't feeling well and decided to head home. Looking back, the only show I ever regretted missing was James Brown. It's a regret that still lingers—a missed opportunity that I can't help but think about from time to time. I even came across an article by Rick Regar that appeared in the Chicago Tribune in 1996, which reminded me just how special that day was.
Test: Pocket Light Meter App For iPhone X Pt 2 of 2
First a little back history on my RZ67, I bought this camera “as-is” last year, the electronics didn’t work, but the camera was still usable at the emergency shutter speed of 1//400th of a sec,
You live and you learn, sometimes the hard way. When I had decided to test the Pocket Light Meter App for iPhone X against my Sekonic L-358 light meter, I also decided to pair it with one of my medium format cameras had not tested; The Mamiya RZ67 Pro.
First a little back history on my RZ67, I bought this camera “as-is” last year, the electronics didn’t work, but the camera was still usable at the emergency shutter speed of 1//400th of a sec, The bad news is that since the cameras electronics were not operable, there is no warning that the dark slide was still in the film back, and unlike my other “manual” medium formats; the shutter button can not be engaged if the dark slide was still in the film back. So during the test, there were a lot of missed shots, I mean a whole lot of missed shots.
My test included the following:
Mamiya RZ67 Pro camera body
Mamiya Sekkor 50mm C lens
Mamiya RZ67 Pro II 120 film back
ilford HP5+ black and white 120 film
Pocket Light Meter for iPhone X
Sekonic L-358 light meter
For the most part of my test. the iPhone app pretty much kept up my handheld meter (Sekonic L-358) The readings for the highlights were point on, the Shadow readings were for the most part about a third off, no game killer though.
As stated above, the test would have been more in depth if I had not forgotten to remove the dark slide from the film back, resulting in many missed opportunities.
Will I trust this app for any future shoots: The short answer is Yes and No. If the shoot is for a client, I would always opt for my trusty handheld meter, personal projects on the other hand, I would switch between this app and my Sekonic.
The next time I plan to use this app will be when I shoot some 4x5 film in the next week or so. I’ll post the results from that shoot soon.