Nikon

The Shake Off

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

Labor Day morning at the Smithsonian National Zoo offered a quiet moment of focus amidst the holiday crowds. Stepping out of the pool, this tiger sent a halo of backlit spray into the air, turning a split second of motion into a striking study of contrast, texture, and force.

Silent Guardian of Raswehera – Sri Lanka

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

Carved directly into the sheer face of a massive granite monolith, the ancient Sasseruwa (Reswehera) Buddha statue of Sri Lanka stands as a timeless monument to spiritual endurance. Sculpted over fifteen centuries ago, the colossal figure captures the Abhaya Mudra – the gesture of fearlessness. Its deeply textured, weathered stone beautifully merges ancient human artistry with the raw, unyielding earth.

“Gloria Victis” National Gallery of Art – Washington D.C. 

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

 

Antonin Mercié’s masterful Gloria Victis (“Glory to the Vanquished”) stands as a powerful tribute to resilience in defeat. Created after the Franco-Prussian War, it subverts traditional heroic imagery by depicting a winged allegory of Fame lifting a dying soldier, who holds his broken sword high in defiance. The dynamic, upward-sweeping composition captures a brilliant interplay of vulnerability and strength, immortalizing the courage of the fallen and proving that true glory is never lost.

Behind Glass – National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Alakajay, Black And White Photography, Photography

There is something fitting about encountering this face through two layers of separation – the veil the sculptor carved, and the museum case that now holds her. This is Fantasy Bust of a Veiled Woman (c.1865–1870), a glazed terracotta by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, believed by some to be a portrait of Marguerite Bellanger – actress, courtesan, and one of the most talked-about women in Second Empire Paris. She looks downward, away from us, as if the gaze of the viewer is precisely what she is not interested in returning.

Waiting for the last tram

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

Nikon FE HP5

Night street photography in Nantes with the Nikon FE and HP5+. City light at night is far more generous than it looks — tram lines, shop fronts, and street lamps all contribute. HP5+ responds well to the longer exposures these conditions demand, and the grain that comes with it is an asset rather than a problem, adding texture to the empty platform and the trailing lights. See the full article: More Light Than We Imagine on IJM Photography.

GAS

Black And White Photography, David, Photography

I’m not talking about the price of petrol or diesel. I got a bad GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) attack the other day and couldn’t resist the call of this little, but heavy beauty. The WAF was low but I could work with it. Yes it’s another film camera kind of out of date like me. However I have so much film to use up I think this will help a little with that. What’s the WAF I hear you ask… Wife acceptance factor. See you next week when the bruises have gone.

Nikon F Circa 1969

Black And White Photography, Joseph, Photography

Image was taken with a Fujifilm X-E5 and XF 50mm f/2.0 lens

This is a vintage Nikon F camera equipped with a Photomic FTN viewfinder. Base model Nikon F cameras were usually equipped with an eye level pentaprism viewfinder without a light meter. The Photomic FTN viewfinder incorporated a light meter and a shutter speed readout. The approximate manufacture date of this particular camera is May – July 1969. The F was Nikons first SLR camera and it had a very long production run (1959 – 1973). It was well regarded for its extreme reliability and many Vietnam war photojournalists used them in the field. Hasselblad cameras along with modified Nikon F’s also accompanied NASA astronauts to the moon starting with Apollo 15 in 1971 and SkyLab missions in 1973. A total of 862,000 Nikon F cameras were manufactured during its long 14 year production.