Charles Henry 3/28/26 Charles Henry 3/28/26

One Camera, One Lens

Photography starts before you even pick up a camera. When I'm shopping for cameras, photography is telling me that I want to take pictures. It is an impulse to frame what is sitting right in front of you. But the gear obsession is a distraction, and an ambient light meter may help your photography more than new gear. You slow down, measure the light falling on the pavement, and pay attention to what matters.

Charles Henry 3/20/26 Charles Henry 3/20/26

Bumbling

I embody something infuriating — an average person doing something. The combination of being run-of-the-mill and doing something creative is a frontier.

Charles Henry 10/19/25 Charles Henry 10/19/25

Taking or Making

In photographing landscapes, places, and found environments, perhaps the difference between making and taking lives in the focal length, where a 35mm takes, and a 50mm makes.

Charles Henry 8/5/25 Charles Henry 8/5/25

Wooden Shutter Button

How nice would it be to have a camera shutter button made from mesquite?

Charles Henry 7/18/25 Charles Henry 7/18/25

Wooden Tripod

I serviced the wooden tripod today. I repaired a loose hinge, polished the head plate, and applied mineral oil.

Charles Henry 6/8/25 Charles Henry 6/8/25

Clipped Corners

A ground glass will have missing corners so you can see if the lens is projecting from edge to edge. If you can see the lens, it’s giving full coverage.

Charles Henry 5/30/25 Charles Henry 5/30/25

f/8 and be there

F/8 is typically the most optimal aperture for everyday lenses.

Charles Henry 3/28/25 Charles Henry 3/28/25

Gear

Sometimes photography feels like it’s 10% taking pictures and 90% watching camera reviews.

Charles Henry 2/26/25 Charles Henry 2/26/25

35, 50

Wide and telephoto touch somewhere between 35 and 50, which means every lens over 50 is called a telephoto and every one below 35 is considered wide, making 35 the longest wide-angle and 50 the widest telephoto.

Charles Henry 2/12/25 Charles Henry 2/12/25

Auxiliary Viewfinders

Forget new lenses and camera specs. One of the most freeing things we can add to our photography is an auxiliary viewfinder because it removes precision.

Charles Henry 12/27/24 Charles Henry 12/27/24

35 is a lonesome focal length

A 35mm pushes backgrounds away and magnifies foregrounds.

Charles Henry 4/6/24 Charles Henry 4/6/24

9x12

Manufactured circa 1928, my Voigtländer is a back-pocket view camera that holds 9x12 cm film or glass plates (daytime film exposure: Foma 100, f/12, 1/100th).