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

Virtual Movements

With enough resolution, we can crop in, move a frame around, and simulate a view camera’s movements in post, including rise, fall, and shift.

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Basic Editing

Pull the contrast slider down to -100 and then set the tonal curve to strong contrast in Lightroom.

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Film, Post 2020

Put film photography to rest. Digital is better.

Charles Henry 12/30/25 Charles Henry 12/30/25

Makeshift Rangefinder

By most metrics, we’re lousy photographers, and that’s fine. 50mm might be the best focal length, and 35mm the best lens if we crop in a little.

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5600ºK

If sunlight’s temperature sits between 5000ºK and 6500ºK, then 5600ºK is a good custom choice.

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Taken Seriously

If a picture is good enough for a view camera, it’s potentially good enough for a series, seriously. I love getting lost under a focusing cloth.

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Aspect Ratios

Focal lengths and aspect ratios correlate. A 50mm needs a narrower 4:5 to emphasize relationships between foregrounds and back grounds, and on the other side, a 28mm does better with a wider 3:2 because it emphasizes side-to-side relationships.

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Layered

A 50mm lens is more front-to-back than side-to-side and compresses things together, perfect for layering foregrounds over backgrounds — more deadpan than a 35.

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Complaining (a how to guide)

Live a great life. From wherever to whatever, I love taking pictures with my camera. It’s an obsession — a small footprint: prints, posts, and film resting inside a trusty binder.

Charles Henry 8/9/25 Charles Henry 8/9/25

Film Emulation

It’s fine to digitally emulate analog. A box of monochrome 8x10 sells for $250 — a $150 rise from a decade ago, and some 35mm rolls fetch $15. Analog was once the primary photographic method.

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Wooden Tripod

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

Charles Henry 6/18/25 Charles Henry 6/18/25

Experiment

Many people know that we have more to learn, and from the moment we realize that we’re not the center of everything, it gets better.

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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.

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f/8 and be there

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

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Faithful

A faithful rendering is accurate to the scene and subject as viewed through the eye.

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A Home in the Monochrome

In every color image I take, I see a black-and-white photographer trying to escape. It’s black-and-white or bust. Mine are pictures of rust, dents, and dust.

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Harsh Daylight

I’ve tried to photograph harsh light for years. Unlike film, digital has less latitude in bright light, which is why you must find techniques to elevate consistency.

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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.