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

Makeshift Rangefinder

You know when you think about it — a 35mm lens on a reflex camera (knowing that you’ll crop in later) mimics a rangefinder experience by letting you see outside the frame while composing pictures.

Charles Henry 12/19/25 Charles Henry 12/19/25

5600ºK

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

Charles Henry 12/13/25 Charles Henry 12/13/25

Taken Seriously

By all standards, I’m a lousy photographer, and that’s fine. 50mm might be the best focal length and 35mm the best lens — simply crop in a little.

Charles Henry 11/16/25 Charles Henry 11/16/25

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.

Charles Henry 9/2/25 Charles Henry 9/2/25

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.

Charles Henry 8/22/25 Charles Henry 8/22/25

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.

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

Wooden Tripod

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

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.

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 5/23/25 Charles Henry 5/23/25

Faithful

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

Charles Henry 5/15/25 Charles Henry 5/15/25

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.

Charles Henry 4/29/25 Charles Henry 4/29/25

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.

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 11/16/24 Charles Henry 11/16/24

Wildly kind and kindly wild

How do we remember a place?

Charles Henry 10/25/24 Charles Henry 10/25/24

Studio

A note is a few words in a sentence or two; a picture is an individual frame, and a finding blends text with imagery.