First of all, there is nothing for sale here. You won't see any pop-up windows or flashing banners. No advertisements on the pages or entries in your Cookies folder. Any product on the links page is something that I use and have been satisfied with. I won't make any money from it. I don't even have a book to recommend that is easily purchased at Amazon.com. I just want to display a few photographs that I enjoy and would like to share. I would welcome your comments at old35s@comcast.net. (Sorry, I didn't make the address a link because the web bots will get it and I'll spent too much time deleting junk mail).

I'm not a professional photographer. I'm not even a good amateur. I've never recorded a shutter speed or f-stop and don't know the film I used unless its on the slide mount or edge of the negative. I seldom use a tripod and end up with many unsharp frames because of it. More time is spent looking at other's work than with my own, and only have a half dozen photographs hanging in the house. There's a Bessler 67 enlarger in the attic I haven't touched in ten years. I've spent more time in 2003 creating this web site than I have with a camera. I believe I have a mild attention deficit disorder because nothing interests me for long. But something about creating an image has kept me coming back to the hobby for 30 years.

In the army I met an avid photographer named Michael Reese Much . His prints, equipment and enthusium caught my attention. I decided I wanted a camera. We were stationed in Korea and for about $150 at the PX I became the proud owner of a Minolta SRT 101. Michael was a good and patient teacher. We spent our free time travelling around the country recording the landscape, people and culture. I learned about shutter speeds, f-stops and depth of field. Lessons were learned about basic composition and lighting. The headquarters base in Seoul provided a darkroom and I practiced black and white processing. Michael went on to become a professional photographer and teacher. Some of his work and technical articles can be found on the web. Check the links page.

That was the start I needed. After the service I returned to the nine to five. When there was time I would pick up the camera and take a few shots. Vacations consisted of camping trips and a camera or two was always at hand to record nature or unusual or interesting man made structures. I spent a few years as a truck driver and normally carried a camera. Several of the shots on this site from around the country were taken from the side of the road while working or after stopping for the day. Like most I also took photos of the kids or at family gatherings. I don't care for the standard flash snap shots and concentrated on natural light informal portraits. This collection contains a variety of these subjects.

The black and white photos were taken with my original Minolta and a 58mm lens. Most of the remaining were taken with a Canon A1 or F1 using Canon manual focus lenses, primarily a 28mm. The Canon equipment has been donated to my son to further his education, he has a better photographic eye than myself, and I like to encourage his interest. I've used an autofocus Nikon and am currently playing with a Minolta 7xi digital. I like a wide lens, I chose the 7xi because it zooms to the equivalent of 28mm. The new technology is great but if I decide to do some serious shooting I'll use a Minolta XE, a tank of a manual focus camera they developed with Leica a few years ago. I purchased a like new body and 28mm lens on Ebay in 2001. I enjoy using a camera without all the bells and whistles, it encourages me to think about depth of field, exposure, and composition instead of just pointing and shooting.

A HP S-20 scanner is used to digitize the slides. Cropping, touch up, and sizing for the screen or print is done in Paint Shop Pro, a great poor man substitute for Photoshop. Actually I've used both and prefer PSP for its ease of use. I've had a few prints made through Ofoto, Kodak's online print service, up to 20 x 30 and am amazed at the quality. A 16 x 20 print done in this fashion is better than smaller versions I've made from the original 35mm slide, and I have the ability to control what goes to the printer.

Photography has been a great hobby. I need an artistic outlet and yet have very little ability. My drawing, painting, and music skills are at a kindergarden level. Photography allows me to produce a few images that I find enjoyable. I'll never be considered an artist, but thats ok, the process gives me pleasure.

Jim Fetterly