As noted earlier, I’m planning to show some of the photos I’ve shot in the last couple of years; this is the beginning of that effort. It is likely these posts will be irregular and somewhat random. I make no claims whatsoever regarding the cohesiveness of the selection, or indeed the quality of the photos – they are merely a reflection of what caught my eye during a time when I generally was not actively searching for and composing images.

I decided to start with a sampling of color shot with the little Minox 35ML. As if those two factors weren’t unusual enough, the film I used was Fuji Superia 200. I prefer Kodak color films (normally Ektar, but I have a fondness for Gold 200 as well), but I’ve got a small pile of the Fuji stuff from when Walmart cleared it out at $1/roll and I couldn’t resist. I’ve been slowly trying to whittle it down.

Because I cared little about this film, had no expectations that it would produce anything worthwhile, and knew that someone else would be developing it (I send my C-41 and E-6 out), it made it a natural medium for the sort of indifferent feeling I had about photography in general through much of the last few years. The camera, being as light and easy to use as it is, made it simple enough to just grab it, throw it in a pocket, and shoot or not as the mood struck me.

It’s hard to express just how unobtrusive the Minox is. It feels like a toy compared to almost everything I normally use. And although I can’t really explain why, I’ve grown to enjoy using it. I suppose this is at least in part due to the fact that, unlike many small plastic pocket cameras, it relies on manual focus, provides some control over exposure (aperture priority), and has no built-in flash to fight with. Above all, the results it produces are consistently very good. Given that when it was new in 1985 it retailed for the equivalent of $1,100 in today’s money, I suppose I have a right to expect it to perform well, but there’s still some cognitive dissonance when you pick it up and then look at the photos.

As an aside, I’m experimenting with how images are displayed here (click the individual images for the full-size view). This is currently my preferred option, but if you hate it for some reason let me know. I probably won’t listen to you, but you never know.