The following are cameras that I own and use. These cameras may not be the darlings of social media “influencers” but all are excellent performers. Each camera has its strengths and weaknesses. For now, they are still reasonably priced and all are readily available for anyone considering film photography or wanting to add to their collection.

These five African American photographers have made a lasting impact on photography. They were trailblazers who forged the path that others followed. They gave authentic voices to communities often underrepresented and greatly contributed to documenting the complexity of the human condition.

Japan is still 67% covered in forest. Not surprisingly, the Japanese coined the phrase forest bathing 森林浴 (shinrin-yoku). Forest bathing is simply spending time in nature to recharge, revitalize, and reconnect. If you are familiar with the works of the American essayist and naturalist Henry David Thoreau, he espoused the same ideas more than 100 years ago. Our critical need to reconnect with nature has only increased with urbanization and diminishing green spaces.

The Leica thread mount Canon 50mm f/1.4 is widely referred to as the Japanese Summilux. This is both deserved praise and a disservice. Praise because it speaks to its optical quality, and a disservice because it subtly implies that the Canon was nothing more than a Japanese copy of the German original. However, Canon’s 50mm predates Leica’s venerable lens by about two years.

Full disclosure; I’m a camera freak, jumping from brand to brand, going from digital to film, and experimenting with different formats. I have no shame. I love cameras. I love photography. I am not loyal to any brand or format.