Bill Smith's Photography

 Awenda doesn't have the spectacular landscape you're going to get inside Algonquin Park, or Mono Cliffs or Boyne River for that matter. There is however something magical about this place that just calms the soul during these interesting times. I now want to go back next year with colour film and see what I get during peak fall colours.  The only downside is the time window, it's a two drive from Oakville, the day trip has to start early.   Minolta XD, MD Rokkor X lenses.  Film: Ilford HP5 400, ID-11 1+1. 

I'm thankful that Ontario Provincial Parks are open for day hikers, my game plan is to do week day hikes through the Summer and get my dose of nature while I can.  This trip was with my friends Alex and James from the Classic Camera Revival, we all arrived in separate cars, and kept at least six feet/two metres apart as per public health guidelines. It was good to get out even though I wasn't entirely in control of the itinerary. The game plan is to come back and shoot with black and white film, most likely my new favourite for hiking Bergger Pancro 400, failing that maybe some Ilford HP5.  Mono Cliffs the hamlet was quiet, but it was early in the week and the Mono Cliffs Inn is still closed for renovations due to kitchen fire  pre pandemic. I hope they pull through because I love the Inn's menu and I've taken a lot of friends up there for lunch, and, you can work lunch off by hiking back to the car.  The other thing I plan to do this Summer is use up my Portra 400 s...

Spring is taking its time this year, and with all that snow from this past winter and the rain in April and May, there is the return of "Once a Century"flooding now every two years. What makes for great photography raises questions on should we dropping a ton of money to repair shoreline parks when we should be maybe re-landscape to take into account higher spring water levels are here to stay in the Great Lakes region and along the St. Lawerence River. I also gave my minolta lens kit a workout using eveything from tele photo zooms to 28mm wide angles to a 50mm Macro lens. I also want to keep the Minolta MC/MD lens mount system below the radar just a little bit longer, there are a few more peices I want before prices can go into the stratosphere like everything else. This is the second roll of film I've shot through with the SRT 200, part of me wants to trade the camera in for a SRT 202 I know that's out there. I'm on the fence. If the 202 is still where it i...

What a difference cool weather makes, the crowds are gone until the spring. It was an opportunity to test two lenses in my Minolta Line up while on the Toronto Film Shooters FB Group meetup, first, the MD Rokkor 50 f3.5 Macro lens, with the metal vine leaves and vulture it performed nicely. Now the real surprise was the MD 75-150 F4 zoom, a lens from the X-570 and X700 era and kind of overlooked. Looking at what I got at the bottom along Lakeshore Avenue, this lens Leica should have slapped an R mount on for their SLR system. Camera: Minolta XD, MD Rokkor X 50 f1.7, 50 f3.5 Macro lens, MC Rokkor X 28 f2.8 lens, MD 75-150 F4 Zoom Lens. Film: Kodak Portra 400