Happy New Year !

As I head off to have my last vanilla latte of 2007 with my friend Josh, I wanted to wish you all peace, love and happiness in 2008.

2007 was a rough year for some of us. 2008 will be better !

I suspect 2008 is going to be a great year for me and one of many changes.

Again, peace love and happiness to all.

Merry Christmas

Just a quick note before I run off to Santa Fe.

Happy Holidays to everyone.

Peace Love and Happiness

Chamonix - finally

For those of you who might not know or who are in the market for a 4x5 camera, there is a new camera maker name Chamonix.

The cameras are hand made in China by a small group of craftsmen. The cameras are made of maple or mahogany as well as aluminum and carbon fiber.

The 45N-1 4x5 camera weighs under 4 pounds without the lens.

I believe there to be about a 6 month wait for this camera. A batch of them have been ordered and have just come into the USA. The frenzy can be read about here.

The camera sells for $699 plus shipping. It is well made and super light. It has plenty of movements and many clever details.

Mine finally arrived this morning about 11am.

One arrived. One to come.

The newly tuned Canham arrived a few minutes ago.

I am happy to have it but I am much more excited about
the Chamonix that seems to be vacationing in San Francisco.

I am going crazy. About 40 of them were shipped to the USA,
and many have already been received to rave reviews. New York,
Washington DC, Dallas.

So I'll mess with the Canham and start a review that I am
about to write.

Impatient

I am sitting at home waiting for two cameras to arrive.

The first is a KB Canham 4x5 that shipped from Mesa Arizona a couple of
days ago.

The second is a Chamonix 4x5 that shipped from China on Friday.

I really anxious for either one of these to show up.

The Chamonix is showing as clearing customs this morning so I have
no idea when it will arrive.

I got the Canham about a week ago and then sent it back to the back
to have a tune up done on it.

So I sit here stirring.

WHERE IS THE MAIL MAN?!!?!?!?!?!

Good news....

"Lamy from the Cerro Colorado, 2004"

Good news...

I found out today that the above photo will be included in a show
at the Palace of the Governors and will be included in the book
that will accompany the show.

More details to come.

A nice weekend

I went up to Santa Fe on Friday night to go to the Radius Books opening party. This is an art book company founded by Darius Himes. This is a giant step for Darius. I am sure he will succeed.


This is me, Darius and Norman Mauskopf.

I got a ride up from Jim Stone, all around amazing guy and great photographer. Jim knows just about everyone in the photo world and it's always good to be around him at these kind of events because you will always meet new people.


This is Jim Stone and Ed Ranney. Nice smile Ed.






Then on Saturday night, the UNM Graduate Art Program had a silent auction to benefit the graduate catalog. Like last year, I bid on one of Jim's prints and again like last year, I won. This time it is a silver gelatin print entitled "Desert Home: Ferguson Lake, Arizona". It's made from a Polaroid Type 55 large format negative and probably won't be made as a silver gelatin print ever again. Lucky Me!!! I was also told it has been purchased by several collections including the Smithsonian. Cool.

Amelia and I also bid on several other things but were out bid at the last minute. Oh well. We did our part.

Here is Andrew Crooks, in front of his work.










And here is Julia Sapir cheating.