Sometimes it takes a rainy day just to let you know everything’s going to be all right. -Cris Williamson

Today’s headline is the first lyric of singer-songwriter Cris Williamson’s song Waterfall, from her legendary album The Changer and the Changed. Fifty years later, it still holds up today.

And it’s kind of an inspiration for today’s blog, as I get back into making my cameras work for me. I need to make sure all four of my primary cameras – my silver Nikon Df, my infrared-modified Nikon Df, my film-packed Nikon F2S (“Nikon Athena”), and my new-to-me Pentacon Six TL – are all ready, rip-roaring and able to capture great images when I go to my 40th college reunion in a couple of weeks.

So while I’m packing and preparing to return to Hamilton College … even saying that out loud still gives me a mixture of anticipation and trepidation … I want to at least make sure my camera gear gets a good run on this trip.

And since I don’t have time to test Nikon Athena right now … I’ll see what the other shooters can provide.

During Mother’s Day weekend, I visited Washington Park and used the Pentacon Six TL to capture some tulips in slide film. Here’s some of the images.

If it hasn’t become evident by now … I’m really digging the Pentacon Six TL.

Now let’s check out some shots with the Petzval-modified Helios 44-2 lens, which should give that swank whirlpool swirly bokeh. Still trying to figure out the optimal distance between the subject matter and the background, but I’m getting closer for sure.

Fantastic, The Nikon Df and the Helios-Petzval lens are sympatico.

Okay, now let’s dust off the Nikon Df that I had modified for full spectrum infrared. I went over yesterday to the Cohoes Falls – honestly, it was the first truly decent sunny day in a while – and first shot the falls with a Kolari Vision infrachrome filter.

Oh that looks like candy.

Now let’s try it with an R72 filter, which should block let light above 720nm into the lens. Give me something good.

Fantastic. All three of these cameras are tuned in like a Jimi Hendrix guitar.

I’ll have to test Nikon Athena later on, just because I’m still thinking about entering a roll of film from that camera into that upcoming “One Roll Project” contest, where you shoot a roll of film and send it – undeveloped – to a competition, and they develop it and decide if one of those images deserves to be in their gallery show.

But yeah … we’re in a good place.

And the past few weeks have been full of rainy days … but as I said before … that just lets you know everything is going to be all right.