I currently have an ultra-wide film panoramic film camera, my Krasnogorsk FT-2 35mm Soviet camera that I’ve colloquially nicknamed “Raskolnikov.” It’s a hit-and-miss camera; sometimes the photos are incredible, sometimes they’re just meh. I want more than meh. With that in mind, there are three options for the type of super-ultra-wide camera I desire. There’s…
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Results from the Saratoga County Fair Photography Competition, 2026
Tuesday night. Finished up all my things at the day job, jumped into my Chevrolet and drove up I-87. On a Tuesday night. Why not? Well, the plan is to see how my nine artworks did at the Saratoga County Fair’s Photography Competition. This is my first year entering this show, so this is a…
Read MoreReturn of the Raskolnikov Bowtie
I’ve developed a routine with my vintage super-ultra-wide film camera, the Ukrainian-crafted Krasnogorsk FT-2 35mm shooter that I’ve colloquially nicknamed “Raskolnikov” – partially because it’s a reference to the main protagonist in a Dostoyevsky novel, and partially because it’s the barnyard expletive Boris Badenov mutters whenever moose and squirrel escape him. When this camera works,…
Read MorePicking myself up and dusting myself off
After giving myself plenty of time to recover from failing at the Iowa State Fair’s photography salon for the second consecutive year (ugh), I received a “Call for Art” message in my Facebook feed. Specifically, this message. The Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts has an upcoming juried photography show that hopes to showcase the…
Read MoreThe postcard from Iowa, 2026 edition
Way back in 2014, at the suggestion of one of my blog readers, I submitted entries for the Iowa State Fair’s photography competition. All my entries were rejected. Tried again in 2015. More rejections. I skipped 2016 – I didn’t feel like risking three rejections in a row. Then, in 2017, I tried again. And…
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The Empire State Plaza Fireworks show for 2026
I’ve photographed the amazing pyrotechnics performance at the Empire State Plaza for nearly 15 years. I’ve shot from various angles, I’ve tried various techniques. But my problem with capturing the fireworks is always the same. Either I’ve got the camera in such an angle that the Empire State Plaza towers bend inwards, or there’s so…
Read MoreSelf-Portrait at 6:00 a.m.
To understand this photograph … you have to know my bedroom / office. Not “know” in the Biblical sense. Get your mind out of the gutter. My desktop computer is in my bedroom, and I have a window that greets the rising sun behind me as I type the morning’s blog post. Sometimes the early…
Read MoreThe difference between professional and amateur
Let’s get this out of the way right now. A professional photographer is one who is paid for their work. An amateur photographer is one that takes photos and does not get paid for the results. This is an important distinction. Because I do sell my photos, and I have taken photos as part of…
Read MoreA new competition(s) for Competition Season 2026
I hadn’t initially thought about the Saratoga County Fair’s photo show. Maybe because I was too busy looking at my other options for my photos. But after some careful prospectus examination, I decided that this year, I would give this fair a try. One time. One chance. If I liked what happened, if I felt…
Read MoreThree planets, two stars, one moon, and a plaza
Last night, I witnessed an amazing astrological event. And I have a photo to prove it. Background. A few months ago, I tried capturing a lunar eclipse from the overlook of a hotel in East Greenbush. I got through a portion of the eclipse, but just as the big show began, a series of thick…
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Chuck The Writer 
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