Get your kicks on Route 66...

Well goes from St. Louie down to Missouri
Oklahoma city looks oh so pretty
You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino

You know the song... but did you know it's a great place to photograph? It's very small, but packed with interesting old buildings, and if you're into landscapes it can be nice as well.

These photos are mostly old advertisements on the walls in downtown Flagstaff. The first two black & whites are from July 2008 and are from 8x10" film. The next black & white is from July 2007 and is also 8x10" film. This particular image is in an alley that is maybe 18 feet wide. I had my tripod tight and had to use a 210mm lens (very wide angle for 8x10) and stand on a milk crate to focus. This is also an ACTIVE alley. Several cars came down and I had to make sure they didn't hit the tripod. Several passersby stopped and asked about the camera. I was there quite a while and overheard some other passersby say "that guy is STILL there." Anyway, I got the shot, then switched to the 4x5" camera for a few more.

The color shots are digital, but I do plan on going back and shooting color with the 4x5".

Summertime... and the living is easy

I actually made a lot of photographs this summer, here in Phoenix. The summer hasn't been too bad... only a few days over 110. Usually I'm downtown by 6:30 AM so it's still kind of "not really hot yet" at that time.

Below are a few photographs made with my Arca-Swiss 8x10" camera. Some are from downtown; some are from the area between Camelback Rd. and McDowell Rd from 24th St. to 40th St.; some are from Grand Ave. out by the "Big Tin Shed"; and there's one from Hackberry, AZ, out on old Rt. 66 before you get to Kingman.

These are just scans of the 8x10" film as I haven't printed them yet. Please take a look at them and let me know what you think.

I can't take it anymore and I am running for President of the United States!

I have had it with all these stupid politicians. First they unfairly target people who work hard, and waste money doing so. They send me letters about the Economic Stimulus program, but at the end of the letter tell me I don't qualify for the package. Now, Obama wants to put me in the poor house.

So, as of today, August 23, 2008, I announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America. I believe there are no skeletons in my closet (George and Mike, how much to keep you both quiet?). I think I can get past the Naturalized Citizen thing... my father was serving this great country in Great Britain, where I was born, and I believe is not a terrorist nation.

So, join me to help save this great country. We will need to start taking contributions immediately if we are to make this happen. Send a PayPal payment to rich@rcodaphotography.com. All donations will be re-donated to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

Thank you, my fellow Americans, and God Bless the United States of America!

Getting Abstract... Again

No matter what I attempt to photograph, I always seem to come back to abstraction in some form or another. Below are some recent photos from my Flagstaff summer trips and from the Caljet Fuel Tank Farm from last week.

In Flagstaff, my daughter was taking a watercolor class and they had an outing to the Arizona Pioneer Museum. My wife and I tagged along so we could get my daughter some lunch, and take her back to the hotel if she got bored (which she did). Anyway, the Coconino Center for the Arts is right next door. They have a handicapped ramp that looked very interesting. I used a long lens (450mm) on the 4x5 to compress the space even more and create this bizarre collection of lines.



From the Caljet facility, I was drawn to the unfinished tanks, especially the details and juxtaposition between the rusted and unrusted portions. I would call these "industrial abstracts" and I am very pleased with them. I would like to do more in this style.



Also from the Caljet facility is a 4x5 shadow abstract. The steps that wind their way up and around the tanks created very strong shadows in the early morning. I'll be posting more of these soon.

Fueling my Photography...

I saw an article in the paper a week ago about this fuel tank farm in Phoenix, and a company called Caljet. They have some new tanks under construction and I thought it might make a good location to photograph. I contacted the owner, Dave, and explained what I wanted to do. Graciously, he invited me down this morning. After getting the tour early this morning I was allowed free roam. Dave is a very nice guy.

It's a very interesting place. The directional morning light allowed for some great shadows on the tanks. I can only imagine what evening light would be like. I hope to go again on an afternoon to find out. Got some very cool "industrial" type shots with rust being the dominant color.

Tally for the day: four 8x10 BW, three 4x5 color, and two 4x5 BW. Nine shots in 3 hours... not bad.

I will post photos as soon as they are processed.

Color, Color Everywhere...

For someone who is color blind and never had any success with color, I am absolutely loving it now that I have discovered the "color zone system."

Below are some (quick and dirty) scans of some recent 4x5" work. I welcome your comments. Enjoy!

ULF (Ultra Large Format)!

Ultra Large Format (ULF)...
definition: cameras which use film sizes larger than 8x10".

I have joined the "big boys" club. My custom Arca Swiss/Canham 11x14" back just came in last week. This will allow me to simply switch backs on my Arca 8x10" camera and jump up to the next size. The camera itself is very light, not much more than the 8x10" back itself.





I plan on making 11x14" contact prints from the negatives I make with the camera. No need to enlarge these! I think the 11x14" size is optimum for contact prints.

I can't wait to start using this camera! I will post action shots and print scans once I have some to share.

Photos: Rod Klukas