Julius Shulman’s spiritual successor.
A fine piece in The Guardian reminds us not only of the excitement and originality which pervaded American architecture in the 1960s, it also exposes the work of Ezra Stoller whom I regard as the spiritual descendant of the great Julius Shulman.
You can see more of Stoller’s work by clicking the image below:
Stoller was a graduate of NYU, naturally.
Let’s hope.
The Panasonic GX7 has been my ‘go to’ snapper for the past five years. It’s hard to imagine a small body and outstanding lens line-up being improved for street snapping. Mine started life with the 14-45mm kit zoom from the ground breaking Panasonic G1, an outstanding lens if a tad roughly executed. That gave way to the Olympus 17mm MFT optic which was eventually replaced by the slightly bulkier Panasonic 12-35mm pro zoom which brought a fixed f/2.8 maximum aperture and greatly improved mechanical quality over the original kit zoom. Mounted on the GX7 it makes for the perfect combination, adequate for 95% of what I snap.
In recent weeks the market has seen the announcement of two very credible Nikon full frame offerings and a distinctly underwhelming Canon body (tired old sensor, no full frame 4K recording and – wait for it – no IBIS) which we need not dwell upon here. The Nikon Z6 and Z7 promise to integrate well with old Nikon lenses, except for the first AF/AF D series where AF is lost. But for this heavy user of old ‘metal era’ MF Nikkors, some of the finest lenses ever made, it’s a very tempting proposition, adding IBIS and preserving EXIF data recording with chipped lenses.
But there’s another exciting rumor making the rounds and that is the possibility that Panasonic may introduce a full frame mirrorless body.
Little is known of this rumored body but the potential is thrilling. Whatever lens mount Panny elects – maybe Leica M given their technical association with Leica these many years – you can bet that the flange-to-sensor distance will be very slim as there’s no space needed for a flapping mirror. This makes adapting of other makers’ lenses a simple matter. And Panny, being smart, would likely market an adapter for its superb MFT lenses working in MFT format mode, extending their utility value. After all, the magic of MFT is not in the small bodies but in the small lenses that they sport. No FF lens will ever overcome the rule of physics – they will always be larger to cover the full frame. If Panny does not market it you can leave it to the aftermarket to quickly come up with a Nikon F lens adapter. And Panny has class leading video in its Gx series MFT bodies so the opportunity to take on the full frame pro market is very appealing.
Let’s hope this rumor comes true as no one knows more about making mirrorless SLRs than Panasonic. Either way, the modern snapper has never had a better choice of hardware.
Rural and quiet.
Brattleboro is a small town of 12,000 in a state with just 600,000 residents and one which is almost exclusively white, having been settled by the English, Scots and Irish in the 18th century, doubtless all hewing to the awful winter weather.
It’s my favorite place to stay when visiting my son at school as it’s just across the border from Massachusetts and accommodation is plentiful, along with some fine restaurants.
The north European look of many of the buildings here may lack the pristine quality of the Scandinavians’ efforts and the roads are every bit as deserted and the scenery a treat to the eye.
Panny GX7, 12-35mm pro zoom.
In Wilmington, VT.
Panny GX7, 12-35mm pro zoom.
At Amherst College.
For an alphabetical index of the New England College series of pieces, click here.
Unlike its public school neighbor across the road – U Mass Amherst with some 30,000 students – Amherst College is small at 2,000 and private. It is rivaled only by Colgate for the beauty of its setting.
Like many of the great private colleges in New England, Amherst boasts a superb art collection, most pieces donated by successful alumni. The small display space in Amherst’s Mead Art Museum can house maybe 200 items, and does not do the collection of 8,000 pieces justice.
As Amherst College is but 30 minutes south of Northfield Mount Hermon, my son’s prep school, I always try to drop by when in Massachusetts to check out their latest exhibition.
The entrance to the Museum, with Stearns Steeple at left. The steeple is mercifully
the last remnant of the College’s religious origins. Religion should have no rôle in education.
The entrance piece for the ‘Time is Everything’ exhibition.
Harold Edgerton’s famous 1964 image from his MIT days shows a bullet passing through an apple.
When a student at University College, London in 1976 I used his exact technique to determine
the speed of high speed grit particles impacting and eroding polymers, the subject of my senior dissertation.
It’s quite likely I used a stroboscope from the same manufacturer, America’s Perkin-Elmer.
Time has many manifestations. This magnificent grandfather clock by Isaac Gere dates form the 1794/95.
The Mead’s meeting room is beyond spectacular.
Another view of the ‘Time’ exhibition.
“Fragmented Identities: The Gendered Roles of Women in Art Through the Ages” is a small side show.
The painting at left with the idealized image of the young woman is by William-Adolphe
Bouguereau (‘Boo-zhou-row’), a 19th century academic painter much beloved by the Victorians whose
awfulness is now enjoying a serious renaissance for reasons lost on me.
The Mead changes its exhibits about every semester and is always worth a visit. As for Amherst College, it ranks up there with Williams, also in MA, for academic excellence. Many aver it’s as good as or better than anything the eight Ivy League schools (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth and Penn) offer. The beauty of the setting alone is worth a few points on your ACT score.
Panny GX7, 12-35mm pro zoom.