Great Expectations

"The limitations of photography are in yourself, for what we see is only what we are." -- Ernst Haas   "A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed." -- Richard Avedon   In this episode, Ward opens with a deep dive into his Lightroom library, explaining how “hunting” for decisive moments differs from “fishing” for happy accidents—and proving the point with a newly-found two-way-mirror shot in Japan that almost became digital landfill. The chat drifts into portrait philosophy via Richard Avedon, landing on the idea that real power often comes from stripping a set-up down to tripod, subject, and nerve.   Next up is Fuji’s just-announced X-Half.  Antonio admits he’s already on the preorder list, while Ward likes the film-advance lever but winces at the price.  The boys agree its JPEG-only, half-frame design is less a beginner’s toy than a deliberate hand-cuff for photographers who enjoy working inside tight creative fences—much like the old Fuji GA645 or Antonio’s beloved X-Pro3 .   Antonio contemplates using his medium format Fuji for big-sensor portraits once he touches down in Nebraska, while Ward packs a Rolleicord TLR for some square-format rodeo portraits. On the lo-fi end, Antonio bolts a recycled disposable-camera lens onto his tiny X-M5, declaring that “expectations set to fun” is a perfectly valid image-quality setting for his upcoming road trip.   The episode rounds out with a vintage-photo detour: Antonio uncovers a century-old log-cabin print, and Ward feeds it to ChatGPT, which promptly pinpoints its location and time period. Maybe. That sparks a brainstorm on turning unlabeled family prints into a themed zine instead of consigning them to attic oblivion or the trash.    

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Show Links:

 

Antonio M. Rosario's Website, Vero, Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook page

Ward Rosin’s Website, Vero, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook page.

Ornis Photo Website 

The Unusual Collective

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