Calistoga with the Pentax K2

Since receiving my Pentax K2 back from Eric Hendrickson with the split image focus screen modification, this nifty camera has become one of my favorite shooters. The K2 was, for a short while, the top 35mm SLR in the Pentax line, only surrendering that position to the amazing LX pro body in 1980.

I took my K2 and SMC Pentax 50mm f/1.2 lens, loaded with Kodak ProImage 100 film, out for a Sunday walk around Calistoga, California. It was a pleasant day with lots of warm sunshine. I sent this roll off to Boutique Film Lab for processing and scanning and tried their full frame scanning option which adds an interesting border to the images.

I like the border effect on the images, but it made me realize how much I have depended on the crutch of post production in my photography. I need to spend more time thinking and composing. In the back of my mind, there is always this little voice that tells me that everything can be fixed in post. Perhaps a little more time visualizing before clicking the shutter will make me a better photographer.

I went back to my digital crutch for this last shot, a selfie in the window of an oyster bar.

I am beginning to really like Kodak Pro Image 100 film. I have no idea what it is and opinions vary widely on the internet, but it renders colors nicely, has fine grain and scans well. And the K2 is such a joy to use now with the split image screen!