Charles Socci Dot Com

I’ve had a long affair with cameras and making images. My first was a plastic Kodak camera that took 126 cartridge film which had a square format and I don’t even think they make it any more.

When I was 11 the interest really took hold of me and I bought a Minolta Hi-Matic F which got me in to 35mm. I took tons of images on tri-x and plus-x and submitted them to Boy’s Life magazine for critique. The photography editor wrote me back and told me what was good about them and very gently what was not.

What I lacked in the Minolta range finder I sought to find in an SLR. I lusted for a new Nikon F2. What I got was a Minolta SRT-101 with a 50mm f/1.7. Suddenly I was really able to see depth-of-field and compose close-ups much easier than before. The feeling of composing and shooting thorough-the-lens is something that has always felt right to me.

In junior high I built a basic black and white darkroom and started processing my own film and prints. I accomplished this on my own; though my own reading of how-to. I was also able to pick up a Nikon FM around that time with an f/1.8 I think. Of course I wanted the f/1.4 but couldn’t afford it.

That camera got stolen and then for the next twenty-plus years I used an Olympus OM-1.

 When I left the music business and started doing well in the computer business I purchased a Leica M6 and a few lenses. The sharpness and contrast were really stunning. I wanted more so I went to a Mamiya 7 and then to 4×5 and 8×10.

The thing with the Leica was the ‘look’ of the image, the ease of handling, the build quality and the optics. But I just really missed that feeling of seeing through the viewfinder. The same was true of the Mamiya 7. I picked up a 645 SLR but it just didn’t feel secure to me off the tripod. What I’m saying is I really needed a hand-holdable SLR.

During the time of all my gear-hopping; digital photo technology was racing past milestone after milestone. I sold almost all my other gear and bought a Canon EOS 20-D and several lenses. I’ve been incredibly happy with it.

 I still shoot 4×5 sometimes - but I don’t print larger than maybe 16×20 inches - and at that size its hard to see the difference sometimes… At least when you compare a tripod mounted, cable released, mirror locked digital print with the 4×5 (mount, cable assumed) One can shoot multiple frames to get over exposure latitude issues in digital. Photoshop is an amazing tool Its also so much easier to set up and tear down gear, or change configurations and filters that I hardly ever shoot anything except digital any more.

My motivation to shoot comes and goes. Its usually a matter of opportunity. I don’t like shooting images I know other people are shooting. So first I have to feel like bringing my gear with me and then I have to see something that inspires me to shoot. Then again I’m constantly surprised by how clever some of the shots are on sites like Flickr of even the most mundane objects. You can view some of my own photos on flickr here.

(the photo above is me, at age 11 taking a self-portrait with my Hi-Matic F)