Toward the end of last summer, while I was eating under the trees at Holden Arboretum with Chef Ben and his wife Jackie, they mentioned  that in their search for a new kitchen, they found a whole restaurant.   I asked if they were going to need any art to decorate the place but at that point they weren’t exactly sure since it was all so new.  Fast forward to late this winter and I get a call from Jackie asking if I had anything they could use.  She described the style they had in mind and my heart sank.  I knew I just didn’t have it in my portfolio.  The best way to describe it would be a late fall/early winter harvest type of imagery.  And with Cleveland not exactly having a typical snowy winter I didn’t see much opportunity to go out and capture some pictures that would fit the need.

Then, just two days before Christmas it snowed.  I also just happened to find myself out in eastern Ohio farm country.  Luck was on my side.  A few hours in the car and I had what I hoped they were looking for and it turns out that I did.

Just last Tuesday the restaurant opened up.  The prints made it there that day and are on display until Spring.  Stop down, grab a bite to eat and check them out!

These were all taken with my 5dmkII and a 20mm or 100mm Macro lens. While the last posts were about shooting film and waiting to see what I would get after developing it. I was really interested in looking for the finer details in Stebbin’s and that’s why so many of these are macro shots. I’ve been there before with wider lenses and I’ve captured the landscapes shots. This was my first time in with a macro lens and I wanted to take the opportunity to get a fresh angle on things.

That’s it! I have to pick a dozen or so of these shots to have critiqued by Ian next week. Have any favorites from this series of posts that you think I should include?

This was the final shot in the last post. I’m standing in the exact same spot – just different camera, lens and film.

Next post will bring us back to the current age of digital SLRs and color photography! I promise!

I found this camera at a flea market this summer for $5 in the original box with the manual.  I guess it’s a rare model that was around from 1940-1942.  In 1943 Kodak added a flash sync connection and that model is much more available.  The other interesting thing is that this is a 127 film format camera.  Not easy stuff to find these days.  Fortunately, the good people at B&H Photo still sell it and I’m glad they do because I love the images this camera makes.  They are instantly nostalgic – dusty and scratchy, quirky little lens anomalies.  In this case, the roll didn’t sit quite right and you can even seen the image number in each shot.

Later this week I’ll post shots from the AE-1 and the 5dmkII.    Shortly after that LoC will return to it’s regular programming of families and weddings!

This was also my first visit to Whiskey Island. What a great location. This is such a great place for a portrait session – Senior Photos, Engagement, Wedding. Can’t wait to get back there again!