Author: Randy Wells

FOCAL LENGTH

OK, let’s talk focal length (FL) on a full-frame 35mm camera.

14 and 15mm: The widest angle FL has traditionally been a 14mm lens. This exotic optic is available in a rectilinear design so it can reproduce straight lines as straight, yet it “stretches” the subject. It is limited in it’s usefulness but can be indispensable for certain situations. 15mm is the next widest FL and commonly designed as a fisheye (non-rectilinear) lens. Again, very limited in its use, with much more barrel distortion (think ‘60s pop art). Continue reading “”

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Ireland. A land of green. A great travel destination for the summer. I’ve only been as close as England and Scotland, but my dad loved it when he visited. It’s on my to do list along with Iceland, and several other countries. In the meantime, I’ll be content with a small patch of paradise in the Pacific NW. Continue reading “”

HIGH-PERFORMANCE SAFETY

Thanks to Rob Bhatt and Sue Boylan for featuring my photography in the March/April issue of AAA Journey Magazine. The article written by Rob focuses on the six most important driving lessons as taught by ProFormance Racing School at Pacific Raceways in Washington. Hanging out with everyone was a hoot! Continue reading “”

ROME’S SISTINE CHAPEL

Born March 6, 1475 in Italy, Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel between 1508 and 1512. This commission from Pope Julius II portrayed the twelve apostles and had a profound influence on the development of Western art. Michelangelo was given complete artistic freedom on this project. Continue reading “”

GO HAWKS!

Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks football team for their first ever Super Bowl win!

I would have loved to be there to photograph the ticker tape parade, just like I was there in 1979 when Seattle’s Super Sonics basketball team became world champions, but I don’t like the thought of unruly crowds. Continue reading “”

FROM COURT AND SPARK TO NIGHT RIDE HOME

Released 40 years ago this month, Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark was her first album in almost two years.

Mitchell infused her singer-songwriter folk-rock music with jazz inflections played by session musicians. The result was her most successful commercial effort ever. The album reached No. 2 in the United States in 1974 and eventually sold over 2 million copies. The recent WB 180 gram LP is a sublime reissue. Continue reading “”

AN OBSERVATION

“We live in a world that values easy solutions to complex problems. And buying [photographic] gear on specifications is such a solution. Further, instant pop culture has destroyed the ability of most people to appreciate nuance, delicacy and detail, values which require dedication and emotional commitment, and which are only revealed over time.”

“Finally, I submit that obsessive preoccupation with technical specifications is a masculine peculiarity, which values linear left- brain thinking over holistic right-brain feeling. Perhaps this explains why women are often into pinhole and antique cameras while men are intent upon acquiring the sharpest lenses and latest, most technically advanced equipment.”

“Unfortunately, most photographers have become slaves to sharpness and rate a lens solely on that basis, instead of on character, which is a subjective quality and cannot be quantified.”

-Peter Hughes

Continue reading “”

THE ARCHITECT

I guess it can be told that I had a walk on part in a film called “The Architect” to be released in 2016. Directed by Jonathan Parker (a very nice man), I played a photographer of all things!

My wife volunteered me for the small non-speaking extra role, and I was somehow chosen. “The Architect” is about a husband and wife who are longing to build their dream home only to have those plans crushed when their architect builds his ideal home instead. Continue reading “”

THE LAST 959

Excellence Magazine just featured an article of mine on the final Porsche 959 built. This 450 hp twin-turbocharged “time capsule” was recently U.S. dealer prepared after 25 years off the road. It was reconditioned, detailed, and is now being driven regularly on public streets. What an amazing 1000 km car this is – eclipsed by more modern variants (like the Carrera GT), but arguably easier to drive at the limit. Continue reading “”