There was chaos at the feeder today, birds in and out, screaming at each other, but the sparrow was the only one that was calm with a song. So they got a photo.

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Sometimes, to look natural, we create a scene. Found a mushroom, set it up on a log, added some dirt and leaves. Four lights, a camera on a tripod, and 60 photos stacked into one — a technique called focus stacking, where the camera works front to back in small increments until everything you want sharp actually is. Been shooting with older gear lately. Nice to remind myself where the current technology can take me.

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This is the pond at Choate Park in Medway, photographed today, May 31, 2026, around 2 pm.

I have far better shots at this very spot — more than I can count — but none can compare to this one and the 7 others that follow below.

The camera is a Kodak Vest Pocket (KVP), also known as the Soldier’s Camera, because it was wildly popular during the war — The Great War — WW1. Mine is from 1915, one of the first cameras to use 127 film. It has a trapdoor on the back that lets the user etch notes into the film with a stylus after each frame is taken. Mine is still attached. I even have the original advert for it hanging in my studio – ‘Put a Kodak in Your Pocket’ pharmacy promo.

I had not used this camera before today. I spent some time with it this morning getting it into working order. It came to me in decent condition, but being 111 years old, it needed some attention. I took it into the darkroom and checked for light leaks by shining a flashlight through the seals and bellows. I got the shutter loosened up. The viewfinder needs a cleaning, but it served its purpose. Gaffer’s tape over anything suspicious, and I was ready for film.

The film is a story in its own right — one I’m not entirely clear on. I have no memory of where it came from. I believe it was tossed in with a bunch of stuff I picked up at Brimfield, maybe 10 years ago. A never-opened roll of Kodak Verichrome Pan 127, still in the box, expired June 1974.

The original plan was to unroll it, use the backing paper to re-spool modern film onto the old spool, and shoot the camera with something that might actually work. Then it occurred to me — I had nothing to lose. Load the old film. It works, it works. It doesn’t, I still have the spool and backing paper and I try again.

It worked.

My 111-year-old camera, loaded with film that expired 52 years ago. Eight exposures. I had no expectations. I went to my testing ground and tried different settings. This camera doesn’t have settings like most cameras — its apertures are labeled: 1 Near View Portrait, 2 Average View, 3 Distant View, 4 Clouds Marine. Shutter speeds: 25, 50, T, B. I modified my development time to give the old emulsion its best chance, and processed the roll by hand in my darkroom.

I was genuinely shocked when I unrolled the strip and saw real negatives.

The oldest camera and film I’ve ever shot. My first time working with 127. A pain to spool for development. And one of the best projects I’ve ever done. I might pick up more 127 film, or use that backing paper to roll my own — but no matter what I shoot in the future, nothing will match today. Something was created from what I fully expected would be nothing.

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Gear-gathering mode for the trip.

The film side was easy. This trip was inspired by two photographers from the 1950s, and I have my own versions of the cameras they used — Todd Webb’s Rollei 3.5f and Robert Frank’s Leica IIIf. The Widelux panoramic comes along for the ride as well. Film is settled.

The digital side took longer. The first question was whether to bring digital at all. I feel like I need it, but film is the primary medium. Then I considered only shooting the whole trip in black and white. I went back and forth and even seriously considered picking up a bucket-list camera, a Leica M Monochrome, which shoots only in black and white. I went to the Leica store last week and test-drove one for a few hours in Boston Common. I loved it, but I can’t justify it.

That brought me back to the Nikon Zf I have had for a few years, but it doesn’t get enough love. I picked up three adapters—all under $15 each—this week that let me mount lenses from my collection. Manual focus, all dials, retro feel, small enough not to draw attention—with the security of digital files underneath. I can shoot in black and white, with the color option still available with the files. This morning I took it out in the rain with a 1968 Super-Takumar 50mm f/1.4.

These images mean it passed the test, just look at that bokeh. It’s perfect for the trip.

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A few weeks back, I was a guest on The Photowalk with Neale James, recorded over Zoom from England. We talked about my upcoming trip, my collection, and my long history with photography. I was there, I said the words, and somehow I learned something about my own journey in the process.

I am approaching the 30th anniversary of buying my film lab in June 1996. Film is taking a more active role in my work again. The present and the future are converging. I have had a longing to reconnect with friends I have lost to time — the like-minded photographers I used to talk about all of this with. This conversation with Neale came at exactly the right moment to scratch my nostalgia itch.

I am known in a few different ways, most of them tied to a camera in my hand. School and sports photos, weddings, seniors, families, pets. Volcanoes and waterfalls. The drone up for a different view. The toy photos, for those who remember. I was told early on to pick a lane. I never listened. I travel many roads, forget about lanes. I have met incredible people, seen remarkable things, and experienced opportunities I never could have imagined — all because I hold a camera.

That conversation has inspired me to finally launch the podcast, ‘The Contact Sheet’, which I have been planning for years. I look forward to sharing more on that soon. For now, you can find me in episodes #531 and #533 of The Photowalk — links below.

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The Photowalk site: https://photowalk.show/

Episode: #531 “FAILING IS A BIG PART OF PHOTOGRAPHY, I LOVE TO FAIL!”

Episode: #533 WELCOME ABOARD THE TIME MACHINE