Last Modified: June 27, 1999
I am not going to waste your time with silly "under construction" icons or images here. Theoretically, the entire World Wide Web is ALWAYS under construction. It is just that some pages are farther along than others. This series of pages are just being started in August 1997.
I hope to put a number of things on these pages. I want to include some of my insights into various aspects of photography, and to include a sort of a FAQ page that will include some of the responses I have given to people that have asked me questions in the past.
I hope that you can find somethings that educate you, or stimulate you to think.
I like to describe my photographic style as "Isolationist". I usually try to isolate the main subject in some fashion. This draws the viewer into the photograph and involves then in the photograph. I try to eliminate the extraneous stuff that can clutter a picture.
I try to use either very plain backgrounds, or ones that are relatively uniform in general tones so as to minimize the distractions. A series of trees or shrubs can have a lot of minute detail, but if it is all generally the same green, then it tends to come across as a plain green background. Another method I use is to zoom in tight on the subject and to render the background blurry through the use of larger apertures. At public places I have been known to wait for long periods of time to try to keep the backgrounds free of extraneous people, cars etc.
It can be difficult to minimize the distractions when you are shooting landscapes, but in that case, the landscape IS the subject, so the important thing is to highlight the proper key areas of interest, and to eliminate any elements that "don't belong". The Country Road picture is one of my favorites, and my brother-in-law is hiding behind one of the trees on the right so that he is not an unwelcome element in the frame.
Click here to see my personal Gallery with a few of my photographs.
Click here to see a list of my camera equipment
I shoot mostly color print film, and I tend to lean towards the Kodak films such as Royal Gold 100. This is my current film of choice for most situations. I have used Fuji films in the past, and I have nothing against those films, but the Kodak is slightly more readily available, and I have always been pleased with the results.
For low light and indoor situations, I have been using Fuji Super G Plus. It is an ISO 800 speed film that has finer grain than most 400 speed films, and almost as fine grain as some of the 100 speed films on the market. (reference film comparisons in Photo Graphic magazine) This film has been very useful for those situations where the light is real low, but flash is not allowed, or the distance to the subject is large.
For Black and White film I either use T-Max or one of the Ilford films, either the FP4 Plus ISO 125 speed or the 400 Speed. I have not found any really reliable local labs that consistently print B&W well, so I don't shoot very much of it.
I haven't shot enough to really have any valuable opinions, so send me yours.
I have used Kodak VPS and Fuji Reala with good results. Of course, I stick with Polaroid brand film for my instant film requirements.
I am going to put my two cents in here .... 
I hope that you can find some things that help you, educate you, or stimulate you to think.
Feedback or comments? Mail to: John Schultheis / jms@schultheis.org