R & R: Part 1

The last week or so has been nothing but ice and snow. Not a wise time to be out and about taking photographs. This weather has allowed time to review and reflect on the past years work. Reviewing the "Back Home in Indiana" and the "Lost in the Midwest" images have raised a few questions. While some locations are completed, others are not. As the weather improves, trips will be made to fill in the gaps. In addition to reviewing the images, time has been spent on reflecting about the materials and equipment used to produce these images. Folks in these communities are often wary of a stranger with photographic equipment walking around their city/town. While trying to appear harmless the big camera and large lenses seem a bit much. Enter the Minolta CLE. This camera was introduced in 1980 and only about 34,000 were produced. Minolta and Leica joined forces for a few years to produce the Leica CL (compact Leica). Leica in Germany designed and Minolta in Japan built. As with many relationships, they soon parted. Minolta improved on the original design and the Minolta CLE (compact Leica Electric) was born. Small, lightweight, and fits in a pocket. As the ad on late night television suggests: " a small daily dose so that you can be ready when the moment occurs". Will see if using this camera presents a less frightful appearance. (click on image to enlarge)