Great Expectations

2025-05-30

"The limitations of photography are in yourself, for what we see is only what we are."-- Ernst Haas "A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed."-- Richard Avedon In this episode, Ward opens with a deep dive into his Lightroom library, explaining how “hunting” for decisive moments differs from “fishing” for happy accidents—and proving the point with a newly-found two-way-mirror shot in Japan that almost became digital landfill. The chat drifts into portrait philosophy ...

"The limitations of photography are in yourself, for what we see is only what we are."
-- Ernst Haas

"A photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed."
-- Richard Avedon

In this episode, Ward opens with a deep dive into his Lightroom library, explaining how “hunting” for decisive moments differs from “fishing” for happy accidents—and proving the point with a newly-found two-way-mirror shot in Japan that almost became digital landfill. The chat drifts into portrait philosophy via Richard Avedon, landing on the idea that real power often comes from stripping a set-up down to tripod, subject, and nerve.

Next up is Fuji’s just-announced X-Half. Antonio admits he’s already on the preorder list, while Ward likes the film-advance lever but winces at the price. The boys agree its JPEG-only, half-frame design is less a beginner’s toy than a deliberate hand-cuff for photographers who enjoy working inside tight creative fences—much like the old Fuji GA645 or Antonio’s beloved X-Pro3 .

Antonio contemplates using his medium format Fuji for big-sensor portraits once he touches down in Nebraska, while Ward packs a Rolleicord TLR for some square-format rodeo portraits. On the lo-fi end, Antonio bolts a recycled disposable-camera lens onto his tiny X-M5, declaring that “expectations set to fun” is a perfectly valid image-quality setting for his upcoming road trip.

The episode rounds out with a vintage-photo detour: Antonio uncovers a century-old log-cabin print, and Ward feeds it to ChatGPT, which promptly pinpoints its location and time period. Maybe. That sparks a brainstorm on turning unlabeled family prints into a themed zine instead of consigning them to attic oblivion or the trash.

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Show Links:

Antonio M. Rosario's Website, Vero, Instagram, Bluesky, and Facebook page

Ward Rosin’s Website, Vero, Bluesky, Instagram and Facebook page.

Ornis Photo Website

The Unusual Collective

Street Shots Facebook Page

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