Jack Baty

Starting with a clean desk

My home office environment was getting out of hand, clutter-wise. They say that a messy desk is the sign of a creative mind. Maybe so, but I’m more of a tidy desk person. I’ll sometimes notice that I’m easily provoked, frustrated, or otherwise feeling edgy. Then I’

Visual Meditation

I’m not sure I’ll ever be capable of sustaining an ongoing “meditation practice”. The idea of regular meditation is compelling, but after many attempts I’m starting to think it may never stick. This is likely because I’ve not practiced long or consistently enough, but my brain

Holding a Leica M camera

I’ve used many wonderful film cameras from many different systems: From Nikon F to Hasselblad V to Linhof, Olympus OM, etc. They are all great in their own ways, but none of them comes close to making me feel the way I feel when picking up a Leica M

Sold the Leica SL2-S and bought a Leica M10-R

The Leica SL series of cameras are special, but not unique. I had an original SL and then bought the SL2-S when it was released. It’s a capable, well-built, beautiful camera. But, if I’m being honest, it’s just another mirrorless camera system. And it was very expensive.

What makes a good family photograph?

The above photo is a good family photograph. Why? Because it doesn’t just capture members of the family, it captures a family moment. So many family photos are smiling selfies taken at arm’s length. Selfies say, “Here these people are.” but not much more. They’re fine, but

Studio self-portraits

I finished a roll in the MP today by taking a bunch of self-portraits in my basement “studio”. The shots in which you can see both my hands were triggered by stepping on the release bulb. Clever! 🙂 I really like the look of these. They were shot in my basement

The shitty camera with you

The best camera is the one you have with you. Unless it’s a shitty camera. In that case the best camera is the one you left at home. Idiot. – Jack Baty, Twitter 2010

Large Format: Challenges

There are too many things that can go wrong when shooting large format (4×5) film. I made four exposures of my friends Steve and Bryan this afternoon. Two of the four were ruined right off the bat: The first, because I’d left the shutter open when pulling the

The Linhof Master Technika

Anyone who’s dabbled in large format photography knows the name “Linhof”. It’s one of those companies with a long history and a reputation for building some of the best 4×5 field cameras available. I’ve always been curious about them. Are they really “the Leica of large

Which Leica gear to keep?

After a year of buying really nice cameras and lenses, I’ve gotten to a point where I’m feeling the weight of having so much money tied up on photography gear. Some of it has to go. This post is me thinking it through. I hate selling gear. Dealing