Christmas Gift - Field Company No. 8 Cast Iron Skillet

I received a Field Company No. 8 cast iron skillet from my daughter and future son-in-law as a Christmas Gift!  It is beautiful!

If you are looking for a very smooth surfaced cast iron skillet, you would be hard pressed to find a better one than a Field Company skillet!  For modern skillets, most are very rough in cooking surface (check out modern Lodge skillets!) but there are a number of American companies now offering their versions of how cast iron was made in the past.

I have many skillets from vintage companies like Griswold and Lodge and even a Blacklock skillet (my oldest skillet) and I gave away my vintage Wagner-Ware skillets to my future son-in-law.  He returned the favor by getting me this modern Field Company skillet!  What a beauty!  It is no doubt the smoothest cast iron skillet I now own.

I'm going to season all of my cast iron skillets today.  It's not that hard to do, but a necessity if you own cast iron.  I highly suggest following the instructions of my Facebook buddy Jeff Rogers - The Culinary Fanatic.  Check out this instructional video! and also the second half of this video.

Thanks to my daughter and future son-in-law for the extravagent gift!

Willow Creek North Shore Church - Christmas Program

This year's Christmas service was mainly Christmas songs and a nice message from Pastor Amy Mikal.  A choir was off to stage left, but we could barely hear them over the worship band.  Still, it was good singing the songs.  As always, a good service at Willow Creek North Shore Church!

I took these images with my Nikon D850 and a Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRii lens from the back of the church auditorium.  Usually it is best standing in the back of a room to minimize getting in people's way and to get better shots.  Images were taken in Aperture Priority at f2.8.  Exposure Compensation was needed to get the right exposures.

What's Currently In My Camera Case?

It has been a while since I talked about what I have in my camera case!

Here's a list of what I typically bring with me in my Pelican 1510 case when I go on a field shoot:

Nikon D850
Vello BG-N19-2 Battery Grip
(2) Nikon EN-EL15a batteries
Nikon MH-25a Battery Charger
Lexar 64 GB XQD card (440 MB/S)
Sony 64 GB SF-G64/T1 SDXC UHS-II Class 10 U3 card (299 MB/S)
Sony MRW-E90 XQD Card Reader
Extra SD cards and XQD cards
Balanced Exposure Custom White Balance Reflector
Nikon 16mm f2.8D Fisheye Lens
Nikon 50mm f1.4 Lens
Nikon 14-24mm f2.8 Lens
Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 Lens
Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII Lens
Nikon TC-17EII Teleconverter
Nikon 60mm f2.8 Micro Lens
Nikon SB-800 Flash
Nikon MC-30 Remote Shutter Release Cable
Generic Radio Frequency Wireless Shutter Release transmitter / receiver
Nikon SC-28 Remote Flash Cable
Various Microfiber Cloths
Demb Flash Diffuser Pro
Giottos Medium Rocket Blaster Dust Removal Blower
Minolta Auto Meter VF - Incident Light / Flash Meter
Hoya 77mm Variable Neutral Density Filter
B&W 77mm Circular Polarizing Filter
Lux Pro LP290V2 LED Flash Light
Extra AA and AAA Batteries (Kirkland and Rayovac brands)
Evidence Rulers
Bubble Level

I also carry backup camera bodies, flash, stands, tripods, stands, studio flashes, etc... outside of the case, but this list is what's currently in my case. I feel this is enough equipment to get me through most situations. I bring additional gear if and when the job requires it. Also, each lens has a UV filter on it for protecting the lens. Lenses also have lens hoods.

A Digitally Converted 6x6 cm Medium Format Color Slide Shot From The Past

This is Jennifer.  She worked at the San Diego District Attorney's Office when I was an Investigative Technician there.  I believe she was also Miss La Mesa California back in the early 1990's or at least competed.

I asked if she would model for me as I had just purchased a Bronica SQ-Ai square 6x6cm medium format camera and a Bronica 120mm f4.0 lens.  (Since 80mm is the normal perspective lens on the medium format film, 120mm would be the equivalent to a 75mm lens in 35mm - or "full frame" in digital.). I shot this image with color transparency film and this is a conversion to digital of that film.  I cropped it to a 4x5 aspect ratio.

We shot a number of images in my garage.  I converted the 3 car garage of my home into a portrait studio.  I shot a number of my wedding clients there as well.  We'd do their wedding and the next day, they would come in (before the tux was returned to the rental shop) and do some formal studio portraits.  Ah, the good ol' days!