David Johnson K7DMJ
LightNews LightNews
banner
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
David Johnson K7DMJ
@thedavejohnson.bsky.social
200 followers 380 following 180 posts
Australian-American mineral exploration geophysicist, living the dream in Saint-Vaast, Belgium and Alpine, Utah, USA.

My photos: https://www.flickr.com/people/93464106@N04/
My business: http://ziongeophysics.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
David Johnson K7DMJ @thedavejohnson.bsky.social · Feb 8
Bathroom stall wisdom. Relevant to this 57 year old professional from an industry that shits the bed every four years or so. At some stage, many of us just need to make a fundamental change in our lives. What about you?
Graffiti: If everything in your life is going wrong, you might as well try the things you were afraid of. - Olia
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
You could just use your phone. Get the same look with filters, right?

View from Hochosterwitz Castle. Canon FTb with Kodak Gold 200 film.

#filmphotography #35mm #canon #analogphotography #colorfilm #kodak #shootfilm #filmisnotdead #believeinfilm #hochosterwitz #austria
The image shows a peaceful, scenic landscape viewed from what appears to be the ramparts of Hochosterwitz Castle, Austria. On the right side, there is a tower with a steep, shingled roof and weathered stone walls. The foreground includes a stone railing that leads the eye outward. Beyond the castle, the landscape opens into a broad valley with rolling fields, clusters of trees, and a small village. In the village, a tall church steeple stands out clearly. Surrounding the valley are gently rising hills or low mountains covered in dense forest, displaying a mix of greens and autumn colors. The atmosphere is calm and slightly overcast, with soft, diffused light from the cloudy sky, giving the scene a serene, almost timeless quality.
December 5, 2025 at 5:29 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
The level of engagement here is garbage. Posted yesterday asking for suggestions on places to see in London. Nothing. Bluesky is useless.

#London #ExploreLondon #LondonLife #UKTravel #HiddenLondon #SecretLondon #LondonSpots #LondonAdventures #LondonTips #UrbanExploration #streetphotography
Portobello Road Market. A busker with long blond hair and gold cowboy boots plays guitar and sings on a street.
December 5, 2025 at 4:06 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
What are the coolest things/places to see and do in London?

I enjoyed the Portobello Road Market on a recent trip. Where else should I go?

#London #VisitLondon #ExploreLondon #LondonLife #UKTravel #HiddenLondon #SecretLondon #LondonSpots #LondonAdventures #LondonTips #UrbanExploration
Portobello Road Market. A busker with long blond hair in gold cowboy boots plays guitar and sings in the street. An Asian tourist in a puffy coat and cargo pants with a backpack looks back as he walks past. An old corner pub is in the background. Canon FTb with Ilford FP4 film Portobello Road Market. A dense crowd of people occupy a street lined with stalls and terrace houses.
December 4, 2025 at 11:33 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
We visited Hochosterwitz Castle, Austria with our friends in October. Looking forward to going back to Austria for Christmas.

Canon FTb with Kodak Gold 200 film.

#filmphotography #35mm #canon #analogphotography #colorfilm #kodak #shootfilm #filmisnotdead #believeinfilm #hochosterwitz #austria
A dramatic, picturesque landscape featuring a large medieval castle perched high on a rocky hill. The fortress stretches across the slope with multiple defensive walls, towers, and a church-like structure at the top. The hill is covered in autumn-colored foliage—warm oranges, yellows, and greens. In the foreground, a winding road leads toward a small cluster of traditional-looking houses with steep, dark roofs nestled at the base of the hill. Surrounding them are open fields and more colorful trees. In the distance, soft blue mountains fade into the horizon beneath a cloudy sky with subtle pink and purple tones. The whole scene feels serene, remote, and almost storybook-like.
December 4, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Reposted by David Johnson K7DMJ
Deep blue twilight sunset. Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. August 27, 2019, 8:00 PM. My favorite sunsets linger on into the twilight.

#sunset #hiking #lake
Walking a footpath beside a lake in the twilight. A tree overhangs the path to our right. The far shore is wooded. The sky is a deep blue, with darker navy blue clouds. Many of the clouds are streaked with pink from the recent sunset. The horizon is a pale orange. The sky is mirrored on the gently rippled lake below.
December 4, 2025 at 12:49 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
It's pretty cool that, with this setup and a length of wire hanging out my upstairs window, I can chat with people all over Europe. No internet, no mobile phone.

#hamradio #amateurradio #vara #varac #preparedness #prepping #digitalmodes
December 3, 2025 at 12:04 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
My wife Natalie at Weissensee, Austria. The weather was dreary but we made the best of it.

Canon FTb with Kodak Gold 200 film.

#filmphotography #35mm #canon #analogphotography #colorfilm #kodak #shootfilm #filmisnotdead #believeinfilm #weissensee #austria
December 3, 2025 at 8:27 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
The church at Hochosterwitz Castle, Austria in October. The crop on this thumbnail isn't good - click on the image.

Canon FTb with Kodak Gold 200 film.

#filmphotography #35mm #canon #analogphotography #colorfilm #kodak #shootfilm #filmisnotdead #believeinfilm #hochosterwitzcastle #austria
A solitary person walking along a narrow gravel path toward an old stone church with a tall, pointed steeple. The path is bordered on one side by a high stone wall—part of a fortification—and on the other by trees and autumn foliage. The church is built from light-colored stone with a steep, shingled roof and a clock on the front façade.
December 2, 2025 at 2:07 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
One approach to pinhole photography is the one used by Ari Jaaski: use solid, sharp objects as your subject (he says this fools the observer into seeing a sharp image when pinhole is inherently fuzzy). This awesome photo represents the polar opposite approach. Brilliant.
December 1, 2025 at 7:38 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
WTF, Bluesky. I am trying to customize a feed to remove nudity (not that I particularly dislike nudity, but I don't want others to accidentally see it when I'm scrolling in public). I added the Remove block in SkyFeed, but I'm still seeing nudes. This is crap. Why isn't this implemented properly?
December 1, 2025 at 4:20 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Natalie waited in the car while I ran down the road, snapped this photo of the Marterln then ran back in the rain. Raindrops on the lens give it a fuzzy look that somehow works.

Canon FTb with Kodak Gold

#analogphotography #filmphotography #canon #filmisnotdead #believeinfilm #shootfilm #colorfilm
Wayside shrine or Marterln beside a harvested field, with a farmhouse in the distance and cloud-covered mountains behind. Shot with a Canon FTb SLR that my Dad bought in 1978 on Kodak Gold 200 film.
December 1, 2025 at 10:16 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
One of my first attempts at capturing a nighttime scene on film. This is the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Amsterdam, shot on Cinestill 800T with a Yashica MAT 124 medium format camera.

#filmphotography #analogphotography #yashicamat #120film #nightphotography #mediumformatfilm #film #amsterdam
Night scene. Old church with a rose window and two towers, flanked by houses, viewed across a canal, lit by street lights.
November 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Images from my first roll of film shot with a pinhole camera.

I used a 6x9 format Reality So Subtle camera with Ilford HP5+

#pinhole #pinholecamera #pinholephotography #blackandwhite #120film #realitysosubtle
Gare de Mons Gare de Mons Lucy and the Butterflies Searching for Utopia, Citadel of Namur
November 30, 2025 at 8:43 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Photos taken with my new-to-me 1950's Balda 120 format folder at St Pancras Station and my hotel room in Kensington. Despite the shitty lens with balsam separation, this thing takes decent photos. Does anyone have any experience with swapping out lens elements?
#Balda #mediumformat #photography
November 24, 2025 at 5:23 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Just bought this Balda camera at a stall in the Portobello Road Market in London. Does anyone out there have experience with the Baldix 120 format model? The rangefinder calibration is out and the shutter doesn't work on slow speeds. Just shot a roll of HP5 so we'll see if anything comes out.
November 17, 2025 at 2:55 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Nighttime photography in Amsterdam using a Yashica MAT 124 medium format camera loaded with Cinestill 800T film.
November 15, 2025 at 5:44 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Bruges at night. Magical.
November 12, 2025 at 4:05 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
My FX-4C, which I'd used on many SOTA adventures, decided to suddenly die during the summer. Yu just sent me a replacement: brand new FX-4CR. Excited to try it out. Not many SOTA summits in Belgium, but I'll make do.

#hamradio #SOTA #summitsontheair #radio #FX-4CR
October 30, 2025 at 6:26 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Spent the day in Ljubljana with my wife. Tonight we're meeting up with friends for pizza and going to the symphony. Tomorrow we start driving back to Belgium, stopping overnight in Salzburg. I spend a lot of my work hours in the field so being in civilization for a while is a bonus.
October 24, 2025 at 3:47 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
I really enjoyed my time in Amsterdam the weekend before last; wandering around, eating pancakes with my wife, visiting the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, taking nighttime photos with a Yashica medium format camera. A bit tiring after flying back from our other home in the US. But worth it.
October 23, 2025 at 6:38 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
I've been in southern Austria this week with my wife, sightseeing and doing SOTA activations. I wonder if anyone following my posts cares about this. Probably not. I'm starting to feel that Bluesky is a little pointless. No real engagement. Probably my fault for not engaging more with others.
October 23, 2025 at 6:28 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, Utah. Photos taken with a 120-format Yashica MAT 124 twin-lens reflex camera. The panorama is a three-frame composite.

Antelope Island is the best place to see the Great Salt Lake. Wild and rugged, with lots of wildlife, including a herd of introduced bison.
September 27, 2025 at 10:44 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Barrel racing at the Alpine Days 2025 Rodeo
September 10, 2025 at 3:24 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Alpine Days 2025 Rodeo in Alpine UT. Shot with Dad's old Canon FTb 35mm camera on Ilford Delta 3200.
September 10, 2025 at 3:21 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Yesterday I hiked 4 miles up the canyon near my house in Utah, climbing about 3,400 ft in elevation until I was in alpine meadows on sunset. Hiked home in the dark by the light of a headlamp. Took some shots with my wife's old Canon DSLR.

#utah #photography #mountains #sunset #Canon #EOS #DSLR
Mountain scenery with waterfall in the foreground. Some of the trees are showing autumn colors. A grove of conifers is next to the falls. The top of the mountain is bare and rocky. Half moon in a dark sky seen above shadows of pine trees on a steep mountainside. Mountain in the background. Aspen and fir trees lit by the setting sun surround an alpine meadow in the foreground. Sunset shadows of mountain ranges in the haze. The foothills are dark and the ranges fade into the haze with increasing distance. An alpine meadow is in the foreground, lit by the setting sun.
September 3, 2025 at 2:56 AM