David Johnson K7DMJ
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thedavejohnson.bsky.social
David Johnson K7DMJ
@thedavejohnson.bsky.social
190 followers 260 following 140 posts
Australian-American mineral exploration geophysicist, living in Saint-Vaast, Belgium and Alpine, Utah, USA.

Likes: hiking, fly fishing, camping, ham radio, shooting, nature, art, travel, history, photography

Dislikes: MAGA, Utah politics
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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
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
The main street of Eureka UT. Shot with a Yashica MAT 124 medium format camera. The City Hall, combined with the Sheriff's Office and Fire Department illustrates small government in 1899. The old Levis ad harkens back to the days when the brand was all about workwear.
August 23, 2025 at 4:47 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Back on Antelope Island today, shooting some monochrome landscape photos with my Yashica MAT 124, and I drove past this big boy. I need to go back with a decent telephoto lens for my Canon FTb and take more wildlife photos.
August 18, 2025 at 1:11 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Bison herd on Antelope Island UT shot with my Dad's old Canon FTb. I was disappointed by these photos. In some cases, it looks like I messed up my focus, but in general the level of clarity isn't great. I don't think the off-brand reflex lens helped. Nor did shooting F/8 aperture at these distances.
bison standing in long grass with six birds perched on his back Canon FTb with Kodak Portra 160. 500mm F/8 reflex lens 1/250" three bison lying down, one standing guard, looking into the camera Canon FTb 35mm camera with Kodak Portra 160. 500mm F/8 reflex lens 1/500" bison walking across the frame, stirring up dust and birds Canon FTb with Kodak Portra 160. 500mm F/8 reflex lens with 1/500" young bison bull standing in the long grass, looking off into the distance away from the camera Canon FTb with Kodak Portra 160.
August 15, 2025 at 3:46 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
I went back to Eureka UT to take more photos of the old headframe and winder building with my Yashica MAT 124. This time, I used Kodak TMAX 100 film and an orange filter.

My indoor shots could use some help. Overall, I'm happy.

#Utah #mining #Eureka #photography #blackandwhite #Yashica
Wooden mining head frame against a sky with light clouds. Yashica MAT 124 camera with Kodak TMAX 100 film. Orange filter, f11, 1/125" Large pulley wheels and pipes in a ruined building with part of the roof gone and the wooded mountainside and sky visible. Yashica MAT 124 camera with Kodak TMAX 100 film. Orange filter, f11, 1/15". Lots of editing in Lightroom to bring down the exposure of the hole in the roof. Rusty pipes and machinery in a ruined building with holes in the roof. Yashica MAT 124 camera with Kodak TMAX 100 film. Orange filter, f5.6, 1/15" Winder mechanism. Large steel pulleys and a drum of heavy cable inside a ruined building. Yashica MAT 124 camera and Kodak TMAX 100 film. Orange filter, f8, 1/4". This one was really tough without a flash. Massive contrast.
August 12, 2025 at 11:37 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Wildflowers along the trail to Catherine Pass from the Alta ski area, Utah.

I shot this with the Yashica camera my wife bought at a garage sale years ago as an ornament. It works great. I need to work on my selection of exposure settings.

#Utah #photography #Yashica #KodakPortra #wildflowers
Shaded meadow with yellow wildflowers. A sunlit mountain ridge is in the background. Yashica MAT 124 with Kodak Portra 160, f/11, 1/500 sec
August 5, 2025 at 3:51 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
I took my Dad's old Canon FTb 35mm film camera from about 1978 on a trip to Great Basin National Park, Nevada. It still takes nice photos.
A bristlecone pine with a mountain in the background Rugged mountain scenery, with aspen and pine trees in the foreground An alpine meadow, with aspen and pine and a mountain in the background. Bright pink flowers growing beside a small streem, with trees in the background
July 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
I took this #photo of a headframe near Eureka UT using a #Yashica MAT 124 twin-lens reflex camera on 120 format film (Ilford PAN F 50). First outing with camera. Exposure settings were f11 1/250" and I think that was a little overexposed, so I pulled it back a bit in Lightroom. What do people think?
timber mining headframe with a mountainside in the background and a light shaded brick winder building to the right
July 18, 2025 at 2:54 AM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
We took a quick break from work today to drive over to the Imperial Sand Dunes near Brawley CA. Scenes from Return of the Jedi were filmed here.
May 21, 2025 at 6:32 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Canterbury Cathedral was well worth visiting. We'd spent yesterday in Oxford with old friends, after catching the Eurostar from Brussels the night before. Train travel, along with everything else, is expensive in the UK. But not having to deal with parking, etc makes it worthwhile.
April 13, 2025 at 6:41 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
We spent four days in the Alsace region of France, staying at the Sanctuaire du Mont Sainte-Odile. When I wasn't doing SOTA activations (a ham radio activity involving hiking to mountaintops and contacting other operators), we visited Eguisheim and Strasbourg. Great trip.
The image shows a charming European village scene with traditional Alsatian architecture. On the left, there's a half-timbered building with green shutters and colorful flower decorations on the window boxes, labeled "Hostellerie du Château." In the center, a narrow, older stone building with a steep roof stands, topped with a large stork's nest. To the right, a small red stone church or chapel with arched windows and a statue above the entrance is visible. The foreground is paved with cobblestones, and a stone stairway leads up to the chapel. The sky is clear and blue, enhancing the picturesque, peaceful atmosphere. A smiling person stands beneath a stone archway of an old castle or fortification made from reddish-brown stones. They are wearing sunglasses, a blue shirt, beige capri pants, and sneakers, with a small bag slung over the shoulder. Behind them, the path leads to a partially visible stone tower and low stone walls. The sky is clear and blue, and the surrounding area is open and sunlit, evoking a warm, historical atmosphere. A striking stone pavilion with a weathered, ancient appearance stands on the edge of a rocky outcrop overlooking a vast, forested valley. The structure, made of large stone pillars and slabs, resembles a classical temple ruin. Bare trees frame the left side of the image, while the right opens up to a sweeping view of rolling green hills and distant plains under a clear, vibrant blue sky. The bright sunlight enhances the textures of the stone and the natural landscape, creating a dramatic and serene scene. A Renaissance masterpiece, the Astronomical Clock is a result of the combined work of artists, mathematicians and technicians. Swiss clockmakers, sculptors, painters and automaton designers all worked together to produce this superb attraction. The current mechanism dates from 1842. The main attraction of the clock is its animated figures which come out to delight the public every day at half past noon. During this performance, visitors are treated to views of the different ages of life, personified by a child, a teenager, an adult and an old man, who all parade past Death. Higher up, the apostles have their own parade, before Christ. Their journey is accompanied by the beating of wings and the sound of a large cock crowing. In front of the Clock visitors can admire the huge Pillar of Angels which offers a highly original representation of the Last Judgment.
April 5, 2025 at 9:04 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
We decided to drive up to Antwerp to have lunch and visit the Cathedral of Our Lady, which has a magnificent collection of art.
March 30, 2025 at 9:41 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
Mechelen is a less touristy alternative to Ghent and Bruges. The market on a Saturday morning is a lot of fun; a mix of tasty food and cheap stuff.

#Belgium #Mechelen
March 29, 2025 at 7:51 PM
thedavejohnson.bsky.social
If the US illegally invades a EU member state's territory, can the EU sanction leadership of the US administration and oligarchs connected with them, just like happened to Putin and his cronies? Asking for a friend.

#greenland
March 28, 2025 at 2:09 PM