Serendipity

I've had a most serendipitous day . Having started out like any other morning, I got a message from a buddy who was running downtown via ichat. I decided to ditch my morning routine and hitch a ride. I had been meaning to visit a gallery where my friend Kristen was having a solo show in the Pearl. What amazing display of delicate subtilty and massive proportions. The detail in all of her work is something to behold.



I was also inspired to do some shooting as well. Not only Kristen's work, but whatever interested me while I walked.







It isn't often where I don't feel rushed to get from one place to another, but I had decided I had nothing but the here and now to work with. I think the photos represent that.

I meandered to the Urban Grind for an Americano and panini. Turns out one of my favorite baristas who left one of the cafés I frequent was now working this one. The serendipity didn't stop there. Sitting next to me was another photographer who's work I've admired for sometime. I didn't realize it was him until I saw his camera. It was nice to know he also recognized me via a mutual forum we both visit. More talk of art and photography and getting to know someone else in the business.

As much as I was able to do today, time seemed to slow down as well. I managed to get so many things done, where other times, I'm lucky to complete just one task for the entire day. There is a lesson to this day that I have to master!

Paw 5

For all we want is a path to move...

Like I was young again...

I was up until 4 a.m. working towards pushing forward with the completion of a new update to one of my sites. This hasn't been a smooth project, but somehow coming along pretty well. At least that is my judgement a mere 5 hours later from where I left off without getting much sleep. I was supposed to compile images first, like anyone who had their shit together. I sort of went along, pulling images from here and there as I was going along. Maybe later I'll really go for my best photos, but I'm feeling good at where I am. I still have some copy to write, tie together loose ends before launch, which should be sometime early next week. But since I got the majority of the photos up, it may be even sooner. My schedule this week has been pretty hectic. 3 shoots, and more editing too!

I was talking to an up and coming graphic artist the other day about work schedules. He was telling me his normal day is, sleep starts at 5 a.m. (Maybe that is what gave me a push to work til 4!) Anyway, he sleeps til 3 or 4 in the afternoon and starts his day over again. Most of his communincation is via email. I told him he could tell his clients that he is based in Europe somewhere, hence the odd times of his email. Anyway, I remember quite often starting my darkroom marathons at 10 p.m, printing thru the night til early morning. It was the only time of the day where I have responsability to no one. I'd have "A Love Supreme" going or listen to my favorite late nite dj on the radio and just go. I remember those days fondly, but those days far distant lost to when I was younger...

The War of Art

Since my buddy, Randy-Dog has been on the subject of the battles artists go thru for their own art, I thought I'd bring up a book I just re-read a few days ago. Steven Pressfield's The War of Art is a great read to get you moving in the right direction of pursuing your goals as an artist. He speaks of "resistance" and how it manages to put a strangle hold on our minds to prevent us from moving forward. Great examples and words of wisdom are through out this book.

This isn't so much a spiritual journey to move you in the right direction over the long haul as it is a kick in the ass to get you going, NOW!

PAW 4

Picture a Week 4 is late, but worth the extra day. I actually didn't shoot at all last week. Today during a shoot, I was able to work with a great model during our off time. Not enough off time, but I was able to work in an elegant nude.

revise

Going thru an update on one of my websites has brought a lot of images in front of me. I'm sort of in an edit hell! What I deliver to my customers is not often images I would use for myself. Hence only 5 to maybe 10% make the cut for consideration. I've shot a ton and have gathered more than 150gb of imagery. Do you envy me?

But there are a few that stand out and will be a part of my splash page on my first Flash site. I hope to have it up in the next week, maybe 2. Just thought I'd share a few of my favorites from 2005. I'm in the Bride | Groom section of my edit, so this is what you get...









btw, the photographs are stunning,especially the bride and groom photographed against the white on fine art paper. WOW!

Storage

It isn't that I have shot profusely in the last few years, but I have shot more in the last 2 years than I have in quite some time. And now that I am in the midst of recreating my websites, herein lies my problem. I have folders of images on CD, DVD and various hard drives. I'm finding for a continuity thought process, I need to have images available at moments notice. Having to pull a CD or DVD from images I shot from previous years is dividing my work flow. I think I am going to have to invest an a large capacity device where I can store at least 2 years worth of work. It only makes sense to me, especially as I go thru various mediums and not be able to follow thru on an idea.

Red and White | PAW 3

Lots of things to do this week, mostly finishing off that presentation portfolio I was working on. btw, the results were very pleasing. I was surprised at how well it came out. I didn't get much of a chance to go out and shoot much. I did have an event earlier in the week. Here is one of the resulting images, that I also submit as my Picture of the week 3.

Tangible

I've been a photographer for quite some time. The days before the internet my only calling card were my portfolios. Presentation is always everything as often, I wasn't even around when my client was viewing my book. Around 1998, I posted my first website as an added addition to promote myself as a photographer. 2000, I paid more attention to updating and revising my website more so than my portfolio. By 2003, my portfolio hadn't been seen or touched. The ease at which I could update my best images only made sense to push the website.

I've sort of reached full circle. Today I started working on a portfolio, a physical entity that I have to feed and carry, again. I haven't been in the mindset of a concrete illustration of what I do for years. I purchased a portfolio box, containing empty mattes, to be filled with my photographs. While going thru images, on the computer to figure out how my presentation was going to look, I pulled out a recently printed (read hardcopy) double image of 2 women put side by side on a sheet of paper. The print itself is just a beautiful object. Seeing depth on 2 dimensions, feeling texture and just the sense that holding this object in your hand is a thing to behold. I put it in one of the mattes just to get an impression of what I was working with. Suddenly, I felt excitement. Physical beauty that you can hold in your hands. A work of art! The print itself had meaning to me, but set in a simple frame of the matte, the presentation of my image suddenly made it larger than I could have imagined. I've pulled it out several times today just to look at it, admire it and just hold and look.

Upgrades Continue, spend more money...

"It‘s still a rumour, but it‘s not unlikely - end of February Canon might announce the successor to the EOS 20D:

Some more concrete rumours emerged these days, suggesting that Canon might announce the EOS 30D as a successor to the 20D, featuring:

• 10.1 megapixels (8.2 megapixels)
• 1.6X crop
• 21 point AF (9 point AF)
• 7 fps (5 fps)
• DIGIC II (DIGIC II)
• better noise reduction at ISO 800 and higher
• New body design
• Introduction February 21, 2006"

Taken from Photoscala

noir

"Film Noir (literally 'black film or cinema') was coined by French film critics (first by Frank Nino in 1946) who noticed the trend of how 'dark' and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released in France following the war. It was a style of black and white American films that first evolved in the 1940s, became prominent in the post-war era, and lasted in a classic "Golden Age" period until about 1960 (marked by Orson Welles' Touch of Evil (1958)). Strictly speaking, however, film noir is not a genre, but rather the mood, style, point-of-view, or tone of a film."

I've really been in a cinematic mode lately. Going thru some of my older photos, I came upon this image. I can see this pulled from a movie still, which is a direction I may follow, or not. I am quite interested in the look of movies and how some can capture this mood in still photographs. I need to study more!

Homage to Helmut | PAW 2

Often, I do not, get the opportunity to shoot erotica. Of course when that opportunity happens, I enjoy the challenge. And when not working with professional models, I do have to work for everything I get. In this case, I also got the rare opportunity to go after my own vision. The hardest part in the process of finding the rhythm, is time. I had plenty of it, but getting the understanding conveyed to the model is what becomes difficult. This shoot wasn't a marathon process, but it wasn't til the very end that I started feeling comfortable with the images that started coming thru.

Concentration... It is not an easy thing to accomplish under the circumstance one is put upon with trying to capture an essence of sexual content, without being sexual. I don't do this often and maybe because of that, I overcompensate with idea that I am a professional and that I maybe didn't let go and create what could have possibly been a more artistic/erotic photograph. But, with circumstances being what they were, I am only too happy with the process and conclusion of what I got.

Oh my!!!

So the inevitable-ness of THIS, we all knew was coming. I am surprised that such a huge company is dropping so much of their line. But I wouldn't want to be the head of any film company at this time either. Loosing 8 track tapes was one thing. In fact, all recording tape has stopped being manufactured as well. Our analog ways are disapperaring and we will only be reminded by them by finding the great lost treasures in Grandma's attic or at the flea market where I used to find 8mm movie cameras for practically nothing. At this point there just a little more useful than a doorstop.

I'm probably just not up on the lastest news of other companies doing the same. I know of Hasselblad, Contax, Kodak, Ilford all making the shift. It just saddens me because I was so hands on with the products of these companies. And the memories of the process is so instilled in me. I guess it is not as bad as the Key Line and Paste up industry where their drop off rate was maybe just a few years.

Time moves forth... we are for the better, right???

Mabarosi

Discovery is a wonderful thing. I've all ready have had a few epiphanies since the year started, and I am thankful for all the elements that have come together that has enabled me to come to the various associations related to my own life.

On a lighter note, I was purusing the internet and came upon a blog with a most facinating photograph that grabbed me by the neck and shook me. It is a still from a movie and whatever it is about, I want to see it. This photograph by association will put into works my deliberate search to find and view this movie.



It makes me think about how some of the smallest interactions we have in our daily lives can put us in a position of change. I wonder now what effect I will have after viewing this movie.

Monaco Optix XR

For close to a month, I was under the impression my less than 1 year old monitor was dying because I couldn't properly calibrate it with the Colorvision Spyder, an older measureing device and software that had worked fine over the last 3 years I had it. I had no reason to think it should malfunction, which led me to the idea my monitor was dying. I then went on a journey of emails, several phone calls and finally returning the monitor to it's manufacturer (fortunately local) and was graced with another, newer version. Same problem... I had lots of words with this manufacturer, not good ones either and was about to give into having to deal with a bad monitor. However, I also had suspicions that maybe my calibrating device was also dying. I tried to calibrate other known "good" monitors, but not with much confidence. Finally, I went ahead and got another calibrator, a Monaco Optix XR. Very simple to use, elegant and allowed me to see much more information than the Colorvision software allowed. I'm now gifted with a finely tuned viewing device, one that I have confidence in! Hats off to Monaco!!!

2006 PAW 1

PAW 52 / whoa!!!

On my way to my morning café spot, I saw some low lying clouds hovering thru the trees on the mountain across the river.



I take this drive almost everyday I leave my home. In order to get a better view, I drove straight, just one block instead of turning left. To my amazement, there is a clearing with quite a view. I may have a new area for exploration from what I saw below.

I've always loved this bridge. Mostly only getting a head on view of it from a road to the north. There is another view from a much more easterly site. I just couldn't beleive that in the 3 years I lived here, I never discovered this viewpoint.

Airport Delays...

I've been back for a few days now. The last leg of the trip was just the worst. Following the rule of arriving 2 hours before take off I thought was bad enough, I ended up getting a call after I arrived that our flight was delayed another 2.5 hours. OMG!!! We had a good 4 hours to burn before we even got on the plane. My daughter is a great travelling companion, but this was taxing for the both of us. I had a contingency plan for a major melt down, but I didn't have to use it. I bought myself a portable dvd player with screen. I knew battery life was only 2.5 to 3 hours and I put in time for the 4 hours of flight time as well. 3 hours into our wait, I decided to pull it out for the hell of it. D was able to watch one of her new dvds she got for Christmas. I was getting admirable as well as evil looks from people walking by as D was having just a great time watching Blue's Clues. The evil eyes were mostly from parents with hostile kids that they could barely control.

I got my chance to just sit and kick back. I pulled out my camera, grabbing photos from the floor where we sat.



She was leaving for London to go back home from a visit to the States. World traveller, moving around the globe seems like such a simple task... I've been to Japan, various islands in the Carribean, but not to Europe. I better start getting used to delays in the airports. It seems well worth it and no where near the issues that we think they are.

PAW 51

I didn't get the chance to post last weeks picture, as my battery in my laptop has entered suckdom and internet access was not as easy as I would have thought. Anyway, moving thru the city of Chicago, I grabbed a shot out of the car in the infamous Loop in downtown. Called the Loop area as the elevated circles around a section of once the busiest business section of Chicago. I truely miss hearing the massive moving structures rolling on steel to steel. Not anywhere near the coolness of NYC mass transit, Chicago is where I grew up and it is where my history is.

Mom's Cooking

The food didn't last long enough on the table for me to photograph any of it. It is great being home and eating the food I grew up on, from the source!!!

The Hill...

We went to the HILL on Tuesday, late in the day as it was getting dark. My girl was very excited, but didn't have any reference as to what to expect. She wanted dearly to go straight to the top, but I decided to start her off at the mid way up point. She went down, screamed at the top of her lungs and came back up wanting to go to the top! Well, I thought about it, decided what the hell and let her go. We walked to the top, looked down and I asked her, are you sure??? She said YEAH!!! Let me go. Immediately, she gained momentum speeding down the hill. Towards the 3/4 mark down, she started hitting moguls. Somehow, she started in a seated position, then ended up on her belly. She lost a boot, her hat and bit her tongue. She was for sure not ready for the speed she reached as she said she couldn't do anything but hold on. When I was on my way down, a woman said it didn't look to good. As I approached, she started to cry about her tongue. When we got into the car, she said she never wanted to do that again.

Half way home, she said she wanted to go, but start out at the mid point a few times, then go back to the top. I love and admire this girl immensly for her fortitude and will.

Today, we went again, she went "boringly" down from mid point and wanted to go from the top. As we reached the summit, we looked down together. She didn't say anything, made her movements to get in her sled and shook her head yes. I let her go and she flew down the hill, not putting her foot down to try and slow down. After she finished her run, I met her at the halfway point. Excited, I asked her how it was. She just said she wanted to go again...

PAW 50

This is not as easy as I thought it would be... Weather just sucked ass last week and I just didn't get anything good, until this airport shot at PDX. I have to say though that I've always loved airport furniture and architecture.

I'm Out...

So I was very concerned yesterday about getting out to the airport, then off to Chicago because of the storm we had, dropping ice, then snow. I've learned that under the right conditions, even a drop of snow can cause havoc to this mid sized CITY here in the Northwest. So, up at 5:30 a.m. Everything packed and ready to go, my ride shows up at 6 a.m. As I go to take out the trash, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it is raining. Though the streets are still very slick, it is much better than last nite when the roads were pretty much sheets of ice.

Because of the mandatory 2 hour advance arrival for the flight out, we've got about an hour and 45 minutes of nothing to do. We breezed thru check in via the baggage guys and walked passed all the saps waiting in line inside. Getting thru security was uneventful as well, mostly due to the fact that there was hardly any line to get thru. Now we just wait... It's nice that PDX has wireless thru out the airport. I'm just hanging out, sitting on the floor as hardly a soul walks by. Traveling should always be like this... (knock wood)

PAW 49

PAW, or Picture a Week. I've been meaning to start this project for over a month, but just have not gotten around to it. The so unofficial start for me to begin this project I hope is not indicative of failure, but I just wanted to get this going and have a goal to post photos til the end of the year.

My first photo, 49 weeks into 2005 is a result of having a conversation with EA, pictured here. Also a photographer, and also wanting to get in deeper water with photography, we talked about PAW and other subjects and projects regarding photography. It is too easy not to take photos and get better and make a timeline of your own life. Our lives get so busy doing what we think is necessary that we miss out on the idea of the mere enjoyment we have when we take a picture.

Everytime I go out and shoot, for the sake of shooting, I come back in a better mood. I'll feel even better when I come back with something I'm proud of and want to show off.

So, week 49, a photo of EA at a cafe I frequent on Thursday, 10:30 a.m.

Big Thing, Small Package

Get your mind out of the gutter! Can you tell where my computer is?



I can't believe how tiny the Mac Mini really is. My new computer has more power than the huge G4 tower I used as my main computer. I had originally tried to get a processor upgrade for it, but was having some issues with lots of crashes. I decided to go ahead and exchange the processor upgrade for ram and another hard drive for the mini I didn't even order yet. My timing was perfect as I got both computer and ram and drive all the same day.

I've done some test with my usual workflow and though I am not getting quad G5 results, I am so happy at the speed increase this little monster is giving me. Besides the actual desk I now have, the coolness factor is inspiring!



So in the photo lies the mini ontop of the additional hard drive called the Mini Stack. 2 brick Lacie drives ontop of my dvd burner and a card reader. My laptop which will soon be replaced is an older ibook. I'm really trippin about gaining so much space on my desk!

OH BABY

I find this to be in bad taste to be submitted to this after commiting to ride my bicycle only a few days earlier...

The 35mb film was shot in an August morning back in 1978. Director, Claude Lelouch mounted a gyro-stabilized camera to the front bumper of a Ferrari 275 GTB and had a friend (a professional Formula 1 racer), drive at breakneck speed through the heart of Paris.

A well told story...


Check it here.

A new Mode

When I was a teen and early 20's, I used to ride my bike everywhere. It was a situation where I either rode my bike and took the bus. I had no car. Well, after a series of bad luck, I am again without a car. I've decided that instead of trying to repair my latest vehicle, it is going to the salvage yard. So, I am in a situation where I am trying to convince myself that I will ride my 2 wheel, self propelled vehicle in the worst weather-wise time of the year.

For the past 3 days, I've ridden this...



And I have to say that I've been feeling good doing it. My usual daily commute to my café I go to is about 6.5 miles round trip. When I pick up my daughter from school, I'll ride another bike that has a trail-a-bike attached to it. That will be roughly 11 miles round trip. We'll see how I feel when it is very cold and rainy, though I am prepared for it.

In the meantime, while riding, I get to stop and take photos like these...

Magic Hands

This ain't no CGI

Red

Tintype Cowboy by Peter Howe

Tintype Cowboy by Peter Howe- The Digital Journalist

The process is amazing, but the results are quite stunning! I never knew how this process was done, and viewing the video insures that I would never want to do it. But to be able to gain access to history in such a way that is exactly the same as it was done back 150 years ago is very cool. If you have access to broadband, view the video. It is quite magical!

Women I am in Love with...

Make sure to read the captions...
The New York Times > Style > Slide Show > Woman Times Seven

Warm Springs, OR

After getting up an hour late, I drove like a maniac passed Mt. Hood to the Dry Side. I had a job in Warm Springs and didn't get to do much site seeing on the way out. I really wanted to meander, maybe stop a few places to shoot some interesting sites, but that just couldn't happen. I was very tired after my gig and was just looking forward to getting home. The drive back, I was determined to get out at least once and try and get a good shot. I managed 2 stops, relatively close to each other. The horses looked so good to me as I sped by, I doubled back to snap a few.

I'm noticing recent shots I am really after a full range of tonality. Memories of the darkroom are dancing in my head.

DAMN

My kid shot this today with her own camera...

...and through the woods...

In keeping my desire to stay behind the camera as often as possible, I brought my G5 along on a hike through the forest. Besides the pure joy of pulling out the camera, composing, focusing and adjusting, taking pictures and seeing the results is what its all about.

Maestro

Opportunities to photograph world renown personalities don't come often. I happened to have had 2 in the last month and a half. Today at the Arlene Schnitzer Hall, I got literally 10 minutes to photograph James DePriest, one who is described by the Chicago Sun-Times as "one of the most important American conductors of the day," and by the Chicago Tribune as "one of the finest conductors this nation has produced." And wanting to push the envelope and not shoot just another on camera flash photo, I managed to set up stands, a light and reflector along with my camera and tripod, take lighting measurements and get off 30 exposures. 10 minutes seems more like 2, but after grabbing the last exposure, I knew I got at least one great photo.

Being Small

Inspired by a fellow photographer Randy Kepple, his blog talks about how inconsequential nature can put us. I had a similar experience out on the coast of Oregon earlier this week. A storm was coming in from the west, I imagined how there was nothing to do but wait for it to arrive.

Get Ready

I hope I am as meticulous as I start selecting images for a new portfolio...

photos

After receiving some voice of grievance about not having posted photos from my G5 from one of my contemporaries, as I promissed, I went out this afternoon and walked a part of the industrial areas of the city.





The G5 has amazingly good detail in the shadows, though noisy to say the least. The full res file is reminicent of Tri-X, even though the file was shot at iso 200. The camera itself is just a joy to use. The ergonomics works, and all important controls are easily accessible.

The Hotel sign I found weeks ago while scouting for a location for another shoot. I can't imagine how old it is, but it looks like it has been there for many decades.

I love the ladder shot, though obvious with it's symbolism. I think we all have been in situations where our goals seem out of reach.

Spur of the moment

Having some down time between ceremony and reception, I had lots of time to "play" with my clients. I've been on a roll with Isolation Portraits, where I find or create a simple, nondescript background and shoot. Out of context, the bride, groom or whomever I photograph becomes a description of the person and less about an event. The location where we were at for the reception had these beautiful panels. From a distance, the feel was of metal and rust. As it was, the shot I knew was a keeper when I hit the shutter. With some additional techniques, I came up this...

Moving on...

David S Ware, a critically acclaimed Sax player making his way since the early 70's talks about his life briefly in his biography on his website. Knowing how important it is to keep up with the times and view the changes not only in our industry, but the world itself and with the over indulgence of what the internet has to offer, I was hit with a description of Mr. Ware about developing as an artists...

Rather than compromise his musical vision, Ware chose to be patient. "I drove a cab for 14 years. I stayed out of the scene until I was ready to do my thing."

Driving a cab in the NYC area! Dedication like this can easily be called lunacy, but I respect his point of view. His early contemporaries have moved on to be giants in their own right, but thru it all, Ware stuck to his guns and is creating music of depth and passion and is unlike the songs of complacency.

I'm sure Mr. Ware had his demons to deal with, but if he spent much of his time bitching and griping about "Complacency", I don't think he would be putting out the music he has and is. Choose your battles well, otherwise your sure to loose everytime.

I take heed in the wisdom of Mr. Ware and his views of a developing artist. Here is to moving forward...

Choke / Do You Know this Man?

Yesterday, I got to photograph this gentleman of World Renown. I didn't know much about him, but as I did my homework, I became more mesmerized, and beginning to get a little intimidated. I was told I was only going to have a very short amount of time with him to photograph, and unfortunetely, that stuck in my head. I lost my focus and just let the gentleman take the lead. He followed direction well, and had I listened to my surroundings, I would have known he was giving me all the time I needed. But my focus was time and not "MY" photograph.

I'm happy with this shot, but I know I could have done much better. As I drove home, all the ideas that would normally have a clear path to my brain, came rushing thru. The chance to photograph him won't be happening any time soon, if in this lifetime again. His good naturedness, location, all seemed to line up for perfection, but I lamed out.



This evening, I went to the hall to hear him play. I was thinking about all the people who came to see him and how they knew this man inside out. How they looked upon him the way I would look at Coltrane or Mingus. Out of the blue, here I get the chance to not only to photograph him, but meet him and talk to him. Being a photographer can be cool, and so much cooler when you don't lose your head...

Aging and the slow demise

After 11 years, I saw a good friend of mine from the days back in the hood. Our lives are so different from what they once were. Besides the fact that we both put baby fat in fashion again, it was very nice to be reminded of our lives removed from 11 years ago.

We had a wonderful Thai dinner at Typhoon with great conversation reminiscing about the past and future. Todd has been with Cindy for the past 8 years, and there is often banter about the fact that she is 8 years his senior. When I pulled out my ipod to show some photos, Cindy pulled out the reading glasses. We both had a good laugh at her expense. Later, Todd pulled out his drivers license because Cindy insisted that the photo was not him. The photo was taken years ago, when we both were at least 30 pounds lighter. I guess the strain I was showing, trying to read the license prompted Cindy to give me her reading glasses. I insisted it was the light. I could not believe that all of the sudden, I could read everything on the card, regardless of the light, or size of the lettering. I bet if I looked with a little effort, I'd be able to read thru the card! All of the sudden, I was facing a head on collision with the train of aging.

First my back, then my knees and other joints, but I could live with those. I haven't been working out and if I did, my little maladies would go away. But at the flick of my wrist, twisting the glasses on and off, I saw reality and a reality with a crutch. I always felt proud that all my siblings, including my parents wore glasses by their teens. Without admitting, I am much older than being a teen and lived without having to wear glasses all this time. My dominance of being on that thrown is tumbling down.

I think Cindy felt a little bad about being the one to bring on this epiphany. While it is true that I will tell this story for years to come, I can't think of a better situation of finding that time does move on and waits for no one. Great friends, great food and drink, and the always creeping slow demise...
--

#1

...and here is my first processed photo with the G5. It is going to take me awhile to get used to the controls. Though my fingers are not Johnny on the Spot, yet, I know this camera will be easy to learn.

G5

I've wanted this camera for even longer than I've wanted my slr I'm been shooting with. Because I thought it was more of a novelty of owning the G5, I never thought I'd be able to justify having one. Not that this camera is at all a toy, but I couldn't use it for work. But with some timely ebay sales and finding this unit on ebay for a great price, I have it in my hands today.

I've coveted the G5 since the day it came out. With its nostolgic shape of cameras of old, the beautiful black body and the fast lens, I really wanted one. Though the G5 has been replaced by a more organically shaped G6, putting out bigger file sized image, the G5 was always the camera for me. It is not much of a compact point and shoot. It is also a little heavy for its size. But the feel of this camera in my hands may be the closest thing I'll ever get to shooting with a Leica M3. Yeah, I know there are no comparisons to the 2 cameras, but it is my fantasy.

I hope to carry this camera with me as often as I can and photograph whatever that interests me. It is small enough where people won't take me too seriously. I tried carrying my slr with me for months, and though I had it with me quite a bit, it became a production just taking the beast out of the bag.

Anyway, here is a photo of my used/new camera...



Hopefully I'll be posting lots more photos!

: Erio Mishima Photographie :

: Erio Mishima Photographie :
I don't update my entire site much, but try to do the main pages as often as I can.

This being my first year of shooting weddings and events, I didn't think I had such a defining style. However, as much as I have been shooting, I'm realizing I always did, but that style is changing and refining itself. For as long as I have been a photographer, I never got a whole lot of feedback. I always knew that I had the ability to go and do whatever I wanted, but I noticed I didn't stray very far from where I always have been.

But because I have been shooting so much lately, I'm more inclined to move forward and chase different ways of doing things. The feeling is of freedom and empowerment.

The photographs on the homepage is actually a simple old style that I have always coveted. The opportunity to shoot simple portraits like this do not happen often enough, but I'm much more keen when that opportunity does occur!

Erio Mishima-logogle

Need to Search? Google? You don't need no stinking Google...

Erio Mishima-logogle

Canon EOS 5D

Could it be???

• 12.8 megapixel full-frame (24mm x 36mm)
• 3 frames per second (60 frame burst JPEG; 17 frames RAW)
• 9 point autofocus
• Compatible with all EF lenses (but not EF-S)
• CF cards
• Batteries used BP-511a (Right on)
• New battery grip BG-E4 (Canon has gotten wise)
• 152mm x 113mm x 75mm; 810 grams

Rumor is that this camera will be announced August 22nd and will be shipping in October. For $3000, could this be THE camera? My main interest would be how the viewfinder looks and whether the focus mechanism is of the prosumer level or the 1 series level.

and all is fair in love and war

...Three days later...
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Nagasaki remembers atomic attack

Long Lenses

I love my new lense. I haven't had this much reach since back in the day when I used a Canon F1-N. Can you say manual focus and film. The upgrade from my beloved F1 was to new technology of Auto focus cameras. Though I had my doubts, I finally moved up to a Canon A-2 and a few lenses, but having done so, I lost a slew of camera bodies and lenses for a trade in. It was with the F1 where I had a 135 f:2.0 and a 200 f:2.8 among many other fast focal lengths.

It hasn't been since then that I ever looked into a camera with a longer lense than a 100mm. With this zoom, I can move from 70 to 200mm at f:2.8 across the focal lengths of the lense. I was actually afraid to use it. But after shooting and getting decent results, I shot an entire job with it. It's taken me awhile to get used to it, but I think the look of the compression is wonderful.

Google It You Moron.

hahahahahaha

Google It You Moron.

Digital Black and White

Here is an excellent article about converting digital images to black and white. A very good read!
Digital Black and White

'Movies

OK, I'm on a NY Times kick this morning...

I haven't seen either of these movies yet, but I recommend them due to the director's past history. I'm hugely awaiting for these movies to come to my fair city.
2046
Broken Flowers

Prayers Ask 'Never Again'

Where First A-Bomb Fell, Prayers Ask 'Never Again' - New York Times

identity

There was another post on another journal about a faceless photograph and a question as to the significance of why they thought the image was so powerful. "Does that make it easier to impose the emotional value onto ourselves when there is no face... no identity?"

lifehack.org - Essential Resources for Creativity

lifehack.org � Essential Resources for Creativity (163 techniques 30 tips books!)

Rob Galbraith DPI: Phase One pre-announces 39MP, 31MP, and 18MP backs

Rob Galbraith DPI: Phase One pre-announces 39MP, 31MP, and 18MP backs
Now for those wanting to go back to medium format or get that brand spanking new H-1, here is all the reason to do so. Initially, these backs look very impressive, as are the current round up of medium format digital backs. I'm just wondering at what point does it stop? I know I always refer to, "Back in the Day...", but really, a system of this ability is gonna cost upwards towards $30k.

Dictionary.com/incapacitated

Dictionary.com/incapacitated

This is me since Saturday morning when I tweaked my back. I hate when this happens as it takes so long for it to get back to normal. I imagine as I get older, it will only take even longer to heal... And I guess it didn't help that on Monday, I worked 6 hours on my feet and knees, over stressing my back even more. Into the 6th day, I feel a little relief. I've got gigs for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm not sure I want to know how I'll be feeling next Monday...

CSII

This week some major upgrades to both photographic and the computer ends of my business took place. No more will I have to worry about having enough CF cards for a job. I ended up getting 4 more gigabytes early in the week. My computer got another gigabyte of ram also and I'm now working on a Lacie 19 inch crt monitor. Having more surface space is N I C E.

As excited I am about the new purchases, I am really going nuts over the trial version of Photoshop CSII. I've only used it to adjust and convert my raw files, but I find it faster and more intuitive in helping me get beautiful images. And I am able to do this with very limited knowledge of the new processing application. Looks like there is at least one more upgrade to get!

Orchid

I love what a $60 lens used backwards can bring to the show...