Twin Lens Coffee Shop in Korea

Quick post today. My friends Charlie and Bill sent me this funny little piece of photographic fun.

Image Source: http://petapixel.com/2014/03/29/coffee-shop-south-korea-shaped-like-rolleiflex-camera/

 

Now there's a place I'd like to sit and have a cup of coffee. Apparently, they don't open until 11AM, so I'll have to remember that if I'm ever in South Korea and want to have breakfast in a twin lens reflex (TLR) camera-shaped coffee shop.

 

(Click Here) to read a little more about this on Petapixel.

 

I think it's interesting how certain forms stick with us and find application in unpredicted ways. I've seen restaurants made from boats and train cars, both iconic shapes that people have interest in. I suppose if you're going to make one from a camera, the TLR is the way to go. Basically a rectangular box, the TLR offers a very traditional interior layout. If it weren't for the two big porthole windows, you may forget that you're inside a camera.

 

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Just a Little Humor This Morning

 

Image Source: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126805

 
I'm on a business trip, and have a meeting in 20 minutes. I wanted to get a post in for the day, and this is was what came to my attention :).
 
(Click Here) to see the post on rangefinderforum.
 
Some of the comments are worth reading as well.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Their Worlds Were Turned Updside Down - Horseshoe Crabs, That Is

 

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f54/bizarre-beach-behavior-26033/

Poster penfan2010 posted on mu-43.com about some "bizarre beach behavior," experienced on a morning walk. Shot with an Olympus EPL1 and Olympus 17mm f2.8 lens, the pictures show horseshoe crabs (bizarre enough on their own), lying on their backs on the beach.

(Click Here) for the whole story, including a closeup of the nice sand pattern made by the one in lower central in the image above.

It turns out that horseshoe crabs come ashore in multitudes in late May, early June (at least along the US East Coast) to breed. These are the unlucky ones that got flipped over in the process. The night before must have been quite a sight!

If you're interested in these creatures, or others that have remained relatively unchanged for a very long time, you may like the book I link to below (at Amazon, of course). It just so happens I am about halfway through that book myself, right now. Horseshoe crabs, or creatures that look very much like them, have been around for hundreds of millions of years.

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Jetpack Photography - Kirk Tuck's Take on Film and Digital

Image Source:

http://io9.com/5029930/five-reasons-you-dont-have-a-personal-jet-pack-yet

 
Kirk Tuck has written a thought provoking piece about the controversy regarding how digital has affected photography. This is no nostalgic piece about how he longs for the good old days. It uses the analogy of competitive swimmers with jetpacks, and how, once they're allowed in the sport, no one can swim without one any more.
 
(Click Here) to read Kirk's piece on visualsciencelab.
 
I like many of the points that Kirk makes. I can admit two things in regard to this piece. First, I have a very hard time making myself slow down and think with a whiz-bang camera in my hands. I'm getting better. The Leica M8 is probably the best thing to happen to help me in that area. With that (wonderful) camera, I have to take my time, because it takes so long to write an image to the card that you better not miss the moment. But, seriously, the manual controls, manual focus probably being the most important, make me feel that I have invested something (if not money for film and processing) into each image.
 
Second, I do find it hard to wade through the piles of crap images that are posted on the web. I can click on through if I don't see something interesting, so no harm done. But, I find that I have to do that a lot.
 
One point that Kirk makes is that most of the famous images and successful collections were shot with film. Personally, I don't think that's a fair statement to make. How many years, how many decades of experience, went into making those film images? Sure, there are more images made every day now than then, so we can't compare the absolute numbers of images easily. But, definitely, the bulk of photographic history did not have digital equipment available to it.
 
I agree with Kirk's point that the equipment affects the photographer. I sure feel different when I'm holding a Lumix G3 than when I'm holding a 4x5 film camera. And, I shoot differently. I also judge other photographers (probably mostly incorrectly) by what they shoot with. Just last night, I met a lady who shoots the same Pentax film SLR that she has used her entire adult life. In my mind, she's a better photographer than her neighbor with an iPhone camera. Again, I'm probably wrong.
 
I prefer to focus my attention on what I like about each technology. Personally, I love the anticipation of getting film processed, when the images are just for my own enjoyment. It's even better when I have to wait to open an envelope filled with big 2 1/4" color transparencies, which have just returned from mail-in processing at Dwayne's.
 
(Click Here) for Dwayne's website. They do great work.
 
With that said, I sure appreciate the ability to experiment with new techniques with digital, see if they're working immediately, and resort to more proven approaches to make sure I get the shot, if not. I love being able to print (either scanned film or digital images) at home. I love having a 32" display, so I can see what a big print would look like, without having to invest in printing it.
 
And, personally, I'd love to have a jetpack.
 
Thanks, Kirk, for some stimulating words.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 

 

Two Pictures From A Normal Workday

 

Neighborhood Pathway, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

iso80, f4, 1/500 sec

I know this shot is a little pedestrian (sorry for that pun). Just a quick stop on my drive to work.

Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina), by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

iso100, f2.2, 1/80 sec

This guy (he is a male) was by another walking path, this one where I work.

The LX5 is a great little camera. I had to get very close for the turtle shot, but am pretty impressed with the macro capability. Both shots are directly from the camera, no adjustments.

Hope you enjoy these little scenes from my day.

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This Would Have Been the Day I Forgot My Camera

Image Source: http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=41214002

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2, Lumix 20mm f1.7 Lens

Poster Nome_Alaska on dpreview posted this shot of the morning traffic in his homeland. I can't remember the last time a moose held me up on my way to work here in Virginia.

(Click Here) to read the original post.

Sometimes, you just want to be sure to have a camera, any camera, on hand to document your day. These couple of images could have been made with a point and shoot, or an iPhone. The important thing is to have a camera with you.

On those days when you see something creatively intriguing, something you would like to develop artistically, rather than just documentation, it's nice to have a better camera. The Micro 4/3 kit presents a nice compromise in size and capability in that case. Nome_Alaska's GF2 is a very small camera, and the 20mm f1.7 an excellent, bright, sharp, fast lens. Easy to carry, highly capable kit.

It's fun to see how our days differ from those we're connected to by the internet.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

It's Worldwide Pinhole Day 2012

Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, by Reed A. George
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, Nikon Mount Adapter, Nikon Mount Pinhole (f180)
iso100, 6 seconds


Today is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day. So, I had to get something up here for it.


(Click Here) to read about Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day.


You may ask, how can Reed take a blurry pinhole picture, when pinhole cameras are supposed to have sharp focus and nearly infinite depth of field? Well, the answer is simple. Take a pinhole body cap for a Nikon camera, which already produces blurry images due to diffraction effects with the "small" full-frame 35mm sensor, and use an adapter to put it on an even smaller Micro 4/3 sensor camera. That's what I did.
 
You can only enter one picture in the official gallery at pinholeday.org, so I won't be entering this one. I took a couple earlier with a much better rig, my 4"x5" film pinhole camera. How's that for a bigger sensor? But, it requires processing, which won't happen today.

So, please accept this as my image for Worldwide Pinhole Day! And, I even took it with a Lumix camera.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Would you like to make blurry pinhole images, too? Here's an example of a Nikon pinhole body cap (different manufacturer from mine):
 

 

Changing Blog Name, Enough Lumix - I'm Going Back To Film (Diana Style)

 

Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diana_camera.jpg

Okay, I am packing for a trip, struggling with my list of camera equipment to take along. Is it my standard two DMC-G3 kit with a bunch of primes and one zoom? Should I include my new Nissin Di466 flash? Do I have all of the batteries, chargers, and cards I need? How about back-up? Can I use my wife's laptop, will the iPad suffice?

Maybe I'll minimize, and just take the DMC-LX5 this time. Seems limiting.

Well, screw it. I'm tired of all of this complexity. I'm going to change my blog name to DIANA-365.blogspot.com, throw the plastic cameras in my suitcase (one in carry-on, one in checked baggage - who cares if one disappears?), add some 400 speed drugstore film, and goodbye digital world.

I bet you can't wait to see what I come up with on this trip, can you? I'm not even going to scan. It's target scan-to-CD for me, and from now on you'll get that in all its low contrast, dusty glory.

From now on, our gear talk will be VERY basic. Hang on, though, I think Lomography sells a fisheye camera, right? Well, here I go again...

Don't delete the DMC-365 bookmark yet.

Happy April Fool's Day. See you tomorrow.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Spring Is Here, Even In Boston!

 

Image Source: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/backbay/bbgallery/

warm_weather/?rss_id=Top+Stories

(Click Here) for the photos on boston.com.

Okay, I am sure you will want to know why I posted this. It's funnier to me than to anyone else. I just remember looking at people in Copley Square in Boston a few years ago, on the first day of the year. The combination of shorts, sheet-white legs, black socks, and business shoes was just too much. My guess is that these were businessmen, who kept a pair of shorts in the office just in case, but no other warm weather clothes. It peaked about lunchtime.

I hope I didn't just waste a minute of your life on something you can't imagine; it was damned funny to see.

I shot some cherry blossoms in DC this morning. I promise a more interesting spring post coming soon!

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