Brain Science Demonstration From the Photography Blog THEME

http://www.the.me/the-human-brain-sort-of-a-virtual-darkroom/

I work in brain science. I love it when I find overlaps between my chosen career and my chosen hobby. This one is great.

Here's the experiment that you should perform: Make the image above as large as possible on whatever device you're reading from (an iPad worked well for me). Stare at the red dot on the model's nose for 30 seconds. Now, look at a blank light surface (like a white wall) and blink several times. You'll see the negative image above turn into a positive image. Amazing.

(Click Here) to read the original post on THEME.

So, what's going on here? It's called a negative afterimage. Basically, what happens is that by staring at the negative image long enough, you are saturating some of the photoreceptors (cone receptors, to be exact, those that detect color), but not others. The receptors specifically tuned to the colors in the negative image become saturated, and when that happens, they become less sensitive. Receptors for colors not in the image are not affected. So, when you look at a blank surface, the saturated receptors give you a sense of very low levels of the color you saw in the negative, while colors that are absent appear relatively stronger, giving you the sense of an image with colors opposite to what you looked at.

(Click Here) for a more thorough explanation.

Pretty cool, huh?

DMC-365.blogspot.com

 

 

Goodbye Minerva Lake

Backlit Leaves, Minerva Lake, by Reed A. George

Nikon F, Nikkor 28mm f3.5 Pre-AI Lens

Kodak Tmax 400 Film

 

My aunt and uncle are moving out of the house they've lived in since I was a kid. In Minerva Park in Columbus, Ohio, it's a place I spent a lot of time as a kid, going to the pool in the summer with my cousins. This may be the last time I ever have the occasion to walk around Minerva Lake. This picture will remind me of the place forever.

 

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Morning in Jackson Square, New Orleans

Morning in Jackson Square, by Reed A. George

Leica M6 Titan, Summicron 35mm f2 v.3 Lens

Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

As I sit writing this morning in my local Starbucks, this image reminds me of the wonderful coffee and chicory I had just enjoyed at Cafe Du Monde a few minutes before I shot it. I like Starbucks; I loved my Cafe Du Monde coffee that morning.

 

Morning is very quiet in the French Quarter; most of its denizens are at least semi-nocturnal. I always enjoy seeing new places early in the morning, to get a different perspective.

 

The sunlight was just coming up over the bank of the Mississippi River, which would be on the right in the photo above. I like how the edge of the light follows the intersection of the two sets of stairs, going off at different angles. While the steps in the lower section are fully light, those in the middle have light only on their edges. The pigeon at right is similarly edge-lit, which gives it a bit of a focal point in my opinion.

 

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The Hole in the Fence

The Hole in the Fence, by Reed A. George

Leica M6 Titan, 50mm f1.4 Summilux

Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

I'm not sure why I like this scene, but something told me to capture it. Shot in the French Quarter, New Orleans.

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New Orleans Street Poet

Performing Poet, New Orleans, by Reed A. George

Leica M6 Titan, Summilux 50mm f1.4 Titanium Lens

Ilford Delta 3200 Film

 

I really love creative people. This poet was set up in the French Quarter, and would write about anything you asked. He was asking for donations if you liked what he wrote. I very much respect him for using his creativity and skill to make a living here.

 

I asked him to write about my daughter, Christine. I only told him a few things - her age, her interests, that we are very close. He asked me to give him 15 or 20 minutes. When I returned, here's what he had written:

 

"Christine

 

The paintball warrior

with art in her blood,

jumping into the flood of

emotions, running toward

adulthood.

 

A family well in tune,

a room, a canvas,

Christine sees with an

artist's eye, drinking in

the colors and textures,

becoming the young woman she

was meant to be.

 

A Renaissance woman in training

determined to put her mark

on the world,

one ball of paint at at time"

Perfect. Couldn't be more correct.

 

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Memorial Day Tomorrow - Planning to Shoot with Wartime Leicas

Wartime Leica IIIC

 

I'm going out today, Memorial Day, with a good friend. We're going into DC, where we'll photograph events on the National Mall. I'm going to shoot only wartime Leica gear, or at least gear that would have been in use at the time. That is, my kit will include a 3.5cm Elmar lens from 1937. The remaining pieces, two Leica IIICs and a 5.0cm Elmar, were all made during the years of WWII.

 

I'm really looking forward to seeing what I can do with this kit. I hope to have some images to share from the day soon.

 

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Need a Manual for that Old Camera? butkus.org is the Answer!

Image Source: http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/filmcamera/slr/nikomat_ft3/

 

 

This morning, I loaded up my first roll of film in the Nikkormat FT3 I won in the Film Photography Project (FPP) Walking Workshop last weekend. When I went to set the film speed, I realized that the indicator didn't want to move. I couldn't remember how to unlock it, but was at least smart enough to not force it.

 

What to do? Needless to say, it didn't come with a manual. Simple. There's an incredible resource of scanned manuals for cameras and accessories online at butkus.org

 

(Click Here) to go to butkus.org if you need a manual for (nearly) any old camera.

 

I found the complete Nikkormat FT3 manual there, just as I expected.

 

Whenever I find a manual and download it, I donate (~$3-5) to the site. It's easy, with a Paypal button right there. There's also a mailing address, if you want to send a check.

 

By the way, while the FT3 is simply described as "AI version of the Nikkormat FT2 (1975)" on the Nikon website, I've come to realize that it's truly the best Nikkormat (Nikomat) model for me, as it happily accepts AI lenses, and like the new digital Nikon Df, has the option of flipping the AI lever out of the way so that you can mount and use non-AI lenses. When you do this, you have to use stop-down metering, but hey, that's a small compromise. So, the FT3 is a wonderful camera to always have in your bag as a backup when shooting Nikon film SLRs, no matter which model is your primary or which manual focus lenses you're carrying.

 

Now to see if I can make any interesting images with it!

 

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