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Black & White, Color, Dreamcatcher, Garden, Inspired Eye, Off Street, Philosophy of Street, Photography, Street, Street Photography, Street Presets, Streetshooter, Uncategorized

December 29th, 2013 ….. The Waterproof Fuji Saves The Day

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12-13-0547Man, it’s raining cats and dogs here in Philly. I don’t mean cats like my buddy Barsik, I mean cats like my ex drummer, ex bassman that kinda cats….huh….hold on…..yeah, ok….I’m told by the left side of me poor brain that I spelled cats wrong….it’s supposed to be Kats or Katz…sumptin like a dat…..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ anywayz……..

I went out with Tanya to go return some stuff. It was and still is rainin’  like….uh…uh… crazy.  So I was thinking about making photos, of course I’m always thinking about that and I said to myself…. self, the Fuji XE1 is not gonna be a happy camper in this weather….hmmmm…..I thought, what about the Fuji XP1, I mean it’s a real PRO camera that does everything including have a meltdown in the rain……

what to do, oh my….what to do.  See, the Yellow Mother invented a law that the gov’t of all nations far and wide base their law and financial matters on….. It’s called the Inverse Square Law.  That law means less is more and more is less. For us, the original followers of this fine law, it means…the larger the hole, the smaller the number….hold on….check this out….it also means the smaller the hole, the larger the number.

So as shooters, we know that the more you spend on a camera, the less risky use you’ll do with it and then…the less you pay for a camera, the riskier you can get.

For the gov’t, all gov’t…this means that the more people you have the less they get to eat and have less money because they have to share it amongst themselves…..well…the less people..like in Congress etc, the less people there, the more food and money there because they get to steal it from the masses of people that trust them with their lives…….this ain’t no lesson on astrophysicaldynamicalpoliticalmathematicalbeanimpotantpersonandstealbecauseyoucanandhaveajunkysexlifesoallhastopay conversation…..

So, anyway….Tanya and I ventured out in the pouring rain and the Fuji’s didn’t…..HOLD ON A MINUTE! Enter the Fuji-film XP-50. It’s a very small point n’ shoot. It has basic settings but….it thrives in the rain, snow, dust, dirt, heat, cold and even in a politicianspocket…THE HORROR!

This camera is very nice to deal with. If you want to adjust all the settings and everything….take yer XP1 out in the rain. If your just interested in making photos in adverse conditions……The XP-50 is a great choice…. I got this on eBay for cheap….

When we got home because we didn’t go anywheres but the rain because our shoes and boots leaked and out feets gotz wet so we had to come home….

I put the file in LR5 and of course it was in color because it only does jpeggies and I leave it in color so I get the best file to work with…..

The camera is a gas and I like being able to work in bad weather etc….

More tomorrow when I get back from the streets of Philly….. By the way….if you get out a little…if you see my brain someplace…tell it that vacation is over…..

Black & White, Color, Dreamcatcher, Garden, Inspired Eye, Off Street, Philosophy of Street, Photography, Street, Street Photography, Street Presets, Streetshooter, Uncategorized

December 28th, 2013 …… Countdown to New Years ….. shooters history lesson, part 1

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12-13-0535With or without fears, New Years will come in a few days. Why is this day special? If’n ya have to ask, yer not from Philadelphia. See, back in the early 1900’s the Philly Forefathers of Business and Prosperity invented New Years Day. The idea was to get everyone from all over the world to come to Philly and stay in hotels, eat in the restaurants buy cameras and make photos of the most famous event in the history of the world…The Mummer’s Day Parade.

Well, the forefathers didn’t realize that this parade was gong to share time and space with New Years Day that’s celebrated all over the world. The called everyone in the world even those in the Old Country and asked if they could move New Years Day to a different time slot. Much to their surprise, the answer was no, only because New Years Day happens at different times at different places in the world. Hard to believe but it’s true. My dear friend Roger is in Adelaide Australia and he’s 151/2 hours ahead. I get the 15 hours cause he’s always ahead of me anyway…but what’s with the 1/2 hour? Who invented that? (side note) Roger and I have tried to win the lottery in the Land of Oz but it’s not working. I figured he’s really ahead of me so he could tell me the winning numbers and we could win.

hmmmm, not working but it goes to show that just because someone is ahead of you in time, doesn’t mean that where you are  ain’t where you is in the here and now. So I guess I have to be in center city Philly for the parade once again. This of course means that many of you will miss it because you have a messed up time clock for New Years Day. Once again youse will miss the most important invention from Philly besides the Cheese Steak. I know you all heard of Alexander The Great. He didn’t find his way hear but he wanted to cause he heard about the Greatest Cheese Steaks in the new world. Hannibal and his troops did make it to Philly and that’s really a part of how the Mummers Day Parade got it’s start.

Anyway, I’ll be there again and this year I’m using the Fuji X-E1 with the 15mm Heliar and the Fuji X-pro 1 with the native Fuji lenses. I’ll probably keep the 35 1.4 on it because it’s a tele photo for me. Ever since a firmware update, the frame lines are very accurate…much more than any Leica M I have or have used…..all….he he

This is not the last post before the New Years Parade….I got a call from Hannibal’s kinfolk asking for 35,000 rooms with a HOT SHOWER and parking for Camels and Horses……no sweat…the Hilton is always available…….

…………………….end transmission………..shooter out!

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December 24th, 2013 ….. Happy Holidays To All Youse Good Peoples

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12-13-0396No, it’s not a hipshot. No it’s only tilted if you look at it that way. Look at the left door frame….see….it’s not tilted. Some one did that a lot in his photos….there is always a reference point in photos and in life. Reference points in photos are to explore and play with like Garry but reference points in life are to anchor by and to live by. When you stumble into the here and now, those reference points may come together to create…uh….something. C’mon…the road to self discovery is not here with me or the blog….it’s inside you….find your own answers.

12-13-0384You like juxtapositions? ….. Yeah, me too. Making photos sometimes is like working on a jigsaw puzzle. I don’t have the patience for puzzles that live on my table. I mean it’s too convenient to have all the pieces there waiting to find where they fit in puzzle society. I’m a streetshooter. I like to find the pieces of the world and life in front of my camera so I can see where I don’t fit in. When I find a part of that society or life that I do fit in, I don’t like to feel like I fit in. I’d rather struggle to make it in the street and the world so I don’t get complacent like so many others do.

12-13-0353See the guy with the mask. He’s struggling not to fit in even tho’ he’s at a Santa party at an Irish Bar. This bar downtown gets a lot of Irish and Scottish people in especially at this time of the year. I don’t think the younger ones make it home for Xmas because the Guinness is really cold and the Single Malt is very good. I think they do a good job of celebrating Xmas because their bellies show their commitment to the festive season. I used to go there all the time to do what they do until I got married again and became a mature married man with certain responsibilities. My wife tells me that all the time but I’d rather be at the Irish Bar trying to make a Santa Belly. Hey, we all have dreams…even if some are nightmares…..!

12-13-0355This is the real Santa. He’s just left the Irish Bar because Mrs Clause talked with Tanya and he has to go home to the freezing North Pole because he’s a mature married man with certain responsibilities. All the young female elves are sorry to see him go. They really like riding in the sleigh.

Be safe, be loving, even to those that you feel don’t deserve it because, they do. Have a great holiday and I’ll be back on line Thursday…..if da wifey can keep out of Macy’s.

End Transmission…….Shooter out…………………

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December 20th, 2013 ….. The Dreamcatcher is Back in My Head

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12-13-0327It seems that this series has been going on in my head and in photos for as long as I can remember. It’s not just about the visual but about the thoughts that go with the visual.

When I get into this Dreamcatcher Mode of operation, I start to think my photos. Sometimes I think my photos are thinking me. The connection I get of course is the camera in my hand. The device, the machine, the friend that takes me to and fro from image to image is the Dreamcatcher.

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12-13-0291I get this groove going and just flow along and try to find the light in the subject that interest me enough to try to make another….?  I had a different upbringing then the Zen Masters or even disciples. Of course, I am assuming this and it is not a fact because everyone lives their own destiny.

I am really into the here and now, especially in photography. Well, I’m no mystic, no Zen Master, no professor of anything I know about or don’t know about. The here and now came to me at a very early age. There was a kid in my neighborhood and I was crazy for his sister. I mean she was all that I could dream of at this young age. So I tried to talk to her at one point and her brother didn’t feel the same way about things as I did. One day on the way home from school, he stopped me and said he was going to beat the crap out of me HERE and right NOW! He did. I learned that brothers protect their sisters at all cost and that one can learn about the here and now in many different ways.

Years later after we both got past the protect sister episode, I saw him as I was making photos on the street. I made a quick snap of him and when I processed the film, I had an idea for the print. I made an 11 x 14 and when it dried, I took it to the bathroom and lit it on fire….then I peed on it and felt that I was now able to talk to a guys sister again.

12-13-0315Shooter, what the heck does that story have to do with making photos? Well, it has to do with energy and feelings. See, when your out there seeking the image, seeking the light, seeking the magic, seeking the elusive dream, all that you are, all that you ever will be is in the release of the shutter. When the time comes for each of us to lay on the marble slab…..when it’s the time for all realization of your life is on the line, your laying naked in front of what you believe to be the creator  of the world you live in……

In life, I may have gotten my butt kicked but I learned about the Here and Now…..

Oh, LORD….sorry about burning and peeing on Whitey’s photo….I never claimed to be close to perfect…..

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Listen, I write what I feel and I feel what I write. For that I make no excuses and neither should you. Make your photos the way you  feel and see and don’t worry about the outcome. Your intent, like it or not will come thru in your photos and that will reflect your  eye, heart and mind.

This or any post I make is not to be an excuse to your partner, girlfriend, boyfriend and certainly not husbands and wives to get a new camera, lens, light meter, software etc…..do that in your own here and now….I have my own problems……..

 

 

 

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December 14th, 2013 ….. The Inspired Eye Issue 5 is Published

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Inspired Eyehttp://www.theinspiredeye.net/pdf-photography-magazine/

 

It is always crunch time for Olivier and I the last week before publishing an issue. We don’t have any personal time, ask Tanya. Anyway, it’s out and ready for all youse good people to have an interesting read.

Thanks for your continued support……Olivier and Don

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December 5th, 2013 ….. Homage to a Migraine

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12-13-0033My eyes are kinda overloaded. If I watch the Tele or try to read or use the computers, iPhone, bright lights, low lights I get this immediate headache. It’s like my eyes and processing machine in the head need air to function without pain. So I was heading to the VA Hosp again for a treatment and of course I carried a camera. I felt that the XP1 with the 15mm would be good. The weight of this camera will help to steady it if need be.

So I started to walk south on 18th Street to get to the Midtown Diner for some light breakfast. I’ve walked this route a million times thru the years. I was afraid of getting this terrible headache again and didn’t plan on making any photos but needed my camera along as a pacifier. I glanced left and saw a woman behind the blinds. My hand was on the camera, thumb switched it on….I slowed my pace until she got just where she needed to be for the frame…..then as I raised the camera….click!

I realized at that very moment that no matter what I did in my daily routines, making photos was not going to give me a headache.

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December 3rd, 2013 ….. Recovery Mode

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12-13-0012It’s been a rough few days. After doing a few days working with Homeless people and this year, pets are included, then I shot the Parade on Thanksgiving Day, then my body said …ENOUGH! To make a long story short, I am now on limited duty and even the computer is at a limited time. The screen is killing my eyes.

Did you ever have a Migraine Headache…..Well in the Hospital I wished it was just that. The pain was unbearable…. The nurse, a Marine Male told me I had a brain ache, Now I know what a Brain Cloud is, Tom Hanks had that in the volcano movie. A brain ache…..he assured me that if I didn’t slow down, it will get much worse. Of course, being a Marine…he made sure my Russian Wife was present. So that should explain that.

12-13-0005I can’t do much about this but I am heading to the VA Hospital again tomorrow morning. That gives me a chance to work the XP1 and 15mm on the streets…..

Stay tuned and bear with me during this issue….

don

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November 26th, 2013 ….. Lessons From the Archive

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GF GAMB'E GAME-EditIt’s cold and rainy out. I’m stuck in the house. My iPhone crashed while I was talking to Olivier. I reinstalled the backup 4 times and it finally worked. So I decided to Re-Photograph my images. Don’t ask and I won’t explain what that means…..what, oh…sure…but….nah…let’s just do it. I go thru my catalog not to find missing images, well how could they be missing if I know where they are? Yeah, this applies to you…and you over there…yeah, you. Just cause you use Aperture, that ain’t no escape.

I know this sounds crazy and, well it just may be but truth is….we need to do this sometimes. No, not sit here and write like an idiot, re-shoot our photos. So, in LR5 or whatever…open your catalog and just look for photos that turn you on. It’s best not to start with an agenda but it’s almost unavoidable. I usually go back 2-3 years and just check out stuff that turns me on. It doesn’t have to be your best work but it will lead to that in the future.

In LR5 I put the chosen ones into a collection and label it “Picks.”  This does not do anything to the original location, it just copies the photos to the new collection. At this point your not doing anything brilliant…or are you? What your doing is grouping photos that you respond to after capture and putting them together in a collection for study.

After you are satisfied, the work begins. It is easy to see what lens is working and how you use it. Do you get in close or medium or far distances?

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What camera was really working during this period? Was color or black & white the majority of images? What was the subject matter? Hmmmm, I got an idea….let’s group things by these different common denominators. What about time of day and position of the Sun? Light conditions are all important. How about recurring themes. How about collections like series?

This seems like a very anal process and boring. I mean, who wants to sit and really organize? What if the desired results are not met?

What this does is creates a collection of memories and facts that put together by a shooter with an open mind, makes a roadmap for the present and future. How would you like to go out and work and feel like you might be getting somewhere?  No, this doesn’t appeal to you….ok…B&H is having a sale….go buy a camera ya don’t need….

06-11-0240-EditI’m working the Homeless Advocacy Group tomorrow, rain or shine….. Seeya’s soon…..

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November 23rd, 2013 ….. Fuji XP1 & 15mm Heliar on the Streets

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11-13-0523There’s something about the Fuji XP1 & XE1. I love the 15mm on either and never choose a favorite camera. I just let the situation call the shots.

On the XP1 with the 15mm, I get 22.5 mm FOV. Well, the way we do math here in Philly, that means 21mm. I had the 21mm for my M’s but never wanted to use it on a daily basis. I always considered it an extra lens for a suitable need. Now, with the Fuji’s…it’s on one of them at all times. I love the DOF scale and the Focus scale. That’s technical stuff but where it really counts, is seeing.

The Heliar has the unique ability to draw you closer to your subject matter then most other lenses. This turns me on big time. I feel like I can’t get close enough. Of course the subject feels differently.

I was walking on Arch Street near 12th and I saw a familiar doorway that I’ve seen many times. I made a few photos there thru the years but it’s not an easy juxtaposition. The woman who work in this place, well they are not Streetshooter friendly. I had just gotten past the door as my left eye caught a woman move into the doorway on the phone. So I slowly backed up and extended my arm and let the camera see before I could see. I saw the screen and then moved in to release. It’s not the best photo I ever made but it’s a real good one to explain Juxtaposition to my new student.

11-13-0504Another thing I try to explain is how to make photos because you just love making photos. Simply put….how to be free with your process. This is important because once the concept of freedom is grasped, then getting more rigid with ones work is understood. It’s just another form of juxtaposition and or, the Inverse Square Law. So for a spell, I am responsible to make lesson for those that think they can learn from me.

I will be at the Thanksgiving Day Parade again but even there, I am shooting for the City. My stuff will be in a different camera. I need a good shoot on the street with little or no agenda.

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November 21st, 2013 ….. 街道射手 on the Street

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It was cold outside. Not the kind that is coming to us but the kind that lets you know what is going to come. I still remember the warmth in the air but now, it’s just a dream. I had just finished a conversation with Olivier about some things for the website and magazine. The phone rang again and on the other end of the line was the sound of a young Asian woman. She said she was a friend of Suzanne and wanted to talk to me about some photography issues. Well, I agreed and she said she would be where I was in 20 minutes. I was at the Reading Terminal Market at Sang Kee eating dumplings, rice and an egg roll. The is the real street shooters meal.

About 15 minutes later, a young Asian Woman tapped me on my shoulder and introduced herself. She said I should call her Polly. Well, I asked her how she knew it was me she was tapping and she said, the hat…the hat.  Anyway, Polly is a Gynecologist and an avid photographer. She seemed very timid and that could be an issue soon. She explained she was having issues with her camera and wanted help in setting it up and it’s use. So we went to the small park and we sat and I prompted her for the camera. Ok, now we all know what was coming out of her pocketbook. No, not a phone. No, not a compact….of course, your right….

She pulls out a nice M9 with a 35mm Lux on it. She struggled with it for a spell and I with all kindness in heart offered to exchange my XE1 and 18mm lens because it’s so much easier than the M.

Your not funny Mr Don. She got the camera 3 days ago on Suzanne’s suggestion. She didn’t understand why the zoom didn’t work on the Lux. She didn’t understand why the AF box just stays still and will not lock focus. There’s a dozen things she doesn’t get but there’s one thing she gets and will help in many ways. Me. I have taken on another private student. She’s nice and wants to walk the streets and make photos like I do. Cool beans.

I asked for her email address and when she sent it to me, as we sat there….I noticed some Chinese letters. I asked her what it meant. Silly man she said… 街道射手 Street Shooter.

The process of knowledge swapping from brain to brain starts tomorrow.