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January 4th, 2014 ….. Fuji XE1 & XP1 do the Mummers Parade … Part 2

01-14-0043With the shots from the 35mm 1.4, all were made with the XP1 and I used the OVF.  On this post, the ones with that Mr Bokeh are the ones from the 35mm. The guy above is MR. BOKEH and I found him wondering around with those glasses on to fool people. He’s the guy responsible for all that Bokeh stuff that was and will ever be.

Anyway, my Queen photo has gone viral and is on explore at Flickr. Well deserved and it once again shows that the Flickr editors do have eyes. I used the XP1 with the strap I saw when Ray, Pete and I met in Sept or something. Ray is my front man on new products. I think he knows that but at any rate, he has a talent for spotting a product that has quality and more importantly, that works. He had this slider strap on and I watched as he pulled this ring and the strap changed length in a second. I didn’t say anything but shortly after our meet, I ordered on and it came from Pop Flash…Tony Rose  http://www.popflash.com/index.php?p=catalog&mode=search&search_in=all&search_str=slider+strap because he has it in stock and it was the best price. For many years, decades I have resisted a strap like that, you know…the sling thing. This strap changes my way of thinking and I use it all the time. I have installed the “LeHook Cady”  http://www.lehook.co.uk/index.html  and this makes changing to a wrist or different camera a very elegant task. I hope the links work.

Battery power is quite remarkable for both cameras. I have the cameras to never sleep and to have the screen always on. I’ll just say that I might be in disagreement with a few that say the power management is not good.

01-14-0057This was in front of the Urban League and it’s a place for the wealthy people to look at the commoners and feel like they are in touch with reality. Eh…once a year they can have the pleasure of seeing all the people that they crush financially act up and have a good time. I’m sure they get double showers when they get home. I’m sure all the ladies with their fancy mink coats get horny and when they get home, their husbands are sleeping because they had sex with the young parade goers…(male or female, I hear they don’t care).

The guy above has no idea that he’s in a bad spot but later he’ll find out because those guys on top can’t hold their drinks and the guy on the bottom s in direct line of fire. Obviously, he’s a Marine not Army……shhhhhhhhh!

01-14-0091See these guys….they are the crew that test Beer Can Camouflage. If they don’t get busted, the company that sponsors them will make millions of dollars because the company can sell beer can covers  to all the beer drinkers in the world. I think these guys are off to a startling success.

01-14-0062Jimi was at the parade this year……

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01-14-0073There’s more stuff sitting in a LR5 folder but I’ll post some of them tomorrow.

Tom, the Heliar is BRILLIANT.  Most of those that have issues have used cheap adapters. I use the Fuji and never have any issues at all….

January 3rd, 2014 ….. Fuji XE1 & XP1 do the Mummers Parade … Part 1

01-14-0093Don’t look for the traditional Mummers photos here. There are many good shooters that made those photos but I ain’t one. I have worked the parade bystanders and not the traditional shots of the participants for decades.

I used the Fuji XP1 with the 35mm 1.4 and the XE1 with the 15mm Heliar. No other lenses or cameras were used and more importantly needed. I gotta say first off….the XP1 is now the camera it was designed to be. I used the OVF only and I loved every second of it. The XE1 was a screen shooter except for one frame where I tried the finder. Works great but with the 15mm, you need to get the camera moving in space and not at the eye.

01-14-0068For me the screen is still where it’s at but the OVF in the XP1 is as close to working with a M camera as Fuji probably could get. This is not meant to compare at all, even tho I feel more than qualified to do so but more of an observation on how a camera works within the vision of the shooter. The XP1 is a joy to work with, especially since the new firmware. It’s amazing how accurate the frame lines have become.

01-14-0033When I’m working, I can’t tolerate a camera that fights my vision. If the camera intrudes on my vision even a little….eBay….bye. I’m not selling Fuji’s and certainly I’ve had major issues with them in the past but truth be told, credit should go where credit is due. Enough props for now.

01-14-0063I don’t want to write too much as I feel the photos will speak better than I can with those words. I’m not as a loss mind you, just paying respect to the images.

01-14-0048This photo will no doubt go to the Homeless Advocacy Group I work with. Of course all the Lawyers there are either wearing or their mates are wearing these fancy schmancy fur coats. There’s nothing wrong with that, don’t get me wrong. If a man has been hungry and cold for a while, what’s one more day? Am I being sarcastic, I donotcanknow……..

More tomorrow as I have many nice photos. Peace be with you….

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

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…..

Ricoh GR … Life on Philadelphia Streets Part 2

 

08-13-0547There comes periods of time for me when I just feel and enjoy what I’m doing photographically. I don’t care about the camera, the processing, the … well anything but the act of making photos. I am in one of those times right now. I don’t know how long it will last but I’ll work it until it’s done.

08-13-0541Funny thing is…. I notice thru the years that these periods come around the time I’m getting ready to teach a workshop. Hmmmm?

Well Olivier, you know that Duong chap from Florida…..he informs me that we are getting ready to go to New York and do some workshop things.  Maybe that sparks some kind of energy in my brain. Maybe it gets my juices flowing…..nah! I’m ready to work anytime, never needed any inspiration or kick in the butt.

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It’s times like this I don’t have to answer to anybody. I am free to just breathe my images.

One of them young bands that has all my respect sayz…….:

It’s Times Like This You Learn To Love Again……. I’m on the streets tomorrow morning and will report back with some new images…..

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Ricoh GR … Life on Philadelphia Streets

08-13-0504Sometimes a man just has to man up and know when to surrender. I did. I guess it’s just the passion and commitment to my work that won’t allow me to just read what everyone thinks about a camera and so, It’s taking me more to embrace the GR than any camera before it.

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There’s a vibe on the street. It’s has a changing frequency just like life. It has a sense of humor, just like life. It has a sense of immediacy and with all this going on, the dedicated human with a camera breathes his images. Images come and go just like a breath of air…just like life.

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The street is life. If you look close and pay attention you will notice that every little movement that appear insignificant to the untrained eye…is the very movement that causes the finger to hit the shutter. If your not seeing life that way, it’s time to slow down and start because you’ll miss much more than you see and that means many, many photos will never be borne…..

The Camera’s Intent “Memory” for the Eye, Heart & Mind … Part 2

Bethany copyHere’s what’s going on with INTENT. There is the INTENT of MEMORY and the MEMORY of INTENT.

The intent of memory is like when you make a family snapshot. The photo above is of my daughter when she was around 7 years old, I no longer have the exact time in my memory and am thankful that this photo was made to remind me of her at such a young age. She will turn 40 on Sat 8/17/13. So this clearly shows the intent of memory. It means I wanted to make a photo of a certain person in a certain place in time. I wanted to make a record. In this case of someone that was/is a major part of my memory in this life experience.

So with this in mind, I made the photo fully aware that it shall outlive me and probably her. Our families of the future will see the photo and hold it special because it’s a record of existence for both of us. This is the INTENT of MEMORY. My INTENT was to make a lasting memory  as a record for future family members.

2013-04-03 18.01.54Tanya made this with a cellphone. I don’t remember which one, her’s or mine nor do I care. The cat’s name is Barsik. It’s Barsik because Barsik is a good cat name for cats in Russia. The guy under the cat is me but I don’t remember my name nor do I care.

Her intent is very obvious. She wanted to make a photo of her family here in the house. Her INTENT was to make a lasting MEMORY. Thus, the intent of memory. She is not a shooter, she is a person that wanted to make a memory. In that respect, she has made a great photo. Think about this………. a little more………….ok, get it. Her intent was met and succeeded without all the hoopla that we shooters apply to our art.

The art of living should be met with as much respect by shooters as the art of knowledgeable image making. The two are inseparable to those that follow the path of the EYE, HEART and MIND.

Next…side two, the reverse but yet the same.