What Came in the Mail

This morning, I received a 135mm lens for my Minolta x-500. I bought it on eBay three days ago from a seller in Paris who advertised it as a Viabrillant/Minolta. I googled Viabrillant, but nothing came up, so I'm assuming it was either the name Minolta lenses were sold under in some countries, or a subcontractor. I emailed the seller to ask him if he knows anything about it. I also got the 5 rolls of film I'd ordered from Thailand. I'll be covered for a couple of months if I shoot mainly digital this summer, or a couple of weeks if I shoot more film than digital, so I'll have to re-stock up via eBay. 

The lens is somewhat of a beast, and it's going to take some getting used to. I shot a few photos with it, and I had to back away a lot more than I'd expected. In the process, I ran into a sweet older couple, and had to avoid a group of Japanese tourists who were in my line of view. I almost got a shot of a nice store layout, but a kid was in the way, and he was not budging. These are all things I'm not used to, being a 50mm girl for financial reasons, so the learning process is going to be interesting. It's definitely going to make me stop and think about composition a lot more. 

In a week, I should be getting two rolls of film back: one from Florida, and the other one from here. I have no idea what's on either, which gives you an idea of how much I've been shooting film lately (a shot here in there, with weeks at a time spent without touching my camera). There's still a roll in my LC-A with a few photos I took in Miami, and the rest needs to be taken here. I think I'll finish it when Brent gets here.  

I've only used four types of film in my life: Kodak gold 200, Fujicolor 100, and two types of Lomography films, so I'm taking any and all film recommendations. 

LC-A Dreams

Last summer, I shot two rolls of film with my LC-A and only posted a few that I liked. I was very disappointed with the rest so I promptly forgot about them. A few days ago, looking through my photo albums, I noticed that I had a few photos with something curious in common: they looked like they were all from a junkie's hallucinations. The colors, the light leaks, the blurriness, the retro clothes and architecture all made them look like they'd been taken in the 70s.

No, I wasn't in a trance when I took them, but I can't guarantee that my LC-A wasn't. Maybe it was going through three airport security systems; they might have messed up the rolls of film in my bag. 

As a collage, they look much less odd, and you don't get the feeling that you're in a very disturbing dream. Maybe I'll post them individually on Flickr one day. 

Sunday Morning Market

Yesterday, I woke up a little earlier than usual on Sunday mornings, and got ready faster than usual so I could go to the market after getting a few things from the grocery store. The weather was a little cooler than I expected, but the sun showed its pretty face a few times. 

These past few days, I've been reading more about photography settings, and experimenting with different settings. I was going to use mostly spot metering, but I soon figured out that I wasn't going to have time to adjust my settings based on some very disparate lighting conditions, so I ended up going with center-weighted average metering. I'm proud of the fact that I made an effort to shoot even when vendors were looking at me, which is something I'm usually too shy to do. 

I discovered that peonies are my favorite flowers. But don't buy me any during hay fever season or I just may punch you in the face. 

The round flower looks very interesting. It's a shame I didn't notice it then. 

I sometimes forget how good artichokes are, even without any dressing. 

This is part of the Greek stand where I buy kalamata olives and whatever else strikes my fancy. That olive oil is pretty damn tasty, but the feta I bought yesterday morning had gone bad so I was very disappointed. 

This week, I need to come up with more recipes because I've been skipping Food Friday for the last two weeks. It doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I made some lemon and cilantro hummus (delicious) and another tiramisu (with Marsala wine this time). But last Friday, I came back too late to bother cooking, and the week before that, I was just not in the mood to cook. I think I should make something savory, but I need to find something light. 

Amateur Portfolio

Four weeks after opening a free Carbonmade account, I've finally put together a portfolio. I chose four sections out of the five allowed: people & faces, food, urban landscapes, and animals. I can still add ten photos that I think I'll add to all sections but the faces section for obvious reasons. I'm glad I finally did it, even if it's a small, non professional looking website. It's not like I'm starting a photography business right this second anyway. 

Let me know what you think!

Ode & Promise to my Chinese and Russian Cameras

Spring and summer mean I can now dig my Holga, Diana and LC-A out (okay, take them off my shelves) and get new rolls of film so I can use them when the sun is out and the light is beautiful. I admit that I shouldn't neglect them during the colder, blearier months, but I do. 

The LC-A gets taken out on outings more often than my other film cameras, but I haven't been a good owner lately, and I still haven't processed the roll that Brent and I shot in Miami. This is a promise to start using those cameras again, and an ode to their awesomeness.  

The wide angle lens of the LC-A is 

one of the reasons I love it. 

Fujicolor 100 iso film gives 

some pretty damn great colors.

Sometimes, you get a lot more

detail than you'd expect.

It's a good portrait camera. 

The Holga, however, is trickier to use and get good results from. I wanted to love it. I really did. But I don't love it as much. Maybe I picked film with too low an ISO. Maybe I didn't adjust the settings to the shooting conditions. I also think Holgas are great tools for some subjects, and awful for others. They tend to bring out the gloomy aspects of places and objects. Truth be told, I get depressed just looking at most photos taken with Holgas, unless they're of shiny or bright things.  

I'm going to be using the Diana with its Instax back over the summer. In a couple of weeks, I'll be ordering 5 or 10 packs of Instax mini to take with me on vacation. I feel the same way about it used without the Instax back as I feel about the Holga, so it's not going to be needing any 120 film this summer. Despite the unreliability of the viewfinder when the back is on, it's a really great tool and so much fun to use. 

Definitely not what was in my viewfinder back then. 

Here I was aiming for his face, not his hands. 

Welcoming spring.

Spring is finally here, and with that come: the ability to walk back from work without the cold biting at my hands, the beautiful late afternoon light, the allergies (but those flowers are so worth it), and most importantly, the realization that in less than three months, my love will be here for almost three months. After 81 days apart, being together again in 85 days seems almost close.

Spring is my favorite season, but it's also the most difficult to shop for. What do you wear when mornings are chilly and afternoons warm? The spring collections at my favorite stores are also on the disappointing side this year. And when I see cute dresses, they're on the wrong side of expensive (think €240-260, not my usual €120-140 range).

And when you work with kids, spring is when the kids are the most unbearable. Studying takes even more of a backseat to playing outside and sitting in the sun working on their tans. The boys play soccer while the girls watch and cheer, and play coy.

When you get migraines, the lengthening of days is very much welcome. More natural light means fewer migraines, and the warmth means I can take a book and sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. 

I am looking forward to taking my MacBook outside, along with a cup of green tea, to work on a few projects in the mornings. 

Shooting into the sun can give interesting

results when you choose to forget that

you're not supposed to. 

My favorite neighborhood cat decided to

lay in the dead leaves over the wire that 

separates my yard from my neighbors' and taunt Oscar. 

"I am ze masked cat" she said, covering her
one atrophied eye. She loved being the center of 
attention and let me take dozens of pictures of her. 

Ben & Lou Ann: color shots

She got up to sing and dance and 

become the center of everyone's attention. 

Big hands/tiny hands.

How do you use a spoon to drink hot cocoa, anyway?

(Not) enjoying a mug of hot cocoa. 

She must have taken only two sips.

Tiny hands trying to open a sugar packet. 

Being a dad also means learning 

how to fix your daughter's hair with two 

strategically placed hairpins.  

Ben & Lou Ann: Black & White

Ben is a high school friend of mine with whom I'd lost touch. We reconnected via Facebook sometime this summer, and I told him that if he was up for it, I could take photos of his adorable daughter, Lou Ann. Then, two weeks ago, Ben said he wanted me to take photos he could use for his online dating profile because he recently separated from Lou Ann's mother. 

Unfortunately, the lighting conditions in the coffee shop were terrible, and the harsh shadows that the many artificial lights and the natural light cast on his face were so bad that I promised him another session. Also, note to self: set your own white balance next time. At least I learned my lesson. However, I managed to salvage some photos of Lou Ann. 

Anxious face

Before or after she took off his glasses.

Play time: Lou Ann somehow ended up with her face on the table. 

Impressions from my first shoot

I am currently editing photos from my first (very informal) photo shoot at a coffee shop. My friend Ben and his daughter were great. Unfortunately, the light on Ben's side was god awful and the shadows are too harsh to touch up, so I've told him we could do another session. His daughter was PERFECT and incredibly sweet. She's an adorable blond, and she's super photogenic. She's only 2 1/2, but man, she can roll her eyes like nobody's business. I can't wait to share a few photos from the session here. In the meantime, let me share with you this hot cocoa mug from the coffee shop.

Next time, I need to remember to have something to set my custom white balance with because the setting I used, yeah, didn't work so well, but it was the lesser of 6 or so evils. Also, buying a tripod would help. I don't want to spend more than $80 on it, and a lot less would be even better, and it needs to be able to stand the weight of a 2 lbs lens. Any thoughts? I also need to do some location scouting next time and check the light situation. I'm going to buy that new lens I've been thinking of lately because my 50mm isn't always the best option in tight quarters where I can't zoom out with my feet. 


I have to admit that when I first looked through my photos when I got back, I was very disappointed. Manually setting the white balance would have made a huge difference. However, it's nothing that can't be improved in Lightroom. 

1. I really like this picture I took of Laurent almost two weeks ago. I can't remember if I made him pose or not. 
2. This was taken during our photowalk on the same day. 
3. Leo at the Impressionists exhibition. 
4. Where Leo and I went to after the exhibition to get tea. 
5. What we saw outside the café.
6. Who we hung out with outside the café

****************

Last night, I watched the last half of Alfie and fell hard for "Old Habits Die Hard" by Mick Jagger. And when I mean hard, I mean I've listened to it 24 times since midnight. I never liked Mick Jagger or the Stones. The music is fast, the voice is sultry, the guitars are soft at first, the tone is determined, the lyrics are simple yet effective. It's just a perfect combination for me. And it hits close to home. 

"We haven't spoken in months 

 you see, I've been counting the days, 

I dream of such inanities, such insanities, 

 I'm lost like a kid in a maze,

But I've never taken your calls, 

 You see I put the block on my phone,

I act like an addict, 

I just got to have it,

I never can leave it alone"

There's just something so touching and sexy in the way he sings "We haven't spoken in months" and "But I've never taken your calls, You see I put the block on my phone".