The Chum Bucket

Tango, Leather and Steak

2010-11-14T17:49:00.011-05:00

It was a 10 hour direct flight, leaving New York's JFK at 10 pm, and landing at around 8 am in Buenos Aires (BA is 2 hours ahead with our daylight savings time). November is springtime in Buenos Aires, a temperate 55-75F. Perfect weather for strolling, shopping, and eating at outdoor parrillas or grills, capping the eveing with tango.

Now let's go over that again, one by one.

Buenos Aires is a great place to explore on foot. Our hotel, Melia Buenos Aires, was strategically located in the heart of the downtown area, along Reconquista. The street is lined by one outdoor cafe after another, serving everything from empanadas to steaks, with even a couple of Irish Pubs thrown in for variety. Handy corner groceries to stock up on bottles of agua mineral at 1/4 the price of the ones in your hotel room.

The hotel itself is quite good value for the money. Courteous staff, full amenities, and a buffet breakfast included in the $190/night. Unlike some of the smaller hotels, local tours pick up at our hotel lobby, which means you do not have to walk to another hotel or meeting point should you want to take a tour. Melia is sort of a european Hilton. We have stayed at Melia hotels from the Dominican Republic to Marbella and have never been unhappy.

A 3-hour city tour by bus is a good way to get your bearings, and figure out which parts of the city to explore in more detail later. You knock off the few "must see" sights like the Casa Rosada, with its balcony made famous by Juan and Eva Peron (and later, Madonna). It also gives you the opportunity to visit farther, esoteric but less safe neighborhoods that you would probably not want to have a go at on your own. The quaint La Boca district, with its local handicrafts and colorful streets, is the poorest sector of Buenos Aires. On the other extreme is the port district, with a row of renovated warehouses now hosting expensive stores and restaurants.

A couple of blocks from the hotel is Calle Florida, the city's main shopping district. On the weekends, it transforms into a lively outdoor market reminiscent of Barcelona's La Rambla. Leather is the main attraction. Bags, shoes and especially jackets. Choose a reputable store (yes, there's quite a bit of lesser quality leather usually employing hawkers to lure you in), and your custom tailored jacket will be waiting for you delivered to your hotel for no extra cost. Prices are unbelievable, starting at around $200 for good quality calfskin. Don't forget, you get a 17% tax refund at the airport (with a much more user friendly method than on EU countries, too).

Want to venture further? Taxis are aplenty, and for less than 20 pesos (5USD), you can be dropped off in a part of the city you choose, each with its own unique character.

The Recoleta neighborhood is beautiful place to spend the afternoon. Named for the original Recoleta monastery, it is also home to the Recoleta cemetery, where Evita's remains can be found in the Duarte family mausoleum. The neighborhood is brimming with elegant european architecture, flowered balconies, upscale clothing and shoe stores (Uru Recoleta and Guido, respectively, for instance), cafe's and heladerias.

San Telmo is an antiquing paradise. At the very center is Plaza Dorrego, where on Sunday an outdoor antique fair is held. Calle Defensa is the main street of (costlier) antique shops, but venture into the indoor market and smaller shops, and there are plenty of bargains to be found.

In the middle of the plaza, while you sip your cafe, there is frequently a tango show to take in. There are a number of places for basic tango lessons if that's what floats your boat. A Tango Dinner/Show is also a nice way to spend an evening. It is usually a two hour dinner affair, followed by a 1.5-2 hour show. There are a number of these to choose from, and can be booked through the hotel, or in advance by your agent.

Last, but not least, is BEEF. Argentina is definitely beef country. Forget about your tofu, white meat, or your other white meat. The average Argentine eats close to 150 pounds of beef yearly (just as the average male Czech drinks about 50 gallons of beer per year. Interesting facts you tend to pick up.). Argentinians take pride in their parrillas, and it is hard to go wrong with tender, choice beef grilled to perfection. There are a number of more posh restaurants you can make reservations at through your concierge, but many of the best places are the lesser known, and less expensive, neighborhood joints frequented by the locals. A lot of the fun is in discovering them. Just as in any strange city, don't be afraid to ask a stranger!

What? You don't feel comfortable doing that? Let's just put it this way... after you buy your leather jacket and the helpful sales lady (by the way, they work on commission) asks "is there anything else I can help you with?" just say... "Yeah, where can I get a really good steak?" ;)

Some links:

Our Hotel
Leather shopping
And more shopping
Tango
Mas Tango
Argentine Beef

Five Brothers

2010-03-08T22:26:00.003-05:00

Tito Nanding, Tita Miling, Tito Deddy, Tita V, Daddy, Mommy, Tito Eli, Tita Sally, Tita Glory, Tito Monching

Tito Deddy (Eduardo Generoso) passed away a couple of weeks ago, at the age of 89. He was the last of the five brothers, and their wives, pictured above. The photo was taken sometime in the 60's (I think).

Of Vinyl and Morons

2010-03-07T09:30:00.007-05:00

This past Christmas, I started updating my 15 year old budget stereo system, bought with my first paycheck from internship. I started doing some reading, mostly online, and came across quite a few interesting things.

One, there seems to be a small elite (or is it elitist?) group of people with money to burn and hi-fi systems that cost more than a small house - $10,000 turntables, $20,000 tube amps, $30,000 speakers! These are "tweakers" who are mostly concerned with how well their stereos can resolve sound. They listen for little things like the sounds of the drummer scratching his crotch. They play audiophile demonstration discs to hear how well thier systems sound. They buy music that is "well-recorded" to show off their systems' capabilities rather than for the, ahhh music. I admit, I was intrigued by this concept and found myself ordering one that was highly touted. I picked up an SACD of Rebecca Pigeon, and yes, everything about it sounded really good. Except her voice.

Then there's a group of folks who collect stuff. They have a "rotation" of amplifiers, for instance. Because each sounds differently. Well, I am not new to collecting. I admit to having 7-day sets of straight razors, for instance. Or even a very small rotation of wristwatches that I accumulated over the past 30 years (what can I say, they don't break). In the collector's world, the word "rotation" is almost as bad as the word "upgrade" as far as your wallet is concerned.

Well, I have strayed quite a bit from the topic I wanted to talk about this morning. Well, I figured such odd people were worth a couple of paragraphs.

In my readings, I came across the vinyl renaissance. People seem to be rediscovering vinyl. How the warm analogue sound is much better than the cold, sometimes blaring digital sound.

Honestly, pretty much anything will sound better than the compressed 128kbps MP3 downloads kids are playing on their ipods, really.

I grew up listening to vinyl. Dad's Sinatra, Glen Miller and Xavier Cugat, to my older brother's Led Zeppelin. Hmm why not? I was lucky enough to find that there are still a handful of brick & mortar record stores in town. One of them, Merle's Record Rack, actually refurbishes old turntables (and other vintage stuff). Mike, the owner, was quite informative, and helped me pick out an old Dual from the 70's, with a nice wooden plinth, and an Ortofon cartidge. It was refurbished, and had a new stylus. According to Mike, he sells quite a few record players, mostly to younger customers.

Of course, I did not have any records, so I picked up a Blue Note LP of Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" along with the Dual. I was hooked.

The fun thing about vinyl is that you can find $1-$3 used records, and if you know how to do it, they clean up nicely. Of course there are also the new pressings and remasterings, such as from Analogue Productions and Speakers Corner. These cost a little more than an SACD, upwards of $30, but are really as good as it can get.

Yes, it seems vinyl is making a comeback. Why not, it is inexpensive, as long as you remain sensible. It is archival, and does not deteriorate like digital media. It sounds great, plus it's just plain cool.

Home Audio in the 21st Century

2010-01-11T16:24:00.007-05:00

The evolution of portable music has been pretty much straightforward. Sony introduced the Walkman cassette players in the 70's, and soon followed it up with portable CD players. Then came ipod, and the rest is history.

For home audio, it really has not been as clearcut.

As I am writing this, I am sitting at my desk, listening to some music. I mean amazing sounding music, with sound quality (SQ) that a decade ago you'd need to spend some serious money to get. And as I look at my desk top, there's not much here that resembles anything hi-fi, in the traditional sense of the word.

Over the past few months, I have ripped my entire music library of CD's. Not compressed MP3's, but all in a lossless format. That means, the files are pretty much identical to the CD's, with no loss of sound quality. There are different lossless formats available, with FLAC being one of the most popular. I just use Apple Lossless, for compatibility with my ipods. It is built into iTunes.

Under the advanced preferences tab of your iTunes, it allows you to select the compression for ripping music. I thing the default setting is 192kbps. Deselect that and choose the lossless option (no compression).

Of course the downside is that the files become much larger. If you are the type who needs to have 3000 songs on hand in your 30GB ipod, then this may not be for you. But for home audio use, your PC or laptop has much more memory available. Not to mention that the price for memory has now decreased significantly. I recently got a one-terrabyte external hard drive for less than $100 from Amazon. I use it to store my large digital pictures (mostly in RAW format), but it also houses my music library.

Now about iTunes. Well, I always thought it to be quirky, but I can live with it. Compared to listening to music in the traditional way - by CD, LP or tape, playing it through your computer gives you instant access to any part of your music library at the touch of a button. No flipping through to find the CD you want. No cleaning LP's. Don't want to listen to the entire album? Use playlists. No scratches. Did you know that the groove on an LP deteriorates everytime you play it? Well, digital media suffers from some data loss over time as well, but to a much, much less extent. Then again, you can burn a CD or create some other form of backup.

A lot of times, I find myself preferring computer playback over playing the CD (which you can also do through your computer's CD/DVD drive, btw) because the nifty (do people actually still say "nifty?") little iTunes equalizer lets me tweak the music to my liking.

Okay, that covers the storage and media player. Depending on how good the soundcard is on your computer, it may be perfectly acceptable to plug in a small pair of headphones and you are all set. But what I would consider the "hub" of any serious computer based audio set up is what is called the DAC. This stands for digital to analog converter. Huh?!?

DAC's are not new. At it's most basic form, it is a chip that converts the digital file which, in this instance, is your music, into an analog signal. The analog signal is, in the end, what goes to your headphones or speakers and come out as the music you hear. Your ipod has a DAC. Your PC soundcard does the same. Your CD player, your blu-ray player, etc. The difference is in sound quality between your ipod and, say, a cheap MP3 player from Wally World, in a large part, has to do with the quality of this conversion.

What a DAC does is act as an external soundcard for your laptop, in the simplest sense. The digital files bypass the built-in soundcard, and goes directly to the DAC, through a digital connection, either a USB cable, a coaxial S/PDIF cable, or an optical Toslink (after the Toshiba proprietary cable). The conversion is then accomplished by the DAC unit. In almost all cases, the DAC will do it better than your built in chip.

Aside from your laptop, you can also connect a "CD transport" to the DAC. This means, anything that will read your CD. It can be an expensive audiophile grade CD player, in which case the improvement in SQ may not be as noticeable, since most of these already employ pretty advanced built in conversion circuitry. After I upgraded to a blu-ray DVD player, my old DVD player has been gathering dust. Now I use it as a transport. As long as there is a connector in the back of the unit for "digital audio out" (mine has optical and coaxial), you are in business.

What leaves the DAC is now an analog signal. Most desktop DAC's have the usual RCA line out jacks in the back. You connect these to an amplifier to power your speakers, or if you choose, to a dedicated headphone amplifier to power your headphones. For my purposes, I listen with headphones on my desktop.

That's it. Of course, the equipment quality varies. You can spend quite a bit of money on the headphones, DAC, amp etc. The important thing to remember is to get good equipment, so you enjoy what you are hearing. Note I did not say "the best." There will always be something better, and more expensive (although they don't always go hand in hand). At some point, the principle of diminishing returns sets in. Some people will spend hundreds for a miniscule amount of improvement. Well, whatever floats their boat.

That being said, there is a lot of fun to be had for DIYers with some basic electronics skills. Modifying amps, rolling tubes and opamps, recabling headphones, making cable interconnects (with better material than the RCA interconnects that came with your CD player, for instance). I am a little handy with a soldering iron, so I have been having fun with this, but it is by no means a necessity.

So, what am I listening to right now? Well, I have Keith Jarrett's Vienna concert playing through my laptop's iTunes, out the USB, into an inexpensive (but very good) Chinese DAC/Headphone amp combo, powering a pair of Denon D2000 headphones which I modded. I can say I would be happy with this setup for all-around listening. As tends to happen, however, I right now also have a couple of other headphones and a dedicated headphone tube amplifier. They each have their own sound signature, which works well with different types of music, but I am not going to get into that right now.

What would be a good, inexpensive setup to try this out? This is what I recommend:

DAC/Headphone amp combo - read the UK review on Rock Grotto linked on the auction page. For the quality of materials and craftsmanship, this is a bargain at this price considering how much DACs and amps cost.

Headphone - this headphone is unbeatable in terms of "value for money" right now. The prices have already gone up significantly with the number of favorable reviews on the audiophile forums, but this store still has them at the old price. It also has low impedance and works well unamped, direct from your ipod or portable CD player. With a decent amp like the one listed above, it will give a lot of headphones priced 5x as much a run for their money. Here's a review on the same UK forum.

For <200 dollars, hook those two up to your laptop, play lossless files or a good quality CD, lean back and enjoy music in the 21st century!

Grado SR60i

2009-11-26T20:47:00.005-05:00

In my last blog post, I told you about my Sennheiser buds. I have been enjoying the heck out of them, especially on the go. With extended listening at home, though, I began to notice some things. Sounds are easily transmitted when the wire rubs on something, like clothes, when I move, or by the earpiece when I chew, the latter often leading to the buds getting dislodged from my ear canal. Lastly, after a few hours of continuous listening, I start to feel some pressure in my ears. Don't get me wrong, I still really love these buds, and I my ipod never leaves home without them.

Without the need for the utmost in portability, I started looking around for larger, over-the-ear headphones (or "cans," as they are referred to) to use at home. Last time I used those was back in the early 80's, and I really was not impressed. In fact, when the sony walkman came along, the bundled thin plastic headphones (and later, buds) were comparatively astounding.

In my search, I came across quite a number of favorable reviews of the Grado line of headphones in the audiophile sites and web publications. In particular, the entry level SR-60i is popularly touted as the best buy in sub-$100 headphones, and is most often recommended as an introduction to audiophile headphones. Even this kid likes 'em.

It is currently retailing for $79 shipped in many places including Amazon. I found the best deal at Headphones.com, for the old price of $69 including 2-day shipping, and with a 30-day, no questions asked return policy! What the heck, I said. Not much to lose if I didn't like it except the cost of shipping.

When it arrived, I hooked the Grado up to my ipod, and my jaw dropped. And that was just with an MP3. I pulled my 15 year-old Sony portable CD player out of the drawer, popped in a CD, and it was pure bliss. Before long, I was digging up old CD's and hearing things in the tracks that I never new were there!

The sound from the SR-60i is fast and engaging. The highs are crisp and detailed. The mids are clear. The bass is a little laid back, but it is there and is tight. It has a nice soundstage and is quite 3d, unlike the usual buds. Build quality is very good, especially at this price point. The cable is thick, hefty, and long (7ft). It comes with a gold mini jack for ipods, and a gold 1/4" adapter to plug in to your stereo. It is also made in the USA.

If you scour the reviews on the net, there are typically two complaints about the SR-60 (the "i" stands for "improved," I think in terms of the headband and foam pads, but acoustically the same):

First, many complain that it clamps down tightly on the head and the ears begin to hurt after some time. BS. I have a big head and it is just fine. I have even fallen asleep wearing these.

Second, some say it does not have enough bass. Well, it depends. On what you type of music you listen to, and on your personal preference.

When there is bass in the recording, you hear it, and it is tight. It just seems laid back a bit, probably because the mids and highs are more forward. Plugged into an amp, it is even less of an issue. An into a receiver, one "+" notch on the bass knob takes care of that.

The latter is even more important. The folks that comment on a lack of bass are mostly headphone fanatic audiophiles and they are comparing it to other headphones, many costing much more than this Grado. Off an ipod, well let's just say that if you are happy with the bass from the apple buds, this is not even an issue.

If it is a concern, you can step up one level to the $99 SR-80. Problem is, from there, there will be yet another reason to justify the $150 SR-125's or the $200 SR-225's or the $295 SR-325's. Of course, at that price point, the playing field gets larger, with offerings from Sennheiser, AKG, Denon, etc. Yes, you can go over the $1k mark for the top-end headphones. It becomes a matter of minimal incremental gain for a LOT of additional cost.

One thing the lower end Grado has going for it is that, compared to its larger brothers, and to most of the higher end audiophile phones, it was designed to have enough sensitivity to be easily driven by portable music players like ipods and personal CD players, and even laptops, without the need for headphone amplifiers. Sure an amp will improve the sound, but not by too much. Most of the higher end headphones won't even sound right without one.

Bottom line is, for $69, you will be taking the pleasure you derive from your music to a whole new level. Not a bad deal at all.

My New Best Bud

2009-11-14T00:59:00.005-05:00

My ipod buds finally started to crackle and die. After some research, I picked up a pair of Sennheiser CX-300's from Amazon. At $19 shipped, it cost 25% less than getting replacement buds from Apple. For once, the reviews were spot on - the CX-300 plain blew the stock ipod buds out of the water!

The silicone ear adapters are soft and snug, comfortable even after several hours of continuous use. They also block ambient noise effectively. I haven't tried it in a really noisy environment yet, though. Maybe at next weekend's swim meet.

The sound quality is excellent, especially in this price range. The highs are crisp, the midrange is clear. Not tinny like the JLabs J2's that I tried (and returned). And the booming bass - that is what the CX-300 is best known for.

If you prefer over-the-ear portable headphones, the PX-100, also by Sennheiser, is supposed to be really good and is currently less than $40. But as far as earbuds go, I think this is the best ipod upgrade for the money. Had I known, I would not have waited for the stock buds to go.

Fall Colors... and True Colors

2009-10-29T15:49:00.009-04:00

Puddle Colors
(Leica M6, Hexanon 90/2, Fuji Velvia)

The weather has been quite fickle lately, but it seems the foliage has finally caught up, and figured out that it was time to explode in color.

These days, too, there is a second scare wave in Connecticut surrounding the swine flu pandemic. For what it is worth, I got the vaccine close to two weeks ago. These past three days, however, I have been feeling a bit under the weather.

Believe me, there is nowhere I would rather be than curled up in my bed. But that is not a luxury I can take. Not with sick folks who had to be seen, and patients already prepped for their procedures.

Long story short, I took some Tylenol and showed up for work in the office two days ago, and this morning at the hospital, to attend to matters that could not be rescheduled. I wore a mask and did all I could in terms of infectious disease precautions.

The experience, for me, was an eye opener. There were co-workers who were concerned... "how are you feeling?" "You really should go home and rest as soon as you can."

Then there were the majority that shunned me like I was carrying the plague. Not jokingly... dead serious.

Interesting, at the very least, to see the two polar opposite attitudes among a group of people I have been working with collectively for about 10 years. A lot of people that were part of my "work family" turned up to be actually no more than just people who happened to be working in the same place as me.

Human nature... adversity really brings out a oerson's true colors. Now I guess I know who will kill me for bottled water the day after a nuclear holocaust.

One anecdote from today was so ridiculous that it was quite funny. The nurses had brought in some pot luck for someone leaving the department. Despite the mask, I was emphatically told to stay out of the break room. I was chuckling a little as I left the hospital, thinking to myself, "Too much aggravation for what, a plate of free potluck deli food?" On the way to my car, I thought, "What is the most expensive restaurant in New Haven?" and drove there for lunch. Really now...

"Death in the Afternoon"

2009-10-14T23:06:00.009-04:00

Ernest Hemingway, in his book of the same title, talks about the tradition of bullfighting in Spain. We were fortunate enough to have been able to attend a bullfight, or corrida de toros, at the bullring Hemingway was referring to in his book, the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, in Madrid, a few days ago. Our longstanding plans were foiled when the day's bullfight was cancelled due to some local city event, but we were able to secure some tickets for the corrida the next day, October 3rd. These were scalper tickets, and were not great seats, though.

I know that there is a lot of controversy around bullfighting, even among Spaniards. Barcelona is now formally an "anti-taurine" city. Far from me to judge other cultures, as a traveler, I think it is important to see with unbiased eyes, to fully appreciate what is out there, rather than try to judge other races with my, and my country's standards. Even worse is the person who already has strong opinions about something he has not seen or experienced firsthand. Within the realm of common sense, of course. The world is just too small a place for that. These little differences make the world an interesting place. While there are these differences, in the end, there are more things that unify us. Well, that is just my opinion and this is, my blog.

Bullfighting is dangerous. Sebastian Castella, the matador pictured above, and who, as you will see, was honored for his performance that day, was gored during last year's San Fermin festival, and also back in 2004. His bravery was even more impressive for this reason, as most matadors, once injured, tend to take less chance in the ring, if they ever fight again.

The bull is quite the opposite, however. Once the bull has been in the ring, it becomes too dangerous to use again. It will, almost always, attack and likely kill the matador. As Hemingway tells the story, this was true a few hundred years ago in a small town too poor to afford a new bull for each bullfight. The used the same bull repeatedly, and over a course of two years, it had wounded or killed more than 50 people. This led to bullfighting being banned altogether in Spain, until it was resolved to let the bull fight only once. Thus, the bullfight is meant to be "the first meeting between man and beast."

Well, enoough of that. Here is an excellent, concise wiki article on the subject. Isn't there anything that has not been wikified?

Here are some photos from that day, on my flickr. You may want to click on the "show info" tab on the upper right hand of the slideshow to see the comments.

Lastly, this is not meant to be a social commentary on bullfighting. So please refrain from making any political or activist comments as there are more appropriate forums for that. They will be deleted. Thanks.

DIY Lightbox Project

2009-03-14T14:49:00.003-04:00

I had been meaning to do this for sometime, but this morning, I finally got off my duff, gathered the stuff I needed and built my lightbox.

Time spent: 30 minutes
Cost of materials: zero (for me, and likely for most)

I used a 14" x 14" cardboard box
Cut two of the top flaps, leaving only the right and left flaps (when lying on it's side)
Cut out three of the four sides, leaving about 1" borders
Taped thin white translucent paper over the holes. I used table paper from the exam tables at my office. Be sure the paper is taught, to minimize funky reflections.
Got two discarded lamps from the basement with 75 w bulbs
Raided my son's school art supplies and cut up some white poster board, just enough to snug in the box with a nice smooth bend (not crease) in the bottom back side. Again, make sure you keep this clean.

Here's the temporary set up (in my kitchen, where I did this):

Here are some test shots:

I just used a 50mm F/1.8 Nikon lens. Really, any camera will work, including point and shoots.

Here are a couple of macro shots of Mikey's toys:

You can move the lights around to your desired effect, and maybe try a colored (or black) poster board, too.

The one thing I would invest in, if you don't have one, is an inexpensive tripod, especially if you will do this a lot (for selling razors or selling on ebay).

One thing I will probably change is add a third light on top of the box, and switch out the bulbs for 100w ones.

Looking Back

2009-01-04T13:32:00.004-05:00

Two thousand and eight was an interesting year.

For myself, last year began with major changes and challenges at work. The practice decided to close the doors of our Middletown satellite, where I had spent most of my time during the previous three years. While I missed the slower small town practice, I did relish the intellectual stimulation of going back to the larger teaching hospitals. My return to New Haven was also accompanied by a promotion to the level of Assistant Clinical Professor of the Yale University School of Medicine.

My photography took somewhat of a backseat to a new hobby, that of restoring, honing, and of course, using straight razors. I remember coming across an old straight (labaha) with Daddy when I was maybe 18, at the Manilabank Arcade. Little did I know that the razor was useless for shaving, with a large chip in the blade. I did give it one try, after lathering some palmolive hand soap using Daddy's boar hair brush (which saw more use cleaning LP's). Luckily, more than twenty years later, information is widely available on the web, and I was able to take up this shelved pursuit successfully.

Talking about hobbies, Luisa had been fully immered in her sewing, and this year had quite a few home improvement projects. With her busy schedule shuttling the kids around, it is amazing how she has found the time to make our home so much more enjoyable to live in.

In April we all took a weeklong break in Punta Cana. This was our first trip to the Dominican Republic, and I think we unanimous in voting this as the best Carribean vacation we have taken. One highlight was the traditional lechon at the Dominican restaurant at the all-inclusive resort. When we return, we will make sure to pack the Mang Tomas sauce!

Our second major trip this year was our Alaskan cruise on the MS Amsterdam last August. Luisa and I were taken aback when the kids chose this trip in leiu of a Disney vacation. Truly beautiful country that everyone should see, at least once in this lifetime.

This year was Rica's first full year with CAT (Cougar Aquatic Team), having transferred from the Valley Shore YMCA. She has taken to the water so naturally, and with her new team, has continued to realize her potential. She has garnered a total of 28 medals, ribbons and trophies from her events this year, including an award from CT Swimming for being in the Top 16 swimmers in the state for her age group.

Mikey has remained enthusiastic with his Tae Kwon Do, and has advance 5 ranks now to blue belt. More importantly, it has instilled discipline and self-control in him. This whole year, we are proud to say, we have not received any letters from his 4th grade teacher, nor a single summons to the principal's office!

And as we enter the last year of this decade, we wish you all a joyous, blessed and properous New Year!

Baby Alice

2008-11-03T19:52:00.003-05:00

Monday morning. The inevitable question - "What did you do for Halloween?"

"Ummm. I won a Halloween photo contest." :)

Baby Alice

So here's the story: Halloween was a close second to Christmas as my favorite holiday when I was a kid. Halloween IS for children - costumes, candy, trick or treating.

It's a fun holiday, but I guess it can also be quite sad, if you have lost a child.

I was walking around taking photos in New Haven's oldest cemetery (what can I say?) and came upon this striking, and very sad, image. I don't know who had placed that scruffy, muddy teddy bear on that grave, since that child died more than a hundred years ago.

Thanks to TSD and the contest sponsor, Connaught Shaving.

2008-10-26T22:19:00.004-04:00

Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.

- Jerome Klapka Jerome

My Little Bozo

2008-10-19T14:42:00.002-04:00

Gearing up for Halloween. The costume's homemade!!

Hamming it up for the camera

Happy Halloween!!!

Wostenholm Frameback

2008-10-11T18:30:00.006-04:00

These razors don't come up for sale very often. After looking around for a good 6 months, I finally snagged one on ebay last week. It was in pretty good shape for a razor that's around 150 years old. I am not sure if the ebony scales were repinned, but the blade was nicely centered and tight. There was some patina and pitting - at first I was planning to just polish it with some maas, but there was a stain on the back of the blade that required some light sanding. I did not sand it too much or polish it to a mirror finish. I wanted to keep some of its "character."

Here is the ebay photo:

After:

Antique Shaving Mugs

2008-10-11T01:45:00.000-04:00

T&V Limoges, France

I happened upon this mug at an antique dealer's last week. No, I don't collect these. I just wanted a nice old shaving mug to keep my Old Spice mug company. I have some triple milled french shaving soaps that just feel too "dainty" to throw into the Old Spice mug (which nowadays holds, what else, HBS Old Spice shave soap).

I read about it and read about it, and came across a couple of pretty interesting articles by HGTV antique hunters, the Kovels. I have excerpted them below.

Not surprisingly, there seems to be quite a few vintage shave mugs floating around on ebay. The replicas, however, outnumber the antiques in the order of several thousands to one. Tell-tale signs of a reproduction include having no signs of wear. On close inspection, the dot pattern of silk screening is also clearly evident.

This mug has worn gilding, which I actually like. It gives the mug character, and yes, it is not a fake. It was well-used by someone named "Morrison," who liked pastoral scenes. The beautiful pink and gold enamel pattern is also very eye-catching.

Personalized Shave Mug was a Barbershop Necessity

By Ralph and Terry Kovel
King Features Syndicate
Originally published 12:00 a.m., March 21, 2008
Updated 05:08 p.m., March 20, 2008

This occupational shaving mug with the picture of a horse-drawn ambulance and driver sold at a Cowan auction in Cincinnati for $22,425.

Every Victorian barbershop had a rack filled with shaving mugs that belonged to regular customers. And most customers had a personalized mug with a name and often a special picture showing the owner's job.

Shaving was different in those days. No electric razors -- just shaving soap, a brush and a safety razor. Because shaving was difficult and small cuts often got infected, men went to the barber several times a week for a shave.

First the barber softened the skin and hair with a hot, wet towel on the face. Then the barber would get the customer's special shaving mug, rub the soap with a wet brush and lather the customer's face. Then the barber carefully shaved off the softened beard and soap foam with a straight razor.

The occupations pictured on mugs ranged from policeman or mail-truck driver to dentist, house painter, gymnast, plumber, undertaker or even ambulance driver. Most of the mugs were made in Germany from the 1860s to the 1920s. Unusual examples sell for thousands of dollars.

A Red Cross ambulance driver named McNultie would have been surprised to see his mug picturing a horse-drawn ambulance sell for more than $22,000.

ANTIQUES AND COLLECTING RALPH AND TERRY KOVEL
Mugs for shaving have appreciated at fast clip

January 9, 2005

Old-time barbershops featured an elaborate, adjustable barber's chair, bottles of shampoo or dandruff cure, bowls for powder, razors and decorated shaving mugs.

Men of means would go to the barbershop for a shave each day. But they faced the problem of contracting "barber's itch," a skin disease properly called folliculitis in which the hair follicles become infected, red and painful.

Shaving, because it might cut the skin, makes the infection possible. So barbers kept a mug, brush and bar of soap for each customer. The mug was identified by a special symbol or picture and the client's name.

A personal shaving mug was often also used at home. Collectors have been interested in occupational mugs since the 1930s. Mugs can picture a train conductor, butcher, undertaker, banker or any other occupation suited to the client. The more unusual the occupation, the more valuable the shaving mug is today.

My RW's

2008-10-11T01:27:00.000-04:00

When I was starting out with wetshaving, famed custom razormaker Robert Williams was nice enough to invite me over to look at a razor. I was looking for a wide razor that would be an excellent shaver. That afternoon, I came home with Robert's own personal razor, a 7/8 full hollow high-carbon steel short (2 1/2") blade in a set of Chandler cocobolo scales, with the admonission "I am sure THIS is a fine shaver."

The razor was intimidatingly sharp. As a newbie, I was more comfortable with a smaller 5/8 roundtip razor, the most commonly recommended starter razor. It was not after several months of daily shaving did I become adroit and confident enough to use Robert's razor, and see what it is capable of. To this day, it is one of my top shavers.

Fast forward to the present. I contacted Robert and thought it was time to try out another RW special, this time in a stiffer grind. Yesterday, I visited Robert and his wife again. He had another beauty waiting for me. An 8/8 quarter grind barber's notch. The razor has a deep jimped thumb notch and a humpback, all set in maroon linen micarta scales. Robert uses excellent high-carbon steel (I am not a fan of stainless), and his razors take AND hold an excellent edge "moreso than any vintage razor," he finds. My limited experience agrees with his statement.

Anachronism

2008-07-04T20:45:00.004-04:00

Fountain pens and ink, not blackberry.
Vintage cameras and B&W film photography in the digital age.
Handwound mechanical watches in today's throwaway world.

The newest of my anachronistic hobbies is also the oldest. Try shaving with a one, or even two hundred year old straight razor. It will give you the closest shave you have ever had.

But not before giving you the worst shave of your life. Straight shaving has a long and steep learning curve. It took a couple of months before I started to get really good shaves. Now, this is all I use.

Why do I do it? Lots of reasons.

The obvious - it beats shaving any other way hands down it terms of closeness. Twelve hours later and still not a single stubble.

The relaxation - Thirty to forty minutes at the end of each day, I am focused 100% on the task at hand. Nothing else. No worries, no "to do's," no problems, no regrets. Nothing. There is something about dragging an implement sharp enough to slice just the tip off a single armhair across your face that lends itself to intense concentration.

The cool factor - Not many people can do it. That's why people had their shaves in the barbershop back in the day.

The romance - I shaved with a 200 year old John Barber english razor the other day. It has been completely restored to probably better than new. I couldn't help thinking of whose beards this razor has shaved over the last two centuries.

The tinkering - Buying a Boker Red Injun with excellent Solingen steel on ebay for $3. Then sanding the years of stains and light corrosion (no, don't go buying a rusty razor, that probably is a lost cause) and bringing the fresh steel to the surface. Polishing it to a mirror shine. Honing the steel on a succession of natural Belgian hones until it is sharp enough (now that has an even longer learning curve!) to split a standing hairstrand in two. Then giving it a light coat of oil before tucking it away, it's life renewed for another hundred years. Pretty cool.

The excitement - C'mon, how often is it that you can turn a boring daily routine into something you actually look forward to?

The danger - C'mon, how often is it that you can turn a boring daily routine into something where you can easily lop off a body part with the slightest mistake?

The fulfillment - of learning a craft. A long-lost skill. Mastery... that is another thing.

The list - well, it was on MY list of things to do in this lifetime.

The toys - a boy's gotta have them.

The independence - from overpriced cartridge razors and big business. Look at it this way... if I were alone in a post-apocalyptic New York overrun by zombies (or LA with vampires, if you read the book) with no electricity, I'd be clean shaven. You know I just had to tie this in to today right - have a safe and happy 4th!

Of Secrets and Rituals

2008-01-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

Almost 30 years ago, I learned how to shave with my father's old Gillette safety razor. One of those cool things that open like a butterfly when you twisted the handle. It used those sharp, paper-thin double edge razor blades, like you still find at the local Walmart. That thing was not very forgiving of poor technique, and I quickly learned how to shave well. Everyday I shaved my almost non-existent facial hair. I couldn't wait to have a full, thick beard. Balbas sarado, it was called.

Fast forward a couple of decades... shaving has become a dreadful chore. My youthful enthusiasm had paid off - by 5pm, my face is dark and scratchy with stubble. Still, I find every excuse to shave only every other day unless I absolutely have to.

My instrument of choice went along with the times. Cheap plastic disposable razors that invariably chewed up my neck. A brief foray with electric shavers that left unsatisfying patches of stubble on my face. Cartridge razors with umpteen blades. Many, many cans of Barbasol later, dragging a Mach 3 or Fusion across my face had become as enjoyable as taking out the garbage.

And it was expensive. An 8-pack of the five bladed Gillette Fusion costs $25 and change. Gillette has become all about hype. I would change the cartridge after several weeks, even months (if I shaved every other day) just because it was too f***ing expensive.

Some time back, I was googling for online sources of razor blades, and stumbled upon this article. Wetshaving? Heck, that's the only shaving I know. So I read some more, and even watched some (excellent) YouTube videos. I explored the forums linked on the articles, like Badger & Blade. Lo and behold, I never realized there actually existed an entire subculture on "wetshaving." Not to mention literally hundreds of products beyond what you see on the local drugstore's shelves.

So now, here I am, shaving with a vintage Gillette Superspeed razor made in 1948. I have a hundred incredibly sharp Israeli blades bought for $10. Changing my blades twice a week, that should last me for a year! I'm slathering my face with relaxing, warm, pretty smelling English shaving cream lather with a soft best badger brush. Mmmm... what should I try tomorrow?

Preshave cream. Aftershave milks and balms. Moisturizers, shea butter, and hydrosols. I find myself in unfamiliar surroundings - Crabtree & Evelyn, Bath & Body Works. The women look at me like I had uncovered a well kept feminine secret. My wife likes how my face feels and smells.

The chore has become one of the highlights of my day. It has become a peaceful 30 minutes of personal time. You forget everything and think only of the job at hand (let your focus lapse and you WILL get a bloody awakening). Quiet alone time. Warmth. Relaxing aromatherapy. Ever wonder why many men who (still) get a barbershop shave fall asleep on the barber's chair (I do!)?

Finding joy in something mundane and routine: the definition of "Stop and smell the roses."

One day, a few years from now, I will let my son in on the secret... of one of the last remaining rituals of men.

Dante's Inferno

2008-01-06T12:45:00.001-05:00

Cloudy, smelly smoking lounge at Dulles International, like a scene from Dante's Inferno

2007-12-26T10:15:00.000-05:00

December 28, 1933 - December 24, 2007

After more than nine years, now you can sing this again, Ma...

Huwag mong sabihing ikaw'y hamak

Kahit na isang mahirap
Pagkat ang tangi kong pag-ibig
Ganyan ang hinahanap

Aanhin ko ang kayamanan
Kung ang puso'y salawahan
Nais ko'y pag-ibig na tunay
At walang kamatayan

Maala-ala mo kaya
Ang sumpa mo sa akin
Na ang pag-ibig mo ay
Sadyang di magmamaliw
Kung nais mong matanto
Buksan ang aking puso
At tanging larawan mo
Ang doo'y nakatago.

Di ka kaya magbago
Sa 'yong pagmamahal
Hinding-hindi giliw ko
Hanggang sa libingan

O kay sarap mabuhay
Lalo na't may lambingan
Ligaya sa puso ko
Ay di na mapaparam

Online Memorial

Why do we buy the things we do?

2007-12-23T12:39:00.001-05:00

My wife and her friend just bought state-of-the-art mega-crockpots from the Williams Sonoma catalog. "The recipes in the catalog just looked so good!" She made Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner last night. Yes, it WAS good.

Rachel Ray now has her line of cookware. I tried one of her 30 minute meal recipes. No, that was NOT good.

I hate watching QVC or HSN. I end up buying something I really didn't need in the first place. I think that if you watch the program long enough, you will end up convincing yourself that you do. Especially if Wolfgang Puck uses it, right?

The Omega Planet Ocean that Daniel Craig wore in the movie Casino Royale recently sold at auction for $206,250. Can you name at least 5 other Daniel Craig movies?

Omega's bestselling watch is the Seamaster Bond, first worn by Pierce Brosnan in Goldenye. They even have a limited edition commemorative model. I hear that's selling well.

This guy actually calls himself J. Bond. Someone hand be a red-hot iron. I'd like to poke my mind's eye now.

On TimeZone, a poster asked about celebrities that appeared in the movies wearing a Rolex. Rolex sells every one of the more than 1,000,000 watches that it makes each year.

Every yuppie wants one (or a Breitling, that is). Along with a 3-series BMW and a Montblanc Meisterstuck. Even if chances are, he is not aware of what caliber movement is in his Submariner, does not know how to heel-toe, and has the penmanship of a third grader.

Of course, in the end it's your hard-earned cash, but in this season of gift-giving, when you also inevitably buy "something special for myself," you may want to ask yourself this question before you do. You might be pleasantly surprised.

* No, the watch pictured is not mine!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

2007-12-16T17:13:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick and easy meal. Warning: this is not a "low fat" recipe. I make this once or twice a year, and as long as you don't "supersize" your portions, you should not clog your arteries. Feel free to substitute, but this is the original:

*serves 5-6

1 pack of spaghetti noodles
1 pack of bacon
2 tbsp butter
1 small carton heavy cream
3 cloves garlic (optional)
3/4 cup grated cheese
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper

Boil the spaghetti for 10-11 minutes. Drain.

Fry bacon till crisp. Set aside, then cut up to bits.

In a large pan, mix bacon fat, butter, cheese and cream (and garlic, optional) on low heat. Add salt and pepper. When cheese is melted, turn off the heat. Add the drained noodles and egg. Toss. Sprinkle bacon bits.

Serve while hot.

First Snowfall

2007-12-09T17:21:00.001-05:00

this winter

It's About Time

2007-12-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

It's snowing outside. The first snowfall in New England this winter. It's Sunday, I have a log in the fireplace, and what the heck... I want to write a post about my watches.

A few weeks ago, I was deciding whether it would be worth to send my watch in for repair. I guess, that is where this story begins.

This was back in the mid-70's, and I was probably in 4th grade. I had no watch, never had, and we couldn't afford one. A family friend, a young priest, was visiting with us that day. Apparently, he had just gotten a new watch - one of those digital calculator watches that were the vogue in those days. Yes, the ones you weren't allowed to wear during math exams. Anyway, since he had a brand spanking new digital wonder, he took his old watch off his wrist and handed it to me. My first watch.

It was an 1966 SS gray-blue faced Omega Constellation with caliber 564, given to him on his ordination into the priesthood. This was my one and only watch for the next twelve years. All through grade school, high school, and the first few years of college. It is in rough shape, with quite a few scratches on the acrylic (hesalite?) crystal, probably from hours in the school playground. That watch saw me through my childhood and teenage years. Quite a few memories. It finally gave up when I got caught in a rainstorm during my college ROTC bivouac (all my watches since then have been divers, hmmm). I had it repaired after that, but still, it would quit every now and then.

Fast forward to few weeks ago. The Constellation is 41 years old, and the young priest is a bishop. I took the watch out of the drawer and decided to do some research about it, to see if it was worth fixing. That opened the door to the heretofore unknown world of watch idiot savants. Here's an article that started my readings about the Omega Constellation.

Long story short, the Omega is now with the watchmaker. I hope he can bring my old friend back to life. I'll take some photos then.

On with the story...

Third year college. I was joining the UP Divers - the university Scuba diving club. My friend, Chuck, had a nice black Seiko diver watch, and I decided to save up. I finally managed to scrape up enough money for one. This was in 1985. The watch was the Seiko 6309-7290. It saw me through college. I wore it facing a tank in the middle of the highway during the revolution, and checked it to see what time I would die. It took me through medical school. That sweeping second hand counted off thousands of pulse rates in the wee morning hours. It got me to my wedding on time.

Apparently, the 6309 is now a modern classic. The 7290 case is still being used in most seiko diver watches today. Back in 1985, I remember looking at one with an orange face, but ended up choosing the more classic black face. Big mistake. The orange-faced 6309 is now highly sought after by collectors. Here's a short history of the Seiko 6309 from the Seiko and Citizen Watch Forum.

I wore it as recently as yesterday, as my casual watch. I must have gone through three of those Seiko rubber straps. It is now on a black Zulu strap. It has some minor scrapes on the black bezel insert, but the 6309 is ticking as accurately as ever. The first watch I had ever bought with my own money. The caseback has never been opened. I probably will have it serviced someday, as long as I can be assured it would not lose its waterproofness (is that a word?).

1996. I was a medical resident. My wife gave me a watch for my 29th birthday. A Tag-Heuer 2000-series quartz (WK1111-BA0317). The classic white face is just timeless. I think it is one of the best Tag-Heuer designs. Simple and clean. A classic. Not the gaudy teenager watches they are putting out today.

It is still my daily watch to this day, eleven years later. Through residency and fellowship training, and now in practice. Timed my wife's labor contractions. It answered the question, "Shit, what time is it?" on those nights I got up to change diapers.

These are my watches. My "real" watches.

Over the past few years, I picked up a couple of "beaters." What are beaters? Watches to use when I am in Middle Eastern souks. When I am pounding with my hammer or changing tires. Nice watches, but not anything that I would cry about.

My first beater is a G-Shock (MTG-920DA) that I got some time ago. Amazing thing. Shockproof, waterproof, solar powered. Nice big black metal bracelet. The thing syncs with the atomic clock in Colorado everynight. I think Ethan Hunt wore a variation of this watch in MI3. Indestructible.

Yesterday, my second Seiko diver watch arrived. Twenty two years after I bought my first one. A monster of a watch. An Orange Monster to be precise. There are quite a few reviews of this watch on the net. It has attracted a cult following, it seems. This guy is a tank. With Seiko's robust 7S26 movement, this watch should be reliable for some time. If it lasts as long as my other Seiko diver, that could be a long, long time.

2007-11-22T11:06:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yale vs Harvard

2007-11-17T19:49:00.000-05:00

The photo of the boy would have worked... IF only we had won the championship instead of being clobbered 37-6 !!

Still, it was a nice crisp fall afternoon for football, and the Yale Bowl's a great historic place to watch it. The kids had a blast -- it was their first live football game!

Epson RD1, 90mm hexanon

World Travel Map

2007-11-15T23:33:00.000-05:00

34 countries to date.

create your own visited country map

My Crappiest Camera

2007-11-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

Yes, cellphone cameras are horrible. Crappy lens, low resolution, blown highlights, lots of noise in low light, blah blah blah. Why in the world would anyone want to use them?

Well, sometimes you don't have a camera on you when you need one. That's when.

For the past several years, I always, ALWAYS, carryon a camera or two, in some form of camera bag when I get on a plane. Always.

Not last weekend, when we left for a 3 day visit with family in California. It wasn't that kind of trip.

Murphy's law all over again. Mike peers into the open cockpit as we were boarding in line. The crew sees him, and next thing I know, the Captain's leading him to the pilot's seat. His sister's in the co-pilot's.

And the pilot turns to me: "Dad, you've got a camera, right?"

Duh. Lots of them. All of them at home.

The best camera's the one you have when you need it. So true.

And to AA 265, you guys are cool.

"Enter the... Mikey?"

2007-11-03T15:47:00.000-04:00

--- title by Mikey

Mikey had his graduation ceremony today at his Tae Kwon Do introductory class. He is now enrolled in Master Hwang's regular class.

Quote of the Day

2007-11-02T14:51:00.000-04:00

Phil J: "Blogs are just so gay."

Please email or PM me and I'd be more than happy to give out Phil's email address.

Twinky and Otto

2007-11-02T14:30:00.000-04:00

Three years ago, someone gave us a kitten. Against my better half's protests, I succumbed to the kids' pleas to keep "Emily." Fast forward 6 months, and our house was overrun by ticks. It was interesting how they only bit my wife's legs. Did I mention she has dermatographism? Long story short, the house was fumigated thrice, Emily found a new home, and I was in the doghouse, yet again.

Now Rica's 9, Mikey's 8, and I am as gullible as before. Pets are good for kids, right?

After all, I grew up with a non-stop succession of dogs.

Well, so far so good!

Rica's First Swim Meet

2007-10-27T18:53:00.000-04:00

Today was the Valley Shore YMCA Marlins' first competition of the season. It was also Rica's first ever swim meet. It was a big surprise for us, since she just tried out for the team last month, and was supposed to train for some time before competing. We just found out a last week that she was entered in the 9-10 Age Group.

The Marlins faired extremely well in today's meet against Fairfield. Rica swam well - her 200 yard freestyle relay team won, and she placed second in her individual events: 50 Free, 50 Back and 50 Breast.

Not bad for a first meet. She had a blast, and that's what it's all about.

Pens!

2007-08-23T15:31:00.000-04:00

There seems to be an uncanny connection between rangefinder cameras and fountain pens. I guess it is a fascination with and appreciation of how things were done in more elegant years.

I started a ragtag collection of pens in 1999, mostly bought from ebay, when I was in fellowship training but I confess that it had been neglected in recent years. Earlier this year, this hobby was revived when I got a nice Waterman LeMan 100 fountain pen for my birthday. Since, I have been boggled by the amount of information now available on the internet. A far cry from 1999, when all I had to go by were a couple of reference books and some scattered magazine issues.

Well, since then, my collection has been transformed. I only have 3 or 4 of my older pens left, joined by several excellent writers, the operative word being "writers." I am accumulating, for lack of a better word, pens that I love to write with, rather than collecting them for any value or theme. I will be blogging about these in more detail in the next few weeks. I will also try to highlight some sites of interest that I have run into.

Coffee Roasting Update

2007-06-15T00:05:00.000-04:00

It's been close to a year now since I first wrote about our coffee roasting adventure. It's about time for an update.

First off, it has been loads of fun. A bit daunting when you have to roast beans in the garage in the wintertime, though, but still fun.

The West Bend Poppery II popcorn popper has seen much use, roasting 1/4 lb of beans twice a week. Even roasting, easy to use, good batch sizes (1/4 1b requires two batches). The roasts are easy to vary, and replicate, as long as you keep a log. For my needs... I am perfectly happy with this $10 roaster.

As far as roasting, I have my system down pat. I have a Gralab 300 enlarger timer that, when the timer reaches zero (signalling the end of the roast), gives out a load buzz, and automatically turns on a small electric fan pointed at my baking (cooling) pan. I dump the smoking-hot beans into the non-stick baking pan. It has a corrugated bottom which quickly dissipates the heat. A few stirs with my wooden spoon, and the beans are cool.

The decision to get the midrange Capresso Infinity burr grinder was a good one. The grinder has been reliable, with consistently excellent results.

I am glad we got the press pot in two sizes: the eight cup is good for 2-3 people. When I just want one cup, the 3 cup Bodum Chambord is just right.

A fast-heating electric kettle is key. The Braun was a bit costlier than the competition, but well worth it. It has no cord to tangle, and no heating element inside to corrode.

Beans? Well that certainly is the most crucial component.

Burman has good prices, but there was some variability in quality and taste between orders. Makes me doubt the freshness of their beans.

Sweet Maria's costs a bit more than most places, especially with shipping costs from California. The quality and freshness of their offerings are top rate. You just get the sense that they actually know what they are talking about. That gives you the confidence that they select the best lots. Their service has been excellent, too. In my first shipment, a couple of bags opened in transit and I ended up with "blended" coffee. They promptly shipped me two replacement bags for free. Try that with Willoughby's aka Roastmasters.com. No one picks up the phone, or returns your phone call.

Willoughby's has been a pain to deal with, particulary trying to pick up the beans from their store(s). Somehow you get the impression that they do not want to sell green beans. Sure I could have it shipped to me one town away, but it's a matter of principle. Their prices are also the highest I have seen. Lastly, I have not been impressed with the coffees I tried (from the store, roasted or green).

On a friend's advice, I am trying out a new (to me) source in North Carolina, The Coffee Bean Corral, particularly for their Kauai selection. They also have a very large selection, and an informative site. Like Sweet Maria's, they strike me as more confidence inspiring that places where your options are pretty generic, like "Kenya AA", or "Colombia Supremo." And they take Paypal, if you are hesitant to give your credit card information. We'll see.

If you like coffee and are still buying roasted beans (or worse, grounds... yech!) from the grocery, give roasting a try. You won't regret it.

John Rain's Latest

2007-06-14T19:15:00.000-04:00

Requiem for an Assassin came out the end of May, and I just finished reading my copy. This is the 6th Barry Eisler novel about John Rain, "the most charismatic assassin since James Bond," (San Francisco Chronicle).

Personally, I think it was the best-written: it's pace was fast and sustained, with no lulls or overly lengthy descriptions. It is also possibly a reflection of the maturation of the author as a storyteller.

My only misgiving about it - I think it assumes that the reader has read the preceding Rain books. Characters, like Boaz, popped up with not much background for the reader's benefit. I "discovered" this character after picking up "Killing Rain" from the New Books shelf at the local library a couple of years ago. I had no problem, despite starting with the 4th book in the series. Somehow, I think starting with Requiem would be different.

There were a few differences that struck me, compared to the other books. Not a single mention of jazz, if I recall correctly. First time Rain did not go to a jazz or whiskey bar. Only one drink of single malt (Glenmorangie) throughout the whole novel. It seems John Rain is becoming more of a wine connoisseur?

In addition to the fast pace, there was also considerably more travel in this novel: Paris, Saigon, Bali, Singapore, Silicon Valley, LA, Tokyo, New York, Rotterdam. Also a new "affinity" for expensive cars: Mercedes E500, BMW 750iL. Expensive watch. The books must be selling well, eh?

Lastly, the political statements about the current administration, and the war in Iraq. AG. American society's excesses. I don't think John was quite so vocal in the past.

I hope this is not the end, although Rain seems to have run out of enemies. All in all a good read, especially for Rain fans.

Have ipod Will Travel

2007-06-09T20:55:00.000-04:00

Ironically, most of the ipod generation will have never heard of that western.

Up to this point, I have been using my video ipod for music, podcasts, video podcasts, and some audiobooks. I have also uploaded several of my favorite photos in jpeg form.

I decided to try the "video" part and downloaded "Apocalypto" from itunes. All $12.95 of it (now it is $14.95!). Big mistake.

Great movie, but the entire movie is in subtitles. Have you tried to read those little subtitles on an ipod screen? For over two hours? I had to get the dvd after that.

Other than that, watching movies on my ipod is pretty cool. Problem is, I also like to watch them on my big screen. And getting both the dvd and the itunes download can be pretty expensive.

Apocalypto in both formats, $32. Being able to watch someone's heart getting ripped out over and over again, priceless.

Speaking of price, for a bit more than the cost of two movie downloads, I decided to purchase the PQ DVD to Ipod Converter. I have since converted most of the DVD's in my modest collection into MP4 files compatible with my ipod. Very easy, intuitive interface. One-click operation. Definitely money well spent.

Just be sure you only rip videos YOU own.

It allows you to choose the level of compression you want. For 'excellent' video quality, a 4GB movie becomes around 350-400MB. You can carry enough movies for a trans-pacific flight and back.

Or for a trip to the mall with your wife.

The next problem, of course, is having enough juice to run the video for more than two hours. The Maxell ipod battery backup is a nice, economical solution. Sure it adds bulk, but that is really not a problem when I am watching movies on an airplane. And since I have many sets of AA NiMH rechargeable batteries (and Maha charger) for my digicam, I am all set.

Of course, when you get to where you are going, you will need to charge your ipod. AC chargers run the gamut, from less than a dollar on ebay (with astronomical shipping), to the $29 OEM piece from Apple. Take your pick.

Next, for use on a plane, you really need something better than the ipod buds. Invest in a good pair of headphones. I got a pair of Bose headphones a couple of years ago as a gift. Since I tend to set the volume on the loud side, I really have not found a pressing need to plunk down more than 300 bucks for the latest noise-cancelling version.

Last trip, I found myself taking digital photos almost exclusively (as opposed to film), with the RD1. This seems to be a handy ipod accessory to be able to use the video ipod for photo data storage. Transfer rates are supposed to be quite slow, but that can be done while I shower that night in the hotel room, so it really is not a big deal. Like all apple accessories, the price seems a bit steep, however, since it really is just a glorified ipod to usb connector, but with a female usb port. A separate portable data storage device, such as the wolverine, may be a better choice. However, if I will be traveling with something that big, I may as well bring the laptop, and get an early start on the post-processing.

And be able to read the subtitles.

The Chum Bucket Guide to the Galaxy

2007-06-03T11:44:00.000-04:00

My nephew will be backpacking through Europe for a month when college lets out this summer. He emailed me for some tips regarding his upcoming trip.

Suggestions? Here are a few practical ones:

- get a good backpack, and travel light. Eagle Creek makes good backpacks. Rick Steves' ETBD bag is cheap but also ok. A backpack would be best since you will be going around by train, and walking around and to the hostel with your stuff. Unless you leave your stuff at the train station locker, you will be touring town with your stuff.

- don't overpack. i typically bring clothes good enough for 5-7 days, then wash at the hotel/hostel. Bring lightweight clothes that dry quickly. Jeans take more than a day to dry. Cotton shirts take long too. Check THIS out. Cabelas also has the supplex pants that zip into shorts. Supplex dries in 2 hours or less. LLBean has good pants too.

- I bring two pairs of Tilley travel socks. I prefer the ankle length version. They dry quickly overnight, are light, and wont wear out for years, so the cost is ok.

- The absolute best clothesline, with no need for clothespins. Also, get a stopper for the sink drain at a hardware store or such before you leave. Something like THIS would be more unversal, but you can also get the standard one, with chain. That is to plug up the hostel sink for when you wash your clothes.

- get a money belt or something that goes under your shirt, for your cash, passport, and important documents. Write down important phone numbers, your credit card numbers (and toll free numbers to report loss), your passport number, hotel/hostel numbers, etc. Include that inside the money belt. Also make a few copies - leave one at home with mommy, put one inside your backpack. If there is a secure url you can upload the info to, do that - you can access it from an internet cafe in case of emergency.

- look into traveller's health insurance, if your medical plan does not cover you worldwide.

- get a small combination lock, or at least cable ties, for your pack for when you leave it in the hostel. Do not lock your bag if you are checking it on the plane. I would not check it in if I were you since it would completely ruin your vacation if it got lost. Make sure you check your particular airline's carryon size and wt limits. The US carriers are liberal,but air france and british airways are stricter.

- Buy your toiletries there - shampoo, soap, shaving stuff, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. Plan to buy as you go - think of it as an opportunity to try the local brands. People in europe brush their teeth too.

- Consider buying tshirts as you go. That will save you the space and weight, and you will have some souvenirs at the same time.

- Consider bringing your oldest clothes - the ones that you will be throwing out soon. Like underwear and socks, tshirts with holes, and leave them in the hostels as you go. Less stuff to wash too.

- Bring a small flashlight for use in the hostels. I like the cheap LED ones powered by one easily available AAA battery.

- Check if your hostel provides beddings and towels. More than likely they will not. If so, bring along a lightweight set travel beddings: sheet and pillowcase, and a microfiber travel towel.

- When you eat in italy, do not sit down, the prices will be much more. Eat standing up at the bar, or take the food out with you. In the vatican, many places will not let you in if you are in shorts or sleeveless tshirt. Make sure you read up on local customs etc for each place you will be going to.

- Get THIS. Concentrate good as shampoo, body wash and to wash clothes. A 4oz bottle should be enough. Remember too that TSA will only let you bring liquids or gels as big as 4oz in quantitiy (in a one quart ziplock bag that you must put through the airport xray. You will need to take it out of your bag, but in general, airport security is not too bad these days compared to 1-2 yrs ago.

- Instead of always eating at restaurants, you will save money by buying cheese, bread, and sausages from the local stores/bakeries, esp in france. Pack a plastic plate, plastic spoon and fork (or spork), and plastic knife. Plan to buy a cheap corkscrew there for wine (you probably will not be able to get that through security).

- Bring individually packed hand wipes for after your "picnics" if you eat the bread, cheese etc in the park for instance (much better than at the hostel). Public bathrooms cost money to get into to wash your hands (bring loose change always, for this). Also, bring a small roll of toilet paper in your pack (you can buy there) since not all the public restrooms are stocked, or clean. Also, if you eat out, take the opportunity to use their bathroom (for free) before you leave.

- wrap a few feet of duct tape around your shampoo or camp suds bottle. There are infinite uses for duct tape, believe me.

- Bring a small first aid kit, with bandaids, tylenol/motrin, imodium. I also bring a small sewing kit in my toiletry bag, in case of emergency. You probably wont need to sew buttons back on (like i had to do with a coat) but a safety pin saved me when the pull tab of my pants' zipper broke off.

- If you are bringing electronics like your ipod and camera charger, make sure you have the appropriate plug adapters for the countries you are visiting.

- back to packing: Pack-mate vacuum bags are very useful. They not only cut on bulk, but also keep your dirty clothes from making your clean clothes smell. I got them at QVC for much less. Consider packing cubes too. They keep your stuff separate and easy to find, and also makes packing and unpacking easy, and you will be doing a lot of that.

- bring earplugs and the airplane eye covers for sleeping - good if the other people in the hostel room snore, talk late into the night, or keep the light on. Same for sleeping on trains. Be careful sleeping on the train - watch for thieves and pickpockets at night. Best to have your own compartment for you and your friend, and don't leave stuff hanging on the coat hook while you sleep. On the train, watch out for this guy.

- An item i have found useful is a carabiner. You can use that to secure your bagstrap to your chair while you eat, or to your beltloop when you sleep. Consider a small plastic whistle too, just in case you need to attract attention.

- Again, make sure you have lots of copies of your passport. In case all gets lost, you can have mommy mail it to you. Or else, you wont be able to fly home.

- Bring a small alarm clock if your watch does not have one. Hostels do not have wakeup calls, and you may have an early train to catch. Also, for popular tourist places like the Sistine Chapel/Vatican museum, you need to be there early (or go late, before it closes) or you will be in line for many hours. Remember, you will be there in the peak of tourist season. Also, whenever possible, get your tickets online or through a travel agent before your leave - especially the LOUVRE.

- When you get to a big city, make sure your go to the tourist office. Get free maps. Also, many of them offer 1, 2 or 3 day passes which will let you in all the museums. Same with trams, metro and buses. Otherwise, individual tickets are available at the Tabac shops.

- This is a good chance to use your small moleskine notebook! Keep a journal - if not, you may not remember the little details of your trip.

- Get a good guidebook and read when you plan your trip. Lonely Planet is good. Europe Through the Backdoor is a handy book. Lots of great little tips. Like what bus number to ride to see the sights around the Ring in Vienna. Or which tram to take to the top of the Prague Castle entrance, to bypass the tourists coming in by bus. Or that you can get tickets to the Colosseum at some other place up the hill and beside it (I forget the name, it may be the Palazzo Borghese) - or else you will be in line half the day. Also good suggestions about cheap places to eat, hostels, etc. Read the parts pertinent to your trip but do not bring the (bulky) book with you. Just photocopy or rip out the pages to bring, and leave it when you are done with that place.

- If you buy stuff and it starts to weigh you down, consider mailing a package back home midtrip. Even if you send it by the cheapest way, it will be there by the time you get home.

- Send postcards as you go.

Well, that's a lot of stuff. Damn, I should make this a blog entry.

Have fun.

Blast From the Past

2007-06-01T19:15:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-wJjRApwws

D.C.

2007-05-24T16:23:00.001-04:00

Just got back from Washington.

Well, the new Spy Museum was the only thing I saw, after my conference was done. You can't take photos at the Spy Museum. Of course you can't.

So all the photos here were taken by Rica. I only brought one lens, the fast Sigma 35/1.4. She has only shot with a 50mm on her film camera, so I thought this would be familiar for her. I set the camera for her at P mode, and auto-ISO. She liked using the Nikon DSLR.

I like what she did with this, including the people in the foreground. Most would have gone for the postcard shot.

Doesn't she have a good eye?

For a 9-year old? (mommy took this one)

More from the Smithsonian.

"Daddy, I took this for you..."

She's appreciates what is going on around her.

And she is fearless.

So is her little brother. Witty, to boot.

This is what happens when you give the camera to Mikey.

That was a wonderful mini-vacation.

Nice to be back home.

Happy Mothers' Day!

2007-05-13T23:55:00.000-04:00

It was also a special day for Mikey. First Communion day.

No photos allowed during the mass.

Here are some hand prints of the first communicants, posted on the front of the altar. The blue one is Mike's.

And his banner. Doesn't he look serious?
The little guy absolutely refused to wear a coat.

Soon back to his old self.

Congratulations!

MY "Quote of the Day"

2007-05-11T21:05:00.000-04:00

Money does not make a person who he is. It has the power only to reveal a person's true nature.

Let's Play Pretend

2007-05-07T14:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, you spent good money on a pro- or near-pro level DSLR (you are much too good for the entry level stuff!). You also have a big, heavy "pro" f/2.8 telephoto lens, right? Vacationing with your family is an "assignment." A birthday party is a "shoot."

Here's a video game for you.

*courtesy of TOP

Longevity

2007-05-05T10:18:00.000-04:00

This post, and the responses posted, on RFF had me thinking over my first cup of coffee this morning. Many people assume that, because it is electronic, digital cameras have a very short lifespan. Especially compared to old, "classic" mechanical camera that have been around for 30 years or more, and still very usable today.

Now, I love old cameras too. In fact, if you scroll down, you will find at least a couple of blog entries extolling the virtues of the Canon P, the Nikon S2, and the Leica M3. Maybe I need to roast a new batch of coffee beans, but my thinking this morning left me a contrarian.

How sure are we that current DSLR's won't be working in 20-30 years? The CDS meter on my Spotmatic is working. The electronic shutter on my F3 is still accurate. And this was "old technology." How many of your computers actually conked out before you replaced them? Or was it replaced just to "upgrade?"

The guy from Circuit City called the other day asking me if I wanted to renew the extended warranty on my flat screen TV. "You must be joking. The damn thing won't die, and that's the only thing keeping me from convincing my wife to get a plasma screen!"

In large part, our Leica M3's and Contaxes are in good working condition because of people like Sherry and Henry. Don't we always factor in the cost of a CLA when buying one that has not been serviced? Nothing magical about their longevity.

The original poster on RFF said that 6MP was a sweet spot for digital cameras. Sure, newer models may have more MP and more bells and whistles. It's just a matter of what is good enough for your needs. There may be pros who actually need the extra features, or make humongous enlargements, but for most people, "upgrading" is just part consumerism, and the other part, the little boy who compares 0-60 times on Car & Driver magazine.

Red Oxx Gator : a Camera Bag?

2007-05-01T18:40:00.000-04:00

I came across Red Oxx's Gator bag while browsing for a smallish carryon bag several months ago. Made by a small, quality outfit of ex-parachute riggers in Billings, Montana, the bag was rated the Best Travel Shoulder Bag for 2005, by this reviewer. When I first read it, I thought the article was a little bit over-the-top, but I have to admit that I was intrigued by this little bag.

The problem was, there really was not much else I could find out about the Gator. No other review on the web, as far as I can see. And not a whole lot of photos. I stayed on the fence since... "sounds nice, but $95?"

Fast forward to today. One Air Boss later. If you have no clue what I am talking about, scroll down a few inches to my blog write-up on the Air Boss.

The Gator is no different. The quality of materials, attention to detail, and craftsmanship are superb. The Humvee of small bags. It is made of 1000-weight urethane coated Cordura nylon, regarded as the "kevlar" of the bag industry. The seams are double-stitched, and the huge #10 YKK zippers won't foul up or break. The D-rings are welded stainless steel. Bottom line is, the bag is over-built, and will carry pretty much anything you can put in it without a hiccup. If the Guvernator carried a man bag, this would be it.

But I also wanted a bag that will do double duty as a camera bag. And this is really the purpose of this mini-review. See, oftentimes, when I travel with a real camera bag as carryon, there is not much room for other (i.e. non-photography related) stuff I want to bring with me. And if I use a plain old carryon, I don't feel like my equipment is secure or protected enough.

Aside from doing double duty, it must also be small and light enough to comfortably carry around all day (as camera and daypack) when I am there.

There have been a couple of long-running threads on the rangefinder forum (RFF) on this topic. One that I started a year ago about "man purses", and more recently, a thread looking for a man bag for casual shooting, which could also carry a camera and a couple of lenses. You know, the kind of discussion we live for in these forums! Well, that is the kind of "jack-of-all-trades" role I had in mind when I got this bag.

The Gator measures 12(L) x 9(H) x 6(W) inches, and is just about the same size as a Domke F6. In fact, the F6's four-compartment insert fits nicely. Here it is beside the F6.

Here, you can see that it can hold a good-sized rangefinder kit with room to spare. That's an Epson R-D1, bottom of a leather ER case, with 40/1.4 and hood lying flat on it's base. A Leica M3 in a Luigi case, with a collapsed Summitar is in one pocket of the insert. Three more pockets for lenses, etc.

Here is the bag with an SLR kit. The D50 with Sigma 35/1.4 fits nicely. There is a Tokina 12-24mm f/4 in there. That lens with a white rear cap? That's a Nikkor 80-200mm F/2.8 AF.

It is interesting to note that packed with the heavy SLR lenses, the bag felt very comfortable slung over my shoulder. I think that is thanks, in part to the massive rubberized Claw strap (this alone retails for $20 and is well worth the price) that stretches with heavy loads, and in part to the fact that the padding keeps the bag from sagging despite the weighty contents.

That brings us to what I think is one of the neatest features of this bag. The bottom and both large side panels are lined with 1/4 inch thick 4-lb closed cell foam. What is that exactly? Something waaay better than the foam used on the Domkes. Going by feel, it is the same quality of padding in the insert of my Billingham S3. Not the dividers. The insert that you snap into the bag. Excellent built-in protection.

Using an insert like the Domke's is really just to keep things from banging into one another. I generally just carry a few items and can probably do well with one RF camera + lens in a wrap (or something like the Artisan & Artist Rina case), and one or two lenses in small pouches. That will leave me with plenty of room in the bag for other stuff.

I know what you are thinking. Not to worry - the bag is sturdy but not too bulky. The top and ends are not padded, so the bag is more streamlined, sort of "compressible" side-to-side. It is not stiff and won't bounce off your body like, say, the Lowepro AW 100. It is not too wide either- 6 inches is just right in my view. It is just as thick as my Billingham S3, and 3/4 inch thicker than a Domke f5xb. Just the right size to go under the airplane seat.

What else? Little things like two gusseted snap pockets on one side which can hold film, sunglasses, ipod, what have you. The other side has a full zip pocket. Two gartered end pockets sized for water bottles. Inside the bag, there is a full-length pocket perfect for magazines, and 4 slips for pens.

The only con about this bag is that I don't think it is waterproof. The cordura is water repellent, but the zipper and seams are probably not.

That, and it makes about as much of a fashion statement as a pickup truck.

I like trucks.

Well there it is. If you are looking for a tough, protective, versatile bag, this is definitely worth considering. Guaranteed to outlive you, it is warranteed for life. Sure, it is not cheap, but you get what you pay for. You will ABSOLUTELY not find a better made bag anywhere. For any price.

The folks at Red Oxx are a nice, helpful bunch too. Before I bought the bag, I asked them some questions about using the bag for cameras, and had a series of helpful emails with Jim Markel, one of the company's owners. He even added a photo of the bag holding a Nikon DSLR to their website. You can't put a price on little things like that.

Read more about the Gator at Red Oxx.com.

Paparazzi in Training

2007-04-30T20:01:00.000-04:00

Sunday afternoon: a fun way to finish off partially used rolls of film!

Ilford Pan F and Rodinal. I can get used to this low speed combination.

Too much dust on the negs today. A lot of it is mineral deposit. I will need to change the water filter. And maybe use distilled water for the final wash.

She has this really cute way of looking through the viewfinder. And the smile. Kinda like Mickey's eyes and expression.

The Olympus' light shutter release takes a bit of getting used to.

Now, somewhere on the net some "experts" said the zeiss 50/1.4 planar's bokeh was harsh. The info you get on the internet...

This lens in ZF form will set you back quite a bit. Same with the 85 Planar (used for the first three shots). But in Contax mount, you can now get them for a song. Can't mount them on a D200, though. You will need to shoot film. Too bad.

Some people buy a fast lens for the narrow dof. Then mount it on an APS sensor digital. Then wax on about the narrow dof.

What's that? The ZF lenses have a different formulation? I guess that justifies the huge price difference. Like Zeiss suddenly discovered a breakthrough formula to make their already legendary lenses twice as good. Yeah, I know, internet experts...

There's an ass for every seat.

Points of View

2007-04-23T14:10:00.000-04:00

There comes a time, on every single tour bus I have been on, when the bus makes a 5-minute stop at the side of the road, and everyone files out to take in the "panoramic view." Usually of a city you are approaching (or leaving).

"We will stop for 5 minutes to take pictures."

More often than not, the view stinks. But you all take pictures anyway.

Like this.

Well, I guess it could have been worse. It could have been high noon.

But sometimes all you need to do is to think outside of the box, change your point of view a little, and you may see something more interesting.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

2007-04-22T14:30:00.000-04:00

Taught Rica how to develop film this afternoon. She has helped me do it before, mostly as the "timekeeper" holding the stopwatch. This time she did it all from start to finish. Except I loaded the reel. And yes, washed everything when we were done.

She wrote "developing is cool" in our logbook. And she thought fixer smelled bad.

Teaching my 9 year-old how to develop film - what a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

OK, time to go. The film is dry.

Red Oxx Air Boss

2007-04-17T13:06:00.000-04:00

I got the Air Boss as a gift recently, to replace my sagging, formless ETBD carryon. The old bag was with me in Morocco last month (heh), but the frequent packing and unpacking made it clear how having just one big compartment, while flexible, can be a pain. Despite the use of packing cubes.

My wife never liked that bag. Problem is, now she wants my Air Boss!

The quality of materials and construction are just worlds apart. You get what you pay for.

Probably more. The thing comes with a lifetime warranty. And the folks at Red Oxx were really nice and helpful. Hard to come by that combination nowadays.

The bag's layout is very well thought out. Travel writer Doug Dyment helped design the Air Boss, and it is particularly well suited for the business traveller. You can read more about it here.

I'll be trying it out when I go to DC next month for a weeklong conference. Stay tuned.

Airplane Shooting

2007-04-11T08:15:00.000-04:00

I must confess, I have never done this.

We were on our way back home, and I still had 10 frames of Ilford HP5 left in the MP. The camera will go in for a VF cleaning and sealing (thanks, Tony Rose) when I get back, so I figured I'd take some shots in the airplane.

The quality of light in the plane is actually very nice. Yes, that is the Great Eisenheim looking on.

Smokes and a Movie
Leica MP, 35/2 ASPH

Easter Morning

2007-04-08T12:10:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter !!

Midlife Crisis

2007-04-08T00:28:00.000-04:00

Well here it is, I am 40.

This post is a couple of days late. I may be getting forgetful.

My nephew asked me how it feels like being old.

I don't know. I don't feel any different.

Except I have to stretch my arms farther to read the restaurant menu.

I look back at the past 40 years and all I can say is I am blessed.

My wife, my kids, my family and friends.

Great people to work with. A job I love. Having made a difference, even just to a few.

A diversion I am passionate about.

Places I have been, people I have met.

Mentors I have learned from. Students I have learned from.

Opportunities I have been given still stagger my mind. The responsibilities that follow stagger me even more.

The choices I have made.

The mistakes I learned from.

The hard work. The late nights.

The time to relax. Sunday mornings cuddling in bed with the kids.

Crisis? I guess I am just a half-full kind of guy.

Film and Megapixels

2007-04-05T14:39:00.000-04:00

"Film is dead."

I have heard it so many times I don't even listen or read beyond this statement anymore. And I don't care. I have enough fim in the freezer, and developer, to last me for more than 10 years. I scan my negatives, and make my own prints. Film can go the way of the dodo tomorrow, for all I care. I am self-sufficient. For color, I am happy with digital.

I wonder how true that statement is, however. It may be so in the western world, or in developed countries in general. Certainly, these are the people hanging around online forums heralding this doomsday prediction. But what about the rest of the world. What about in third world countries. Where many households don't even have computers, let alone photoshop. Where people do not have the luxury to chat idly on the internet?

Counting India and the People's Republic of China, that would probably describe half of the world's population.

Let's talk about my recent trip to Morocco. Almost all the western and Japanese tourists were using digital camera's. The "pro's" (using that term loosely) at the usual tourist spots were using old 35mm SLR's. One guy sold us a group picture - taken with an old AE-1. Local tourists visiting the major cities - many still used film cameras.

Yes, film sales are down. That's just natural since an alternative is now available when once it never existed. And becoming more cheaply available. Same thing happened to hotdog sales when hamburger was invented.

Sure, Kodak is pulling out of film. They're also pulling out of digital and concentrating on cellphone cameras. Doesn't mean digital is dead. Just that Kodak can't compete profitably with Fuji, Canon and Sony in a contracting market.

Talking about digital...

Of the digital users I saw on the trip, only a handful had DSLR's. Point and shoots made up more than 99%. I think this reflects the digital market in general.

Typically, these people use their cameras on vacations, birthdays and special occasions. They do not travel with backup batteries, let alone backup cameras. They often have just one memory card. They shoot with image quality less than fine or large jpg, because they want to be able to shoot 500 images on their one card.

Many non-enthusiast DSLR users (typically those migrating from film SLR's) that I have seen are like this as well. And they have no other lens than the kit lens that came with the camera. They have no interest in switching lenses. They just want a zoom that will cover their foreseen needs.

These people don't use photoshop. They bring their cards with their medium quality jpegs to walmart or CVS, choose the images they like, and make glossy 4x6's.

This is the majority of the digital market.

That is why manufacturers provide features aimed to please this market - in camera processing and sharpening, vivid saturation settings, etc. Things that don't really matter, or you actually don't want if you shoot in RAW or do your own post-processing.

People will buy digital if they like the unedited 4x6 pictures straight from their memory card off the 1 hour photo kiosk.

They will buy digital if these pictures surpass what they used to get with film.

That is another reason why megapixels are important. A med quality jpg from an 8MP camera looks better than a med quality jpg from a 5MP camera. They don't care about maximum print sizes.

Going back to film... no, I don't know if it is dead. Or dying. But the answer lies far beyond the skewed opinions debated in niche groups on the internet. Ironically, it lies with the masses of consumers who, really, couldn't care less one way or the other.

My Cure for G.A.S.

2007-04-04T18:11:00.000-04:00

Many of us have our own little (or large) ensemble of cameras that we have accumulated over the years. Some we have hardly used in recent months, or even years. Each with its own little special something that has kept us from putting them on sale. Unless your aim is to be a collector, this tends to become a problem sooner or later.

Affectionately, the term GAS or Gear Acquisition Syndrome has been coined to describe this, shall we say, affliction.

In medical terms, the closest name would be camera-mania.

It is a real problem. Something of an addiction. Credit card debt. Concealing purchases items from spouses. Winning an auction on ebay for something you really don't need or even want. Not being able to resist a "deal." These are all "humorous" stories you commonly hear on many online forums.

Not only that, it interferes with your actually improving as a photographer. Kinda like Tiger jumping around from Callaway to Taylormade to Ping, and so on.

Fortunately, I think I have found a solution, at least for myself (disclaimer). Reverse psychology. Huh?

One day, I looked at the stuff I had, and realized that if I put these all together, I would have enough for a really good camera and a handful of lenses. Really good ones. Ones that I have always thought to be too expensive or excessive. Ironically, this turned out to be an example of "false economy."

My wife asked, "Why don't you get something you really like, and get rid of the rest?"

So, to make a long story short, I thought of my "dream camera." Then I sold off enough to buy it. I still have a bit of the old stuff, but you know what? Now they do not appeal to me as much. I have been able to "let them go" and have started to sell them to new owners who will hopefully put them to good use.

One thing I can say is that I have used each and every single camera I have owned. Not only that, I know them inside out. In retrospect, it was a lot of fun learning about them, restoring them, using them, and appreciating them. It was part of the fun. Part of the hobby. Without going through this process, I don't think I could have figured out for myself what it is exactly that I like. I would not know what I know now. And now it is time to move on.

Yes, I will be holding on to a handful of favorites, just for some variety, but that's it. I'm done.

Yes, I bought an expensive camera, and my wife could not be happier.

Wait a minute... come to think of it, I think she planned this all along...

Perspective

2007-03-29T11:53:00.000-04:00

Like I said, most folks in Morocco are averse to having their photograph taken. How did I deal with that? One effective way was to try talking to them. Not many spoke english, however.

I had a whole bundle of ballpoint pens in my pocket. The ones the pharmaceutical reps give away. I handed these out to the locals. For some reason, these were a big hit. The bigger the name of the particular drug embossed on the pen, the better. I don't know why. Maybe they have a scarcity of pens there. Maybe they just appreciate the token kindness. The one in a thousand tourists who didn't just try to snap a photo.

At work, we just throw these pens away, most of the time.

That's one of the things I like about travelling. It puts things in perspective.

Play it again, Sam

2007-03-27T15:35:00.000-04:00

I know. I promised not to do any corny Casablanca (which, by the way, was filmed entirely in Hollywood) quotes.

Just returned from Morocco. Casablanca, Fes, Rabat, and Marrakech. An amazing country, especially for photography. A bit challenging, though, since most of the people, particularly women and old men, absolutely refuse to have their picture taken. I asked a couple of people why. It was not because of religion, as I had thought, but rather because they were concerned that the photos would be misused, against Islam. This had apparently been a problem with the media and the internet. Sad.

Morocco is full of contrasts. Couscous for lunch, with french pastries for dessert. The modern Nouvelle part of the cities, and the preserved ancient medina. Beggars in the alleyways, and 20 million dollar homes (including those of Bruce Willis, Madonna) in outskirts of Marrakech. Women with face veils, and discos rocking till 7am.

Our guide, Mukhtar, was a friendly, funny, and knowledgeable guy. He was also a movie buff. Morocco has apparently been a favorite for Hollywood. A few of the films shot in Morocco: Lawrence of Arabia, Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, as well as some scenes from The Birds, and Patton. More recent movies: The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator, Babel, Black Hawk Down and Hidalgo.

Another trivia tidbit: Morocco is the only Arab nation that was not conquered by the empire of the Ottoman Turks.

An amazing trip.

My Morocco set on Flickr.

Bad to the Bone

2007-03-05T08:31:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, this is one cool-looking camera. It's the one that goes well with a worn-out wide black canvas journalist strap from the 70's. And with ripped jeans. It has attitude. A harley. If Leica was from Venus, this guy is definitely from Mars.

A little history: the camera is Nikon's S2 rangefinder. Made in the 50's, from an age before Nikon made it's first SLR, the Nikon F. This is the Black Dial version. Mine is probably one of the latest ones, with serial #61928XX.

If it looks good, it is made even better. Robert Capa had a Nikon RF around his neck when he stepped on a landmine in Indochina. The camera was blown away, but still intact and working.

Some other things I like about it:

- Mechanically, it is more "modern" than its Zeiss counterpart. Film loading is easier, for one. It also has a film advance lever and lever rewind, faster than the old knobs. It also has the conventional frame spacing on the film (unlike Kievs and Contaxes which are a pain to scan if you use a negative scanner).

- Uncluttered, bright 1:1 viewfinder.

- The camera shares some mechanics with the Nikon F (or vice versa, rather), so parts and repair are easier than, say, a contax. Also, the Nikon's shutter is simpler, more robust, and more reliable.

- It's long rangefinder base length makes focusing more accurate.

- Glass. Well, I just have one lens so far, the sonnar-formula Nikkor 50/1.4. This is the reason I bought the camera. I had been wanting to try this lens, but it is difficult to find, and costs quite a bit in leica thread mount. Lens adapters are either ridiculously expensive (for the original collectible versions), or only a little expensive if you get them from Hongkong. QC is a gamble, though.

- In general, the lenses are less expensive than their LTM counterparts. As long as you don't get carried away with the more sought-after collectible lenses. I have had the 105/2.5 and 85/2 in Leica mount, and they are very impressive.

Right now, my dilemma lies in the collector value of Nikons. I got this from another RFF'er a few months ago, just before the start of the RFF Nikon craze. The camera I bought came as a kit, with paired lens, original cap and shade, case and strap, accessory strap, film canisters with leather holders that go on the strap, same with lightmeter and case that threads on the strap. It even came with a fan-type flash, instruction manuals for the camera and meter, and a book about Nikon Rangefinder photography. The camera has hardly been used, and is working well with no need for a CLA. Should I sell the kit and look for a "beater?" Or should I just pretend I stepped back in time and enjoy it?

Some other Nikon S2 resource pages:
- Nikon Web
- Photoethnography

Winter Break

2007-02-26T21:39:00.000-05:00

Leica M3 + Nokton 50/1.5, Agfa APX100 in Rodinal

After I shot this roll, the kids asked to see the back of the camera looking for the pictures on the LCD!

"You want to see the pictures?" So they helped mix the Rodinal and process the film. Mikey was the timer, and Rica did the inversions.

Of course, they were instructed on proper handling of the chemicals. Like not to drink it or splach each other...

Later, we cut the negs, scanned and edited them on Photoshop.

Of course, when mom arrived they could not wait to tell her all about it. And how dad let them mix "dangerous chemicals."

This was a pretty amazing week. With that activity, the kids really got into it. We decided to drive to the beach the following morning to take some pictures. Rica surprised me - she wanted to shoot with film! A few posts down, you will remember that she took to shooting digital with the GRD in New York.

Well now, what camera to use? Mikey has his p&s from the cruise. He still loses stuff.

Rica brought me her camera - an old Chinon 35EE complete with box and flash that I got her several months ago from a forum member - which needed some cleaning. We cleaned the finder and tested the meter with a hearing aid battery. We stripped the old gunky light seals. Somehow, I could not for the life of me, find my replacement seals.

Now this was a problem. I had her try out some other cameras, including an Olympus 35RC. I wanted to give her something with full autoexposure for now. She settled on an SLR - a nice simple Canon T50 that I got as part of a package a couple of years ago on ebay.

It paired up nicely with a bright 50/1.8 SC FD lens. She picked an orange disney camera strap from my closet to go along with her new kit.

The following day, she was up and dressed by 8am.

We loaded some tri-x in each of our cameras, and off we went. It was freezing cold, expecially with the brisk sea breeze. The beach was deserted, of course, except for a big flock of seagulls. Mikey was back in the car after 5 minutes. Rica was bundled up in a scarf, bonnet and gloves, and finished her roll.

We warmed up with some hot chocolate and a big breakfast at Copper Skillet, the local diner.

That afternoon, we processed the film (in HC110). This is a new combo for me, and the negs were a bit grainier than I liked, but who cares? This was a perfect day.

Rica's photos:

I wish I had her eye for composition when I was 9.

A very RARE picture of her daddy. Yes, that is snow on the beach.

I put together a flickr set for her. I have a feeling there will be many more to come.

Dynamic Range

2007-02-21T21:46:00.000-05:00

Monopoly
Leica M3 + 50mm Summicron, Agfa APX100 in Rodinal

I took several shots of this scene with a Nikon DSLR. It was an exposure nightmare. I was bracketing, using the spotmeter, checking histograms on the LCD. In the end, it was a choice between blown-out highlights or blocked up shadows. I tried to save it on Photoshop with masks and layers, but still ended up very frustrated.

The same time the following afternoon, the kids were at it again (yes, I know, they have JUST discovered Monopoly). I remembered that I had a few more shots left to finish the roll of Agfa APX-100 in my Leica M3. I took an incident reading off my daughter's face, and fired away.

Leitz Summar

2007-02-15T20:11:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of ordinary shots with a 1934 vintage uncoated Leitz Summar 50mm lens. One was taken with a leica IIIF and Plus-X film, the other with an R-D1.

Perhaps you can tell one from the other. But for me, they both show off the lens' character beautifully. And they look pretty close.

I love how the RD1 files do not look artificial or digital. I guess the term used to be 'plasticky' but nowadays, after you spend megabucks on a digital body, I think the term is "3D."

Sometimes

2007-02-12T21:57:00.000-05:00

...I just look at the play of colors, or the way the afternoon sunlight glints off the leaves. Nothing special, nothing in particular, I just look. And for some reason, my eye just keeps getting drawn to a little nub when a leaf once was.

Parting Shot

2007-02-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

The Minolta Autocord is truly a fine camera. The legendary lens is sharp. The innovative loading kept the film plane flat, a groundbreaking departure from the Rollei design. And despite its age and cosmetics, mine was a well-functioning sample. Cosmetically, it is a bit rugged, but with my hippie strap, it looked totally cool.

It was simply a matter of the right camera at the wrong time. I tried to content myself with scans from the lab, since my dedicated film scanner is only for 35mm. My enlarger in the darkroom is a Leica Focomat, also for 35mm.

I toyed with the idea of getting an inexpensive flatbed scanner. but I am afraid I will just constantly dismay at not realizing the full potential of the larger negative. This has been a nagging problem, even with 35mm. When I shot some velvia slides recently, I was shocked to see the disparity between what I saw with the loupe and projector, versus the scanned image on my computer screen. And this was with a dedicated film scanner.

A new enlarger? I think the direction I am heading is away from that.

I am happy, however, that the person who bought the camera is a photography teacher in Massachussetts. This camera deserves to be put to good use. And if a student or two gets hooked by this little old wonder, so much the better.

A Cozy Place

2007-02-05T09:20:00.000-05:00

The Quest

2007-02-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

Photography is an expensive hobby, everybody knows that. Why is that, when, with the advent of digital, a good film SLR and zoom or good standard lens can be had for very little money nowadays? Even DSLR prices have come down significantly. With digital, you don't even have film and processing costs. Why then?

The problem lies when the hobby turns into an obsession with gear. I have seen it happen over and over again. It is not a new phenomenon either. I remember, years ago, when I would read incessantly about which were "the best" lenses for XXX camera brand, there was always an oldtimer who proferred the admonition to "shoot with what you have" and that the search for the "best" lens was an expensive, futile quest, often leading back to where you started. Of course, I did not listen. I don't think anyone does. This circuitous quest is, I think, something most have to go through themselves.

The first stage is usually an obsession with brand. Canon makes the best digital sensors. Leica makes the best lenses. And so on. Everyone knows that, right?

At least back then, everyone started with a Pentax K1000. Then "upgraded" (a bad and expensive word) to Canon or Nikon. From there, the allure of German makers Contax/Zeiss and Leica.

The second stage is an obsession with specs. Camera specs. "This is a good entry level camera, then you can upgrade to a midlevel Nikon F100 once you decide what features you need." Well, what features do you really need? I know I need a shutter speed dial, an aperture adjustment ring, a shutter release, and ok, maybe even a meter. But at that stage, I spent hours poring over camera specs, to see if I should spend a little more and get mirror lock-up and 1000 zone matrix metering instead of "only" 200 zones. Inevitably, this is the stage of reading magazines like Pop Photo and Shutterbug.

So now you've got your camera and a decent kit zoom. Then you realize that your vacation photos don't look like those pictures in the National Geographic. You read more, this time on the internet, since the guys at Pop Photo favorably endorsed your kit zoom (what don't they?). Of course! I need a new lens. I need a "pro zoom." This is typically "fast" with an f/2.8 fixed aperture, covering the focal lengths I need from wide to telephoto, and weighs at least a pound.

Ok, now we are talking. At this stage, you now realize that you cannot possibly travel or go on a shoot without "covering" every possible focal length. So you buy a similarly fast superwide zoom, and an even heavier telephoto zoom. So now, you would have, typically, something like a 16-35/2.8, 28-70/2.8, and 80-200/2.8 (of course with IS or VR) in your bag.

You start experimenting with low-light shots and realize your pro zoom doesn't quite cut it. You need a fast prime lens. You start with a 50/1.8. Then another "upgrade" to a 50/1.4 for "those times when it is f/1.4 or no picture." You will hear this again and again in this "quest."

Wow, the narrow dof really makes a difference. You figure you need something similar for portraiture. An 85/1.8 is within your budget. Then an 85/1.4 or better yet, if you shoot Canon, an 85/1.2. For times when it is f/1.2 or no picture...

Same thing with wides. A 35/2 for shooting street. Then a 35/1.4. For indoors - a 24/2.8 becomes a 24/2, becomes a lusting for a 24/1.4.

Sharpness is king at this stage. The end-all and be-all. You are obsessed with MTF's. You spend hours looking at photos online, to see which lens is sharpest. 100% crops of corners.

Some will go on to a larger format.

You are taking pictures, mostly of the same subject, not because of the subject itself, but just to compare the lenses you have.

Then you figure, changing between the myriad lenses in your (now really heavy) bag can be a hassle. And what if the camera breaks? You need a "back-up" body. Typically, you also justify this by using different film in that body - maybe faster, maybe black and white, maybe both.

And there you are, with your big heavy bag full or pro equipment, shooting photos of your kid in the backyard. At least you have a back-up handy.

At this point in the game, you start wondering - "What makes Zeiss and Leica so special (read expensive)?" You decide you need an adapter, and go get some german lenses for your canon.

Then you find yourself intrigued by the whole "mystique" surrounding rangefinders. Usually this is because, at this level of being a "serious amateur" you start reading photography books. No longer the "how to" books you graduated to from Pop Photo. No. Now you are obsessed about the "decisive moment." You decide you need to be invisible and get more connected to your subject.

You have reached the zenith of technical gimmickry, and now you are on the downward spiral of ascetism. You shun lightmeters, preferring to guess the exposure by eye. You carry a cheatsheet in your pocket. Nosirree... just give me the basics - aperture, shutter speed, wind lever, focus and shutter release.

You wet your feet with a compact 35mm rangefinder. The Canonet GIII QL17 and Yashica GSN are popular choices. Not only is your photo sharper than your kit zoom, it may even be sharper than your heavy pro zoom. You are liberated by the experience. The simplicity.

"How can this 30 year old camera make sharper (usually 4x6 drugstore) prints than my plastic wondercamera (with the 1000 zone matrix meter and all-important mirror lockup)?" You get hooked on vintage equipment. They are much, much cheaper than your pro SLR equipment. Ebay becomes your friend. So does the mailman.

After you have gone through every possible cult fixed lens RF, you now decide you need interchangeable lenses. Russian Zorkis, Feds, and Kievs come next. The lenses are good! The bodies are unreliable. You move on to modern Voigtlander Bessas and vintage Canon rangefinders like the P. At this stage, you are reading internet sites like Karen Nakamura's and Dante Stella's, discovering the vintage cameras.

You find like-minded people online. "I am not alone in my gear lust." You buy and sell with your new friends. You feed each other's vices.

You spend a bit more money on your lenses. You progress from FSU to vintage Canon and Nikon RF lenses. Oh... the quality construction! The beautiful glass. Maybe Leica is better? An older LTM does not cost much more...

You hold your first leica lens. "Oh my God, now I understand."

You start accumulating standard lenses: Summitar, Summar, Elmar, Summarit.

You get an old Leica body - an inexpensive Barnack. Another "Oh my God" moment.

35's and 90's follow. And viewfinders.

Now you need a modern, reliable body. An in-camera meter "may" be useful, you concede. You are getting tired of the squinty finder, and accessory VF's. A bigger, brighter viewfinder is needed. And easier film loading than the barnack. A bessa.

From there, you decide to spend a bit more money, but Leica is too much. Best bang for the buck - CV lenses. More recently, another slightly more upscale choice was added - Zeiss Ikon.

From here, if you choose to continue on this quest, there is only one way to go: the Leica M.

You may start with an "inexpensive" lens, typically 50mm Summicron, to mount on your Bessa or other. Maybe an older collapsible or rigid. Then a more modern formulation. You "definitely see" the difference in your photos. The clarity, the "glow," the rendering, how it paints with light. The magic.

Or you may decide to start with an M body for your fast accumulating FSU, CV, and Canon/Nikkor glass. You probably start with an older one - M3 or M2. You hold your first M body. You wind the lever. You click the shutter. You almost pee in your pants.

"Oh my God."

From there, it gets bloody, $$ wise. Different focal lengths - 15, 21, 24, 35, 75, 90. You are hooked. You are shooting in low light, hand holding at obscenely slow speeds. You need faster - Summilux or faster. "For when you need f/1.4." Maybe a newer M body. More reliable, right? The older M becomes the back-up.

Hopefully, all this time, you have been shooting, and shooting. Learning. Improving your craft. You have also been honing your darkroom/photoshop/printing skills. Your photos are well-received, sometimes even admired. You may have even sold a few prints.

And then one day, it hits you. You wake up to the realization that your multitude of gear actually has been getting in the way of your development as a photographer. Much the same way as it would if Pete Sampras used a different tennis racquet every day. Or Schumacher drove a different car on each race.

"Less is more."

"You need to be one with your camera."

Zen.

So... you need to pare down your equipment. To keep only the best. The ultimate. But which one is "best?"

Another realization: there is no "best." Best is what works. What you are comfortable with. Which gives you the result you are after. Consistently. And since you have the luxury of being an amateur - best is what is fun, what gives you satisfaction.

Now you are shooting photos for what is IN the photo. You realize that the subtle differences between lenses that (usually only) you and your equally geeky online camera friends noticed are not really what is important. A lot of times you (and they) can't even tell these apart.

What I consider my "best" photo so far is a beautiful photograph. A lot of people admire it online, and even more love the print. Lovely light, beautiful subject, good composition. A case of being in the right place at the right time. Something non-repeatable.

I shot it with a plastic camera and a $60 zoom. With cheap ISO 200 drugstore brand color film. Processed in a 1-hour lab, scanned and converted to black and white on photoshop.

Many people assume I used a Leica camera and lens, and wax poetic... I have been too amused to correct them. I remember that as a lesson in what is actually important, and what are just foolish pretensions of gear fetishists.

A good photo is still a good photo even if shot with "lesser" equipment. Conversely, a poorly composed picture cannot be saved by a $2500 Asph lens. Try it - let your ten year old son shoot with your leica's (get insurance) and shoot with a Canonet. If your pictures suck, guess what, YOU suck.

You are still shaking your head? "A good photographer will make a better photo with better equipment" is another thing you will read on the internet. Usually on Leica forums. Ok, ask yourself:

a) Are you that good?
b) If you answered "yes" to a), do other people think you are good or is it just you?
c) Do you think Winogrand's photos would look better if, instead of an M4 + Canon 28/2.8, he used an MP + 28 Summicron Asph? How about if HCB used an Asph Lux instead of his collapsible summicron? Or Capa with a millenium Nikkor 50/1.4? Can you distinguish which shots Ralph Gibson took with a pre-ASPH vs ASPH Summilux, and if so, is one better than the other?

If you think "yes," you need to renew your subscription to Popular Photography.

Or maybe you are shaking your head because you think you are immune to this "disease?" A simple test: Ask yourself, if you won the lottery tomorrow, what one camera and lens would you buy? Enough said.

So what stage in this vicious cycle are you in? Are you coming, or going?

Of course, the usual disclaimer applies: YMMV. Your experience may be different, especially if you have will power and self-discipline. But I have seen this happen (to different degrees) enough times and at different levels to believe that this must be some rite of passage. After all, I don't think any "serious amateur" I know is still shooting (only) with his first camera (and has not "upgraded.")

A fun but expensive quest. And we didn't even get started with digital!

Just remember, like the holy cup, the "Grail" is within. YOU make the photos. But of course, you won't believe me. You will need to figure it out for yourself. I told you so.

PAW = Pain in the Ass in the Winter

2007-01-22T00:31:00.000-05:00

I think this whole Picture-A-Week (PAW) thing is paying off, mainly as an incentive to get off one's duff. Especially now that it is very cold out. Talking about cold, yesterday I made plans to head out early this morning. I was planning to walk along the beach, which should be quiet and deserted this time of year. The kids were coming along, and I had charged some NiMH AA batteries for the Olympus for them to use.

However, it would not be so. Early this morning, the furnace conked out. We huddled in the family room around the fireplace, and with a couple of space heaters blasting away. After the service guy fixed it, we were just too frozen to go anywhere.

Later today, I went around the outside of the house to open the faucets and drain the pipes. There's a stream running around our property, about a couple of hundred feet into the woods from our house. It was partly frozen, and the ice was reflecting the sunlight very nicely. I had been browsing through Paul Caponigro's Masterworks from Forty Years this weekend, and I have to say, your frame of mind does influence what your eye tends to see.

So, there I was in the woods, in my pajamas and a heavy coat, in 20F weather. If not for the extra oomph of incentive to shoot this week, I would have had my feet up beside a nice cozy fire, like a normal person on a cold Sunday morning.

Personally, I think Caponigro's best photographs of New England were the ones he took around his home in Redding, Connecticut. I wonder if he shot those in his PJ's?

Click HERE to see the photos

First R-D1 Photos

2007-01-15T20:19:00.000-05:00

I am having a lot of fun with the R-D1. So far, I have only used the 35mm Summicron ASPH on it, as a normal lens.

It's lowlight performance has been excellent - rangefinder handholdability and ease of focusing plus good performance at high iso. This shot was taken at iso 800, f/2 and 1/30. I like the results. Film-like, for lack of a better word. It does not scream digital.

Plus I get to play around and get images that I never would have gotten with film (duh, since I shoot black and white film 99% of the time).

Epson R-D1 First Impressions

2007-01-13T18:15:00.000-05:00

No, I just can't justify spending an obscene (to me) amount of money for Leica's new M8.

As luck would have it, I came upon a very lightly used Epson R-D1 from an RFF member who was "upgrading" to the M8. Even the R-D1 was much more than I wanted to spend back when it was introduced a couple of years ago. Well, not anymore. Yes, refurbs of the R-D1 go on sale from time to time online at the Epson store (and they sell like hotcakes). However, the R-D1 had a known QC problem, and I had always been wary that refurbs were the once defective units sent back to Epson for one reason or another. In Darwins view, not the fittest.

Well, anyway, thanks to the R-D1S and now, the M8, very good used samples of the older RD-1 can be had at moderate prices. And since these have been "tried and tested," this may be a way to obtain one with less risk of getting a lemon. And if you are lucky, you may just get one that is almost new. Plus some goodies like extra ($$$) batteries and memory cards. Of course, if you are not the type who has to have the latest toy on the block, then it is always nice to have someone else eat the initial depreciation. As Gene Wilburn so eloquently put it, ahh... "the joys of bottomfeeding."

The difference between the R-D1 and the newer R-D1S? Mainly an updated software... a free download from Epson UK (mine came with the updated v2 software). The older R-D1 also had the advantage of having the RF adjustment screws easily accessibly simply by removing the hotshoe. With the R-D1S, the top plate has to come off. A daunting affair.

Back on topic, my R-D1 came this week. Cosmetically, it looks brand new. Funtioning perfectly, with no misalignment of the finder. Initial tests showed a few dead pixels, but after running the dead pixel mapping function in the new software, these were history.

I have been very, very impressed so far. It feels well-built, with a substantial magnesium alloy body. The rubber surfaces grip well. The funky analog guages actually work very simply, and with one glance, you have all the important information (WB, Image Quality, exposure left on card, and battery charge) on hand. ISO is adjusted like film speed on the Bessa, by lifting an outer ring on the traditional shutter speed dial. The dial also incorporates exposure compensation settings for when you are shooting in AE mode.

Here are the things that make the R-D1 unique, and appealing to me:

1. You can go about shooting all day without ever having to go into a single menu.

2. The thing I hate most about using digital is the small viewfinders and godawful tunnel vision that plague DSLR's other than the fullframe Canons. With the Epson, it is no different than shooting with a Bessa R3a - a bright, lifesize 1:1 finder.

Only the area of the framelines have changed to accomodate the 1.5x crop. My 35mm Summicron is now an effective 50mm. My 50mm is a portrait lens. I don't use the 28mm focal length much aside from the excellent ones built into my Ricoh GR-1 (and GRD), but that would give, roughly, a 40mm.

This is what I miss most, since 35mm is my favorite focal length. To get it, I would need a 24 or 25mm lens, and an accessory viewfinder. I have not tried this combination yet.

3. The R-D1 feels and handles like a rangefinder film camera. That means I can reliably shoot it handheld at 1/15 sec, I can use my M- and LTM- lenses, I can carry it all day without being bulky, obtrusive, or intimidating. In short, I have the same pleasurable rangefinder experience, with the "advantages" of digital.

4. All would be for naought without the results. True, the R-D1 has only 6 megapixels (funny, most people thought that was enough last year), but the results are very nice. Black and white shots have a smooth range of tones. Not too contrasty or oversharpened. Not "plasticky" or unnatural. To my taste, it gives results similar to newer, less grainy film emulsions like TCN or Neopan.

These past few days, I have been using the R-D1 almost exclusively with the LCD flipped closed, and in a leather halfcase (in case I get the urge to chimp) borrowed from my Hexar RF. I can also do away with the case, and attach a Photoequip Unigrip with no need of modifications.

It was not long before I forgot that I was shooting with digital. Until I had to crank up the ISO from 200 to 1600 between shots. Nice.

Alchemy

2007-01-09T15:33:00.000-05:00

A large part of the fun in photography actually comes after the shutter has been pressed. Well, for me at least. A lot of the "magic" happens in the dark - mixing different concoctions of chemicals, strict recipes for temperatures, volumes, agitation times, etc, all leading to the climax, the moment the image appears from seemingly nothing. Magic.

One thing great about using film is that there are so many possible combinations of film and developer, all with slightly different results. Add to that the variation in film exposure time, developer concentrations, as well as processing time. So much flexibility and control.

For the sake of uniformity, I have settled on a few combinations which have given me the particular look that I like:

I like to shoot wide open, or fairly close to it, especially with Leica lenses. This is their forte. For the past 2 years, I have been shooting mainly with Agfa APX 100 as my slow film. I like the results I get when developed with Rodinal. Really special. Unfortunately, both have been discontinued.

For medium speed, I have settled on the combination of Ilford HP5 and Kodak HC-110 developer. Another match made in heaven.

The few times I needed fast film, I had been satisfied with the results I got from Ilford Delta 3200. I have not used it enough to try processing it myself. Many people have also been happy with Neopan 1600. I guess I will try that next time I find the need.

I have not been doing much "pushing" of film. I have played around a bit with TriX at ISO 1600, and partial stand development in Rodinal. There have been some excellent results posted in RFF by guys who do this quite regularly, found in the darkroom section.

770: Deus Ex Machina

2007-01-06T13:54:00.000-05:00

Vast collection of Ralph Gibson's work from 1960-1999, with over 800 richly reproduced photos in a heavy brick of a paperback.

Thought-provoking. It urges you to expand your horizons beyond the classic street photography cliche that every HC wanna-B seems to be striving for (worthily, mind you), and to think outside of the box.

The book is short in words, but here's a valuable quote:

One day Dorothea (Lange) looked at my photographs and told me, "Your problem is that you don't have a point of departure. If you are going down to the drugstore to buy toothpaste and have your camera with you, the chances of making an important photograph are greater than if you just stand on the street corner waiting for something to happen." I promptly returned to the street corner. It was only years later while working on The Somnambulist that I finally understood the wisdom of her admonition. Since then I have always worked with a point of departure. Every photograph is relevant to an idea that is being examined, a series, or a book. Within this matrix infinite possibilities remain but the chaos is diminished.

(Since this is the first Book post of 2007, let me repost this: 770? In case you haven't figured it out yet, that's the Dewey Decimal Classification number for Photography and Photographs. I figure that in the future, it would similarly help search for these blog entries.)

Remembering

2007-01-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Daddy

Facelift

2007-01-05T23:11:00.000-05:00

The Chum Bucket gets a new look for the New Year. I gotta say, the new blogger interface is much more user-friendly. Some of the photo layout in the older posts got a little bit messy, but I can live with that.

I am keeping the old format of The Itinerant Photographer for now. I want to live with both for a little bit. I have also been migrating most of the photos to flickr, so the photoblog has become sort of redundant. I may end up just maintaining one (this) blog. We'll see.

Let me know how you like it.

Picture-A-Week: Why Bother?

2007-01-05T19:05:00.000-05:00

What did you expect? It IS the New Year, and it is time for resolutions.

I have never tried to start a PAW (Picture-A-Week) project, but there really is something to be said for people who have the discipline and stamina to come up with a photo every week for 52 weeks. Inevitably, the idea came again this year, mainly spurred by a recent thread on RFF to start a PAW project.

Time to do some thinking.

Let's face it, when you are in a beautiful place, photographs come more easily. Especially if the place is new, or novel, to you. Good photos? I don't know, but proportionally, you're bound to get more of those as well.

"Photographers shoot too much film! If you go to the barnyard even a blind chicken can find grain." -- Andre Kertesz (excerpted from Deus Ex Machina, by Ralph Gibson).

But what about the ordinary? I think that's where a PAW may help. To see the extraordinary in things that you probably see everyday. Seeing. Photographically. That is a worthy goal.

"Everything is a subject. Every subject has a rhythm. To feel it is the raison d'etre. The photograph is a fixed moment of such a raison d'etre, which lives on in itself." -- Andre Kertesz (again!).

At the very least, it should be fun.

RFF PAW Project links to participants, courtesy of gregg.

RFF PAW 2007 Flickr Pool.

New Directions

2007-01-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

I tried my hand at making a video presentation today. The compression used by the YouTube server degrades the photo quality somewhat. I will need to look into that, as well as how to convert the Windows Movie Maker file to an ipod compatible format.

Addendum: Some more RFF members' video essays on YouTube.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2006-12-31T23:13:00.000-05:00

Well, the Christmas break was nice and quiet.

The kids were great. Like two little angels in their school Christmas Pageant.

The day after Christmas -- Mikey learned how to shoot with his Daisy BB rifle. Rica on her new bike.

We went to see "Night at the Museum." The day after, a day trip to NYC, to the Museum of Natural History. It seems a lot of other families had the same idea. Good for the Museum.

Walked around Central Park, winding up at Rockefeller Center to see the tree. It is beautiful at night. The line for ice skating was, oh, three hours long. The kids agreed to a raincheck, which they did friday back in Connecticut.

Oh, and the boy learned to ride a bike.

Not a high-tech toy in sight this Christmas, well, except for Daddy's video ipod.

It is close to midnight, and the champagne (and apple juice) is waiting to be toasted. Goodbye to 2006. May we all have a blessed and peaceful New Year!

The Classic Look

2006-12-31T11:44:00.000-05:00

There must be quite a few ways to achieve the old-fashioned classic look you see in black and white portraits from the 50's. Personally, the most fun and authentic way is to use classic equipment.

This was taken with an uncoated Leica Summar 50mm lens from 1934. A leica medium yellow filter was used. The camera was a 1950's vintage Leica IIIF. Shot wide-open, the Summar is known to give a soft, dreamy rendering.

The film and process are equally important. I used Kodak Plus-X rated at EI 64, plus one stop for the filter. This was souped in HC-110, pulled by 25% less on the developing time. The negative was a little too thin for my taste. I will try 10-15% next time.

In Memoriam

2006-12-30T17:19:00.000-05:00

An Old Family Holiday Recipe

2006-12-29T16:16:00.000-05:00

There are certain things that transport you back in time to Christmases long ago, to family gatherings of your childhood. Nothing does that better than an old family Christmas recipe. This one I learned from my mother, who in turn learned it from my grandmother, and so on. An old Spanish dish which we prepare for the holidays. Here is our old family recipe for Callos. If you are not squeamish.

Ingredients: *

*quantities are as found in a U.S. grocery

2 packs ox tripe
2 packs ham hock
1 can or pack chorizo de bilbao, diced. Substitute other chorizo (not as good) if you cannot find this, but DO NOT do without.
2 cans garbanzos. Discard liquid.
2 cans tomato sauce or 1 small can tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

Place tripes and ham hocks in large pot, with enough water to cover. Boil in low to med heat until soft, when ham hock meat is beginning to fall off the bone. Strain and save stock.

Remove ham hock meat from bone and cut into approx 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes. Slice tripes thin, about 1 inch long by 1/4 inch stips.

In a new pot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil. Add red pepper.

Add tripes and ham hock, tomato sauce. Add in enough stock to cover meat. Salt and pepper.

Boil in low heat until the tripes are soft. I mean melt-in-your mouth buttery soft. If you press a stip against the side of the pot with a fork, it should cut easily without having to jerk the fork back and forth. This is crucial. Tripes are not good chewy.

Add chorizo, garbanzos and cook another 5-10 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste. I usually add one bullion cube (in place of the salt), and a dash of tabasco.

By this time, the callos stew should be thick. If you want it thicker, add a little bit of corn starch or toasted flour if you prefer, and sprinkle a little olive oil on top. You can add your choice of herbs, but we have always prepared it as is.

Best (for me) served in a soup bowl with your choice of bread. In fact, I will go heat myself up some leftover right now. Enjoy!

770: Willy Ronis: Photographs 1926-1995

2006-12-17T23:53:00.000-05:00

I enjoy Willy Ronis' photographs - warm, honest, unstaged. This is the first comprehensive collection of his work, published in english by the Oxford Museum of Modern Art.

770: Crosstown

2006-12-14T22:51:00.000-05:00

One of my favorites. THE retrospective of Helen Levitt's long career, with amazing street photographs of Manhattan, full of tiny little details that you discover each time you crack the pages. Beautifully produced. It is very quickly getting expensive.

770: Inferno

2006-12-14T22:20:00.000-05:00

This is the largest and heaviest book I own.

In the same way DDD's book, "War Without Heroes," is about the soldiers' at war, "Inferno" shows us the ravages of war. The hell that is war, especially for the civilians in these war-torn places. This opus was taken over a 20 year span, by the greatest war photographer of our time.

770: War Without Heroes

2006-12-14T22:07:00.000-05:00

The first and only edition of DDD's book on the Vietnam war. Some say the best book of the Vietnam war. Beautifully made, with rich gravure reproductions.

“This book is simply an effort to show what a man endures when his country decides to go to war, with or without his personal agreement on the righteousness of the cause . . . In their own eyes, they were participating in everyday events while serving in a foreign land where their country was at war . . . a war without heroes.”
— David Douglas Duncan

770: Koudelka

2006-12-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

Here's a nice pair of Koudelka books. The first gives a broad range of Koudelka's work, including his early work in the theater, to the Prague 1968 events, as well as photos from his books Gypsies, Exiles and Chaos. A small book, published by Torst, the reproduction quality is nonetheless above average, especially for an inexpensive book. The size is perfect for reading on the plane or train. A good introduction to the work of the famous Czech-born photographer.

Josef Koudelka's latest book, shot entirely in panoramic format. The book is definitely for larger coffee tables. The reproduction is excellent, with beautiful deep rich tones. Judging from the prices of Koudelka's past books, buy this while you can. Photo courtesy of digital journalist.

770: Andre Kertesz His Life and Work

2006-12-04T22:49:00.000-05:00

The most comprehensive retrospective of the Hungarian-born photographer. Another big book, with 335 duotone and 15 color photographs.

For me, this is a must-have. The original publication was in 1994. I could not resist grabbing the last remaindered copy of the 2000 reprint by Bulfinch in paperback for a $7 and change.

World Travel Map

2006-12-04T22:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a cool way to keep track of your travels. I have travelled to 26 countries, 11% of the countries in the world as of today.

We plan to see 10 new countries in 2007. Morocco in March, and cruise along the Baltic Sea in September.

create your own visited country map

770: Robert Doisneau: a photographer's life

2006-12-03T00:29:00.000-05:00

The first authorized autobiography of the French photographer, this large book is his only comprehensive monograph. This is the 1st edition, published in 1995, and recently went out of print. Doisneau is one of my favorite photographers.

770: Paris by Night

2006-12-02T15:40:00.000-05:00

1987 Pantheon reprint of Brassai's Paris de Nuit from 1933. The reproductions are beautiful, in heliogravure, as was the original. A must for anyone interested in night photography, this book is becoming collectible. I was lucky to find one in excellent condition from a book dealer in Michigan (gotta love the internet) for only $25. It was listed with the wrong title! Photo courtesy of ebay.

770: Japan

2006-12-02T13:07:00.000-05:00

When someone asks "How do I improve my photography?" the answer that is surely soon to follow is to "Shoot, shoot, shoot." While that may be true, I think that looking at photographs is equally valuable in enhancing one's craft.

Just as there is so much misinformation on the internet, you must also be discriminating in the photos you look at and try to learn from. Especially when browsing galleries and yes, photoblogs. At least in print form, there is some kind of editing process, that what you see in books and magazines have gone through some critical sifting.

I thought I would start a series of posts highlighting any new or favorite books in my modest and evolving photography book library. Not really meant to be reviews, but rather a few lines about why it is in my modest collection. Not recommendations by all means. We all have our own tastes. Just books that I enjoy.

770? In case you haven't figured it out yet, that's the Dewey Decimal Classification number for Photography and Photographs. I figure that in the future, it would similarly help search for these blog entries.

Possibly the most beautiful book of photos I have ever seen. Enough said. The printing is exquisite. The binding, and even the folio, are first-rate.

The photos I take are mostly of people. But I think there is something to be said about turning away from society and focusing on the beauty of nature.

Not AA's grand vistas. More simple. Moody. Serene. Not an epic. More a haiku.

Poifect

2006-11-30T21:15:00.000-05:00

My wife bought our 7 year-old son, Mikey, a cheap film camera for our last vacation. He loses things, you see. Boy, did he have a blast. He took a close up photo of his "eyeball." He took pictures of his new friends on the cruise. He crept up behind me and shot "daddy's butt."

And after each shot he would exclaim, "poifect!"

Some were blurred. Many were unsharp, due to the camera's lens. But boy, his smile was ear-to-ear when he got the prints off his 3 rolls.

Monochrome Landscapes

2006-11-27T11:21:00.000-05:00

Canopy of the Costa Rican rainforest.
This was shot suspended by cable just above the canopy, 160 ft high.

I don't shoot much landscape. Maybe it is because of this month's issues of Lens Work and B&W Photography, but I found myself experimenting with landscapes in mono. And liking it.

Landscapes always looked nicer (to me) in medium or large format. It never looked right in 35mm. And boring in color. For some reason, landscapes shot digitally look closer to MF. Look at the current issue of Lens Work if you don't believe me. And notice as well that close to half of the images in the issue were shot with digital. Unheard of just a year ago.

Here are my humble efforts. I think I will be giving this more thought.

Rainforest

Bromeliad

Rock formations, Aruba

Queue of ships waiting to cross from the Pacific, Panama.

Broccoli tree

Purely Digital

2006-11-27T10:06:00.000-05:00

For the first time, I went traveling with not a single roll of film. Or film camera. The recent cruise was completely digital.

Why? I thought it was what I needed.

I anticipated I would be shooting a lot of:

Action - especially with the kids along.

the Beach - so I wanted a superwide, and a polarizer.

Landscape, maybe wildlife (not something I like doing). I also knew I would be shooting a lot FROM the ship, while going through the Panama Canal. So I wanted to have a longer lens with me.

I have to say, the D50 was convenient to use. I must have taken more than 400 shots, and have edited to about 45 or so. I will probably be printing 5 or 6.

Of course every nikon shooter on the ship had a D200 with kit lens. A couple asked me what I was shooting. "This is just a D50. I am only a beginner."

One elderly man was nice though. He also shot with an old Nikon SP.

The Sigma 30/1.4 (45mm equivalent) was nice.

One drawback of digital or electronic vs manual is when it started to rain in Panama City. I was just waiting for the smoke to come from the D50. On the other hand, I do not think I would have shot in the rain with my leica.

Well, it held up its own. Otherwise I would have needed to get a D200. Oh well.

The Tokina 12-24/4 (18-36mm equivalent) was a blast as well.

With the squinty D50 finder, less than 100% VF, and the superwide lens, you may miss things in the corners, especially in less-than-bright light. This would NOT have happened with a rangefinder. The shot below is not bad, but still, you must agree that the couple in the lower right corner would have made the photo. If I had actually SEEN them in the viewfinder!

The decision to bring the heavy Nikkor 80-200/2.8 (120-300 equivalent) paid off in the Panama Canal and on the aerial tram in Costa Rica. It worked out perfectly for my back too, since I did not have to lug that animal around for much. The lens truly is stellar.

You can even see the outline of the tugboat pilot!

The GRD was handy for keeping in my pocket around the ship at all times. It was also my only back-up.

The novel thing was, all my editing was done a few days after coming back home. None of the usual processing delay or expense. The long hours of scanning and removing dust spots.

Our next trip will be to Morocco. I still think I will just bring an M body and couple of small lenses. It will be a land trip so weight and bulk are important. And I expect mostly people shots while walking the streets for hours.

Or I could do with the GRD...

Cruise Log

2006-11-23T18:47:00.000-05:00

MS Amsterdam

Guests: 1,380
Crew: 590

Commander: Capt. Dirk van den Berg
Cruise Director: Jill Tasker
Guest Relations Manager: Grace Zerna
Executive Chef: Peter Kolfer
Dining Room Manager: Iman Sugondo
Our La Fontaine Waiter: Oka
Our La Fontaine Wine Steward: Romy
Cabin Steward: DB

Panama Sunfarer Cruise
November 9-19, 2006

Day 1: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Day 2: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas
Day 3: At Sea
Day 4: Oranjestad, Aruba
Day 5: Willemstad, Curacao
Day 6: At Sea
Day 7: Panama Canal, Panama
Day 8: Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
Day 9: At Sea
Day 10: At Sea
Day 11: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Oka and our Baked Alaska

The holiday was great. The cruise itinerary was very relaxing, less hectic than the european cruises we had done. Best of all, the kids had a blast. Read Rica's blog entry for a first hand report!

The Amsterdam had an impressive facility for kids, called Club HAL, with activities for the children to keep them busy and active. What I did not expect was the way the crew took to our children. Many of them knew rica and miguel by name. They helped them carry their trays at the buffet line. The guy at the poolside grill would already have the burger and fries plated when he saw mikey coming. The kitchen would specially prepare anything they wanted outside of the menu during the sit-down dinners. DB, our cabin steward, even made the kids a different surprise animal with towels and chocolates every evening when he turned down the beds.

And all of them would then tell us of their own stories. How each of them had little children of their own left back home, and how they have not seen for many months. See, these guys work for 6-12 months straight. I mean 12 hour days, 7 days a week. Then they get to go home for 2-3 months, until they sign up aboard again.

Where is home? The Holland America ships are manned by a handful of Dutch officers. Of the rest of the crew, half is from Indonesia, and the other half, from the Philippines.

Well, back to the cruise. The obvious highlight is the passage through the Panama Canal. I enjoyed the ride across to the Pacific side to Panama City as well. But personally, my favorite was Costa Rica. Specifically, the one-hour cable car (6-person open "gondolas") ride along the canopy of the lush rainforest. Suspended 160 feet above the floor of the jungle, the sights and sounds are breathtaking. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. I had only imagined this ever since I saw, as a biology major in college, Sean Connery's movie "Medicine Man," where he played a botanist who discovered the cure for cancer while hanging from bungee cords high up in the Brazilian rainforest.

Enough talk. Click HERE for a flickr slideshow of the cruise highlights. Enjoy!

Lunch with the Skinheads

2006-11-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

I grabbed a quick lunch in the hospital breakroom today. On the same table were four nurses that I knew and worked with. They were engrossed in some conversation about Bush and the Republicans. Somehow, in between bites of my horrible, microwaved frozen panini, the conversation turned to the war in Iraq. Then to the Middle East in general.

My nose was buried in a newspaper when one of them declared that she had been taking a Western Civ course recently, and decried how middle easterners were all "uncivilized barbaric fur traders who never evolved." I almost choked. More so when the other three pitched in their approval.

"And which middle eastern country did you visit that you came back with such an impression?" I wanted to say. "Uncivilized? You are talking about people who were reading, writing, and counting (ever heard the term hindu-arabic numerals?) a thousand years ago, when your ancestors in europe were still eating uncooked meat with their bare hands," I buried my nose deeper in the newspaper to keep from blurting. Maybe she was referring to their poverty, and the consequences of it. But one really ought to differentiate being poor from being uncivilized. Heck, they were soaking everyday in turkish baths back in the day of your louse-infested forebears.

Then the conversation shifted to bashing the Islamic religion in general.

Soon, probably because of unfamiliarity with Islam beyond watching Chuck Norris movies, the direction swerved back closer to home. "I was at a minimart the other day, and an elderly hispanic lady kept pointing at something and talking in spanish. The sales clerk shouted at her, in front of everyone there - "Speak English!!" Why cant these people learn english? Why do we have signs in both english and spanish? My grandparents learned english when they came here."

I had been successful at holding my tongue until she pointed to me and said, "like him, he had to learn english when he came here." I said, "I knew perfectly well how to speak english UNTIL I came here. Funny, I have not seen store clerks scream at little old italian women who cant speak english. Have you?"

There was a bewildered look in their eyes, then I guess they decided to target their attack at some racial group that they could be certain I could not be part of.

When they started with the anti-semitism, I stood up and left.

Frankly, I would not have been surprised to hear that banter in a barbershop, but among healthcare PROFESSIONALS? That may sound naive, but sorry, I have a hard time envisioning Florence Nightingale in a white hood rather than a white cap.

I had always thought that knowledge and education were the antidote, as it were, to bigotry and racism. I guess I was mistaken. Anyone is capable of hate.

Shooting Colors

2006-11-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

Two Saturdays ago, I met up with Peter, Ralph and Chris BEFORE SUNRISE for the RFF New England Chapter autumn shooting drive. The previous day's storm clouds had given way to a bright, crisp New England fall morning. Ralph had planned the route, and we drove along scenic CT-49.

I had never shot fall colors with a rangefinder before, and it was certainly a welcome change. It was also my first with slide film. These were taken with Velvia 100.

Looking at the slides through a loupe, I was completely blown away. Scans with the KM Scan Dual IV were disappointing, and now I am starting to doubt whether I am fully realizing the potential of the lenses with scanning or even having prints made by the lab. The results I have gotten for b&w - scans, cn-41 lab prints, and wet prints I have done myself (I admit, I have not tried b&w slides yet) - I think are fairly comparable. But color?

T Minus Seven

2006-11-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

One week from tomorrow, we'll be lounging on the deck of the Amsterdam. Ten days, Panama, Costa Rica, Aruba... the Carribean... sounds real nice. The kids have been anticipating this trip for months. They have been pretty amazing this year. And the year's not been so good. They deserve a great vacation. We all do.

I think that is what I am most excited about with this trip - seeing the kids on their first cruise. Heck, their first boat ride in anything bigger than the Liberty Island Ferry. I can't wait to see their jaws drop.

Lucky kids - 7 and (almost) 9, going on a cruise. I wish I was able to do that when I was a kid. Well, that's why Luisa and I left all to come here.

Happy Halloween!

2006-11-01T16:17:00.000-05:00

It was a blast walking around the neighborhood last night with Dracula's bride and Spidey last night. Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year.

Speaking of... my copy of Sukob arrived from the dealer in Las Vegas just in time. I was relieved to find a real DVD, rather than a pirated VCD. I thought is was better than Feng Shui. Considering the absence of any western wow special effects, I have to say the two movies were scary, and well-made, in the caliber of the Japanese horror flicks like The Ring and The Grudge. Without Buffy.

On the deck in the backyard after trick-or-treating, the kids had gone in the house. I shone Rica's little flashlight toward some rustling at the edge of the woods 20 feet away. I expected deer, but found two red eyes in the bushes looking back at me, frozen by the light. Not as tall as deer, and close together in the front of the head - predatory. Sh*t - either fox or coyote. I was glad trick-or-treating was over.

Back to horror flicks...

Well, that's what's on TV this week. Saw a few good ones.

I thought the Omen remake was pretty good. At least they didn't change things around too much. Aside from different ways of killing the character. And keeping the photographer's equipment up to date.

Dracula remakes... what's with changing the characters around? Mina Harker, Mina van Helsing, Mina the vampire, Mina the almost vampire? Do yourself a favor and read the book. One of the scariest ever written. Classic horror.

Saw the Exorcist again last night. Still the scariest movie ever. They should remake THAT.

PGH

2006-10-23T21:49:00.000-04:00

Related to one of the threads on RFF the other day, I looked up some of the few photos I took during my brief visit to the Philippine General Hospital's wards last year. Here are a few, taken with the CV 21/4. I hope to go back and spend more time there.

Thanks to Raffy Consunji for the nostalgic tour.

Fall Apple Picking

2006-10-22T15:08:00.000-04:00

At Bishop's Orchard in Guilford, CT. Taken with the GRD.

Food for thought: Logom

2006-10-12T23:22:00.000-04:00

This past month or two, my mindset has been diverted to digital. Before deciding to get the Nikon D50, I of course had to read up on the current models. And observe the current dumping of last year's models in everyone's effort to upgrade to latest and greatest.

It was as if suddenly, last year's cameras could no longer make good pictures. Of course, it's not the camera... but that's a separate topic.

I remembered this genuinely Swedish concept of "Logom," which means "just enough." Not too big, not too small. Not too flashy, not too expensive. Just enough. Just right.

Overwhelmed in a super-size culture where bigger is better, this was a refreshing, sobering concept.

Spooky

2006-10-07T20:25:00.000-04:00

I went out shooting this morning -- in a graveyard. I have not really done that sort of thing before. What the heck, Halloween IS around the corner. Besides, I needed to take the D50 + Sigma 30/1.4 out for a spin.

The weather this morning was cold and overcast. Perfect.

Here are some from New Haven's historic Grove Street cemetery.

The next two are with a Tamron manual focus lens. The legendary 90/2.5 macro. Focusing wasn't really all that difficult with the Nikon DK-21M viewfinder magnifier attached to the D50. The camera's electronic rangefinder helped too. Of course, I had to use an incident lightmeter.

My daughter, the photographer

2006-10-07T00:03:00.000-04:00

Ok, indulge a proud father.

My wife and kids spent the day in NYC today. My wife brought the GRD, and my 8 year old daughter Rica, one of my old film point and shoots.

The film cameras batteries promptly died. She spent the day shooting with the GRD.

At FAO Schwartz:

This is a full frame, uncropped shot of the skyline. All I did was adjust levels and convert to mono/tone.

Okay, for this last one I cheated a bit. I cropped a tiny bit off the bottom, and used converttobw pro to adjust the "print" exposure to grade III.

I think it may be time to get her a camera.

Heroes

2006-10-05T18:38:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, 9/11... got this postcard in the mail.

From my 7 year-old. A school project.

What more can I ask for?