Oympia XA 2 - Another Gem

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Qmee, what everyone is talking about

Over the years I acquired two Olympus XAs with Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 lens off ebay for under $30 a piece including shipping. The XA was reputed to be "the other" camera for Henri Cartier-Bresson and his peers and many famous photos were shot on the XA. It is very small, measures just 4" x 2.25" x 1", weighs a mere 10 oz with batteries despite having a stainless steel body. For those of you familiar with Minox GL, it is just a tad bigger fits easily in one's coat pocket or purse. A rather inconspicuous little camera, it is a true rangefinder camera with a fast Zuiko 35mm f/2.8 lens (XA2), with aperture priority and viewfinder shutter speed display and a switch at the bottom of the lens for ASA/ISO selection. Very quiet shutter, almost inaudible. The XA was designed by Yoshihita Maitani, the same man behind Olympus PEN and OM film cameras. One other plus point for the Olympus XA is that it uses the readily available SR44 batteries. I would like to land my hand on a XA 4 which has a macro setting but they are hard to come by and command a high price on ebay.

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Not my sports car, taken while standing on the lower deck of Kingston ferry in Seattle

Messed this one up real good... double exposure but surprise.....


Palm size XA - No more excuse for leaving my camera at home
Great info on the Olympus XA and many classic cameras at Photoethnography.com. This is absolutely my favorite Go To site if I am looking for well documented and researched info on classic cameras.

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On a slightly off topic subject. If you have a dead meter needle (viewfinder) which happens in many of these well loved classics made at least 3 decades ago, try shaking the camera gently (an old trick), and point the lens at a bright light to nudge the needle back to life. Sometimes that jolts the needle back to life which in my case worked for the second XA in my possession. XA uses two cds cells, one for the viewfinder meter and the other for the lens shutter. The viewfinder meter/needle is the one that most commonly gives up from lack of use/age. This little trick reminds me of an old Weston light meter I had, which needed some help to start working again.

Fooling Around With Photo Editor On My Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

By far one of the best utilities (and most used) on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the Photo Editor, which allows me to add filter, photo frame, edit contrast, hues or crop with just a few taps. B & W and Sepia are my two favorites not forgetting the Polaroid frame.

Photography meets art

Measure
Ok, I do use my Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 as a tablet, that was what I bought it for, as a second device and when I am away from my desk. It powers up from Sleep mode instantly, the battery lasts me a good 10+ hrs. Connecting to wifi hotspots in public is a breeze, no complex set up, locate and connect or a prompt to enter password if necessary and you are off to web surfing. Camera is not bad, front and rear facing, it is real handy and lets me capture a candid shot for a blog post. Other than occasionally freezing up on me after an Android/Samsung software update, it has been money well spent.

Back to my roots....back to film that is

Guess I have had a long hiatus from blogging. Sometimes one gets caught in the fast lane and it takes some doing to get off that "Going to Nowhere" train. I have not done much shooting, the influx of Instagram, Pinterest and the likes mean stock photography is bidding time. To survive and stay relevant, these stock photo agencies find ways to jiggle their existing contract with contributors so they can keep more of a shrinking pie and pay the contributors less. I know that day would come, sooner than later. I stop shooting digital, in fact I sold most of my lenses and kept only my Canon 10D. I was so happy to pick up that film camera again and to process my own film....There is something special about shooting film I cannot put it into words but you know what I mean.

I acquired a Koni Rapid Omega with 120 back on Ebay for $69 Buy It Now price (I got lucky) plus $23.95 shipping. A beautiful medium format rangefinder camera, the Koni Rapid weighs a good 4.5 lbs. It is a beast!! I love shooting street photography, the impromptu scene, the not posed images. Being able to use available light, finding subjects in ordinary places makes shooting so much more rewarding for me. I will now add the Koni Rapid Omega to the list of cameras I enjoy shooting: Mamiya RB ProSD, the Bronica Zenza S2A and now the Koni Rapid Omega. They all share a few things in common: sharp lenses, weigh a ton, battery-less, totally mechanical. What a bliss!


In the last 6 years or so, I have gone through a few photo enlargers, setting up a home darkroom whenever possible (call it the learning curve, finding out what your like and what you don't and the quirks). However, each time I was getting ready to move, I dreaded having to move it and so I got rid of them by passing it along to the next person. Amongst them: the very massive Beseler 23C, the Saunders LPL, Omega D6, Omega C700 the list goes on. Up until this morning, I was effectively "enlarger-less". However my photography world just got that much better as I spotted a Durst M601 in superb condition for sale on Craigslist for $30 last night. I decided I had to drive 50 miles south to go and get it, never mind I can't set up a darkroom now. What a great enlarger! Everything I wished the other enlargers could be I found in the Durst. Solid, steady, extremely well built means one can print without worrying about the enlarger moving or shaking ever so slightly. The glass negative holder holds one's negative flat no matter how long one has been printing (not curled as with many negative holders when things get hot). Two sliding red knobs on the neg holder allow one to adjust the masking on the negative as desired. Not having to remove and reposition means less dusts will be introduced!! The column measures 3 ft, the base 20 x 20, the head can be tilted and locked at an angle for larger enlargement. The movement up and down is smooth, quiet and the knob handle folds and locks (much like the winder on a Bronica). Made in Italy, this Durst M601 for $30 has to be one of my best hauls ever ($50 including gas)! Never mind that my printing will have to wait until I can find an abode that has an extra room/garage or outside barn for the darkroom again.

A still life....Kodak EIR film....and the late afternoon sun

This photo has a special place in my heart. A photo I shot in a dingy garage years ago, and a still life put together invited by the light. The garage had a low window with many 50s style square glass panes. It sits just above the ground, much like a basement or a daylight window. As winter approaches, the window would ever so gently filter in just enough light from the afternoon sun, and warm the garage. Each time I would stare at the window and the long shadow on the floor...saying to myself that I must put something together quickly and shoot this light before it disappears.

Positive "high res" film scan with SVP FS1700 Negative and Slide Scanner, Kodak EIR film, no post process
The wooden background panel had quite a history. I bought it from another flea market seller on Melrose in the Fairfax district in LA. I was attracted by the beautiful big bold paint strokes of the sunflower, painted in lime yellow and green. The seller told me it came from an old house and that the panel was a salvaged door. Someone he knew was an artist and decided to paint the panel hoping to sell it as a work of art. The seller wanted $35. We haggled and finally settled on $15. It was heavy and it was 3.5 ft wide and 4 ft tall and almost 3 inches thick. I lugged it 200ft to the parking lot to my car and was relieved it would fit inside the trunk of my old Jeep. It is perfect as a table top in my future garden, the money would be well spent, I consoled myself.

The antique garden jug belonged to my housemate. It had beautiful lines and despite being a little beat up, it looked elegant. I needed something to prop up the garden jug and balance the composition, the wooden carpenter step ladder looked perfect for the part, it completed the composition. I moved them around just a bit until they looked right...

I set my film camera on a tripod and proceeded to shoot a few frames. I had imagined the shots and wanted to capture the light before it is out. Much later when I was nearly finished with the roll of film that I realized I had one of my two remaining rolls of Kodak EIR color slide film in the camera. Until today I cannot get over how a simple still life at the spur of the moment can be so out of surreal, so beautiful and timeless.

Sometimes we spend days chasing after that perfect shot, and it is staring right at us, if only we take a pause..........

Canon 28-135mm IS USM lens - A Real Winner Here

Just received my Canon 28-135mm IS USM lens this past week and I put it on my Canon 10D for a quick test. 28-135mm is a good focal range for street photography. On a small frame crop sensor camera, it might not be wide enough since 28mm translates to 44.8mm. On the long end, 135mm (216mm on a 1.6 crop factor) is perfect for the occasional long reach needed. Not having to switch lens in an outdoor environment is a very good thing indeed.

I am very impressed with the lens thus far. The color is fantastic and as good as images from Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L The lens focuses down to 1.5 ft and that can be useful when you need a macro lens. When used with a polarizing filter, the colors definitely pop. This lens is fast, focusing spot on. Images are sharp, IS (Image Stabilization) is handy. There is no questions this lens is going to stay on my street cam - Canon 10D that is, from now on

Picture on the left: Ojai Youth Entertainment Studio performing at the 2012 Ojai Day Annual Street Fair. Overcast day
Canon sells the lens bundled with Canon EOS 7D 18 MP DSLRand that makes a lot of sense. It is a great combo for serious amateurs and professionals alike. Considering that this lenswas first available 10 years ago in Sept 2002 and today it ranks #66 on the Amazon Camera & Photo list, that alone speaks for how well received this lens is. Canon has a time tested winner in their arsenal and they know it.

If you are planning to do a lot of macro photography and want a true (1:1) macro lens that does not break the bank, take a look at the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens. I shot 90% of my stock photos with the lens.

Wordpress blog and what I have been doing

Since my last blog post ages ago, I bought two Bronicas, an elegant, classic totally mechanical 6x6 square shooter, the Bronica S2a with 75mm f/2.8 lens and a Bronica ETR SI 6x4.5. I could not pass them up, these gorgeous medium format cameras can be had so cheaply these days as folks embrace digital photography en masse. I am looking to add another Bronica S2a if a good one comes along. I absolutely love the look and feel of the 6x6, it gives me such pleasure to shoot with it, not mentioning everyone stops to ask me what kind of camera that is:) No biggie that it is not metered, that is where my vintage Weston IV and a Sekonic zoom meter come in handy.

The last time I wrote, my Wordpress blog was still work in progress. I wanted to let everyone know that is coming along well and below is a snapshot of the blog, love to hear your comments. My Wordpress blog

I have also added a few precious books to my collection:

An Aperture hardcover book on Lola Alvarez Bravo by Elizabeth Ferrer. Lola Alvarez was the first woman photographer in Mexico. When asked how she managed to photograph painful subjects, she replied that she approached them "por el camino de la luz" - through the path of light. Well said indeed.

Vision of a Vanishing Race by Florence Curtis Graybill and Victor Boesen on the pioneering works of Edward Sheriff Curtis who recorded the faces and lifestyles of Native Americans with an unwavering passion and dedication. This book contains 175 pictures of Curtis's greatest works, selected by his daughter Florence Graybill Curtis.

The Hasselblad Manual, second edition, by Ernst Wildi. No doubt the definitive guide to the cult Hasselblad camera. I do not own a Hassy, but this 302 page hardcover book is more than a getting to know your camera manual. It is full of excellent technical information on cameras, lenses, lighting and more, that I found out after I started reading. It is a wonderful book to own and read. This book is ten times more precious than other photography knowledge books I own.

A book that I have ordered and will be arriving soon: Tina Modotti, Photographer and Revolutionary, by Margaret Hooks. Tina Modotti was an Italian actress who lived in Los Angeles who later became a model for Edward Weston and his assistant. She learned her craft from Weston and perfected it. Lola Alvarez and her then photographer husband Manuel Alvarez later acquired Tina Modotti's view camera when Tina Modotti fled Mexico. (and I shall keep you in suspense here)

Recommended Reading List

My home library is full of good books, on photography, wine country and the financial markets. I must say books and my cameras are my most treasured possessions. Not sure if I will ever go the Kindle way, I just much prefer to have a book in my hand, mark the page with my favorite bookmark before putting it down at the end of the day only to continue reading the day after. I am always in the hunt for good reads, whether it is online on Amazon or eBay or at the weekend flea markets, the same way I love seeking out old cameras and anything related to art and wine to add to my collection.

Since I have so many books I love, I thought I put together this simple page with six books I feel an aspiring photographer should not pass up.












read more on my Home Page

Searching for photo op...yea, it is one of those days

Fall color is almost gone after two long weeks of downpour in the Pacific Northwest, autumn leaves are now scattered about the lawn. The weather has really played havoc this year and I wonder if that foretells what winter will bring. Fresh in mind was the huge flood that shut down the low lying section of I-5 in Washington state which caused me to delay my drive south to San Francisco for the project.

Nevertheless, I tried to stay positive, I am like a fish out of the water whenever I am not out doing photography....I said to myself there is always photo ops no matter what the weather holds. Looking at the photos below, perhaps all is not lost :)

"Autumn Song"
Canoes, ever so elegant. Perched on the water by the pier, you find them gently rocking away, creating perfect ripples with their every breath. Casting a soft shadow at sunset and again when the day breaks....It is a priceless solitude, wouldn't it be nice to take her out for a paddle........

"solitude"
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Hush in the morning

My favorite photo subject - flowers

Hush in the morning......leaving for my destination early morning when the light is just breaking, the valley with a hint of beautiful soft light. I will arrive at my destination before most folks, except for some joggers and I am ready to have my stroll with nature. I walk, I stop, I hear the birds chirping, the mist in the air from the sprinklers. My favorite shot is always one with the dew drops still on the petal.To me photography is always about capturing the light


Red tulips - Tulip Festival, Ferry Building, San Francisco

This is a good reason why I am a morning person. It is the most beautiful hour of the day (and the second 30 minutes after sunset). Coffee in hand, I am so thoroughly happy, as I enjoy the view before me. This weekend morning routine never fails to wake up my senses (rather differently I might say from what one gets from a good cuppa of latte). It is so invigorating that without it I am not sure how I could be ready for Monday's grind. Walking, at time tip toeing not wanting to wake up the little critters whatever they may be around me, I feel as if I had walked into the garden of Givenchy, seeing a Monet painting in my mind. The song "Morning has broken" by Cat Stevens is ringing in my ears............


pink roses at a Malibu florist

Rhapsody in blue

The image below was a result of considerable post processing in Photoshop, starting with an original photo I took as the source image. I had adjusted the curves, saturation and hues and when I arrived at the image/art I wanted, I further cropped the image into 4 squares and increased the pixels in each of them resulting in a fluid glass like mosaic art. Out of the four in a series, below is my favorite creation. The image reminds me very much of the tiled bathroom in my old condo when I lived in Asia. I had gone to great length and had the bedroom painted deep blue. The bathroom was put through a complete remodel with a new tiled bath tub put in. The small square tiles were pretty ocean blue in color and they lined the entire bath tub which needed an additional water heater to fully fill it. The walls of the bathroom were laid with 12x12 inch blue tiles, so essentially when I walked into the bathroom from my bedroom, it was as if I had walked into a hideaway in the deep ocean. I would come home from work, put a music CD in the player (usually a Mozart Horn Concertos or a Barbara Streisand), turn the volume up, pour myself a nice glass of red wine, and decompress my brain.....while I relaxed in the bath tub. It was all so very soothing.....I am missing my old sweet pad already...

"Rhapsody in blue"
There has been an interesting and at times very passionate debate over the question of "when is photography considered fine art" in one of LinkedIn Group Forums. To follow the debate, click on this link. My first comment (#4 by JC) had stirred up a hornet's nest unbeknownst to me :( The very passionate debate only serves to re-inforce the notion that one's creative pursuit is indeed a very personal and intimate journey. In my opinion, there is really no clear line between the two genres. Ultimately it is in the eyes of the beholder, in that something special that connects the author and the audience that determines an image's worth to the beholder......

Holgas - the cult following

I wanted to shoot medium format film and have been agonizing over whether to get a used medium format camera or a fixed lens Fuji last few weeks. Having heard and read much about Holgas, it has piqued my interests especially after seeing the works of Holga enthusiasts. It was tempting me as a very inexpensive way to work with medium format film. Researching further, I learned that Holga has a rather interesting beginning and has its roots in rural China. For more details on Holga, go to Holga and Camerapedia.Org

With Holga, it is just a "mechanical box with a crude shutter", the film and you the photographer. There is no blaming the camera for having a bad shot, although you might be able to blame the lack of electronics :) for missing a shot (pardon me for describing it that way, but simple is good and less is beautiful has great meaning here). The light leak prevalent in the Holgas is what makes each image unique.



Holga in baby blue if that is your fancy - available at Bhphotovideo

So, I am now a proud owner of a "Made in China" trendy and hip "Holga 120N". Got it at BelAir Camera in Los Angeles when I was down there last week and a certain "David" who works at the processing lab who shoots exclusively Holga showed me his incredibly wonderful Holga images. I asked if he sells his photos, his reply: "like to do a show someday". He helped me pick out the Holga 120N to start. You see, there are many different models and colors (pink! good God, I want to be inconspicious), with hotshoe, with built in flash, the classic (120S), all available for 120 and 35mm film format. In addition, there is Holga pinhole camera. Yours to choose from well under $45!!!

Holga 120CFN Medium Format Fixed Focus Camera


You might be interested in checking out this Reuters blog entry on Holga by Jim Young(and a little story of Crawford, Texas) Remembering the days of black and white film

To buy Holgas, try:
Amazon Holga 120

or Freestylephoto

As for my own Holga photos, I loaded a roll of TriX-320 into the Holga 120F I bought last week and have yet to make it back to Livermore to shoot the old train station and the old house on Highway 84w. I am in the thick of the tax season - and all I can see are thousand of line items of income, expenses and deductions for 10 hours a day (did I mention pages and pages of stock trades clients did in 2008 - oh well, that is the subject for another entry on my other Blog)

Having said all that, I look forward to doing some b&w film development soon at a community darkroom in San Jose as soon as I have my weekends back again.... and I will post the Holga photos to share then.

When photography transcends the genre and becomes art

Still on an HDR mission (well, I have really just begun), I decided to explore the boundaries of HDR photography. It was Valentine's Day yesterday so for all lovers and families out there, you would have plenty of photo opportunities to shoot the beautiful roses and tulips and have fun with HDR like me.

Here is an example of nature's gifts tone mapped using Photomatix HDR software. I like the "dreamy" look of the tulips and I think it would look good on greeting cards. It is going into my permanent collection :) a happy thought on an otherwise dreadful cold rainy Sunday in San Jose.

"When photography transcends the genre and becomes art"

A great companion book for every digital photographer

If you are looking for a good companion book for digital photography and Photoshop, Scott Kelby's The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)definitely fits the bill. It is my only Photoshop reference book and has been instrumental in helping me master a couple of the Photoshop tools I use frequently. An excellent "How To" book, it is written for both Mac and PC users.



This book covers in detail many new and exciting Adobe Photoshop CS2 techniques for digital photographers:

• The sharpening techniques the pros really use (there's an entire chapter on, just this!)

• The pros tricks for fixing the most common digital photo problems fast!

• The step-by-step set-up for getting what comes out of your printer to match exactly what you saw on screen

• The retouching secrets of how the pros retouch portraits

• How to process raw digital camera images (plus how to take advantage of all the new Camera Raw features of CS2!)

• How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat (you'll be amazed at how easy it is–once you know the secret) and more.

My Book List

I love books and lots of them. Books are definitely my most precious possessions despite the internet revolution. I am not about to give up my right to hold a beautifully bound hardcover book in my hand and curl up with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine on my couch in front of the fireplace. My evenings could not be more perfect. Nor am I ready to migrate my entire life to the web and do all my reading with my eyes peeled to the computer screen. I am old fashioned in that sense. I am convinced in a decade or so, real books are going to be in short supply and much sought after. I want to keep collecting these precious books and add to my library. In my utopia land, I am surrounded by books that span wall to wall and floor to ceiling and my wine cellar is just a stone's throw away.



Of my sea of books, I have many favorites. Since I am passionate about photography and colors and could spend my life in a little cabin on a vineyard, you can probably imagine what those books might be.

Here are a couple of my all time favorites:

1. Homestead (The World As Home) by Annick Smith.



I was very moved by the poignant story of her life journey and the time she spent living in Montana's beautiful countrywide. It is as if you are taking the journey with her from the time she was in Seattle to her move to Montana during the cold winter. The book also chronicles her friendship with Norman Maclean of the Big Blackfoot in A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition. Homesteadis a rivetting read and it is hard to put the book down. I had stumbled on the book in a little quaint bookstore on Third street Promenade in Santa Monica.



Another book by Annick Smith and William Kittredgethat I like is The Last Best Place: A Montana Anthology "This collection of vivid and compelling literature ranges across Montana's literary landscape in descriptions of explorers' discoveries, stories from mining and agricultural frontiers, and powerful memoirs from Native Americans, as well as unforgettable images created by contemporary writers." well said by one of the readers.



2. If you are looking for another good story to read this holiday break: Vintage Feastng by Joy Sterling.


Vintage Feastng

A book of personal recipes in the wine country and tending to vineyards and the winery business. How despite having graduated from Yale and a long journalism career, Joy Sterling answered the call and returned to the family vineyard outside Sebastopol in Sonoma county, California and lives the life of a vintner. It is a wonderful book of great recipes, stories, landscapes and nature's garden.

3. A Phaidon photo book on Dorothea Langeby Mark Durden.
I am not much of a portrait photographer but Dorothea Lange's work reminds me of what humanity is and what photography is all about. You have seen her works in exhibits, especially "The Migrant Woman". Numerous books have been written about her and her photographs of the Great Depression. She is definitely the people's photographer extraordinaire holding all of us to very high standard!!

4. Fine Art Nature Photography by Tony Sweet.
On my To-Do List for 2009 is to learn more about fine art photography where advanced techniques such as multiple exposures on single frame is used to creative vibrant image capture. Tony Sweet's book on Fine Art Nature Photography offers insights on his mastery on the subject. It is definitely very Monet, Van Gogh and Matisse.

5. Mastering Black & White Photography by John Garrett.
If you wonder how one could take such beautiful black and white imagery and if you want to learn the master's techniques of traditional darkroom, John Garrett's book is a wonderful book full of ideas and inspiration that offers many "ah-ha" moments.

6. Finally, a book on Yoga. Hatha Yoga Breath by Breath by Godfrey Devereux.
I am a great believer of wellness and healthy living and am learning yoga. This book is a valuable reference for "anyone wanting to experience deep and lasting benefits of yoga practice" to borrow the words of the author. It has detailed step by step instructions and explanations on each pose from beginning to intermediate to advanced in addition to indepth write up on hatha yoga. It has been a great companion book for me. Unfortunately Hartha Yoga: Breath by Breath is no longer in print so look for a used copy. Alternatively, get the Dynamic Yoga: The Ultimate Workout that Chills Your Mind as it Charges Your Body also by Godfrey Devereux.



Happy reading this holiday season.