Monday, December 1, 2014

Leica Store Miami Instagram Contest


From Leica Store Miami:
During the festival we will be running an Instagram contest. Share your best image that embodies the spirit of street photography via Instagram with the hashtag #mspf2014. One image will be selected at the end of the festival and the lucky winner will receive a Leica Akademie voucher (value of $199) to be used towards a future workshop. All submissions must be posted between 12:00 AM Thursday, December 4th and 11:59 PM on Sunday, December 7th.

To see what others have been posting visit our live Instagram streaming gallery!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Testing Kodalith in Dektol

I always wanted to try the extreme, absolute contrast; so here finally comes (ta-daMM!!) a Kodalith.
Kodak Kodalith is a very high contrast film made for copy work, lithography and alike.
It use to come in many formats but had been discontinued a while ago, along with its special contrast developer bearing the same name.
I recently found a few hundred feet of it in 35mm format (6556), circa 2003.
This film is low sensitivity material and has to hold well, so I tested it on my morning walk with Sir Charles Darwin Zhewalsky:

Wednesday, October 29, 2014


Counting change in Rain...love the grain of expired EK5222

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

ORWO N74 Plus in TMax

ORWO is a trade name for a range of film products from Germany, from the company named Filmotec. I the 70s, I use to shoot ORWO slide film (UT 18). Recently, in my search for an affordable B&W 400 ISO film to replace Arista (aka cheap Tri-X) I came across ORWO NP74 plus, a movie stock said to be around 400 ISO. I bought one 100ft can of it from http://orwona.com and tried it in my daily shooting. Here are my findings:

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

The Street Photographer's Manual by David Gibson


Received it yesterday, seems to be nice book...not a manual at all, more like non-stop obscure rumbling accompanied by pictures -- just what I needed. This is first impression after reading and leafing through while riding bus-train. $14 on amazon, amazing price for such a great book, by the way the quality of the print is top notch.Thumbs up!
http://www.amazon.com/Street-Photographers-Manual-David-Gibson

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Overtown

EF5222-05-04pr1sm
Olympus XA, expired Kodak Double X cine film in HC-110.
It was hot as Hell.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Я-Стрит, или как фотографировать в Яндексе


конспективненько:

Я-Стрит это такое занятие вроде уличной фотографии, только вместо реальной улицы используется виртуальная, расположенная здесь: http://maps.yandex.ru/-/CVrka07W

Инструкцая по навигации, включению полноэкранного изображение и т.п.: http://help.yandex.ru/maps/photos/panoramas.xml

Как снимаются панорамы: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4oomL2Hp8o

Теперь о том как сохранить понравившееся изображение:
Если у вас обычный комп с полной кравиатурой, то сохраняется нажатием клавиши
Print Screen (или PrntScr). Предварительно изображение переключается в полноэкранный режим (см. выше). Если у вас два или три или четыре экрана (у меня два), то при нажатии клавиши Print Screen сохранятся все. Для того, чтобы сохранить только нужную картинку, вместо клавиши Print Screen нажмите Alt+Print Screen.Теперь как избавиться от стрелок навигации: просто уберите мыша на край экрана и подождите, не трогая мышь и клавиатуру. Стрелки исчезнут, и можно будет сохранить изображение без них. Если у вас два экрана, то можно при этом сдвинуть мышь на соседний экран, так мышиный курсор не будет мешаться с краю. Не кликайте при этом на соседнем экране, иначе фокус сместится на него и при нажатии alt+Print Screen вместо нашей картинки сохранится то, что торчит на другом экране.

Про размер:
Размер сохраняемого изображения соответствует разрешению экрана. У меня 1680x1050 точек, такая картинка и сохраняется. Если у вас разрешение другое, то и картинка будет меньше или больше моей.

Про формат:
У меня все скриншоты автоматом сохранятся в png. Это формат непакованый, соответственно файлы большие -- несколько мегабайт. Можно их перепаковать чем-нибудь в jpeg, на качестве это не скажется -- над ними и так jpeg-движок Яндекса уже по полной надругался. Я этим делом обычно не заморачиваюсь и храню и выкладываю прямо в png, как есть.

Интересные находки выкладывать здесь:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/YaStreet/

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Streets of Russia in Yandex Panoramas



Yandex is the internet search engine Russians use. Yandex Street Panoramas, part of Yandex maps, is a close match to Goggle's street view. I like playing with it because people's faces are not blurred as in the (US part) of Goggle street view. Here is a small stash of shots I fished out of its murky waters. I looked at places I know, the places I had been passing by often during my life in Russia. The things are different now, time passed and many changed, but some stayed, like the stern look of woman's faces and the brown mud. Here are they, processed in PS to match the look of vintage duotones. Click the pictures for full res':

Friday, June 13, 2014

Monday, June 2, 2014

35mm compact camera craze




Disclaimer 1: GAS or G(ear) A(cquisition) S(yndrome), originally known as Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. I went through all stages, including the original guitar version ages ago. Now its cameras. The disease is a contagious one, so consider yourself warned: if you are really into 35mm film cameras, stop reading now or it will be too late.
Disclaimer 2: Buying an old camera is buying a problem. Ask me how I know.
Disclaimer 3: This is not a review nor its a hidden ad for my shots. Its just a stupid GAS list I came up with after reading on a subject and shooting some of the recommended cameras. Models, images and links to reviews. That's it.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

How to get rid of stuff and stay sane in 5 easy steps


Things. Stuff. Junk. If you like me, i.e. the one who keeps things, you know what I am talking about. I had a small house and this problem had been bugging me for quite some time, until one day I solved it. Oh yes I did! It was easy, it was simple, there were some expenses and time/work involved but I enjoyed it immensely. If you'd like to know how to clean your house from junk and free if for...well, even more stuff :D -- go on reading!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Film advance lever


At the Houston's FotoFest a young photographer asks, pointing to my Bessa (above):
- you always push this little thing when you snap a shot, what it for?
Me:
- its a film advance lever. I have a film camera.
He:
- yeah...film camera...do you still have a screen in the back so the shot can be checked?


dixi