Charlie's WorldHeeeeeerrrrrs Johnny
Posted on February 9, 2010
*peers through hole in door made by axe”
Ok, nothing quite so dramatic or scary, but in other words – I’m back 🙂
I’ve been a tad (understatement of the century – I worked 7 1/2 days, 18-20 hours a day) busy with work and haven’t managed to get to anything bloggy or flickry, only managing some tweets on my way to and from work-related places.
Well now I’m back on the case. My job does this sometimes, its quiet for ages and then all of a sudden, there’s a proof of concept to scope out or a proposal to write and its no sleep for a week.
Ah well, at Kurt Vonnegut always said – “and so it goes”
So, I have sooooo much to write about – well, I *had* things to write about, they’ve gone now, fresh out of my head!
I posted off a load of films today, so I should get them back in a week or so – I keep on saying this but somehow never manage – I MUST TAKE MORE SHOTS WITH FILM! There, do you think that’ll help?
Speaking of film, and one of my things I was going to write about that I can actually remember – I’m going to tell you all a secret.
The Lomo Diana Mini that I coveted so much and wanted for ages…well, it sucks, or as a friend of mine used to say – it blows goats. I can’t get to grips with it at all, the focus is annoying – no, impossible (I’ll come back to this) the shutter is so stiff the camera jumps when I click it, the counter doesnt work properly, it rips the film on the rewind and the film is now stuck on the advance.
so, screw you, Diana Mini! (of course, if the one film I did put through it comes back with brilliant shots I may change my opinion, but only if someone tells me how to get the damn film to advance!)
I did wonder if it was user error (although its a simple 35mm film camera – they’re not exactly hard to use) but no, I dont think it is. Its just badly built.
The worst thing about it I discovered a few minutes after getting it out of the box is the focus is impossible for anyone other than Japanese girls or children to use. I shall attempt to take some shots with the iPhone right now to show you
As you can see, the focus bit is actually the black inner lens – it rotates like you’d expect and there are convenient markings at the bottom and a handy little plastic pointer thingy so you know what its set to.
But herein lies the rub. Its teeny. I don’t have big fingers, far from it, I have pretty small hands, but then I’m only 5ft7, I’d look like a gorilla with big trucker hands. Anyway, back to the point – as you can see below – I can’t really get my fingers between the outer lens cover and the focus ring to turn it.
Its also really stiff, so often, not only can I hardly reach it, it wont fookin’ turn!
So, Diana Mini – you really suck!!
Don’t buy one, get a Holga – they rock* or a Superheadz Golden Half if you want 1/2 frame 35mm. I’m going order my GF on ebay this very week!
*although the foam inside the spool cavity in mine has come off and is now wrapped up neatly in one of the films I’ve sent off to the lab.
Next blog post – iPhone goodness, east meets west and when I went to meet the Lord.
But now, please excuse me, its wine o’clock.
value-add
Posted on January 28, 2010
This is a photography related rant.
There’s a lot of moaning on the internet about how these days, photographers are devalued and no-one is prepared to pay for good work any more.
I think thats utter bollocks.
The reality is that everyone and his mother has a camera capable of capturing a quality image suitable for online content. The web and sites like flickr have made it possible for people to upload and share these photos in their countless millions – so the benchmark for average photography has been raised.
Its easy for a company to purchase or even yoink (aka steal) an image for its own uses without anyone really caring. Indeed, the latest trick is to flatter the photographer with the magic word
“Exposure”
Give me the image for free and millions will see it and give you exposure.
Yeah, whatever..
Thats the bit serious photographers are complaining about. They have a point, it kinda sucks that companies can get cheap stock or free amateur pictures and no longer pay advertising type rates, but go back to the earlier point – the countless millions of users that hang out on the internet with cameras have changed the market forever.
Get used to it.
There’s still a viable market for photography, you just have to go after it and make yourself deserve the money. Be creative, be different, be cutting edge and offer things that no-one else, especially the millions of average photographers, can.
Thats the real rub – the whingers just aren’t differentiating themselves enough to make decent money. The photographers that are cutting edge and offering something that little bit different are doing just fine I think. Certainly Chase Jarvis – a Seattle based photographer is doing ok – his stuff is cool. It can’t be done by just anyone. And Rankin in London – same deal.
Its the same with wedding photography, just because you can get it cheap doesn’t mean it’ll be any good. I’ve been horrified by simply terrible wedding photography recently – hopefully the couples concerned didn’t pay much, cos they didn’t get much.
The really good wedding photographers might charge a premium but its because they are offering things the others simply cant. Average wedding photography is going the same way as stock photos – if that’s the product you’re selling, it’ll quickly be worth $0 – anyone can buy a DSLR and point and shoot with it. And once everyone is doing it, its not worth anything.
Take blogging – the early adopters made a fortune out of it, but as soon as it became easy for people like me to say my tuppenth, then who would pay for that?
The premium product is the same as it always has been – photographers, writers, bloggers, musicians etc that offer something unique will succeed, no matter how much the low end of the market is charging.
Monday Monday
Posted on January 26, 2010
So good to me…
Just like the Mamas and the Papas, my Monday ended up being awesome.
Work was boring, nothing happened at all all day, as this year, Monday is an odd day between the weekend and the public holiday for Australia Day (today). As a consequence, I was done early and “helped” Jay make pizzas for dinner and we went out to take sunset photos at Point Peron
We’d had a hot day, compounded by the aircon having given up the ghost and deciding that it was only going to blow hot air from now on (*sigh*) so it was lovely to get out to the beach.
Was a gorgeous evening, the girls had lots of fun, we saw a big brown seal lazing on a rock and lots of crabs in the rockpools
What more can I say other than to show you photos..
And to top that, if it were even possible, I went and got some wine.
Mondays, not always bad.
down south, part 3
Posted on January 24, 2010
3rd verse, same as the first.
Or so sang the Violent Femmes (one of my all time favourite bands of all time)
anyways, its a fib, this isn’t the same as part one at all (except that we took the same roads home)
The drive back was unremarkable except for the fact that the sun was going down and we were treated to an amazing sunset. If Jay hadn’t been suffering with her back and keen to get home I would have headed for the beach and set up the camera. As it was, I made do with my shotgun position to capture a few of the moments on the way back.
Then, I decided to do some long exposure shots with the camera on the dash – was really funny to see the crazy shots that came out 🙂
So there you go – that was the day trip to Dunsborough.
down south, part 2
Posted on January 24, 2010
Continuing from part 1, we had a quick drink in the very posh cafe at Bunker Bay and then went round the corner to Eagle Bay, which is a very small little neighbourhood full of lovely expensive summer houses, Range Rovers, a brand new Porsche Panamera and million dollar for sale hoardings.
Eagle Bay itsself was beautiful with a white sand and even bluer sea than in Warnbro where I live or Bunker Bay that we’d just come from.
Am so going there again, it was quiet and unspoiled, even on a weekend in the height of summer with Australia day just 3 days away.  There were lots of other little bays and places that would be worth exploring later in the day when the light was golden – particularly on the other side of the peninsular – Canal Rocks and Sugarloaf Rock being two very popular places for photographers.  Save those for another time when we have somewhere to stay for the night 🙂
We mooched back to Dunsborough for some coffee, but even at 4:30pm on a busy Saturday, most places had already shut or were shutting. WTF, Australia? I see this so much and I really don’t get it. After a day on the beach or out exploring, who wouldn’t want to come back for a snack/coffee/cake/etc before dinner later. Apparently that message was only heeded by The Dome, so we headed there for a drink before we went home.
We drove through Busselton, which quite frankly was nothing much at all – the highlight is the huge mile long jetty, but that closed last year, leaving a fenced off eyesore and basically sod-all else. Some naked girls/young women skinny dipping and wrestling in the sand was pretty much the highlight (much to the delight of some passing teenage boys who were busy picking their jaws up off the floor..). Even the beachside water park/theme park thing was closed and neglected.. Took a few piccies with the Holga Pinhole Wide angle camera, forgot to take the damn lens cap off though – meh! thats 2 shots out of 12 that will be black.. *sob*
By this time Jay was feeling tired having done all the driving (she always wants to drive, so I get to be shotgun with the cameras) and wanted to go home and as she was driving and we had a long way to go, we headed off..
And that bit will be in part 3..
down south, part 1
Posted on January 24, 2010
As the girls were spending the weekend with their dad, Jay and I decided to take a day trip south to Cape Naturaliste and Dunsborough. Its a couple of hours easy driving down there and the weather was beautiful as usual.
We were aiming for a Yoga retreat with a vegan eaterie as our first port of call – Samudra – or Ocean in Sanskrit, apparently. We had a lovely coffee and then really yummy vegan lunch before heading to the ocean to cool down a bit.
Armed with new swimming togs thanks to a surf shop, we headed down the track to the Cape Naturaliste lighthouse, which was a disappointment as you had to pay to walk up to it. Pah to that, we drove down to Bunker Bay, which was ber-you-ti-ful!
Deserted beach, white sand, blue sky, azure sea – perfect. We went for a swim in the deliciously clear ocean, which turned out to be brass-monkeyingly cold. Very refreshing though. I must swim in the sea more often.
Bunker Bay was lovely, I’ll definitely be back.
More in part 2…
sunset
Posted on January 20, 2010
Typical, both yesterday and tonights sunsets have been magnificent but I’ve not been able to get down to the beach or Point Peron, so I just watched it from the porch instead.
ok, its official
Posted on January 20, 2010
Whilst I’m reasonably happy with the shots from the other night, there are a few notable shortcomings that are all related to my lens. As much as I don’t want to be blaming my equipment, a landscape really does need a wider angle lens.
Also, the sharpness of the image was a little off – I think I left the image stabilisation switched on on the lens, which when its on a tripod means you get tiny lens movements that aren’t necessarily a good thing. The sea washing away the sand under the tripod legs didn’t help much either.
So, before I invest in a lens, I’m going to try out a lot more shots at different apertures and with the stabilisation off. I might even try getting some stitches with the 50mm rather than rely on the 18mm wide end of my lens.
Once I’ve done all this (probably in one night, LOL) I’ll start saving for a Sigma 10-20 f3.5 – they’re around AU$750 on ebay so not beyond my means if I’m careful with the pennies for a month or two.
Then, wide angle goodness will be mine, oh yes, it will…
scorcher
Posted on January 19, 2010
Was very hot in Perth yesterday – 43 degrees according to the news and I don’t doubt it. It was already over 30 at 7am when I caught the train and when I went out to get lunch, the air was so warm it felt like it was burning the inside of my nose. You know when you get a blast of hot air from the oven when you open it – like that.
The office started to heat up a fair bit in the afternoon, so I came home early – just as well as all the trains were on a slow timetable because of the heat. Over 40 degree days happen every summer, so why on earth would you build a railway that can’t take it? The A/C on the train was really struggling too, especially as it was packed full 😦
Anyway, I got home (via the bottle shop and 12 bottles of cold beer) and was melting by then – I really must retire my English smart office trousers – they’re too thick material for this country.
Was bliss to get my shoes and socks off and get into shorts!
Went out to take some photos at Point Peron as the heat was causing some clouds to appear over the ocean – good chance of a nice sunset, but the clouds really rolled in and the sunset wasn’t like it could have been.  There was another photographer on the beach – a Belgian guy called Tim – who was pretty cool – had a good chat whilst snapping away. He was getting some great pics straight out of the camera – I really miss my filters that got broken when my camera fell into the sea.
Despite the sunset colours being nothing to write home about, I got some corking photos. I messed about a little in Lightroom and was pretty happy with what came out.
sports
Posted on January 18, 2010
Not the actual sport itself, don’t be silly – that involves exercise and in this heat, who can be bothered – no, sports photography.
I’ve been a bit excited by my latest shots and I’ve been looking into pro kite surfing photography and am kinda liking a lot of the shots I’m seeing.
I want to get closer to the action, i.e. in the water, to take advantage of wider angles and more dramatic perspectives, but that really means dragging the camera where it’s least happy – into the wet stuff.
I know its been dunked before (accidentally) and came out ok, but I don’t think I want to chance wading into waist height and shooting big curling water trails at 2cm without some protection.
So I’ll need some kind of waterproof housing.
A few minutes of searching led me to these
They’re not that costly, but are good enough to allow me to take my expensive Nikon into the dunk zone without worrying about it getting ruined. Waterproof upto 10 meters, apparently. Thats more than enough, I only need it to be dunk proof.
*starts saving the pennies*
Charlie's World 