• Documentary/Street,  lifestyles

    Fingernail Art

    May 16, 2017
    Fingernails
    Fingernails

    Their is a nail Salon, Paradise Nails, next door to one of the coffee shops I patronize. In their window are all these plastic hands with a wide variety of shapes, colors and designs of nails customers can choose from. I have seen these hands for a long time and finally stepped inside this past week to ask if I could take a photo of these hands and nails. I’ve never gone in for a couple of reason. First, the smell from the polish and remover is nauseating to me. As I walk by I can see the girls wearing masks due to the fumes. Second, even after all these years, I’m still hesitant to ask. By the way I didn’t find any that I liked.

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  • Black and White,  Cityscapes/Urban,  Fujifilm X-T10,  Photography

    Bokeh

    May 3, 2017
    Depth of Field, taken at 35mm f2.0
    Depth of Field, taken at 35mm f2.0

    The term comes from the Japanese word boke the “blur quality”. The Japanese term boke is also used in the sense of a mental haze or senility. The term bokashi is related, meaning intentional blurring or gradation.

    The English spelling bokeh was popularized in 1997 in Photo Techniques magazine, when Mike Johnston, the editor at the time, commissioned three papers on the topic for the March/April 1997 issue; he altered the spelling to suggest the correct pronunciation to English speakers, saying “it is properly pronounced with bo as in bone and ke as in Kenneth, with equal stress on either syllable”. 

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  • architecture,  doors,  shadows

    Unit 52

    May 1, 2017
    Unit 52
    Unit 52

    There are periods when I have no interest in picking up my camera. That has been prominent over the past 12 months. Yet, a camera body and a lens are always with me. It’s important to stay present to the world around me throughout the day or the scenes, events and images given will be missed. And, just as important is the need to be ready for these images as they present themselves. I will be more apt to press the shutter button if the camera is in my hand, around my neck or over my shoulder than if it’s in my camera bag. The above image is an example. As I walked out my front door I noticed the light and shadows cast across the door of Kristin’s condo. If the camera were in my bag I may not have this image. We must be ready.  🙂

    Here is short list of why I carry my camera. I apologize if these are repeats from previous posts.

    • I never know when a scene will appear. Since life is constant change the light and shadows are constantly changing. Subjects and situations are constantly changing as life moves forward. We must be present and aware.
    • The camera has  become another appendage to my body. I feel naked without a camera. I think I’d rather leave home without my pants. 🙂
    • I enjoy the sound of the shutter button. The shutter has a distinct sound comforting to my inner source.
    • It’s a conversation starter. People will start conversations when they see my camera. “Hey, that’s a nice camera ya got there.” Or, “Is that one of those old style cameras.”
    • Helps me to see the world with new eyes. I’m much more apt to notice shapes, colors, patterns, interesting people. I will quickly compose scenes when they appear..
    • There is also the camera which is my memory. It is always storing images, which I can enjoy throughout my life.

     

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