this is a new addition to my collection. within an hour of openening the box, i already developed a roll i shot with it (i was a bit anxious to play with it). this camera is roughly twice as old as i am. and i can already tell it is going to be a fun camera to shoot with. the first roll was ilford delta 3200, shot at 400. already i can tell differences in using a finder to frame up subjects. oh, and 6×9 is AWESOME :)

it feels good when prints come out the way i want them to. tonight i reprinted some shots to fit the mattes i have. these came out so well, i wouldnt mind the public seeing them. i think my esteem is rising slowly.

the more i view and admire elsa dorfman’s work the more i like full body portraits. since i started shooting 6×6, i’ve shot a few portraits, full frame full body. i like doing them that way. it’s so much more information about a person. more to read from the image.

it’s hard to dabble in model photography.. for me, anyways. i’ve used myself to try out some ideas i had, in the past. and i feel weird asking people to pose for me (photography is a pretty solitary activity for me). thinking about it, through, i already have ideas i want to try with a model.

did some printing tonight. square images on 16×20.. printed this size to fit some frames i have. the prints all turned out perfect!

as promised, ender joined them at the gate before it opened — just barely before. he walked down the corridor lined with his soldiers, who looked at him with love, with awe, with trust. except bean, who looked at him with anguish. ender wiggin was not larger than life, bean knew. he was exactly life-sized, and so his larger-than-life burden was too much for him. and yet he was bearing it. so far.

orson scott card, ender’s shadow

this morning in took the long way to work. it’s not difficult.

first, you need to set yourself up — purge and prevent distractions. i like to open the sunroof to let some fresh air in, even if it’s cold outside. i can always turn on the heater. then i pick one of my favourite cds to listen to. something i’ve heard a million times. i find that something i know so well lets me think about it less. turning the volume up on something you dont have to think about really lets you concentrate on other things.

the drive.

pick a route that has a lot of stops. it doesn’t need to be a direct route.. it can detour through another city or even start off in the wrong direction. just know generally where you’re going before you leave.

let the “speed limit” be the actual limit of your speed. this allows you to do things like: slow down to let someone merge in, let faster drivers pass you, and observe more of what’s going on.

this morning i watched a bird land on a street light where other birds where. one of the other birds kept pecking at the new bird until it left. i watched a little boy eat a donut in the passenger seat while his mother drove him to school. i saw a homeless guy at a stoplight asking for money. i saw some highschool kids waiting at a bus stop. i saw a guy wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants walk accross the parking lot of a korean grocery store.

the think.

now that you have few distractions, you can actually think. i find that when i make effort like this and let my mind work, it works. i actually do think more. about stuff going on in my life. stuff i need to think more about. things i’m worried about.

… and these children
that you spit on
as they try to change their worlds
are immune to your consultations.
they’re quire aware
of what they’re going through….
david bowie

the more people talk to me (not me talking to them) about me buying a property, the more i feel i’d be doing it for them and not for me. :-/