River Thames (on the Greenwich)

Those are the photos from the last week Shooting session

— or walking with camera in Greenwich.

The center of the photo, the tallest building is the Canary wharf, and

right hand side there is the Millennium Dome.

The camera was Canon 5D Mk3 and the Lens was Pentax 15mm F3.5

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Graffiti ? in Deptford

I don’t know how to call them Graffiti or Painting.

Anyhow, what-so-ever, They are there as they are.

 

I remember that about 10 years ago, I met artists who got their studio in

the pink building. — They were doing a kind of “community art program”

to paint big garbage bin in the town to black and white “cow like pattern”

= Making the city looks more pastoral and natural !  

—— What an utterly fantastic marvellous idea ! ! !  (I lost a word then. 😀 )

===== Guessing from the pink wall, they seems still there.

(Mind you, I’m writing this without any cynical connotation at all.)   

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Zeiss – 18mm Lens for Nikon

I saw this lens at Camera Cafe —– The test shot in the Cafe showed me

pretty impressive quality. Virtually no Distortion or Chromatic aberration.  

And this lens got the Number 1580xxxx,  the number of my fate. => So,

I decided to buy.  —– Lens itself is well known Distagon 18 mm F3.5 yet

this is for Nikon DSLR = FZ.2 type which has a Microchip built in and works

same as Nikon’s own lens, except auto-focus (still gives Focus-confirmation).

(Lens was designed by Zeiss but actuary made by  Coshina in Japan. ) 

From Camera Cafe, I took the direction south, on foot while shooting

time to time.— I felt the camera (Nikon D810) was working a bit funny.

= taking much longer to show the image though, I didn’t investigate it

on the spot. —– But after I checked the image on the PC, I realized that

D800 had been malfunctioning = gave all the exposure in HDR mode.  

And the photo above was the most severely mal-processed one.  (straight

from CF card)  And the photo below is the normal one. (though, clopped).

For HDR mode, three images in different exposures has to be integrated

= position has to match exactly —– though, the wrong one showed an utter

dislocation of the image and the color has been red-shifted. 

Richard of Camera Cafe explained that the So-called lens-mount adapter

with “Focus Confirmation type = microchip built in” often cause the

camera to malfunction. —– Though, it is too early for me to decide the

cause of this trouble.

(Whether the trouble could be repeated ? — in what condition etc etc. )

South of British Museum = Covent Garden area has many Dance / Ballet shops.  

Royal Opera/ Royal Ballet and the Drury Lane Theatre (which used to

perform “Cats” are there = Mecca of Dance.

And further walk down south => we get to the Waterloo Bridge.  

And the South-bank = Art centre is over the bridge.

It’s a funny installation though, as it was outside of Hayward Gallery,

it must be an art. —– is it ?  —– You got to be serious !    🙂  

—– So, optically superb.  Electronically —– not sure.   

I need to test this 18mm lens further. 

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Kan-zakura = Winter-cherry

Cherry blossom in this time of year ? —– you might say.  

But this is not fake or old photo.  This is real though —— 

In reality, actual looks of the cherry is far from Photogenic isn’t it.

= Whitish cherry flower has to stand out under the deep blue sky.

When the flower was under the bright sun-light, the pupil of

our eyes close, hence the sky behind became looks darker.

(It is the same situation of the bright snow-scape, sun and the sky is 

the same though, if the foreground is bright, the sky looks darker)

But when bright sun-light is not available —– why not make one.  😀

So, this is a photography,  completely opposite of the previous post

[What’s there ?] and the recent post such as [Fort’Mason’s —] where

I talked about “What is real or looked as it is” —– instead, here I tried

to create or falsify “Ideal image” with intentional manipulation.   🙂

So, I used a flash-light to brighten-up the flowers = F-aperture was

set for correct exposure for the flowers,  but the shutter speed was

set to make under-exposure for the sky. (make it looks darker)

Took advantage of flash-light,  I took the same flower’s photo

with Double-Density Pinhole.

Pinhole photography sound natural though, in reality, as it needs to give

rather long exposure, it is not necessary good for flower photography.  

( with wind, they move too much.  😀 )  

Use flush-light would be one of the answer. = So, this is an artificial 

creation of an artificial silk flower by Double-Density Pinhole photography

which satisfy my stereotypical idea of “What fluffy flowers should be” 🙂

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What’s there ?

Here the question is ” Is there or not there”  ” What’s there” in

a photo or behind the photography.

This is an obvious subject,  nobody would give any argument

what it is.   And even without photograph, it still exists = photo is

mere secondly image of the existence.  Photo didn’t make it exists.

This image has no significance = It’s just there, like a subject.

But you may puzzle what this is ?  

What photographed here is the whole possession of a homeless person.  

Still some would say “So, what” —– OR others may see the meaning in

social issue or even philosophical aspects “What’s the human existence”

yet, visually they are just a lots of plastic bags on a bicycle. Nothing else.

More than that is all in your mind.

It’s all depends on, whether you make a mountain out of this heap.

Some might be good deep insights otherwise just the delusions.

Before one photographic image,  we have to see what a person

who is photographing has seen or conceived,  let alone aimed.

But who can see it clear —– and, who knows how real what we’ve seen.   

What I’m seeing might be there —– is it ?  Where ? Here or there or behind. 

We may not able to define what we are seeing unless we intentionally

impose a preconception, what I want to see, and reconstruct

the image OR story.

And it depend what we can see or what we know. —– or believe to know.

And if we know, —– can we be any wiser ?   Really ? ? ?

Is there any use,  if I told you what it was ?

In reality, we may not seeing any, let alone knowing, are they

really there.  So, this is the real situation, and how and what they are.

(If you want to see the VOIDNESS in much more symbolic

elaborated image, it is your pretence and the arrogance !)

—– truth might be just empty space.

= Don’t struggle.  Let it be and see just as it is.  Don’t make-up the order.

(F&M’s Cherubs were in a mess of reflection = that was how they were.  :-D)

By nature, as it is empty from the beginning, see as it is, be with it, is Ichijo.

Be with emptiness mean the mind is not there = Mushin.

Don’t impose own order mean = no complaint. What’s wrong with it ?  😀

—– So, it’s nice to be in PEACE.

___/\___

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Fort’Mason’s Cherub

These days, all the job for the Angel has been monopolized by

the Cherub or other order has been made redundant.

And the another question is —– wait a moment, in mediaeval time

had Cherub wearing pants ? —– When they started to put it on ?

As far as I remember, I never seen Cherub wearing

dark red pants —– or was that trendy Pampers ?

Anyhow, don’t take it anything serious.   Ha ha ha  😀

And he used be a Cherub, (didn’t you know) still he is a

very very nice Angel.

Fortnum and Mason’s Xmas Window Decoration 2013

Among the big shops in London which one got the most heavy Gothic

taste may be a point of argument though, in my view, a shop selling

exactly the same things 100 of years = Fortnum & Mason must stand out

in its stubborn position.  —– Started to sell the candles to the palace and

expanded to deal with the Tea and established over the years,

Tea is a Tea = no new model or fashion there.  (Herbal tea is not a Tea !)

So the same shop is standing on the same place, looks the same too.

The design of Xmas window decoration is also heavier than Selfridges,

such as against the children’s tale, Fortnum & Mason chose

Greek Mythology — kind of difference. 

So, their taste for ancient Greek leafy pattern is still continuing though,

this years concept is more casual. = story from the next door.

It seems, even the shop stuck to the old tradition, the north Arctic

frontier, where Santa is based on, having a technological advancement

—– now, Santa is using a cart, instead of sleigh.   (Photo Right )

Santa’s new cart !

Any how, —– it’s fun  😀

(Shot by Canon 5D Mk-III, 24~70 F2.8, Pentax 15mm F3.5)

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Selfridges’ Xmas Window Decoration 2013

When it is a Christmas time, there always the special window

decoration of Selfridges is. = It is a long established tradition.  

And what sort of theme the decoration this year has, was

the interest of the people. —– It’s always a kind of children’s

fantasy though, it’s attracts as many as grown-ups too.

But this year’s decoration is not from any book or story —– quite

products orientated design = snow scape around the product.

So, the girly doll to audio gizmo.

Fashion(?) shoes to sports shoes.

—– Sports wear or toys ?  —– and of cause, they sells pants too.  😀

So, the handbag ! —– I have no idea what is a connection

between expensive bag to a snowy mountain.

Neither I have an idea what the Selfridge to do with

glittering naked woman.  😀

So, I couldn’t find whether it was children’s dream or adult’s dream.

Or, executive’s speculation = effect of Xmas campaign ! ?  😀

(Shot by  Canon  5D  Mk-III,  Fisheye Zoom 8~15mm  F4)

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Mouhitsu = Blush Calligraphy

In the Japan-Post New-Year Card design Free Template site,

they are also offering two interesting design tools.  

One is the Blush Calligraphy other is to design Name Stamp.

Calligraphy may seemed similar to other drawing program though,

their one is using the speed of finger movement to the thickness of

the line = hence a bit closer to the real blush touch. 

When you start the program by clicking red button on the bottom,

loading takes minuet and open the screen like this above. 

—– you may have the choice of colors or Black ink, and three sizes

of Blush.  ==> then just try. (as many times you like.  🙂 ) 

Black button right bottom is to re-start, and Red button for finish.

Use the finished Calligraphy into their Design-kit and to upload is

straight forward though, use it as an image, it’s “png” format

has to be converted to “jpg”. 

( To convert “png” to “jpg” is in this process:

—– Bring the Downloaded image to desktop.  and

Double-click this => “Open with” =>[Paint] —– then click and open

left top icon and go to “Save as”=>”jpeg” (Yes, to asking small window)

—–> The saved image in “jpg” is on the Desktop ! —– or somewhere.)

(I found a fun without having a mess of Blush and INK ! —– but,

write on touch-pad is very different from real blush writing, of cause.)

To design Stamp (they says Hanko) needs Japanese character input.

(To do this you can Google and download Microsoft, IME Japanese, or

you may pick up letters in the Net and Copy-paste as a design input)

—– So, these are the samples of the Name Stamp (Hanko) I made.

—– Left = the Seal of Yoshizen (良禅之印)   Center = Kinetorori (キネ瀞裏)  

—– Right = James (じえむす) in Hiragana  🙂

Japan Post is providing those service only till January —– so, if you like to

design your own Stamp, better do rather soon than later.

Anyhow, enjoy if those program / Design Tools are useful to you.

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2014 — Japanese New-Year’s Card Design (Free from Canon)

Following last year, I show you a Card Design Web-site of Canon again.  

When people design their own card and print it, quite likely people use

Canon printer and consume their INK = so, they can sell more.  😀 / 😦  

(A printer of HP etc was in fact made by Canon !) = Have you ever seen

Chinese or Korean Printer ?   Unlike electronic goods which they can copy 

by buying the same components made in Japan, printer has to be made

in incredible precision and has to keep work  5~10 years = no Chinese

can make.     So, the Canon knows, they should give back some.

Those are the link to their Free Card design site :

http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/contents/10n201/list_45_1.html    —————- Formal style

http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/contents/10n202/list_45_1.html?log=nt-02    ——— Casual

http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/contents/10n311/list_45_1.html  ——- Material components

New Year logo

When you click to their site, you will see a screen like this (in Japanese).

Still, left hand Column you can try clicking (and return)  next by next.

(In fact, the link above are the same to first three on the column )

In order to avoid the mess, I’ve made those samples in Collage

= you can save from here and clop OR download from Canon site. 

The sample above, left is a letter Spring.  —– the center, the letter Dream

—– Right, ancient figure / original shape of the letter Horse.

The samples above 3  may be used as a component.  

Right, Stump face saying “Good sign of Long-life and Happiness”

(Canon site has English etc too, though, not for New Year but

to make for Xmas Card. = Cultural difference is here  ! ) 

PS :  Those Link also provide Free Design Templates.

They are reputed, trouble-free good site.  = Worth visiting.  🙂

http://www.designbank-nenga.com/

http://illustrain.com/

http://nengarank.com/html/index.html

http://www.wanpagu.com/top_illustration.html

And one more site !

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