Cherry in Focus-Shift blurr

Don’t panic on your eyesight. It’s not your eyes.

The picture here IS shaky !   😀

The photo above/top was the photo, made by a “Focus-Shift”

(while the shutter was open, the focus has been moved) =

hence created funny blurred image.

The lens used was a specially modified Canon EFS 18~55mm =

(modified to fit onto 5D and its focusing motor has been made

to work with external signal)

—– the photo below was a normal shot for a comparison

(same lens but without focus shift.)

This cherry IS the same tree which I nicknamed the

Perpetual Cherry, since it’s flowering even in the Autumn.

And she was photographed here by the same modified

18~55 mm lens though, this focus-shift technique doesn’t

necessary suit for this shot.  😀

(= so, it’s just a demonstration to see the effect)   

Unlike the other soft-focus lens which gives only a fixed

focal-length and it’s viewing angle, this focus-shift

technique with the zoom lens gives more freedom —–

and a fun.

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First Cherry 2016

–

I’ve been closely watching this cherry tree for a past few days.

And at last on yesterday I found a first flower opened on there. 

Good heavens, when I went to the tree next day with my

camera, hundred of the flowers were blooming.

(Still, it would be a week away to see it’s full blooming)

There are hundred of different cherries even in this country.  

So, a kind of Kan-Zakura (Winter Cherry) has been flowering

already, yet still, this is the first typical Japanese Cherry = 

Somei-yoshino’s flower I found.

—– How I can tell this IS the Somei-yoshino was,

(1) The leaves come out only after the flower.

(2) The fertility of the Somei-yoshino was very restrictive =

Somei-Y’ x Somei-Y’ can’t germinate (= with other variety can) 

Therefore, we never see the Seedling under the Somei-Y’ tree.

So that, the propagation of Somei-Y’ could only be done by

grafting = Cloning = in other words, ALL the Somei-yoshino in

the world originated from a single tree found in the Somei Village,

a northern corner of Edo (Tokyo), 200 years ago.  It’s mean, if the

tree was grown off  a seed, it is NOT a Somei-yoshino.  (= So, some

Koreans claimed that “That Cherry grow naturally in our country”

is a proof of their ignorance, how they didn’t know the history

NOR biology. = Same kind of ignorance like they claims that the

Chinese-character was invented in Korea.   😀 )

—– What so ever, I’ve been enjoying the bloom on this tree

for the past 15 years !  (But I’m not necessary happy to see the

flowers in such early timing = it’s not even April yet)

(Photos taken by the Tamron 500 mm Mirror Lens/Canon 5D Mk-3)

————————-

And now, the same Cherry have had the full bloom !

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Peach flower

—— (Photo above: taken by a homemade, so-called Gaudy Lens)

Peach flower is much more appreciated in China than in Japan.

In Chinese myth, the famous Shangrila was written as 桃源郷

which mean The place where the Peach Blooming. = (neither

Cherry nor Banana.)   The reason why Chinese value Peach more

than Cherry is, not only its juicy fruits but the color of flower is

more reddish.

The color Red mean prosperity and the longevity to the Chinese.

In a stark contrast, Cherry Blossom is the symbol of the ephemeral

life, even the death to the Japanese (in the Buddhists context.)  So,

Japanese appreciate its moment of the flower falling like a snow

storm, as well as when it was fully blooming.

——- (Photo above Left : by Canon Fisheye Zoom 8~15mm —

——–Photo Right : Converging Lens from Tokina Wide converter.)

The reason why Chinese likes Red was originated from the vermilion.

Vermilion is the Mercury Oxide = deadly poison = therefore it is a

very effective preservative to the timber. So, the Chinese temple etc

has been painted with Red Vermilion = never rotten for thousand of

years.  So, Red Vermilion is the demonstration of the longevity !

And there was a fancy story of the Vermilion, whether it was a 

fabrication of the novelist or not, there said to be an Elixir of life made

from Vermilion, which was repeatedly oxidized and deoxidized 9 times,

called  九還丹 in China.  (If you found it in the Net, you may try ! )

—— (Photo above : Converging Lens from Tokina)

To the Japanese, the appreciation of Peach flower was in its

association with the girl’s festival (桃の節句) on 3rd of March

other than that not much special feeling in the Japanese mind.

So that, other than in the fruits orchard in a country side,

we don’t see as many Peach trees like Cherry in town .

—— (Photo above : by converging Lens from Tokina

Wide Converter mounted on a Bellows = Photo right

= As the lens was mounted on a bellows, it can focus

from ∞ to 1/3 close-up)

Front element of the Diverging Lens has been used somewhere

else, and the left over converging element was used here.  😀

(You may amazed, how photography can be done in such a casual manner.)

[∞]

Old Camera — Miranda S

Few days ago, one of my friend (in fact, a friend of friend) gave

me an old camera.  It was a very early model of SLR (Single Lens

Reflex Camera), Miranda S which was made around 1968~70.

After the World war 2, burnt-down country Japan was recovering

in amazing speed though, the camera such as Nikon, Canon was

producing were the old style Rangefinder Camera — still, those Nikon

which went to the Korean War with the American photographer

was highly praised (only the camera kept working under -40 degree

Korean Winter!) and started to gain good reputations world wide.

In 1962, the Asahi Kogaku produced Asahi Flex, the first 35mm SLR ! 

(Later, this company started to produce the SLR using penta-prism

— and changed their name to the Pentax.)

[]

The camera I was given, Miranda S was rather like an Asahi Flex, but

not in a perfect condition to work. = winding-up nob was broken — still,

I could test the function by charge-up the shutter by force rotating the

winding-up sprocket, then click the shutter.

The shutter dial was rotating while charge-up and a release moment.

(It’s an old design soon to be disappeared.)

And the mirror was not quick return, neither the iris was automatic.

To see this Design as the starting point = I can see how the later

development came such far !

 

—– the peculiar things of this camera was, that this one got a waist-level

finder = not a prism view finder. = look down the image which was

left-right reversed ! —– My guess was, that this camera was used by an

academic to take photos through microscope, telescope kind — if not

the owner lost the interchangeable prism finder.

[]

Miranda started to make their camera, called Orion Camera first. 

Then,  changed the name to Miranda, their Miranda Sensolex model was

sold well (I remember their poster.  🙂  ) —– anyhow, to encounter such

old Japanese camera, exported to the Europe was a big surprise to me.

 

I may not able to shoot a photo with this camera since its winding-up

shaft was broken, yet still, even just watching 50 years old

mechanism still working was a great joy.

[]

 

OMG – Magnolia flowers ?!

London has been having no real winter = no ice, no frost not mention

a snow.    And having the flowering Magnolia.  

OMG, this is utterly crazy.

Of course, there could be “Special garden variety” of  Winter Magnolia

of which I’m utterly ignorant though, this one may not be the case.

Still, this tree had pretty early flowers last year as well.

I do like to break the convention — but this case is not funny.

I like to act brainless though, I have no fun making a fun out of

handicapped person.  Especially if it was created by the human error

such as an industrial poisoning.

I hope this magnolia has normal gene though, = if it was the case,

the climate alone was the cause ? — did it got such wrong ?

It’s just a beginning of January.

( —– in here, top photo was taken by the Zeiss 18mm and the

rest were taken by the homemade lens.)

This photo above was an additional comparison, taken

by the specially modified Canon FD 50mm F1.8 while its

focus was shifted during the exposure. = Since the image

of this lens has little aberration and halation (only having

superimposed out-of-focus bokeh) the contrast was

much higher = more glare) = different kind of fuzziness !

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First Sunrise of 2016

 

Sunrise in densely build area of London is not dramatic nor beautiful,

nevertheless it was the first sunrise in this year 2016.

Happy New year.

Last night I was in a new year’s eve party of the locals though, as

usual, I didn’t drink but just dancing —– I took some pictures though 

I wouldn’t bother to publish them while taking the consent of all the

people in the photo.    With their generation, the music was 70s, 80s

even 60s.  🙂  — and some kids as well. (very unusual party for me.)

🙂

[]

 

Season’s Greeting — New Year 2016

Cross the Winter Solstice is THE matter to me.

= Now on, the days are getting longer.

The photo for this year was taken from the Waterloo Bridge,

towards up-river and down-river.

Real scape had bit more festive lighting = more color LED

though, they just disappeared.  Never mind.  It wouldn’t kill you.

So, have a Happy Holiday Time.

[]

Winter Cherry 2015

Someone might say,”Same again how boring”

though, it’s not only an accustomed tradition here

but this tree is more than a friend to me.

She is an indicator of Life.

Having had a rather unusual life style = flowering in  

the winter and the last one tree left among the three,

— to see her flowering again in this year, really

gave me a sigh of relief.

By the way, they are the same flower though, right photo was taken

with a built-in flash of the Nikon D810, and I found it is rather useful.

(Though, flashlight was diffused by a white paper.)

So far, the weather in London is not cold at all.  Still it is winter.

The photos here were taken by either Zeiss 18mm F3.5 for Nikon or

Homemade single glass lens/so-called Gaudy Lens on Nikon D810.

(Strangely, the Non-CPU lens on D810 was functioning well here —

I haven’t fully tested whether D800 and D810 got different OS/setting.

The setting was for Non-CPU/Zeiss 18mm Lens = the Lens, brighter

than F5.6 may be working but may not be with Pinhole unless AI ring

was set to the proper position.)

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Selfridge Xmas Window 2015

Hand is a body parts which got second highest concentration of

the nerve after the eyes.  And especially we human got our hands

best developed among the any animal, we have best and the most

delicate control of them.    So that, not only its dexterity and the

function, its acquired the mean of expression as well. 

We can read the meaning of what the hand is telling or symbolizes,

and the eyes tend to follow what the hand is expressing.  

(I mean not only F**K or Peace sign but also more delicate mood

of its operator as well.)  🙂  

In old days, Selfridge’s decoration was based on the Children’s Tales

— though children themselves are not the shopper, and the Xmas

itself has changed its character too = Religious to Kid’ and to the

Grownup’s Shopping event.  🙂

= So, the window decorations now are,   Grownup’s fantasy !

(often, bizarre one) —– and they are fun to watch !   🙂

The lens used for those shootings were either Canon Fish-eye 8~15mm or

homemade, so-called Gaudy Lens and the Camera was Canon 5D Mk-III.

[]

Ai Weiwei Exhibition

Actuary, I went to the Fortnum & Mason again with different

lens (or hole ?) — Then, I just crossed the street to other side,

to the Royal Academy = where happen to have an exhibition

of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

Academy’s courtyard having trees or re-assembled dead wood.

It was an utterly odd view.  Those trees were not in the original

shape nor well composed big “Ikebana” but the standing mess.

I wondered what’s going on the inside.

(Photo above = tons of building steel rod were piled up on the floor

=Ai Weiwei is not good to make the things by himself but to

organize the  workers to do the job.)

I’m not a fun of Ai Weiwei. 

I can see he is trying hard to MAKE something “looks like an ART”.

= in other words, he was not a born artist = so that, to squeeze the

brain to manufacture the piece, not spontaneously creates a shape.

Hence, the piece wouldn’t hit our emotion but just boggle the mind. 

= So, the art critics needs to write about those “Boggle” = keeping

them busy and the art-media flourish. — The good art will hit the

viewer’s subconscious direct = no need of explanation nor critics’

blah blah.  😀

So, those were the pieces made out of the pretext of the earthquake

= the list of the dead (Left) and the debris (right).

— did such big disaster inspire him only those ?   If I were him, I

would have put a school text book or a bunch of hair between the

debris = bad taste but such straight visual signal will hit the

subconscious of the viewers direct, without needs of blah blah.

Photo left showing “a chair IS a part of a tree” = I know,

a chair used to be a tree. = So what ?

And the photo right = nicely made cabinet having holes =

spoiling the effort and saying a twist = again So, what =

What a cheap idea.  Can’t you conceive anything better ?

Yet again like the words of a second class art school

teacher = “Make a thing out of norm/Break a stereotype”.

TV camera (or that kind of shape) was made by plastic.

Chinese has been making so many utterly inconceivable

products such as fake eggs, fake protein (melamine) in

the milk etc etc = Ai Weiwei should learn from them if he

want to impress us with the eye-opening incredible idea !

Something scribble ? — or repeated print covering whole wall.

He might have thought = highly technical idea — a piece using

the reflection of acril plastic. = Yes I can see its funny reflection.

So, what ?   A bit strange doesn’t mean “Impressive”  🙂

Everyday’s  objects made out expensive jade.

Handcuffs made out of plastic. Useless and out of norm again.

(Chinese kid’s toy Handcuffs were all made by plastic ) ?

Fabricated trees in the room — not impressive though, they 

still showed a kind of fun-full free structure he must have

enjoyed like a game.  So, I liked this piece.

Thousands white plastic pieces covering the floor and one

baby buggy  (= somewhat impressive fine work)

— is this related to the Chinese Scandal / billion of forcibly

aborted fetus by the “one child policy” ?  (I only guess =

I didn’t get any information or bought an exhibition catalog.

= In my policy, I SEE the piece, not study it by the words.)

In this room, and the confined small box explaining what

Ai Weiwei himself has been subjected by the So-Called

Authority’s tenacious interrogation = kind of torture/

intimidation/suppression.

This is not an art but just an indictment.= may have a

political meaning still, visually boring exhibit. Not impressed.

So far, this must be the most impressive piece in this exhibition.

May be it was just a coincidence = still, how bizarre.

On this occasion, I had only Concentric-Double-Dencity Pinhole

intended to use for F&M Window shooting, which was not best

suits for this  subject still, I think it wasn’t too bad.

—– If you want to see more info’ or clear images please

search in the net or go to the exhibition yourself. = don’t ask me.

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