Autumn CHERRY BLOSSOMS

It was on the end of November last year, I found the flowers on this Cherry tree.

But it happened to show the same, two weeks earlier in this time. —– As it is a bit early

this year, the Cherry tree has lots of leaves as well.

So, the autumn golden leaves and the pink blossoms in the same time = rather unusual

sight in deed. Because it was unusual, I didn’t feel very comfortable last year though, I was

more permissive mood this year. After all, to impose “What is normal or abnormal” is man’s idea.

—– Nature may have much more facets which we never know = And they may say,

“What’s wrong with having flowers in an Autumn = it’s not your business”.

A sort of stereotypical knowledge = there may not be an insect who visit and pollinating

the flowers out of season though, —– yes, there is an insect (kind of fly ?) was in the flower.

Out of our eyes and beyond our knowledges the Nature may still be in full

operation regardless the season 😀

And WHO said, the Cherry open the flowers only for the purpose to make fruits

and seeds = yet still, they could blossom just giving a fun

for the winter insects too —– why not 😀

—– As a result, this tree gave the opportunities for me to talk about TWICE already

= it’s a big achievement for such a small tree !

Never mind, the Wheel of the Nature is Going Round and Round and Round —–

And our lives goes on as well. 🙂

___/\___

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Yoshi-Handy / Handmade Fish-eye Photos

Those photos were taken by my handmade camera which was nick-named as Yoshi-Handy, by the Director of the Pentax Gallery in Tokyo, Mr. Taizo Nakamura, named after eary1910’s camera style called Handy-Camera, because of its square shape. (Why called handy was = most of other camera then were big wooden camera, not possible to use by hand-held) And the photos here were shot in the north of Thailand, so-called Golden Triangle area in the 70s. I rediscovered this Camera in a box when I needed to find the Side-view Prism adapter (ultra low-angle adapter), a month ago.

I went up north of Thailand, from Cheng-Mai to Cheng-Lai then took a boat to further north and started to climb the mountain, going through many mountain tribe’s villages. I went there with a local guide who came back after working in the Vietnam war hence able to speak in English and having a hand gun.

The purpose was, I wanted to interview and photograph General Twan, an exiled Chinese Army of Chang Kai-sheck who proclaimed to be an anticommunists warrior though, in reality he was the Drug Baron dominating the Opium trade there then. But, we had to abandon the plan as the guide noticed a hatred of those Chinese called Kuomin-tan toward Japanese. = Yes, I realized that the Japanese was the enemy of the Chang Kai-sheck Army and they are still armed, and they made a gesture to swing a hand on the neck (mean cut off the head) or aiming me a hand with pointing finger (mean shoot with a gun).  (Strangely, they seemed to know that I’m a Japanese at once  may be because of my camera).

With after thought, it seemed, I was rather lucky to come back alive, since about the same time an American who went into the same area had been killed by his own guide. = may be my guide saw my strange handmade camera and a huge Pentax 6×7, they couldn’t be sold easily,  therefore not worthwhile to rob and he might have me spared.  🙂

So, I came back from Thailand with 100s roles of films which has been survived even under intense heat and completely soak wet condition. Without capturing General Twan’s photo, rest was mostly shot in Bangkok and its surrounding poor area. It was one of my most adventurous journey in my photographic life. ( It was really a fun )

A month after the shooting, to see the developed results was the most thrilling moment, having a butterfly in the stomach. (— in comparison, DSLR camera has no such intense moment = if no good, just click again on the spot = crucial excitement has lost in the game. :-D)

(Note: The lens fitted here (photo left) is Nikkor Fish-eye 16mm f3.5 with its lens-hood removed)

The camera Yoshi-handy is a very simple camera = Lens > Shutter > Role-film Holder, that’s all. Only unique structure was, the front panel with SLR’s Square-Shutter and the rear panel with Film-Holder was connected with adjustable 4 individual screws, hence the Lens can be tilted to any angle up to 30 degrees.

Lens mount was Nikon though, as the distance from the lens to film is adjustable = any lens with Nikon mount can be used.   Hence, I mainly used Pentax 17mm F4 Fish-eye, PC Nikkor 35mm F2.8 and Pentax 15mm F3.5 (Those Pentax lenses were used with handmade mount adapter).  Though, to have a focus from infinity to almost lens front surface with 30 degree tilt, Copal Square-Shutter had to be modified to make its one-side thinner.

In certain view, to use those 35mm Camera lenses on 2-1/4 or 6×6 format had merely enabled to use the surrounding image circle outside of 35mm format = hence

Fish-eye image become whole circular image though, on that time, there was no

Circular Fish-eye lens for 6×6 medium format camera in the world, let alone

a camera which can focus from infinity to life-size close-up in one shot.

(Only a short-coming of this camera was, as it is using Grand Glass for focus = then change to film-Holder,  it needs the camera fixed on a tripod,  otherwise take a photo while guessing the distance by eyes and set a distance ring manually. = still, once get used, it can be done with ease.  —– A kind of view finder was made out of ubiquitous Door-scope.

= cheap yet good enough for the purpose. 😀 )

This unusual camera with its strange photographs were taken and featured in the British Journal of Photography (17 Dec’ 1976 issue) and exhibited in the Pentax Gallery, then it appeared in the Zoom magazine internationally.(in English = 1978 Oct/Nov issue)

( The another Camera I’ve mentioned in this blog before, Conica Tilt II  was a camera to create the effects of 30 degree tilt, with the convenience of SLR)

Incidentally, the sample photos above were just hand-held digital copy of the 6×6 transparencies on a florescent tube light box = even without dust off, quality may not be as good as done by a proper scanner —– still usable enough for the blog size.

= I’m wondering if it was done by Nikon D810’s HDR function, would the result be much better ? = I’ll test it soon.

Behind the ” Sea Creature ?”

This was a way how I created a  Jerry-FISHY  photo  🙂

While ago, I was fascinated by Ms Karen’s Jerry-fish photos = I should try though,

south London has no sea, no Jerry-fish in sight (other than dried Chinese food).

So, if I can’t get it = why not make it myself  😀  —– And created a KIND of photo.

But it was not a secret technique = just a well known way to deal with such subject.

It was a Chinese soft plastic toy (a fancy ring, originally having with twinkling LEDs) was

squeezed and tied in the middle, and held on top of a needle an inch high = on a

black velvet, as a back-ground.    And I gave sprinkle of glitters on the black velvet.

Half transparent plastic toy was illuminated by a blue LED.  

As a close-up photo, the back-ground (glitters) were sufficiently out of  focus  to give

a false impression that the Jerry-fish is somewhat floating.

Voila’  a photo looks like a Jerry-fish floating in the water or space was made-up  🙂

As most of the people guessed, other two photos were  in deed a plastic net, which had

come with Garrick.  — In fact, I was experimenting to create a photo, giving an impression

of great distance, like the Space.  (Ms Lemony did it with Spider’s web pretty successfully) 

Though, Garrick net was noway near to a Spider’s web = end up more like a Sea Anemone

—– hence, I put them with Jerry-FISHY photo   🙂

It was a fun  😀

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Sea Creature ? ? ?

M m m m —– What ? ? ?   You may think.   What are they ?

Yes.  Those photos are genuine.    Just straight close-up shot.    No Photo shop.   🙂

– – – – – – – – –  How do you see them ?

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” What are you doing ?”

Somebody, supposed to be a Zen Buddhist teased me

“If you are Zennist, how come, what are you doing in your blog ?”

I answered to him “If you only see it so, your Buddhism is wrong”

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The reason why the Buddhism after the Nirvana of

Lord Buddha was formed as known as Hinayana was because the followers just copied the lifestyle

of Lord Buddha (as an Bhikkuh) and kept his teachings.  And it took 500 years for the followers to

realize what the real meaning of his teachings were.

—– It is obvious, if all the people in the country become keen Buddhists / Bikkuh,

Who else can feed those Bhikkuh. Who grows the rice to make foods or fish in the river.

(You may give a thought, in a scope of a sustainability of the society = the socio-economical size

= how may Bhikkuh can the society sustain ? —– number is very limited.)

Lord Buddha was not such idiot.   Buddhism is not forsake the LIFE, but to live with it.

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Zen is a psychological technique / Mind-set to DO the THINGS = to have the

LIFE in the best efficiency without having useless hindrances.

Me to do a photography —– after all I used to be a photographer / technical-writer

= What’s wrong, a man keep doing what he was (a sort of) good at.   😀 😀

DOING all those, I need the Zen (such as so-called Mindfulness, Mushin etc etc, hence I keep

my tools in the best condition, let alone to make them etc etc) and I have, at least, having the

results which leaves no (well more or less) regrets.  😀  — (still, I want to do even better

= this is not a greed as my work is not producing any profit or fame.   😀 😀 )

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My approach to the camera or photography which is in most of the case, non-conventional,

quite inventive way would solve and help other’s trouble well,  (without costing them  :-D)

—– such as, when the camera or Mob-devise was dropped in the sea water or toilet = just

wash under tap water then dry it with Hair-dryer,  or jammed, stacked Zoom lens may be

saved with just hitting it in all directions.  Or utilizing Chinese toys would save a time and cost,

instead of building a new circuit for electronic controller etc etc.  😀

Life is to live, hence it got be fun, as you can’t avoid — any how.

Make it fun, instead of resenting or complaining.

And by making something would be even more fun.   🙂

___/\___

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Ultra Low-Angle Photo (2)

This is yet another shots of moss with Ultra Low-Angle Adapter.

The subject I encountered was Marchantia polimorpha (better known as Umbrella river-wort)

and its Reproductive structure = Gametophores (but the photos here is its female part).

This photo was taken by Micro Nikkor 55mm f3.5 (reverse mounted) with Low-Angle Adapter.

(magnification = x1)

This is not a Palm tree but the same Gametophores which was seen through

Low-Angle Adapter with 24mm f2 lens. (magnification = x2.6)

This 24mm lens is the first one Nikon ever put a Close Range Compensation (shifting a lens

element to correct the aberration) in the 70th, hence the image is very sharp even in close up.

And the photos of this moss from more ordinary angle with 55mm lens (reversed)

(magnification = x1)  Dead plant, right photo is showing the male Gametophores.

Straight shot of an Umbrella.  Left photo by 24mm f2 (at f2) (x2.6) and right photo is by 55mm Macro

though, this is a cropped image to the same size of 24mm picture for comparison.

—– to chose its out of focus Bokeh created by large f2 aperture of 24mm lens or sharper image

of Macro lens, would be a matter of taste and its purpose.

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Ultra Low Angle Photo Adapter

This is a photograph of the moss, taken in an ultra-low angle view.

A while ago, one of the most unique photographer in the Net-sphere who is producing the

photos with her exceptionally unique eye-point,

Karen the [Draw and Shoot] showed the photos of tiny Lichen, which were taken extremely

low angle.   Hence I put a comment “To take picture in such low angle must be very hard”

—– and she replied that she was almost standing on her head !

So, I promised her I’ll show an adapter to do such low angle shot. (Thence, it took a while

to find the adapter from tens of the boxes of camera-related junk, odd lenses to electronic

controllers, etc   :-))

—– It was an adapter to take a picture side-way = a prism was mounted on a

lens rear-cap to reflect the light in 90 degree, hence able to take side-view close-up 

while looking down the view finder. ( photo above / center)

Though, as the prism I used was rather small and viewing angle was very narrow,

this adapter is limited to be used only for more than x2 magnification while the lens

was reverse-mounted.

So that, I made another one which can be attached on front of the lens, which is using

a mirror instead of a prism. ( photo above / left)

The quality of the mirror is directly affect the image quality hence, ordinary mirror

couldn’t be used.  (Ordinary mirror has double reflections, one on the surface of the glass

and the other on the metal coating)  so that, I used a surface mirror from a SLR camera.

(= it is a genuine optical quality mirror still we can get, out of a broken old camera, free  !)

The mirror was fixed and glued in 45 degree to a frame of Polarizing Filter, therefore

the mirror can be rotated to a desired direction.  (Photo above is the skeleton. Later,

the light-path other than side-view was  sealed to prevent the double image)

Photo left is the whole assembly of Camera, Macro lens and the Low-Angle Adapter

attached on front. (Though, the lens was reverse mounted on this set-up)

On the actual use, set-up was shown on the Photo right. The test subject = Hazelnut

was in focus and this test shot image is the right photo in the collaged photo before.

Unlike the top photo which was taken with Low-angle Adapter attached on front of lens

(Micro Nikkor 55mm f3.5) and the magnification was about x1/2,  this photo above is

x1.2 (with lens reversed) — though, when lens was reversed, to have a focus, it need

to move tripod all together (or got to do it hand-held) = sorry, this photo was not

very sharp 😀

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Small drawback of this adapter is, as it is using a mirror, the photo is the reversed image.

(Can easily be reversed again in Photoshop  🙂 )

The photo below is a normal shot without using Low-angle Adapter.

= You may noticed, the Moss’ pods are aiming left = this is the normal view, but in another

photo above, the pods are all aiming right.  Because, they are the mirror images, though, it

may not be any trouble in most of the case.  🙂

= For some occasion, this adapter might be useful for close-up. 

But, with a telephoto lens, (provided its filter size is smaller than 55mm) you can take

picture while aiming the camera 90 degree away, without let the people know, you

are taking their picture.  ( Though, don’t misuse it.  😀 )

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PS : To the people who want to make this kind of adapter,

—– To get a Frame of Polarizing filter would be rather difficult = instead,

better use a lens-cap which has push-tubs on both side.

Cut a window  38mm x 18mm  in the center of the cap and stick the mirror

from SLR (but only from manual-focus old camera — AF camera has

secondary mirror (more difficult to disassemble) and mirror itself has

half mirror in the center = not suit for this purpose) using Epoxy-pate would

be the easiest as you can shape it to hold the mirror in its position.

Cut a piece of cardboard paper to two of  28Mm x 18mm x 21mm  triangle and

fix it to both end of the window first and fix the mirror on its edge would be a

better approach. (mirror would be fixed not 45 degree but about 48 degree

= this would be better)

If you finger-printed on the mirror, use white-spirit or solvent (on tissue

paper) before Epoxy-pate hardens.

By the way, never attempt to peel off the mirror from its base-panel = mirror

would just break.

Have a good work and Good luck.

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Park in September

When I took those pictures, I remembered  “Wait a moment, I’ve seen those flowers in full

bloom, and I’ve taken pictures — where those photos has gone ? (Then I found them and put

to past two posts )   What I realized was,  even if it’s only less than a month since I came here

last time though, what a difference mere 4 weeks has made.  Really, the Summer has gone.

May be because the Summer was rather wet, the Ginkgo tree seemed to have fewer nuts.

Literally the time fly.

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Canon 5D Mk-III / Pentax 15 mm F3.5

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Flowers in the Park — Cropped Macro (ish) Photos

Those photos were also in the file, taken in August though, long forgotten  😀

[]These day many compact cameras came into the market started to say that they got x20 super-Zoom / such as equivalent of 24~1000 mm —– m m m,  ? ? ?

Soon I realized, they are not optical Zoom to 1000 mm, but it was combined with Digital Zoom = in another word it’s a fraud. Thanks to the extremely advanced image sensor in the camera, the quality of the image is good enough for the most of the user even if it was in fact just a cropped, enlarged image —– most of the  consumers are happy even with Phone-camera !

So, why not = Camera manufacturer has gone over the blue line.

So,   the center part of this photo was cropped and enlarged to the next photo.

(Click the photo to enlarge —– not too bad isn’t it  🙂 )

As a matter of fact, those  originally near 10Meg bit file photos are reduced here to mere 500k bit or so, in order to upload.   Nobody ever complained, neither me 😀

Among the photographer who bought Nikon D810E,  who did ever needed to enlarge their photo to more than A2 size ? — Vast majority of the so-called photographer  who is showing their photos in the net,  is in fact surviving with small job for brochure or web-site photo or occasional wedding photo,  if there were job at all.

( I was lucky to survive,  when I came here,  there wasn’t a bilingual photographer who can negotiate and coordinate with English company —– hence,  I nearly monopolized Japanese commercial and editorial business here )

Looks like just ordinary close up though,  this is an cropped enlarged image.

Those cropped Macroish photos are no way near to the quality of proper Macro lens shot though,  if a photo like this was shown in Wiki,  you may not noticed or complained. —– this is a reason why I’m using Fisheye lens a lot such as in a party occasion. = in other words,  use a Zoom lens such as 24~70,  24~100 wouldn’t be necessary = good enough photo could be produced from good primary 24 mm lens !

( So, we don’t need to spend hefty money or carrying heavy lens  😀 )  ( Better not be obsessed with useless QUALITY ! = be relaxed.  take Middle way  😀  😀 )

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Snap shots in the Park (a Month ago)

Among the photo-file, I found those photos — Yah yah, I did those but been forgotten.

Just to have a walk,  I carry my camera and just click for no purpose,  hence I forget.

May be I’ve been doing too many project,  but I’m dealing them only one at the time

—– unless it is on front of me,  I’m not necessary remember another matter.

( May be this is the Zen though,  others might say ” Oh, you are just getting old”  😀 )

As it was the Independence Day of Jamaica,  there was a local event for the people.

Lots of cyclists.   I found this family has mounted 5 bicycles on the car !

Yes it was yet another peaceful day.  Nothing to write about.  

Hence it has been forgotten — still,  photos was in a memory card   😀

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