Sky–Moon–Pinhole

This photo was a morning view from the kitchen window. (But not everyday’s view.)

I was making a thin metal panel (commonly known as a drink can — I didn’t buy = I just found it.  :-D) to a DSLR Pinhole panel.   And this was the outside view then. (30-11-2017 / 16:03)

The same outside was looked like this by the Pinhole !

Then next moment, the moon appeared on the sky (may be the cloud hiding her was moved away)

What ? —– I took a picture with D810 / Zeiss 18 mm lens as a fixed shot.  (16:14:40)

A while later, the moon disappeared and the sky got dark. (If you take a photo of the dark sky, they will show you a red color = may be a reflection of the city’s illumination and the shorter wave-length of light (= like blue) was attenuated easily in the earth’s atmospheres, hence the sky looked red.)

Whatsoever, have a quiet nice evening.

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Instamatic Macro

Well, as I suggested in the previous post that  25 mm lens of 110 Instamatic camera is suited for macro use = So, I made a lens.

No doubt, this must be the most funny looking lens among my homemade lenses, since the material I used was a water bottle for bicycle.  (No problem, it only costed me £1)   The lens was fixed on the cap in the reversed direction, and with its about 17 cm extension, its makes about x6 magnification of the image.

Photo left was  a dead mosquito I found in the kitchen.    I’m not happy with its bit blurry image (available light with 1/3 sec exposure —– at moment I’m not using my Sony with flash light = no synchro-socket, nor adapter) —– anyhow, I need to go out to see something small insects or a kind.  (Photography is a kind of life live on the leg. = You can’t do it while sitting.)   😀

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Instamatic Camera (and its 25mm lens)

I found a dear old 110 type Kodak Instamatic Camera (together with their 126 type brother as well) in a junk-box of a camera shop.  This camera shoot 12×18 mm size image with its 25 mm lens. = So, it is possible to put this lens onto Sony A7 camera and see small round image though, if it was a case, have a test on the original camera with a film would be more worthwhile. 

But what I was thinking was, try to expand the image by adding a diverging lens on front (make it to a retrofocus type lens).

But, while disassembling this camera, I was amazed how the designer made this camera complicated.  (Due to the camera has to do so many tasks = wind the film, charge the shutter, rotate the Flash-cube, change the shutter speed for bright or cloudy day, together with shutter click then return the mechanism to the first state) —– Once disassembled, never able to put it back again !   (In comparison to today’s “One time use camera” which is doing about the same with much simpler mechanism,  they looks almost like a hell.)

With an added diverging lens, its became about 32 mm lens though, the image circle didn’t come wide enough to cover the full frame.  (I need to find even stronger diverging lens.)  (Lens quality was just usable with such modification.) 

PS : As I said above, I further tested that 25 mm lens with much stronger diverging lens (which has been used for other “Fancy lens” before) = With stronger diverging power, the lens could have much longer back-focus = hence larger image circle which can cover the full frame.  The image quality of the center was usable though the corner became very bad. —– Then I gave a thought, —– for a technical challenge, I found a sort of the answer though, ? ? ?   DO I need to use this lens ?   = On the end it became rather big = While having Very tiny omnifocus “Fun camera lens” etc, why do I need to use such lens ?  —– The reason why I started to use Sony A7 was, that I can go for shooting with my camera and 3~4 lenses all in my pocket ! =  May be this Kodak 25 mm lens suite only for macro use !

So, I tested this Kodak 25 mm lens as a macro lens, while mounting it on the reverse direction —– with 18 cm extension  = The results wasn’t too bad.  😀

(Photo left was a close-up shot (about  x7) of a Butterfly Wing.  Photo right were the screen of the tablet.)

—– Not so much dramatic outcome though, it was still a fun for one afternoon.  😀

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Poppy Talk

The regular reader of this blog might have noticed that the talk in the previous post [Poppy Poppy] became increasingly lecturing.  Yes, I know it. The reason was the same why I made an exception to come to a public event and took picture. —– A while ago, I had a chat with a photographer who has just finished the school and learning to become Professional while doing an assistant work.  As she asked me “How to make a good Photograph” I answered ” Just press the button” she stunned and burst into laughing.  “Oh gosh, I never heard such answer”.  

“When you see a beautiful light, press the button. — It’s mean, if you couldn’t see it’s beauty, you don’t have the eyes to see.  And even if you could see it, still not able to press the button,  you don’t have a good reflex, either case, you are hopeless and any sort of advice or knuck to take picture would be useless.  Otherwise, you were lucky enough to take good picture.  Then do it.   

 Anyhow, it is pointless to speak about photography => it’s better  to see the real situation and a way of the photographic approach,  and the captured images —– good or bad. = Everything is  self explanatory.  So, those photos (with the photos of Last  Post) were the finishing part of the chat or the “lecture”.    🙂

 —– Just press the Button, mean, “Just take picture with the own intuition”, but not a theory or special thinking kind.  Still, it is better to know about the  subject, history, episode in  human term (mean, not politics or technology) which did hit  your  emotion, but the most important point is to capture the image,  sweet to your eyes. (it doesn’t mean looks nice, cute person  smiling, but in the image, context and the emotion has settled and balanced) = DON’T chase dramatic image, until you yourself  experienced a drama in your life.) 

So, this is the picture which was not a settled image but make the mind to stray away.  It’s mean, this is not a sweet picture. —– even after 70 years, Poppy field has not settled calm for some people yet.  

Peace to the dead soldier’s Soul.

___/\___

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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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What Photography to do with Buddhism

Someone asked me “ Why Photography in a Zen blog ?”

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The understanding of Zen is so wildly varied, let alone the understanding of the Buddhism.

It spreads from vague spiritualism to an endless peculiar practice.

A reason is that it lays in the person’s subconsciousness. Hence, the person oneself couldn’t

see it clearly, let alone the others, even the teacher.

Since, it was not clearly written down like as a Dogma, and to memorize it doesn’t mean

understood the Buddhism. (Though, some sect says, they got 100 of the rules written down

and follow them is the completion of the Buddhism.)

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My discovery of the Zen came from a peculiar practice = Disco Dancing  😀

With a peculiar mental tendencies habituated in my subconscious, I realized, this is

what people called the Zen —– Like a Pathological diagnosis, I found the symptoms all

matches to the description of the Zen of the past masters =

hence I understood, what I’m living is the Zen.

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So that, in Zen, the matter is a mental state or so-called mind-set, while the one is DOING

something. = Doing it unconsciously with the mind-set of what

Lord Buddha stated = IS the Buddhism. = Hence, able to receive all the benefit to live with

the Dharma. —– Here, it is crucial to be unconscious (=in Mushin). 

We can do a thing without thinking but not able to do thinking without thinking  😀

Try to do Mushin or talking it consciously is just a pretense or mimicry  😀

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Photography is a secondly art (it doesn’t mean second class art 🙂 ) = unlike an abstract

drawing or sculpture, unless the subject is there, its photograph couldn’t be created.

In other words, photography has to follow the existence and its moment.

That moment is the only moment. Photography is to capture and deals with this MOMENT.

As Lord Buddha stated, “Nothing stays the same and they change moment to moment”.

= Photography has to face this situation straight.

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Why and how you encounter its situation or subject was not necessary what you expected or

designed.  = To encounter it was what the Karma has worked.   You may think that

the idea to come to the garden to take picture was what you conceived and planed by yourself

alone though, without Karma has had pulled a string, you didn’t get the idea in the first place.

Whether you are aware or not this is how the system works.

And this system = the mechanism of the Dharma is what

Lord Buddha elucidated. = This is the Buddhism which is applicable even to a non-Buddhist.

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And we have to follow the subject = we didn’t create it, hence this is a secondly art =

we have to accept a humble position to be a secondly creator. Therefore, we have to see

the world with humble open eyes but at most diligent way, down to the minute details.

Once we start to see the subjects, what we are seeing is the environment or most likely

the nature. —– In fact, we are seeing the Dharma.

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When we try to capture and focus the subject, are we thinking what to eat for lunch ? =

Not only the lens, we are focusing what we need to do without any thinking but with full

attention to the subject on front of the camera whole heartedly.

This is the moment of Mushin and the Mindfulness.

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Then “Got it” = but what we got ? —– Even though we might think “I’ve got iconic image”

it is a mere reflection of the subject in the memory card, which could just disappear with a

glitch in a computer. —– And in most of the case, it wouldn’t do anything with the person’s

finance = it is nothing but a selfless, greed less act = expect no reward, still needs to put

so much effort for taking.

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—– Isn’t this Zen Buddhism ? —– If not,  What else   🙂

___/\___

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Find the SELF—- by your Camera

Internet Photo site / Frickr  has interesting functions.

It can be someone’s exhibiting space, even though nobody know actually how many people ever seen them.

Some of them are technically very advanced impressive photos, or

literally  “The moment was captured” kind.  It is the show off of the trophy to the world wide viewers.

Yet still, lots of people just uploading their own photos for no specific intention and the photos are just

an image as the sake of image.  The person who took photos may say, this is my expression, as I felt

it is beautiful, or interesting ———- in fact, what so ever the excuse.

———————

The reason why I’m interested in those photo stream are, not necessary only the contents, but also

the whole activities. When anybody aim a camera and take photo, the person is in one’s fully minded

state of the mind, and the photos are the result of one’s concentration.(even without a breath)

And as nobody directed the person, the photos are the result of their personal choice—– which they says

their unique View-point ——— its mean, the series of photos are the reflection of their SELF, of which

in most of the case, the reflection of person’s deep subconscious. (some times sheer  Ego  😀 )

If anybody watch the series of photos, soon certain tendency, specific interest or taste will emerge.

It is the person’s unconscious aim and the choice.——— in another words, hidden SELF.

In effect this is the very effective way to find the inner SELF.   The best things here is, it is displayed as

a collection of objective images. (Only need to have a bit analytical objective eyes to see the tendency, but

as it is visual, it is far easier than to think in the head)

————- Convinced  ?    Well, Try it. Its a fun in the same time.

HEALTH WARNING :

This is an approach more akin to the Psycho Analysis.  Therefore, important point is,

Don’t show the result to others unless you are prepared to show you inside out.

( Other than some Photographically good photos   😀 )

Taking photo of lots of Holy relics’ doesn’t mean ” You are the Holy spiritual person” but

more likely you are intellectually pretentious.  Seeking the SELF is the matter of personal quest.

Of cause, this observation works in its best to the photos taken casually in open minded and

its hard see the personality of the photographer in academic  or sports kind.

NUDE 4×4+1

As a mean of communication, the Art has very peculiar property.       Since when I was doing photography, this

peculiarity is one of my conundrum. Some photos are the Art, but most of them are just a flat copy of the object.

But, strangely, anybody can distinguish a good photo in

one glance.      And anybody can also distinguish good art

as The Art at one glance.——– (so, conceptual art is not art,

but it is only an intellectual concept, as the name indicates)

With my artist friends, photographer friends discussed together

in many occasions, still we never found a good explanation

in the words,  why and how do we know, is it the Art or not.

Because ART is a communication between  Subconscious

to Subconscious / one’s inspiration to the other’s feeling

without involving the conversion to the linguistic Notion.

(Its mean, the ART strikes the EMOTION straight, not the intelligence)

So that even if we found the typical sample, it is impossible to

describe it in the words, instead, just point the very sample and say  ” You see this is it “.

——————–

Something similar phenomenon is in the artistic expression such as in the abstract figure.

This is the matter of cognitive ability. —— How simple and even simpler, we still able to recognize as it is.

———- The photo above is, some said,  the most simplest and cheapest nude sculpture in the history.

It is just a twisted wire though, even 5 years old kids instantly recognized it ” Ah, it’s a  woman “.

This Wire Nude was made by just twisting a wire 4 times clockwise for right-hand side, and 4 times

anti-clockwise for left-hand side, plus one for the head.  ( Hence the title 4×4+1 )

I experimented many design and simplified further and further.  This seems the minimalist’s limit.

(Sitting woman putting both hands to her head—— in case, if you couldn’t make sense from flat photo)

It is impossible to describe exact shape in the words,  still it convey the message, ” This is the Woman”

and people can see and feel straight, this is the woman. ——— and makes them smile  🙂

——————–

Our brain, Deep Layer / Subconscious System has remarkable ability to capture the meaning beyond

the ordinary intellectual logics. ———-( I’m still puzzling, is it Pattern Recognition or something else ? )

And this is the way, how direct transmission of  Zen  works.  ” You see, this is it”

Photography / Zappa Photo

” What a Hell,  Frank Zappa is doing in a  ZEN  blog ? “

It was rather unexpected turn of the situation.

Since one of my great  friend artist, Wayne Chisnall mentioned this blog and me as a photographer in his

blog spot,  it became necessary to explain about my photography. (—–of strange kind  :-))

Frank Zappa and me on the live stage (Copyright reserved/ 2009/ Yoshi Imamura )

The photo above was taken by my hand made camera called Yoshi-handy,  with

17mm fish-eye lens attached on the 6 x 6 film format, hence it create whole circular image.

(On this photo above, the lens attached was Nikon Fish-eye 16mm of which the Lens-hood was removed)

——As Zappa was so intrigued by this camera and its effect, he asked me to produce as

strange as possible photos.  —– And this is it.

When I was young, my interest was the nature. Close-up

photography was the essential tool and to do it I needed

to improvise or modify the equipments.—- If I got

to do, do it.   If I didn’t know how, learn it or try it.

If not successful try again and again.

The camera here left, the body was hack-sawed and

made the lens to tilt, enabling a focus from lens front

to infinity in one picture.—— When I modified EOS, the boss of R & D in the Canon asked me,

How I could make the camera working again ?   I answered ” If Canon can, I can do too, as

we are the same human being “.

Why not.    Ha ha ha   😀

( If you are the person who expected to see lots of photos—— Have a break, and see ” Zen in  Action”

It would be a fun ! )

Wayne’s Blog        < http://waynechisnall.blogspot.com >  or click / Associates / Wayne Chisnall