Konica C35 & Fujifilm Superia X-tra 400

So I got a Konica C35 off my buddy Dave Lam (@lamlux on twitter) and took a long time before I even loaded it with film. Reason I got this was I had never shot a rangefinder camera before and it seemed like the best chance to do so. I took it with me when I was shooting my RX 100 and took some shots between shots, my favorite being the capture of the fisherman, which I scanned and converted into black and white..

Anyhow, with my Sony NEX 7 sold, I dug up (what may have been expired) iso 400 Fuji film I had gotten at Walgreens about a year or so ago. It came full circle since I had it developed there, and I think the person who developed it was new, as a few frames had deep scratches.. and some pictures had a red tone to them it may be from my inexperience scanning or who knows what reason.

 Anyways here are a few of the shots....

Seascapes with the RX100

It's been a while since I've been able to go do what I love doing best (aside from being a dad that is) and get to the ocean and make some images. I felt out of sync, but at peace. I also felt like I was missing something, and I was... my camera and my wide angle lens... they're gone, sold...and I'm waiting for my new camera to be released, and sent to me.  So I brought a different kit out with me to the ocean side this time.

Tripod, Blower, 2 x Lens Pens, Konica C35 w/ Fuji Film, Sony RX-100 with filter adapter, 2 extra batteries, 2 SD cards (didn't even fill 1), Patriots winter hat (didn't end up needing it), gloves that totally saved my hands, Fotga Variable ND slim (sucks), and my B+W ND filter

While still a decent kit, it just wasn't what I was used to working with, though it is pretty fun to have something different to play with every once in a while as using the same gear, method and technique can get a little bit stale.

In between grabbing some shots with the RX-100 setup, I pulled out the Konica C35 and snapped some photos. There is a few shots left in the camera since location 2 of this outing failed tremendously and sunset was missed. So there might just be another post with some shots from the Konica very soon.

Thanks for looking, if you like my work please leave a comment, share my link or check out my available prints!


Print of the black and white image is available at my store!! http://society6.com/JoshSouzaPhotos/Seascape-9_Print

Dear Digital M-Mount WA RF Users

Dear M-Mount RF Lens User,

    You were likely recently excited to hear the announcement of a Full Frame sensored mirrorless camera being released from Sony. You were likely so excited that you not only jumped for joy you likely took out your credit card and pre ordered this bad boy.  Can't blame you, I did too.. hell I even sold all my APS-C camera gear to cover the cost of the body, it's the jump I've been waiting to make, and this seemed like the best time to do it.

   This was likely before all the reports starting coming back that a lot of wide angled range finder lenses are just not working very well on these cameras, particularly the 36 mp A7r that lacks the AA filter.  This has caused massive moaning and groaning all over the internet (hey I'm upset too, I'd love to use some of these lenses), and frankly I'm sick of it. Ya ya ya... I know don't read it...pass by it and ignore it, but it baffles me that you think Sony would focus on making your old glass work (that they don't actually sell themselves) instead of focusing on how well their expensive Zeiss lenses work.

Adapting lenses past the A-Mount for an E-Mount camera is just an added bonus of awesomeness, and you should be happy such a versatile camera even exists. My suggestion to you is if you want a camera that works well with these lenses that aren't adapting well is 1. Beg Leica to stop charging $9,000 for digital cameras and design one that works perfect with them or 2. Shoot a film camera the lens was made for.

The conclusion is: This camera wasn't made for your specific manual lens needs, and may not be the camera for you.

Sincerely,
       Sick of hearing you bitch about it.

Polaroids in Newport, RI

 

    Every once in a while it can be fun to lug around some extra gear to play with while out taking photos. This last time I went out to Newport with a great photographer friend +Ryan Silva  and I decided to bring along my Polaroid Colorpack 2 to shoot a few shots with while doing some long exposures.  Now let me be clear, I'm pretty bad at guesstimating the distances with these things, as well as using this scanner... they all end up crooked or covered in dust & gunk.. don't hate me!!! This is just for fun.

...and as a bonus, this is what I was doing while I was there not goofing off with the Polaroid.

A print of this is available @ my webstore : http://society6.com/JoshSouzaPhotos/Seascape-Z0m_Print


If you like what I do, this post... or hate it, feel free to drop a comment!

Finding Time & Motivation

Finding time to do what you love can be difficult, 2013 has particularly not been nice to me in that regard. I won't get into specifics, but I have only been able to shoot a small fraction of the amount that I would like too... frankly, I'd love to shoot everyday. I am not a professional, I do not make a living taking photographs, and my time is that of most enthusiasts or "weekend warriors" and sometimes less. Family aside (they're #1, as they should be and will always be) photography and making images is when I'm at my happiest.

So for most of this year, I've been trying to make images when free time, inspiration and motivation align.  If you are like me, with the lack of free time, the 2 other parts, inspiration and motivation may also be difficult for you to find, or at least it is for me.  I haven't figured this all out, finding time to shoot, finding motivation and inspiration... it comes and it goes, but I think I'm getting better at it and maybe this post can help you.

OK, so on to the important stuff.

• Figure out what you want to shoot... macro, landscape, portraits..etc... and then acquire what ever necessary equipment that would be needed to accomplish these images. Don't over think it though, and go basic.
• Set up a game plan for accomplishing goals. If you want to do landscape photography use Flickr, Google Maps, Google Earth and other similar methods to get a feel for a location. Find a bunch, then create a document that has the location name, distance from your city and what you'll be shooting there when you arrive. So if you have 3 hours of free time fall in your lap during the evening and you can get out for a sunset, you know what is in reach of the amount of time you have. These same ideas can be put towards other styles of shooting as well.
• Finding motivation... a tough one, this is how I'm trying to motivate myself, and this may or may not work for you. I'm currently finding photography exhibitions and working on completing entries for them. Some are in my comfort zone and submissions are made with past and present photos, others are a new challenge for me. I may not get to submit to them all, but I'm trying..and looking at the list daily is making me want to get it done. If that isn't your cup of tea, maybe post on your blog or social media site that you are going to post "street photos from Boston" this month, and give yourself 30 days to get it done, the next month it could be "I'm going to take street portraits in Providence" ....these proclamations will hopefully get the gears turning and get you out to do what you want to do.

 

  


If time fails you, or you choose to do something else and it doesn't work out for you, don't fret, take an hour here and there and open up your old photo catalog on Lightroom or whatever software you use and pull up some old images. One of the coolest things is seeing how much you progress in your image making and photo editing... sometimes fresh eyes find new life in old images as well, and your own photos may be what actually inspires you.

Boston with the RX-100

Boston is one of my absolute favorite places to just be able to walk around and enjoy the day, specially early in spring when everyone is excited to get out of the house after a long cold winter. This particular outing was a bit different, being after the Boston Marathon bombing it was good to see the city alive, vibrant as ever with smiling faces enjoying the sun.

Normally I shoot with a Sony NEX-7, though this time I had sent it in to have the grips fixed and with the arrival of my new pocket camera the Sony RX-100, I figured instead of bringing the back up NEX-5, I'd go with the point and shoot. Now I'm not going to do a review here of this camera, but it is one hell of a little piece of hardware. Steve Huff RX-100 Review if you want to read more about it.

If you enjoy my blog / photos feel free to leave some comments or whatever else.