How to be happy when there's nothing really to be happy about (playing w/ camera

[S21FOLGORE]

I am moving...so I can't make videos right now. (most likely it will be after April 1st that I will start making videos again.)

Moving by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Found a place in Greenbrae. Much closer to work & the garage (San Rafael).
Moving sucks, however... (well, it's my fault. I just have way too much toys).

Also, the new job just started.(Food photos are for testing / our dinner. The place is going to open tomorrow (Thursday).)

Dinner_1 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Dinner_2 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Dinner_3 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

[S21FOLGORE]

The picture may be too small ...

SL2-S by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

... and the logo on the front of EVF is all blacked out, you can't read it...

...but the red dot is still visible...

I went to Seawood photo in San Rafael, Tuesday (my day off).
Sold my 1st gen. Sony ZV-1, and came back home with this.

Test shot this morning (with vintage Canon FD 50mm f1.4, which is the most used lens, by me).

tail gate by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Rear window by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

front-3 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

front-2 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

C:20 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

front-1 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Ammp cams by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

[S21FOLGORE]

1956 Chevrolet One Fifty

I found this while walking around(with a camera) near the house, yesterday evening.

1956 Chevrolet One Fifty-front-2 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

I wasn't planning anything. Didn't know what I'd find. So, I only had one lens ...

1956 Chevrolet One Fifty-front by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Yup. You guessed it. Vintage Canon FD 50mm f1,4....

1956 Chevrolet One Fifty-rear by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

...mounted on Leica SL2-S, which is quickly becoming my favorite body.

1956 Chevrolet One Fifty-driver's seat by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

I also took some videos. (Still working on it on FCPX. Hopefully I will finish it by the end of today.)

Switching from still photos to video, then back to still, this body is the easiest (most intuitive), fastest (most efficient), even someone like myself who's one of the most clumsy photo / video hybrid shooter, can do it without screwing things up.

[S21FOLGORE]

So I made a paracord wrist strap for my Leica SL2-S, a little while ago.



DSCF3342 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

DSCF3341 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

DSCF3337 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Inspired by Sean Flynn's Leica M2, with improvised paracord + hand grenade safety pin wrist strap.
Design based on Mad Max Fury Road paracord bracelet.
15 minutes to make, cost $0.

BTW, between the 2nd and the last (3rd) photo, which one works better, for the purpose of "showing (explaining ) the wrist strap" ?

[LMT]

second

[S21FOLGORE]

Dummy battery for Leica SL2-S

It's so obnoxiously expensive. Plus, there are some info on social media floating around which only help to confuse people even more.So, a lot of people hesitate, partly because of the price, partly because of the social media.
So I made this video.



Also, the video shows how I take photos of myself, without using self timer.

[S21FOLGORE]

second

Thanks for the input.
So what makes you think the second picture works better?

[LMT]

The blurred background lets the eye focus on the lanyard.

[S21FOLGORE]

Took some photos and video today, with SIRUI 75mm Venus.

Video editing will take a while. (Not going to finish it in just one night.)
But, I did edit some photos.

Color graded with LUT.
HORSES-1 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr


SOOC image looks like this.
HORSES-SOOC by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

After color grading
HORSES-2 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Before (SOOC image)
HORSES-2-SOOC by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

What I had in mind, while doing the color grading, was "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969)".
No, I didn't do color grading while looking at the screenshot of the movie.
It's too crisp, too "digital" look, if you have a screenshot image of a '69 movie.

I kind of wonder, maybe SOOC image of "HORSES-2" is better than the color graded version...
(Yes, it is "slightly" over exposed, but, it was a mid day afternoon, in a blight, sunny day. Without Oakley Si-M frame with dark gray lens, it would have looked more like SOOC image...to the naked eyes.)

[S21FOLGORE]

Back to vintage Canon FD, again.

FD300mmL by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

This time, it's 300mm f2.8 "L".
(I think this is my third FD-L lens.)

Shot entirely yesterday.
I knew it's going to rain.
But, I had to try it outside.
Took it with me, went to my friend's workshop to get my MacBookPro repaired.

On the way back home, I stopped and tried quick test shots.

FD300mmf.28L-1 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Sure enough, it started raining, but I did take some photos and video.

By the time I returned home, it was raining heavily.

I decided to do some "focus breathing" test.
It does breath, but, because out of focus area goes complete blur very quickly once point of focus moves away, it's less obvious, then, say...50mmf1.4. (I think. I need to try outside, when the weather is good.)
You can see the set up in the video, including how I recorded "rain drop" sound.

I can shoot still photos handheld.
But, it makes focusing a little bit more difficult because the image in the view finder keeps shaking.

For video, I need a mono-pod or tripod.

[S21FOLGORE]

Shooting deer in the backyard (but with 75mm T2.9, instead of 30-06)

Red October-crop by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

So, I was working on my Ducati Monster S4R this afternoon, in my garage in San Rafael.
I decided to get back home before it gets dark. (It takes tad less than 20 minutes.)
Partly because I didn't want to drive through evening traffic, going through Fairfax.
And partly because I skipped lunch.
(I shopped at Trader Joe's, did some grocery shopping before getting to the garage, planning to eat over there, but I didn't. I tend to forget how much time passes by when working on the vehicle.)


I got back home, parked my Fiat500, out of the car and turned around, then, he was right there.

(The photo on top is the cropped version, with different LUT. This one is how it was originally shot.)
A deer in the yard_3 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

I had my SL2-S, but the lens that was on it was 75mm T2.9 anamorphic.
300mm FD-L was in my bedroom. There was no time to switch the lenses (I thought), so I decided to shoot with what I had.

At first, I didn't realize that I still had VND ...
deer+anamorphic flare by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

Quickly removed VND, cranking up ISO...

A deer in the yard by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr


A deer in the yard_4 by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr

... I was (vaguely) thinking about buying a film camera, but, I just realized that for what I do (most of the time), digital works far better...(Most of my shooting is unplanned, often at the time sun goes down (quickly loosing light while taking photos). Digital is far more flexible. I can change ISO as it gets darker and darker. And I can bring the shadows up in the post.)

[S21FOLGORE]

S4R-Minolta_Rokkor by S21Folgore_2, on Flickr


Shot with vintage Minolta Rokkor (MC-3) 50mmf1.4


Also, made a quick video (with deer photo/video).