Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO500 “Desk Setup” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。Today was a sketching day for me as I took inspiration from the Eguchi Hisashi book I bought yesterday. I decided to draw from a photo so I found a pic of one of my favorite actresses, Tao Tsuchiya, and started sketching on paper. When I had the outlines done, I scanned it into the computer and traced it out in Adobe Illustrator.
I learned a bunch of new techniques in Illustrator, including the pencil tool, the smoothing tool, and how to save and reuse variable widths for strokes. That makes things so much easier! It’s pretty quick to create art using the Wacom tablet and the pencil tool, which you can adjust to make super-smooth strokes, and this technique is a lot more fun than using the old pen tool and mouse combination. I guess old dogs (like me) can learn new tricks! 😀
I like how the sketch turned out. Although the drawing started out as Tao-chan, I kind of just adjusted it how I saw fit while looking at the Eguchi book for reference. I really love his art style, especially the simplicity and flat colors. I feel like I want to draw more like that in the future. It’s a lot of fun too!
“Finished Drawing” Cedar Park, 2018
To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.
I’m really excited because the Japanese bookseller Kinokuniya finally opened their store here in Austin! It’s soft opening week so the shelves are not fully stocked, but there was plenty to look at and buy. I was hoping they would have a good selection of stationery there, and I was not disappointed. In fact, the selection of notebooks and paper exceeded my expectations by a huge margin! 😁
Right at the entrance to the store is a display with Traveler’s Notebooks, refill paper, and accessories. I was like, whoa, did not expect this! In fact, it was my first time to see Traveler’s Co. goods in a physical store. Next, it was time to check out the pens, of which they also have a nice selection. They are fully stocked with Pilot Kakunos, of all colors and nib sizes! Of course, they have a great selection of notebooks too, and loose writing papers and envelopes. It’s so awesome! Austin really needed a good stationery store… it’s been long overdue.
While the store doesn’t have their full stock of magazines on the shelves yet, they do have a big variety of art and illustration books. I saw a book by one of my favorite artists, Ilya Kuvshinov, but I opted for Step by Eguchi Hisashi. It’s so awesome! I was not familiar with his work, but just flipping through the book in the store, I knew I had to have it. He is a master of the kind of style I want to create. I mean, just check out these fantastic illustrations for Honda:
I found an excellent video about Eguchi Hisashi on YouTube… check it out if you have a few minutes. It’s really inspiring to me, and interesting because Eguchi talks about some Tokyo neighborhoods that I am familiar with. It also fascinates me that he draws females in the style NOT of women he finds attractive, but in the style of how he sees himself if he were born female. I’m still trying to understand what that means, but I feel like maybe I also want to draw like that.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/6.4, 1/6 sec, ISO3200 “Digital and Film” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。
Today’s photo is of my favorite digital camera and my favorite film camera. I’ve seen quite a few videos about shooting film, and there’s a general revival of film photography happening. It’s pretty cool! I guess all the younger photographers who grew up with digital are discovering film. I think it’s great.
I love my old film cameras and had so much fun shooting with them. Because I learned photography by shooting film, they hold a special place for me, and each of my film cameras has certain sentimental value. Actually, that’s not true. I have a few that I acquired later on that I don’t have any real attachment too, and I should probably donate those. But my Minolta X-700, α507si, Nikon F, Holga 120, and Olympus XA are keepers!
That said, I don’t see myself shooting film in the future. I just think the advantages of digital are so great that the charm of film cannot overcome them. The combination of digital and Lightroom allows me to create the photographic style I like, plus the speed of processing that I require to post to my blog every day requires a digital camera. As much as I enjoyed shooting film, it’s simply a hassle to develop the film.
I guess for me it’s also a case of “been there, done that”. But for the younger photo-enthusiasts, it’s a whole new world to explore, and that is wonderful. I get excited thinking that they might be experiencing that same magic of discovery that I experienced when I learned how to develop film and make prints in the dark room. It was a great time. I honestly feel that film is something you have to try out at some point as a photographer because it is an important part of photography that still exists and it’ll be an itch that you’ll have to scratch, or it will stay at the back of your mind and drive you crazy.
Anyways, I will hold on to my precious film cameras and maybe someday my sons or even grandkids might want to use them to shoot some film. 😀
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/70 sec, ISO3200 “No…” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going today?
So I’ve been using my Passport-size Traveler’s Notebook for almost a year now, and I still enjoy it, but I realize that it’s a little limiting. Basically, it’s great for taking notes, but it’s a bit small for sketching. I think it’s difficult because the pages don’t lie as flat as I’d like.
However, I don’t like big, thick sketchbooks either. My preferred size is A5, with spiral binding, and no more than a centimeter thick. The Muji notebooks I bought a few years ago are perfect. I use the dot-grid version for general note-taking both for personal stuff and for work stuff (I have one notebook for each). The paper is smooth and fountain pen ink looks great on it. It’s also nice for sketching!
I’m pretty excited because we’re going to the Muji store in NYC this summer so I can stock up!
I’ve been looking at that Roterfaden A5 notebook and it seems like a perfect solution, but I can’t justify spending that much money on it. I’m sure there’s a cheaper A5 alternative out there that I can use. I just need to do some research! In the meantime, I’ll use my Muji notebooks.
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Today’s photo is a sketch I did in my Traveler’s Notebook. I just drew on an old page that I had written on before. Can you guess what those words mean?
To see all the sketches I’ve been working on, you can check out the Flickr album “My Sketching Journey”, or my Instagram account barron.sketches which I created just for posting sketches, watercolors, and stationery items.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/3.2, 1/30 sec, ISO3200 “Used Camera” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
I was thinking about a topic I heard discussed on photography podcasts. It’s basically the question of during special life moments, such as your child’s dance recital or school play, if you should stay behind your camera taking photos, or if you should put down the camera and simply take in the experience with nothing in your way of your senses. It can be difficult because as photo enthusiasts – we love taking photos and want to get that perfect shot.
There are valid arguments to be made for both sides of the debate. On one hand, it’s nice to have photos/video to relive and share the moment, but on the other hand, you aren’t fully in the moment and experiencing life if you are looking through the viewfinder or at the rear screen of your camera. The question is, does the camera enhance your life, or does it get in the way of it?
My opinion is that I think that a happy medium can easily be achieved and you can have the best of both worlds! The keys that I have found work for me are:
Know your camera inside and out – You don’t want to waste time fumbling with settings. And set up your camera before the event starts. It’s no fun trying to tweak settings in the dark!
Think like an event photographer – Have a shot list in mind. Maybe not a written list, but think of the “must have shots” that you need to capture. Once you take care of those, then put down the camera and enjoy the moment. Keep in mind that for most events, the photos you take at the beginning of the performance will look the same as any other part, so no need to have the camera at your eye the whole time. Just be ready for the recognition and bowing at the end of performances. Again, take the photo, then put the camera down and join in the applause!
Automate it – If you want to take video, bring a tripod and set it up beforehand. Then just hit the record, turn off the LCD if possible, and forget about it.
Anyways, those are my tips that I’ve gathered from shooting both student events and corporate events. I hope this helps you “stay in the moment”!
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Today’s photos are of my beloved camera (yet again!). 😄 I have a couple trips coming up, and I am taking my Fujifilm X100T with me as my main camera (with my phone being a backup). There was a time in my life when I would spend a lot of time thinking about what camera gear to bring on vacations, but ever since I bought my X100T, it’s the only camera I want or need. Just the thought of lugging around a heavy DSLR and a few lenses makes me shudder… when I used to carry all the gear it was not fun and definitely made “staying in the moment” more difficult.
You know, a life with less can be a good thing, especially in photography!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 35mm, f/3.2, 1/40 sec, ISO3200 “Fujifilm X100T” Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO400 “Chemical Warfare” Cedar Park, 2018
こんばんは。How’s it going?
The weather here in central Texas has gotten warmer which is nice, but the mosquito season seems to have started early. ☹️
But this year, we have a couple new weapons in our arsenal to fight those pesky bugs. We just received a Hoont mosquito trap, which is simply a UV light and fan. The idea is that the flying insects will be attracted to the light, and when they fly up to it, they get sucked down by the fan into a receptacle below. They won’t be able to escape and eventually will dry out and die. I’m not sure how effective it is indoors, but the light looks pretty cool:
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/75 sec, ISO3200 “It’s a Trap” Cedar Park, 2018
The fan isn’t too loud, but it is noticeable. It’s something you can definitely get used to though – sort of like white noise.
People say it works great outdoors, and we put it out on our deck for a couple days and I can report that it did catch a bunch of moths, mosquitos, and other critters. The manufacturer says that if you keep it running for a few days, you’ll have a mosquito-free yard. I’m not sure about that, but I’m willing to give it try. The only thing I haven’t figured out is the best way to clean out the trap since the recently-trapped bugs will still be alive. I guess we just keep the thing on all the time? 🤷♂️
Next up is a Japanese toxic mist “おすだけベープ” (photo at the top of this post) that Mariko bought. One pump of this small bottle will fumigate a room. It looks like a mini air freshener bottle and smells like air freshener as well, but it’s deceptively powerful. I was skeptical of its effectiveness at first, but last night I trapped a mosquito in the home office, then sprayed one quick mist of this stuff into the room, and when I came back about 15 minutes later, the mosquito was in a world of hurt. I know this because it was on my desk, on its back, legs twitching! It was awesome! I have no doubt about it’s killing power. However, because it is so effective, I don’t think you should stay near the mist, even though it smells so good.
But because we do get bit occasionally, we have a couple techniques we use to get through the itchiness. The first is the hot spoon technique, which I talked about in a previous post. But last year we bought a Zap-It! device which uses the same principle, but is much more convenient. It’s basically a micro-stun-gun in that you position the Zap-It! over the mosquito bite, then press the button and it creates a little electric charge and shock. Do this several times all around the bite, and you will be itch-free for a few hours.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO800 “Quick Relief” Cedar Park, 2018
It’s not as long-lasting as the spoon technique, but the tiny battery-free Zap-It! device is so convenient that it’s our first choice in itch relief. Plus, it is very inexpensive! Makes a great gift. 😆
I hope today’s post was informative and helpful! It might be difficult to find the おすだけベープ spray here in the States, but definitely order a Zap-It! or two. And it comes with a keyring, so you can keep it with you at all times. 😀
I hope you had a nice day!
またね～
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My camera & photos
I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
