Category: Slice of Life

A scene

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"Alice & Cheshire Cat" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Alice & Cheshire Cat” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！ Hello, how’s it going?

So, today’s photo is a little scene I created from stuff that is on my desk in the home office. It looks like a scene out of Alice and Wonderland, doesn’t it? But you probably recognize the cat as the catbus from “My Neighbor Totoro”. This particular catbus is a little fridge magnet, but I have it attached to an old Suntory beer can, which I have had for 25 year or so.

I took a few different pics of this scene, some in black and white, but I thought the color version looked better. I used the Fujifilm “Classic Chrome” film simulation, with no extra in-camera adjustments, but in Lightroom I applied the same presets as my previous photos, and I kept the original crop. I love the Classic Chrome colors… they look so cool! The Fujifilm film simulations are so beautiful… Velvia is awesome, Provia is good all-around, and of course the black and white simulations are so versatile. I think the simulations are my favorite feature of the Fujifilm cameras.

You know, it’s fun to set up little scenes like this photo although I rarely do it. I guess because I don’t have too many toys and also probably because I lack that type of creativity. Or maybe I am just lazy! At any rate, I hope you enjoy the photo. 😄

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Homework time

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"The Hermit of Homework" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO1250
 “The Hermit of Homework” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！ Hello! How’s it going?

There’s not a whole lot going on today, so I’ll just talk a little about the photo above. It’s of my son Koa working on his Japanese homework, while wearing a blanket over his head. He actually reminds me of a Jedi, or maybe Yoda. I took this photo using Fujifilm’s black and white + yellow filter film simulation, +2 shadows, -1/3 exposure, and dropped the exposure even more in Lightroom, added a strong vignette, adjusted curves a bit, added some grain, and cropped 4×5. I liked the look of this one, so I saved the settings to a pre-set, which I applied to the photo below. I think it came out nicely!

"Kitty!" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/550 sec, ISO800
 “Kitty!” Cedar Park, 2016

I might have found a nice black and white look that I’ll see if I can replicate in the future.

I hope you had a nice day, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Vin’s last year

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We’ve been enjoying watching baseball on MLB.TV this year, thanks to T-mobile’s perk to its customers. It’s so great to be able to see all of the Dodger games live, and to hear Vin Scully call the game. But the other day when we were watching, I started thinking about how different Dodger baseball will be starting next year after Vin Scully retires.

For all my life (and pretty much all Dodger fans), I’ve listened to Vin call the games… and I am of the generation that will remember sitting in Dodger Stadium, hearing Vin’s voice filling the air from all the transistor radios that people would bring to the game. It was quite an auditory spectacle, and something that ended when scoreboards got more elaborate and transistor radios became less common. I’m so happy to have experienced that period of history!

There were three magical things about a game at Dodger Stadium for me. Hearing Vin’s voice over the radios, listening to Nancy Bea Hefley/Helen Dell playing the organ, and eating Farmer John Dodger Dogs. Sadly, only the Dodger Dogs will be left after this year is over.

It’s going to be very odd knowing that Vin will not be calling any more games, but I am glad we all got to enjoy many, many years of his amazing work.

Dinner and a movie

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"Blog Photos" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/80 sec, ISO800
 “Blog Photos” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！ How’s it going?

This evening we had a couple of friends over for dinner and to play with our kitties. After we ate, we decided to watch a movie – Hentai Kamen. It is a crazy flick! Basically, the main character of the movie is a pervert superhero. He’s normally a goofy high-school student, but when he puts panties over his head, he transforms into a hero with special powers. I know… really weird and silly, but it was a fun movie. We laughed a lot, although I think it went on a little bit too long.

It was nice to hang out with our friends, enjoy some yummy food, and have a few drinks together. I made a couple rounds of homemade margaritas, which were delicious. It’s a very simple recipe – just Cointreau, tequila, and lime juice. Basic but yummy. 🍸

Today’s photo is of my wife taking her own photos of some of the food she has prepared for this week. She’s working hard on her own blog and starting to make some money. 😄

Have a good evening!

おやすみなさい！

– バロン Barron Fujimoto

Hot and humid

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"Moody Clouds" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/6.4, 1/2500 sec, ISO800
 “Moody Clouds” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！ Hello, how are you?

Today was a hot and humid Sunday, and we stayed in most of the day. However, Mariko and I did a little yardwork – planting some goya seedlings that we received from our friends. It was crazy because there were so many mosquitoes buzzing around… I was covered up in long pants, a jacket and hat, and I still got bit a few times. Ack!

Most of the rest of the day was spent lazily doing housework and then we watched some baseball, drank margaritas, ate homemade enchiladas, and watched even more baseball. Our Dodgers were locked in a 5-5 tie into the 17th inning, until they finally won. What a marathon game! ⚾️

It was a nice weekend for us, and the kids are happy because they have tomorrow off from school as well. Too bad I have to work…

Today’s photo is of the clouds this afternoon. ☁️ I took it when I went to the Mexican market to buy some limes and Central American-style sour cream for our enchiladas. Once again I used the black & white + yellow filter, with +2 shadows. In Lightroom, I bumped up the contrast even more, especially on the left side of the histogram, and applied a strong vignette. I forgot to add any grain, however… woops! 😛

I hope you had a good day!

おやすみなさい！ – B Barron Fujimoto