Tag: photography

Photography-related posts. I talk about inspiration, settings, gear, other photographers, etc.

Good enough

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I posted the photo below to my Instagram account and it got me thinking about why I pared down the amount of camera gear I use. It’s kind of a shift in thinking for me that has taken place the last year. I am now completely satisfied with “good enough”.

"My 2016 Camera Kit" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 26.5mm, f/6.4, 1/55 sec, ISO3200
 “My 2016 Camera Kit” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

I have already blogged a bit about the benefits of simplifying the amount of camera gear I use, but one of the reasons why I can do it (and still be happy) is that the cameras in the photo are “good enough” for what I want to photograph. Specifically, the size of the images is more than enough for me. When I was using my Konica-Minolta 7D DSLR, I was already satisifed with 6 megapixels! My wishlist for future cameras just included low-light sensitivity.

When I upgraded to the Sony A77, the 24 megapixel images were huge, especially when I started shooting RAW! I realize now that it was overkill for my shooting style. And that is the important part… each person’s shooting style should dictate what camera they should use. For instance, I don’t shoot sports so I don’t have need for high-frame-rates. My X100T can shoot at 6 FPS which is “good enough”. I do not photograph wildlife or birds so I do not need a long telephoto lens. If I need to get closer, I have my legs. That is “good enough”. My photos will not be used on billboards so I do not need a 50 megapixel sensor. My cameras have 16 and 12 megapixels. And that is more than “good enough”.

So, what is the benefit of settling for “good enough”? Well, in the case of the camera, I am no longer suffering from “GAS” which stand for “Gear Acquisition Syndrome”. I don’t need to think about upgrading any longer. Sure, it is still fun to see the new cameras and technological advances, but now all of these new things do not have the pull on me that they once did. I actually think to myself how nice it is to NOT have the desire for the newest gear. I really feels great! And it is nice for my wallet too!

So now that I have experienced that with my camera gear, I am trying to think of how to apply the “good enough” philosophy to the rest of my life. I haven’t thought too much about it yet, but I am excited to see what unfolds.

I believe everyone should think about what is “good enough” for themselves, and not worry about maximizing on everything. Just use what makes you happy, then let go of the desire to buy more stuff. Enjoy what you have!

Printing photos

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"Prints" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO1600
 “Prints” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

こんばんは！Hi everyone.

It’s Sunday night and I am sad the weekend is almost over. My kids have a holiday tomorrow so they can relax one more day. Lucky them!

Today I printed a few photos using our inkjet printer. I’ve been having a lot of fun with my Instax printer and have neglected the regular inkjet, but the inkjet makes some really lovely prints. The color, sharpness and vibrance is much better than the Instax prints, but the instant film has a lot more charm. I like them both! We have an inexpensive Canon PIXMA MG7120 which is really convenient, but the Canon ink is expensive. I recently bought some Skia Ink Cartridges which were rated pretty good, and the prints I made today (in the photo above) came out great! I have asked Mariko to look for some nice frames for the 4×6 size so we can display them. You know, it’s convenient to view the digital photos online, but a real print or instax/polaroid that you can hold in your hand is a much richer experience IMHO.

Well, that’s it for now. I need to get some good rest tonight because it is going to be a busy work week!

おやすみなさい！Take care and stay warm!

-B

Blue shutter release

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"Blue Shutter Release" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/125 sec, ISO1000
 “Blue Shutter Release” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

こんばんは！How are you doing? I’m well, although I have developed a cold sore on my lip. It’s been several years since I’ve had one, so it was a surprise this morning!

Today’s photo is of a nice shiny blue “Blue Metal Soft Release” that I purchased for my X100T. I have a convex black soft shutter release, but I thought this blue one might look nice on my black camera and since it was only about $5 I figured I would give it a try. The quality and the color of the button is nice, but it is a little too small for the X100T… and also I think the black button I have on it now looks better. So I put the blue button on my wife’s X-T10, and I think it looks great! It also matches the size of the X-T10’s release mechanism almost perfectly! Happily, my wife also likes it and so I have put a little Loctite on it to secure the button onto the threads.

By the way, in an earlier post, I explained that I was going to start using a “Personal Documentary” category to designate my posts with the daily photos. But it turns out that I am also posting daily (or nightly) and including the photo, so I am not sure the separate category is needed. Therefore, I have removed the “Personal Documentary” category. I have been including my daily posts in the “Slice of Life” category in case you are keeping score.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that this has been a tough week in which both David Bowie and Alan Rickman have died. I’ve been a Bowie fan since high school (I remember listening to Changesonebowie in my room with a bunch of friends one night), and I saw him in 1983 during his Serious Moonlight tour. What an amazing show. And I’ve admired Alan Rickman’s acting, specifically his portrayal of Severus Snape. He really stole the show in the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, didn’t he?

On that note, I will end this post. I hope you have a great Friday!

おやすみなさい！

-バロン

X100T Viewfinder Position

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Just a quick note – one thing I love about the Fujifilm X100T is that the viewfinder is on the left side of the camera. Because I use my right eye to compose photos, this means my nose doesn’t hit the LCD screen of the camera. On my DSLR, with the viewfinder in the center of the camera, my nose would leave grease-marks on the LCD all the time. Just another reason I like the rangefinder-style design of the X100 series!

At home and Instax

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Hi everyone! How are you this evening, morning, or afternoon? I’m doing well, although my back hurts a little bit. Luckily it is not serious, and not one of those inner muscles. So I think a good night’s rest will set things back in order. 😊

"Kasumi Arimura Instax" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5, 1/125 sec, ISO3200
 “Kasumi Arimura Instax” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

I’ve been going a little crazy printing out from the Instax SP-1 lately. I’ve gone through my Flickr photos a bit and selected a bunch to print out – I have 22 photos in the queue! It’s so fun to fill up the album. I don’t have one specific subject to print out… I print all kinds. From family photos, pet photos, landscapes, black & white, you name it! I also print out photos of my favorite celebrities such as the one above of Kasumi Arimura. I watched the movie “Flying Colors” and enjoyed it quite a bit, and also thought she was great in “Amachan”. So, why not make an Instax print? The photo is now a bookmark for one of the many books I am currently reading (and never seem to finish).

My Instax album can hold 108 photos and I think I have printed about 50 so far, giving away 10 or so. It’s funny that this little printer and the photos it produces has been so fun. I am still trying to figure out exactly what the appeal is and how it fits in with my photography hobby. Maybe I shouldn’t think about it too hard and just enjoy the experience?

Well, I hope your Wednesday was enjoyable!

おやすみなさい！

バロン

Daily Photos

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Hi! I hope you had a nice start to the new year! We had a very relaxing one, just eating osechi (Japanese new years food) and watching movies.

Lately I have been reading about photography projects, and the one that caught my attention is something like a “personal documentary”. I guess it is sort of like a recording of my own daily life… just normal things that we take for granted, but if we give them attention, they can become important things. Or another way to look at it is that in 50 years, these things might be of interest. I don’t know if this is true, but I really enjoy viewing these types of photos.

So, I think 2016 will be the start of mine. I am not sure if I will take a photo every day, but I’ll try. I’ve done 365 photo projects in the past so I am confident I can keep it going! I’ve started a new category in the blog named “Personal Documentary” if you’d like to sort by these photos.

This first photo is about as everyday as I can get… it’s the pen holder on my desk at home. I’ve actually had this beer can for over 20 years. I think I cut the top off of it when I was at university and have used it to hold pens ever since.

"On the Desk" USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/90 sec, ISO6400
 “On the Desk” USA. Texas. Cedar Park. 2016.

This project seems like a New Year’s Resolution, doesn’t it? Well, I rarely make resolutions, so I don’t think I can call it that but it is something I’d like to make a habit.

I hope you all have a wonderful year and give it your all!

-B

Back Home

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Hi all! How are you today/tonight?

Well, we are back home in Texas now. Today we flew on our normal route from Long Beach to Austin on JetBlue airlines. We really like flying out of Long Beach because it is a small airport and hardly any traffic or lines. Especially compared to the craziness that is LAX! But this morning’s flight was delayed by 2 hours, so we arrived in Austin at 5pm… not really too big of a deal, and waiting at the airport was ok since we had sandwiches that my mom had made for us. Also, I had time to finish The Martian! What a great book! 👍

USA. California. Long Beach. 2015.
USA. California. Long Beach. 2015.

The flight itself was pretty good, and I spent the time reading and also reviewing and deleting photos from my camera. I like to pare down the photos I keep. In the past, I would just keep every single photo, even if they were similar. I might have 8 photos that are almost exactly the same just because it didn’t cost me anything to keep more than one. But now, I really enjoy minimizing down to just the essentials. That means keeping only the best photo of a series. (I might cheat and keep two sometimes!) It’s so liberating to jettison all the extra photos right away after taking them. I feel like the longer you hold onto all those extra files, the longer they stay in your mind and clutter up your thoughts. Just choose one or two and be happy with those!

USA. 2015.
USA. 2015.

So, we made it home, but Austin is cold! Tonight will drop into the 30s again… ❄ Please take care to stay warm!

-B