I'm Not Dead!

Sorry for not posting in an absurdly long time. I had a lazy summer and senior year is busy. I still have pictures from summer buried in my SD card... Expect some of those and some film scans in a bit. I also got my first car! Her name is Svetlana and she is a 1993 Volvo 850 (854). She rocks a Fjord Blue Metallic exterior with a bold medium blue leather interior. The Volv has kind of taken over my time lately. It's too cold and wet for photography anyways, and most of my film bodies are waiting for me to buy new foam.

The 1993 model only bumpers and headlights.

Pretty sure the blue interior is also a 1993 only option.

I love the dash layout and control placement.

What a Volvo Integrated Child Booster Cushion looks like in an 850.

Olympus Rally 2011

My very first rally was the Olympus Rally in 2009. We only spectated for one day and missed one of the stages, but it was still a great experience. This year I was on a service crew for one of my father's friend's rally car. Servicing was an interesting view of what goes on 'behind-the-scenes' of a rally event.

Pentax K10D / 18-55mm

Pentax K10D / Pentax SMC-M 28\2.8

Pentax K10D / 18-55mm

Pentax K10D / 18-55mm

Pentax K10D / 18-55mm

Some B&W (and Jones Soda)

Also submitting this for the WA contest, in the special black and white section.
SuperProgram \ SMC-A 50mm f1.7

Jones Soda accepted this as a label photo! :D

My friend sent me the label! Too bad it is on a meh flavor...

Submitting these for the Washington High School photo contest.

Pentax K10D / SMC-DA 18-55mm

Pentax K10D / SMC-DA 18-55

Pentax K10D / SMC-DA 18-55mm

GTI - VR6

Here are some photos I took of my brother's car ages ago. Scanned using the same Konica-Minolta film scanner. I am pleased with the results. All are taken with a Pentax SuperProgram and probably a SMC-A 50mm f1.7.

 

Pentax SF1

Bought this camera body only for $15 locally on craigslist. The 2CR5 battery costs $15 however... I REALLY love this camera! This grip is perfect, it has a built-in 'soft release' shutter button. If Pentax could squeeze all the features of the K5 in this body I would be in heaven. I'd keep the slider controls, add another one near the shutter button for Av control, put in a DoF preview; add an AF mode switch, screen, and four-way control pad on the back and you've got a sweet, retro dSLR! Might sell my ZX-5n and keep this for my AF film camera. The -5n produces too 'perfect' of images in my opinion. I like a little bit of surprise with film. My K10D is for the perfect shots.

Off-center hot shoe for reduced red-eye and allows for a central LCD screen.

Built-in AF assist beam! In 1987!

MOAR Film

Borrowed a Konica-Minolta film scanner from my photo teacher. Much less dusty than scanning my traditional prints in a all-in-one HP.

Had some streaking issues with this roll...

From my Oregon trip.

Pike Place Market

An Edmonds Kind of Day

Pentax K10D / SMC-DA 18-55mm f3.5-5.6

Pentax K10D / Auto Sears 50m f1.7

Pentax K10D / SMC-DA 18-55mm f3.5-5.6

Pentax K10D / 18-55mm f3.5-5.6

Craigslist Frustration

This is sort-of a rant. I am really broke right now as I do not have a job. When I saw this camera/lens combo for sale locally drop from $250 to $75 I was interested. It is a minty Pentax SF1 and a SMC-F 50mm f1.7. I emailed the seller asking if they could hold it for a week so that I can allocate some cash. Two days later after no reply they repost the ad as "Body Only". I was actually getting excited over owning the first commercially successful Pentax AF camera and a nice autofocus prime lens. Better luck next time I guess.

Gum Arabic Transfer

Tried this out today in my photo class. It was interesting, I'm amazed at how much detail is still preserved in the transfer.

Transfer was based on the image on the right. (Scan of a black and white print...)

Starting the "365 Day Photo Challenge" thing that everyone is doing...

Taken with my new Pentax K10D and the kit lens. 1/365.

My dog Bailey. K10D and kit lens. 2/365.

More Photoshop.

Just some simple digital dusting, messing with levels, fixing my scans, some digital dodging. Nothing amazing. Actually new pictures might come this weekend. I have finals this week and am shooting to borrow one of my school's Nikon film scanners so I can stop having to scan darkroom prints.

Photoshop

Instead of taking some more pictures or developing my backlog of film I am just editing the old ones. These are just some basic edits as I am still a Photoshop noob. It really improved these shots as either the color was off or I was unable to crop enough when taking the picture originally. I still firmly believe that a real photographer should not rely on post-processing to make great photos, but uses it to make an average shot good.

Electricity

Light and Dark

Reflections

Borrowing My Brother's Camera

With some persuading I got him to loan me his Pentax *ist Ds to take to school for Photo Club. I have some interesting portraits also, but people probably do not want them posted...

Crow on the way to lunch.

Abstract of Christmas Trees.

My *new* Pentax Spotmatic F

It needs some work. I plan to clean it up and recover it blue or red. It came with a 85-205mm Vivitar lens. Bought it to get into M42 lenses with a camera from the era. Will probably buy the M42 adapter for my K-mounts anyways.

Shots from a Jaunt in Seattle

I took this on a trip the photo club of my school had to Seattle. I mostly did it to get out of a day of school. I believe it was in February or March of 2010...

 

Shaped Bokeh DIY Project

I was introduced to the idea of shaped apertures while researching Lensbabies. I then found this link almost six months ago. Tonight I finally made some shaped aperture cover things. The shapes of the little covers turns anything bright and out-of-focus in your image into the shape cut out. Most people do hearts.

You will need black cardstock (I only had colored...), scissors, a lens, a compass, a ruler, and a pencil.

The size of the shape/hole you cut out is dependant on the lens you use. The way to determine the size is to take your focal length and divide it by your maximum aperture. In my case I have a 50mm lens with an max. aperture of 1.7, so the hole can be no bigger than 24.4mm.

My first shape is a square, inspired by a 80s Volkswagen Jetta ad. The front of your shaped aperture cover has to be big enough to fit over your lens.

This is the square one completed and "mounted." The ugly black was my attempt to prevent light coming in the sides and ghosting. My later covers have "hoods" to cover the gap.

This is my triangle cover. As you can see the "hood" looks a lot better. This size of the "hood" is the perfect length as too long and you loose the shaped bokeh effect.

This is my asterisk cover, inspired by the meter-lock indicator of the camera it is on. The "hood" on this one is a tad too deep.

Here they are all together.