At least that is where my mind is!
Category Archives: Lomography
Wordless Wednesday – Double Exposure
Wednesday – Musing with the Oktomat
Logan has been gone to camp at Falls Creek since Monday. It seems like a long time. We are missing our gentle giant of a son.
Heather got a text from the Youth Director indicating that Logan is having a great time and the YD is really enjoying Logan’s quick sense of humor. Of course that made us feel good. We know better but we had visions of Logan being all alone and miserable in this huge camp of over seven thousand kids including well over a hundred from the group he went with to the camp.
And the sense of humor thing. We know that the Logan we see is different from the Logan his friends see. We get glimpses of the other Logan from time to time and of course we like both sides of him.
Anyways we are looking forward to the whatever Logan steps off the bus at midnight Friday here in Tulsa. We miss the guy.
He took his camera. I hope he is taking some photographs. Maybe I can post a few this weekend.
Whines, Gripes, and Thankfulness this Week.
I’ve redone this post. I dashed the original post out this morning before we started our crazy Saturday. As I thought about it, I realized how selfish I am so I’ve redone it. I’m still selfish, just a little more thankful for my blessings than what I was this morning.
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| My Favorite Tree |
It has been a frustrating week. I don’t know where to start.
First I guess is the botched execution that we had here in Oklahoma. A total fiasco from the word go and the condemned man was basically tortured to death. Many of my fellow Oklahoman’s think it was just deserts and it doesn’t bother them. There is a new line among some that executions are not supposed to be pain free. Aren’t we better than the ones we convict though? I don’t get it.
Our governor is investigating. She is a nice lady but she is going to run for re-election and she is scared to death of getting outflanked on the right.
You know something though? I’m thankful to live in Oklahoma. I have been here 28 years and I love the State and the People. They are the most generous, most down to earth people I have ever met. We’ll get through this execution fiasco.
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| My Favorite Tree’s Shadows |
On another note, I went on a business day trip to Houston this week. Made my own reservations, messed it up, all my fault, so I ended up daisy chaining on standby back to Tulsa. Kind of stressful, but hey, I love Southwest Airlines. They may herd us like cattle but the employees are helpful.
I may have been a little stressed about getting home but I’m glad that I had great home and wonderful family to come home to at the end of my journey.
And I wasn’t being sarcastic about Southwest Airlines. They gently showed me my mistake and then went to work figuring out a way to get me home. What more could I ask for?
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| My Favorite Kid |
Oh yes, we have to us OptumRx for our maintenance prescriptions. Their employees are nice but they don’t have much to work with. It took 20 minutes on the phone to get a new prescription going. I told them that it takes three weeks to get medicine to me. They denied it. So we went over the calendar.
Two days for a prescription to be entered into their system. Starting the day after they get it. So yesterday was the second, and so Tuesday the sixth they will have it in their system.
Then they call me to confirm that I want it. They call me the day after it is entered. So we are on the seventh.
Then seven to ten days to deliver. Starting the day after I confirm that I want it. So that is the eighth.
So I’ll get it maybe somewhere on the 15th to the 20th.
Yes, you are right OptumRx. It is only about two to two and a half weeks. I beg your pardon, I’m sorry.
You know, I’m just glad that I work for a company that provides insurance. I just have to do a little more planning on the online pharmacy thing. And the cost is ridiculously cheap. Three months worth of medicine for $11. Are you kidding me? Lots of people spend more than that per dose.
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| My Favorite Tempietto |
This week wasn’t so bad, it was good. Next week will be better. I’m watching you OptumRx!!
What’s irritating you this week? What are you thankful for this week.
Downtown Tulsa Oktomat
This is from my second roll on my brand new Lomography Oktomat Camera. A plastic camera that has eight lens and shoots eight shots in about two seconds on a single 35 mm frame. I’m still working my way around the camera. The above shot is of the plaza of the office building where I work. They are busy with a construction project rebuilding the plaza. I just love construction sites.
I like this skyline shot as well. I’ve noticed that the clearest sharpest picture is generally the upper left and the most faded out blurry pic is on the lower right side. I have a feeling that that is just the way it is. Part of the appeal of Lomography to me is that you there are very few adjustments to the cameras. They are literally point and shoot.
What can I say, I love arches. There is something almost spiritual and inviting about them. They are like beckoning to a quiet sacred place.
I love the stacked domino appearance of this shot of Tulsa’s Petroleum Club Building. I also like how the color changes noticeably from frame to frame. I guess that I’m easy to entertain.
I’m still learning what kind of pictures are suited to this camera. The failure rate is high.
Related articles
Donkeys versus Cows with the Lomography Oktomat Camera
I got a new Lomography camera for my birthday from Nana, the world’s greatest MIL. This one is a 35mm film camera with eight lenses. It has adjustments at all. It has a fixed focus and there are no exposure adjustments, no flash, or even really a viewfinder and is certainly not wifi compatible. To take a pic you cock it and press the button and it operates a shutter on each of the lenses over the course of two seconds. Yep, pretty useless and I think that I’m going to love it.
I shot my first role in western Oklahoma during our weekend visit there. We were out visiting cows and donkeys.
Nolan the donkey thought it pretty interesting until he figured I wasn’t going to feed it to him.
The cows were not impressed either.
Then Nolan was like, “Here is my good side.” I got a little thumb action or something in there on one frame Nolan, sorry.
And then the cows wanted me to show their good side also. Good grief, can’t those critters get along.
Thanks for the new camera Nana! She is a MIL who has a good head on her, uh hm, shoulders?
Woodward Park – Springtime Pinhole Photography Holga 135 PC
I took both Holga 135 PC Pinhole Camera and my Canon Superzoom to Woodward Park on Sunday. So I have a few shots where I got similar images from both cameras.
I had to fiddle with the exposure on the Canon for this. Of course with the pinhole camera there is no adjustment besides how long you manually open the shutter. The sculpture looks a lot better with the digital but the background is a mess. The pinhole camera “schmears” the background a little and IMHO gives the overall photo a little bit better look.
This bridge and rock stairs is kind of a draw in my opinion. I have to tell you that I like the film shot a bit better.
This shot across the water is markedly different. The water was a little ripply from the wind and the schmearing effect of the long shutter time gives the surface an ice rink kind of appearance. The people across the pond have a more mysterious appearance. The digital camera provides tons more clarity.
You know, what the heck. Can you go wrong with daffodils as a subject. I don’t think so.
So what do you think? Am I crazy for liking pinhole cameras?
Skywatch Friday – A Pinhole Sky
A view of the sky taken with a pinhole film camera, a Holga 135 PC. The camera has a 0.25 millimeter hole instead of a lens and uses 35 mm film. So it is really old school. I use an Ipod Touch App to tell me how long to hold the shutter open so there is some tech involved. I also have to use a tripod and cable release to get decent results. Which looks kind of funny overall because the camera is an inexpensive plastic contraption. But I have fun with it.
Pinhole Photography: Holga 135PC – First Roll
My MIL Nana gave me another film camera for Christmas, a Holga 135 PC. It doesn’t have a lens, it has a small hole (one fourth of a millimeter) where the lens is supposed to be. This is getting back to basics on photography. It has a manual shutter also. The shutter opens when you press the button and closes when you release it. This is because very little light gets through the pinhole and thus the shutter needs to be open for an extended time.
In bright sunlight you just open and close it as fast as you can. For shots in shade it may require up to 10 seconds. Inside shots can require a minute and a half.
(This is our dove nursery. We always get at least one dove nest here every year. Last summer I think we may have had three. Not all at the same time. We try and leave them alone and not stress them out.)
These cameras are known for making soft dreamy shots. Also, there is no focusing as it has a large depth of field.
The hard part is figuring how long to expose the film. A lot of chatter on the web about buying light meters and blah blah blah. Fortunately there is an app called PinholeMeter that I downloaded to my Ipod Touch. It uses the Touch’s camera along with the fstop and film speed to give you an exposure time. It worked great. Complicated light situations like the above are fun. I took readings on the rock wall, the shadowed glass, the wreath, the hedge, and the shadow. I got widely different exposure times so I used the wreath setting. As a result the rock got a little overexposed. It makes me appreciate all the ciphering that a digital camera does when it sets the aperture and exposure time.
(My tree shadowed on my neighbor’s wall. So you legal experts out there, who owns the shadow?)
All I need now is a “Take the Lens Cap Off” app. I took about ten shots before I realized that the lens cap was still on. Oh well.
(I love garden decorations. You don’t have to water them for one thing.)
I took the first roll of shots in and around the house just to test it and the app out a little bit. I am really pleased with the results.
(Neighbor’s willow tree. Pretty but I hate those long strings that fall in our yard. They don’t mulch very well when I mow the yard. They don’t rake up very well either.)
Of course this camera requires a tripod because of the exposure times. I am also going to get a cable release for the shutter. Anything to cut down movement of the camera is helpful.
(Old school red wheelbarrow. How do you store your wheelbarrow?)
These images were made with 400 speed film. I have now loaded it with some slower 100 speed film and will be taking it out and about a little bit.
(I see lots of opportunities for double exposures.)
I love my digital cameras but there is something about film that really gets me. The richer colors of film, the nostalgic look, I don’t know exactly what it is but I just love film. I know that film in general and pinhole cameras in particular are pains in the butt and the effort is worth it to me.
(Hey, how about a shadow selfie. Holding down the shutter.)
What did you get for Christmas? Tell us about it.
Skywatch Friday – Pretty Blue Skies and then it gets Bad.
Here is a big ole artificial tree downtown next to a temporary ice rink. I wandered over there during lunch one day to check it out and decided to take a shot with my small Nikon point and shoot. Don’t ask my why I tilted it like that. I’d have to tell you that I felt like it and that may strike some people as being a little cheeky. So don’t ask. I do promise you that I hadn’t been drinking though. Note the shadow of the tree to the left. I’m telling you that for a reason, so take note of it, please.
So then I went to the other side of the tree and using one of my plastic film cameras, the Lomography La Sardina I took another pic. Note that the shadow of the tree is to the right. Got it?
So, then I thought, “What can I do with this tree?” So I went and stood in the shadow of the tree and took a picture of the tree with my film camera so that the sun was behind the tree. Then, without advancing the film, I turned turned the camera ninety degrees and took a pic of some ornamental grass nearby. So I got a double exposure of the grass on the tree.
Just what you always wanted right, a brown tree. Boy, I can tell you can’t wait until you see my next invention. You have to admit that the sky in the first pic was pretty.
Okay, well check the link below and check out some Skywatch Photographs posted by people who actually know what they are doing.