Category Archives: Lomography

Water World Wednesday – Sculpture and Pond

I took this pic back in late November before it got real cold. I took with my Diana Mini Lomography camera in the split frame mode where it puts two pics on one frame. So this pic is from one half a frame.

I just love the solitary moodiness of it, the low fidelity, the grain of the film, the whole deal. I even love it that the pile of white rocks dominates the pic and almost looks like a giant, creepy flower blossom, and the dark sculpture is obscure.

In case you were wondering what was on the other half frame:

Same park, different pond.

Why does the camera have a half frame mode? If you find out tell me and then we’ll both know. It is quirkiness like this that makes me love my collection of strange little plastic cameras.

Water World Wednesday

Lessons Learned from Lomography

(The old Amerada Hess Petroleum building. They packed up and moved to Houston in the 90’s. They left the building though. I like all the windows and the almost ceramic finish on the lower level exterior.)

Early last week before the big snow storm I grabbed my La Sardina Lomography analog camera and went for a walk around downtown. I’ve learned a few things about my cheap film cameras over the years. The first thing is that they work best on a bright sunny day. Duhh! is what you old time film photographers say, who would never leave digital. Sorry, is what I say, not everybody is as smart as you!

(This is the old YMCA on Denver Avenue. It is being repurposed into condos now. I was a member of the Y for about two weeks in the early 1990’s. The clientele was kind of rough. Subject of another post I think. This building is similar to the Amerada Hess building because of all the windows, and the ceramic like exterior on the first level. The Amerada Hess building is at the far right of the photograph.)

Second, you have to pay attention to the details because there is no “A” setting. I’ve learned on the Sardina that for single exposures I better have a 400 speed film or things will be dim. If I want to do double exposures I better use 200 film. 100 film, uh, no. Also, you have to manually focus and for goodness sake take the lens cap off. Film photography is expensive, make the most of it.

(The Tulsa County Courthouse. I’ll be visiting again to make my annual trip to pay our real estate taxes. It is across the street from the YMCA building. )

Third, you have to make yourself happy. Most people don’t understand why you are using film. Most of them happily abandoned film for digitial years ago and have never looked back and they don’t know what is wrong with you. (I’ll happily admit that a lot is wrong with me.) What of it. What can I say, I like the look and feel of the pics, I love seeing the grain of the film. Plus it is kind of like Christmas every time I pick up a roll of film. There is always some surprises and a few disappointments.

So far I have four Lomography film and three other film cameras. I hope to get another for Christmas. This one a pinhole camera. In other words no lens, just a pinhole. That’ll be fun. That’s getting down to basic.If I get it, as opposed to the lump of coal I deserve.

So that is what I’ve learned. Tuition has been kind of high. What have you learned lately?

Woodward Park Sculpture and Lomography with the Diana Mini Camera

Saturday I had a little time to myself while Logan was at his Improv Comedy class so I went to Woodward Park for a little geocaching and photography. My camera was the Lomography Diana Mini. It is a 35 mm film camera that has two modes. One of the modes is split frame where you can put two photographs on the same frame. Above are two sculptures side by side at the park.

The park has a network of trails that run through the azalea beds. I took pics of the trails ahead and behind me.

This is also a split frame mode photograph showing the mysterious funky little art deco memorial to Shakespeare. It was designed by Adah Robinson back in the 1930’s. She was an architect who is credit by some with the design of the art deco landmark, Boston Avenue Church.

The Diana Mini also has a full frame mode that is not quite full frame. It make square photographs. Did I say that the processing the camera’s film drives my Walgreens film guys either crazy or they love it? This sculpture is by Rosalind Cook of Carl Linnaeus at the entrance to the Linnaeus Teaching Gardens.

This is another sculpture by Rosalind Cook called Poems and Promises. She donated it to the city in 2010. It sits in the Anne Hathaway Herb Garden. I just love this work.

This is a closeup.

So do you still use film cameras?

Double Exposure – Appeal to the Great Spirit

This is a popular statue in Tulsa’s Woodward Park. I took my Lomography La Sardina film camera and took a shot with the sun behind the statue. I then turned 180 degrees and took a picture of the tree behind me without advancing the film. The tree image filled in the dark area of the statue. I thought it turned out pretty good.

What have you been experimenting with lately?

Taking Things One Step Too Far – Double Exposure Madness

I took my film fisheye camera to Woodward Park the other day. It was a nice bright sunshiney day which is perfect for my favorite film activity of making double exposures.

My favorite is hold my hand over the sun and snap the shutter and then without advancing the film open the shutter on something colorful like flowers. So like above I got rosey hands.

And then I get purple flower hands. It is always my left hand. I tried my right hand but the shutter button is on the wrong side to work with my left hand. I wanted to try something new so…

I shot a picture of a water fountain covering the sun and then double exposed it on some other flowers. So this is a flowery water fountain. I have to tell you that I kind of like it. It is kind of strange though because there is dirty looking water on the left side and clearer on the right. Don’t ask me why because I don’t know.

I then I tried a cedar tree in the rose garden and come up with a rose tree. By then I was in a double exposing frenzy so…

I used a cedar tree as the sun block this time and then snapped a picture of another water fountain. This one make me a little dizzy and it took a while once developed to decipher just what the heck I was looking at. This one is taking the concept a little far. I’m always doing that. I don’t feel bad about it though. Moderation in all things is rather extreme is my motto.

Do you take things a little too far every now and then?

Skywatch Friday – Rose of Sharon in the Sky

(SOOC, honest!)

Still messing with my 35mm film cameras and double exposures.

Skywatch Friday

Wordless Wednesday – A Fisheye View of Therapeutic Horseback Riding

Wordless Wednesday

The Adventures of Me and SuperPizzaBoy on our trip to the Tulsa Zoo with a Canon Canonet

It was my 9/80 day off Friday. I work 80 hours over nine days and get every other Friday off. Son, SuperPizzaBoy and I decided to take a fast trip to the Tulsa Zoo even though we had some on again/off again rains. It turned out to be perfect, the weather was cool, and the zoo was deserted. That suits both SPB and I. We are almost anti-social at times. I mean I like people but when it is crowded, the stupid people are the main ones who show up, or at least make their presence known the most. I don’t want to step on any toes in case you happen to be a stupid person. I mean stupid people don’t decide to be stupid, they are born that way. They can’t help it. Oops Sorry, I digress. And besides they were no stupid people out and about Friday morning, or at least the ones that were well were dispersed. That may be the solution for stupid people, dispersion. You know how some companies, and many present day politicians, ~~used to~~ think that the “Solution to Pollution is Dilution” well maybe it works for stupidity. Maybe not though.

I brought along the fifty year old, plus or minus/ Canon Canonet that my Dad gave me last month. It is a solid hunk of metal, glass, and not much plastic with a light sensor which sets the fstop for a given shutter speed but otherwise is manual focus, film feed, film speed setting, and almost everthing. It sure is silky smooth to operate and the shutter is so quiet that I wondered for a while if it was working. I love it. It’s a real gem.

We saw some Siamangs. I had never seen them so active out on their island. It looks like the zoo staff had put their food in the white plastic jugs strung along the rope so the animals were moving out and across fetching and eating their food.

Here is SuperPizzaBoy with the Zoo’s statue of Ganesha, a Hindu god with an elephant head placed next to the elephant building which is closed for renovations. Some of my fellow Tulsa citizens periodically make a big deal about the statue saying that its presence at the city owned Zoo means that the city is trying to establish Hinduism as an official religion. These are people who really do need a life or a new hobby or something.At least in my opinion.

We saw a tiger, who was pretty loud. Sorry no zoom on my camera and I’m not cropping the photo. The pics today are all SOC!

And a lion who was also mouthing off. I’m wondering if the big cats had their breakfast yet.

These guys, within earshot, seemed pretty nervous. What do they feed those big cats anyway? You ever thought about that? I think these goats have thought about it plenty.

We saw some African Penguins. they are only about a foot tall. They are cool though.

SPB tells me that the penguins are his favorite critters at the zoo.

On the way out we passed the flamingos. Talk about lazy, they were still sleeping. Lazy or smart, I’m not sure. What are the going to do when they wake up? Sure is cool how they can sleep while balancing on one leg. Can you imagine how hard that is? Especially here in Oklahoma where the wind never stops.

So we went home, with a stop at Walgreens to get the film developed. I’m pretty happy with the results.

So what did you do on Friday.

Saturday, if the weather is good SPB and I might be going to Pawhuska (where the Pioneer Woman lives) to look at the Tallgrass Praire Preserve and the the bison who live there. Too bad Sweetie can’t make it, we could stop in and see Ree Drummond (aka “The Pioneer Woman”). She is a great cook but I think she’d lose in a cooking throwdown with Sweetie.

Skywatch Friday – A Sunny Art Deco Day

A sunny day in Tulsa captured on my four lensed film camera. I like how it makes the building look all curvey. (Curvey is a word in Oklahoma in case you didn’t know.) Sunny days have been kind of rare lately. If all the rain that we have is not getting us out out of our drought I don’t know what will.

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections – Coney Island

Downtown Tulsa’s iconic Coney Island Hot Weiners has been at various locations since 1926. I took this shot with my ripcord cocked spring powered four lens Lomography Super Sampler film camera.

Weekend Reflections.