How to be happy when there’s nothing really to be happy about (playing with camera)

[S21FOLGORE]

January 1st. 2024

The new year starts with a motorcycle. Always …

This is a sort of “normal” snap shot (for me, anyway).
Should have moved the orange rubber cone before taking photos.
(I tend to overlook those small things when taking photos quickly.)
DSCF1943 by T K, on Flickr

This one, I spent more time, to get the “look” I wanted, which is “Dark, sinister” look, something that looks like a still shot from a movie.
That darkness & cold looking light are intentional. (Shot with “Cinestill 800T film sim).

DSCF1944 by T K, on Flickr



I came back home, late at night.
Got out from the car, went to check the mail box.
When I turned around, I saw this “smiling face”.
(Two “eyes” are the suction cup mount of Valentine One. The white part is just condensation on the wind screen. I didn’t realize this while I was driving home.)

DSCF1894 by T K, on Flickr



Sometimes, I take still photos for Youtube thumbnails.
Sometimes, as “test shot” of certain “look” I’m trying to create.

Inspiration

“Sabotage” (2014) Last gunfight scene

“The good The bad and The ugly” (1966) Angel Eyes “When I’m paid, I always follow my job through.” scene

“Sicario”(2015) “La hora de conocer a Dios / Time to meet God” scene



_DSF0005 copy by T K, on Flickr

_DSF0025 1 by T K, on Flickr

Jan.1st by T K, on Flickr

 

[S21FOLGORE]

DSCF1995 by T K, on Flickr

DSCF2001 1 by T K, on Flickr

 

[S21FOLGORE]

I took some photos when I was leaving the parking lot after I got off of work tonight.

DSCF2015_1 by T K, on Flickr

Shot with Tiffen Black Pro Mist ¼ filter, with CineStill 800T film sim.
(I also tweaked the image with Peter McKinnon’s LUT. So, it’s a little bit cheating.
One is diffusion filter, which I use every once in a while, not all the time. Another is PM LUT pack set. Again, I do that sometimes, but not all the time.)

All three photos I posted here today, are basically the same theme, “Shoot Emotions, rather than the Subjects”.
And the “emotion” would be, … “isolation, solitude, darkness, cold, something that could be in Michael Mann film, “Thief”, “Heat”, “Collateral”… there’s something I really like about the night scenes in his films.

 

[S21FOLGORE]

For the reference,

"Collateral", "Yo, homie. Is that my brief case?" scene.

"Heat"

"Thief"

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Godox TT350F

So, I picked up this Godox TT350F about a week ago, for about $56, from B&H used department.

_DSF0001 by T K, on Flickr

I haven’t used flash for SO LONG, I forgot pretty much everything about flash photography.

I’ve been practicing how to use flash, in a situation like this (for now).
The main subject is back lit. (There’s a big light source, which is windows, in the back ground. I want to capture both the main subject AND the background, WITHOUT making the picture looking like obviously shot with flash.)

DSCF2052 by T K, on Flickr

I placed Apture MC (output lowered to 7%) at 11 o’clock, put a white towel over “Welcom sign” (this is inside of the restaurant) and placed it at 9 o’clock, swiveled the head of TT350F at the towel so that I can bounce the light.

DSCF2049 by T K, on Flickr

DSCF2048 by T K, on Flickr

Done very quickly, in a “improvised / guerrilla film making” style.
(When I shoot videos and photos, almost all the time I do it without permission … so I had to do it that way.)

 

[S21FOLGORE]

04-05-2024 Friday
Part one
“Shige Suhi in Sonoma, CA”
(All photos shot on Fuji X100V, except two reference photos at the end)
Yesterday (April 5th Friday) evening, I went to my friend’s place in Sonoma.
When I’m working, I can never go out Friday night.
So, this was one of the really rare opportunities.
(Also, I didn’t inform his beforehand. I went there on kind of impulse.)
I got there shortly after 7pm, and the place was packed, really busy.
BUT, it wasn’t the same kind of “busy-ness” like Sushi to Dai for.
(Shige-san doesn’t do door-dash, Uber eat. That’s why kitchen & sushi bar stuff, servers, everyone was not overly stressed out.)

I waited until there was a space at Sushi bar.
Started with Age Dashi Tofu.

Age-dashi by T K, on Flickr

Then, Chirashi (There’re no photos of Chirashi. Because I was kinda hungry. So I started eating right away, then, realized that I forgot to take photos.)

Nigiri_Tetsu by T K, on Flickr

Sort of “Nigiri Sampler”, all white meat fish. (Renko-dai, Sawarai, Hirame, & Striped Bass)

What I really, REALLY like about his place is the interior decoration.

Shop by T K, on Flickr

Wall_2 by T K, on Flickr
Wall_1 by T K, on Flickr

Wall_3 by T K, on Flickr

A lot of movie posters and advertisement stuff from 1960s and early 1970s.
The way walls are decorated, the way inside of the dining area is lit, creates real retro feeling, even though you actually haven’t been in 60s and 70s in Japan.

 

[KrustyKruser]

You take amazing photos and your videos are great!

 

[S21FOLGORE]

You take amazing photos and your videos are great!

Thank you!
That makes me feel better.
(NOT that I'm feeling down or anything. Complements are always nice. )

[Part 2 of 04-05-2024]
Now, these were taken before leaving home to Sonoma.

The last thing I purchased before losing job …

Manfrotto Nitrotech 608 Fluid video head



_DSF0004 by T K, on Flickr



This is normally out of my budget range. But, I found it on B&H used section, at a little bit over $400.
(The reason I wanted this one is because it allows me to move the camera diagonally (doing tilt AND pan AT THE SAME TIME.
Most (pretty much all) budget fluid heads can’t do that. You get that “staircase effect”.)



And, the first thing I purchased after losing job…

Vintage Canon FD 80-200mm f4 S.S.C.

50 bucks …nice and clean…

_DSF0005 by T K, on Flickr



As you can tell from the silver locking ring, this is an earlier version of FD (which I like better, than N-FD)

It’s got an integrated hood…


_DSF0006 by T K, on Flickr


… and it’s an internal zoom. And the front element doesn’t rotate together with focus ring, like some of the vintage zoom.

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Vintage Canon FD 80-200mm f4 lens Quick test
(Shot at 200mm)

Turkey_1 by T K, on Flickr

Turkey_2 by T K, on Flickr

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Choco_04-11_V2 by T K, on Flickr

Kuma_04-11_V2 by T K, on Flickr

Kuma_04-11-2_V2 by T K, on Flickr

They are not mine.

My friend and the entire family had to go Riverside, for three nights / four days.
So I’ve been dog-sitting now.

The first picture. When I looked the dog through the view finder on my X-T4, the first mental image that came to my mind was 1990 film, “Jacob’s Ladder”.
(It may sound crazy, but that’s how my mind works.)

Reference photos

Somehow, I’m a big fan of dark, grainy, moody look. (Oh, and haze, I really love that hazy look in certain movies.)

But this is not my place. So I had to do with what I had.

Turned off the living room lights (the room the dog is sitting).

Turned on the back room light (so that the dog is back lit.)

I placed Apture MC(about 20% power output, 3200K color temp), behind the wall, to light up the dog a little bit from the left side of the frame. (The light is on the table. I moved to the position where the light gets just behind the wall.)

The other dog, I couldn’t get him to pose, or place, something cinematic.

The middle picture, I tried to do “dark-bright-dark-bright” contrast look.

The last picture. I was trying to do some “frame within a frame” look.
But, it didn’t really workout.

Wanted to do something like this…

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Forgot to post this picture.
Taken with the vintage Canon FD 80-200mm f4 lens, as usual with Metabones Speed Booster.

Deer04-08-Ver.2 copy by T K, on Flickr

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Shot this afternoon at the garage, after came back from the ride.
I needed to cool down the engine before putting the cover on, let the helmet liner, inside of the gloves and the boots dry. So I decided to take some photos with X100V while I’m waiting.

Garage04-16_1_v2 by T K, on Flickr

Garage04-16_2_v2 by T K, on Flickr

I shot these photos with 10 sec. self timer.
But, lately I (sort of) learned I can also use interval shutter, to take self portrait type photos (instead of using self timer).
So, next time I’m going to try that.

I wanted to make them look like a screenshot of the movies.
(That’s why I intentionally placed myself in the shadow and out of focus.)
What I should have done (with the second photo) was, placing myself on the stairs, so that it looks like I’m just coming down from the upstairs with that crossbow in hands.
I think that would make more interesting “story”.

 

[S21FOLGORE]

NA6 at TEXACO_v2 by T K, on Flickr

Wild Turky_V2 by T K, on Flickr

DSCF2327 by T K, on Flickr

DSCF2333 by T K, on Flickr

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Both shot on X100V

Cows & S4R_V2 by T K, on Flickr

Tin Dog by T K, on Flickr

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Kuma_v2 by T K, on Flickr
Dogs just keep running around, don't stay in place.
Very difficult to photograph.

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Shot yesterday, with X100V.

Vespa_1_v2 by T K, on Flickr

Vespa_2_v2 by T K, on Flickr

DSCF2423 by T K, on Flickr

DSCF2427 by T K, on Flickr

(Should have turned around the tray, so that “Made in China” sticker wouldn’t be visible.
I’m always like this. I really need to check these details before start shooting.)


Made a short video at the same time
[YOUTUBE]JIMWiYOus5M[/YOUTUBE]

 

[S21FOLGORE]

I went to Lincoln Elementary school, in Petaluma, CA, to “test” (AKA; playing around with) Canon FD24mmf2.0 lens, which is new to me.



As usual, it is mounted on Metabones Speed booster.

It is interesting, because I didn’t like Sigma 16mmf1.4, at all. (Everyone on Youtube highly regarded that lens. Well, I guess I’m just different.)



Before

XH2C4348 by T K, on Flickr



After

CanonFD24mmf2.0_Asteroid City_school copy by T K, on Flickr



Before

XH2C4339 by T K, on Flickr



After

CanonFD24mmf2.0_Asteroid City copy by T K, on Flickr



Before

XH2C4344 by T K, on Flickr



After

CanonFD24mmf2.0_Asteroid City_selfP copy by T K, on Flickr



They were shot with X-H2, not X-T4.

And I heavily edited, because I wanted to learn about Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City color grading.



As you can see, it didn’t really work with the last picture.

If I spend enough time, maybe I can make it work, maybe not.



I normally go for dark, high contrast image (as I’m more of a film noir, 1950s and 60s PI hard boiled PI story type of guy, not a bright, pastel colored image type of person), but it was quite interesting to learn Asteroid City’s colors(how it is done).

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Carry less, Create more
Vintage Canon FD 24mm f2, with Metabones Speed Booster
On Fuji X-H2 (Oh, and with Nisi VND on)


All these images were shot yesterday late afternoon (in my lunch break, which is around 3-5PM. Some of you may be able tell at around what time they were shot, by lighting.

This is where I work right now.

Outside

XH2C4550 by T K, on Flickr



XH2C4548 by T K, on Flickr



Patio XH2C4544 by T K, on Flickr



XH2C4545 by T K, on Flickr



XH2C4546 by T K, on Flickr



Moved the camera closer, AND really low (like, an inch off of the ground)

XH2C4547 by T K, on Flickr



Same patio area, but later (around 5PM), different lighting



XH2C4552 by T K, on Flickr



XH2C4551 by T K, on Flickr



Yesterday, I took my X-H2, with 24mmF2 FD, to work.

I work in the restaurant. (As a sushi chef.)

Most people in my line of work DON’T bring anything (other than their knives) to work.

I’ve been known to bring “too much toys” for work.

Camera(s), laptop (for editing videos in the break time), (Non-kitchen) knives, even air pistols…



That’s why I’ve always been wearing backpack.



But, I’ve stopped that when I started working for this new place in June.



…………….



Now, I actually have to leave for work.

So I will write more, when I come back.



I’m not going to stay in this restaurant.

I will have to tell the owner(s) today.

 

[S21FOLGORE]

Shot July 21st, with X100V.



Trying to improve composition / framing, and lighting.

And, most importantly, “story telling”.



Lunch Break by T K, on Flickr



I didn’t have a tripod with me.

So, I partially flipped out the back screen, and tilted the camera up so that it would rest on the screen bottom edge, stay at an angle.

Worked out pretty good.



Lunch Break2 by T K, on Flickr



Lunch Break3 by T K, on Flickr



Back Lighting test by T K, on Flickr



BTW, I’ve been testing a pair of new eye pro, Gatorz Specter, with OPZ lenses.

It’s been probably over 10 years since I tried polarized lenses the last time.

(I’ve always been wearing non-pola gray lenses.)



So far, they have been working great.

No problem with operating the camera.

No problem at Trader Joe’s cash register.



If they are good for Jack Carr, they are good enough for me, too.

I guess.

 

[S21FOLGORE]

White Balance…



This was shot in the morning, around 8AM.

Turkey family_2 by T K, on Flickr



This was shot in the late afternoon, around 4PM

Mill Valley-Sausalito Path by T K, on Flickr



They were shot in different days, with different cameras, but …



Can you tell, by just looking at images, one was taken in the morning and the other was taken midday?



When I was a Sony Shooter, I almost always used custom white balance. Setting white balance using a gray card, pretty much every single time I took photos / videos.

And I didn’t use picture profile.



After switching to Fuji X-T4, just like everyone who picks up Fujifilm cameras, I started playing with “film simulation” and “film sim recipes”, for both still photos and videos.

https://fujixweekly.com/recipes/

I enjoyed them, just like most of Fuji users.



Fast forward to 2024 summer.

I purchased X-H2 (Fuji).

Started shooting video in F-log2.

(which wasn’t an option with X-T4. X-T4 shoots only F-log, NOT F-log2.

And there’s quite a bit of difference between F-log and F-log2.

Basically, F-log is not worth bothering.

You can get better result with one of the flatter film sim such as Eterna.)

Shooting in “Log” means no more film sims, for video.



When I shoot still, I shoot in both Jpeg and RAW.

And when I edit photos, I do it with RAW file.

Again, Film sim doesn’t affect RAW file, so it doesn’t matter which film sim I used while shooting.

I started feeling very differently about “Film sim recipes”.



Then, I watched this video, by one of my favorite Youtube photographer.

After watching the video, I started reading comments.

People reacted in the comment section, saying,

“Fuji film sims are customizable! People have been making great “film sim recipes” and …blah, blah, blah…”

And he pointed out “customized film sim recipes” are, essentially just changing white balance and shifting red and blue.

Yes, you can add things like film grain, and can adjust tone curve.

BUT, it’s not like you have vector scope and color wheels in your camera…



Then, I watched this the other day.

What he described in the video made a lot of sense. At least, it seemed, to me, right now.



So I decided to try NOT to change(adjust) white balance.

I just set all my camera’s white balance at 5500 kelvin. And don’t bother changing it whether it’s in the morning or midday, sunset or indoor at night, I just shoot everything with 5500 Kelvin white balance.

If the color looks obviously off, I’d correct it in the post.

In order to do this, highly stylized “film simulation” gets in the way.

So, I now tend to shoot in “flatter” profile film sim….