Well seems I wasn't so clever and the Blogger software defeated me, I forgot to activate the new comments notification feature, so I had a bunch of very nice comments there, just waiting to be approved for publishing and I was wondering why everybody seemed so shy ! :)
So please, to all who posted them, accept my apologies and receive my sincere thanks for your comments and support.
And as this is meant as a sort of photo blog, I just thought I could give my excuses the shape of a photo which (I hope) will be of everybody's liking. Not sure about you, but I could sure spend some months in a place like that. Anyway I can always upload the Windows(R) beach and palm trees wallpaper ;)
Again, thanks everybody !
It could be just anywhere, it's one of the many many tiny villages around the rural Spain, places that saw how most of their young people had to leave looking for a better life in the back then growing industrial areas around Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona...
Places that nowadays are happy to welcome some of those past migrants, now wanting to enjoy their hard earned retirement in the countryside where they grew up. Places which see how population grows 5 or 10 or 20 times during the summer months, afternoons with kids playing, summer celebrations, music, balls and sun heating the wheat fields and everything under it, as if it was a toasting oven.
Many of these towns and villages have grown up really attached to their religious icons, and during the patron's days you can see many of these parades around. In this case this is a tiny village in the rural area of Guadalajara, Spain, during its celebration of their patron's celebration, la Virgen de la Merced.
It starts on September 24th, at 13, when the Virgin is taken out the chapel and walked all around the village, with everybody following her until it again reaches the square behind the chapel.
Once there, and with all the assistants around, a curious event takes place. Basically, carrying the virgin is a honor, and as such is being one of the carriers. So, each carrying place for the Virgin's couch is literally put up for auction among those men and women willing to bid for it.
Once the auction is over and every carrier place has been assigned (sometimes for amounts up to 200-300 euros, which go to the church and village maintenance), the Virgin's image is again taken inside the chapel, where it will rest until the next parade, which takes place at night.
That is probably the most impressive part of the whole day celebrations: after a prying inside the chapel, and with nothing else than a few candles lighting the pitch black night, again, the Virgin walks arond the streets, performing a ritual which probably could be traced back to our most ancient origins, and which can still be seen in multiple places around the world.
Places that nowadays are happy to welcome some of those past migrants, now wanting to enjoy their hard earned retirement in the countryside where they grew up. Places which see how population grows 5 or 10 or 20 times during the summer months, afternoons with kids playing, summer celebrations, music, balls and sun heating the wheat fields and everything under it, as if it was a toasting oven.
Many of these towns and villages have grown up really attached to their religious icons, and during the patron's days you can see many of these parades around. In this case this is a tiny village in the rural area of Guadalajara, Spain, during its celebration of their patron's celebration, la Virgen de la Merced.It starts on September 24th, at 13, when the Virgin is taken out the chapel and walked all around the village, with everybody following her until it again reaches the square behind the chapel.
Once there, and with all the assistants around, a curious event takes place. Basically, carrying the virgin is a honor, and as such is being one of the carriers. So, each carrying place for the Virgin's couch is literally put up for auction among those men and women willing to bid for it.
Once the auction is over and every carrier place has been assigned (sometimes for amounts up to 200-300 euros, which go to the church and village maintenance), the Virgin's image is again taken inside the chapel, where it will rest until the next parade, which takes place at night.
That is probably the most impressive part of the whole day celebrations: after a prying inside the chapel, and with nothing else than a few candles lighting the pitch black night, again, the Virgin walks arond the streets, performing a ritual which probably could be traced back to our most ancient origins, and which can still be seen in multiple places around the world.
As you can read above this, I have a sweet spot for locating, acquiring and of course, using, vintage cameras and lenses.Some time ago I spent some time reading material about lens manufacturing. It was amazing to discover the number of calculations that are involved in the design of an optic, just think on all the ways and angles in which light can 'fall' over a lens, and all the refractions and reflections that take place when light goes through all the glass elements and lens/air surfaces on its way to meet with the plane of focus.
So imagine what it could be to make those calculations back when computers as we know them now were only a distant dream.
However,sometimes when one puts a 50 or 60 or even more years old lens in a camera and looks at the results, it seems as if even without the support of all the latest technology, their creators did it... just right is not the word, there seems to be a sort of remaining imperfection, causing a sort of really pleasant roundness.
These shots are from one of those 'magic' old lenses, a post-WWII Leitz Summitar I bought from a member at photo.net a while ago. For some people, the Summitars and Summars are the most 'glowing' lenses in the Leitz line, meaning that they seem to easily deliver that special character, that something else that may be lacking in the sometimes too perfect modern optical designs.
I'm not sure if it's the dreaded leitz 'glow', but what I know for sure is I find some of the peripheral oof areas to be rendered in a very different but pleasant way, almost playful.
Of course, it could only be due to my eyes being dizzy...
Some years ago I became very interested in TLR cameras, and my first one was a $40 Lubitel 166 Universal which I bought from a Former Soviet Union online camera store. I decided for that one mainly because I enjoyed a lot using the one a friend of mine bought at a flea market some weeks before during a trip to Moscow.
I must admit that the little thing can deliver some impressive results. Sometimes that camera is placed in the toy camera category, side to the Holga, Diana, and the such. In fact I think the lens is still too good to be considered a toy, center sharpness can be impressive, and while the in-off focus progression is far from being smooth, depending on the image that can be passable, and even create a very pleasant effect in certain conditions.
The shots illustrating this entry are from the beautiful city of Cordoba, during a visit I made there a couple (or three or four or five, I can't really remember) years ago. At least for one time, I thought such an incredible city deserved color film !
Or what is the same, just another point of view to the Camera&Coffee thing .
I think the first time I recalled in this was after reading a post in the RFF, I think it was from Rich Silfver (remember to visit his great blog, Batteries Not Included). What that said, more or less, was that if you're one of those people whose friends are constantly afraid of, mainly because you have the habit of always bringing a camera with you and take advantadge of any opportunity to get some candid portraits (and if you're reading this then you probably are), then invariably you must have somewhere between your collection of negatives quite a nice number of table shots.
I've found that people seem to get in a very relaxed and interesting mood when they are sharing a table with some friend(s) or with their couple, and of course the same applies to those sitting in YOUR own table, and even if you're holding the camera, that includes you, and I've found that for some reason I enjoy a lot shooting in those conditions.
Of course, that general happiness mood could also have something to do with how much focusing fluid you ingest, so have always in mind Stevie Wonder's words...
Hic!
I think the first time I recalled in this was after reading a post in the RFF, I think it was from Rich Silfver (remember to visit his great blog, Batteries Not Included). What that said, more or less, was that if you're one of those people whose friends are constantly afraid of, mainly because you have the habit of always bringing a camera with you and take advantadge of any opportunity to get some candid portraits (and if you're reading this then you probably are), then invariably you must have somewhere between your collection of negatives quite a nice number of table shots.
I've found that people seem to get in a very relaxed and interesting mood when they are sharing a table with some friend(s) or with their couple, and of course the same applies to those sitting in YOUR own table, and even if you're holding the camera, that includes you, and I've found that for some reason I enjoy a lot shooting in those conditions.
Of course, that general happiness mood could also have something to do with how much focusing fluid you ingest, so have always in mind Stevie Wonder's words...
Hic!
First snow I meet this year, picture for week 2 on this new year's PAW, taken with the humble Powershot A20 I mention in that 'Los Olvidados' post.
The Tri-X with the shots from 2006's first week is still to be finished inside the Bessa-T, so no, it's not that I'm going digital.
Unless someday they can make one that can work without batteries, that is ;)
And another PAW is over...
0 Comments Published by taffer on Wednesday, January 04, 2006 at 10:27 PM.
The PAW, or photo-a-project is without doubt what put me into active photography, together with the wonderful community of the rangefinderforum.
The idea is simple, be sure to have at least one decent shot worth keeping for every week of the year, ideally the shot should have been taken inside that week, but I admit that in some counted occasions I haven't managed to do that and had to use one from a previous or later week.
That said, I've find that some weeks I've shot as 'much' as 3 or 4 rolls of film, while other times a single roll has lasted me for 3 weeks. The point anyway (I think) is to keep shooting regularly and instead of thinking of life as the excuse that doesn't let you take pictures, somehow be able to introduce photography in that daily life of yours.
In my case that lead invariably to street photography, as I realized I spent a lot of time out there (commuting or just walking from A to B) on my days, and with time I've developed a huge interest in street and documentary photography.
But I think that what I like most of the PAW is how it becomes gradually and without even noticing it, in a wonderful visual diary. Each shot has its background and story behind, and a time when it was taken, and you can't stand having your mind flying to those moments and events when you check back after some time.
Enough talking, just wanted to make something special now that 2005 is over and the new PAW 2006 has started, so this post looked like a good idea.
Or at least, it looked that way to me, lol !
PS: Oh well, the upload image feature seems to be down, so you can just click on the PAW 2005 and 2006 links on the right, sorry ! :P
The idea is simple, be sure to have at least one decent shot worth keeping for every week of the year, ideally the shot should have been taken inside that week, but I admit that in some counted occasions I haven't managed to do that and had to use one from a previous or later week.
That said, I've find that some weeks I've shot as 'much' as 3 or 4 rolls of film, while other times a single roll has lasted me for 3 weeks. The point anyway (I think) is to keep shooting regularly and instead of thinking of life as the excuse that doesn't let you take pictures, somehow be able to introduce photography in that daily life of yours.
In my case that lead invariably to street photography, as I realized I spent a lot of time out there (commuting or just walking from A to B) on my days, and with time I've developed a huge interest in street and documentary photography.
But I think that what I like most of the PAW is how it becomes gradually and without even noticing it, in a wonderful visual diary. Each shot has its background and story behind, and a time when it was taken, and you can't stand having your mind flying to those moments and events when you check back after some time.
Enough talking, just wanted to make something special now that 2005 is over and the new PAW 2006 has started, so this post looked like a good idea.
Or at least, it looked that way to me, lol !
PS: Oh well, the upload image feature seems to be down, so you can just click on the PAW 2005 and 2006 links on the right, sorry ! :P
One of my favorite shots, which makes a sort of one picture photo project. It's the Gavà beach, near Barcelona, a place where I used to spend many weekends each summer when I was a kid. In this case I'd say this is an early/late summer evening a couple years ago and probably I was there with my buddy Abel, flying the (mini) paraglider and taking some shots.
This image was taken almost in a playful way, don't underestimate the fun factor :)
Barcelona is one of those cities with almost as much life below it as it has on surface level. As a template urbanite I have to suff.. ehh.. experience myself the fact of living under 30 meters of ground, pipes, cables corridors and concrete at least for 1-2 hours a day as a part of my transportation needs.
A recent photo thread in the photo.net forum made the light turn on inside my head, so I decided to take advantadge of the always interesting and many times surreal environment which surround us inside the subway and run a photographic project about it.
So far I've run two rolls of film trough my trusty and loyal Bessa-T, loaded with pushed black and white film and using the Color Skopar 35/2.5 lens. That's a very useful combo for a kind of shooting where I almost never have time to compose and hence have to shoot just pointing there, or from hip level to try to catch candid expressions and guessing what will turn out on the final image.
As I spend quite some time in the subway daily, I expect this project to grow once winter holidays are over and I'm back to work, meanwhile, apart from the pics illustrating this entry, you can keep trace of the whole project at:
www.pbase.com/taffer/underground
And btw, happy new year everybody !
