FRYDAY

Sunday . . . suns a-shining . . . blue sky for a change . . . no smoke and it’s cool outside . . . feels like fall.

When you start pushing that century mark one has a tendency to breathe hard on old embers . . . an attempt to rekindle flames of past interests . . . I’m no different.

I was discarding . . . deleting photos in my phone’s library last evening and I got that twinge . . . you know . . . like when a flash of lightning lights up yer room in the middle of the night n you think it’s part one of some paranormal encounter about to occur . . . indication of a wormhole opening or portal to the dark side beckoning . . . you know the feeling . . .

Yeh . . . well it was just my shutter release finger twitching . . . subliminal memory synapses firing . . . in the subconscious . . . knee jerk.

I recently bought a new camera . . . DSLR . . . kinda similar to my long gone Leica CL . . . old school analog 35mm film cam . . . a-a-ah . . . those were the days my friends . . . those were the days . . . well anyway I got this Panasonic LUMIX LX-10 . . . wifi capabilities . . . SD card (no film) . . . feels like a “real” camera . . . no cheap Diana plastic retro bullshit . . . hecho en China land of sexy cyborgs . . .

It’s got a Leica vario-summilux lens (zoom) which is what sold me . . . Leica glass . . . and the option of manual manipulation of the zoomer . . . can’t get away from manually manipulating stuff . . . override the fucking A-eye . . . ain’t no algorithm telling me what to do . . . or what I like . . . HAL 9 0-0-0.

What’s missing is the viewfinder . . . it’s got this magnifico touch screen display instead . . . spread all over its backside . . . flips up does not rotate . . . and all I want is to feel its cool back against my cheek when I snug up to peek thru the hole n frame my shot . . . know what I mean?

Speaking of a “flash” it’s got one built-in . . . hidden inside that sleek little body . . . pops out when summoned . . . I mean . . . u-u-uh . . . they . . . some people I met eons ago . . . called a flash a “blitz” . . . over in Yugoslavia . . . maybe they still do.

08:30 . . . time for some fruit . . . a SPAM sandwich . . . it’s Fryday! . . . I love the SPAM commercials . . . and yes . . . I do watch t.v.

Post time . . . 15:30 hours.

iPod photo apps (part 3)

. . . downloaded the free Retro Camera app for my iPod Touch . . . the app has 5 different camera settings . . . first is “The Barbi” (my fav so far),

the “pinhOle“,

. . . it’s interesting that the pinhOle image is on a piece of 35mm transparency film, you know, like sprocket holes and frame numbers.

the “Little Orange Box” . . . the Little Orange Box has a distressed frame reminiscent of sheet film and early Polaroid prints that had to be peeled apart and “fixed” with the chemical saturated sponge. That shit made your fingers burn, caus6tic as hell . . . WTF!!!

and the “xolaroid 2000”

The “xolaroid” gives a good imitation of the original squirt-out-the-front-of-the-camera instant print without the wait. Yeh, I know, what about the film pack that you had to pull out the side of the camera (Polaroid) . . . I had the “Poladroid” app on my Mac G4, but the app was too twitchy . . . didn’t know if my image was saved or where the hell to find it.

The “Fudge Can” gives you a real “plastic camera” image –

. . . the Fudge Can is truly a “retro” app. The Fudge Can is a good replica of the Diana as far as image quality . . . acts like a real “toy” camera.

Fudge Can images look more “pin holy” than the pinhOle setting . . .

It’s very interesting how photo apps for the the iPhone, iPod Touch and the iPad do all the really necessary photo mods, and are so much less $$$ than the high priced spread for DSLR’s . . . I haven’t used my Canon EOS 10D since I bought my new iPod Touch.

I keep thinking about what a my photo instructor at UCLA said about letting photography become too precious . . . HOORAY for the iPhone, the iPod Touch and all other hand-held digital imaging devices, smart phones and the Flip video cam . . . beam me up Barbara . . . we’re keeping it real!!

iPod camera . . .

iPod Photo app

I spent approximately 30 minutes reviewing the photo apps that I loaded onto the iTouch . . . and here’s some information that might be of some use . . . My favorite is the Hipstamatic . . . I use the Kodot XGrizzled film setting with the Bettie XL lens . . . The Bettie lens setting gives you simulated light leaks that are just like what used to happen on real film if your bellows had a hole or two. . . AND, if you want creative shots off the big screen, this is the lens for crazy stuff.

. . . this is a photo taken with the default camera . . . my hipsta lava lamp getting in the mood . .

And, this image is/was taken with the Hipstamatic app . . .

As you can see, the Hipstamatic pic has a bit more of the “classic” rectangular 35mm format . . .

Some pics from the internet . . .

Bettie XL lens

. . . Kodot “film” . . .

. . . and a foto of an album “stack” . . .

The appeal of this app is in its similarity to the Diana camera film images . . . I still have “retro” film cameras as well as several Polaroid cameras, so this app is sort of like “comfort food” for an old school camera junkie . . .

The world famoso Diana camera . . . plastic . . . uh huh!

RE: the Diana camera:”As there is no shutter lock, and the shutter mechanism is always held in tension by a spring, multiple exposures with the Diana can be achieved by multiple operations of the shutter release without advancing the film.“. There is an app for the iPod Touch that lets you make double exposures . . . more on that later.
Here’s a link for those of you who still shoot film . . . and live near Irvine CA . . .

. . .HIPSTAMATIC. my most favorite camera app . . . so far.. .

Sent from my iPod Touch

MY “pencil” story . . .

Today fakekarl (FK) had a new post, but I must say that the satirical wit has dulled . . . when I read the earlier stuff it was like a needle in my left index finger . . . fakekarl was my new Lenny Bruce . . . now, while I listen to Cibo Matto (a new thing, thanks to a 14 year old genie), I decided to give old FK one more chance before I delete the link . . . I can do that you know.

Back to Cibo Matto (“crazy food” in Italian) for a second or two. . . Cibo Matto reminds me of Vermillion Pleasure Night . . . the song “Know Your Chicken” is a song that could be from “Midnight Cooking” . . .

“Artichoke” is probably my favorite track at this particular point in time . . . “peel my petals” . . . “Know Your Chicken” and “Birthday Cake” are right there with their collective noses pressed hard against the glass. (Songs are from “Pom Pom: The Essential Cibo Matto” CD). “Pom” in Korean means, “spring” – here in the U.S. “pom pom” is what the cheerleaders shake while they prance and jump, causing their butts to shiver and twitch – happens at HS pep rallies, basketball and football games!!

I’m a fan of the real Karl Lagerfeld, and for a while FK was as close to the real thing as I could get without leaving the couch. But I think I’ve eaten all the choice bits, so maybe it’s time to move on . . .

Maybe I’ll renew some old acquaintances . . . you know, like MY pencil . . . and sketch book, and Cynthia, La Petenera . . . or . . . I can’t remember names . . . but I do know that the little “retro” Pentax Optio 43WR that I bought for my oldest daughter several years ago, will be pressed into service, as I bought a new SD card for it yesterday (2 GB)

Here’s some pics taken with the Optio 43WR . . .

. . . . Gojira!! (Godzilla)

. . . starting to get back to it . . .

. . . I spent some time fondling the new iPod Touch at Best Buy in Carson City NV, on my way back into the void.

Why am I talking about this? Well, I get tired of taking the Canon out of its bag, turning it on and then framing the shot . . . so, the little Pentax is like “. . . wham, bam, thank you m’am . . . ” short and sweet, no commitment . . . Everyone remembers the “Diana” camera, little plastic toy that leapt into stardom in the artsy photo world way back, like 1970’s and 80’s.

. . . I wanted one (a Diana) but settled for a Spartaflex (2 ¼ sq format) – I don’t know where I got it . . . anyway, I did some work with it using out-of-date film and developer.

My Spartaflex . . . as seen with Optio-vision . . .

. . . the flash is harsh close-up . . .

. . . the ghost of Diana Vreeland was shaking my hand or something . . .

Oh, if you get a “Big and Tasty” meal at Mac D’s, eat it in the dining area or park somewhere, because it will leak in your lap if you try to drive and eat . . .

Pichas of Cibo Matto from . . .