The following are various/random shots taken while testing out the Contax 645 with the Zeiss 80mm lens. All photos were shot wide open at f/2.0 using Fuji film.
This portrait was shot on Kodak Portra 400VC with a Contax 645. I’ve been dying to try out this camera for a while now and the result above certainly didn’t disappoint. However, what was pretty disappointing was the battery life of the camera. For whatever reason, I only played around with the camera the day before for about 20 minutes with a brand new battery and the following day when it came time to shoot I was only able to get one shot off before the camera died! Well, at least I got a good shot out of it. I do know that people in the past have complained about the battery drainage issue associated with this camera, but I never expected the battery to die this fast on me. Maybe it was just a bad battery, I don’t know. But the one thing I do know for sure is that with regards to the photo quality, this camera is a badass! The Zeiss lens shot wide open is pretty spectacular.
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After a recent night of drinking with friends Brad and Suzanne we ended up at a local diner to end the evening with some food. As we sat outdoors eating we happened to witness a guy backing up his truck along the street to maneuver out of his parking spot. Unfortunately, he happened to back up a little bit too far and ended up hitting the car behind it. Since everyone that was eating outdoors saw and heard what happened, the driver felt obligated to at least get out of his truck and do an obligatory surveillance of the potential damage. After that he simply drove off.
Well on any typical night I might have just minded my own business and not thought much about doing anything, but the good angel inside me on that given night (aka Ketel tonic) told me that inaction in the face of injustice would be like pouring salt on the wounds of the person whose car just got dinged. So I had to act bravely and quickly. I immediately pulled a napkin from the dispenser, requested a pen from the aspiring actress who was my server, and drafted up the following note (with the help of Brad and Suzanne’s detail-oriented account of what, when, and who) that I then left on the victim’s car windshield (thanks to Brad for taking the picture):
While walking out of the diner, we eventually realized that Yanni was not an alto sax player (Suzanne had actually confused him with Kenny G). Oh well, but the victim should at least get a good feel for how the guy looked like at the very least. And knowing is half the battle…
I’m not sure, but I think perhaps Brad, Suzanne, and I can make a secondary career out of this. All it takes is for us to get together more often for drinks and pay attention to small, petty crimes that happen all around us at any given moment. We are the Watchmen, serving any good community that has decent bars and late-night diners.
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On the last night of the China trip in Shanghai, we headed over to Nanjing Road for some typical touristy photos. As you can see, there’s always a sea of people everywhere in China.
You would think that these vehicles that are being driven into the large crowd of pedestrians on Nanjing Road would be electrical, but nope they’re spewing some mean fumes!
There is no such thing as a pedestrian-friendly street in China… motorbikes are constantly zipping through the crowds.
Too many people + too many cars = no such thing as unobstructed path anywhere from point A to point B.
The madness can be overwhelming at times, but if you’re walking drunk it can also be a lot of fun!
Having to cut through the masses to get to the edge of the water for a clean photo was indeed a daunting task.
The Bund:
After much jostling I finally made it to the edge (with very dirty shoes to show for it). I was not about to give up my position easily after working so hard to get there, so I must have snapped 30 photos of the same picture before I finally deemed it fitting for me to leave my spot.
The crowds never dissipate, they only get bigger. So maddening. So chaotic. So crazy. I absolutely love it!
After seeing the touristy attractions, we walked the smaller streets and alleyways to see the real attractions. In China that would be its biggest asset… the people!
With so many people everywhere and anywhere, it’s definitely hard for the concept of “personal space” to have a place in the Chinese vernacular. However, as is the case with most societies, the more affluent one becomes the more personal space that person desires. So it would be very interesting to see how increased prosperity in China will affect the local psyche in that aspect. Sorry, just thinking out loud here.
Currently, one of the best ways to achieve your personal space in China (and anywhere else for that matter) is to own your own vehicle!
This man certainly looks like he’s enjoying his personal space. What can be better than bike riding at high speeds in your pajamas at night while taking a good drag of your cigarette sans the wife???
Bikes share the street with the rest of the vehicles.
It’s always to cool to have access to some fruit at the street corner during a hot summer night.
People here can almost text with their eyes closed while riding their bike through traffic.
Overall the China trip was amazing and really fun. I hope to be able to visit more sights in the future, but preferably not during the summer season.
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The last destination of the China trip was to Shanghai to check out Expo 2010. With anywhere between 400,000 to 500,000 people attending the event daily, it was nearly impossible to get inside any of the pavilions without having to wait 3 to 4 hours in line! Of course we opted not to do that and just walked around the outside checking out the various pavilions and their designs. Unfortunately with that many visitors it was nearly impossible to take any decent photos either (no good vantage points to be found anywhere!), which was quite frustrating. And being frustrated on a hot and humid summer day where you have to make your way through half a million other people to get around is just never a good situation to be in. I think I’ve definitely made my last trip to China during the summertime. Anyhow, below are photos of some pavilions that I snapped. The theme of the exposition is “Better City, Better Life.”
This was at the entrance:
The large China Pavilion along with the smaller Macau Pavilion with the rabbit head:
Singapore:
Romania’s “green city”:
Iceland (nothing fancy here, but still commendable for showing up in the midst of their financial crisis):
Same goes for Greece:
Latvia definitely brought it:
Finland (aka the only country to pay its debts to the USA for World War I):
Switzerland (with a roller-coaster ride at the top):
Poland:
Leave it to the French to come up with the “sensual city” theme:
Netherlands:
The United Kingdom Pavilion (this was the best photo I could take; to get a photo of the entire pavilion I would have needed to wait in line for 4 hours to get through the gates! You can check out the design here too):
Italy’s design is inspired by the game of “pick-up sticks”:
Japan (I believe the design is a silkworm):
Mexico:
Came across the float parade:
Nepal representing!
Saudi Arabia definitely has the cash to be representing:
India also in the house:
The Republic of Korea came packing some mean heat too:
Inside the Vietnam Pavilion:
The line was the longest for Japan’s silkworm:
Taiwan had themselves an impressive pavilion as well:
Macau again on the left (I’ve no idea what the one on the right is):
Next to Macau on the left is Hong Kong:
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