Scott Kelby World-Wide Photowalk

On October 13th, 2012, it marked the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk.  I took part this year, along with my wife, and photographer friend, John Meadows.

We were in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto, Ontario, where we wandered about with our non-digital cameras (pretty much the only walkers without a digital camera) and were quickly shunned by the Digital shooting counterparts.

I enjoyed the day with my K1000, Exakta Varex, Signet 35, and Rolleicord V.  I used Chrome (Reversal) B&W and C-41 films for the walk, and am very happy with the results so far.

Although I was really looking forward to the chance at using my 4x5 view camera, I never brought it along as I should have.

I truly did enjoy the walk, until it ended with my car getting towed and having to track it down to the impound yard. Grr...

That still didn't deter me from really liking the photos from the walk, especially the shot of a gorgeous Weeping Willow tree.  What a beautiful tree it is.  The way the branches cascade down reminds me of a graceful waterfall.

"Willow Falls" -  Pentax K-1000 35mm SLR
SMC 50mm ƒ/2 - Ilford FP4+ 125 (exp. 1999)
HC-110 Dil. M

Pick a Card

Digital photography to me is not something I am fond of.  It has nothing to do with the fact that it is digital either.  To be honest, I love the look.  Clean, clear, crisp, sharp, vibrant and detailed.

Nor is it that the equipment is horribly expensive, because compared to cameras of yesteryear, it isn't.  A brand new camera in 1995, such as a Canon EOS ELAN II would be roughly around $1500.00 today for the body alone.  That is right in line for purchasing a new Canon EOS 7D.

My biggest quip about Digital Photography actually is more to do with the ever-changing world of the dSLR.  As if more MP and newer is better.  Or going from a P&S camera to a dSLR will suddenly make your images, not just better, but make you a better photographer.
Personally, I believe that starting out with film, using a manual mechanical SLR or Rangefinder will do far more to make you a better photographer than Digital ever will. 
Sure, it's nice to have all the AUTO features that are available today, like switching your camera to "AUTO" mode, or "PORTRAIT" mode for portraits.  But then it takes the thought out of the camera side, and just leaves you having a glorified Point & Shoot camera that has a changeable lens.

For me, it's about making the image from the start to finish and having full control. 

But I digress from the main point. 
Digital photography allows you to explore a different venture.  For those looking for instant feedback to see the image how you were hoping without taking the time to develop the film, it is definitely a blessing.  But I feel you lose a bit of the magic along the way.

So instead of relying on the magic of film and develping, you have to work with the magic of vision.

So for today, I give you a vision of beauty, of elegance, and of soft light.

Wearing a "Playing Card" costume, where Hearts is the main suit, naturally, the selection is slim.

Pick a card, and see how fortune favours you.

Nothing To Hide

Halloween is coming, and in only another 4 weeks it'll be upon us.  Autumn has arrived, and the harvests are in, so now is time for the ghosts and goblins to come out.
Well, along with those ghosts and goblins is also the other characters.  One, such as the "Queen Of Hearts" from Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland (2010).
A costume ready for Halloween 2012, and a knock out indeed!
Again, my Digital Cameras have gotten yet another workout.  They are definitely useful for some things.  Instant results?  Not really, as there's still work to be done after the shot.

But they are definitely very clean, sharp, and wonderful!

Last Christmas....

An older photo, and one I never took. 
Last Christmas, as a fun little photoshoot, I decided to pick up a Santa Claus outfit, and have a "visit" with my two boys. 
Nikolas was so excited that Santa came and visited him that I swear he was going to pee his pants!  Noah, well, he did what most little children do around the bearded fat man.  He screamed and cried!  Oh it was a sight to behold, and funny as heck, but I still managed to get a photo of him as happy as can be.
Although it was shot on a Dreaded Digital camera (not really dreaded at all) it did make for an excellent choice of camera, since kids are fickle, and I might very well have missed a great photo like this.

 

Next time I have to make sure that Donna knows how to use a proper film camera for these photos.  And hopefully Noah will be in much better and happier spirits to see the Jolly Ol' Fat man!

 

Cheers to Christmas!

Caffenol-C 2 Stage Developer

An idea that I have been hashing in my head for a while now, quite a while actually, but never brought to the forfront until recently, after bringing the idea up in the Caffenol & Alchemy group on Flickr, I decided that it was time to actually  bring the idea to light.

Sure enough, last night (Sept. 14 2012) I did.  The results were, in the beginning, less than stellar.  Okay that's being kind.. They were crap!  Horrible results that would make the most seasoned alchemist dismayed and upset.  But I would say that it was a resounding success, as it proved that it was possible to create a 2-stage developer with Caffenol-C.  Of course, first test just gave me poor grain, bad fog, and a messy result.

So I decided, okay, time to bring up the concentration of Bath (A) to compensate.  So I added another 20g/L of Vit. C to the mix.  Bringing the total to 40g/L of Vit. C to the mix, while keeping the 1/2 cup of coffee (200g/L) the same.
This, coupled with pushing the film from 400 to 1600ASA I actually started to see a bit better of a result.  In fact, the result was rather impressive, considering that it was also pushed to 1600ASA instead of at 400..

The result at 1600ASA was quite surprising, as I got decent highlights, but extremely inky black shadows.  In fact, it was just extremely dark shadows, and the grain is rather pronounced.
But still, a usable and impressive result.
But I was still unimpressed, as this was about the only usable result from the entire set as the rest were underexposed (maybe my fault?)

So I decided to up the ante..  I increased the dilution of Vit. C two fold, from 40g/L to 80g/L and increased the coffee to about 2/3 cup (300g/L).
This caused it to become very inky brown, but the results of the final test of the evening gave me some insight on how to make it better and repeat the mix from scratch.

Sure enough, after making the final test, although I've got more photos to develop, I think I have found the right mixture, for the most part, to get a working 2 stage developer..

So minus the 'surge' marks, which is odd on the film, as it is definitely NOT Bromide Drag, I think the results here speak for themselves!

When I get some more photos I'll add a followup thread.

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!

Dinner & A Movie

Sept. 02 - 2012

In celebration of our (Wife and I) 6th anniversary (September 03 - 2006), we decided to do the whole Dinner & A Movie thing.  Prior to dinner, as previously posted about, we went to the Starving Artist cafe.  Great food there, and really great service.
Well after we had a really nice waffle and a coffee, plus caught up with an old friend, we decided to eat.
The choice we made was the Lone Star Texas Grill restaurant, where we had never been before.

Dinner started out easy, and relaxed. Two glasses of Ice-Water and their bottomless Nachos & Salsa. The funny thing is, some restaurants just have Green Tea, or biscuits, or even fresh baked bread, but this one it's Nachos & Salsa as the "appetizer" that is on the house. The Nachos were, well, just that. Plain, unadorned Nachos, while the Salsa could have been the Tostios salsa you buy in the store. Either way, it puts you into a mood to have some Fajitas instead of a thick juicy steak. Needless to say, we did just that. Apparently they have a tortilla press located within plain view of the restaurant, and you can watch the tortillas as they are pressed flat, and baked under hot-lamps in a spirialing cascade down to the bottom where they are captured into a bowl to be placed in nifty little holders, which holds about 6 tortilla shells for your enjoyment with your Fajitas.

The Tortilla Over is supposed to be an attraction, as they have a large sign (right) depicting that there are Fresh Hot Tortillas baking right before your eyes.  The whole process from press to bowl takes about 5 minutes under the hot-lamps.  Really neat process actually, and the kids that were patronizing the restaurant thought it was a great attraction.  Almost every family with young children, and even some adults, made their way over to the Tortilla over to see it in action.
Needless to say, I didn't go there by choice, but after the coffee earlier and the glasses of water, I needed to make my way to the bathroom, which the hallway to was right beside where the oven is.  Err, separated by a good 10 feet of course, and a brick wall!  Don't need those nasty bathroom bacteriums making their way to the fresh bread.

This, of course, brings up to the main course, which we had a nice dish of calimari rings prior.  Sorry, the photo of the Calamari, just wasn't up to snuff.  But I can tell you, even if it was, it wouldn't have done those rings any justice.  They were very good!  Excellent flavour, and the dipping sauce was top notch!  If you, like myself and my wife, have a soft spot for Calimari, you would not be disappointed with Lone Star's Calimari.

 

Ah, the Main Course... We opted for the Dos Fajitas (Fajitas for Two) which was just fantastic.  You had the option of Chicken or Steak fajitas, but since we couldn't rightly decide what we wanted, we opted for choice #3.  A mix of both!  The fajitas are served on top of some roasted onions and green and red peppers, with Rice and Beans on the side.  Guacamole is, as expected, optional, since it's not liked by all, but I would recommend the Guacamole.  Also, to note, there is a dish you receive prior to the Fajitas being placed with the fixings still sizzling before you, hissing out their song of succulence, which contain the cheese, lettuce, tomatos, and of course, Sour Cream. 
All in all, the food was very well made!  The Tortillas, apparently, are bottomless, and your server (our's was called 'Moonshine') opens up the Tortilla bowl for you to serve the first ones.  Sure enough, Fresh baked Tortillas, and hot sizzling fixings, definitely at the top of my list of making for a most enjoyable meal.  Great place to eat, with excellent ambience, and very friendly staff.

We look forward to visiting this restaurant again!  Hopefully next time we'll decide on something different to eat, but with how good these Fajitas are, perhaps not.

 

Well, all that was left now, was the movie.  We popped over to the Five & Nine Drive-In, yes they still have Drive-In movies, where we spent the next hour and a bit waiting for the sun to set, and our bellies to settle from the succulent treats we had just moments before.  The light was perfect for a quick photo in the car before the sun set and we'd spend the next 6 hours (yes 6 hours!) in eye-candy bliss as our three feature movies would begin.  Normally for a feature packed evening you would see just 2 movies, which for what you pay, is still a great deal.  After all, what theatre can you go into which has your own private seating, personalized sound system, and great company for under $15.00?  I can't think of a single one.

Needless to say, we got the special triple-feature evening, being a Long-Weekend (Labour Day) where we watched The Expendables II, The Posession, and finally, The Bourne Legacy.

 

An enjoyable, if long, evening away from the kids.   Looking forward to giving it another go sometime!

 

If you're near a Lone-Star or if you have a local Drive-In, do yourself a favour.  Give it a whirl.  You never know, you might find something to make the stresses of the day, become a thing of the past.

 

Until Next Time, keep those shutters firing!

 

 

All photos taken are with a Nikkormat FT2 35mm SLR using Fuji Superia 800ASA Colour Negative film.  Film has been processed by hand in a Jobo C-41 Press-kit and scanned using an Epson Perfection 4490 Flatbed scanner.

 

The Starving Artist

I popped into a little cafe, that seems to specialize in, oddly as it is, Waffles.  Pretty much any kind of Waffle, it is just what they do. 
The Cafe is called, The Starving Artist.  It was an oddity to pop into as it is outside of an area that I spend a fair amount of time in.  The main attraction for me to go there was to visit a friend I have not seen in years.  I'm quite glad I did, as it was nice to catch up!
Needless to say, upon entering, and waiting to be seated, we (my wife and I) were served a bottle of water.  I know, this sounds very odd, but it is the fact that the bottle is corked, as seen to the left, and easily resealable to prevent various "friends" from taking a swim in.  Sure enough, we were served by our friend Leah, as well as a co-worker of hers.  I just ordered a coffee to enjoy, as I was more interested in relaxing and seeing the cafe and having a short visit with one of my oldest friends.
I believe it was just a basic Americano bean light roasted coffee, which had the right flavor for the moment.  Not too strong, and with just enough bitterness to tempt the palate..    Of course, we weren't just there for a visit and a small cup of coffee, we were there to try what this little cafe was famous for.  Their specialty waffles!  Well, a quick glance at the menu and we were able to quickly (but not easily) decide on a small dish.  A Blueberry (we substituted for strawberry) waffle with Vanilla ice-cream and whip-cream.  It was just splendid!

The ice-cream was a perfect softness, while the waffle was cooked to perfection.  The butterscotch topping was, as expected, sweet, and the strawberries were wonderfully ripe, sweet, and flavourful with just the right amount of tanginess to them.
The waffle edges were nicely crisped, while the middle was soft, and held a wonderful flavour to it.  It easily absorbed some of the melting ice-cream, which made the dish that much better!  Sure enough, I made sure I let Donna have the first bite.  Her expression may look like it's a bit bitter, but I can promise you that it was more along the lines of just being the right time to press the shutter for a facial expression showing that it was a big mistake to come there..

She quickly devoured the waffle, and I did manage to help her a bit.  Although we could have afforded a second waffle, we opted not to and quickly packed up to head on our way. 

But before I close this little segment of work let me just say that this is a wonderful little cafe.  It's one of the few waffle houses in the city, but is definitely one of the better cafes I have been to.  The ambiance and location is very nice, albeit more parking around wouldn't hurt (WAKE UP CITY OF TORONTO!).  The choice of meals is very good, with a strong emphasis on waffles, obviously.  The interesting thing is just how much they cater to the waffle loving crowd they get.  I mean.. Bacon Benny Waffles.. Bacon Waffles, and more..
It's basically a Bacon Waffle lover's dream come true.  A place that specializes in both Bacon, and of course, their wonderful waffles.

The decor in the place very much stands out, as it is definitely geared more toward the "artsy" crowds, but anyone will fit in, as it is a fun little cafe to visit.

Located on Landsdowne Avenue in Totonto, just North of Bloor Street West, it is a very easy place to get to.  Within steps from Landsdowne Subway station, and a short jog up from Bloor street.
The Starving Artist is close enough that anyone can easily make it a place to visit as often as they would like.  I will definitely be going back.  Hope to see you there!

The Starving Artist Cafe
584 Lansdowne Avenue
Toronto, ON M6H3Y6
(647) 342-5058

Food is quite good to excellent.  Staff is very friendly, and make you feel right at home.  The ambiance is very light and enjoyable, and it is a great place to just come in and enjoy a waffle with a coffee..  I'd give it a 3½/5 to 4/5.  The prices are at the point where you almost feel like you should be paying a bit more for, but you are definitely getting what you pay for.  


All photos were taken on a Nikon Nikkormat FT2 w/50mm ƒ/1.8 Nikon Lens on Fuji Extra 800ASA film, and developed in a Jobo C-41 Press Kit.