Close of Play

(Ricoh GX200)

For those whose workdays have been increasingly crazy, this image could be the best description of the mood after the last five days.
 

It's Raining Man

(All photos by Ricoh GX200)

Hong Kong has been raining quite a bit over the week. Enjoy the short clip!

Phantom

(Ricoh GX200)

Pavel's ricohforum has been staging the monthly photo contest for quite some time.  If you own or have a chance to use a Ricoh camera, the contest for this month has a very interesting but easy enough theme for a try.

Tempting

With the impeding production of the lens-mount unit for the GXR, retro cameras will come further under the spotlight. Meanwhile, with the release of its supposedly bug-fixing firmware, the Fujifilm FinePix X100 has surfaced to heated debates of its strengths and weaknesses. For what it is worth, the effort to give a retro look and a fixed lens to a digital camera should be given a big hand. And it is very tempting indeed.

We haven't done this for a while. Folks, the following are some photos by the X100 garnered on the net:

ISO		ISO
200	1/220, f2	800	1/600, f8
	1/125, f2		1/30, f2
	1/90, f5.6	1600	1/90, f2.8
	1/450, f2.8	2000	1/15, f2.8
	1/320, f5.6	2500	1/30, f2.8
	1/18, f5.6	3200	1/90, f4
	1/680, f8		1/20, f2
250	1/1000, f2		1/70, f4
	1/250, f11	4000	1/340, f5.6
400	1/200, f4	5000	1/30, f5.6
500	1/70, f5.6
	1/30, f5.6

Troubled

(Ricoh GX200)

From his facial expression, we can safely guess that this man is troubled. It is not foolhardy to say that photographers are good at telling a troubled face because most of us are regularly troubled by the decision to use or acquire which cameras and photographic paraphernalia. 

A recent stir of the photographers' troubled hearts arises as Fujifilm has released the firmware for the exquisite X100 to address, regretably, not all of the heatly debated operational flaws. While credits should certainly go to Fujifilm in giving the retro look a try for a digital camera without the hefty price-tag of the M, comments on its functionality are very mixed. It is a camera you are going to like it or hate it. But at least one thing is sure: it is commercially unwise to produce a controversial product. Another example is the world's smallest interchangeable-lens Pentax Q in the fine spirit of Quixote.

That said, the Fujifilm is of a class on its own tickling the fancy of many who have paid and who haven't the money to pay for it. GXG is very much interested in trying it out too.

Window to the World

(Ricoh GX200)

In photography, the person behind the camera should see the world beyond the add mode. That is to say, he or she should see things not in number but in their relationship. When seeing the elements in a scene as a mere number, you can either add them up or do some away.  More often than not, final images so achieved lack punch. But when looking at them by finding out their relationships, you will start to consciously work out the viewing angles and exposure combos befitting the theme which you find it such relationships. This practice will give you more possibilities for the creative final images. 

For sure, the photographer is not obliged to tell any specific or meaning story in the final images. One may choose to educate with a photo but we can also simply leave the interpretations to the viewers, which is probably more advisable for any work of art. That said, it is the photographer's burden to think up a title suitable for the picture to represent the theme in mind at the time of shooting.  

Give Way

(Panasonic GH2)

"Money here, give way!"

Before you give way to money tomorrow, have fun your own way today.  This is Sunday, a fun day.