Switching Out Lenses

For a compilation of the morning walk images, click here.

I decided to play with the 7artisans 12mm F 2.8 lens this morning because the window graphics at Finnegans Wake in Cole Valley had been updated. I used the 25mm lens several months ago and had to stand in the street to get an image. On my way there, I happened upon this corner bar where dressed mannequins stood in for customers. The background was fairly well lit when compared to my main subject who sat a few feet away from me on the other side of the window.

My reflection in the window adds a voyeur vibe to the photo. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. In reality, I was just unable to eliminate my reflection at the left edge of the frame. I can usually eliminate all reflections by pushing the lens right up against the glass, but this wasn't possible because the integral petals of the built-in lens hood couldn't prevent reflected light from sneaking between the gaps. What I needed was a means to attach a conventional flat-faced lens hood. I heard about this adapter from a YouTube video. It slips over the petals and is threaded to accept 77mm filters. I bought one from B&H Photo, and if you're in the market, you can get it here. If I need to make a similar shot in the future, the adapter will allow me to press the lens right up against the glass to prevent any stray reflections from sneaking into the frame.

Spend a moment and watch this video on the 12mm lens/filter holder combination.

Here are some photos that were made on the way to the Valley.

Potted Plant, Roosevelt Way In San Francisco. July 29, 2020. 12mm F 2.8 lens.

When working with a lens as wide as this one, you'll have lots of foreground and background real estate. In this case, I wanted to emphasize the geometry of the staircase.

Flower Bed, Roosevelt Way In San Francisco. July 28, 2020. 12mm F 2.8 lens

In this shot, it's the abundance of background that's the issue. Luckily, a shaft of clear light fell upon the flower while the background was rendered a bit darker. The lens is not a macro by any means, but seems to do a proper job if the subjects aren't too small.

For Sale, Ashbury Terrace In San Francisco. July 28, 2020. 12mm F 2.8 lens.

The stand supporting the sign had tipped over, so I straightened it in post production. The buildings aren't really tipped.

Finnegans Wake In Cole Valley. January 28, 2020. 12mm F 2.8 lens.

These updated window coverings were the real reason for my walk. If these painting are remotely accurate renderings of the regulars, I really need to spend some time there when we all emerge from the tunnel.

So many have suffered so much for so long. Let's remember to help others find their own way through this mess. If we all do our part to keep everyone safe, we're part of the solution, and not part of the problem.

Shades Of Blade Runner

For a compilation of the morning walk images, click here.

I'd eat here, if such a restaurant existed.

"...Sushi...and noodles". 
Since we all started sheltering at home in March, I must have watched Blade Runner (the real one) at least six times. I was surprised to learn that it was not well received initially, but rose to achieve a cult status within a variety of genres. For me, it's always been a favorite, although I find it  hard to reconcile this vision of the year 2019 AD with what has actually come to be.

In one sequence, Deckard analyzes one of Leon's photos, and through computer enhancement, is able to produce a grainy image of Zhora, one of the replicants he's been sent to retire. I believe the process and the result can be attributed to creative license on the writer's part, and the resulting image far from providing a definitive identification. 

Screen captures of the photo analysis made in Blade Runner. Photo source here.

Computer enhanced image of Zhora.

I was surprised to find that some legal-geek types submitted a post on whether this image could be admitted as evidence in a court of law, and from what I can tell, it's a well researched argument in favor of the technology. 

Be that as it may, recovering that much information from a grainy 4" X 6" drugstore photograph seems far fetched, and I'm sure that the technology may actually exist to conjure a miracle such as this. 

Artifact, Seventeenth Street In San Francisco. June 20, 2020. 25mm 1.8 lens.

On June 20, I found this strip of color print negatives on a street near my  home. It probably escaped from some trash bin on garbage day, and I noticed it when a gust of wind sent it flying. Introduced in 1982, this strip of Kodak Gold 200 negatives could potentially be almost 40 years old. I made a photo of the negative by holding it slightly above the horizon to show some of the inverse detail. I considered this photo a document of a technology made irrelevant by the digital age, from a time when their were no alternatives to analog technology, as we now call it.

Rudimentary negative reversal via Elements

Prompted by the spirit of Rick Deckard and a passing familiarity with Elements, I inverted the color of the image just to see what this unknown photographer saw through their viewfinder.  It appears to be a performance by an orchestra in a plaza venue that resembles something one might find in Foster City. I'm afraid I won't get much more information than that, seeing that it's 2020, not 2019 from a science fiction film.

Maybe I'll be interested enough to attempt a more detailed reversal of a color negative under more controlled circumstances. In the mean time, I think I'll call Chewbacca and see if the Cantina in Mos Eislie has outdoor seating.