Photo Friday: The Junk Drawer

Right, so it’s been weeks since I’ve last posted a Photo Friday (Jesus, so busy), but it isn’t as though I haven’t been taking photographs. In fact, I’ve been shooting away like a busy little bee! In addition to Argos the Nikon D60, I’ve finally pulled out my mother’s old Canon EOS Rebel XS, which is a 35mm plastic SLR. The thing is nearly 20 years old, and for three years, languished at the back of my closet, forgotten and unloved. I finally replaced its battery and bought some film and have shot a few rolls, but since film seems to be passé these days I have not yet developed them.

My mother's old Canon EOS Rebel XS, who very badly needs to be named and loved.

This Canon camera needs some loving. She also needs a name. Argos was named for the hundred-eyed giant who stood watch over Io. Argos was also called Panoptes, which means “all-seeing”, and I liked that he could see things through his lenses that I would have never noticed. Suggest names for me! Feminine names, I think, because she feels entirely different in my hands.

I’ve noticed I take different photographs when I have the 35mm SLR and the DSLR in my hands. On Argos, I primarily shoot with the 50mm 1.8 prime lens, which, because of its lack of autofocus and capacity for some extreme bokeh, I use mostly for portraits.

The Canon, on the other hand, is great for street photography. I’ve got the plastic kit strapped on her. The lens has varying focal lengths–from 35mm to 105mm–which allows me to zoom in and out of scenic details. Also, the 105mm focal length lets me sneakily take candid photos. Take out the crop factor on digital cameras and add in the fact that the autofocus and shutter speed are faster, film is perfect for on-the-go shots.

It also forces me to rely on my eye instead of taking a zillion photos before deciding which one is the best. The zillion photo technique works in portraiture, when you’re trying to capture the essence of a subject (as well as his/her most flattering angles). But film is in its strange way immediate and unpredictable. Immediate because the shot is captured right away. Unpredictable because I have no way of knowing if what is developed will be what I saw. I kind of like it.

Unfortunately, this necessitates me lugging two cameras with me everywhere. I have enough back problems as it is!

Anyway, without further ado, a huge collection of random photos I’ve been taking in the past couple of weeks. These are all shot with Argos as apparently no one in NYC develops film anymore.

The World Cup

Psychic Roommate and I are big soccer fans and we watched the 2010 FIFA World Cup in its entirety. Alas, the Oranje did not win as we had hoped, but if it’s any consolation, La Roja has some really pretty players. (Hi, David Villa, hi. Also hi, Jesús Navas and your beautiful blue eyes, hi.)

Still Bar, where we went to watch the England vs. Algeria game. It was a yawn.

Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

I just thought the goosehead handle was funny.

Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

Someone texts during the game. Yes, it was that dull.

Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

A US fan watches the US vs. Ghana game at the Astoria Beer Garden.

Aperture f/5.3
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 800

Psychic Roommate and I went to watch the US vs. Ghana game at the biergarten down the street but found the crowd too obnoxious, so we moved to the bar across the street from it.

Aperture f/5.3
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 800

They served Coke in a glass bottle! I felt so European: sitting in a pub, watching football, drinking soda from glass bottles.

Aperture f/5.3
Focal Length 35 mm
ISO Speed 800

White-Harp is engrossed in watching the game.

Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 400

White-Harp decides she can't bear to watch how horribly we're playing.

Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 800

A crowd gathers by a local deli to watch the game being broadcast.

Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 400

Pure Narcissism

On Facebook I’ve been uploading photos of myself and my various fashion posts. When I was little, my mother (who has impeccable taste) used to dress me and I looked cute. When I was a kid, I took to dressing myself and I was a tomboy. But the older I got, the more fashion, makeup, and being girly got fun. (Lesson learned, a wide angle lens is never flattering.)

I call this look Dolores on the Dotted Line.

Aperture f/5.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 400

I have no idea what to call this look. Also, you can't see it, but there's a white flower in my hair.

Aperture f/5.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 400

This is what all the indie kids worse in Camden Town, London circa 2005 when I lived there.

Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 400

Portraits

I think I shoot the best photographs when I have a person in front of my lens, even when it’s a random candid snapshot. I suppose this makes sense as a natural extension of my AP Art Portfolio concentration, which was portraiture. (Ah, back when I worked in natural media.)

Psychic Roommate, who has million-mile-long legs.

Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

This is a photoshoot I did with Psychic Roommate along the Astoria Waterfront. The entire set can be viewed here on Flickr. I’ve done her makeup, dressed her in my dress, jewelry, and hair accessories. That’s why people have told me that she looks “JJ-ish”.

Lou Reed Girlfriend, in a 1960s rock 'n' roll inspired shoot.

Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 1600
Exposure Bias -2 EV

Makeup and props provided by me (hat, camera, Breton-striped shirt). You can see the rest of the set here on Flickr.

Random Street Photography

And a collection of random shots around NYC.

Morrissey would sing Oh, you handsome devil.

Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

Lady Gaga would sing, Stop telephone me-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh.

Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 800

I love how this girl is standing.

Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200

Yeah, I read over people's shoulders. So what?

Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

I don't know why I decided to turn this sepia. Not my best processing effort.

Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 100

That’s all for this week!

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