Reclaiming Spiral Dance is one of annual “must-go” event for San Francisco area paganfolks. This year is the 30th anniversary of the event and when two thousands people join hands and dance the spiral, magic happens.
November 5, 2009
October 23, 2009
October 17, 2009
Two Thinkers
Sometimes when I feel like I need a mental recharge, I just drive over to Stanford and just walk and photo the Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden – again. A small spot bound by parking lot, dormitory and roads, it’s a little magical place:
Of course I also can’t resist photographing the other thinker:
The sign says something about “Use the Water At Your Own Risk,” and “Do not Dive” etc., but I doubt there’s any danger of that.
October 10, 2009
Megetsu Taiko Festival
Last weekend, I spent 3 days shooting 4 Taiko concerts – the 2nd annual Meigetsu (Harvest Moon) festival. Each concert is different,
with may be a dozen groups altogether. ISO1600, 1/40 @F2 is not uncommon. I just keep remembering Ted Grant’s words – “if you can see
it, you can shoot it.” I shot ~6000 frames, for the performers, I culled them down to ~1200. Obviously the complete set is only of interest to the performers.
I culled 72 of my favorites. Perhaps you would enjoy them:
http://www.rfman.com/Taiko/Meigetsu-2009/Best-Of/
The innovative dance + taiko group
October 2, 2009
Because I Was There, Photographing At Yosemite
As I was carrying two cameras hiking down the Panoramic Trail in Yosemite, one of the oft-heard comments was “you can’t take bad pictures at Yosemite.” A couple times, I jokingly replied, “yes, but I can try!” In all seriousness, while taking bad pictures is hard at Yosemite, how does one convene the scale and immensity of Yosemite? Besides, Yosemite has been photographed by everyone from Ansel Adam to a grandmother with a Kodak Max. It is almost discouraging to raise the camera to your eyes, and then think, “Why bother? This shot probably has been done before.”
In the end, you take photographs for your own enjoyment. The world through your eyes. So in the vein, here’s my images of the Panoramic Trail, ending with a few pictures from the Tuolomne Grove. Enjoy.
http://www.dragonsgate.net/pub/richard/PICS/Yosemite09-2/
and the earlier color photos at:
September 28, 2009
There and Back Again, Yosemite Panoramic Trail
While Burns’ series “The National Park” started on TV, my friend and I went to Yosemite to do some hiking. We select the 8+ miles Panoramic Trail from Glacial Point down to the Valley floor. The hike is on a high end of moderate to low end of difficulty level (Half Dome hike is very difficult and the death march to El Capitan would be “insane.” I plan to do El Cap one day). What I did not realize was that while my friend walks a couple miles a day, she has no prior hiking experience per se. The uphill portion gave her some trouble as the air is thin and the vertical climb is steep, but she soldiered on and really did a great job. It was a great hiking experience.
I shot about 100 pics on the Leica M8.u, and about the same amount on the medium format slides/BW. The latter set will have to wait for the film to develop and to be scanned in, but here’s the set from the Leica. The M8.u suffered a fall onto the concrete flooring in the Housekeeping cabin as we were rushing to catch the bus to Glacial Point. The filter and hood are a goner, but the camera and lens seem to be OK. I suspect it will cost a few hundred bucks to replace the front ring retainer of the lens 
Enjoy the slideshow here: http://www.dragonsgate.net/pub/richard/PICS/Yosemite0909/
and a sample pic:
September 25, 2009
Families
Some families you are born into. My family pulled up root and immigrated to USA 34 years ago. We were poor and without much chance of upward mobility if we were to stay in Hong Kong. I probably would not have progressed beyond high school, due to the lack of funds. In 2009, Father has 11 grandchildren, with 4 grandchildren getting higher education currently and probably all grandchildren will go to colleges. America is truly the Land of Opportunities and Diversity. Unfortunately, our mother passes away before the first grandchild was born, she would be proud.
OTOH, some families you make. Before we moved to California 15+ years ago, our good friends took us to a Lakota Sweat Lodge ceremony of which he is the pipe carrier. In the presence of the Stone People and the Elder of his tribe, we declare that we are Hunka family, adopted to each other. We only see each other but every 3-4 years, whenever we can manage a visit. The way we connect though, is as if we have never left.
To our Families! Cheers!
September 19, 2009
Mario the Magnificent
Our daughter started her college journey at Drexel University this past Wednesday. Their mascot is Mario the Magnificence.
Somewhat fitting considering the pictures are hosted on our web server, dragonsgate.net.
August 16, 2009
Why Leica Still Matters…
It’s almost a certainty that Leica will announce the M9 on Sept 09, 2009 (09/09/09), and shipping some times later. At a rumored $7999.99 street price tag, for most photographers, it will be a non-event.
For others, it is a watershed event. For that to make sense, one has to appreciate the Leica DNA, which is as relevant today on the M8/M8.2 as it was fifty years ago, when the M3 was introduced: small compact cameras with all the necessary controls, manual focus with the world’s greatest rangefinder and the lens systems, that can produce the highest quality or the most appealing images at the right hands.
The last part needs some explanation: highest quality is because the lens are without peers. Most of them are sharp even at wide open, and wide open means F2 for the pedestrian Summicron, F1.4 for the Summilux, and the light fantastic F0.95/F1 of the Noctilux. Sure the Canon 85/1.2 is just as good, but we are talking the whole Leica lens range – not a lemon to be found.
And the most appealing does not equate highest technical quality. A favorite pastime would be to look at Henri Cartier-Bresson photos that people occasionally upload to the Flickr and other sites, and see the Internet photography “experts,” complaining the lack of sharp focus or other technical qualities. With a Leica, you can have both or either.
So who won’t benefit from a Leica? People that don’t like rangefinder or manual focusing, people that want the flexibility of zoom lens, people that like to shoot sports, telephone, macros, and people that don’t want to spend the price of a good car just to get a camera body and two lens. With the M8, you need to also add the expense and hassle of mounting IR blocking filters, and the 1.3X crop factor.
But what glorious pictures it takes. Any Leica, any medium – be it a digital sensor in the M8, or a roll of Tri-X, or gasp, even color film (I shot boatload of Provia slide film on my M7) – gives you no excuses to say, “my equipment is not up to my standard” (minus the limitation of shooting action, tele, macro etc. etc.). If the image is not so good, the flaws most likely lie with the person pushing that shutter button. Clear and simple. Yes, the M8 had issues, but the current generation of firmware and supporting software by and the large make them irrelevant. You will see what a 35mm frame looks like, you will anticipate actions. You will know the depth of field of an aperture and distance to subject. You will KNOW your camera.
So what will the M9 do that is so important? If the rumors are true, no more crop factor, and no more IR filters, and higher ISO performance. There will be more megapixels too, but for most people, it’s an non-issue. Cynics would say, that just means that Leica has finally caught up with Canon, Nikon, and Sony with the full frame sensors, but that just means that they do not understand the Leica DNA.
More importantly, the M9 will significantly drive down the cost of a used M8, and even M7. For anyone interested in honing their craft, get a used M6 or M7, and a used lens, for $1500-$2500, shoot with it for a year, and then sell it for a few hundred dollars “loss.” The lessons one will learn is well worth it. For those who want the convenience of digital and don’t mind losing more, then a used M8 can be have for as little as $2300. Yes, it’s the price of a new D700, but read above again for the Leica DNA.
No, a Leica is not for everyone, but if you like its DNA, that’s nothing else like it.
August 7, 2009
Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, and the Leica M9
This is a great time for photography fan to go to SFMOMA, with photos from Adams, Frank, and Avedon on display. We have seen the exhibits of Adams and Frank previously, and The Americans exhibit is even more powerful in the second viewing.
(more photos and a few comments about the Leica M9 behind the …more…)
