Tag: photography

by jad

Barthes and the History of Looking

“The portrait-photograph is a closed field of forces. Four image-repertoires intersect here, oppose and distort each other. In front of the lens, I am at the same time: the one I think I am, the one I want others to think I am, the one the photographer thinks I am, and the one he [sic] makes use of to exhibit his art. In other words, a strange action: I do not stop imitating myself, and because of this, each time I am (or let myself be) photographed, I invariably suffer from a sensation of inauthenticity, sometimes of imposture (comparable to … Continue reading “Barthes and the History of Looking” →

by jad

Strange Food and Little Makers: The Cornish BFA Show

I’ve been thinking about Luigi Ghirri again. Christine sent me a video about him, seeing something in his work that would resonate with me, not knowing that I’d already noticed that affinity a couple years ago. It was nice to have validation of my hubris. Here’s what Ghirri had to say about photography: “Beyond all critical and intellectual explanations, beyond all negative aspects it might posses, photography is, I think, a formidable visual language tor fostering this desire for the infinite that inhabits each of us. As I have said before, it is a great adventure in the world of … Continue reading “Strange Food and Little Makers: The Cornish BFA Show” →

by jad

A710 vs. LX10 (and a Mural That Says Slow Down)

I’m back with another ridiculous camera comparison: the 2006 Canon Powershot A710 IS versus the 2016 LUMIX LX10, which technically still counts as a digicam, I think. What difference could ten years and a jump from 7.1 MP to 20 MP possible make? I took these photos near the spot that Liliana Moreno was murdered by automobile on February 16. I’d heard of this awful tragedy but didn’t realize how close it was to the bus stop I’d be getting off of yesterday—a sobering thought when I get around mostly by foot and public transport. I’m less militantly anti-car than … Continue reading “A710 vs. LX10 (and a Mural That Says Slow Down)” →

by jad

Fake Spring, Firmware Hacks, and Oxbow Park

I should have known that it would snow today, way after all the daffodils bloomed with their fake news of spring. I was almost shivering taking these photos in the ice cold rain yesterday evening. I was in Georgetown meeting with a couple comrades again, and decided to take the bus all the way to Oxbow Park first, to do another comparison shoot. But it was too cold and the gimmick I wanted to demonstrate was too finicky for me to stay very long. Here you see the Canon Rebel SL1 I bought for work paired with the Powershot SX260 … Continue reading “Fake Spring, Firmware Hacks, and Oxbow Park” →

by jad

SX260 vs. ELPH 340: A Digicam Comparison

Today I’m comparing the SX260 HS to the ELPH 340 HS, a PowerShot that came out two years later with 16 megapixels crammed into the same sized sensor. This was Christine’s old camera that we found hiding at the bottom of a box when we moved apartments two years. It ended up becoming my only travel cam in Costa Rica, after my Ricoh MySport went kaput very early in the trip. It’s also called “Pete.” That’s what you see when you pair it with Canon’s Camera Connect software. I don’t know why. x I didn’t have anywhere special to be … Continue reading “SX260 vs. ELPH 340: A Digicam Comparison” →

by jad

With All That’s Going On in the World (More Camera Comparisons)

“With all that’s going on in the world.” I was thinking about this turn of phrase, with all that’s going on in the world, and all that’s going on in my part of the world in particular. So I did what I often do when a thought gets lodged inside my brain: I looked it up. I know that in this house we love to hate it, but I liked how off-putting yet accurate it sounded, so here is what Google’s AI overview had to say: “ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ’ꜱ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ” ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴʟʏ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ, ᴛɪᴍᴇʟʏ ᴘʜʀᴀꜱᴇ … Continue reading “With All That’s Going On in the World (More Camera Comparisons)” →

by jad

Camera Curios: A720 IS vs. SX260 HS

Photography’s been slapping me across the face and telling me he loves me lately, so I decided to spend a bit of time with my camera curios to get back into my groove. I started with two Canon PowerShot digicams: the A710 IS I got from Virgin Megastore in Downtown Beirut all the way back in 2007, making it my first camera, and the SX260 HS from 2012 that my father-in-law gave me during his last visit. He said that if I could figure out how to charge it, I could have it (it needed a replacement battery pack). Both … Continue reading “Camera Curios: A720 IS vs. SX260 HS” →

by jad

Swap n’ Soup (and Johnny Don’t Like the Teacher)

I’m so excited to see these scans from my swap n’ soup with @_fromthemorgue! I took the first exposures with Christine during @seattlefilmclub’s Sight & Sound photowalk—we listened to a curated playlist while exploring Belltown’s back alleys—so there are layers upon layers here. I was nervous about using my Konica C35 AF2 for this, but it really lends itself to street photography. Morgan took the second exposure with a Lomography Fisheye No. 2 and souped the roll in laundry detergent, kosher salt, white wine, and boiling water. The results are insane! x I’m especially pleased because I was especially bummed … Continue reading “Swap n’ Soup (and Johnny Don’t Like the Teacher)” →

by jad

New Year’s Eve, a Budget Lens, and Earth’s Greatest Enemy

A couple of quiet moments on New Year’s Eve. As I was composing the second shot, a loud and obnoxious voice boomed behind me saying “oooh, what are you doing with that camera???” which kinda broke the spell of the moment. It turns out he was trying to get me in a shot of his own. x I love my new ultra-budget Made in China lens. x I think the door swinging shut makes this first photo. x It’s next month! Seattle @demsocialists are thrilled to welcome @fababs to our city for two screenings of her newest @empirefiles film, “Earth’s … Continue reading “New Year’s Eve, a Budget Lens, and Earth’s Greatest Enemy” →