ZA Dude in CA presents 'Window to the World'

July 2011 - Canada Day (1)

2012-01-26T22:58:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - Rodeo Drive and End of Trip (9)

2012-01-24T23:29:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - More Hollywood Blvd and American Excesses (8)

2012-01-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - More China Town, Oversized Americans, Prick in a Limo on Mulhulland Drive (7)

2012-01-22T23:45:00.001-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - Downtown LA & China Town (6)

2012-01-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - More Venice and Santa Monica (5)

2012-01-15T10:13:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - Venice, Santa Monica, Baywatch (4)

2012-01-14T09:02:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - Hollywood Blvd (3)

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - Venice Beach (2)

2012-01-10T22:23:00.000-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - Grace Cathedral, Transamerica Pyramid, Financial District & The Starbucks Moment(34)

2012-01-09T23:58:00.000-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - City Hall & Union Square(33)

2012-01-08T20:16:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles - May 2011 - Venice Beach (1)

2012-01-08T02:12:00.002-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - Downtown (32)

2012-01-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - Twin Peaks (31)

2012-01-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - More Pier 39 & Alcatraz Island (30)

2012-01-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - USS Pampanito (29)

2011-12-29T23:56:00.000-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - Pier 39 (28)

2011-12-28T20:41:00.000-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - Cable Car Museum (27)

2011-12-27T21:17:00.000-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - China Town (26)

2011-11-14T19:49:00.002-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - On the road (25)

2011-11-13T17:21:00.001-05:00

San Francisco - May 2011 - Museum of Modern Arts (24)

2011-11-12T17:18:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know. These pictures are now 6 months old. Too much to do, too little time.

Whatever.

A list of some of the American cities / towns with names that suggest nothingness.

Popeye

Interlude from San Francisco - September 2011

2011-09-25T00:32:00.000-04:00

So work has been crazy busy and I had absolutely no time to do any posting for a while, or anything else for that matter. In the mean time, I got hold of a Yashica Mat and ran a couple of test rolls through it while I was doing my daily commute.

Yashica Mat LM, Kodak TriX 400 El 1600

The mess at work and the legal drug.

Yashica Mat LM, Kodak TriX 400 El 1600

The light at the end of the tunnel... belongs to a train.

Yashica Mat LM, Kodak TriX 400 El 1600

The religion.

Yashica Mat LM, Kodak TriX 400 El 1600

The concentration.

Yashica Mat LM, Kodak TriX 400 El 1600

The squeeze.

Yashica Mat LM, Kodak TriX 400 El 1600

The wait.

Yashica Mat LM, Kodak TriX 400 El 1600

The splash.

I love the square format. There is just something amazingly well-balanced with each composition.

I also love the fact that with even a cheap scanner, I can get 160 megapixels out of a single negative. Yes, you read that right. 160 megapixels.

Total investments: about $400.

One up for analog.

San Francisco - Metreon - May 2011 (23)

2011-09-12T18:30:00.000-04:00

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial (22)

2011-09-11T18:30:00.001-04:00

Martin Luther King's legacy, just like Madiba's, is an inspiration to people of all races.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Reflections: Oche Wat Te Ou (21)

2011-09-10T18:30:00.002-04:00

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

There is this pond in the middle of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in the heart of San Francisco. This is my selfportrait of the trip. This reflects my mood at the time (excuse the pun).

They say that when one travels solo, one discovers more about one's self.

They also say that as a photographer matures, their photos start to take on a new perspective. Whereas new photographers try to mimic others' work and present their work as something that would please the crowd, the more mature photographers present work that convey emotions. Their emotions. Their very own.

What does this photo say about me? Confusion? Faceless? Undiscovered?

San Francisco - Daytrip to Yosemite National Park, May 2011 (20)

2011-09-09T18:31:00.001-04:00

My day trip to Yosemite National Park. I reserved my solitary roll of colour film for this location, because I wanted to capture the lush greens. Then my 24 hour lab's machine broke and could not process my C41 film. Then I lost the film somewhere along the way to the next lab.

I suppose now I have to look in the S90 shots for the crappy greens.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Golden Gate Bridge & Alcatraz Island, May 2011 (19)

2011-09-08T18:31:00.000-04:00

The most famous landmarks in San Francisco!

The tourist in me told me that I had to do the tourist thing of walking across the bridge. And I followed that instinct. Problems:
1. I busted my knee doing a run in SF that morning. This proved to be a bad idea - the hills in the SF area are not knee friendly and I had to spend most of the day limping around.
2. The intention was to walk across and then take a bus back. There was no bus back.
3. It started raining when I reached the other side.
4. It started getting dark when I reached the other side.
5. There were no cabs neither.
6. Good thing that there were no cabs -- there was a serious accident on the bridge so all traffic stopped for over two hours. I would have had to fork out like $200 to sit on the bridge in traffic -- sometimes, blessings come in weird packages.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Alcatraz Island

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - California Academy of Sciences, May 2011 (18)

2011-09-07T18:31:00.001-04:00

The Academy of Science also has a living roof. This has certainly taken green living to a whole new level.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - California Academy of Sciences, May 2011 (17)

2011-09-06T18:31:00.000-04:00

I always found science centres to be amusing. There is always the opportunity to interact with something. In this case, there is a four-story dome where the biosphere of a rainforest is replicated.

It has certainly put me off going to the Amazon Rainforest.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

There was also an awesome aquarium.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - de Young Museum Fine Arts Museum, May 2011 (16)

2011-09-05T18:31:00.000-04:00

I don't usually go to museums. I can never find the patience to look at the description of each item. Whatever descriptions they do provide tend to be on the thin side - not enough to enthus. But there are also too many items and short descriptions to look at - to many to remember. Kind of like the overloading of crappy information that we are exposed to every day.

But then again, I enjoy museums - they are always quiet and allow people to procrastinate in peace. They also allow people like me to watch other people procrastinate.

It also doesn't hurt to be surrounded by the work of the old masters, however little I understand their motivations for creating their lives' work.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Bay-to-Breakers, May 2011 (15)

2011-09-04T18:31:00.000-04:00

The Bay-to-Breakers race is a 12km race across San Francisco, from the easter end to the western end, ending in the Golden Gate Park. The not-so-serious contestants dress up for the race and soak in the relaxed atmostphere.

It's wonderful to be able to slow it down, to soak it in.

Bull

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Jane of the jungle.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

They were meant to be something.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

"Optimus Prime"

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

They were meant to be something too.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Homecoming queens?

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Pier 39 Blues, May 2011 (14)

2011-09-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

This guy was good.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Pier 39 Crab House, May 2011 (13)

2011-09-02T18:31:00.000-04:00

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile

Maroon 5

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Pier 39, May 2011 (12)

2011-09-01T18:31:00.000-04:00

Ever find that it's getting harder and harder to breathe? That extra O2 certainly helps to put a smile on peoples' faces. What else are they pumping in that air?

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love
You'll understand what I mean when I say
There's no way we're gonna give up
And like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams
Is there anyone out there 'cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe
Is there anyone out there 'cause it's getting harder and harder to breathe

(Maroon 5)

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Pier 39 Merry-go-round, May 2011 (11)

2011-08-31T18:31:00.001-04:00

Sometimes my life feels a bit like going around in circles -- sometimes confusing, mostly nauseating, always blurry.

The intention of my trip to SF was to get away from it all. To slow down, think about things, work it out for myself.

As always, I discovered who I am not, but still searching for who I am.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Pier 39 - Reaching In, May 2011 (10)

2011-08-30T18:31:00.001-04:00

Being the United States, the rich-poor disparity is big. Coming from someone who grew up in Africa, this may sound like a funny statement.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Pier 39, May 2011 (9)

2011-08-29T18:30:00.000-04:00

This was a great performance by some street artists. They spraypainted some interesting artwork, mostly San Francisco themed.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - USS Pampanito, May 2011 (8)

2011-08-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Portrait Street Art, May 2011 (7)

2011-08-27T18:30:00.000-04:00

It's always interesting to see how others see or perceive you.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Hyde Street Pier, May 2011 (6)

2011-08-26T18:30:00.002-04:00

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco, May 2011 (5)

2011-08-25T18:30:00.000-04:00

There is something therapeutic about the sea breeze. Perhaps it's the salt in the air. It's refreshing to see children really enjoying themselves on the beach. With Golden Gate Bridge in the background, it sure is a beautiful sight.

Or maybe I was just glad to be "free". Getting out of the office is therapeutic too.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

I wasn't the only one who was mesmerised by the scene.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

The kids were also enjoying the sunset.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Getting ready to head home.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Girardelli Square, May 2011 (4)

2011-08-24T18:30:00.000-04:00

Girardelli Square is a charming little, well, square, in the middle of the Marina District. I can't put a finger on it, but it certainly reminds me of Rosebank "The Zone" in Johannesburg. Despite having hordes of tourists milling about, one gets the feeling that time is standing still.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - "Octavia", May 2011 (3)

2011-08-23T18:30:00.001-04:00

Despite being one of the most difficult cities in the US in which to find parking, San Francisco also has a reputation for being one of the most difficult for getting a cab.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - The Marina District, May 2011 (2)

2011-08-22T18:30:00.002-04:00

San Francisco is a seemingly very laid back city. It has managed to preserve a bit of the sleepy small-town charm whilst being a semi-large city. The scenic landscapes and steep hills remind me of Cape Town.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

San Francisco - Marina District, May 2011

2011-08-21T21:47:00.001-04:00

I spent over week in California in the middle of May, starting off in San Francisco. I will reserve my comments and Judgement of the state of California to a later post.

I went there with two cameras - I took the Leica M6 (with the Zeiss 50mm Planar T* mounted) and the Canon S90.

With the Leica, I shot a total of rolls, not a lot for eleven days, but there were some keepers. I shot almost exlusively TriX on this trip, but also shot a roll of Fuji Superia 400, which I proceeded to lose.

I also took about 400 shots with the S90 - most of them were crap and suffered from a trigger-happy shutter maniac - after all, it's free. In fact, the S90 shots were so bad that I didn't even want to download them -- it took me two weeks to develop and scan all of the film, but over two months to find the motivation to download (and soon, to delete) the S90 shots.

Kodak TriX400 in HC-110 (1+31) 6.5min, Leica M6 + Zeiss 50mm Planar T*

Union Station, May 2011

2011-08-14T22:05:00.000-04:00

York Street, May 2011

2011-08-13T22:02:00.004-04:00

Front Street W, May 2011

2011-08-12T22:01:00.000-04:00

TTC: May 2011 (5)

2011-08-11T22:01:00.000-04:00

Internet For Sale, May 2011

2011-08-10T22:00:00.000-04:00

Queen Street W, May 2011 (3)

2011-08-09T21:59:00.000-04:00

Queen Street W, May 2011 (2)

2011-08-08T21:57:00.000-04:00

Queen Street W, May 2011

2011-08-07T21:56:00.000-04:00

Taboo, May 2011

2011-08-06T21:55:00.000-04:00

Starbucks, Milner Ave. May 2011

2011-08-05T21:52:00.000-04:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival, May 2011 - Less The Tulips (8)

2011-08-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival, May 2011 - Less The Tulips (7)

2011-08-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival, May 2011 - Less The Tulips (6)

2011-08-02T21:49:00.000-04:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival, May 2011 - Less The Tulips (5)

2011-08-01T21:48:00.000-04:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival, May 2011 - Less The Tulips (4)

2011-07-31T21:47:00.000-04:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival, May 2011 - Less The Tulips (3)

2011-07-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (10)

2011-07-29T21:44:00.002-04:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival, May 2011 - Less The Tulips (2)

2011-07-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

Ottawa Tulip Festival, May 2011 - Less The Tulips

2011-07-27T21:39:00.005-04:00

Yonge and Lawrence, May 2011

2011-07-26T21:38:00.000-04:00

High Park, May 2011 (2)

2011-07-25T21:36:00.000-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (9)

2011-07-24T21:35:00.000-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (8)

2011-07-23T21:34:00.000-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (7)

2011-07-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (6)

2011-07-21T21:33:00.000-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (5)

2011-07-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (4)

2011-07-19T21:29:00.002-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (3)

2011-07-18T21:27:00.001-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011 (2)

2011-07-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

Woodbine Beach, May 2011

2011-07-16T21:26:00.000-04:00

High Park, May 2011

2011-07-15T21:25:00.000-04:00

King Street W, May 2011 (2)

2011-07-14T21:24:00.000-04:00

King Street W, May 2011

2011-07-13T21:23:00.000-04:00

TTC: May 2011 (4)

2011-07-12T21:22:00.000-04:00

TTC: May 2011 (3)

2011-07-11T21:21:00.000-04:00

TTC: May 2011 (2)

2011-07-10T21:21:00.000-04:00

TTC: May 2011 (1)

2011-07-09T21:19:00.000-04:00

Make It Last Forever: May 2011

2011-07-08T21:19:00.000-04:00

Lick's, Toronto. April 2011.

2011-07-07T18:33:00.000-04:00

Finch Ave, Toronto. April 2011.

2011-07-06T18:30:00.000-04:00

Starbucks, Milner Ave, Toronto. April 2011.

2011-07-05T17:38:00.000-04:00

King Street E, Toronto. April 2011

2011-07-04T17:37:00.000-04:00

Some day in spring, Toronto. April 2011 (6)

2011-07-03T17:37:00.000-04:00

Some day in spring, Toronto. April 2011 (5)

2011-07-02T17:36:00.000-04:00

Some day in spring, Toronto. April 2011 (4)

2011-07-01T17:36:00.001-04:00

Some day in spring, Toronto. April 2011 (3)

2011-06-30T17:34:00.000-04:00

Some day in spring, Toronto. April 2011 (2)

2011-06-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

Snow and rain, Toronto. April 2011

2011-06-28T14:50:00.000-04:00

TTC: April 2011 (3)

2011-06-27T17:38:00.000-04:00

TTC: April 2011 (2)

2011-06-26T18:16:00.000-04:00

TTC: April 2011 (1)

2011-06-25T14:49:00.000-04:00

Distillery District, Toronto. April 2011.

2011-06-24T14:49:00.000-04:00

Some day in spring, Toronto. April 2011.

2011-06-21T14:47:00.000-04:00

China Town and Kensington Market, Toronto. March 2011.

2011-06-20T13:55:00.000-04:00

TTC: March 2011 (3)

2011-06-19T13:53:00.002-04:00