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7 May 2008 Seriously nice bokeh
I wish I knew what kind of lens was used to take this awesome photo.
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6 May 2008 Aaargh…
So I bought a new lens. Traded in my beloved Sigma 10-20 and Nikon 35/2 for this beauty.
Went to the wife’s house over the long vacation and took many beautiful pictures with it.
Proceeded to leave it at wife’s parents’ house a couple hours away when coming back today, stranding camera, new lens, computer, and all my new photos with it until I can spare a day to go up there and get it all back myself (no way I’m having them send it!).
So, like I said, aaarrgh….
(I went to the camera store to pick up a mid-range zoom. I really did. I need a mid-range zoom really badly, especially for indoor pictures of the kids. Went to the store ready to buy any one of a number of zooms, but that which really had my lens-lust up was the new 24-70 by Nikon. I even brought along my precious ZF 100/2 to hock for it if need be. However, when I got there and tried it out it didn’t give me all that great results on my Fuji, which I had read had issues with that lens. But they had this box with the ZF 25/2.8 sitting there eyeing me, bringing to mind all the gorgeous photos I’ve seen taken with it. The big hunk of metal and glass beckoned. The Nikon zoom, with its silicon and plastic and nano-schmamo, seemed so faddish. So, I succumbed to retro-techno-lust once more and bought the much less practical but much more beautiful Zeiss, forgoing things like autofocus and zooming that taking pictures of kids really requires. I guess I have the camera-phone for that.)
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21 April 2008 Sorry…
…To the person who came to this blog after searching on Google for “hot beauty Japanese.”
I hate to disappoint.
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21 April 2008 I just love this shot
(If you don’t click to enlarge, you will be forsaking beauty, the only solace offered in our otherwise futile and meaningless existence.)
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21 April 2008 Here you are dad: Kid pics galore!
It’s been a while since I posted, family and work having taken their respective tolls on what really counts in this world: hobbies.
There have been requests from family for more pictures of the kids, so here we go. Some priceless shots of what I call my “ungrateful brats,” “redundant DNA backups,” or simply “spawn” depending on mood. Of course, the written word conveys none of the infinite depths of love with which these monickers are always spoken.
Here is a scene of Zoe eating today. She’s at that age when she really wants to eat everything herself, even if that means giving herself a tofu/avocado/pork teriyaki facial in the process. (These were shot with the ZF100, a totally inappropriate lens for the job, but it’s what was on my camera.)
Next, here are a few shots of Genbo as he sat obligingly still in golden late-afternoon sunlight, perfect for portraits. The catch is that he’s watching, just off-screen, video after video on YouTube. At the tender age of three he’s already figured out the computer trackpad and most of YouTube’s interface as well. Set him up with a Thomas the Engine or Cars clip on YouTube, and he can entertain himself for as long as you let him by searching through all the related videos ad infinitum. Scary stuff.
(If you don’t click to enlarge at least one picture, the Democratic primaries will continue on for eternity!)
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8 April 2008 Sakura Season
The cherry blossoms are in full swing right now, and last weekend we went to the local park to hang out with approximately 85% of the rest of the local population. It was understandable, however, since everywhere you looked you saw this:
Here are Maki and Zoe enjoying the sights:
Zoe and I:
(The red cut on my chin is from my newest affectation: shaving with a straight razor. I call mine “Sweeney.”)
Finally, here is Genbo, who spent most of the afternoon in what only can be described as the local neighborhood mosh pit.
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5 April 2008 Senescence
I’ve heard that camellias are considered bad luck in Japan for the way their blossoms fall whole to the ground in one fell swoop, as opposed to, for instance, the graceful fluttering of the cherry blossom’s petals one by one. I don’t see why that would be a bad way to go, though. I personally hope to be about 88 years old when I turn around while riding my bike to look at a pretty girl and get flattened by a beer truck.
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