Expo Park

 

Expo Park, Sokcho

I think I have posted a picture or pictures of this park and tower before, but possibly film or DSLR versions. This one was done with Hipstamatic.

Bicycle Repair Man!?

 

Clink! Screw! Bend!

Some of you will probably get the reference to the Monty Python sketch. My bicycle was making an odd noise from the rear tire but I couldn't figure out what was causing it. What's worse, the wheel had developed a wobble. I didn't want vital things to come apart while going down a hill someday, so I went to a bicycle shop not too far from my apartment.

I couldn't see anyone in the shop until I went inside and called out. A man came out of the back room where he had been watching television. I told him the problem and he spun the tires around a bit and pushed and pulled the spokes.

"You have a few broken spokes," said he.
"Oh," said I.
"I don't have any spokes," he said, and started walking back into his shop. I thought he was going to continue by saying he would order some, but he just returned to the back room to watch television. How odd.

I went farther down the road to another bicycle repair place I know. The owner came out as soon as I pulled up and dismounted. I told him I had some broken spokes. He had a look at the tires and went into his shop. And came back with spokes, tools, and some special equipment for straightening out wheels. He set to work right away.

I didn't want to stand and stare at him as he did his work, so I sat in a plastic chair on the sidewalk and took out a book to read. Leonard Cohen's Let Us Compare Mythologies, I think. After reading a few poems, I took out my notebook and wrote about my two repair experiences. I should have titled the entry, "Let us compare bike shops".

Not long after, the repair was done and the bike was ready to ride again. On the way home, I passed the no-spokes shop. I don't understand why the owner was not interested in helping me. Or why he had no spokes. It seems a basic item to have at a  bicycle shop. I thought maybe he was going out of business and just didn't care anymore. But I passed the place a couple of weeks later and he was doing something with a customer's bicycle. Again, very odd. Anyway, he won't be getting any business from me. I'll be going back to the shop where the owner is diligent, skilled, ready to explain what he's doing, and not unfriendly.

Sokcho Harbour

 

I could have included this photo in the last post as it has water and was made using the same film and camera. This one seemed different, though I can't explain why.

This picture gives me a peaceful feeling and I will eventually get around to printing it and putting it on my wall or in my portfolio box.

Seaside

 The Minolta X-700 is a fine camera that's small, light, and has small lenses that are easy to carry around. I was about to write that they are cheap as chips, but I did a quick check and prices seem quite high now. The only problems I have with the X-700 are the AE-Lock/Self Timer and Depth-of-Field Preview switches which are sharp and hurt my fingers, and the maximum shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second. Other than that, it's a pleasure to use and the centre-weighted meter is accurate if you know how it works.

Here are some photos I made along the coast with the X-700 and Ilford XP2 Super 400 film.

What's in the box? Beach maintenance equipment? Naughty children? Gwyneth Paltrow?

The island in the distance is called Jukdo - Bamboo Island. I don't see any bamboo on it, but perhaps there was in the past. Or maybe 'Juk' doesn't mean what it usually does in names.

Bongpo Harbour

I couldn't zoom with my feet because I was up against a guardrail, so I trimmed a little in Lightroom to get the scene I saw at the time I was there.

Jangsa Beach, Sokcho

I'm not a fan of sandy white beaches, but I like the interesting rock formations you find as you go farther up the coast.

Jangsa Harbour, Sokcho

Not dissimilar to the second photo - boat(s) in the corner of the frame and a line leading to the opposite corner.

After looking at these pictures again, I feel like putting some black and white film into the Minolta and going out somewhere.

Thatched Rooves, Joyang Archaeological Site Park

 

Nikon F6, Kodak Ultramax 400 film.

I've photographed this park and these house re-creations a number of times using a number of cameras. Prize for best photo quality goes to the Nikon D850 and its large, excellent sensor, but the pictures I've made on film are the best to look at.

Two Cameras

 

Fujifilm X-T4. Photo made by Minolta X-700.

Minolta X-700. Photo made by Fujifilm X-T4.

It's Hiptastic!

During my big photographic slump earlier this year, I put away my SLRs and DSLR and only took my phone out with me. The camera on my aging iPhone 6S+ is not great, but the Hipstamatic application adds so many adjustments and effects to pictures that you can't really tell that the lens is not the best anymore.

Here is a selection of pictures I made while leaving my main cameras at home.

The obligatory kitty-cat

Tarp-covered tubs down by the harbour. For nets, I think, not fish.

Foggy morning at the harbour

View of Sokcho from a hilltop park

I often visit this convenience store when I'm in the neighbourhood because the picnic tables are almost always unoccupied. And when they are (by bloody smokers), or when the weather isn't good, I can sit at a table inside the store.

Field before ploughing, Yongchon Village

A scene near my bus stop. I have many photos of this tin roof and antenna, but this one has the wildest colours.

Pine tree shadow by the harbour.

A hedge bush near some apartments.

After looking at these photos, I feel like going out with the Hipstamatic application again. It's great fun.

Run Away

 

You might expect to see bodies hanging from hooks in this place, but it's just the back side of a scuba diving school shed. Still creepy, though.

Seaside Housing Development

 

Northern Area of Ayajin, Goseong County

This housing development in the town of Ayajin appears to have failed. No work has been done in over a year and some pre-fab houses were removed from the concrete slabs. All except a few down by the seashore.

Look up!

 

Munam Bridge

Interesting rock formation in Munam

Both photos made with Nikon F6 and Kodak Ultramax 400 film.

Baekdo Harbour

 

I like Baekdo Harbour because it's usually quiet, the town behind it has no buildings higher than two stories, and the harbour is picturesquely surrounded by low hills.

***

The photos above were made a couple of months ago on a Nikon F6 with Kodak Ultramax 400 film in it. This morning it was overcast when I woke up so I thought I would return to the harbour and make some pictures in less harsh light. I loaded my backpack with the F6, three prime lenses, a tripod, some film, cleaning equipment, grey card, notebook, pen and pencil, a small book of poetry for reading during breaks, et cetera, et cetera.

   When the time came to leave the apartment, I picked up the bag, felt the weight, and thought, 'nope'. The last thing I wanted to do in warm weather was lug around a lot of kit. So I stuffed my Nikon D850 and three primes into my Billingham shoulder bag along with a notebook and set off. And soon wished I didn't even have that much.

   The next time I go out, I'm just going to bring a Minolta X-700 and the two small lenses I have for it. I can hang the camera from my neck and the extra lens weighs just about nothing. If I ever start working again, I'm going to look around for a lightweight digital camera. Maybe one of the smaller Fujifilm cameras or something like micro 4/3. I really don't want to carry around lots of equipment anymore.

 

Bush in Pot

 

Nikon F6, Ilford XP2 Super 400

This photo was taken in February, when I could put on a thick shirt or a jacket if I was cold. I'm writing this in early June, when the daytime temperatures are already sometimes reaching the high 20s and low 30s. There's only so much I can take off to avoid overheating. At least it's not humid, and the forecast says there will be cloud and lower temperatures next week. A chance to get out with a camera.

 

Parking Lot Horizontal and Vertical

 

Nikon F6, Ilford XP2 Super 400

When I take a picture with a digital camera, it records date, time, lens, shutter speed, and a hundred other bits of information. It even records GPS coordinates if I connect the camera to my phone.

The Nikon F6 also records quite a bit of information for each photo in its internal memory. It stores film speed,  frame number, shutter speed, f-stop, focal length, metering mode, lens, date, time and a few other things such as exposure compensation. This can be read off the camera's rear LCD or downloaded as a text file to a CF card by using the MV-1 data reader. The MV-1 is no longer manufactured (nor is the F6) and sellers want silly money for one now. When I remember to do so, I spend a long time writing the information from the camera to the scanned film on my computer. Not much fun, so I just do it for my keepers. And, to be honest, I often just limit myself to recording the date and time.

My Minolta X-700 records nothing but a picture on film. That's fine, but I do like to have the date, time, and location for purposes of sorting photos in computer. So what I started doing when I put the latest roll of film in the camera was

1) make the photo

2) take the same photo using my mobile phone, which records the when and where automatically

3) write camera name, film type, frame number, location and/or description as the digital photo's caption. I don't bother with shutter speed or anything

4) transfer those phone pictures to a folder on my computer for that roll of film.

When I finish the roll of film and get the scans back, the plan is to put them in the same folder as the digital versions. When I've chosen my keepers, I'll copy the information from the phone pictures to the film scans and edit the capture time to reflect shooting time rather than date and time of the scan.

It's a pain in the arse to do all this, but it's useful when you use both digital and film cameras and you want them neatly sorted in your computer.

Shipping Container Storage Sheds

Ayajin, Goseong County. Nikon D850

 

Snowy Fields

 

Diagonal of Snowy Field, Yongchon. Fujifilm X-T4

Horizontal of Snowy Field, Yongchon. Fujifilm X-T4

The administrative area for the village of Yongchon includes Yongchon 1 Village (which has two separated clusters of houses), Yongchon 2 Village (more of a hamlet), fields, hills, a reservoir, a small military post, and hotels and restaurants scattered here and there at the seaside.

I only pass through the tourist area on the coast because the hotels are not interesting and the villages are not pretty or worth photographing. What I do like about Yongchon is the large agricultural area where there are almost no houses, no tourists, and very few people except for farmers. There are narrow concrete roads for the farmers to get around on and these make excellent bicycle trails. I rarely meet anyone when riding around but the farmers, many of whom recognise me now, are friendly and wave or smile.

Yongchon is not far from where I live but it's a completely different world from my Sokcho neighbourhood. Absent are the speeding cars, massive construction vehicles, and clanging from a hundred construction sites. All I can usually hear in the village are birds, and cars are few and far between. It's a nice spot to relax and get a bit of exercise. And, when I'm done, there's a convenience store out by the highway with indoor and outdoor seating where I can have some refreshment and spend half an hour or so reading and writing.