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.