Not too shabby.

 

Walking around a craft fair.

We got out yesterday with friends, taking in Vintage Market Days at HEB Center in Cedar Park. While it seemed less vintage and more manufactured ‘Shabby Chic,’ there were still a few interesting and cool objects hiding amongst the mundane.

The morning started out cloudy and a bit windy, proving to be a challenge for vendors. Stuff flying everywhere! The cloud cover cleared an hour after we arrived, but the wind persisted. And it got warm. Hot.

We lasted 2 hours, total. Other than a bit of sun, we didn’t come away with much. It was a fun outing, nonetheless .

We headed for a well known, local chain Tex-Mex restaurant that was nearby, one that had recently opened in this part of town, but we’d not yet tried. Chow was great – I had chicken enchiladas – but their margaritas could’ve been better.

Pretty decent morning, all the way around.

Here are a few pictures I made with the TtV rig…

SPECS | Pentax *ist D, Sigma 28-135 3.8-5.6 macro + Kodak Duaflex II, art board contraption + Urban Acid, modified

 

Blurry vision.

The un-f64 Club.

I’m a blur addict. It started with a Lensbaby photo I’d seen years ago on a photoblog. We’re talkin’ before Flickr. Mannequins in a storefront, I seem to recall. Or something like that. 14-15 years does make it hard to remember exactly.

Since then I’ve added many tools in search of awesome blur. There are numerous Lensbaby versions in my collection. Pinhole Cameras, various pinhole and pancake body caps, even a Polaroid Colorpack II-pinhole conversion. All in an effort to sharpen (pun intended) my blur game.

I love it all. Motion, out of focus, bokeh. Anything blurry, really.

In fact, my infatuation is so deep that I curate a tumblr dedicated to fuzzy and blurry photography > fuzzblur

Here’s an assortment of blurry goodness from over the years…

Shades of grey.

Two stems

I ❤ B&W.

I shoot Black and White on purpose. JPG, not RAW. I know that won’t set right with the technical folk, but I’m okay with that.

There’s a setting on my LX100 called Dynamic Monochrome. I use that setting instead of making a color image and converting it to Black & White in Photoshop.

It does a great job of capturing subtle differences in tone, and it gives me a chance for instant feedback on the camera’s rear display.

SPECS | Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100, f1.7, 1/200, 1:1, Dynamic Monochrome