autumn tactics

So, various factors of things changing at home have seen my writing take a dent in the last several months. I have posts, they’re just not migrated yet. I thought the WordPress Android app would solve all of this, but there’s a bug in the version that my phone uses that prevents me from signing in. In any case I’ll retroactively add those posts back ASAP, so follow the RSS. In the meantime, I now have a Google+ page where I also post my photography as close to daily as possible, so please follow. I will be making a David Ventura Photography fan page in Facebook soon as well, but for now I’ve cobbled together a working stopgap for the top page, which has been stripped down and is eventually going to target mobile, but it doesn’t look good in the Android browser yet.

Thanks for keeping up, and if you enjoy my writing or photography, follow me or subscribe with Google Reader!

Cheers!

There are many solutions to any one problem. Ultimately it comes down to a matter of cost, which is a subset of a matter of will. If only will were infinite and nor organic, then life would be simple. But will is a muscle that must be trained. To be precise it is the only muscle that really requires training. When will is supple, everything else falls into place.

At least I went out to buy a couple cans of Creamy Top.

Today is National Foundation Day, so I have time to get some things done. Weekday holidays are always more productive that weekends, because I’m in a work mood. So today I’m going to focus on finishing scanning Kyoto photographs, get some albums up, and a draft of my site renewal. Huzzah!

A couple of pictures I took last month in Kyoto with the Mamiya.

Left work today early at 8:30 feeling lousy and sore. Came home thinking I was going to flop but somehow managed to cook dinner, clean the kitchen, make tea and practice guitar. Now I feel much better (aside from my gastritis). If my mind would just spin down a little now I could get to bed before midnight perhaps. Just a little meditation…

It’s 11/2/1, or 1/2/11. Whatever format you choose, listen to 1-2, it has been and always will be the dirge for the vacuum created by my hubris.

So I have been thinking for a long time about moving to medium format, and finally with the close of my last exhibition I the pieces came into alignment and I made the transition, or rather, expansion. From a number of reputable sources, I decided to go with 6×7 as my format, and the Mamiya 7 as my camera. Long story short the merits are the most portable of medium format bodies with some of the highest quality glass available.

Currently I only have the F4.5/150mm lens, which is best suited for portraits and at some distance, so framing is something I need to get used to. In the market for a wide angle lens for street photography, thinking 50mm over the 43 ultra wide.

Since I need to share these wonderful photographs with the digital world, I bought a medium format compliant scanner as well. With the death of Nikon’s superb Coolscan series, I set my priorities on high DPI and Windows7 compliant, buying the Epson v750-M Pro. I only digitally print up to A3-nobi anyway, so ridiculous resolution is unnecessary. The true drool-inducing project for this camera is going to be oversized analog prints anyway.

Baby steps, baby steps.

Time flows like a river, my consciousness for long times submerged. Occasionally I hit a bend, or get a tenuous grip on a large rock, and I see the scenery around me changed. Far upstream, on the shore, a glimpse of yesterday, of perhaps a piece of myself I lost, reflected in the sad eyes of another.

時間を掛けたら、全部のものが腐敗。愛のもの、情熱のもの、ちょったした美しいもの。

心酔したものの一つが腐敗してる。心酔したの一つは成熟してる。

最初から気に抜けた僕はどう信じたらよい分からなくなった。

昨夜搬入帰りながらかなり重要なことを気づきました。最近写真展の客さん評判を心配したけど、気づいたら、評判は重要じゃない。そもそもこの写真展の趣旨は大切な友達を感謝するためです。そして写真展を準備しながらその人たちのことを愛情込めて賛辞として作りました。それでもう成功です。

This is important so I’ll say it in English as well.

Recently I’ve been worrying about the critical reception to my show since I’ve invested so much time and money into it. But when I was on the way home from the installation last night I realized something: it doesn’t matter what sort of critical reception I get. The original motivation behind this exhibition was to celebrate my friends; the ones that pulled me up and helped get my feet under me here in Japan. And when I was preparing for the show that’s what I did; I fondly thought of the people in the pictures, all they’d done for me, and I made these photographs as a tribute to them. So the show’s already a success.

Thanks for helping make it one. 皆さん本当に有難うございました。

写真を搬入済みです。ギャラリーのスタッフの皆さんが凄く親切で助かりました。写真の張りが終わったら鍋とビールをエンジョイしながら僕の展示について色んな質問を聞かされました。感謝です。

じゃあ、これ以降はお客さんの受け取り次第ですね。ちょっと心配します。とりあえずこれ以上言わないので、どうぞ自分で先にみてください。それ後に感想を聞かせていただきます。

写真のギャラリーを復活しました。サーバー上にの問題だったけど、壊れてたのが今日気づいただけ。自動的にその通知がほしいけど、なんだろう。とにかく、またギャラリーを見えなかった教えて貰えば助かります。迷惑を掛けましてすみませんでした。

The gallery is back online. There was a server-side problem with one of the database tables being crashed, though I just realized it today. I suppose it may have been down for several weeks. Ideally, I’d like to receive some automated notice when it goes down…hmm. Anyway, sorry for the trouble, if you have trouble getting into the gallery or the random image on the sidebar again, I’d appreciate it if you let me know. Thanks.

明後日「この視点から」を開催します。今週末締め切りぎりぎりまで告知交流です。年末だからか、写真の仕上がりが完全に終わったからか、よく分からないけど意外と落ち着いています。写真展についてこの気分が始めてですから、ちょっと気になります。

とにかく、明日は搬入でと明後日からはお客さんとの関係育つです。皆さんに会うように楽しみしています。

明日は暗室のラストだ。色んなことを注意して仕上がりましたけど、まだ完成は一歩先の気がする。写真に全精神を打ち込みたいです。プリントと心が繋げないと、伝わりたいメッセージが暈ける。

写真。心。ディスタンス。

そのギャップを埋めるために意識を鍛錬しないといけない。まず瞑想して答えを探します。