Photo Passion.....

Friday, May 15, 2015

Me and my Mamiya RB67

I was so lucky when I found out a Mamiya Rb67 for sale in one online forum, for a while I've been thinking to upgrade my skills using a medium format camera, And since the digital MF was so expensive, so I was aiming for an analog one, and my choice goes to Mamiya RB 67

There are lots of sites reviewing this beauty, so I'm not going to re-review this but I think I need to admire this beast. So, mine was RB67 Pro-S (1974-90) = Pro + double-exposure interlock + viewfinder landscape / portrait orientation indicator + self-erecting focusing hood.

The Mamiya RB67 is a very successful line of single-lens reflex medium format cameras made by the Mamiya Corporation. The first model, the RB67 Pro, came out in 1970 and was made until 1974. They made some changes in it, renamed it the RB67 Pro-S and was produced until 1990. In 1990 they made further changes and renamed it the Pro-SD. The Pro-SD was still currently being sold new into the early 2000s. Mamiya also has a higher-tier line called the RZ series that features electronically controlled lenses and shutters.
The basic design and function of the RB hasn't changed over the past 30 years. Along with the Pentax 67 and Hasseblad 500 series, the RB 67 has remained the workhorse of professional studio photographers. (Karen Nakamura)

Printing Result

Mamiya RB67 Pro-S

Mamiya RB67 - Pro S

Fenomena Batu Akik (Gemstones madness)

Semua orang lagi tergila2 batu akik.
Tua muda, pria wanita semua mencoba untuk mengerti dan memiliki koleksi batu akik.

Left to Right: Klawing - Giok Aceh - Ijo Garut - Klawing

Saya tinggal di dekat Kota Purbalingga dimana ada batu jenis Klawing.

Saya akan mulai mengupdate mengenai klawing dan jenis2 nya

Visiting Istanbul in black and White

I always have a soft spot for taking BW pictures. Well afterall photography started with black and white. And after considering back and forth, last year I've managed to switch my M9 to M Monochrom, a big upgrade and also a big complaints from my wife as I've spent the whole amount of money to buy a "color-less" camera :)

So I've taken this beauty to Istanbul and try to get a couple of good shots out of it.

Please enjoy, and remember all the images were copyrighted.

Gear: Leica M Monochrom with some lenses

Inside Sultan Ahmet Mosque

topkapi Palace's Dog

a shoeshiner at a market

view from pierre lotti

Eminonu Bridge

Entrance to Grand Bazaar

Street Shot

Market Street Shot

Sultanahmet Square

Visiting Istanbul in Colour

Traveling will always be my passion, and I've got a chance to visit Istanbul last October 2014.
For a couple of days, me and my friends scour around the city to get some nice shots around.

From Wikipedia, the history of Istanbul describes as:
The History of Istanbul explains the historical development of the modern city of Istanbul. Its name from 330 AD to 1930 was Constantinople.
The settlement was established as a Greek colony, called Byzantion, in the 7th century BC. It fell to the Roman Republic in AD 196, and was known as Byzantium until 330, when it was renamed Constantinople and made the new capital of the Roman Empire. During late antiquity, the city rose to be the largest of the western hemisphere, with a population peaking at close to half a million people. Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, known as the Byzantine Empire. That ended with the Muslim conquest in 1453. Constantinople then became the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Here are some pictures when I travel there, I will post 2 parts to separate between color and BW pictures. Please keep in mind that these pictures were copyrighted, any use of these picrues needs a special permission from me

Gear: Sony A7s with some lenses

Istanbul Airport

Bird market inside the city wall

an old seller was passing by

Buyer can test the bird before buy it

a gypsy seller from a flea market

Window Shopper

View of Bosphorus Strait

The Lobby of Almina Hotel

Taksim Square

Around Sultanahmet Complex

Me and Craig

a couple months ago, I've received an email from Leica Store Singapore saying that I've won a book from Craig Semetko, I was so over the moon that I was able to win a small photocontest held by Leica Store Singapore.

So they told me to come to SG 1 day before the ceremony, I was running like crazy to book my tickets and manage to find flights to make it in time.

FYI, I've lived around 400km outside Jakarta, and to find all the transportation that I need in one day was not that easy.

Anyhow, God gave me lots of helps and I was a bit 30 minutes late to the ceremonial party.....

I was ecstatic to have a chance to win that prize......
I hope this is the beginning of a lifelong journey....

Thank you Craig!!
Thank you Leica Store Singapore

Me and Craig

The Winning Picture

A new journey awaits

In a few days I"ll be heading to Lembata Island for a photography projects.

From Wikipedia:

Lembata is an island in the Lesser Sunda Islands, formerly known as Lomblen island; it is the largest island of the Solor Archipelago, in the Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. It forms a separate regency of the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur. The length of the island is about 80 km from the southwest to the northeast and the width is about 30 km from the west to the east. It rises to a height of 1,533 metres.
To the west lie the other islands in the archipelago, most notably Solor and Adonara, and then the larger island of Flores. To the east is the Alor Strait, which separates this archipelago from the Alor Archipelago. To the south across the Savu Sea lies the island of Timor, while to the north the western branch of the Banda Sea separates it from Buton and the other islands of Southeast Sulawesi.

So I will update my journey and also the pictures from there....
It will be very insteresting one....

the team to Lembata

Friday, January 3, 2014

Flare in photography

LIGHTS, FLARE, ACTION.......

It's been a while that I haven't had a chance to write something in my blog....
Well.... not that I was not aware or just a simple laziness
But for the last couple of years, I've been busy fulfilling my GAS of photography....
I've been acquired so many cameras and lenses just to fulfill my curiosity of results....
And for sure, one of the result was my wife were so mad at me that I've spent so much fortune for those gears... LOL

Well.... not a big deal at all..... so in early 2014 let's start with some interesting topics...
Also I hope that I;m able to continue write something in my experience as a lifetime amateur shooter....

Photography needs lights.... either it might come from the flash, sun, room light or any available lights...
Some lights can become flare.... flare can become friend or foe depends on the angle you are taking....

From WIKIPEDIA: A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications. Flares may be ground pyrotechnics, projectile pyrotechnics, or parachute-suspended to provide maximum illumination time over a large area. Projectile pyrotechnics may be dropped from aircraft, fired from rocket or artillery, or deployed by flare guns or handheld percussive tubes.

In my amateur experience, I've learned a lot about lights in photography....
And from time to time I've become aware how lights can transform your shot into a masterpiece or just a "ready to delete junk"

Here are some examples of my shots using different cameras and also lenses....
Those shots were not made by masters but a truly passionate photographer (if I may say that... LOL)