Blurb

The first photobook I made was through Blurb. It was the only photobook printing service then that had worldwide shipping that included the Philippines. I would have used MyPublisher but they don't ship here. Blurb's software is downloadable for free and it even includes an option to "slurp" your blogs and make them into books. Everything is fully customizable and I just love designing it on my own. I'm already excited to start on my lomo photobook. Hope to be able to make one soon :)

obstinate

That's what you are: obstinate.

30cm

The results are in and my LC-A+RL close up lens (Fuji Instax mini) test roll showed that 30cm is the distance to shoot. Not bad considering the nearest distance the LC-A can take without this lens is at 3 feet. Anyways, only four out of the twelve pictures in the roll were clear (I experimented with different distances). Even with just four pictures, I am happy with the two I got--the orchid pot and Fortuner emblem turned out sharper than I could have hoped for. Will practice more in future rolls to come--it's difficult to approximate the distance of 30cm without a guide :)

For those who want to buy your own close up lens for your LC-A, it costs $17 from the U-Japan store at eBay.

compact cameras

I compared the sizes of my Olympus XA2, LC-A+RL, and Eximus UW&S. There's not much difference in sizes. It turned out that the LC-A was the widest, the UW&S was the lightest, and the XA2 was the smallest camera of the three.

These compact cameras take such good pictures that it's no wonder they've been favorites of photographers and lomographers alike.

the Fun camera eBay store

There are so many cameras I want to buy from this eBay store. They have an el cheapo panoramic camera as well as cute jelly cameras here. Another cute find is the camera disguised as an orange juice drink. The robot cameras, especially the 3 lens Disderi kind has caught my eye and I'm already thinking of buying one having seen the output of this neat camera. I also noticed that the store is now selling individual detachable mobile phone fisheye lens. The last time I saw this, it was bundled with an Eximus. At least now I can buy it alone and from nearby rather than buying it from the US.

Oh boy, this is just so addicting! LOL

my Olympus XA2

I first saw this camera while I was browsing through the Lomomanila Multiply and Lomomanila forum. After seeing the output of the Olympus XA there, I browsed the the Flickr pool and immediately noticed how sharp most of the pictures were. I was intrigued and I wanted to test it out for myself. Later I found out that it was also compared with the LC-A (which made me all the more curious.

Since production was stopped years ago, the best place to buy this camera now was eBay. I got a very good deal when I bought my XA2 because it already came with it's flash. It was cheap considering how expensive some of the XAs were being auctioned off there. When I unwrapped it from the bulb film encasing it, I noticed that were the faint scratches on the dust cover of the camera--a detail that was described in the eBay listing. Other than that, it's in very good condition. The previous owner even included batteries in it so I was able to shoot a test roll immediately after receiving it.

First impression: it was heavy. It seemed heavier than my LC-A+RL. Nevertheless, it wasn't hard to figure out. I still need to practice a little in approximating the distances of the objects/people I'm taking pictures of--the zone focus distances is a little different from the one on my LC-A.

The test rolls came out ordinary. I shot whatever random thing I could just to see if the camera was working. Anyways, it works well indoors. I will have to remember to keep my hands steady long enough for the second shutter to close, otherwise the pictures will looked blurred. Most of the long distance shots came out clear. Flash works fine too. I can't wait to load some slides into my XA2. Hopefully the weather will clear up enough for me to take a few good ones soon.

This is the first time I ever bought something second hand and I'm pleased it's turned out right.

film swapping

Another experiment I would like to do would be film swapping. I've seen a lot of pictures at the Beta Lomography site and it looks like a lot of fun. There's a thrill of not knowing what the results will look like since you're doubling with a friend.

As for cameras, I wonder what combination would be best. Fisheye with an UW&S? Fisheye with the LC-A? Supersampler with a Fisheye? My future doubles partner and I will have to agree on which film to use, theme, and who's going to shoulder the developing expenses. Since I don't have a partner to double with yet, I think I'll use a test roll myself. It shouldn't be too hard to rewind and load the film into another camera. Hope my experiment in doubles goes well. Wish me luck.

my favorite photo quote

"It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter" --Alfred Eisenstaedt