michaelmas 2012 at manila waldorf school: short version

just a shorter, quieter and more solemn version with the same photos.
(music: a michaelmas chorale by grades 9 to 12 of manila waldorf school conducted by cherry gonzalez-mapa)

michaelmas 2012 at manila waldorf school

some highlights of the michaelmas at the manila waldorf school.

(music: radical republic performing seven nation army. radical republic is composed of anton as lead singer and guitar, xavier on guitar, k-an on bass, and alon on drums).

my leica iiif

sample photo from the leica iiif: joy on the microscope

above is my leica iiif with elmar f3.5/50 mm lens.  it is a rangefinder camera.  i bought this on ebay three years ago. it now sells for triple the amount that i bought it for.  to shoot a photo with this camera, you need to use the two holes on the back.  one for focusing and the other for framing the photo.  of course, you can do zone focusing for ease but you will still have to determine and manually set the appropriate speed and aperture.  and some more caveats: you also have to make sure that the collapsible lens in front is securely locked as you focus and you can only change speed after advancing the film.  the nice thing about this camera is that it does not need batteries to run.  film is necessary though.

CAMERA PORN TIME: fully manual, built to last

NIKON F does not think, but it serves me well.

this camera is a crude brute: no light meter,  no autofocus,
no whistles and bells, and it was built like a tank, and just as noisy, almost!  it was the professional photographer's choice when it came out in 1959.  it was also the japanese new kid on the block that kicked out the german leica rangefinder camera out of its street corner pedestal.

well, i am just an amateur photographer who never had any formal training in photography.  my grade school teacher taught me the basics when i joined the schoolpaper as a news reporter.  the rest i learned from reading, trial and error and consulting some experts.  and the passion to shoot photos never diminished.  it even became stronger with age and humble means.

does this mean that i have given up my rangefinder cameras? my contax, my leicas, my zorki and kiev? nah!  no way!  i still prefer the classic look and the inscrutable and quiet elegance of a classic rangefinder camera.

      but my NIKON F with a waistlevel viewfinder makes you bow to your subject as you compose and focus.  unlike most SLRs, it intrudes politely even on the most unwilling subject.  it was a great gift from a friend.

and then there is the LEICA M4. this is a rangefinder camera noted to be the last well-built, no scrimp film M that leica created ... until they reissued the LEICA MP in 2005.