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.

seven years in tibet while on 16 days in bhutan

dasho penden wangchuk, secretary of ministry of home and culture, invited us to dinner at his place. and upon reaching his sala, i saw these frames on the wall. they were scenes from the movie seven years in tibet. his son was the dalai lama in that movie! well, joy met him on subsequent visits but failed to take his photo.
dasho penden is a well-respected government official whose home and culture ministry curiously administers the police as well as cultural affairs. he was formerly governor of eastern bhutan at the time of insurgency in the 80s. madam wangmo, his wife, runs a nursery school within the compound. she bakes their own bread, makes great peanut butter and strawberry jam!  and i get a special whisky as a gift from dasho.

dasho penden wangchuk has been promoted to cabinet secretary, the highest civil servant position in bhutan.

highlights of UERM '84 silver jubilee celebration, part 1

the week's activities of UERM '84 prior to gala night. (jiji's party photos were taken by dr. junet lago; nora and granddaughter photo was taken by her daughter, a new rf user, aliana.)

living as a refugee

shifting gears from workplace to home has been tough lately. a flight of stairs and a gate help as reminders. and a sign that says "private" tells me i am entering "home". perhaps, others would love this situation where one does not have to hurdle traffic and pollution. but i miss my "cave" where i can spend some time listening to music from my gyrodec. somehow, the woes and sorrows of patients that repeatedly play in my ears are replaced by the big sounds of my favorite jazz and classical albums. and my family charitably grants me this personal space alone in that cave, just before dinner. and when i get phone calls, they know what to say, "sorry, my 'tatay' is busy resting". i miss home. and it will take one more month for renovation to finish.
the mind, however, will always find ways to cope. i am glad i have my other passion -- the camera -- and whatever visual delights i can take on. the wife understands, as usual. otherwise, she will have no rest either.

zen and the moskva 5

after three weeks, the medium format camera from ukraine finally came. i am thankful the post office did not charge anything over the usual Php35 fee for the rickety camera. i did give the old ladies hopia in appreciation. however, i was a bit disappointed to see that the rf focus mechanism off. calmly, i wrote alex_photo about it. he apologized and maintained that he tested it before shipping. i told him that i have sent it to jay for repairs. and, during the holy week, jay healed it with the usual gratis et amore. (thanks again, jay!) he said that some mechanism got loose with shipment, most probably.
so here are some of the photos in 6x9 format:


moskva 5 has a lot of caveats. and i had mishaps along the way. in spite of the double exposure safeguard, i goofed up twice. (i swear i advanced the film, or didn't i?) it is not for those who are trigger-happy either for there are a million things one has to do before the "decisive moment".
loading the 120 film and making sure the back is secure takes some care. in this case, i used the kodak tmx 100 which costs me Php275 for 8 shots! (i am saving the ilfords a patient gifted for later when i am better at it.) then there is the focusing, the setting of aperture, speed adjustment and cocking the camera.  (and, one has to adjust speed first before cocking lest you want to shorten the life of your moskva).
handling this camera entails three major things -- Presence Of Mind. you have to have all three! and, this is how i like my camera. the moskva 5 may just be the tipitaka of my photography.

edel's legacy

On this day, last year, my dear friend Edel died.

And, as I sat for my morning ritual, I wondered why they had to call the seat I was part of the TOILet when it is not for a job. Perhaps, the person who coined the word had to belabor severe constriction.
Calling the room comfort room is sorely inaccurate when it can't even approximate the immense satisfaction that goes with successful defecation.  I sat and waited until the gestalt moment came -- a realization of the great legacy Edel left behind.

He survived seven years of ALS when three is the norm. He clung even when others who dearly loved him wished he would pass on for his own sake.

Because he loved life. And on his first death anniversary, I ponder on his great passion for the earthiest as well as the most sublime. Those who had the fortune of knowing Edel as a friend/lover/enemy know what I am talking about.

Masarap mabuhay!!! Salamat, Edel, for that legacy.

Now I am ready. Off I go for the early morning mass, the columbary and the great breakfast to mark the death of a great lover of life!


carina in prayer
carina and dear friends
family and close friends pay respects at the columbary
breakfast at sulo
joy, marj and ted
daisy