Tokyo and Olympus

I can't wait to write about the weekend I met friends in Tokyo, but that, too, will have to wait. As with any meaningful trip I came back refreshed and delighted. And grateful. I get emotional thinking about the blissful weekend with Luther and Mau and son Leroy; with Razel who hasn't changed much after two decades; with Jaylord and his wife Raine whom I was meeting for the first time; with Mich and her fascinating stories of love. Sure, Kariuzawa and Odaiba and Shinjuku were amazing, but the rare chance to reconnect with friends-turned-family--to see God's providential and kind hand move in their lives, both personal and professional, was even more so. 

Tokyo 2025 - trip to Kariuzawa

*

I now have my first prime lens: Olympus M. Zuiko 45 mm f/1.8. 

Home - first shots with Olympus M Zuiko 45 mm f 1.8 lens 

I discovered it through Robin Wong's Youtube. Reviews are generally and overwhelmingly positive. The lens is a delight. The first time I tried it, I kept toying with the focus ring, which didn't so much to help with any focusing. Then I discovered that's what a prime lens is: a "fixed focal length photographic lens (as opposed to a zoom lens), typically with a maximum aperture from f2.8 to f1.2." Thanks, Wikipedia. I told Mike all about my discovery--that prime lens can't zoom in or out. One must physically move the camera toward or away from the subject. When I bought it, I thought "prime" meant "high value." Mike is clearly judging me now. 

 I took it out with me on my walk around the neighborhood. I was curious how the lens would perform on low light. With the camera hanging on my neck and my hand pulling Paul's leash, I went around the block. 

Here are the unedited photos taken in auto mode, because, in all honesty, where would I find time to post-process these? 


Home - first shots with Olympus M Zuiko 45 mm f 1.8 lens

Home - first shots with Olympus M Zuiko 45 mm f 1.8 lens

Home - first shots with Olympus M Zuiko 45 mm f 1.8 lens

Home - first shots with Olympus M Zuiko 45 mm f 1.8 lens

Home - first shots with Olympus M Zuiko 45 mm f 1.8 lens

Comments

  1. UnknownFri Jul 25, 03:38:00 PM GMT+8

    laughing at your misunderstanding of a prime lens, haha. i always think of them as 35mm tho. i wonder what the range is...

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Afternoons at home

Image
Rare are the afternoons when I have idle time for myself. But yesterday was something else. There arrived an unexpected blessing—a pocket of sweet time when I had nothing to do.   As soon I parked the car, I greeted my mother in her room, interrupting her Netflix viewing. I headed out to the living room. The sun was glorious but not scathing. Photographers call the late tropical afternoons the golden hour. I went back to my desk to grab the camera, whose existence I only recall when I travel.  I jolted Paul from his nap. "Dali na!" I said. He yawned, stretched, and trailed me. After three years, we've figured out his body language. He was waiting for a treat, a belly rub, or some play time that involves an old tennis ball—or all of the above. "Hulat lang, Paul, ha?" I speak to him like I would to a three-year old. Nanay's small garden is a place of tranquility. You'd hear birds chirping. You'd see nests on top of the tree. They must feel saf...
Keep Reading

Apan-apan (grasshopper)

Image
On our way back to Marbel, Sean and Hannah, his charming girlfriend, saw a stall in Barangay Paraiso. "Apan-apan, Manong, makaon ka?" ( Game for fried grasshoppers, Manong? ) It brought back childhood memories: apan-apan is one of my favorite snacks. From Eat Matters : Apan-apan in the Ilonggo dialect means grasshopper. Back in the days when the verdant fields of rice were still pesticide free, farmers would catch the deluge of grasshoppers infesting the rice crops with a large net.The grasshoppers are then cooked to be eaten as sumsuman( a drink accompaniment)when the farm folks gather to drink at dusk after a hard days work or, as a dish on the family dinner table. With some degree of hesitation I was able to taste this dish many years ago when somebody from Mindanao dropped us a bagful. It was crunchy alright but the discomfort of thinking that you are munching on a grasshopper somehow made the eating experience a bit stressful. No stresses from me! Fried grasshopp...
Keep Reading

UP Medicine pick up lines: a must-watch!

Image
We, the men of Class 2014, surprised our lady classmates during lunch break by showing them this video: the corniest pick up lines—and they get even cornier if you're in med. My favorites: ARAS ka ba? Ikaw kasi ang dahilan ng consciousness ko. Posterior view . . . lateral view . . . anterior view . . . Kahit anong view, I love you. Kaw talaga, dinala mo pa ako sa Trauma Ward. Nagkabanggaan tuloy mga puso natin. Kung subject ka, Renal ka siguro. Parati kasi akong bumabagsak sa iyo, eh. Ano nga ba ang gamot sa diabetes? Ang sweet mo kasi. Sana ako na lang right hand mo, para tuwing flag cem, hawak-hawak ko ang puso mo. Primary working impression ka ba? 'Di kasi kita ma-rule out sa buhay ko, eh. Can I be your lock? Para keys kita. And many, many others. Thanks to the guys who directed and edited this. Priceless. This one will go down as a classic.
Keep Reading