Last one for "Jalogüín"

 No trico-tri, no kendi. That is what Mexican immigrants who are fed up with Halloween are supposed to have written, and what provokes paroxisms of laughter in Mexican-Americans when they read it. I saw that meme circulating a few years ago, and it stuck in my memory. If a meme sticks, then it is part-way there, and if another person shares it, then it has succeeded in propagating itself. There goes Richard Dawkins.

Well, today in the early afternoon, as noted in my previous entry, I couldn't resist the urge to take the 8x10 WillTravel to Riverside to try to harvest a few more images. No candies for me, I am far too old and I have diabetes, what I look for and have been doing so for over thirty years are images. I wanted to get Mt. Rubidoux, get the cemetery that faces it and also, get the county courthouse building. Well, the sun didn't cooperate, the clouds were blurring it out completely so that it was hot but we also had flat lighting, and there was no point trying to get an image that way. I did go to the courthouse and managed to snap an image there, and also, an image of the Riverside Walkway.

Here is the courthouse image.

What can I say, there are problems. First of all, it is severely vignetted. Also, what happened on the right edge? The first thing I can say is this, I taped a 72mm red filter to the lens, and I knew I shouldn't have done so, it is supposed to vignette this way from what the creator of the camera told me. He devised a filter system so that I could load a Cokin flat filter and get a better effect, but I had to try out my own red 25a filter "just in case" it worked. It didn't. I got the great cloud effects, but, but, but, the vignetting is no good.

Also, I should have walked a little closer. I was using the eyepiece that the creator sent me, and I think the real view should be wider. I need to take that into account the next time I want to use it, say to myself, images appear closer than they really are, to if I want to fill the frame, get closer, get closer. 

Next, the edge on the right. I think it was a darkslide leak, that is the only thing I can surmise. I still am not loading and unloading the film holders correctly, and in this case, I did not even use a tripod, I was hand-holding the camera because, sooner rather than later, that is what I want to do with this camera, use it as a point-n-shoot and not be carrying around a tripod. So, I have to get used to my technique and do a better job loading the film holders.

But other than that, I think I had the right idea for the composition. It could probably be sharper, I know, but I am still learning. So far, I have three images I have developed, and three "in the bag", waiting to be developed. 

Tomorrow I will try to take a few images at the university after I attend a cultural festival.

Oh, and no trick or treaters today. We closed the gates, but I still expected our neighbors to send their children to do a courtesy call on our place, as they always do. This year, no, we got nothing, which is fine, we are in the middle of a pandemic. I fear this will take longer to resolve than we can imagine. The rascal-in-chief was already promising a "cure" on a right-winger's show on right-wing AM radio a few weeks ago, but of course nothing is out there yet. 

Time to go to sleep. I have removed the red filter from the Will Travel and ordered a Cokin filter. I am doing it right the next time.

Partial redemption

Partial redemption is at hand. Remember Thursday's 8x10 photo with the Willtravel, the photo I botched because I didn't hold the film holder flush with the camera since I didn't tighten the bungee cords enough? Well, I had to try again.

Today, I got up and decided, I am going to take a better photo. There were two possibilities, the Corona City Hall and also the church next to the hospital. I decided I would try both after I had finished walking around the block.

As soon as I finished my round, I got in the car and drove to the church. I thought, I might as well start out there, the light is the best. As I drove to the library next to that church, I saw they were using it for voting, so I passed through and decided to park in the 99 cent store parking lot. But as I drove by, I noticed many people working at cleanup around the church. Yes, Saturday was their cleanup day, so I didn't want to attract their attention. I'll leave it for another day, then, and drove to the civic center.

There were cars in the small parking lot that faces the building, but I found one spot, the only one open, and I dragged out the camera and the big tripod. I had to get very close to the building, I have to remember, I have a very wide lens with the Schneider Angulon 121mm. But it worked out, and this time, I figured out how to pull out the dark slide without detaching the film holder from the camera. I know, I know, it sounds confusing, but you see, ordinarily, a camera back should have a slide rail that prevents the holder from falling out. This one uses bungee cords, but if I pull out the dark slide, the entire film holder can detach, ruining my film. So, I have to pull out the dark slide while standing in front of the camera. That is how it will work. I took this quick exposure, but man o man, I could have used a dark cloth to help me frame.

When I saw this negative after I had developed it, I was so, so pleased. There is hope for me yet! So, that motivates me to continue taking other photos, although I bungled the next photo. I tried for the front of the historical civic center building, and found a good angle, but now I am having problems with my shutter release. I have to remember to finish depressing it then unclench the release. This time, when I turned the shutter release knob on the lens, the metal rod was sticking out, so it immediately released the shutter. My face will be in that frame, probably covering most of that photo. Who know, it might actually work out as a composition, but I was mad.

That is it. A few more photos today. I went back to the riverbed and took another photo, this one framed better. I attacked a red filter, but I know it will vignette heavily. I need to use a Cokin flat filter. I also went to the overpass (for the railroad) and took a photo of the US tile building. Then, I went to Riverside, but didn't have much time. The clouds had moved in so I lost direct sunlight, and the negatives would have come out flat, so I went to the courthouse. I took a shot of that building (which turned out terrible, I developed it just before I got on the computer right now) and of the building next to Riverside Walk. Then, I drove home because, you know, today is Halloween, remember? And while it has been called off because of Covid, and even when it was on, not too many kids came by anyway, but still, there might be young people out trying to provoke mayhem, so it was better to get back home as soon as possible. We had a beautiful sunset with the clouds.

Tomorrow, a quick event in the morning for Día de los Muertos, then, probably, a quick session at the California Botanic Garden, then home sweet home. I wanted to go to Olvera Street for tomorrow but I think not. Would like to photograph a Chinatown plaza next to that location, and also, maybe walk around the neighborhoods that have murals. A visit to Little Tokyo would be nice, but no, I think not. 

Last batch from the arboretum

Here is the last batch of photos from the arboretum.

The lake next to the television-series prop house. Damn but it looks exactly like the lake at Fairmont Park, a very ugly lake. The reflections are nice, but no color, and palm trees do not show fall colors. How those trunks must have bent when the Santa Ana Winds struck earlier this week.

I had to take this shot of the peacock because it posed for me. Now, if we were in Mexico, the common people, referred to as "la raza", would not have left it alone. They would have immediately caught it, killed it, plucked it and used it to prepare tamales. That is the thing, I am of Mexican heritage (and birth), but I know the common people, they don't appreciate beauty. Unfortunately.

Beautiful colors near the chimney display near the entrance. I took a slide shot with my Fuji camera too.

There is a little hidden garden when you are about to exit. I am glad I followed this path today. This is not the interesting part, these are just columns with a roof, but around the corner, there is a fountain and displays with an Asian feel. 

Turtles in the lake next to the house. Now, if these turtles were at Fairmont Park, they would have been snatched up in 15 minutes by the raza and taken home as pets, where they would have died within two days. I know my people.

Garden at the end as we prepare to exit.

Cat on a hot tin roof, er, peacock on a cool wooden roof in a small garden at the arboretum.

Feels almost like the NBC logo I remember from the past, a saner time.

Third batch from the arboretum

And the plethora of gifts never ceases! Here are more cellphone photos. I will scan and share photos of the negatives I took, but that might take a few weeks.

The rose garden near the house. I was not supposed to be walking in this direction, this is a one-way path and I was headed the wrong way, but no one else was here, so there I was. Nice flowers, but I am sure the color is more spectacular in the spring. I hope to be able to return.

Love these garden displays. Note the desert plant giving us the finger in the back.

This is another flower garden. There is a building behind it, from what I remember, it was used as a setting for Fantasy Island. Now, I will always hear Herve Villachaise exclaiming "The plane, the plane!" each time I see that house. Those palm trees, though, are an annoyance. I think the view would be much nicer without them.

Don't worry, I got a better shot of this using my Fuji camera and infrared film. 

Love these closeups of beautiful flowers. This camera has more capabilities than my previous camera. Of course, a camera does not take a shot, the photographer takes a shot.

Lovely colors.

Those palm trees are eyesores. 

Second batch from the Arboretum

Here is another batch of cellphone photos from the Arboretum. I was, of course, hunting fall colors, that is, the turning of the leaves to shades of bright yellow, orange and red, but saw only one tree that fit that description. But I saw plenty of other things, and here is the proof:

Another little lake with dark green water off to the side of the rose garden. Would you believe that I saw a coyote come out of the trees and walk close by where I was sitting, reloading my camera? I saw what looked like a big dog and immediately did a double take. Animals are not allowed here, of course not, there are peacocks throughout the grounds, so they can't have them coming and barking or chasing or even killing the ornamental fowl, so it was a wild coyote living in the arboretum. This garden is in an urban setting, there is a neighborhood of houses on the other side, and a racetrack on the opposite end! So it lives on the ground. For a moment I thought it might want to attack me, but it just calmly padded down to the stony brook that had almost no water in it, then disappeared behind some bushes. I did try to get some footage with my cellphone, but I was fumbling with it (I mentioned, of course, that it could me in the middle of loading JCH Streetpan into the Fuji 6x9), and when I tried to record, no luck, I had the wrong settings or was not pressing the button hard enough. I was not quick on the draw, in other words, nor intelligent about it, but I did see it and was inspired. The coyote means something, doesn't it? I see it not as a trickster but as a survivor, doing what it has to do to survive, and telling me, if it can survive in an urban garden in heavily populated Los Angeles, then I can get by too. I was fortunate to see this beautiful animal.

Another lake, this one is next to the Muhlberg waterfall which, once again, let me down. They turned off the water flow today because of maintenance, the sign said. Last time I went, water was barely flowing. I guess they are being water-wise, and I think that is a good idea. One day I will see the water flowing.

Cool vegetation under trees. The coyote disappeared under similar settings.

This is the fall color I saw, in the flowers. I can't wait to return to the rose garden next year in early spring. I sincerely hope we will have a new president.

More vegetation.

They are building a new display here, I think. Work in progress.

Another visit to the LA Arboretum

I have to admit, the anxiety is getting to me. Today is Friday, Oct. 30th, 2020, and in four days, we will arrive at election day, Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. It is coming up soon, and as much as I try to run the lyrics of the Bobby McFerrin song of the 1980s, "Don't worry, be happy", I am worrying and I am not happy. I have all this anxiety about how the election will turn out, and while I think, this time, that Trump will lose, I still worry about how gut-wrenching it will be if we have to put up with his resistance. I felt this anxiety last time, in 2016, and it was worse, I had the sinking feeling that he would win against all the calls going out on the media. But now, I feel he will lose but he will try to make it difficult for us. So, I am telling myself, don't worry, don't worry, you will not help yourself if you (that is, myself) go through this agony. The country has seen what a disaster he has been, what an appalling excuse for a leader, and how he has misgoverned us, and how he has in great part created this Covid crisis because he did not prepare us and did not lead us through it. They have to see that, and I know their hatred of brown immigrants is very great, and that is the one thing the president has excelled at, in scapegoating and excluding them, still, they have to see he is a disaster. 

So, today was a warm day. It was warm yesterday too, but I didn't go out yesterday until almost the final hour of daylight, to take my quick 8x10 photo with my new Norwegian camera. Today, I had the day to myself, because even we need to have a day of rest. I chose to return to the LA Arboretum in Arcadia.

I was there in August, and enjoyed it very much. It was warmer last time, but this time was warm enough. We had a cloudless day, and traffic seemed heavier than usual. I was afraid there would be bottlenecks on the 71 freeway due to the Blue Ridge Fire that the Santa Ana Winds spread on Monday, but traffic was the same as usual. I saw no billowing clouds of smoke the way I had seen on Tuesday.

My appointment was for 1 p.m., but I arrived earlier, at 12:45, and they let me right in. This time, I wanted to go in another direction, to circle to my left rather than to my right, but I went right again, because the display was much too compelling in that direction. The desert gardens and the backdrop of the mountains, what is not to like? I was traveling with the same conjunction of cameras as last time, my 4x5 camera, my Fuji GW690ii and my cellphone. 

It was a little fuller than last time, and there were Asian families camped out here and there in the open grassy areas. Arcadia has a big Asian population, so of course they would go to that garden. I would go to Arcadia mainly to see the Arcadia marching band review during the third Saturday of every November. They have not cancelled it this year yet, but every other marching band event has been cancelled, so if courses are online in public schools, how can the students have practiced their marching? If they hold the event, I imagine it will be scaled down considerably to just a properly-monitored socially-distanced performance by small groups in an outdoor high school parking lot. Say, chairs set up six feet apart, small group of 30 students, no marching, but this way they can say they preserved the continuity of the event. Now, how did I get sidetracked into marching bands when this post is about the Arboretum?

The dirty lake with reflections. I know, I know, I should not say dirty, but it looks dirty to me, like Fairmont Park. There are turtles here, however.

There was some fall color, but mostly with the flowers. 

Love these garden displays.

More garden displays, I could walk around and around here if I could. Nice mixture of colors and textures.

Not sure what I saw here.

A Tongva Indian display. There is a similar one at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic garden, and also, at Heritage Park in Santa Fe Springs, CA. I should go to Santa Fe Springs once again and photograph the little lake with my 8x10 camera with the lens, and compare that photo with my 8x10 pinhole image. Good idea.

Love the colors, textures and shapes. 

I had not walked around this area last time. 

The chimney; I wonder if they will have it lit as we go into winter. I can't imagine they will do so, because in our warm climate, even in the chill of winter, there is still the chance of fire.

I took a slide shot of this with one of my cameras, the Fuji. I was a little closer in. I just like the backlit leaves.

And the display with the chimney and the desert plants. Always a favorite.

More cellphone photos coming up. I took about 50 or 60 of them. I also took one 120 roll of slide photos and also one 120 roll of black and white infrared. Also, two sheets of 4x5 Velvia slide film. 

My first photo with the 8x10 point and shoot camera!

It's been a long day's night, and I've been working, like a dog! Yes, it was an exhausting week, but I think I finished on a high note. I really worked hard to prepare my online classes and I think they were very useful for some of my students. They fell asleep in my first class, which was very frustrating, but in my second class, they seemed to be lively. I can always count on the Argentinean lady to participate, and she really helps me move the class along. So I was happy.

After I was done, I bit the bullet and decided today was the day to open the boxes with the camera components. I received the lens last week, and I received the actual camera body earlier this week (Monday or Tuesday). All the way from rainy Norway! I felt trepidation and was intimidated, but I reasoned, I have to do it now. 

The Super Angulon 121mm lens seems fine. It was not as heavy as I was expecting, and it was well-packed in packing nuts. Pink ones, too. I checked the speeds and they seemed to be accurate. It seems fine.

I also opened the box from Norway and took out the camera body. It was light also, the perfect match. I had to loosen the bungee cords to open it up so that I could perform the task of attaching the lens. Yes, the back element of the lens has to be unscrewed, and I had difficulty at first, since it wouldn't budge. I didn't want to break a $330 lens. The front screwed off, but that wasn't the one that needed to be taken off, it was the back one. After consulting a few Youtube videos about attaching lenses to lens boards, I saw that I was on the right track, so I made the effort and put some "elbow grease" into my arms and unscrewed it, then attached it to the camera. It is not as tight as I would like, but I will fix it in the next few days. Then, walked out to the back yard to try to calibrate infinity focus by focusing on street lamp poles. I think I have it, but my loupe (a cheap $15 Amazon product) is really not that good. Now I am motivated to invest in that as well, but not until after mid November, so I won't have to pay until January. 

Finally, it was 4:45 p.m. and light was fading fast. Do I just take a photo of the cactus in the backyard? It was half in shadow already, with the sun fading fast behind some trees. I need a more open composition so I got into my car and drove to Buena Vista avenue, and parked next to a power plant which is located next to a concrete river channel. There are incredibly overpriced riverfront houses that face the channel. Yes, the same channel where all the homeless people live under the bridge, but it was the most open place I could imagine that would still be receiving light from the fast-setting sun. Ere Apollo disappeared with his chariot to the other side of the globe, I snapped a photo as tons of cars whooshed by to my left during the rush hour. All I need is to cause an accident by curious onlookers. I will have to get used to the fact that wherever I go with this camera, I will attract the stares of throngs of curious onlookers. That happens to all large format photographers, I think.

I got what I needed, a quick snapshot, but I think I introduced a light leak. When taking out the dark slide, I pulled open the holder because the bungee cords holding it to the body were not tight enough, and so I opened up a slit. Of course the sneaky light rays needed no other invitation to wreck havoc, so there is a big light leak on one side. Also, the composition is terrible, but I was in a hurry because Apollo was like Ben Hur, going faster and faster, waiting to reach the other side of the globe. I also forgot my cable release, which you need because if not, when you trigger the shutter with your finger as I had to do, you introduce movement and blur. But there was nothing else for it, I either grabbed the photo as it was and took the negative home to be developed that night, which was my plan, or else waste another day. I didn't want to waste any more days.

I tried to get a second shot of the library, and might have found a composition of the entrance, but there was a shirtless homeless man sitting under the tree camped out there. There are homeless people camped out almost everywhere in the downtown area of the city called Crown. They don't go to south Crown because the police will rustle them up and force them to leave, but here, they own the place. They own the public park now, it is a homeless city and the last time I went, I saw men going behind the bushes with toilet paper to take care of their needs. They own the downtown shopping mall, all the businesses are gone from there, and they are filtering in everywhere they find a spot in this part of town, approaching shoppers when they go to the grocery stores along 6th avenue (Superior, Walmart, Cardenas which is close to 6th street). They are everywhere, tramping up and down 6th and Main street and even sleeping in the old city center building. I am sure they have encampments everywhere near the railroad tracks also. So, no library photo, but the library looks derelict anyway because it has been closed during the months of the Covid catastrophe.

Next, I tried the local church. I just could not get a good composition, light was fading fast and the shadows frustrated my efforts. So, I went home with one negative exposed, the one I had taken at the river channel next to the power station, and developed it with my Stearman Press tray. It came out! And it was much more in focus than my pinhole images! Now, imagine what I might be able to obtain if I am more careful, don't introduce light leaks, take more time to find compositions and also shoot when I have better light. I am giddy at the prospect. 

So, here is my first negative, and inversion to a positive with the help of my crude Mac program:

I sent a jpg of it to the creator of the camera in Norway, but he politely declined to comment about it. I wouldn't have said much either, it was a disaster, but I did keep my promise to send him an image of my first photo. Now, I need to do better! Much better.

Taking a walk

 Here are a few cellphone photos from my walk around the city in the afternoon. The so-called "Blue Ridge Fire" was a fearsome sight yesterday. It was ignited by the fierce (and I mean fierce because they bent over our trees and tore a small palm tree that we had next to our fence out of the ground) on Monday, and they were fanned yet again on Tuesday. Yesterday night I was in bed and could smell the smoke still, even though our windows were closed. During the daytime we could see the angry billowing red clouds to the west, and planes circling around trying to contain it. 

The fire was centered in Yorba Linda, but was spreading into Chino Hills. It was supposedly zero-contained on Tuesday, but today was a still day, with no fierce winds, so reports were made that it was being contained. When I walked around town after 3 p.m. I saw little evidence of the red smoke clouds that had been so much in evidence on Tuesday. 

It was a pleasant walk. I took the long way round (memories of the hit album by Steppenwolf from 1979). I took mostly photos of flowers.

This is such a beautiful image for me. It is timeless. It is taken as I walk over the bridge that takes us over the railroad tracks. 

The channel. There is potential here, but I haven't found the right composition yet. I hate to say it, but it looks to me like a cloaca expelling waste.

Never a good idea to cut off the top of palm trees. I am so tired of palm trees, but they are ever present in California. That is why I don't know the names of other trees, because we don't see enough of them, we see these annoying palm trees.