Rui Morais de Sousa AL-MOST-LY PHOTOGRAPHY

Porto Brandão, Portugal - August 2011

2012-01-19T16:48:00.000Z

Technical data:
Camera - Leica M4
Lenses - Leitz Summicron 35mm + Tele-Elmarit 90mm
Film - Agfa APX 100
Developer - Kodak D-76, 1+1
Location - Porto Brandão, Portugal
Date - August 2011
Scanner - Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

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Praia de Mira, Portugal - Setembro de 1977 (The Minolta Years)

2012-01-13T22:48:00.000Z

Exactamente dez anos depois de eu ter tirado estas fotografias, o Dr. Adolfo Correia da Rocha escreveu:

Praia de Mira, 22 de Setembro de 1987 – Portugal não parece o mesmo. Em meia dúzia de anos, perdeu o carácter. Quem familiarmente lhe conhecia as feições que o singularizavam, fica espantado quando o percorre. Tudo mudou. As casas, as ruas, os trajes, os hábitos. Da praia de Mira que trazia na memória, e onde, num cenário mágico e a comungar com almas que o mereciam, vivi algumas das horas mais autênticas da minha vida de poeta, restam o mar, sempre revolto, e a capela, de madeira ainda, com os castiços palheiros de antanho. E é neles que consolo os olhos desiludidos. O velho oceano, na sua imutável e fascinante inquietação, e o templozinho de tábuas, na sua incorrupta e amorável rusticidade, dão não sei que razão calada ao meu espírito desencantado dum progresso que não sabe melhorar sem desfigurar.

Miguel Torga, Diário XV

Sim, o mar e a capela talvez ainda lá estejam, mas esse povo, onde anda ele?

Povo amado, que tão mal te tratam!

Peço desculpa pela qualidade técnica variável das imagens, mas talvez se deva perdoar a diapositivos que já resistiram a três décadas e meia de vida atribulada...

Quem me dera ter eu próprio resistido com tanto aprumo!

Para despedida - e por piada, como se costuma dizer - uma fotografia de moi durante a realização destas imagens, olhar perdido algures nos confins do azul, o coração invadido de esperança no futuro deste país...

Ficha técnica:

Câmaras - Minolta XM + Minolta 303b

Objectivas - Minolta Rokkor

Filmes - Kodak Kodachrome + Kodak Ektachrome

Lugar - Praia de Mira

Data - Setembro de 1977

Isn't it a Pity

2012-01-13T11:54:00.001Z

Nazaré, 1980

(Leica M4-2+Summicron 50mm)

“Isn’t it a Pity” – George Harrison

Isn’t it a pity

Isn’t it a shame

How we break each other’s hearts,

And cause each other pain

How we take each other’s love,

Without thinking anymore

Forgetting to give back

Isn’t it a pity

Some things take so long, but how do I explain?

When not too many people

Can see we are all the same

And because of all their tears,

Their eyes can’t hope to see

The beauty that surrounds them –

Oh isn’t it a pity

From the album “All Things Must Pass” (1970)

Bold As Love

2012-01-05T18:36:00.004Z

Lisboa, Março de 1980

(Leica M4-2+Summicron 50mm)

“Bold As Love” – Jimi Hendrix

Anger, he smiles, towering shiny metallic purple armour
Queen Jealousy, Envy, waits behind him
Her fiery green gown sneers at the grassy ground

Blue are the life-giving waters taken for granted,
They quietly understand
Once happy Turquoise armies lay opposite ready,
But wonder why the fight is on
But they're all bold as love, yeah, they're all bold as love
Yeah, they're all bold as love
Just ask the Axis

My Red is so confident that he flashes trophies of war
And ribbons of euphoria
Orange is young, full of daring, but very unsteady for the first go 'round
My Yellow in this case is not so mellow
In fact I'm trying to say it's frightened like me
And all these emotions of mine keep holding me
From giving my life to a rainbow like you
But I'm, yeah, I'm bold as love,
Yeah, yeah
Well, I'm bold, bold as love (hear me talking, girl)
I'm bold as love.
Just ask the Axis (he knows everything)

Yeah, yeah!

From the album:

“Axis: Bold As Love” – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Jimi Hendrix: guitar and vocals

Noel Redding: bass and vocals

Mitch Mitchell: drums

Eu Não Sei Quase Nada do Mar

2011-12-21T15:59:00.003Z

Nazaré, Portugal - Março de 1980

(Leica M4-2+Summicron 50mm)

“Eu Não Sei Quase Nada do Mar” – Ana Carolina e Jorge Vercilo

(Do álbum “Pirata” de Maria Bethânia - 2006)

Garimpeira da beleza
Te achei na beira de você me achar
Me agarra na cintura, me segura e jura que não vai soltar
E vem me bebendo toda, me deixando tonta de tanto prazer
Navegando nos meus seios, mar partindo ao meio
Não vou esquecer

Eu que não sei quase nada do mar
Descobri que não sei nada de mim

Clara, noite rara, nos levando além da arrebentação
Já não tenho medo de saber quem somos na escuridão

Me agarrei nos seus cabelos
Sua boca quente para não me afogar
Tua língua correnteza lambe minhas pernas
Como faz o mar
E vem me bebendo toda, me deixando tonta de tanto prazer
Navegando nos meus seios, mar partindo ao meio
Não vou esquecer

Eu que não sei quase nada do mar
Descobri que não sei nada de mim

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O Astronauta

2011-12-19T12:30:00.001Z

“O Astronauta” – Vinicius de Moraes / Baden Powell

Quando me pergunto
Se você existe mesmo, amor
Entro logo em órbita
No espaço de mim mesmo, amor

Será que por acaso
A flor sabe que é flor
E a estrela Vénus
Sabe ao menos
Porque brilha mais bonita, amor

O astronauta ao menos
Viu que a terra é toda azul, amor
Isso é bom saber
Porque é bom morar no azul, amor

Mas você, sei lá
Você é uma mulher
Sim, você é linda
Porque é

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Gente Humilde

2011-12-15T23:08:00.002Z

Lisboa, Alfama, 1987
(Hasselblad 500 EL/M+Carl Zeiss Distagon)

"Gente Humilde" - Garoto / Vinicius de Moraes / Chico Buarque

Tem certos dias em que eu penso em minha gente
E sinto assim todo o meu peito se apertar
Porque parece que acontece de repente
Como um desejo de eu viver sem me notar

Igual a como quando eu passo no subúrbio
Eu muito bem, vindo de trem, de algum lugar
E aí me dá uma inveja dessa gente
Que vai em frente, sem nem ter com que contar

São casas simples, com cadeiras na calçada
E na fachada escrito em cima que é um lar
Pela varanda, flores tristes e baldias
Como a alegria que não tem onde encostar

E aí me dá uma tristeza no meu peito
Feito um despeito de eu não ter como lutar
E eu que não creio, peço a Deus por minha gente
É gente humilde, que vontade de chorar

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A Day at the Races (Part 2) - Autódromo do Estoril (20th of November 2011)

2011-12-14T19:39:00.002Z

Jorge using the Canon EF 500mm

(courtesy of Canon Professional Services/Colorfoto)

Some days ago, you could see some photographs I made during the treino fotográfico organized by Colorfoto and Canon Professional Services, so I won’t repeat myself here, explaining how it all came to take place.

Please, just use your mouse, should you wish to know more and you missed the first post.

The workshop actually consisted of two days, so this second post on the theme shows the photographs I shot on Sunday.

Please, allow me just to remember that the treino fotográfico took place under the supervision of the very kind gentleman Paulo Maria, an experienced sports photographer.

Once again, thank you Paulo, thank you Colorfoto and Canon.

I also wish to thank the staff at Autódromo do Estoril and the racing teams, everybody was very kind and supportive.

Last but not least, a special grateful word to my sun Jorge who brought me along…

The racing cars were only the Leitmotiv…

I don’t really much care about racing cars, I am more the type of guy who gets a faster heartbeat staring at Land Rovers and Pinzgauers, everything that can climb over rocks, or dive in some deep mud… The type of workhorse vehicles that can take me to that far away places, out of reach from the ordinary Sunday drivers.

Nevertheless, photographing racing cars (with a digital camera) can quickly become a passionate addiction and you must control yourself to stop shooting.

As you might guess looking at the photographs, I got a kick out of telling a story about the human action at it, all the anxiety and stress, all the concentration and awareness, all the sadness of losing and all the joy of winning.

Just like in real life…

Some of the fellow-photographers who made the day very enjoyable

Some thoughts and opinions about the Canon gear I have used on the event:

The 500mm that you see Jorge using above is for sure a great lens! Jorge got absolutely wonderful shots with it!

If I would earn my money shooting sports or birds, I would definitely consider such a beast.

As I don’t, I prefer to stick to my (much smaller and lighter) EF 400mm / 5.6 L (or whatever Canon calls it, I am lazy to check it up, this long terminology kind of nerves me!).

Since I got recently a frozen shoulder and some trouble in my left hand, this beast of a lens (I mean the 500mm) just is too heavy and cumbersome for my taste. I know that you need to get used to it, but I feel much more confortable with the smaller lens.

(Please, keep in mind that on the 30D body, as I have used it, the 400 becomes equivalent to a 640mm lens! I was actally getting “nearer” than Jorge with his 5D and the 500mm… I have used the 400mm exclusively hand held, no tripod or monopod! - no Image Stablizer on this lens, thanks!)

You can see the lens in question (I mean the 400mm) on an older post, should you have interest on taking a look. If you look further on, you will also find several photographs that every now and then I posted, made using that piece of glass.

I also had the chance to try the 70-200 / 2.8 L in the Autódromo, the newer version of the lens, with Image Stablizer. In case you have noticed my former comment, you will understand that I am no big fan of IS… The noise and feeling of it working just drives me nuts, I rather prefer to hold one of my cats in the arm!

So, I prefer to stick to my older version, without IS, thank you again! (of course, you may claim that I can shoot with IS off. You are right, but I have the feeling that if we made a side by side test on optical quality and definition, the older lens would win… Somebody with more experience than me out there with a different opinion? Maybe Canon?)

The rest of the stuff was plain bread and butter:

I have used Jorge’s EF 50mm / 1.4, a lens that I can’t say it is bad for sure, but I also won’t claim that it is “GREAT”. I know that lots of knowledgeable people love it, but I am maybe spoiled by Leitz / Leica and Zeiss…

I say jaein (ja + nein as the germans like to say)…

About my old 17-35 / 2.8 L:

Canon still has to make it better, if they want to convince me with their wide-angles, but then again maybe I am spoiled by the Summicrons, Elmarits, Distagons, Super-Angulons and Grandagons…

(lots of funny names, right!)

As I have said before, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose…

All in all, I absolutely was a winner by taking part on the event!

I hope that you enjoy the photographs.

Technical data for both days:

Camera - Canon 30D

Lenses - Canon EF 17-35mm/2.8 L + EF 50mm/1.4 + 70-200mm/2.8 IS L (not used on the 20th) + 400mm/5.6 L

Dates - 19th + 20th of November 2011 (these images, second day only)

Location - Autódromo do Estoril, Portugal

Meu tempo é quando

2011-12-10T00:11:00.001Z

Tomar, Abril de 2011

Leica M4 + Summicron 35mm

"Poética" - Vinicius de Moraes

De manhã escureço
De dia tardo
De tarde anoiteço
De noite ardo.

A oeste a morte
Contra quem vivo
Do sul cativo
O este é meu norte.

Outros que contem
Passo por passo;
Eu morro ontem

Nasço amanhã
Ando onde há espaço;
- Meu tempo é quando.

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Boom! Boom! Out Goes the Light!

2011-12-03T01:33:00.000Z

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I washed the dishes and warmed the palm of my hand with a cup of coffee, the cats are fed and I am ready to share some little things with you:

We play our power games, we step on each others feet,
And, all of a sudden…
Boom! Boom! Out goes the light!

Ah, just small nobodies…

I wish I had a photograph of dolphins - I used to see the toninhas on the beach in Maxixe, Mozambique, many years ago. I was too young, I had no camera, but after all, we are all god's children, right?

To cheer it up, a song by the great Fred Neil, a song that often makes me break into tears:

"The Dolphins" - Fred Neil (1966)

This old world may never change

The way it's been,

And all the ways of war

Can't change it back again.

I've been searching

For the dolphins in the sea,

And sometimes I wonder

Do you ever think of me?

I'm not the one to tell this world

How to get along,

I only know the peace will come

When all hate is gone.

I've been searching

For the dolphins in the sea...

You know sometimes I think about

Saturday's child,

And all about the time

When we were running wild.

I've been searching

For the dolphins in the sea...

This old world may never change,

This world may never change,

This world may never change...

(Please, allow me to dedicate this song to a lady who actually swims with the dolphins in Hawaii - Hi Pamela, would you please say hello to the dolphins for me?)

And because sometimes I am so addicted to Fred Neil songs and his deep voice, here comes the next one:

"Everybody's Talkin'" - Fred Neil (1966)

Everybody's talkin' at me,

I don't hear a word they're sayin',

Only the echoes of my mind.

People stop and stare,

I can't see the faces,

Only the shadows of their eyes.

I'm goin' where the sun keeps shinin'

Through the pouring rain,

Going where the weather suits my clothes,

Bankin' off on the northest wind,

Sailing on a summer breeze,

Skippin' over the ocean like a stone.

Everybody's talkin' at me,

Can't hear a word they're saying

Only the echoes of my mind.

I won't let you leave my love behind...

Fred Neil is dead and gone, but I know we will meet one fine day, that's for sure!

How many roads...

2011-11-28T09:29:00.001Z

My second son, Luís, is flying to Germany today.

Frustrated with life conditions in this country and wishing to try a new life with his german girl-friend, he decided to go back to Heidelberg, his place of birth.

I have the consolation to know that Sara Joana waits for him. Her parents are long time friends from the years we lived over there. I know that he can count on some good and trusty people.

A sad day for me and his brothers and sister, hopefully a new sunny begin for Luís.

The photographs above were taken on Wildpark Frankenhof, near Reken.

On that cold winter day, there was no one else around, silence was only disturbed by our footsteps tracking our way through the snow.

We spent that winter (2003/2004) together in Reken. It was a very hard time for us, as Luís mother (the mother of all my four children) was struggling between life and death, after suffering a stroke.

We would sit at night eating Brezels with butter and cheese, drinking Veltins, watching some stupid TV channel, mostly thinking about that very thin line that separates life from death.

Sometimes we would cook a Griessklösschensuppe to keep us warm, and whenever we found the energy for it, we would try to laugh as much as we could… Laughing to keep from crying!

Often we would dress our warm coats in the middle of the night and go for a walk in the woods or through the fields, the only waken souls in the region.

Although I knew Reken for some decades, I felt kind of strange there: me and Luís’s mother were already divorced, somehow I didn’t belong no more there…

Looking back, I sometimes think that those hard times contributed for us to learn a lesson, albeit a hard one; we grew spiritualy for sure… And we got very close friends!

“I wish you well my son, I hope that you find your way, and that your way is a good one!”.

“Blowing in the Wind” – Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man ?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand ?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea ?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free ?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn't see ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky ?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry ?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died ?
The answer my friend is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

(From the album “The Freewheelin’”, 1963)

A Day at the Races - Estoril, 19th of November 2011

2011-11-27T01:09:00.001Z

At first I was reluctant and said no.

But my son Jorge insisted, and I agreed to take part on the Photographic Training organized by Colorfoto ( it is no exggeration if I claim that they are the best photographic retailers in Portugal) and Canon Professional Services.

Instructor was Mr. Paulo Maria (Interslide), a professional with long experience in the field of Motorsports Photography, and who happens to be a very kind person.

David and Rui Morgado from Colorfoto were also always at hand with good advise and driving us around the track.

We also could try some of those beautiful grey Canon lens that you can watch the pros using on TV during sports events.

As a whole, all the event was very well organized and a joy to be part of.

Thinking afterwards, I came to realize, that I had never photographed a car race before.

So, you’re watching a kind of premier…

The long lenses from Canon are really top-notch and digital photography is a very convenient medium for this kind of stuff.

Yes, you guess it right: even a hardcore Leica guy like me has to concede that in this field Canon sounds better than Leica!

“Come on, you will have some fun!”.

Well, I must admit that Jorge was right, and I am happy that I came along.

We had a wonderful day at Autódromo do Estoril!

"Vai, triste canção..."

2011-11-25T23:45:00.001Z

"Modinha" - Tom Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes

Não!
Não pode mais meu coração
Viver assim dilacerado
Escravizado a uma ilusão
Que é só desilusão.

Ah, não seja a vida sempre assim
Como um luar desesperado
A derramar melancolia em mim,
Poesia em mim.

Vai, triste canção, sai do meu peito
E semeia a emoção
Que chora dentro do meu coração.

..

Sofia and Ricardo Got Married - September 10, 2011

2011-11-11T19:00:00.000Z

My nephew Ricardo and Sofia got married last September.

I decided to take the chance and use the occasion to make some classical Leica photography: unobtrusive and intimate. The kind of stuff Leicas are good at and got famous for!

In black and white film, of course!

I chose two Leica M bodies (a M3 from 1955, - yes, that’s the year of my birth! and a M4 from 1968/69 respectively, - yes, that’s the year the first men landed on the moon!) and a couple of lenses:
Super-Angulon 21mm f/3.4 (a really true non-retrofocus classic, designed and built by Schneider and resold by Leitz), Summicron 35mm f/2.0 (the often called “king of Bokeh, whatever people mean by that…), and the very enjoyable and small Tele-Elmarit 90mm f/2.8 (sadly in the meantime vanished from the Leica catalogue, I will forever treasure it!).

As film material, I picked up Agfa APX 100 (another true classic) and the new Kodak T-Max 400 (my concession to modern technology…).

I stuffed it all, together with a Gossen Variosix F lightmeter, in a small Leitz Kombitasche M.

I was ready to go!

Wishing this nice couple all the best in the world, a wonderful song as food for thought:

“Congratulations” – Paul Simon

Congratulations
Oh, seems like you’ve done it again
And I ain’t had such misery since
Since I don’t know when,
Oh, and I don’t know when

I notice so many people
Slippin’ away
And many more waiting in the lines
In the courtrooms today
Oh, in the courtrooms today

Love is not a game
Love is not a toy
Love’s no romance
Love will do you in
And love will wash you out
And needless to say
You won’t stand a chance, and you won’t stand a chance.

I’m hungry for learning
Won’t you answer me, please?
Can a man and a woman
Live together in peace?
Oh, live together in peace

(From the album Paul Simon - 1971)

Technical Data:

Cameras - Leica M3 + Leica M4

Lenses - Super Angulon 21mm + Summicron 35mm + Tele Elmarit 90mm

Films - Agfa APX 100 + Kodak T-Max 400

Developer - Kodak D-76, diluted 1+1

Location - Setúbal, Portugal

Date - 10th of September 2011

Scanner - Epson 4990 Photo

Sketches of Spain – Andalucía + Extremadura, Spain, May 2010 (Rolleiflex 3.5F)

2011-10-18T23:39:00.000+01:00

Santiponce, Monasterio de San Isidro del Campo

Castilblanco de los Arroyos

Almadén de la Plata (Andalucía)

Monasterio (Extremadura)

Technical Data:

Camera – Rolleiflex 3.5F + Carl Zeiss Planar 75mm f/3.5

Film – Fomapan 200

Developer – Kodak D-76, diluted 1+3

Location – Andalucía + Extremadura, España

Date – May 2010

Scanner – Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

Travels With Color Film - Alcácer do Sal, Portugal, October 1998 (Ektachrome 100S)

2011-10-11T16:28:00.000+01:00

Maybe some of you had the chance to watch the wonderful movie “The Bridges of Madison County”, adapted from the novel by Robert James Waller.

Clint Eastwood plays the role of a not-so-young photographer (Robert Kincaid) on assignment for National Geographic magazine, shooting a photographic essay on some covered bridges in Madison County, in the U.S. state of Iowa, not far from Des Moines.

Robert, the photographer, meets Francesca (Meryl Streep), a somewhat-frustrated and lonely-also-not-so-young-but-still-very-attractive lady, italian war bride, who runs a farm with her husband. She happens to be alone for a couple of days, as her husband and kids are away at the 1965 Illinois state fair…

This chance encounter rapidly evolves to a very intense and dramatic once-in-a-life-time love affair. One can hear the deep voice of Johnny Hartman sing ballads in the background, and the whole story is described and interpreted with astounding artistry. The ambiance is very passionate and tasteful.

An overwhelming movie!

Besides picking up his beer from a cool box in the back of his green pick-up truck, Robert also stores in there his color films, subsequently changing them to Francesca’s refrigerator, when the growing lady’s hospitality permits him to share her house and bed comfort.

Yes, Iowa in Summer can be a hot place! I have experienced it myself. I also went to Des Moines to photograph some buildings by Mies van der Rohe, although I must have to concede that I didn’t know about the covered bridges back then.

What a pity!

Those of you old enough to remember the existence of color reversal film, probably know what I am talking about: great care is needed to avoid excessive heat on your films, or you risk to get back home from your dreamtrip only to find out that the colors have changed and shifted.

Yes, color film is heat sensitive and prone to surprises (black and white too, altough to a lesser extent).

Packing 30 or 40 rolls for a trip is also common procedure, taking most room on your bag, albeit with lesser weight than your photographic equipment. Despite the big volume and all the trouble, one also has much less shots at one’s disposal than in some small memory cards…

Well, having a cool-box with you is a good excuse to bring along some fresh beer. You don’t need nobody’s freezer!

The pictures that I show on this post where shot on Kodak Ektachrome 100S reversal film, with Canon gear. I was on assignment for the defunct magazine “Portugal Português”, which was associated with the better-known, but also defunct, “Casa Decoração”.

I made some assignments for both magazines for a while, before it was adieu, farewell.

Obviously, it was some celebratory date in Alcácer do Sal, but I don’t have a clue about what or why. I was too much busy (or too much lazy for notations?), back in those days, so I was happy when the client had his/her images and I could jump to the next spot, very often on the other side of the country.

The notations often got lost somewhere along the way, only the images and the feelings remained...

I would like to say thank you to all the people who have been supporting this blog.

You give me strength to keep going on!

Technical Data:

Camera - Canon EOS 1n

Lenses - Canon EF 17-35mm f/2.8 L USM + Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM

Filme – Kodak Ektachrome 100S

Location – Alcácer do Sal, Portugal

Date – October 1998

Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)

2011-07-01T14:06:00.000+01:00

"Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone)"

(David Allan Coe)

Would you lay with me in a field of stone?
If my needs were strong, would you lay with me?
Should my lips grow dry, would you wet them dear,
In the midnight hour if my lips were dry?

Would you go away to another land?
Walk a thousand miles through the burning sand?
Wipe the blood away from my dying hand,
If I give myself to you?

Will you bathe with me in the stream of life?
When the moon is full, will you bathe with me?
Will you still love me when I'm down and out?
In my time of trial, will you stand by me?

Would you go away to another land?
Walk a thousand miles through the burning sand?
Wipe the blood away from my dying hand,
If I give myself to you?

Would you lay with me in a field of stone?
If my lips grow dry, would you wet them dear?
Would you bathe with me in the stream of life?
Will you still love me when I'm down and out?

Would you lay with me in a field of stone?
When the moon is full, will you lay with me?

From the album “American III: Solitary Man” – Johnny Cash (2000)

(Canon 30D + Leitz Telyt 6.8/400mm, 2011)

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Laughing

2011-07-01T13:31:00.000+01:00

“Laughing”

(David Crosby)

I thought, I met a man
Who said he knew a man
Who knew what was going on.

I was mistaken,
Only another stranger
That I knew.

And I thought, I had found a light
To guide me through
My night and all this darkness.

I was mistaken,
Only reflections of a shadow
That I saw.

And I thought, I'd seen someone
Who seemed at last
To know the truth.

I was mistaken,
Only a child laughing
In the sun.

Ah, ah, ah ...
In the sun...

From the album “If I Could Only Remember My Name” – David Crosby (1971)

(Leica M4 + Summicron-M 50mm, Agfa APX 100 in Kodak XTol 1+1, Fátima 2011)

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Up From The Skies

2011-06-25T23:58:00.000+01:00

“Up From The Skies”

I just want to talk to you,
I won't do you no harm.
I just want to know about your different lives
On this here people farm.
I heard some of you got your families
Living in cages tall and cold,
And some just stay there and dust away
Past the age of old.
Is this true?
Please let me talk to you.

I just wanna know about
The rooms behind your minds,
Do I see a vacuum there
Or am I going blind?
Or is it just the remains of vibrations,
And echoes of long ago?
Things like "Love the world" and
"Let your fancy flow"…
Is this true?
Please let me talk to you,
Let me talk to you.

I have lived here before
The days of ice,
And of course this is why
I'm so concerned.
And I come back to find
The stars misplaced,
And the smell of a world
That is burned.
The smell of a world
That is burned.

Yeah, well, maybe
It's just a... change of climate…
Well I can dig it,
I can dig it baby,
I just want to see.

So where do I purchase my ticket?
I'd just like to have a ringside seat.
I want to know about the new Mother Earth,
I want to hear and see everything,
I want to hear and see everything.

Aw, shucks,
If my daddy could see me now!

From the album “Axis: Bold As Love” – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

Experience: Jimi Hendrix (lead vocals, guitar), Noel Redding (vocals, bass), Mitch Mitchell (drums)

(Clouds photographed with Canon 30D + Leitz Telyt 6.8/400mm, 2011)

.

Monday afternoon in Monsaraz with Luís and Sara - February 2011

2011-06-16T15:40:00.000+01:00

Luís and Sara have known each other from childhood, then life separated them... Until now: now they are befriended.

Sara was visiting from Germany, so they took the chance and came to spend a couple of days in Alentejo.

Sara is daughter of Miguel and Marion, long-time friends from Heidelberg, Germany.

So are the circles and turns of life, sometimes we get lost and sometimes we are found...

Photographed with Leica M2 and Leica R5

Technical Data:

Cameras: Leica M2 + Leica R5

Lenses - Summicron-M 50mm + Elmarit 135mm

Film - Agfa APX 100 + Kodak Tri-x

Developer - Kodak Xtol 1+1

Location - Monsaraz, Portugal

Date - February 28, 2011

Scanner - Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

E aqui deixo um pouco de Miguel Torga. Eu não poderia dizer melhor...

Coimbra, 4 de Março de 1989.

"Vigília"

Altas horas da noite.
Acordado,
Rememoro o passado,
Analiso o presente
E advinho o futuro.
Procuro,
Humanamente,
Dar sentido
Ao que fui,
Ao que sou
E ao que serei.
Mas a minha verdade
Não tem a claridade
Da razão.
É esta aflição
Continuada
Que no meu coração
Bate descompassada.

MIGUEL TORGA (DIÁRIO XV – Coimbra 1990)

Industrielandschaften - Mannheim, Deutschland, November 1985

2011-05-31T21:38:00.000+01:00

Three years later, also on November, but on a very dissimilar mood from my previuos post, I felt an urge to shoot urban landscapes.

The Rhein (Rhine) and Neckar rivers are the home of one of the most important European inland ports, spreading around the German towns of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen.

I decided on medium format equipment for the task, bringing along the Hasselblad 500 EL/M and the Rolleiflex T.

Wish I had done these photographs in large format, but that was still zukunftsmusik...

So, will you please excuse me for some inaccurate perspective?

Shot with Hasselblad 500 EL/M + Rolleiflex T

Technical Data:
Cameras - Hasselblad 500 EL/M + Rolleiflex T
Lenses - Carl Zeiss Tessar, Planar or Sonnar (Distagon?)
Film - Kodak Tri-X + Ilford HP5
Developer - Kodak D-76 1+1
Location - Mannheim, Germany (last one on the border to Ludwigshafen)
Date - November 1985
Scanner - Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

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"Those Were the Days" - Schloss Lembeck, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (November 1982)

2011-05-29T16:47:00.000+01:00

After reading two books by Irvine Welsh (“Ecstasy”, “Trainspotting”), I decided on one by Paul Auster (“Leviathan”).
By comparison, this last author reads a bit like “Reader’s Digest”.
It kind of misses something…

I always felt the same about my humanistic photography: it’s like ice cream with eierlikör on top, it’s like sex with a pillow.
Aiming at the higher-levels of some of my “heroes” (Josef Koudelka, Robert Frank, William Klein…), I am obliged to concede that my efforts seem to be in vain.

My images are a little too soft…

My photography lacks punch!

Wanting to widen my horizon, rucksack on my back, 2000 escudos in my pocket, I hit the road to Germany in the distant year of 1974.

I had met a german girl before, so the first town I lived in was Münster.
What a difference!

Coming from a small and forgotten little land that suffered 48 long years of dictatorship, my young naive eyes would just marvel at this open-minded world.

I felt lost and enlightened at the same time: I couldn’t really feel at home, and I didn’t want to leave and go back to the darkness where I was coming from, either.

The girl soon became my wife. She was coming from Gross Reken, a village not far from Münster, so I quickly became acquainted with Münsterland, a region that I kept admiring and enjoying through the years.

Belonging to Dorsten, Schloss Lembeck is only a short distance from Reken. When I was bothered from hanging around my parents-in-law, I often went for a visit to the Schlosspark (after that Veltins Pilsener would taste even better…).

Again and again I had a Leica with me.

Shot with Leica M4-2 + Elmarit-M 28mm

The images might be soft-spoken, but aren’t those trees beautiful?

Technical data:
Camera- Leica M4-2
Lens - Leitz Canada Elmarit-M 2.8/28mm
Film - Kodak Tri-x
Developer - Kodak D-76, diluted 1+1
Location - Schloss Lembeck, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Date - November 1982

.

Gandolfi Variant 4x5 inches / Level III - Photo Gear (12)

2011-05-02T22:15:00.000+01:00

If I would shoot this self-portrait today, my face would be rather sad...

I am sad!

Checking up the web about the Gandolfi Variant, I came to understand that Gandolfi Cameras seems to have ceased production.

Bear in mind that the company was founded in 1885!
Sad news for the Large Format Photography world.

Not long ago, I still could order some lens panels and an adapter from Mr. Edward Hill. Lets hope that somebody out there decides to keep the flame alive.

Even in the United Kingdom tradition is no longer what it used to be...

Super Angulon 75mm + wide-angle Bellows + Horseman 6x12 roll film holder
(equivalent, in 4x5 inches, to 24mm in 35mm Photography)

Without focusing screen and with the 6x12 Horseman holder installed

Apo-Symmar 150mm + Linhof Rapid Rollex 6x7
(equivalent, in 4x5 inches, to 45mm in 35mm Photography)

Without bellows and without universal back + Apo-Symmar 150mm (zero position)

The Variant closed (with Apo-Symmar 150mm inside)

Symmar-S 210mm
(equivalent, in 4x5 inches, to 65mm in 35mm Photography)

Maybe you shouldn't try to photograph with such extreme movements: they only demonstrate the flexibility of the design.
Actually, you mostly just need minor adjustments for picture taking.

Schneider G-Claron 305mm
(equivalent, in 4x5 inches, to about 95mm in 35mm Photography)

Rodenstock Apo-Ronar 480mm
(equivalent, in 4x5 inches, to 145mm in 35mm Photography)

The Variant is (was...) made in various types (levels) and finishes.

Mine is made out of MDF (medium-density fibreboard, a resin bonded fibre with selected hardwood reinforcement), and offers, being a Level III, the most adjustments / movements that one can wish for this type of camera.
Obviously, it is the heaviest of the three possible Variant levels to choose from.

It is (was...) possible to convert and upgrade the different models and formats, all the way up to 8x10 inches.

Some people regard with a certain disdain the MDF version, prefering the looks of the walnut finish. As a "working horse", I think that the MDF material is very satisfactory: sturdy and stable, it surely is strong enough for the adventures one encounters on the road.
The black color is discreet and doesn't call the public attention (if that is possible to say about such a camera on a tripod...).

The Gandolfi Variant is without doubt a rather versatile piece of gear. It allows nearly the same adjustments, as the best studio monorail cameras (maybe I could use sometimes a little more rise capability, and I could wish a somewhat longer bellows to cope with even longer focal lengths, but that's about all!).

Let's hope to see someday these very fine cameras back in production...

I really dig them!

Yes, I will say it loud: Gandolfi forever!

.

The Paris Sessions - March 1977 (The Minolta Years)

2011-05-01T20:24:00.000+01:00

.

In a way I still seem to believe on those words...

All my life I have felt like a kind of "cosmic clochard": I am nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

I am home wherever I feel at home!

What do I have to say about these images?

I took them 34 years ago, how could I remember?

From my notations, I used a Minolta 303b for the snaps (my first serious camera, a true revelation after my Olympus Trip 35...).

I fed the apparatus with either Ilford HP5 or Kodak Tri-X, developed in Tetenal Emofin and in Kodak Perceptol 1+1, respectively.

From looking at the photographs, I would say that I have used my Minolta Rokkor 21mm, and most probably, also the Minolta Rokkor 80-200mm.

The rest are very vague memories.

The passion for Photography still remains...

Me at the end of the film, looking like a "Spiegelei".

I was so young and hopeful back then, I still had such a long road ahead...

Technical data:
Camera - Minolta SRT-303b
Lenses - Minolta Rokkor
Films - Ilford HP5 and Kodak Tri-X
Developers - Tetenal Emofin + Kodak Perceptol 1+1
Location - Paris, France
Date - March 1977
Scanner - Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

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The River (Part 3) - Rio Tejo, Lisbon, September 1994

2011-04-09T18:57:00.018+01:00

.

Technical Data:
Camera - Hasselblad 500 C/M
Lenses - Carl Zeiss Distagon-C 3.5/60mm + Carl Zeiss Sonnar-C 4/150mm
Film - Kodak T-MAX 100
Developers - Kodak HC-110 + Tetenal Neofin Blau
Location - Lisbon, Portugal
Date - September 1994
Scanner - Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

XXXIV

Acho tão natural que não se pense
Que me ponho a rir às vezes, sozinho,
Não sei bem de quê, mas é de qualquer coisa
Que tem que ver com haver gente que pensa…

Que pensará o meu muro da minha sombra?
Pergunto-me às vezes isto até dar por mim
A perguntar-me coisas...
E então desagrado-me, e incomodo-me
Como se desse por mim com um pé dormente...

Que pensará isto de aquilo?
Nada pensa nada.
Terá a terra consciência das pedras e plantas que tem?
Se ela a tiver, que a tenha...
Que me importa isso a mim?
Se eu pensasse nessas coisas,
Deixaria de ver as árvores e as plantas
E deixava de ver a Terra,
Para ver só os meus pensamentos...
Entristecia e ficava às escuras.
E assim, sem pensar, tenho a Terra e o Céu.

Poemas de Alberto Caeiro – Obras completas de Fernando Pessoa
(Lisboa, Edições Ática, 1979), pp. 57

XXXIV

I find it so natural not to think
I start to laugh sometimes, all alone,
I don’t really know why, but it’s about something
To do with knowing there are people who think...

What is my wall thinking about my shadow?
I ask myself this sometimes until I notice
I’m asking myself things...
And then I get mad at myself, and feel uncomfortable
Like when my foot falls asleep...

What does this think about that?
Nothing thinks about anything.
Does the earth have consciousness of its stones and plants?
If it did, it would be people. . .
Why am I worrying about this?
If I think about these things,
I’ll stop seeing trees and plants
And stop seeing the Earth
For only seeing my thoughts...
I’ll get unhappy and stay in the dark.
And so, without thinking, I have the Earth and the Sky.

Translation from Fernando Pessoa: Alberto Caeiro: Complete Poems

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The River (Part 2) - Rio Tejo, Lisboa (October 1994)

2011-04-06T10:56:00.017+01:00

.

Technical data:
Camera – Rolleiflex 3.5F
Taking lens – Carl Zeiss Planar 75mm f/3.5
Film – Kodak T-Max 100
Film developers – Kodak HC-110 & Tetenal Neofin Blau
Location – Lisbon, Portugal
Date – October, 1994
Scanner – Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

Não basta abrir a janela
Para ver os campos e o rio.
Não é bastante não ser cego
Para ver as árvores e as flores.
É preciso também não ter filosofia nenhuma.
Com filosofia não há árvores: há idéias apenas.
Há só cada um de nós, como uma cave.
Há só uma janela fechada, e todo o mundo lá fora;
E um sonho do que se poderia ver se a janela se abrisse,
Que nunca é o que se vê quando se abre a janela.

Poemas Inconjuntos

Poemas de Alberto Caeiro - Obras Completas de Fernando Pessoa

It’s not enough to open the window
To see the fields and the river.
It’s also not enough to not be blind
To see the trees and the flowers.
It’s also necessary to not have any philosophy at all.
With philosophy there are no trees, there are only ideas.
There’s only each of us, like a wine-cellar.
There’s only a shut window and the world outside it;
And a dream of what you could see if you opened the window,
Which is never what you see when you open the window.

Detached Poems (1913-1915)

Fernando Pessoa: Alberto Caeiro: Complete Poems

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The River - Rio Tejo, Lisboa (October 1994)

2011-04-02T20:20:00.029+01:00

.

Technical data:
Camera – Rolleiflex 3.5F
Taking lens – Carl Zeiss Planar 75mm f/3.5
Film – Kodak T-Max 100
Film developers – Kodak HC-110 & Tetenal Neofin Blau
Location – Lisbon, Portugal
Date – October 23, 1994
Scanner – Epson Perfection 4990 Photo

XX

O Tejo é mais belo que o rio que corre pela minha aldeia,
Mas o Tejo não é mais belo que o rio que corre pela minha aldeia
Porque o Tejo não é o rio que corre pela minha aldeia.

O Tejo tem grandes navios
E navega nele ainda,
Para aqueles que vêem em tudo o que lá não está,
A memória das naus.

O Tejo desce de Espanha
E o Tejo entra no mar em Portugal.
Toda a gente sabe isso.
Mas poucos sabem qual é o rio da minha aldeia
E para onde ele vai
E donde ele vem.
E por isso porque pertence a menos gente,
É mais livre e maior o rio da minha aldeia.

Pelo Tejo vai-se para o Mundo.
Para além do Tejo há a América
E a fortuna daqueles que a encontram.
Ninguém nunca pensou no que há para além
Do rio da minha aldeia.

O rio da minha aldeia não faz pensar em nada.
Quem está ao pé dele está só ao pé dele.

Poemas de Alberto Caeiro – Obras completas de Fernando Pessoa
(Lisboa, Edições Ática, 1979), pp. 44-45

XX

The Tejo is more beautiful than the river that flows through my village,
But the Tejo isn’t more beautiful than the river that flows through my village,
Because the Tejo isn’t the river that flows through my village.

The Tejo has big boats
And there navigates in it still,
For those who see what’s not there in everything,
The memory of fleets.

The Tejo runs down from Spain
And the Tejo goes into the sea in Portugal.
Everybody knows that.
But not many people know the river of my village
And where it comes from
And where it’s going.
And so, because it belongs to less people,
The river of my village is freer and greater.

Through the Tejo you go to the World.
Beyond the Tejo is America
And the fortune you encounter there.
Nobody ever thinks about what’s beyond
The river of my village.

The river of my village doesn’t make you think about anything.
When you’re at its bank you’re only at its bank.

(3/7/1914)

Translation from Fernando Pessoa: Alberto Caeiro: Complete Poems

Poem selected by Maria Helena

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The Minolta Years - Portofino, Siena (Italy), December 1978

2011-03-27T03:32:00.007+01:00

..

Technical data:
Camera - Minolta XM + Minolta Rokkor lenses
Film - Kodak Tri-X
Developer - Kodak D-76 1+1
Location - Portofino + Siena, Italy
Date - December 1978

..

Tadao Ando - Vitra Conference Pavilion, Weil am Rhein, May 1995

2011-03-24T13:17:00.000Z

Vitra is a furniture company located in the small German town of Weil am Rhein, with headquarters in nearby Birsfelden, Switzerland.

With a privileged situation near the German- Swiss - French border, very close to the Swiss city of Basel, its strategic position combined with clever and innovative management have made Vitra a leading name in design furniture, manufacturing the works of many internationally acclaimed designers.

The company was founded in 1950 and today the Vitra Campus showcases buildings by some of the most famous architects, like Álvaro Siza (Factory Building and Passage), Frank Gehry (Vitra Design Museum, Vitra Atelier and Headquarters Building), Herzog & de Meuron (VitraHaus), Nicholas Grimshaw (Factory Building), Tadao Ando (Conference Pavilion, the subject of this post) or Zaha Hadid (Fire Station).

And the list goes on… Since I visited Vitra in 1995, several new buildings were added to the “collection”.

The Conference Pavilion by Tadao Ando was the architet’s first building outside of Japan.

It was built in 1993, just two years before I made these images, and has a very interesting characteristic: a large part of its volume is concealed under ground level, greatly reducing its impact on the surrounding landscape.

Predominantly built out of beton, with floors made out of wood, it manages to transmit a rather “soft” sensation. If you caress some of its walls, you almost have the feeling of touching velvet… If I remember well, it was explained to me that there were some ashes mixed up with the cement…

Myth or reality? I am not sure, but the feeling is definitely there!

I went to Vitra on assignment by Editorial Blau. I was commissioned to photograph the Vitra factory building by Álvaro Siza, to be included in the book “Álvaro Siza, 1986 – 1995”, and I was travelling to produce photographs for that publication.

From Weil am Rhein I would still drive up North to Holland to shoot further Siza buildings for the project, then I would go down again to Barcelona…

Taking a look around Vitra Campus I was enchanted by this relatively small building and decided to ask if I also could photograph it. Permission granted, I thought that it was a good subject to get acquainted with my new Corfield WA67, just shipped by Mr. Brian Gould from England before I hit the road.

To photograph an entire building with only one camera / wide angle lens combination?

Was I driving nuts?

As a matter of fact, I believe that some pictures could have benefited from some other outfit not so extremely wide angle, but all in all I believe that I can say that the Corfield WA67 did rather well, mainly when I think that it is a very specialized camera, which design was not surely meant for universal use…

On Interior Photography this (relatively) small wide angle shift camera really shines!

And that from day one!, as these photographs attest.

(I had only shot a very few images of the Santiago Calatrava bridge in Mérida, while driving by on my way up to Germany; forgot to pull out the dark slide on some of them…).

On this very first experience with the Corfield WA67, I could be convinced that I had made the right choice, searching for an easy to use piece of gear for Interior /Architecture Photography.

Up to this day, I keep on cherishing this little marvel of a camera.

Long live my Cory!

P.S.: Should you be curious about the Corfield, follow the tags below, and find my former post about it, in case you missed it before.

Some of this color photographs were published by the Dutch Architecture Magazine “de Architect” from Den Haag.

The black and white negatives have been sleeping in my archive. It is the first time that I show them!

Technical Data:
Camera - Corfield WA67 (6x7 format)
Lens (not interchangeable) - Schneider Super Angulon 5.6 / 47mm
Film - Kodak
Location - Weil am Rhein, Germany
Date - May 1995

..

The World Must Never Forget!

2011-03-23T23:49:00.017Z

Ora 25 / La Vingt-Cinquième Heure / The 25th Hour

(1949)

These books by Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu, a Romanian writer who would be ordained a priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1963, always impressed me.
I was still in Military College when I bought them in 1969.

Many, many years ago!

It is not my intention to describe both novels, but they constitute a poignant testimony of the suffering mankind went through in the agony of World War II.
In spite of that, or maybe because of that, the message of Virgil Gheorghiu is full of love and hope in the human race. Somehow, the sun manages to shine through all the reigning darkness, a little flame shines among all death and desperation.

The Twenty-Fifth Hour, was published in 1949. The scars could just barely be healed!

In 1967, a film based on the book was produced by Carlo Ponti and directed by Henri Verneuil. The film starred Anthony Quinn and Serge Reggiani on the main roles.

Mr. Gheorghiu died in Paris in 1992. May he rest in peace. He deserves it!

Treblinka was a Nazi extermination camp in occupied Poland, built by the Warsaw - Bialystok railway line, receiving transports from July 1942.

Treblinka I was a forced labour camp in support of Treblinka II, the death camp. The incoming deportation trains generally consisted of 50-60 cattle wagons containing six to seven thousand people in total. It is estimated that a minimum of 800,000 Jews lost their lives in Treblinka.

In the first months of 1943 a resistance group was organized, finally leading to an uprise in August 1943. Of the 200 inmates who managed to break out, only about 60 were alive at the end of the war and could tell the world about the nightmare of Treblinka.

For over forty years now, every once in a while I pick up these books and re-read them. I am always shocked by how filthy and guilty we can be for such horrible crimes.

Shame on mankind! Shame on us!

..

Eles não sabem que o sonho...

2011-03-15T12:13:00.007Z

..

Sinto-me esventrado,
Sugado e esvaído,
Traído!

Dos tremoços já as cascas nos levam,
A matança continua, o festim prossegue...

Os sonhos, esses, nunca mos hão-de entaipar!

“Pedra Filosofal” - António Gedeão

Eles não sabem que o sonho
é uma constante da vida
tão concreta e definida
como outra coisa qualquer,
como esta pedra cinzenta
em que me sento e descanso,
como este ribeiro manso
em serenos sobressaltos,
como estes pinheiros altos
que em verde e oiro se agitam,
como estas aves que gritam
em bebedeiras de azul.

eles não sabem que o sonho
é vinho, é espuma, é fermento,
bichinho álacre e sedento,
de focinho pontiagudo,
que fossa através de tudo
num perpétuo movimento.

Eles não sabem que o sonho
é tela, é cor, é pincel,
base, fuste, capitel,
arco em ogiva, vitral,
pináculo de catedral,
contraponto, sinfonia,
máscara grega, magia,
que é retorta de alquimista,
mapa do mundo distante,
rosa-dos-ventos, Infante,
caravela quinhentista,
que é cabo da Boa Esperança,
ouro, canela, marfim,
florete de espadachim,
bastidor, passo de dança,
Colombina e Arlequim,
passarola voadora,
pára-raios, locomotiva,
barco de proa festiva,
alto-forno, geradora,
cisão do átomo, radar,
ultra-som, televisão,
desembarque em foguetão
na superfície lunar.

Eles não sabem, nem sonham,
que o sonho comanda a vida,
que sempre que um homem sonha
o mundo pula e avança
como bola colorida
entre as mãos de uma criança.

In Movimento Perpétuo, 1956

..

Fátima, Portugal - February 25th, 2011 (Leica M2 + Leica R5)

2011-03-13T18:00:00.021Z

Technical data:
Cameras - Leica M2 + Summicron 50mm / Leica R5 + Elmarit 135mm
Film - Agfa APX 100 + Kodak Tri-X
Developer - Kodak XTOL (Full-strength)
Location - Fátima, Portugal
Date - February 25th, 2011
Scanner - Epson 4990 Photo

..

Let the Sunshine In

2011-03-13T15:33:00.010Z

..

I see a very dark cloud obscuring this land,
Wind of Change blow away all these sick lies,
Clear up the sky!

Let the sunshine in!

"Aquarius"
When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystals revelations
And the mind’s true liberation
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius

Aquarius!
Aquarius!

“Let the Sunshine In”
We starve, look at one another, short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes

Somewhere, inside something, there is a rush of
Greatness, who knows what stands in front of
Our lives, I fashion my future on films in space
Silence tells me secretly
Everything
Everything

…

Singing our space songs on a spider web sitar
Life is around you and in you
Answer for Timothy Leary, dearie

Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in
The sunshine in

“I Got Life”
I got life, mother
I got laughs, sister
I got freedom, brother
I got good times, man

I got crazy ways, daughter
I got million-dollar charm, cousin
I got headaches and toothaches
And bad times too
Like you

I got my hair
I got my head
I got my brains
I got my ears
I got my eyes
I got my nose
I got my mouth
I got my teeth
I got my tongue
I got my chin
I got my neck
I got my tits
I got my heart
I got my soul
I got my back
I got my ass
I got my arms
I got my hands
I got my fingers
Got my legs
I got my feet
I got my toes
I got my liver
Got my blood

I got my guts
I got my muscles
I got life
Life
Life
Life
Life
LIFE!

And you got a lot of nerve baby!

And I'm gonna spread it around the world, mother.
Yeah, I'm gonna spread it around the word, sister.
Yeah I'm gonna spread it around the world, my brother.
So everybody knows what I got.

From the musical "Hair" - The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical (1968)
Lyrics: James Rado & Gerome Ragni
Music: Galt MacDermot

..

My Friends the Cats

2011-03-06T19:21:00.011Z

..

Permit me to acquaint you with my friends

Pipoquinha, our new family member met some weeks ago

Mico, a nice amigo for some years now

Pipoquinha (little pop corn) is a young female cat we found a couple of weeks ago, while going for a walk.

A sister of other beautiful little kittens, we were not clever enough to avoid going back there "just for taking a look"...

When we heard that they didn't belong to somebody, we couldn't resist!

Mico (also known as Minhoco, Mircolino, Micanhoto... He always knows who I am talking to) was brought to me by my sons, five or six years ago.

An adult male cat, he adores to look cool and blasé, sometimes acting with full indifference and disdain. He is actually exceptionally pacific and a nice companion, except for the smell of his territory marking...

I get along very well with cats, it is easy for me to make friends among them.

For the photo-freaks:

Both shots made with Canon 30D + Leitz 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit (Pipoca) and Leitz 400mm f/6.8 Telyt-R.

I used an enjoyyourcamera adapter to get it all together.

Rollei 35 S - Photo Gear (11)

2011-02-24T18:32:00.019Z

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Not much bigger than a packet of cigarettes, the Rollei 35 is one of the smallest full-frame 35mm cameras, ever built.

Compactness was mandatory for its innovative design, the HFT Sonnar lens and the Rollei Compur shutter (on this version) being the guarantee for high- quality performance.

Coupled to aperture, shutter and film speed, the CdS exposure meter was of the match needle type. Like all classic cameras (the 35 S was built 1974 - 80), mercury batteries can be a problem to substitute, generally forbidden because of environmental issues.

I simply overcome the nuisance by using no batteries at all in such cameras.

I bring an external light meter instead!

You will notice that some dials and levers work differently, and are placed differently, than on most 35mm cameras:

Shutter speeds (1/2 s – 1/500 s, B) and aperture values (f / 2.8 – 22) are set by the two dials on the front of the camera;

Film transport lever is on the left side and winds to the left;

The film cartridge goes in the right side of the camera and the film travels to the left;

The rewinding crank, the exposure counter, and the acessory hot-shoe for flash are located on the underside of the camera;

Removable camera back to facilitate loading and unloading film;

You can release the lens by pressing a button, and turn and push it back into the body. It is then small enough to fit into a pocket (filter size 30,5mm)…

The Rollei 35 S is the smallest camera I use. Not much, I must confess…

Although the viewfinder is very satisfactory, and the shutter very silent, I miss the possibility of using a rangefinder (of course, it would make the camera bigger!) for exact focusing.

I can live with it, but 40mm focal distance is not really my dream for estimating the distance of my subjects…

For a little bit more size and weight, I definitely prefer to carry the robustness of a Leica M…

Nevertheless, the Rollei 35 might be an option in case you are looking for a small film camera with a price tag that can be better accepted by an average / not insane human being.

Long live the Rollei!

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Mies van der Rohe - Seagram Building, New York

2011-02-23T17:03:00.031Z

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I don’t remember that much about New York!

I recall crowds of multicolored people dressed up in multicolored cloths in front of multicolored snacks, I remember a flood of Yellow Cabs claxoning their way through the lights.

We stood and stared at The Flatiron, we gazed at The Empire State, we marveled at the magnificence of The Twin Towers…
If we were already impressed by the Chicagoan skyscrapers, then New York really blew our minds!

Maybe I forgot a lot about New York, but Mies’s Seagram Building!

I don’t remember that much being in New York!

I know of cheap motels before and cheap motels after, I know about driving all the way from Chicago, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, I know about heading all the way up to Montreal and Toronto - and Detroit, and Chicago again, and Houston, Washington D.C., and, and... New York again… “Bye, bye, so long! See you soon!”

I still feel the miles running on empty under my seat, I can’t forget beautiful Connecticut and astonishing Vermont, I can’t forget the immenseness of America…

We were on a diet of fast food, so don’t ask me about New York tables, we were on a diet of everything, so poor Jorge and me we had tomatoes and milk for lunch, we pretended not to see elegant people sitting on hip restaurants, we faked city slickers in search of the Midnight Cowboy…

We have seen the rich and we have seen the beggars!

Who cares if I have memories of New York?

We drove by Central Park and MoMa, we wandered up and down Broadway, we figured out how to get cheaply closed to the Statue of Liberty, we knew nothing about New York, there was nothing to know about New York, but cheap thrills!

I had never before seen a photographic shop where the films and equipment boxes travell by cable car to the customer, now I know I have seen it all, “Do you have a credit card? Yes? Allright, now we can talk!” (and I will be hopefully nice and kind to you, that’s me reading his mind…).

There were a whole lot of things that I had never seen before! There are a whole lot of things that I have never seen after!

New York, I am tired, let me take a rest. The journey ahead is a long one, we must be ready!

I mainly associate New York with the sounds of “The Heart of Saturday Night” by Tom Waits, though I suspect that we didn't meet there…

“Depot, depot, what am I doing here?
Depot, depot, what am I doing here?
I ain't coming, I ain't going
My confusion is showing
Outside the midnight wind is blowing Sixth Avenue
I'm gonna paint myself blue
At the depot”

All photographs made on Kodak Ektachrome film with a Horseman SW 612 Pro and Rodenstock lenses (Apo-Grandagon 35mm + Grandagon-N 75mm), except for the first view made with a Gandolfi Variant III and Schneider lens.

“(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night”

Well you gassed her up
Behind the wheel
With your arm around your sweet one
In your Oldsmobile
Barrelin' down the boulevard
You're looking for the heart of Saturday night

And you got paid on Friday
And your pockets are jinglin'
And you see the lights
You get all tinglin' cause you're cruisin' with a 6
And you're looking for the heart of Saturday night

Then you comb your hair
Shave your face
Tryin' to wipe out ev'ry trace
All the other days
In the week you know that this'll be the Saturday
You're reachin' your peak

Stoppin' on the red
You're goin' on the green
'Cause tonight'll be like nothin'
You've ever seen
And you're barrelin' down the boulevard
Lookin' for the heart of Saturday night

Tell me is the crack of the poolballs, neon buzzin?
Telephone's ringin'; it's your second cousin
Is it the barmaid that's smilin' from the corner of her eye?
Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye.

Makes it kind of quiver down in the core
'Cause you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before
And now you're stumblin'
You're stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night

Well you gassed her up
And you're behind the wheel
With your arm around your sweet one
In your Oldsmobile
Barrellin' down the boulevard,
You're lookin' for the heart of Saturday night

Is the crack of the poolballs, neon buzzin?
Telephone's ringin'; it's your second cousin
And the barmaid is smilin' from the corner of her eye
Magic of the melancholy tear in your eye.

Makes it kind of special down in the core
And you're dreamin' of them Saturdays that came before
It's found you stumblin'
Stumblin' onto the heart of Saturday night
And you're stumblin'
Stumblin onto the heart of Saturday night

From the record “The Heart of Saturday Night” – Tom Waits (1974)

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... and in the end...

2011-02-20T12:18:00.004Z

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The End (Lennon/McCartney)

Oh yeah, all right
Are you going to be in my dreams
Tonight?

...And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make.

From the record "Abbey Road" - The Beatles (1969)

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Assorted Moments - Sinar F2 (1988 - 90)

2011-02-17T21:29:00.027Z

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Looking through my archive, I came upon a little box with several 9x12 cm / 4x5 inches negatives. Most of them unidentified: no date, no location...

I believe that they must habe been made in the last two years, or so, that I lived in Germany, prior to my return to Portugal in 1990.

In those times I was enthusiastic enough to travel with a Sinar camera and a couple of Schneider lenses...

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Mannheim, Germany

Near Mannheim, Germany
(can you see the Christmas tree?)

Carrasqueira, Rio Sado, Portugal

Carrasqueira, Rio Sado, Portugal

El Burgo de Osma, España

Guimarães, Portugal

Alentejo, Portugal

Alentejo, Portugal

Because (Lennon/McCartney)

Because the world is round it turns me on
Because the world is round...

Because the wind is high it blows my mind
Because the wind is high......

Love is all, love is new
Love is all, love is you

Because the sky is blue, it makes me cry
Because the sky is blue.......

From the record “Abbey Road” – The Beatles (1969)

Wish you all a good time!

Monsaraz, Portugal - Hasselblad 500 EL/M + Sinar F2 (1984, 1988?)

2011-02-08T19:06:00.042Z

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It is rather evident: when I made the trip to Monsaraz in August 1984, I was using the Carl Zeiss Sonnar-C 150mm.
I can see it by the number of images that display that short-tele feeling, that little compression that fits so well some photographs (at least my little me likes it!).
I cannot say for sure, so many films and years have gone by, but it is imaginable that I was eager to try my new spielzeug...

To photograph Monsaraz in August can be a pain. The light is very strong, and the heat can simply knock you off!
I tried to do it last Summer and I couldn't make my feet move! I should maybe clarify that I was striving to produce some 5x7 inches negatives with the Gandolfi...

Shamelessly, I was reminded that my endurance is not bound to eternity!

Twenty six years before, things seemed a little easier though...

You will notice that some pictures are not square. As a matter of fact I found some Large Format (9x12cm/4x5 inches negatives - no location, no date...)that I know were shot with the Sinar camera.
Why I know it was the Sinar? Easy: it was the only one by then...

I believe that they must have been shot in, or around, 1988.
Why I didn't take notes? What the heck do I know? Laziness, sloppiness, second-choice negatives?
Too many questions that I don't remenber the answers, please don't demand so much...

Now you know that I am also far from perfect... You are not alone at that!

Some negatives are far from optimal. So I am glad that I don't need to retouch with brush and Spotone dyes, as I would have to if I was displaying true darkroom prints...

Maybe the film just got cooked by the hot summer heat...

On those days, Monsaraz still had some real life. The times of the "Open Museum" were still to come. The population, even though old, was still alive.

If this topic should deserve your attention, please just click on the tag bellow, I shouldn't repeat myself.

Thanks for watching! I am glad to share!

Technical data:
Cameras - Hasselblad 500 EL/M (square images) + Sinar F2
Lenses - Carl Zeiss Planar-C 80mm f/2.8 + Carl Zeiss Sonnar-C 150 f/4 (for the Hassy)
Schneider Symmar-S 210 f/5.6 + Schneider Super Angulon 90mm f/8 (for the Sinar)
Film - Kodak
Developer - Kodak D-76, diluted 1+1
Location - Monsaraz, Alentejo, Portugal
Date - August 1984 for the square images.
Rectangular ones not dated, probably 1988.
Scanner - Epson Photo 4990

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Sketches of Spain - Badajoz, Extremadura (August 20, 2010)

2011-02-03T19:37:00.023Z

All photographs made with Rolleiflex SL35
Distagon HFT 35mm f/2.8
Carl Zeiss Sonnar 85mm f/2.8

Technical Data:
Camera - Rolleiflex SL35
Lenses - Distagon HFT 35mm f/2.8 + Carl Zeiss Sonnar 85mm f/2.8
Filme - Agfa APX 100
Developer - Rodinal, diluted 1+50
Location - Badajoz, Spain
Date - August 20, 2010
Scanner - Epson Photo 4990

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