monsoonphoto.net

Don't forget there are plenty of photos to grab in Yangon too -- just got back from there. It's

the rainy season. Photos in my website.

<P>

<a href="http://monsoonphoto.net">http://monsoonphoto.net</a>

Thanks everyone for your comments. I really appreciate them. Apologies for not

responding sooner.

<P>

J Sevigny: You're absolutely right about the intro. I've been wondering myself if it reflects

the photos -- I guess it doesn't fully. The fact is, despite what we hear about Myanmar in

the news, many of us have little or no opinion of what daily life is like. I wanted to find a

way to capture that. If anything, the photos demonstrate how disparate the people are

from the "evil" government. That is worth taking into account in any measured discussion

about sanctions. I will see if I can tweak the intro better.

<P>

RJ: Thanks for writing. 80 photos is way too many. I need to really slice it down. I really let

myself go on this one. Will attempt on my next rainy afternoon. I haven't used a 90mm

lens in years. It's too "rigid" for my taste and I feel it doesn't capture the surroundings as

well as a 21. Almost claustrophobic. I'd like to see how you use it. Any photos online?

Hi Ron, two important functions in Photoshop: Levels and Dodge/Burn. It's hard to explain it;

Levels basically sets the maximum white and maximum black -- two important areas from

the Zone System as perfected by Ansel Adams. Dodge/Burn are traditional darkroom

techniques that darken or lighten certain areas in a photo.

Thanks everyone for your comments. Yes, I have to agree -- as some of you have pointed

out, 80 is too many! I've got to keep editing this down. Creating individual sets could help. A

worthy project for one of my weekends! I really appreciate the comments.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

<P>

Glenn Mabbutt: I shot these on Tri-X, rated at ISO 250. Processed in HC110 dilution B, 5

minutes at 18 degrees celsius.

<P>

John Wilson: I scanned the negs straight on Nikon Coolscan IV. I adjusted the levels and

burned/dodged in Photoshop.

<P>

J Anon: I'm sorry that you have a problem with cross-posting. But thanks for "wasting

bandwidth" with your comments. If you don't like the posting, feel free to ignore it. Or if

you're a moderator, then it's your right to remove it. Otherwise, learn to live with what is

the Internet.

I've recently took the Minolta Hi-Matic 7s to a trip to Myanmar. Fabulous lens. What lovely glow. If you're

interested in the camera, please take a look at my website and let me know what you think.<br />

<br />

<a href="http://monsoonphoto.net" target="_blank">http://monsoonphoto.net</a><br />

<br />

Tools used: Minolta Hi-Matic 7s, Konica Hexar RF + Voigtlander 21/4.0, Kodak 400TX + HC110. <br />

<br />

<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1314/796555053_08c18a068f_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

I'm happy to finally put this online -- a recent trip to Myanmar. Please take a look at my website and let

me know what you think.<br />

<br />

<a href="http://monsoonphoto.net" target="_blank">http://monsoonphoto.net</a><br />

<br />

Tools used: Minolta Hi-Matic 7s, Konica Hexar RF + Voigtlander 21/4.0, Kodak 400TX + HC110. <br />

<br />

<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1314/796555053_08c18a068f_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

I'm happy to finally put this online -- a recent trip to Myanmar. Please take a look at my website and let

me know what you think.<br />

<br />

<a href="http://monsoonphoto.net" target="_blank">http://monsoonphoto.net</a><br />

<br />

Tools used: Minolta Hi-Matic 7s, Konica Hexar RF + Voigtlander 21/4.0, Kodak 400TX + HC110. <br />

<br />

<img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1314/796555053_08c18a068f_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" />

A perfectly great camera -- but I got rid of mine because I could never tell for sure what it

was focused on through the squinty viewfinder.

Thanks guys.

<P>

Hugh: Yes, these were scanned directly from the negatives on a Nikon Coolscan IV.

<P>

Toke: Hello my old friend! How are you?

Sure! Kodak 400TX (Tri-X), shot at ISO 250. Souped in HC-110 Dilution B at 18 degrees

celsius for 4:30.

Vagatar or something to that effect. Wasn't the most exciting place for me. Mumbai was way

cooler. A photo at every turn.

These were shot in a trip to India in February this year -- but as some of you know, we all tend to leave

our rolls sitting in the drawer waiting for that evening when there's finally some wine and mood to process

them.

<P>

Well, I've finally finished processing all 15 rolls shot on that trip. And they're now on my site. Have a look,

and let me know what you think.

<P>

<a

href="http://monsoon.smugmug.com/gallery/2697931">http://monsoon.smugmug.com/gallery/26979

31</a>

<P>

Tools used: Leica M3, Leica M6 TTL, Voigtlander 40/1.4, Voigtlander 21/4.0, Olympus XA, 400TX, HC-

110.

<P>

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img

src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/alansoon/143144207-L.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo

Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

I just got myself a beautiful 7s through that big auction site. The shutter triggers fine -- but the iris

doesn't open up, even in manual mode.

<p>

My question is: Do I need a battery to work the camera's shutter in manual mode?

<p>

I don't have a battery around to test it myself (and it's getting harder to find one!).

Thanks everyone.

<P>

The contrast was achieved by simply adjusting the levels on the image. I've also burned in the

bottom.

<P>

Trev: It's the single coated version. Has quite a bit of personality to it. It brings up the 50mm

lines. The framing doesn't really bother me. I figure it's just slightly outside the 50mm line.

<P>

Incidentally, all images are full-framed -- no cropping.

Friends,

<P>

It's been a while since posted my last gallery. I finally got some shooting done last month

on a trip to Hoi An in Vietnam. You'll find the gallery here:

<P>

<a href="http://monsoonphoto.net">http://monsoonphoto.net/</a>

<P>

Your critiques, comments and questions are welcomed.

<P>

And since this is a photography forum, here are some technical notes: Photos were made

on a Leica M3 and an M2 with two lenses: CV 40/1.4 and CV21/4.0. Film used was Kodak

400TX, souped in HC-100.

<P>

Thanks for looking.

<P>

<img src="http://monsoon.smugmug.com/photos/65543360-M.jpg">

Take an early morning ride on the Star Ferry. Catch the sunrise and her shadows. And then

go wander around Lamma Island. There's a small community of fishermen there.

Absolutely right, Bruno. I think people in more developed cities are just more concerned

about privacy and can't be bothered to find the time to be photographed. I find it really

difficult to shoot in such places.

Thomas: The trip changed my perceptions of Timor's recent history and where I think it's

headed (not that I'm an authority on this). Some people I met feel that things were much

better under the Indonesians who put in place infrastructure (and ripped it all out when

they left), compared with the Portuguese, who after over 400 years of colonization, left the

country unable to stand on its own feet.

<P>

Some feel that while Indonesian rule was brutal on the political side of things, it was

largely accomodating. The fact that over 90% of Timorese are still Catholics testify to that

point.

<P>

Moving forward, there's some anger toward the truth and reconcilation commission, where

those responsible for the 1999 carnage are given amnesty in exchange for a "truthful"

account of events. The Church in particular, believes that full justice is needed to move

forward. Others however feel that Timor can't survive without economic ties to Indonesia.

As it is, almost all basic products come from Indonesia: water, cooking oil, produce. Timor

would be crippled if it were closed from the Indonesian market.

<P>

Anyway, I'll cut this one short and try to bring this back to photography instead. These

forum postings can get incredibly political. ;-)

<P>

The Timorese are a great people. They have some of the most incredible smiles I've seen

with such great warmth. Walk around with a camera and people will invite you to take their

photo, and then some.