iPolaroid

One of the always cited weaknesses of the iPhone is the camera. 2MP, no zoom, etc. But I love mine, because I think it is the closest thing to a Polaroid instant camera.

If you are anything more than joking about taking pictures, you have a camera that is not a cell phone. However, when I'm not carrying my camera, and I want to take a snapshot, the camera on my phone works in a pinch. (Except for the lack of macro focus. I like taking pictures of tiny things.)

The best part about it, in my opinion, is the color. It seems they've upped the reds and blues a bit, which is probably best for the inside shots most people would take with a phone. One of my favorite things about a Polaroid camera is the reds and blues. They come out so bright and luminous. There were these shots, of course lost to time now, of some friends of mine on a bright summer day in a field during college. In real life the colors were amplified and extended by a... shall we say, not exactly a photo-chemical process... but also the Polaroids came out amazing. The trees, the blue Iowa skies, the flushed young faces smiling, dilating eyes hiding expanding consciousnesses....

But anyway, the iPhone captures a sort of saturated color with its regular settings that is as close to the Polaroid's color magic as anything I've seen. I haven't tried printing any shots from the iPhone... but that would introduce a whole different set of variables anyway.

When I was out for a walk yesterday, I caught an amazing Oregon sunset, shining up over the hills and reflecting off the recently past clouds. Many flowering trees are blooming now, and the color in the city was pretty amazing. No camera with me, but I had my phone.

Check it out!
(Click for big!)

I find the camera works best if I frame it sort of like a Polaroid as well. Close target for the focus, plus a nice background. Polaroids are great for portraits, after all. Landscapes and macro (unless you're Ansel Adams), forget it.



With those weird new condo-thingies in the back, it kind of looks Dr. Seuss-ish.



From Mt. Tabor. Downtown PDX. The stream of lights in the center is Hawthorne. Buildings on the hill are OHSU.



One of the reservoirs at Mt Tabor. The blues are a little too saturated (the sun had set a little too much by this point), but look at the range of reds. From the reflection, to the clear sky, to the clouds, to the street light.



Blurry 'cause the wind is blowin'.

Mighty Metamorphis Power Ranger

I feel bad about that last post, so instead of reading it, check out Oliveslav's hilarious pictorial narration about this modern ire, entitled, The Assignment.


I found it funny on numerous levels, but I won't spoil it with commentary. That's for my next post.

Greece

In one of those strange occurrences that hurl humans back and forth across the globe, I woke up one morning to find myself in Greece. It is a wonderful place. Mountains coming out of the sea, feta cheese, and lots of history. I took a lot of pictures, here are some of the best. I made them smallish so the site wouldn't take a long time to load (though it probably will anyway), but should be able to click on them to get a bigger view.

I'll insert my witty comments in between, to maybe give you some context. Here they are, in no particular order.

This is Nafplio (corrected spelling, thanks kiki and Betabug!). It was the original capital of Greece, and is now a quiet little town with many forts and dogs.



I think the trees in Greece are beautiful. Such greens, even though they are most conifers growing in rocky soil.


This is Santorini. You've probably seen this picture or one similar on a calendar somewhere. They sell lots of calendars on Santorini. I didn't buy one, because I took my own picture. Though now I don't know what day of the week it is.



There was much debate about what kind of tree this is. Maybe cyprus, maybe cedar? Either way, I can tell you these trees are at dusk. (Definitively, Cyprus trees).


This tree's most significant aspect is its size. It is very big.


This is the sun setting over Ia, on Santorini. The island is a volcano. The sun is the same one that you know.


This is Mycenae. Agamemnon lived there. He killed his daughter and was killed by his wife and her lover who were killed by his other daughter. All because sometimes the ancients liked to feed either other human as a joke.


This is the Omphalos; the belly-button of the world. It lives at Delphi. I wonder where the after-birth of the world is now?


This is the biggest olive grove in Greece (the trees in the bottom of the valley). I am looking at it from the modern city of Delphi. It is very pretty.


This is the temple of Poseidon, on the southern-most point of Attica. People live near there, like, just whatever, I live in Poseidonia. I, on the other hand, live near the drycleaners.


The greeks love graffitti! This graffitto loves autonomy. ("Freedom to G. Dimitrakis", an anarchist bank robber. Thanks Betabug!)


More graffitti. It's pretty impressive, though I don't really know what it is.


This is on the outside of the Monastiraki subway station.


I guess kissing on steps is pretty romantic.


For some reason this one made me think of Steve Erickson


It's a fish farm, you fishbag!


"Fjord" in Greek.


The theater of Epidauros, and my Saucony.


I really, really wanted to see a goatherd while in Greece. It's a good thing lots of roads aren't marked, otherwise we never would have gotten lost in the hills of the Peloponnese and I never would have seen these goats.


Balloons!


The theater of Dionysos in Athens. I'm imagining how nervous Sophocles must have been on the opening performance of Oedipus Rex.


When driving in Greece, you can pretty much go either way you like.


Pretty rock.


Part of the Epidauros site.


Fira, on Santorini. The island in the middle is the cone of the volcano.


Bye bye sun.


No diving.


Part of the boxing and wrestling practice space at Olympia.


The Corinth canal. Take that, isthmus!


A pretty little garden in Delphi.


The acropolis. They are rebuilding it, because I guess some of it has fallen down over the years.


The arch entering the stadium at Olympia. Can you tell I really like the blue/green filter on my camera?


The temple of Athena at Delphi. You would recognize it, but I took the picture from an "unconventional angle". Artistic!


Bell tower in Fira. Delicious sunshine.


Bridge connecting Attica and the Peloponnese. I forget the name of the town.


There are like 500 more (literally) but these are the best. I also pasted together a panorama of the Epidauros theater, that is at top. I'll leave it there for awhile.

Yamas!

Shelter from the Strom

This is kind of amusing. I stumbled across this picture of Cheney getting off of a plane in Kabul. Beautiful scene, isn't it? Look at those mountains. I wish I could go there. Maybe some day.

But did you see the name of the plane? You may have to click on the picture to get it full sized. Go ahead, try it. I'll wait here.

AHH!!! What a horrible ghost to be stuck with on a long flight! And what exactly is that supposed to mean anyway? The plane flies with a certain quality as best represented by: "The Spirit of Strom Thurmond"??? It is 100 years old, yet still is pressed into duty? The plane conducts record-setting filibusters? A C-17 will run for president under the segregationist cause? The jet has a illegitimate, "racially embarrassing" daughter? It's boyhood nickname was "Banjo"???

Anyway. I humbly submit this as further evidence that the world is a really weird place.

[photo found here]

A New Adam City

Well, its now just over a month until I leave this city for points west. I've done a lot of bitching and moaning about the parts of New York City that I don't like. But, that doesn't mean that I won't miss anything. I'm sure that there will be many more self-reflecting interludes of the next few weeks, but let's start with saying that it sure is much more pleasant to be here when the weather is nice. Like it was this weekend, when it was beautiful. Here are some pictures, just because I think they came out well, whereas most of the time I take pretty stupid pictures. Also, you always see identifiable pictures of New York City, with landmarks and such, but these are a few of the scenes that I like much better, because normally one would just walk past them without noticing how nice they can be. "Beauty in the mundane," as I like to say. To myself. When no one is around.

(click on the pictures to take advantage of my camera's many megapixels)

This is a cool building that stands out. I think its on Broadway, around 11th or so. Yup, cool building.

A drive through the park on 86th looks different if you're the one in the park.

Those are some kick-ass conduits on the back of that building. The picture came out really clear, too. What, you don't like conduits? Engineering can be art as well, not only archetecture. Jerk.

The Bronx can be quite haunting if you accidentally fell asleep on the subway and woke up at Allerton Avenue at 4am. It can also look even more haunting with Photoshop.


There will probably be more series like these, now that the weather is nice. I'm going to go to Coney Island soon, and no doubt those pictures will push our aesthetic sensibilities even closer to the sublime! Stay tuned!