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]]> http://www.kataan.org/2008/testing-new-all-in-one-widget/feed/ http://www.kataan.org/2008/testing-new-all-in-one-widget/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/kataan-dot-org/~3/450126261/ http://www.kataan.org/2008/switchproxy-update/#comments Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:35:49 +0000 kweiske http://www.kataan.org/?p=1808 I swear by SwitchProxy for Firefox. I use proxies to test our work environment and route web traffic through a SSH tunnel when I’m on an untrusted wireless network. Unfortunately, SwitchProxy hasn’t been updated for some time - it doesn’t work on newer versions of Firefox.

I read this post which talked about tweaking .xpi files - the files mozilla uses for add-ons. Changing the extension from .xpi to .zip results in a file you can open with Windows Explorer. Open it up and look at the install.rdf file. There’s a line in the file that reads:

<em:id>{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}</em:id>
                <em:minVersion>0.8</em:minVersion>
                <em:maxVersion>2.0</em:maxVersion>

Change the lines to reflect your current version, update the file, change the name back to .xpi and you’re good to go.

This won’t work with all add-ons, as some of them require specific versions. SwitchProxy seems to work just fine, however.

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More doors, San Miguel De Allende

A little blown out, but I like the effect. Canon FTb, 50/1.8 lens. Most likely shooting with Kodak UC 400 at midday, hence the blow out.

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I got my first rolls back from San Miguel a week ago, and was waiting on two other rolls. One roll showed up online yesterday, and when I got home, found this in my mailbox:

There was a note from York saying that they received the roll in this condition, damaged beyond repair. I used to send film without film canisters to save space, but I think I’ll send them in film canisters from now on.

Nothing York could have done about it, USPS strikes again.

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Hi! Your pals at Photojojo (that’s us) are planning a series of really fun photo events in San Francisco and you’re invited!We call ‘em Photo Safaris. The first one is this Saturday. We’ll be exploring some of the beautiful street art in the Mission then heading to a local bar, checking out everyone’s photos, and giving out some great prizes.

Hope you can make it! Feel free to bring some pals, and be sure to sign up for updates on future events.

Details
Mission Murals Safari
- Saturday 11/8 @ 3:30pm
- Meet @ Market St & Brady St
- Host: Heather Champ
- RSVP

Love,
Photojojo

p.s. Help us spread the word about this weekend’s safari by twittering it or RSVPing on Facebook.

p.p.s. Here’s a video from our last event in NYC. Get excited!!

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Untweaked, fresh out of my Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim.

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San Miguel De Allende, MX

Lots more photos to come, these were the first batch from my digital camera.

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]]> http://www.kataan.org/2008/im-back/feed/ http://www.kataan.org/2008/im-back/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/kataan-dot-org/~3/425102419/ http://www.kataan.org/2008/more-blue/#comments Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:43:46 +0000 kweiske http://www.kataan.org/?p=1780 I tried this tutorial for deepening blue sky tones in Photoshop. Here’s my first attempt. It’s a little unreal looking, but it’s a definite improvement over the blown-out white sky in the original. The pixellated look is from a bad York Photo scan. I’ll see if I can dig up the print and scan it myself.

LOMA Lodge: San Diego, California. Lomo LC-A, Lucky 100 film

Before...

I miss this one artsy-gothy looking woman who worked at my local one-hour photo shop back in 2001, when I got hooked on LOMO. She took a lot of pride in her work - she’d watch the machine, tweak it, and bring out these wonderful deep blue skies. Some of the prints I got back from her took my breath away. The other guy fell asleep on the switch and consistently produced bland photos. I started waiting until she worked to develop my prints, so I ended up walking around with a ziploc bag full of exposed rolls in my messenger bag.

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Test with my new Olympus Stylus Epic.

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]]> http://www.kataan.org/2008/cover/feed/ http://www.kataan.org/2008/cover/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/kataan-dot-org/~3/421222568/ http://www.kataan.org/2008/world-toy-camera-day-october-18th/#comments Wed, 15 Oct 2008 05:04:52 +0000 kweiske http://www.kataan.org/?p=1766

A World Toy Camera Day community affair with like minded toy camera photographers from all over the globe who take part on this day in the month of October. A day where we wake up in the wee hours of the morning and load all of our favorite plastic cameras like the Holga, Diana, Brownies and the like and end the day with our Low-fi, Low-brow, blurry and ridiculously out of focus snap shots. A day also invented by Becky Ramotowski who took the idea from World Pinhole Photography Day. Her idea spawned a world wide annual event using toy cameras and shooting endless rolls of 120 and Polaroid film…oh and even some crappy 35mm too…and has been in circulation for six years now. See you all there.

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Pole, somewhere in SOMA

Alley, somewhere in SOMA

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]]> http://www.kataan.org/2008/city-scenes/feed/ http://www.kataan.org/2008/city-scenes/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/kataan-dot-org/~3/417330409/ http://www.kataan.org/2008/union-cemeter/#comments Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:13:56 +0000 kweiske http://www.kataan.org/?p=1754

Union Cemetery. Lensbaby, Canon EOS 40D

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Meikai EL 35mm toy camera

This is a Meikai EL, circa 1963. Bought on eBay, I was the only bidder!

As toy cameras go, this one feels pretty solid. The body is metal and plastic and the leatherette makes it feel like a “real” camera. The film advance is smooth, and there’s an indicator to let you know when the film is properly advanced. The lens looks like it’s made of glass. The door latch is solid.

The fake light meter surrounding the viewfinder give it away as a toy camera, and the fixed focus, fixed shutter speed lens adds to the toy camera gestalt.

The camera has 3 aperture settings - f/8, f/11 and f/16. If you’re not sure which direction stopping down is, the BRIGHT and DULL labels should help to match the weather conditions to the aperture settings. There’s an Instant and Bulb shutter setting next to the aperture setting.

The Meikai EL has an accessory shoe and a PC socket for flash. The instructions recommend using the Bulb setting for flash shooting - flash bulbs need a a slower sync speed, like 1/15th sec or so.

The pictures I’ve seen on the net have the simple lens elements, soft focus, toy camera look. I’ve shot a roll of 5-year-old Jessops 200 speed film on my lunch hour and should get it back from York Photo in a week.

Somewhere in my garage I have an old Vivitar 16M flash with a PC cord, I’ll have to dig it up tonight.

Meikai Links:

http://westfordcomp.com/classics/meikai/index.html
http://www.merrillphoto.com/MeikaiEL.htm

I’ve scanned the manual and put it here: http://www.kataan.org/public/meikai_el.pdf

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Left Lane, Canon EOS 40D/lensbaby

I’m still not sold on the Lensbaby - I like it, but I can get the same effect out of a Jazz Jelly camera or any other plastic camera. Or, I could shoot with a digital Stylecam Blink and not have to scan!

I can shoot 10 megapixel raw images with my DSLR, though.

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Technorati Tags: lensbaby, SOMA

Then, I won an auction for 12 rolls of Fuji Superia 400, my favorite non-LOMO film. Skintones are a little harsh, but colors are vivid otherwise. Time to make room in my freezer!

I went thrifting this weekend and found a $2.00 camera for $2.00 and an $80.00 camera for $2.00:

Mikona MV-828 and Olympus Stylus Epic

The Olympus Stylus Epic (Aka Mju-Mju II in some countries) was one of my favorite cameras during my film phase in 2000-2004 - I had the champagne edition. A fast, sharp 35mm f/2.8 lens, great fill flash, and color correction indoors with flash made this camera a replacement for an SLR wide angle lens. And, if it was good enough for Helmut Newton, who am I to complain?

I bought 2 CR123 batteries (they’ve gone up in price since shooting film - $14.99 for 2!) and some Kodak Hi Definition 400 ($7.99/3 rolls) film and will go shoot with it this afternoon.

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Chairs, SOMA SF

I received my Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim in the mail the same day I took my Lensbaby out for a spin at lunch. The irony of paying for a lens to put on a digital camera to mimic a $5 plastic film camera is not lost on me.

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Light leaks around the film sprockets, loose film

My desk, scratches courtesy of York Photo

Chromatic aberrations abound!

I think my batch of 2005 Lucky film is starting to turn...

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I will definitely buy a soma fm t-shirt now.

(update: I’m switching back and forth between gray and white…)

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