1/60 sec at f/2.0, ISO 200
This is not a review. This is simply a hands-on account of the Fuji x100 based on my very limited use during the first 24 hours using this camera. I am willing to lay all the chips on the line right from the start and go ahead and say that this may be the best digital camera I have ever used. Period. I’ll tell you why after the jump, along with plenty of snaps from my first few hours using this camera. (Keep Reading…)
Well, it only took a month and a half, but finally a portion of my back archives are now online. That included quite a lot of content from a couple United States road trips (more to come eventually from last summer), as well as some photographs from my European travels from Czech Republic, France and most recently, Germany. Of course, there’s a lot more to come when (if) I ever have the time to sort through it all. After all, I realized it has been ten years now since I started traveling and taking photos (which is probably not a coincidence), so there’s literally years of work to go through… One day.
Also, I have added the possibility to buy prints directly from the archive page- This is still in testing, and I’m not sure if it will stick around as a long term solution, but for the time being I will keep it. You should see a link under each photo which will allow you to purchase prints. Print orders are fulfilled through Fotomoto, and I have ordered a couple of test prints and the quality is definitely very nice. The pricing structure is a little on the pricey side however, but if you ACT NOW you can get 25% off. How’s that for a sales pitch? Seriously, use coupon code 64AA04 at checkout. Limited time offer, and all that, so get it while it’s hot. Or something.
Going forward, I still have a bit of work to do getting the rest of the Peru work finished! I should be able to finish that all up in the next few weeks, and then it’s on to the next big thing…
Our visit to Arequipa was dominated by the lovely and wonderfully photogenic Monasterio Santa Catalina (Wiki). We had arrived there late in the day so that we could catch the afternoon light and explore during the one evening per week that the monastery is open at night. Unfortunately, just as we arrived we had to sit through an afternoon rainstorm that left the sky grey and cloudy, and then found out that there was a special even that night, and we were getting kicked out early- After we had paid the thirty Soles entrance. So we were a little more rushed than I would have like to be, but it was still a lovely place to spend the afternoon exploring the tiny, pastel painted alleyways of the mostly complex and I was lucky enough to sneak a few extra minutes after the lights came on to catch some almost night shots.
Claustro Mayor, or Main Cloister at Santa Catalina Monastery
Blue Wall and Flowers, Santa Catalina Monastery
Back out on the streets I was still itching to get my night photo fix, so I headed to the Plaza de Armas to set up my tripod there… I was only able to get one single exposure before they turned the lights out on the whole square, leaving the cathedral which was beautifully lit just minutes before dark in front of my lens! It was a slightly frustrating evening to say the least, but I was still able to collect a few shots which I am happy with. Plus, I was able to appease myself with loads of salty Chifa and a carafe of deliciously sweet corn Chica de Maize Morado to ease the defeat.
Plaza de Armas at night, Arequipa, Peru
I’ve had a little trouble with keeping up with updates lately- Had some rather unfortunate ‘business affairs’ to take care of over the past two weeks which, unfortunately, have kept me from what I really should be doing- Making new photos! Web galleries for Bolivia are now online, including Copacabana and Isla del Sol. Sitting here now Germany- It’s raining outside and about 15º outside- Leaves me wanting some of that beautiful Bolivian sunshine…
View of Copacabana and Lake Titicaca from Cerro Calvario, Copacabana, La Paz Department, Bolivia
Panorama of Isla del Sol and Lake Titicaca. Near Comunidad Yumani, Isla del Sol, La Paz Department, Bolivia
Some of the most rewarding cultural interactions from Peru happened in the area around Lake Titicaca. This area is home to a wide variety of cultural and indigenous groups, each with very distinct culture and traditions. The experience that continues to stick out in my mind (among others) came on Christmas Eve, when we visited the Uros Floating Islands. I happened to bring along my old Polaroid SX-70 instant camera, and one of the woman asked me what it was. When I explained that it took “instant” photos, she begged me to take a portrait of her. Once the other women saw her photo, I was immediately surrounded and quickly blew through the ten-exposure pack. It was really priceless, and it was a great feeling that for that moment I wasn’t just another Gringo tourist ‘taking’ photos, but that I was able to give something (small) back as well.
Uros women recognizing themselves in their Polaroids.
A young Uros woman holding a Polaroid photo of herself.
Felix Turpo Coila and his wife
Three children sitting on the stone archway on the top of Taquile Island.
New gallery online with images from Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Incas and other Inca ruins near to Cusco. The area around the Urubamba Valley is home to many well-preserved ancient Inca sites, we well as the fascinating Salt Flats at Salinas, where salt has been harvested continually (in much the same fashion) since the Incas.
Agricultural terraces at Tipon ruins. Comunidad de Choquepeda, 27km southeast of Cusco, Peru.
Workers in the salt flats at Salinas, in the village of Maras, near Ollantaytambo, Peru.
Continuing with the Peru photos, galleries for Salkantay and Machu Picchu are both online.
Back in November, Lena and I walked the Salkantay Trek from Mollepata to Machu Picchu- The combination of these two experiences for me were definitely highlights of the entire Peru trip. Salkantay brought us far off the beaten tourist track into pristine Peruvian Andean highland terrain, far from even the smallest villages. Upon arriving at the pass, I was disappointed to find that the clouds had all but covered the mountains, but I was able to catch a beautiful moment with a lone hiker standing there, dwarfed by the mountain, just as the clouds opened for a few moments… A few minutes later, the clouds has closed in again and we heard the long rolling of an avalanche from somewhere up in the peaks.
Lone Hiker and Salkantay
Of course the long pilgrimage to Machu Picchu was something I had looked forward to since I was quite young- It was in my mind some kind of a mythical place from my child’s memory that I had waited so long to see for myself, that I was almost sure I would find myself disappointed. Still, arriving before dawn on a foggy morning high in the lush Cordillera Vilcabamba to find the ruins revealed before you is something that even a childhood memory can not match. There really was a bit of a magical feeling standing there hidden in the fog, watching the distant terraces being revealed over and over again.
Machu Picchu, Early Morning
Finally getting some of the images from Peru online… I’ve gotten most of the kinks worked out of the archives now and they seem to be functioning as desired so far. So, to test it out I have uploaded the first few batches of images from the Peru trip: Lima and also Cusco. More to come soon.
St. Francis Monastery, Lima
Calle Atocsaycuchi, Cusco
As you can see, I spent some time at out at night is these cities and am really pleased with how some of those shots turned out. I think it’s really nice to see these locations in a little different light than most tourists’ photos tend to capture. There’s something really pleasing to me with the combination of the lights, colors, run down buildings, and most of all- the emptiness of what would at most times of the day be very crowded places.
Lima Street Scene
Most of the portfolio content is now online, and I am pretty pleased with the result so far. I will be adding new work there from time to time, but for now I will begin to focus on uploading my archives. I hope that in the future I will have most of the archives available for viewing as well as adding the possibility for directly purchasing prints and configuring licensing options on the website. That will be a longer-term project though, since I’ve now spent now over a week getting the website up and running, getting the portfolio galleries online, and working out all the coding problems. Now, I have to get back to working on some other things for the moment and will have to let things here rest as they are for now- Hopefully not for too long though, since the new system will allow me for much easier updating and workflow once it’s all smoothed out.
From the Series "Fractured Memories"
One of things that was very interesting about the process of putting the galleries together was that it forced me a bit into thinking about which images really belonged together, which images belonged on the website at all, and most of all- why? I don’t always have a specific reason for taking the photos that I do; often it’s just a feeling that I get standing in front of a subject, or a fleeting moment that I am trying to capture. Sometimes, there are some vague grander motives, but overall I think a large strength in my photography is subtlety. I do hope that the photos speak for themselves, but I don’t want it to be too easy to figure out exactly what they are saying. If however, just one of the images causes the viewer to pause and consider for themselves what does this mean, then I feel like I have been successful.
It was a long time coming, and quite a big undertaking, but Reciprocity Images finally has a fresh coat of paint to catch it up to the 21st century. After a few sleepless nights tweaking the code and setting up the new galleries, the site is now live- If you come along anything out of place or something that doesn’t work quite right, please let me know so I can look into it. I’ll be slowly adding to the galleries and fixing a few small bugs that are still running loose over the next few weeks, but perhaps from now on the site will be kept better updated in the future- That means no more looking at the same photos from five years ago! So, be sure to subscribe via RSS, or sign up for email updates to stay in touch and be notified whenever there’s new content.
Along with the new redesign, I will also implement the possibility to purchase prints and license images directly from the website as well as view a larger number of images in the archives. It’s something I have been considering for a long time now, so I hope that the effort and costs will be worth it in the end. So if you happen to have a blank space on your wall, or are looking for something for your next design project, check the galleries and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any specific needs.
tel. +33 (0)6 48 92 90 12
email. jason@reciprocityimages.com
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