I Lied

I just can't help myself.
No really.
I can't.
More on this later.
So I got the go ahead for the bicycle club thing.
Now what?
I mean do we just ride around and look pretty?
Image is everything.
Don't you know.
Then again since we're all official and all that it seems we got some responsibilities like community service and all that.
More on that later too.
Seems I'm not exactly a good role model.
For now I'm just concentrating on exactly what we can do to make this club thing viable.
As I mentioned before, safety is first as we cannot exactly be role models unless we ride safe.
So this week I'm gonna see about getting some helmets and hopefully some parts like brakes and reflectors.
This, coming from a dude who took all the reflectors off his bicycle.
As if the kids didn't notice.
Hey Mr. Flat! How come your bicycle don't have no reflectos?
Well you see sonny, it has to do with aerodynamics and going faster than the speed of sound...
That worked for about a minute, that is until I realized this was not a case of do as I say and not as I do.
Did I mention that I wasn't a very good role model?
Actually for the most part I ride on the safe side, but now I really gotta ride on the safe side.
Can I do it?
Not sure.
Okay, I gotta force myself to do the right thing.
Which reminds me, I gotta send in this application to USA Cycling to see if we can get some club status and some insurance coverage.
Reading up on the USA Cycling web site has given me some ideas of what the club can do, that is if they want to go in that direction.
I'm also going to contact the local bicycling league to see if they got anything for us.
On the other hand I need to see if we got anything for them.
Like in volunteer work or stuff like that.
Now I know what you, the reader, is thinking.
All that sounds really boring and regimented probably not what you had in mind when the words bicycle club were mentioned.
That's the hard part: keeping it fun.
I mean the act of riding a bicycle is pretty fun by itself but when you start adding all kinds of other stuff maybe it's not so fun after all.
Something for me to remember.
If you know what I mean.
Actually there's a lot of stuff for me to remember cause when I got into this I didn't really think it all the way through.
More on this later too.
What?
What lie?
Oh! the lie!
Yes, I'm a big fat liar.
Sorry to admit.
Yesterday, this came in the mail:

I am a certified liar liar pants on fire!
I swear I need some adult supervision.
Some kind of blocker on my keyboard.
Or something.
Maybe some kind of support group.
Therapy.
Or maybe I should just give up and go with the flow.
Sounds like some good words of advice when it comes to that bicycle club thing.
Just go with the flow.
Maybe.

Sunday Early Edition

Whoa!
I was so busy perfecting my laziness drills I almost forgot about the Early Edition!
I have to admit I had a bit of a scare this morning as I almost broke a sweat helping someone move a piece of furniture up the stairs.
My conditioning came in handy though as I immediately went back to doing nothing.
Practice makes perfect.
Don't you know.
Anyways, yesterday I had a sort of meeting with the bicycle kids:

Thankfully most of them at least have drop bars and are clipped in or have cages.
I just wanted to see what they are riding and let them know what they need if they want to ride as a group.
Safety first I told them and as you can see, first order of business is for them to all get helmets.
Then they gotta have at least one brake and some reflectors.
Again as you can see, we are not riding in a group as they got none of the above.
They will be working on compliance though, so I'm told.
Next order of business yesterday was a photo swap meet:

I had to remind myself that I have quit purchasing cameras but it didn't work.
I'd show you but it's basically a paper weight and I'm too lazy to take a picture of it.
See!
All those drills are paying off!
There was some interesting stuff there:

I'd kinda like to get me one of them folding cameras, but I quit buying cameras and I don't know enough about them to make any kind of informed choice.
Besides I can't imagine me lugging one of them around at night along with a tripod.
Then again, maybe I could.
Imagine it I mean.
Since I was right across the street from the beach I headed on over to take a look.
Natural bicycle stand:

I was tempted to try it with the Flat Tire Earth vehicle but it was loaded down with not one, not two, but with three cameras!
It's getting to be a habit.
All them cameras I mean.
Well it was getting a little long in the afternoon so I headed on home to take my inevitable nap and I cut through school where there was a volleyball game going on.
Not us, but the some final championship match but our snack bar was open so I had well, a snack:

That was a cheeseburger and the invigorating blue elixir.
They got the red version too.
Of the elixir I mean.
Anyways, that was pretty much my day as my nap turned into a sleep and I never made it out again to where I wanted to go.
So I'll try this afternoon.
That means I better take a nap now.
If you know what I mean.

I Quit!

No really!
I quit!
This is it!
The last time!
Maybe.
Lemme make this fast cause it's like freakin late and I feel like I walked about ten miles because maybe I did.
Okay, not really.
More like five miles.
Maybe.
Out to the outskirts of Waikiki and the Ala Wai canal:

Okay, that's not the canal, that's the bridge over it that goes into Waikiki.
Actually not a bad shot considering it's hand held.
I walked all over the creation tonight lugging around not one, not two, but three! cameras!
More on this later.
Here are the shots:

Now that I'm looking at them, I should have tried a couple of different angles but I was sort of in a hurry to get home.
I also hit up the promenade again:

Rushing again.
This time I ran the image through the high dynamic range software:

Interesting.
I haven't had time to do any post processing cause did I mention it's like really late and I walked like twenty miles tonight lugging around not one, not two, but three! cameras! and a tripod?
Huh?
Why three cameras?
Well I got the film camera, the digital camera, and tonight I walked two miles to pick this up:

I'm done!
Stick a fork in me!
No more cameras!
For now.
It was a good deal and I couldn't pass it up.
Why oh why did I ever start this stupid hobby?
Oh wait.
It's my job.
I still gotta develop two rolls of film and scan it cause I want to see if there's any difference in tonights pics and the ones I took on Tuesday.
Okay, bed time.

Now I'm Serious

No really.
Before I was kinda sorta serious, but now I'm really serious!
In a serious kind of way.
See the other I went to go get some film, for taking pictures I mean, so I open the vault and what do I see?

Hmmmm...
Getting low on supplies.
Can never have enough film.
If you know what I mean.
I mean there's only like three hundred or so frames there.
Wait!
Lemme check the ole emergency vault:

Okay, I feel a little better.
Not much better though as for film, once it's gone, it's gone.
So I had to go and get me a bulk film loader and some refillable cassettes:

Now I can load my own!
Roll my own too!
Now all I gotta do is grow my own!
Wait.
Different addiction different life.
Don't you know.
So anyways, this addicting film stuff comes in like bulk 100 foot rolls so you get a loader and some empty cassettes and make your own for only pennies on the dollar!
Okay, not really.
It does come out cheaper though, especially if you get cheapo film.
I would show it to you, the reader, but then I'd ruin the whole thing and I'd have to get me another roll.
Trust me, there's film in there.
That film only cost like forty bucks and you can get like 20 or so rolls of 36 exposures so it comes out to like 2 bucks a roll.
Like I said, cheapo film.
With somewhat cheapo results:

I think it's safe to say that this film is on the grainy side, but then again I still don't quite know what I'm doing in the processing part.
It's cheap, it makes images.
What can I say?
As a matter of fact I'm sort of going even more retro cause I'm really liking the uneven results.
If I want to scrutinize, I can always go back and shoot digital:

Which is what did last night.
Shoot both I mean.
Digital and analog.
I guess that means I'm serious now, serious enough to be lugging two cameras around while I hike around greater Honolulu.
No wait.
Serious means I'll be lugging around two cameras and a tripod.
While I'm hiking around greater Honolulu.
Which I'll be doing tomorrow night.
Maybe.
That is if our newly official bicycle club meeting goes okay.
More on that later.
Which reminds me, I need to shoot off an email to USA Cycling.
More on that later too.
Which reminds me, I gotta pump up the tires on my bicycle.
The carbon bicycle.
Image you know, is everything.

Sunday Final

Well.
Cloud watching was I.
All day:

Nothing happened.
Sky wise that is.
This morning I was up at the crack of dawn so I went over to work, see above, and got to well, work scanning my negatives.
The Epson flatbed scanner we have is nice, it has a thingy you load up the negatives in so you can scan 12 frames at a time:

Load it up and then you wait:

Actually it takes about 2 minutes per frame at the resolution I'm scanning at.
Which is probably more than I need.
The dots per inch I mean.
So anyways, while I was waiting I decided to take some pictures of my bicycle.
We have lights all set up cause the project the kids are working on is portraits:

The folding back drop thingy was too small, but I was too lazy to open up the large grey back drop behind it.
I really needed a third light, which we have, but yes, I was too lazy to set it up:

That shadow is not from the down tube, but from the handle bar drops.
I would've actually pumped up the tires and gone for a ride if not for the menacing looking clouds (see above).
Besides I had to go home and do the laundry.
Then I ate lunch.
Then I fell asleep.
Typical day.
Anyways, here are some of the scans:

I'm undecided about working the scans in post processing so those there are nekkid.
I sort of feel like I shouldn't although you can so some of the same things in the darkroom when you print.
The fact is I don't feel quite right scanning the negatives; sort of like photographic blasphemy.
You know, digital and analog just don't mix.
Like water and vinegar.
Or something.
Anyways, I'm sort of starting to see the difference betweens films, this stuff is really grainy and you have choose when you want a really grainy composition.
I got some different film coming in, but I think I need to try to shoot some Tri-X again and develop it side by side so I can compare.
If by the way, you, the reader, are interested in seeing more of my uh, stuff, don't forget to check out my 500px page and The Flat Tire is also on Flickr.
Okay, I gotta go and make sure I got something to teach tomorrow lest the kids get all bored.
I suppose I could make them like pump up the tires on my bicycle.
They are kinda like serfs don't you know.
Okay, I didn't really say that.

Sunday Early Edition

Like the really really Early Edition.
It's early cause I just got back a bit ago from walking around taking pictures out there where it's really happening.
You know, the streets.
I was going to say that the streets at night have a different vibe, a different feel but not really.
It's just darker.
Anyways here are some shots:

I went out walking tonight for today I had a buffet brunch and I came home and fell asleep so I really really needed to walk some of that brunch goodness off.
I think I'm getting better at shooting at night, I still do some post processing but not as much as before.
Shooting film helps you to create in the camera, not so much on the computer.
Walking around really allows me to see things, things I might just pass by on the bicycle.
On the other hand I sort of miss riding around at night too.
I started taking pictures of folks on bicycles at night and I get a bit jealous.
If you know what I mean.
Anyways, I got two rolls of negatives drying in the bath uh, darkroom and I can't wait to see how they came out.
I'll try to scan them in the morning and try to get in a ride tomorrow.
Gotta get in shape in case the bicycle club gets approved.
Can't let them fixie kids show me up and drop me.
That would be embarrassing to no end!
Then again, I probably take better pictures than they do.
Maybe.

Double X

XX.
Two in row.
Or something.
Which is what I didn't get.
Something I mean.
More on the double x later.
Anyways, here are the scans from last night.
Not all of them, just some of them:

I still need to practice as most of my shots were worthless.
Shooting at night is a bit difficult for me as sometimes I'm shooting with a slow shutter and everything is all like blurry.
Yeah I know.
Tripod.
The other thing I wanted to test out was double exposures:

Again, I need to practice.
I need to pay attention to the left and right and top and bottom and try to match each exposure a little better.
Jane says try again tomorrow.
I need more film.
If you know what I mean.

Sunday Final

What happened to the Early Edition?
Huh?
The Early Edition! the Early Edition!
I must have missed it.
Sleeping don't you know.
When I did wake up, I packed up the cameras and went for a walk.
A walk longer than I planned but I had to make up for lost (asleep) time.
Besides I felt guilty for doing nothing all day.
So off I went!
Down the street:

Wait.
That's the wrong way.
That's me coming back.

Here I am in the going direction.
That's the road into Waikiki and lemme tell I was tempted to go all the way into the concrete jungle.
Except I didn't have any extra film so I took a right and looped my way back to the Flat Tire Command Center.
Not before stopping for a cold snack:

Actually I didn't walk that far, mebbe two or three miles, and I was talking pictures all the way.
Noir et blanc don't you know.
Tonight I was shooting the good stuff, Kodak Tri-X 400 @ $4 a roll.
I wanted to see just how much better it was compared to the cheapo stuff.
I also developed in Kodak Tmax, which is a little better since it develops faster, like six minutes.
Hanging up to dry:

I'm thinking that I need to make another arrangement, but once I seal up that window I figure the bathroom is pretty much dust free.
Sort of purplish this film:

I'll scan tomorrow and compare it to the other film.
The Tri-X is supposed to have finer grain so the images should be a bit sharper.
I gotta say, I'm digging this developing thing.
Makes me feel like I got a bit more control over my images, sort of like how I had control over everything in ceramics.
I mean it's just not drop off and pick up the pictures.
Now I can use different developers and times and make subtle changes to the scans and prints.
Hopefully.
Speaking of scans, Quest for Scanner (QFS!)! is on!
Stay tuned.

Noise

I mean grain.
Grain dangnammit grain!
I love it.
No really.
The grainier the better.
More on this later.
So yesterday, I went out and shot some noir et blanc film.
You know, just to test things out.
I was gonna wait until today to put it in the tank, but I just couldn't wait!
The aftermath:

The most difficult part was getting the temperatures down.
I tried to develop at around 68 degrees and 12 minutes, but I think I over exposed as the developer heated up.
I used this other stuff to stop and fix called TF-4 which worked great.
My heart sort of skipped a beat when I took out the reel as it looked really dark, but then I remembered it was well, all reeled up.
The drying room:

Here ya go, water drops and all:

The scans:

I dunno why but I took my cheapo $35 dollar lens instead of the nice one so I was shooting at like 1/30 of a second hand held.
Some other pics from earlier:

The bottom one is upside down.
Anyways, I'm happy with the results I got and I'm all hot to do more!
I forgot about all the variables that go into developing film and I'm going to fool around a bit until I find the right film and process.
The scans are at 4800 dpi and the files are about 9-12 megabytes in size; I printed out a couple of 8x10s and they came out fine.
Huh?
The noise?
Oh! the noise!
I keep calling it noise but I like the grain.
I had sort of visualized how I wanted these things to come out and I'm pretty close.
I used some cheapo house brand film which I'm really liking cause it's well, cheap and grainy.
One can still get Kodak TMax or TriX which should be better but I'm digging that grainy crappy look.
In fact one camera is loaded up with TriX right now so I'll be able to see the difference, if any.
Okay I'm on a noir et blanc mission today!
Off I go!