New York October PhotoPlusExpo

Tonight is the premier of "The Current War" in Lincoln Center. "Maggie" and I will be attending. We have to meet up with some "handlers" because we have an appointment on a Red Carpet.

I asked Maggie do I need to get dressed up, and she said that she is dressing down. I have no idea what that means, meanwhile I'm sporting my everyday clothes: Paul Smith jeans; black Vans with red laces; a burnt orange Patagonia t-shirt; and a black leather motorcycle jacket that has Ducati embrodered on the right sleeve and chest.

I'll be toting my SL with monster 50 Lux.

Tomorrow night Maggie goes solo to some gala at the MET. One of the guests is some Nobel Prize winning chemist. No "plus-one" for this event.

I now have the M3-DS. Brian owned it for 4-5 years, and it is a bit scuffed up. Not so fresh looking anymore. Looks great with my 50 Rigid version one that has the distance scale marked in feet only.

So it is the time of the year to sign up for my 2020 health insurance. Unfortunately they are discontinuing the plan I use. In doing my research on next years offerings, it makes sense to buy the cheapest plan, and the bonus is that because this cheap plan not only has the lowest cost and high deductables, but also features a HSA (Health Spending Account).

A HSA is like an Traditional IRA, but the funds collected there have to be used for medical expenses. Unlike a FSA (Flexible Spending Account) the funds can be totally carried over. Similarly all the funds collected into the account are taxed defered and can lower your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income).

I should be able to max out my contributions and even the $1K catchup allowed for people over 55.

My hospital also contributes a non taxed portion of $650.00 for an immediate gain. Since my medical expenses are so low because I enjoy good health, if I can handle paying out of pocket for my co-pays and deductables, pretty much this HSA could function effectively as an IRA with the funds use limited to future medical expenses. Basically I could invest/gamble using index funds and ETF's.

So the bankster in me makes me want to speculate and gamble. Pretty safe bet that I have the potential to live past 100. The problem is having enough money.

I still have enough time to build a pretty HSA over the next 4 years.

Also know, "No one ever got rich by paying taxes," they say.

Cal
 
My M3-DS is from 1956 and is about two years older than me. It has a glass backplate, the odd retro slower shutter speeds like 1/100, 1/50, 1/25...

I have to say I'm 61 3/4'ers, which Pro-Mone thinks is funny, but people say 61 and a half all the time.

One of the coolest and most re-Dick-U-las features is a catch to keep the rear door seal/closed.

So today I'm finally under 150 Pounds and officially a "skinny bitch." LOL.

So the latest smut is that beginning November 1st new tariffs (25%) will be employed on German Cameras. I feel rather lucky because I recently used the plastic card with the "Magic Numbers" to buy my APO 35 Cron which I love.

The 25% tarrif is almost a $1150.00 premium on my newly acquired APO 35 Cron.

Also know that my APO 35 Cron is still in the phase where availability is still limited and there are waiting lists. I imagine there will be a last minute scramble of sorts before November first. Let's see if this rumor is true.

More smut on the SL2: Magnesium body for lighter weight; IBIS, 47 MP (same sensor as in the "Q2;" more pictures of the three buttons on the back suggest a control and menue like the Leica CL which is mucho elegant; and the same battery as the "Q2" and SL.

For my selfish need using the same battery as the SL is great, and because it is used in the "Q2" it seems logical to upgrade the CL perhaps one day to a "Q2."

A big deal to me is also IBIS. This opens things up a lot for night shooting with the 50 Lux. My experience having borrowed a 24-90 zoom from Leica for NYC Fashion Week a few years back allowed use of IS in the lens. I pretty much was able to do crazy "Circus Shots" at 1/10 of a second that were tack sharp. Kinda insane. "I love it."

Cal
 
Looks like the early weather reports say that Saturday is the better day, and Sunday rain could happen at any time. Bad weather on Sunday could impact the Tour de Bronx.

Last night "Maggie" got home late from a black tie event held at the MET. It ends up my shy gal now knows and is known by so many that she ran into many people she met before.

Seems like my M3-DS is my loudest Leica and is also my stiffest Leica. What did they do in Germany when this camera basically got a new "L" seal? It remains stiff and loud as I remember it from years ago, even though it seems to have been used a lot by Brian over the past 4-5 years. I wonder...

My old Wetzlar M6 prototype is mucho quiet and has the least amount of drag on the film advance, followed by the Hammertone M4 repaint.

The winner for quiet shutter and low drag film transport I would say goes to Christian's M3-DS. Seems like my M3 might never get there.

Cal
 
Just got forwarded a 4 page itinerary for the free luxury vacation.

London to Amsterdam; two days in Amsterdam; 6-7 cities in Germany along the Rhine River; Basel Switzerland for a day, and then to Amsterdam for the flight home over an almost 2 week period.

Not sure I have enough time for a December Meet-Up with the holidays.

Glad I have the APO 35 Cron for this trip.

Cal
 
So in a way I'm almost retired. Nothing to do at work today. Nothing scheduled. Generally I arrive about 20-25 minutes late, sometimes a half hour, and no one is the wiser. Pretty much the only thing I did was turn on a computer.

My work week on top of that is only 37.5 hours or 7 1/2 hours is a workday. Subtract my late arrival and pretty much it is only a part-time job. You know me: I'm a lazy slacker.

So in a way, I come to work to rest, because when I go home tonight I have to shoot "Maggie." Also today I have to deal with an electric bike delivery. I expect it will be a luxury version and high-ended because it is for some campaign for Maggie.

Also know that already I used tax deferment to lower my AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) to the extent that it is already like a modest "fixed income" as if I were already retired. I enjoy a comfortable life, I eat well, and I'm not really stressed.

So hopefully this pre-retirement continues for a little more than 4 more years. Jimmy Carter is 95 years old and over the past 3 months he has injured himself, fallen, or fractured his hip. To avoid becoming frail and weak weight training is required, and I'm going to toughen up.

This winter I'll be doing lots of strength training, so I might gain some weight as muscle is more dense than fat. BTW with some tight t-shirts you can see my abs. In top form my fighting weight should be a Welterweight (146 pounds).

At 95 I still want to be a tough guy from Brooklyn. LOL.

Cal
 
This Thursday is the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade.

The weather looks like spotty showers. I want to try and shoot my new APO 35 Cron. Good thing the SL is weather sealed. I've taken it out in storms before.

Let's see how I feel on Thursday. Do I feel lucky?

Cal
 
I own an unusual baby Linhof Tech V that has no rise/shift or back movements that is some experimental prototype. Because it resembles a 4x5 it is smaller than the Tech IV that preceeds it, and because it lacks movements it is lighter than a standard Tech V. This camera is likly the smallest and lightest baby Linhof ever made. How cool is that. As I remember it has no serial number. Mucho cool.

I bought a 53/4.5 Biogon, and somehow found a 53/100/180 cam for the camera at WWW.Glenview.com. What a crazy site for unusual gear. Understand that the Tech V originally came with a cam that was cut only for a 95/2.8 Rodenstock that is not so common a lens.

So the idea of making this camera into kind of a SWC, except it covers 645, 5x7, and 6x9 by changing film backs. Somehow I found a rare 645 CINE that allows me to load 15 feet of 70mm film and get 120 exposures without reloading. In 645 the 53 Zeiss Biogon gives me a 35mm FOV.

For 5x7 I can shoot either 120 or a CINE for about 60 5x7's. FOV I figure is a 28mm

For 6x9 I'm limited to 120. I figure the FOV will be a 24mm, a superwide. Know that I already own a Plaubel 69W Proshift that provides eight exposures 6x9 on 120 with a 21mm FOV.

After talking with Pro-Mone, who sucks because he secured a 21/3.4 Super Agulon in M-mount for $300.00. I think I will want one to permanently mount on my MD-2 wit TA Rapidgrip and TA Rapidwinder.

Interesting story about the black TA Rapidwinder is that I sold it to Fidel and later bought it back. I know it is mucho ghetto, but my rigged MD-2 with Rapidwinder and Rapidgrip is like carrying a weapon in plain sight: part brass knuckles; part blackjack; and part dagger/knife. I have a wonderful Zeiss 21 finder.

I'm not talking about acquiring all these different backs: I already own them. Pretty much I blame Christian and Dan for all the GAS. Just know that those guys are crazier than me. LOL.

So today, "I was minding my own business," walking to work, when I see this device that upon investigating further was a small shop Vac. The base seemed the right size diameter to maybe fit my JOBO tank lid to create a one reel tank for a 15 foot Nikor reel. Looks to be made of the same black plastic as the JOBO also.

Hmmm...

Yesterday I rigged out the Tech V and set it up on a tripod to set up the "stops." Pretty much all I have to do is tighten down the rail stops that Christian gifted me. I set the focus on the ground glass at infinity after setting up the rangefinder at a distant focus point. After checking the closer focus, it seems I am good to go.

I'll wait for a bright and sunny day to really set up the stops, when there is mucho light.

I was tooking at my files in Lightroom, looking for a good color shot that I might want to get printed 30x40. Actually I would have an image size 24x36, and 30x40 would be the sheet size for framing.

It seems that I have a $269.00 credit at Digital Silver Imaging leftover from when I took advantage of their offer of pre-paying and doubling the amount of printing for the dollar. Earlier this year they sent me a reminder...

So at this point it is a free monster print, and I think I'll do a color shot of "Maggie" that I printed in B&W where she is coming down these subway steps at night in Fort Green in leather pants and some ornate vintage embrodered jacket looking badass.

I like the B&W version a lot, but this image is actually better in color.

Sadly In looking through the past 3 years of files, almost all the work is stuff I did for Maggie. Pretty sad to see how selfless I have been, but the concellation prize is that I devoted my efforts into my Piezography printing, and meanwhile I created a very heavy book of proofs.

At this point I want to get back into my own work.

Cal
 
Sorry I couldn't make PhotoPlus. There were protests, riots, looting, etc in Santiago, so my wife wanted me to come home early. She is pregnant and I guess needed my help. Next time... hope it was fun.
 
Yeah, Ive been keeping up with the news in Santiago, because of interest on whats going on, and, I have an M2 being shipped from Santiago as we speak.......... Congrats John!
I didnt make it either, have some family in from Spain, showed them around instead.
 
jsrockit said:
Sorry I couldn't make PhotoPlus. There were protests, riots, looting, etc in Santiago, so my wife wanted me to come home early. She is pregnant and I guess needed my help. Next time... hope it was fun.
Click to expand...

John,

Congrates.

I had the CL with me and loaded it with a SD card you could of kept.

Joe and I had a 15 minute tutorial with Robert Rodriguez, the Artist In Residence and Canson Ambassidor. Joe wanted to know the secrete to making a good matte print.

Anyways a lot of stuff was reinforced like making a clean file at time of image capture, and minimizing post, but we were shown some stuff we never used or thought about. Pretty much a great mentoring session.

Joe remarked that it looked like PhotoPlusExpo is dying out. Even smaller than last year.

Cal
 
fiddle said:
Yeah, Ive been keeping up with the news in Santiago, because of interest on whats going on, and, I have an M2 being shipped from Santiago as we speak.......... Congrats John!
I didnt make it either, have some family in from Spain, showed them around instead.
Click to expand...

Fidel,

Give up the smut. Did you buy that M2 repaint? If so congrates.

My Hammertone M4 repaint does not seem so chip resistent. It is said that the Leica Hammertone paint jobs are mucho durable, but it seems like my M4 will be mighty brassy.

Cal
 
Yep. Sold the m7 last week. The black repaint that was up for sale here is on its way. Should be here in thh next few days..
 
"Maggie" got home late last night from an event. Of course this impacts and disrupts boring Calvin's sleeping routine. You have to know that he treasures his "beauty sleep."

So Maggie had to get up with me early for another "Kate Shovel" gig for another green screen shoot. It so happens that the shoot is in some building that Maggie's grandfather designed and had built downtown.

There is a monster electric bike parked in my studio. Pretty much is an electric motorcycle with motorcycle sized tires. Weighs about 75 pounds. After shooting it will be donated to a nef-few attending college at RPI where he can't have a car.

It seems one of the six cities in the luxury river cruise is in France, so its Amsterdam, France, Germany (5 cities) and Switzerland.

Cal
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

filmtwit
California (Bay Area, Northern) Todd Hido Book Signing at the Casemore Gallery Extension
Replies
0
Views
389
filmtwit
filmtwit
C
New York Annual NYC Camera Beauty Contest 2026 (early 2026)
Replies
14
Views
578
Calzone
C
C
New York November NYC Meet-UP
2 3
Replies
48
Views
4K
Calzone
C
C
New York Saturday June 21st 2:00 PM Meet-Up
Replies
5
Views
321
Calzone
C
Miles.
Minnesota Twin Cities Meet-Up - Sep/Oct 2021?
Replies
0
Views
821
Miles.
Miles.
Back
Top Bottom