put some d's on that bitch.

dunno why but i love whatever song that line is from.  hear it every time i go to vegas and when i listen to girl talk.  like now.

jesus christ.  wtf happened to photobucket?  i just hit apple-tab and saw this ...

not that there's anything wrong with miss sharapova but ... it thought it was us weekly or something.  not that there's anything wrong with us weekly.  of course.    hmm ... perhaps its also the fact i'm not used to seeing adverts on sites where i'm a subscriber.

with the title i chose for this "entry" ... how do i segue?  only to a dude in a bearsuit...

in all fairness ... they dressed up where i park my car sometimes.

from maria sharapova to a dude in a bear suit ... to ... j holding up the new shirt she can't wait to wear...

it's really what she's all about.

actually, i had to buy two that day ...

but i'm no so sure she'll be able to wear it to school. 

dunno.

no, she wasn't very happy to pose with it.

all good.  she'll have an interesting archive for sure.

thanks to her i've now seen my first water polo game.  had no idea it was as violent -- underwater, of course -- as the four-legged version.  i also found out that the 5dmark2 looks pretty amazing at 3200.  and unlike any of it's brethren ... pretty damn nice at 6400.  handheld with the 70-200/2.8L. 

very much enjoying getting to know the 5dm2.  there's a whole different feel to it than the last one.  i mean ... the last one ... i still think is one of the best digital cameras (bang vs. buck) ever made.  ever.

anyone need an nikon fm2 with drive or the zeiss zf 50/1.4?  lemme know.

should have the zeiss z-whatever-the-hell 50/1.4 for canon. :)

no need for nikon any longer.  even a film one.  :(

poor old nikon.

it does have a brand new shutter, though.

love that the new nikon d3x is coming out at eight grand!  whatever.  i dunno why people fucking bitching about it.  i paid that much for the monster.  it's still a monster.  if i shot nikon, i'd be stoked to know a big-ass full-frame monster was now within my grasp. 

most pros who get one will pay for it in the first month if they're any fucking good.

wanks who hear their wives say "get a real job you loser" ... well ... i'm sure it'll be a bit tough for them to chew.

honestly, the sony system with the zeiss lenses sounds more interesting to me.

just sayin'.

not that i'd switch.

i'm perfectly happy with everything canon has done.  this new camera is beyond.

and, dan, i'm happy you're just as happy with the macbookpro as i am.  it's pretty fantastic.  the tapping thing for selecting and dragging ... never want to go back.

feels solid as hell, too.  not that the last one was anything less than solid but there's an amazing feel to this one. 

looking forward to shooting the zeiss for canon at the eukanuba nationals this week! :)

since some lazy equipment houses here in l.a. don't have the 200/2.0. 

samy's you suck.

that's why i buy from b&h.

change?

i think it's ironic on many different levels.

dying breed?

pretty much.  i know that i shoot for a lot of magazines and to a lesser extent newspapers but ... printed matter, man.  dunno.

unless it's a well-crafted monthly ... i dunno ... daily and weekly stuff ... it's old news before it's monday or tuesday deadline hits.

tribune went bk today?  wonder how many newspapers -- read to me as:  subscribers of companies i syndicate with -- are also in trouble?  i'll bet quite a few. 

i don't know anyone younger than me who subscribes to a newspaper.  in fact, i don't have any peers my own age who subscribe to anything daily besides the entertainment trades.

the people older than me ... my parents ...

they subscribe.

odd demographic.

especially in times when we're seen the gbp almost at parity with the euro.  odd.

so is an elvis impersonator driving an old pink something or other.  i don't know cars very well.  vintage ones at least.

we watched this dude for a while.  why not.  that's kinda what we do. 

it's fun.

but ... he was doing portraits of some sort by one of the caesar's fountains ...

thing was ... he was mostly fucking with his gear more than shooting.

on the way back from wherever we walked i saw the same dude.  kinda seemed like he was in an alcove and had an h3d in his hands.  funny thing about that h3d ... i have yet to meet anyone who owns one who can shoot their way out of a paper bag.  and if you think i'm referring to you ... grow a set. ;)

all sorts walking 'round vegas.

never thought of vegas as a place for kids, though.

it's definitely a place for posing in front of fucking fountains.

mid-bite.  i know.

mean.

had lunch with jordan and murphy.  was shocked as hell jordan could focus a leica.  damn.  who knew. ;)

even though the money shots for jewel were done digitally ... i still enjoy seeing it the way i really saw it with my mp and the 35/1.4 asph.

yes, wanker there's a reason people still buy leica glass. 

if you're not a dentist, rich retired engineer or a shitty photographer who managed to attract a similar audience , then, no, a leica is not for you.

yes, the contax g system is very nice, wank.

it's just missing that little something which makes the leica so much better.

hearing someone like wank talk anything about leica almost makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

whatever.

saw a few airports in the past while ...

so funny to see so many different people with all of their different things going on.

it's a pretty popular place for the homeless of east of hollywood.  you can see some pretty interesting shit on fountain for damn sure.

and on sunset.  that was the voigtlander 28/2.0.  very very nice that lens.

may not play well this small.  on my monitors i like it. ;)

poor little guy.

m was getting a nail trim this day.  i think that's something the pros should do.

none of those nail contraptions work.

and our dog is chill.

with a very impressive plume.

there's almost always someone walking with a vacuum while i wait at the light.  i mean ... it's not like there's a vacuum shop right on the corner or anything ... i'm just saying.

dunno why i'm intrigued with the wrinkles in the faces of old cowboys.

and i really like this photo.

in defence of the greyhound the owner claims she's really old and just skinny.

so ... yeah ... working lots ... shooting lots ... shooting lots of video with the new 5dm2. 

experimenting.

looking forward to some downtime.

finished editing the next book to upload to blurb.

three more to go, actually.

i'll try and put something together about the new 5dm2.  wanna shoot it some more.

i think i'm hungry for vietnamese.

hope this finds all of you very very well!

cheers from the nice and cool l.a.!

-chris

Comments

[Jonesy]

Great post as always, you never cease to amaze!

Your wank hatred always brings out a laugh!

Great T's btw!!

[elinor]

is focused on murphy's eyes instead of yours. ;-)

[Dan]

The bearsuit photo's great.
And I have three little somethings for you.

Un http://i36.tinypic.com/rcsd4y.jpg
Deux http://i33.tinypic.com/2ef6qdl.jpg
Trois http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=tnwf2RShNV0

[Dan Powell]

Yes, the click/drag is amazing, though I can sometimes get annoyed with the click sound. I like the four-fingers-down for expose too..

On a photographic note, I was very impressed with how you nailed the focus on the cowboy shot. I'm a big fan of the one after that too. Did you see the Ken Rockwell comment in the video I linked you?

[james jay]

nice as always good to see some photos...

and that last pic is hot hot hot...doggy looks skinny though...greyhounds are such beautiful animals...

but i must say the family with kids in vegas i like alot...

ok now got to go...keep doing your thing chris!

-james

[Cassie Jones]

"change" on any of the ironic levels feels good..

:) mid-bite!

[Scott]

Haha, wank's christmas card is ridiculous. Its framed really bad!

Im looking forward to the first roll of misfocus's when i finally pick myself up a leica ;)

loving the photos, the bear is great.

[Tom (Achillies875 @ dA)]

totally called the link to rockwell waaay before I clicked on it.
made me feel happy inside.

hope you're doing well too

[Sam Oksner]

Hey chris, have you noticed the artifacts that have been reported with some of the 5Dm2? http://photo.net/canon-eos-digital-camera-forum/00RewZ Although I won't be buying one of these for a while, I'm curious to know what the hype is all about

[Darren Abate]

Great photos, mate. I have to say that the airport shot of the three on the bench is my fave from this post.

The Zeiss 85 and 50 ZE lenses were two of my best buys ever. I decided that they are replacing my 24-70/2.8 L, a lens that I've always hated. I've never mixed words about how much I despise that lens, and I can't wait to sell it. In fact, I already did.

The second best buy was the precision focusing screen. Jeez, you really need it.

When the 21 Distagon and 35/2 come out, and after I get the FF 5DM2, you can bet that the distorting, fuzzy-cornered, bastard 17-40 is going away as well. I'm sick of zooms. I'd rather have four prime-armed bodies hanging off my neck than put up with any more sub-par, backfocusing zooms.

I'm going back to the old ways, only I'm mixing them with the new. I'm also changing out my clients and getting new ones. Post on that coming soon.

I am vibrating in anticipation of getting a couple 5DM2's and clicking my Zeiss glass onto them. I can't wait.

[matt]

who slaps an option+g on a christmas card? what the fuck?

that last frame is money.. the dog makes it. fashion is the illusion of lifestyle. the dog makes it.

[Sonny]

Finally, some photos :)
I liked the bear suit one :)
Was thinking about the Voigt 28 2.0 and if i should go ahead and get it already... but i stopped a second to think... isn't it too close to the 35mm focal length to merit a purchase? Or is that just me?

Cheers from Toasty Manila :)

[Matt Jan]

Hey Chris,
Weird place to be asking this but...
My g/f is currently in LA, all the way from Western Australia, so I was wondering if there's any (or your favourite) places/things/areas to go/see/do while she's there, or is that like opening a big bad can of worms?. Thought I'd get the inside word.
Cheers and thanks muchly.
Matt

[James]

I need an FM2, with or without drive. My FM is broken and I miss shooting with it. If it was fixed I'd use it more than my Bessa.

[Stewart Bywater]

Hi Chris,

Great post! It's really nice to finally see some more shots from you. (Although I haven't posted anything in a similar timeframe... I hope that's going to change soon... Probably not before Christmas though, as we've got some seriously heavy deadlines in the next few weeks.

I love all the shots here, and the variety... that's one of the best things about your photography – you're so versatile.

A lot of our contributors have been raving about their new 5D Mk IIs, and it seems that you're right. One of them sent me a low light shot at ISO 3200, with some neon lights in the background, etc. and there was no noise at all. Amazing. Big files too!! I hope that I can afford one soon!!

I also wish they'd bring out that Zeiss lens for Canon, although I heard that they're working on a couple of lenses that will be compatible.

Well, got to go.. I'm on a train on my way back from Holy Island.

Best wishes,

Stewart.

[Christian Rollinson]

wonderful stuff as ever, love the impressive plume and jewel shots (gotta love that blury shit) and as ever, the wank links were worth a click :D

[Sara Jaye]

Great great blog CW. I enjoy reading and seeing it. Thanks.

[Michael]

we, the newspaper guys, may not be a dying breed, but we are in trouble for sure. lots of papers kicking out lots of staff atm. in scales of 1/4 to 1/3. and the worst is still to come I think.

anyway, some nice shots. the 28/2.0 looks like some nice glass. I'd love to have a lens a tad wider than my fifty.

[Arthur Mola]

that's a sick song. travis barker's remix is even sicker.

love the photos! the change one is very ironic! and those tshirts are hilarious!

so jealous of the 5dm2 - i'm excited to see some photos/video with it!

i need to update my bodies!

nice to see some photos again finally!!! i've missed them!

[Josh Ripple]

great to see pics from you again chris... lovin the vegas shots. reminds me of my trip a few months back. the shot of jewel really stands out... thumbs up

[sean]

I LOVE wanks Christmas photos. Probably shot on a tripod at high noon @ f/22.

Any you're right about all the gear wanks and the D3X complaining about the price being too high. It's too high because they spend all their time on forums instead of shooting. Pros I know are dying to get their hands on this and the price is a bargain compared to an H3D.

[meredith]

love that shot of the people at the airport! good to see new stuff from you.

i think it will be a sad day when printed media is obsolete. of course, do i subscribe to a newspaper? no. i can't afford that shit when i can just read it for free online. ;) but there's something so pretty about a newspaper. i do see a lot of people reading newspapers all over the city, but, like you pointed out, they're probably all over 60.

[Rastislav]

I had missed your film entries :) Such a pleasure to look at these shots! Loved the guy in the bear suit!

Hope you’re doing great!
As I can see I’m a little behind in the journal reading.

Take care!