Trivia (CXXXVIII) - The compliment that means a lot

Incoming:

"You know I like all your work, but pretty girls are special!" 

@dbriannelson

I am finding it difficult to update this blog as regularly as I would like.

Trivia (CXXXVII) - The preliminary offer

Incoming:

Hey Ricardo,

My name is _____________.  I'm a web-designer who works with People & Society websites.  I stumbled on your post about the film noir look, and I really like the content on your blog. 

Although you have posted somewhat regularly in the past, I wanted to see if you would be interested in selling the site to someone who could carry it on?

Thanks,

_____________ 

Trivia (CXXXVI) - The Ello Community

Incoming:

Hi!

We’ve just added you as a special Featured User on Ello.
While Featured, you’ll be recommended on Ello’s Discover page, anda link to your profile will sometimes appear on the Ello home page. Featured users are also randomly selected for the new useron-boarding process, where users are presented with Featuredprofiles to follow.
Thanks for being awesome, and have fun on Ello!
Love,
Ello




PS: If you don’t want to be a Featured User on Ello, just reply to this email and we’ll be happy to remove you right away!

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Trivia (CXXXV) - The Shameless Self Promotion Post

Just what the internet needs... me being interviewed (in portuguese)

From page 58 to 67 of the Flinpo Magazine.

Trivia (CXXXIV) - The pixel peeping talk

me:

Hi Tyson, how are you? :) 

My 4 1/2 year old Pana GF2 had to be repaired and I recently bought a GX7 to go with my 20 mm f1.7 pancake. 

I would like to know if you have some preferred settings for the camera. My first adjustment was setting the in camera NR to its low (-5). 

Do you fiddle with contrast, saturation, etc? What about ISO, do you set the lowest ISO to 125 or do you keep it in 200? Any more settings you may share? 

Thanks! Ricardo

tysonrobichaud:

Hi Ricardo, 

I think you will love the GX7. I shoot RAW, so I’m not the best to ask about in camera adjustments, but the little that I have played with JPEG settings, I’ve felt the files were better out of the camera than the other Pana cams I’ve had. 

The RAW files have a good amount of latitude, and do really well to recover highlight info compared to shadow info without muddying the upper end of the image file’s tonality. 

The silent mode is great, but sucks for moving subjects. The IBIS is under rated, and I’ve had very good results. It does not work in live view nor video which is a shame, but otherwise I feel it is better than the Oly 5 axis for hand held results at slower shutter speeds. 

It should be a pretty easy transition from the GF2, and I’m sure you will enjoy it. 

I hope you are doing well! 

Cheers, Tyson 

I forgot to mention ISO. I tend to keep it at 200 as the base, and only tend to use 125 when needed for exposure in bright outdoor light, or when I am shooting with strobes sometimes.

me:

Many thanks. I also shoot raw but like to keep the jpegs and try to get them +/- right from the camera if possible. 

– the weather in Porto today was amazing :) – 

Regards, Ricardo

Trivia (CXXXIII) - The Houston we have a problem kind of issue

Trivia (CXXXII) - The Shameless Self Promotion Post

I was recently interviewed by Cahoodaloodaling, an online journal which publishes both literary and visual arts.

Here's a little sneak peak of my interview. Read the rest on their website.

Shirley Xu: I agree that you have your own style to your photos and that it really stands out! But I’ve always wondered- what’s your opinion on taking commissions? Do you think that being asked to take a picture of ___ takes away from your style? 

Me: The truth is that since I know I’m nothing more than a lousy weekend photographer I could never take assignments. In addition, as I have no goals or ambitions for my photography, I believe commissioned portraits wouldn’t work for me.

They also included my pieces about Goa and the Mini Titanic.

The spring '15 issue has just been published online.

Trivia (CXXX) - The latest feedback

«I've just had a nosey at your page and I love the narrative in your pictures.
You are a storyteller»

@carrieannesibbald


«The men of Porto have such character and the women such elegance. Thank you for your look into the people of Porto.»

@iquitoz


«@portostreetshooting I just want to say, I love your portraits of strangers on the street and that you have a "fact" about them. Are most people cooperative? How do you approach them? I want to try it but I am so afraid to approach people. Germans in general seem to be more "private" than other cultures.»

@kstanton

Trivia (CXXIX) - The amazon review

This 14mm f2.5 lens comes with a bonus: A FREE CAMERA (that's actually a joy to use).

First, let me put my purchase in perspective: I wasn't even looking to buy the GF2, however, this kit was the most affordable way for me to acquire the 14mm f2.5 lens (and the only way I knew of to acquire that lens in solid matte black as opposed to the usual two-tone black/gray). While I'm pleased enough with my new lens, I'm utterly blown away by the GF2.

This camera reviewed average (at best) when it was released nearly four years ago (in 2010). Most criticism stemmed from the fact that the GF2 had fewer direct control points that the model it replaced (the GF1). I fear a great disservice was done to this model, seeing how well it's withstood the test of time. It's built like a tank, captures fantastic images (provided you have reasonable expectations for low-light performance) and is sized perfectly for street photography or reportage (situations where a full-size camera may not be discreet enough). Sure, its touchscreen's interface isn't perfect -- being a resistive touchscreen, there's no support for multitouch input (e.g. pinch-to-zoom, two-finger swipes, etc.) -- but it's more than adequate and gives the intended audience quick access to all the GF2 offers.

By no means is this the best micro four thirds body on the market -- if you're considering this as your point of entry into the platform, I'd look elsewhere (my primary body is the Panasonic GH3 and shooting on it is a joy). However, if you're looking for a great value in a second body, the GF2 is a solidly built little performer. And it comes with a great lens to boot (at my time of purchase, this kit was $20 less than the cost of the 14mm f2.5 lens by itself)!

Hound, J. 2014. "This 14mm f2.5 lens comes with a bonus: A FREE CAMERA (that's actually a joy to use)". amazon.com/, [site] July, 17th Available at: http://goo.gl/SGa64x [Accessed: 28 Feb 2015].

Trivia (CXXVIII) - The interview

@yourdailybread

1.  Are you from Portugal or some place else?  I saw on your Twitter that you may have ties to Reykjavík.  I have a small obsession with Iceland so that’s why I’m curious.

Twitter may be under the impression I'm from Reykjavík but that’s ok because I’m not very keen on social media :)...

I'm from Porto, Portugal. I've been living here for the last 20 years. I had my first camera in the 90s and for a long time I only took pictures of family & friends. That didn't change much when I switched to digital about 10 years ago, but by 2010 I decided to start a blog called porto street shooting.

I’ve been street shooting for the last four and a half years, a hobby turned crusade. I always shoot alone and most of my pictures are posed portraits. I choose people that I find interesting and I ask them for a pic. They usually say yes.

2. Your portraits of people seem to run the gamut of all walks of life.  Have you observed any attribute or reaction or something, common to all your subjects? Something that makes us all not so different?  Or in the alternative, anything in one of your subjects that was so far out of left field to leave to scratching your head to this day?

I try to make it kind of random and don’t focus on any particular type of person. I almost always ask people before taking the pictures, as I tend not to like that ‘scared deer’ look that you sometimes get in candid portraits. This gives me the opportunity, while trying to bring out the best for the portrait, to talk a bit with the subjects and to get some little stories or details.

Like the stories of Goa, the owner of the Mini-Titanic: his deployment to India; his jobs at a construction company in the Madeira Island and aboard a trawler to fish for cod on the Newfoundland Grand Banks; and the story about a loan he defaulted on.

Or the story of the departure of the Three Hombres, a 32 meter schooner that was moored here for a week or so a couple of years ago.

Or that time when someone made one certain “husband remark”; or when two Café Regulars completely lost track of the value of the euro; or a local grocer, talking about old times; or that other guy who asked if this was a gay blog, cause it was the second time I had asked him for a pic...

I've encountered some of the people I portrayed more than one time, and in some cases, I couldn't resist. It happened with the Sartorial Splendor, the Professional Demonstrator and the Pipe Collector, who taught me 5 things. It also happened with some card players and one or two cute girls.

And of course I couldn't forget to tell you about the cute girls and perfect faces, or eyebrows, or teeth. More on this later.

I find people from around here, or from away, straight or gay (or maybe only friends), white and black, sometimes complaining, other times not complaining at all (even after being submitted to a total thyroidectomy). Young and old people, with classic or modern looks, or even some sort of anime or film noir looks.

I find them dancing, sharing music, taking pictures and polaroids, taking selfies, texting, reading fiction and non-fiction, drawing, biking, skating, river diving, going to the gym, slacklining, playing cards, making dreadlocks, reading dirty magazines, going to birthday parties, catching buses, eating, drinking, smoking, relaxing, dating, kissing. Talking on the phone or waiting for the light to change to green. Doing inexplicable things, throwing street parties and cycle chic around town.

I find them having great holidays or just chilling or living the good life. Sometimes after a short night of sleep. Sometimes in a hurry. A few, enjoying the good kush. Walking the dog. Graffiting. Or just protesting against the government.

Others I find working and selling stuff and waiting tables and driving buses, or going somewhere. Working holidays, working sundays. Handing out flyers; entertaining tourists; dressing as clowns or as balloon twisters.

Did I already mention cute girls? Some of them blushed. Some gave me a serious look. Or a duck face. At first some simply wouldn’t want to pose. One called me for a poll, other tricked me into signing some papers. One showed off her cute lava bra. A dangerous brunette asked me if I had a lighter; a cute blonde saved me from being run over by a bus. And while another one just told me to shoot, shoot, shoot, this one asked me if I could at least photoshop her a little bit. Oh, and let’s not forget that particular fourth button.

And moms: lovely young moms but also tough, protective moms. And also three bachelorette parties and even one bride in sneakers. And couples; young and old couples. Some underage chicks, a cute little princess and one spiffy kid.

And old men, lots of old men. 99-year-old veterans. Retired postal workers, eight-ball players, shoe-shiners and their customers. The owner of a 1974 Mini. One heir. A possible scratch card winner. Even one old Republican. And I couldn’t leave out the guy from the 3rd Cavalry, 1957. Or the one who told me that for him life was over.

Also some quite interesting novices and their mistress. Some priests, one of which happened to be a professor of medieval studies. Lots of Seminarians. One Bishop. Even one bible study leader. And at least four LDS missionaries.

And Artists… one cute violinist, two bassoonists, one choralist, one pianist, several guitar players and one trumpet player… one principal double bass, one professor of violin, one bassist, one horn player and one conductor… a few painters and more than two dozen urban sketchers. Oh, and people making great pizza, grilling sardines and cooking outdoors and doing street BBQs, because that’s art too.

And sometimes, people who resemble someone… maybe Kenny Rogers or Martin Landau.

I even spotted an extra-long pinky nail. And turbans of all colors, black, red, violet, pink, blue, white and orange, not to mention saffron orange. And one or two ushankas, maybe three.

And frames. Lots of frames. I really love frames. And shoes. I also love shoes. Especially platform sandals and high heels. But I’m also into sneakers. And shorts. Mini shorts, micro shorts and short shorts. And bed-head locks, braces (ah, braces) and hats.

And cute little dresses, naturally.

3.  You’ve been taking photos of stranger in the streets of Porto for over 4 years . . . any advice or invaluable lesson you’ve learned in that time that you’d like to share?

Be polite and honest with your subjects, make eye contact but try not to look weird and remember to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Travel light - no backpack , no mega zoom, no flash -, only one camera and one lens and don't use telephoto lenses so you can get closer to people with something between 40 and 50 mm.