Wednesday Walk Photos
Sunny Spring Day
I had a meeting with an independent printer today to learn more about Riso printing and to try to determine whether or not it would be a good way to print some of the posters that I want to make.
While walking to and from the meeting, I took pictures of the various things that caught my eye. At the time, I didn’t pay any attention to the photos that I had taken. I just pushed the shutter button on my smart phone and moved on.
Later, after having come home, I was surprised to see some of the wonderful light leek effects I had captured. Years ago, when I photographed with a Holga, the light leeks that I occasionally got and could sometimes purposefully create were my favorite part of the pictures that came back after being developed.
Some of these photos really remind me of the old Holga look that I used to get when photographing with film. To replicate that look further, I placed a couple of these pictures on a white background and reduced their transparency to seventy percent. That’s why they have a slightly over exposed/Polaroid-ish feel to them.
During the meeting that I had, I was given a tour of an old, mostly defunct building. From 1920 until I don’t know when, it functioned as an off-set printing press. I had only ever seen the building from its narrow street front facade and had only ever entered as far as its foyer.
I didn’t imagine that there would be much more to it, but as it turns out, the building runs the length of an entire city block. Behind the foyer, which I’m assuming would have been the original office, is a factory-like area that housed the heavy press and was most likely surrounded by all the materials that were need to run the press.
Open a door on the back end of this industrial space, and suddenly you find yourself in an old, long, meandering Japanese house, one that had a very surprising feature.
Looking at the photo above, you can sense the darkness of these rooms. Surrounded by buildings, there is virtually no way for light to enter from the windows on the side of the house. However, designed into the floor plan, in the middle of a city block, is a small rock garden that was left uncovered (by the roof) and was glassed in, almost like an atrium.
It was such a surprising and beautiful feature. Were this house ever to be restored, I imagine people would come from all over just to sit and relax with a cup of tea or coffee here.
Nice photos!! Everything looks great but I like the wooden wall one, the diamonds-looking wall one, the dark tatami room one, and the old street arcade one with the green store.
That’s funny. When I stopped to take pictures of those two walls, I felt very self conscious. I had the feeling that anybody watching would think, why is he taking a picture of that. I’m glad I’m not the only who likes these things.
Great pictures. Hope the meeting was productive.
It was and it wasn’t. It opened my eyes to some new possibilities and gives me a space to print cheaply, but the guy who owns the place is just starting out and isn’t as knowledgeable as I thought he would be so I have to figure a lot out on my own first.
such cool photos and for sure i get the old school holga feel
what a surprise to come across that Japanese styled room
Thanks for joining the Wednesday, its always fun for me to visit the walks from all around the world, getting a feel for communities where people live and what they see on their daily walks
Thanks for dropping by.
Yeah, that rock garden was a big surprise. The whole house was a big surprise, but that rock garden especially. If I go back and can get permission to walk through the property again, I’ll photograph the whole thing and share it here. It had a lot of really interesting features.
my pleasure to visit your post, it was such a cool place from what you shared I look forward to seeing more of it when you visit there again
Great photos! Ah Holga... you used to shoot with one too? I still have mine packed up somewhere at my parents house on the other side of the world. I loved that thing. I loved developing the photos from it myself too. That cheap plastic lens gave a soft focus to everything and there were often light leaks. Sometimes the roll wouldn't advance and I'd get an unintended double-exposure. I tried to do the artsy thing of putting a roll of 35mm in there instead of 120; I could never get it to come out quite right, but it still gave some cool effects. Loved that thing.
Anyway, you gave some great ones here.
When I came to Japan, I bought a digital camera and a Holga. I think I took about 100 pictures with the digital camera, and the rest were all Holga. 🤣
I enjoyed playing with the double exposure shots too. The more I got interested in using the Holga, though, the more difficult it seemed to take pictures that were in focus. I don’t know that’s because it aged and fell into a bit of disrepair, or if it was because I was using one role of film in so many different lighting situations, but most of the pictures I took with it in India and Vietnam have terrible focus.
If I had the money to buy and develop film, I’d probably buy a new one and keep using it.
The right time, the right place, the right mood.
Beautiful! Great effort was worth it. Great shot.
You got it. The right time and the right place is what so much of it is all about.
Nice photos. Hard to believe they are from a smartphone. Your processing and the light leaks and chromatic aberration really do have the look of a Holga.
I really like how they turned out. It really didn’t require much editing, just a filter and in some cases a transparency reduction.
Maybe Siri has heard me talking about Holga photography and programmed my phone to take Holga-esque pictures. I wonder if that’s even possible. 🤔
I think that if you start getting ads for Holga cameras, that would be Siri's doing ;)
That’s true. I’ll let you know if that happens. 😆