my photo blog

Tom Sawyer Country Coffee

2011-08-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is a photo I took of Tom Sawyer, a local coffee roaster with a shop in Hangman Valley called Tom Sawyer Country Coffee. Tom has been involved in the coffee and roasting business for over fifty years, and has a complete roasting facility in the rooms behind his coffee bar.

Tom was kind enough to give Chris and I a tour of his roasting facilities, and walk us through the history and process that results in a variety of high quality coffees.

He also poured me about 6 shots, from various fresh roasts, and I also tried his cold Toddy coffee which was excellent, and was recently written up in a Spokesman Review article. We left with some supplies and a couple pounds of his Baker's blend, which we've been very pleased with. I'm looking forward to meeting up with Tom again soon, and trying out some of his other coffees.

The photo was taken with a Bessa R, with Leica 50/2.8 Elmar, and Portra 160 VC film.

ducks just past sunset

2011-08-03T23:12:00.000-07:00

Nex 5 with Canon 28/2.8 ltm lens.

summer

2011-07-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Nex 5 with Canon 28/2.8 ltm lens.

NEX HDR w/ Photomatix lite

2011-05-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

This image was created from 3 images taken at the same time, one at normal exposure, one 0.7EV below, and one 0.7 EV up (that's the maximum range of exposure bracketing in the NEX) then merged into the Photomatix lite program. A few presets are available, and slider controls for a few parameters are available.

Not sure if I would use this program regularly, but it was fun to try. The lens used was an AR Hexanon 40/1.8.

spring

2011-04-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

Nex w/ Hexanon AR 57/1.4, ISO 200, 1/640.

kitty in spring

2011-03-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

Nex 5 with Hexanon AR 40/1.8 @ f4. 1/320, ISO 200.

close up with a 57mm hexanon

2011-03-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

Nex 5 with Hexanon AR 57/1.4 @ 1.4, closest focusing distance. 1/80th, ISO 800.

big moon on 3/19/2011

2011-03-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Obscured by fog. Nex 5 with Hexanon pancake 40/1.8 @ 2.8. 1/15th, ISO 3200.

background radiation dosages

2011-03-17T03:20:00.000-07:00

I found it frustrating when the news from the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant would mention radiation levels in multiples of average background levels instead of actual numbers.

However, in the past couple of days, during the power plant and government press releases and conferences, as well as the many media reports, there has been a lot of data provided using either microsieverts per hour, or millisieverts per hour. So if you see a number described this way, and are wondering how it relates to the normal radiation levels we receive, read the information below.

I’m mainly using the microsieverts unit of measure, and when there is not a per hour or per year rate qualifier after the unit, then it is a total absorbed dosage amount.

How the US and Japan calculate average annual radiation dosages:

All units are in microsieverts (µSv), and are from documents, not actual measurements I have taken. To convert µSv to millisieverts (mSv), take the microsievert value, and move the decimal point to the left, 3 places. Do the opposite to convert mSv to µSv.

To convert microsieverts to the older millirem (mrem) unit, divide by 10, or to convert mrems to µSv, multiply the mrem number by 10 to get µSv.

Sources of natural radiation (in (µSv/yr) Japan US

1. Cosmic radiation at sea level: 390 260
2. Food (e.g. Potassium): 290 400
3. Radon exposure in air: 1260 2000
4. Terrestial exposure: 480 460

Total avg. natural radiation: 2420 µSv/yr 3120 µSv/yr

I doubt that there is much difference in background levels between Japan and the US at sea level, but the 2420 number for Japan is important since they refer to it often. But in the same document, they mention an additional 1000 µSv/yr for the average citizen for “public spaces” with no further definition.

Additional radiation received from various sources below will likely increase the total amount of radiation that you receive yearly by 2-3 times. Variables that add to our natural background radiation are dependent on the following:

1. Where You Live:

a) Your altitude above sea level increases cosmic ray radiation: add 100 per 1000 ft. elevation.

b) Your terrestrial ground exposure:

For the US, if you live in the Gulf or Atlantic Coast areas, you can reduce the 460 above to 230. However, if you live in the Colorado Plateau, you should add 440 to the 460.

c) What your house is made out of, and what kind of ground it is sitting on. Brick houses, and houses built on rocks with a lot of Radon will add to your annual radiation dose.

d) Your proximity to power plants. Coal plants will generally provide more radiation than a nuclear power plant. Unless the nuclear plant is having issues …

For Japan, if you live in Gifu – Kanagawa, you should add 400 to the 480. For other parts of the world, Wikipedia or Google will probably have approximate data based on your location.

2. How many medical radiological checks you receive per year:

Add these values to the total yearly value, as applicable:

Abdominal X-ray 400
Chest X-ray 60
CT Chest and Abdo 10,000
Dental check-up X-ray 4
Additional radiological: Check with your doctor or radiologist

3. Travel related:

Radiation from flying depends on the altitude, time in air, and radiation levels for block hours over the specific location and route to where you are flying. A chart in dosage to and from many common destinations can be found in table 2 in this document:

http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/aeromedical/radiobiology/reports/

Note that they are using millisievert units. To convert to the microsievert units we’ve been using so far, move the decimal point from the millisievert number to the right 3 places for microsieverts.

Flying from Los Angeles to Tokyo, a 12-hour flight, and from Chicago to London, an 8-hour flight, both result in a dosage of 43µSv because the radiation per block hour from Chicago to London is higher than from Los Angeles to Tokyo.

So it’s not simply flight time, but radiation level for block time (time from leaving the airport blocks to touching down), which varies per destination, with a wide variance, over a factor of 20.

Airline crews average an addl. 2200 µSv per year from their occupation.

4. Misc. sources

These all contribute small amounts of additional radiation we receive: weapons test fallout, wearing of old luminous watches, or using certain old camera lenses including some from Leica, Olympus, and Pentax, and probably others where Thorium was used to improve the optical performance, up until the late 1970s or early 1980s.

Be careful to note that if the unit you see is already a rate, like CPM (Counts Per Minute), that is a rate per minute. But if you see an absorption quantity without a rate, that is a total amount absorbed, and if absorbed internally, is cumulative for a long time, depending on the half-life of the radioisotope.

If you see a Geiger counter reading of µSv per hour, you would have to be there for an hour to receive and absorb that the value of that dosage.

If a reading in given in CPM as many Geiger counters provide for, it is common to see that the press has converted it using the ratio of 10 CPM = 0.1 microsievert. So in one minute, at that rate, you would absorb 0.1 microsievert.

However, there is a ~20% margin of error here, depending on whether the test unit measuring CPM was calibrated for Cobalt 60, or Cesium 137. Another factor are the design of Geiger counters, what tube sizes, and sensitivities they provide for. For one vendor, the difference between their lowest end model with lower sensitivity, and their higher end model with 20x larger tubes, and greater sensitivity, the rates can vary up to a factor of three or more, although they do show consistency for trends.

To summarize, if you see that a reading is consistently above around 0.1 µSv/hour, you should try to move away to where it is lower, preferably closer to 0.01 µSv per hour (as it currently is in much of Japan, other than Fukushima), where that is just a bit above the levels before the earthquake.

Always try to minimize your exposure to radiation, but if you’ve been exposed, or it appears that you will likely be exposed to a higher amount of radiation than normal, for a prolonged period of time, schedule a talk with a radiologist that you trust, and be very cautious when reading the news, where in recent days, the units of measurement or their analogies to background radiation have sometimes been in error.

Notes on units. I chose to use microsieverts µSv, but if you have data that you want to add or convert, there are many online calculators for converting units of radiation.

Here are some common ones:

* 1 Sv = 1000 mSv (millisieverts) = 1,000,000 μSv (microsieverts) = 100 rem = 100,000 mrem (millirem)
* 1 mSv = 100 mrem = 0.1 rem
* 1 μSv = 0.1 mrem
* 1 rem = 0.01 Sv = 10 mSv
* 1 mrem = 0.00001 Sv = 0.01 mSv = 10 μSv

Sources:

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/calculate.html

http://eq.wide.ad.jp/110315houshasen_en.html

http://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/aeromedical/radiobiology/reports/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_radiation

http://www.blackcatsystems.com/GM/converting_CPM_mRhr.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sievert

slate

2011-03-04T23:40:00.000-08:00

NEX with Hexanon 57/1.4 lens @ 1.4. 1/15th, ISO 800.

frozen okabashis

2011-02-24T14:44:00.000-08:00

One of Kitty's friends came by and made paw prints in the snow.

snow in February!

2011-02-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

NEX 5 with CV 21/4. ISO 200, f5.6, 1/1600.

scablands in winter

2011-02-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

Frozen pond beginning to thaw, near the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge near Cheney, Washington. Taken with a Sony NEX 5, with 16mm/2.8 kit lens @ f5, ISO 200, 1/200.

Sony NEX with Nikon 35/1.8 dx lens

2011-01-27T22:12:00.000-08:00

This 35mm/1.8 Nikon lens is the DX G version without an aperture ring, as it's controlled electronically with the newer Nikon DSLRs. However, with this particular NEX to Nikon adapter, the "off-on" ring at the base of the lens opens and closes the aperture. Focusing and metering work well. Of course, focus is manual.

This lens is very light, so it matches up well with the light NEX body. The 35mm becomes an effective focal length of ~52mm (relative to 24x36mm film/FF), so it's a great focal length for normal use, as well as for casual portraits.

On the NEX to Nikon adapter, the "off-on" control for the aperture is a bit twitchy, but easy to figure out what approximate aperture you have set, based on the displayed shutter speed on the big LCD.

Sony NEX with Nikon 43-86 zoom

2011-01-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

Using a NEX to Nikon adapter from ebay, I'm able to use old Nikon SLR lens on the Sony NEX-5. This lens is one of the first Nikon zooms, a 43-86mm f3.5 zoom. This lens has noticeable distortion at the wide end of the zoom range when used on a film camera, but the low contrast, and minimal coatings are great for b/w images that glow like a Leica Summicron or Summilux lens.

The lens is only about 3" long in wide mode, but the hood, and the adapter, which extends the rear of the lens to the proper Nikon flange to film/sensor distance makes it a couple of inches longer. Focusing and aperture are manual, but metering (A mode, manual modes), focus assist, and everything else works great, once you get used to focusing on the NEX screen as opposed to a viewfinder.

Post Falls Dam

2011-01-23T20:40:00.000-08:00

In Idaho. It flows down to the Spokane river. Unbelievable amount of water coming through this small dam. Taken with a Sony NEX 5 with Canon 28/2.8 LTM lens @ 1/400, ISO 200, ~f8.

kitty napping

2011-01-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

Taken with a Sony NEX-5 with Jupiter-3 Sonnar type 50/1.5 lens with adapters. Exposure: ISO 800, f1.5, 1/40th.

Gingerbread house with Sony NEX 5, Jupiter 3 50/1.5 lens

2010-12-19T23:19:00.000-08:00

This gingergread house photo was taken with a Sony NEX 5, with a Jupiter-3 50/1.5 lens @ 1.5 with Leica to NEX adapter.

The shutter was 1/160th, at ISO 800. Distance was about 2 feet (lens was modified for closer focus).

The photo is uncropped, but by getting this close, the DOF is very shallow, with sharpness quickly falling off above and below around the middle of the angled roof.

Slate sleeping like a seal

2010-11-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Leica M8, with Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph @ 1.4, ISO 640, 1/60th.

deep snow

2010-11-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

First snow (that's sticking) in 2010. Leica M8 with Summilux 35/1.4 @ f2, 1/4000, ISO 160.

Apples in Greenbluff!

2010-11-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

This photo was in early October from one of the Greenbluff growers farm stores where we get pumpkins. It was taken with a Hexar AF, with fixed 35/2 lens, and very old Kodachrome 25 which expired in 1990.

San Francisco in the fog

2010-09-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

Leica M6, Summicron 35/2 ASPH, out of a clean window. Fuji 400 film.

Palouse falls

2010-09-02T22:31:00.000-07:00

This waterfall drops about 200 feet into a round basin, surrounded by wheat fields in Eastern Washington. Taken with a Leica M8 with 50/1.4 Summilux @ f4, 1/750, ISO 160.

lone duck taking off

2010-08-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

Leica M8 with 50/1.4 pre-asph v2 E43 @ 1.4. 1/4000, ISO 160

Slate being squeezed

2010-08-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

Fuji f50, 1/4 second, f5.1, 1/400, 109mm equiv. 35mm fl.

Palouse wheat fields

2010-08-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

near Pullman, WA. Taken with a Leica M8 with M-Hexanon 28/2.8 lens @ f5.6, 1/1500, ISO 160.

kitty in infrared

2010-08-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Kitty is an orange striped tabby. But here, in near infrared, he is all white. Taken with a Leica M8, Canon LTM 28/2.8 lens @ 2.8, with Hoya R72 filter. Exposure was 2.8, 1/8th, ISO 1250.

kitties resting - ISO 2500 with Leica M8

2010-08-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Leica M8 usually isn't recommended for ISO 2500, it's highest setting, for color images, but sometimes it works fine. This was at ISO 2500, 1/180th, with a Summilux 50/1.4 pre-asph @ 1.4.

kitty resting alone

2010-07-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

M8, 75/1.4 summilux @ 1.4, 1/45th, ISO 640.

slate resting on tail

2010-07-26T23:53:00.000-07:00

Slate is resting with his head and paw on his long tail. Kitty may be out hunting. M8 with Summilux 75/1.4 @ 1.4. 1/500th, ISO 640.

kitty and slate napping

2010-07-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

M8, Summilux 35/1.4 @ f2, 1/125, ISO 320.

river in a valley

2010-07-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

in Glacier National Park. M8 with M-Hexanon 28/2.8 @ 5.6, 1/500, ISO 160.

white bridge

2010-07-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Bridge in the Japanese garden. Leica M8 with 35/1.4 Summilux pre-asph @ 5.6, 1/125, ISO 640.

deer across the street

2010-07-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

a pretty blurry shot from across the street at dawn, taken with a Fuji F72EXR at 1/6th, f5.6, ISO 800.

bridge in Japanese gardens

2010-07-10T17:52:00.000-07:00

This was taken with an Olympus Pen EE2 1/2 frame camera from the 1960s. Walgreens 200 color negative film.

melting glaciers

2010-07-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

There's a waterfall on the left, and the road below is the Going to the Sun road. Still on the west side of Glacier National Park. Light is getting harsh. M8 with CV 21/4 @ f8, 1/125, ISO 160.

mission mountain tribal wilderness, mt

2010-07-06T00:55:00.000-07:00

South of Kalispell and Flathead Lake. M8 with M-Hexanon 28/2.8 @ f5.6, 1/1500, ISO 160.

a valley between glaciers

2010-07-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

M8, CV 15/4.5 @ f8, 1/360, ISO 160.

Kalispell, Montana

2010-07-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

Just north of downtown on Main St. M8, M-Hexanon 28/2.8 @ 5.6, 1/3000, ISO 1250.

Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park

2010-07-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is from the shore on the west side, near Apgar Village. Early light, but starting to get harsh, just before noon. Soon the water would look greener, and the skies less blue, but still very pretty. Taken with a Leica M8, CV 21/4 lens @ f8, 1/360, ISO 160.

on a mission

2010-06-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Canon A550, 1/25, f2.6, ISO 400.

Hanford B Reactor control panel

2010-05-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

During the Hanford B Reactor's long tenure (1944 to 1968), this area was one of the only positions where you could sit and monitor various states of the reactor, although the whole room was filled with racks of analog gauges, plotters, screens, and controls.

Italian Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi sat here when the B Reactor went crititical in September, 1944. His office was on the other side of the small monitoring room.

The red lever at the far right of the frame is where the reactor could be shut down, if needed. It was covered with a plastic case, after an accidental leaning on the lever caused a shutdown.

Taken with a Leica M8, and Canon 28/2.8 ltm lens.

kitty dreaming

2010-05-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

An earlier version of this frequently updated cat behavior page: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/whydo.html mentioned that one of the indications of a cat being in deep sleep and dreaming is when their mouth is slightly open.

Taken with the Leica M8, Summilux 75/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/180, ISO 640.

spring trees

2010-05-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

another with the ultra wide CV 15/4.5.

wide angle

2010-05-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Leica M8 with Cosina Voightlander CV 15/4.5 ltm lens. 1/250 @ f5.6, ISO 160.

spring!

2010-05-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Leica M8, Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph.

Slate

2010-04-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Just past his first year - almost full grown. Leica M8, 50/1.5 Jupiter-3 lens @ 1.5, ISO 320, 1/250.

Native American

2010-04-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Epson R-D1 with Canon 28/2.8. ISO 800, 1/60th.

eating udon in tokyo

2010-03-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

Chris is eating Udon in Tokyo. Photo was taken with a Fuji F50 camera at f2.8, ISO 400, at 1/4 second.

Copyright 2010 by Chris M. All rights reserved.

poached fuji apple

2010-03-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

with Sorbet, at Beverly's in Coeur d'Alene, ID. Delicious! Taken with a Leica M8 with CV 40/1.4 lens @ 1.4, ISO 640, 1/22.

barn in morning fog

2010-03-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

This image was used for a recent print swap. Was taken in the morning during heavy fog, with an Epson R-D1, with Canon 28/2.8 ltm lens. 1/388th, ISO 200.

Focus Shift testing the Leica Summilux 35/1.4 pre asph lens

2010-03-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

This blog entry is a summary of my testing results of a Leica Summilux 35/1.4 lens for focus shift, as well as focusing accuracy at 110 cm. This lens is no longer available new, but has quite a following for delivering "Leica Glow" (mainly veiling flare, but a magic dose of it...) wide open, as can be seen in the photo. Compare it with the images at F2 and smaller at the link below.

My Summilux is a black one made around 1983 in Canada. Since then it has been CLA'd by Golden Touch, where it was also sent off to Leica engineers in Solms, Germany, for proper focus collimation using specialized equipment for adjusting the Summilux lenses for focusing accuracy throughout all apertures.

A common issue with these older lenses that haven't been cleaned recently is excessive haze and flare, which obscures the "Leica Glow" and while this can sometimes create interesting effects, it limits the usability of the lens, especially wide open.

I tested the lens on with a Leica M8, on a tripod, at apertures of 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, and 8. I used a distance of 110 centimeters from the digital sensor of the M8, to the middle red Cheez It box 110 cm away, and used both tape measures, and electronic laser and ultrasonic devices to ensure the distance from sensor to the focal points indicated were accurate and square. Three additional boxes were placed to the right, and to the left of the 110 cm box. To the right of the Cheez It box, each box was successively 4.0 cm closer to the digital sensor, resulting in boxes at 106cm, 102cm, and 98cm respectively. To the left of the Cheez It box, each box was successively 4.0cm behind, at distances from the sensor of 114cm, 118cm, and 122cm respectively.

The first thing I needed to do after ensuring everything was square, and distances were accurate, was to focus accurately on the Cheez It box, using focus bracketing, where the patch for the "110 cm" marker is. The reason for focus bracketing, especially with a rangefinder and manual focus lens, is to ensure that your lens is spot on focus, regardless of what your rangefinder or scale distance indicator is showing. With older lenses like the pre-asph Summiluxes, there is usually a pretty long focus throw, sometimes 180 degrees from minimum focus to infinity. An exception is the last 50/1.4 pre-asph Summilux with the E46 sized filter ring, and 0.7 meter focus capability which has a quick 120 degree focus throw. While a long focus throw can ensure more accurate focusing capabilities, it is also possible to slightly rotate the focus ring, without seeing any change in the viewfinder. This is why examining the results highly magnified, with focus bracketing is essential for testing for accurate focus, focus shift, and indirectly resolution and sharpness. When users see "soft" images, they often assume that the lens is not as sharp as another lens. This may be the case, especially in corners versus centers of images, but is also often the result of a slight mis-focus due to the lens, camera, or user's focusing capabilities.

The results, or all of the images, which are posted here, show that the focus shift for the Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph, is negligible when changing apertures from 1.4, to 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, and 8, and that depth of field increases as expected for a 35mm F1.4 lens. Some other observations show that at 1.4, the image has "Leica Glow" and possibly less center and edge resolution compared with apertures at f2 to f8.

The next lenses I plan to test for focus shift will probably be the a rebuilt Former Soviet Union Jupiter 8 50/2 lens, as well as the big, big brother to this Summilux 35, the Summilux 75/1.4 lens.

cats resting

2010-02-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

Slate is almost one year old, and is getting along well with Gilligan most of the time. Taken with a Leica M8, with an old Leica 50/2 Collapsible Summicron from about 1954. Settings were ISO 640, 1/180, F2, focusing from about 1 meter on the cats right ears.

raccoon tail

2010-02-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

We got this raccoon tail last summer at an Native American Powwow in Idaho. We didn't know if the cats would like it, but Slate does. He sometimes puts it on the dry food dispenser when he's not playing with it. Gilligan doesn't care much for it. Slate has never hunted and has probably never seen a raccoon, so it's interesting that he seems to like it.

Taken with a Leica M8 and Pentax 43/1.9 Special LTM lens @ 1.9, 1/30th, ISO 640

side by side

2010-02-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

Kitty and Slate. M8 with Pentax 43/1.9 Special LTM lens @ 1.9, 1/16th, ISO 640.

misty mountain morning

2010-02-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

M8 with ltm Hexanon 50/2.4 @ 2.4, 1/60th, ISO 320, through a double paned window.

Gillligan waiting for a belly rub

2010-02-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

Taken with a Leica M8 with a Jupiter 8 50/2 lens @ F2. 1/45th, ISO 640.

Slate on his favorite chair

2010-02-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

Taken with a Leica M8 in b/w mode, with a Konica Hexanon ltm 50/2.4 collapsible lens @ 2.4. 1/45th, ISO 1250.

Slate on his favorite blanket

2010-02-09T22:03:00.000-08:00

Taken with a Leica M8, with a Jupiter 8 50/2 Sonnar lens @ F2. 1/16th, ISO 1250.

Zivity.com - Websites for Middle Aged Folks #1

2010-02-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Occasionally I diverge from just posting my photos here, and post reviews of gear, sites, or video interviews with interesting people like this video interview last August with Musician and Guitarist Ed Degenaro, and I now plan to occasionally review websites that might be under the radar, but are interesting, or on the cutting edge of doing things a new way.

In the first of a series of reviews of “Websites for Middle Aged Folks” I’d like to review the Photography and Art site called Zivity.com, which was founded in 2007 by Cyan Banister and her husband Scott.

I don’t know a lot about Zivity.com, but browsing through the site briefly, I’ve noticed several things that are unique and could be potentially very interesting to subscribers, as well as the artists creating content for the site, and getting paid by Zivity, which includes photographers, models, as well as other artists.

Since the site contains mature content, you might want to check it out at home before making it your home page at work… The content is of very high quality, and unlike other sites with this kind of content, there are no annoying pop ups or spyware ads.

Zivity’s business model appears to support a niche of mature and advanced photography and other artwork, that may not be optimal for the photo galleries of social networking sites, or general photo sites like Flickr. Images and galleries displayed on Zivity must meet Zivity’s very reasonable quality and content guidelines, which include model releases and age confirmation documentation. Zivity makes revenue by selling subscriptions to site visitors, which will allow for Zivity to pay royalties back to the artists based on Zivity’s rating system of images and galleries.

The site appears to be targeting the over 18 Gen X/Y crowd, but like Facebook, may ultimately find that the majority of its subscribers are graying Baby Boomers.

Some of the unique things I’ve seen at Zivity.com are that while the content is clearly controlled by Zivity, the model must approve all images. This makes it safer for the models and photographers, and is the first instance of a site that I’ve heard of where the model has this level of control of the content.

The above are all just assumptions right now. I plan to do a video interview with Cyan soon, and to also bring along my Leica M6 and M8 with Summilux 35/1.4, and Summilux 75/1.4 with some Tri-X and Portra film, and possibly one of my last rolls of Kodachrome.

I am looking forward to following up this blog post with a video interview with Cyan, and with a photo gallery of my photo shoot with Cyan on Zivity.

In the meantime, Zivity is providing some free 30 day trial accounts, with no need to submit a credit card. Send an email to temphoto@zivity.com to receive an invite.

Below are some of my favorite photos of Cyan from her Facebook and Flickr albums. I think she also has some albums of her own on Zivity, with her as both photographer, and model. Be sure to check it out.

Before becoming an entrepreneur and model, Cyan worked rebuilding heater cores for Ford vans! (Photo by Matt Ranney) The last two photos were taken by Icka Boo.

holding paws

2010-01-31T19:20:00.000-08:00

Slate and Kitty resting. Taken with M8, Summilux 35/1.4 @ 1.7 (click between 1.4 and 2), 1/11th, ISO 1250.

white sky

2010-01-29T09:27:00.000-08:00

Sun behind a tree. Taken with a Leica M8 with Hexanon 50/2.4 collapsible ltm lens, 1/2000, ISO 160.

Slate napping and peeking

2010-01-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

Slate was sleeping, but is opening his eyes slightly. Taken with an Epson R-D1 with CV Nokton 40/1.4 lens @ 1.4. Note the "double line" bokeh on the right pillow, which is a bit distracting. Taken at 1/48th, ISO 800. Min. focus distance (~ 0.7m), focus is on left ear.

Kitty scaling the fence

2009-12-30T00:06:00.000-08:00

Kitty can climb over most any fence. Here he is climbing on top of a 6 ft. fence. Taken with a Leica M8 in b/w mode with Canon 28/2.8 lens with Walz green filter. 1/360, ISO 640.

Rorschach blot

2009-12-27T02:38:00.000-08:00

Another interesting frozen puddle pattern. M8 with Canon 28/2.8, 1/6, ISO 640, Hoya R72.

stripeless Kitty

2009-12-27T02:34:00.000-08:00

Kitty losing his stripes again! M8 with Canon 28/2.8, 1/11, ISO 640, Hoya R72.

cold afternoon walk

2009-12-27T02:31:00.000-08:00

M8 with Canon 28/2.8, 1/45, ISO 640, Hoya R72 filter.

cold day with Kitty out

2009-12-27T02:18:00.000-08:00

Kitty is in purple. Taken with M8, and Canon 28/2.8 lens with Hoya R72 IR filter. 1/22, ISO 320.

3d-ish ice puddle

2009-12-27T02:01:00.000-08:00

Another interesting frozen puddle. M8 with Summilux 35, 1/90th, ISO 320.

ice pattern

2009-12-27T01:55:00.000-08:00

About 20 deg. F. The ice puddle is smooth on top, and layered, but would likely crush if stepped on. Taken with Leica M8, and Summilux 35/1.4 lens. 1/180th, ISO 320.

another view going down the hill

2009-12-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

from the tower. Some small islands in the other direction. 1/1000, ISO 160.

looking up at the tower

2009-12-23T20:54:00.000-08:00

from the base. M8, CV 15/4.5. 1/360, ISO 160.

smaller islands

2009-12-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

seen from the top of Orcas Island. Taken with the M8, CV 15/4.5 @ 1/500, ISO 160.

Tower at the top of the park

2009-12-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

From the top, it overlooks several surrounding islands around Orcas. Taken with the M8, CV 15/4.5 @ 1/500, ISO 160. A bit of lens flare can be seen on the left side of the tower.

pier on a lake on an island

2009-12-23T20:37:00.000-08:00

Leica M8 with CV 15/4.5, 1/750th, ISO 160.

Later in the day we saw a man catch a small fish on this pier, while pedaling a boat around the lake.

yellow flower

2009-12-23T20:33:00.000-08:00

M8 with Cosina Voightlander 15/4.5 framed with external viewfinder (21mm). 1/60th, ISO 160.

2 chairs

2009-12-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

Leica M8 with CV 15/4.5. 1/125, ISO 160.

Gingerbread house

2009-12-20T22:07:00.000-08:00

Taken with Leica M8, with Summilux 50/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/90th, ISO 320.

Kitty grooming Slate

2009-12-20T19:48:00.000-08:00

Taken in black and white with a Leica M8, with Summilux 35/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/11th, ISO 1250.

below freezing in infrared

2009-12-12T22:10:00.000-08:00

About 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 deg. C). Taken with a Leica M8 with M-Hexanon 28/2.8 lens @ 2.8. 1/60th, ISO 640, with Hoya R72 filter.

Kitty loses stripes and turns white

2009-12-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

With a Hoya R72 near infrared filter, Kitty appears to be white instead of orange, and to have lost his stripes. Taken with a Leica M8, Summilux pre-asph 35/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/16th, at ISO 640.

Slate and Kitty conserving heat

2009-12-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Leica M8 with Summilux 50/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/45th, ISO 640.

film portrait of Slate sleeping

2009-12-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Taken with a Leica M6 with Summilux 75/1.4 @ 1.4. Film was Kodak Portra 100.

Slate's "open eyes"

2009-11-29T01:49:00.000-08:00

Slate is sleeping in this photo with his new blanket, and his real eyes can't be seen. However, he has a pair of oval shaped patterns above his real eyes that are always open, which might serve to ward off potential predators if he were in the wild.

We think Slate is mostly a Tabby/American Shortail mix, but when looking through some cat encyclopedias, he also has some traits of a Bengal tiger or cat, including a very long tail.

Taken with a Leica M8 in low-light, b/w, with a Summilux 35/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/500, ISO 1250.

Gilligan sleeping

2009-11-29T01:34:00.000-08:00

Gilligan also sleeps a lot, but less than Slate, and is rarely found in a deep sleep. He needs to go outside every day or else he creates big fusses and messes.

The slightest noises will wake Gilligan up, or at least cause him to open one eye a bit, while Slate often remains in a deep sleep.

Gilligan is an avid hunter, and has brought at least one bird back to the house. Both Gilligan and Slate show the natural cat instincts, but as kittens, Gilligan tended to play harder, more agressively, and bite a bit more than Slate.

Taken with a Leica M8, Summilux pre-asph 35/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/45th, ISO 640.

Slate sleeping

2009-11-29T01:13:00.000-08:00

Like most young cats, Slate sleeps about 14 hours a day. He's getting larger, but is not quite 1 year old yet. He doesn't go outside daily like Gilligan, but he's starting to get curious about the outdoors and always greets and sniffs Gilligan upon his return.

Taken with a Leica M8 with Summilux pre-asph 35/1.4 @ F2, 1/1000, ISO 160.

dark dinner table

2009-11-08T21:04:00.000-08:00

Dinner table at the Campbell house. Leica M8 with 35/1.4 Summilux @ 1.4. ISO 2500, 1/60th.

Slate on his new blanket

2009-10-31T16:44:00.000-07:00

M8 with Summilux 50/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/22nd, ISO 640.

shelter

2009-10-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

CV 21/4 @ 5.6, ISO 320, Leica M8, 1/30th.

fall colors

2009-10-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Leica M8, CV 21/4 @ F5.6, 1/90th, ISO 160.

Aimee Mann with 3 piece band

2009-10-10T23:32:00.000-07:00

Meg and I really enjoyed seeing Aimee Mann in a 400 seat place with 2 other band members, Jamie Edwards, and Jebin Bruni. Aimee sang, played guitar, bass and recorder, and Jamie and Jebin played a variety of pianos, synths, bass, guitars and percussion.

They really sounded great as a 3 piece band, and Aimee's vocals were excellent. The 2nd half consisted mainly of audience requests. Was great to hear many familiar tunes sung and played a bit different from the records.

Photo was taken with a Leica M8, Summilux 75/1.4 @ f2, ISO 160, 1/125th.

slate on the sofa

2009-10-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Taken with Kodak Portra UC100 film, and a Hexar AF @ f2, 1/30th.

kitty yawning

2009-09-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

M8 with Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph. 1.4, ISO 2500, 1/250th.

kitty in motion

2009-09-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

Taken with the M8 and Summilux 75 @ 1.4, ISO 320, 1/15th.

コロッケ (Korroke) photo and recipe

2009-09-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

コロッケ (Korroke) recipe by Akiko, Meg, and Chris:

Photo taken with a Leica M8, and Summilux 75/1.4 @ f2.

When I was in Japan, these were usually flat and oval, like McDonalds has browns. But here they are often made round, but with similar ingredients.

For the sauce, I like hot Spiracha red sauce, but ketchup, and Honey BBQ sauce are good too.

Ingredients:

About 6 medium-sized potatoes
½ cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup Morning Star Meal Starter
½ cup green peas
½ cup corn
Salt & Pepper; just a little
3 cups bread crumbs
2 eggs plus some egg beater
1 cup flour
Barbecue sauce, ketchup, or Spiracha hot sauce

Serves 3-4

Directions:

1. Wash the potatoes & put them in a pot with lots of water. Cook until the potatoes are soft enough to mash. About 30 min.
2. Drain & peel the skin off the potatoes. Mash the potatoes very well until completely smooth.
3. If you want, add a little salt & pepper.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the onions & fry them with the meal starter.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix the potatoes, onions, meal starter, green peas, & corn very well.
6. Roll the コロッケ into small golf-ball sized balls & smooth all the cracks.
7. Put the flour, egg (well whisked), and bread crumbs into 3 separate bowls.
8. Dip/cover the potatoes in flour, then dip them in the egg & completely cover them, then cover the potatoes with bread crumbs.
9. Deep fry the potatoes in Canola oil until the potato is light brown.
10. Remove excess oil, and serve them hot, with appropriate sauces.

*Notes:
The potatoes need to be mashed very well, without any chunks.
You can change what vegetables are put into the potato, but it has to be small. Don’t put in too many ingredients, or it will break when they’re fried.

foliage, building w/ IR filter

2009-09-12T00:33:00.000-07:00

1/380th, f1.4, ISO 640 with Hoya R72 filter.

another IR photo

2009-09-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

M8, 50/1.4 @ 1.4, 1/500, ISO 640.

late summer leaves

2009-09-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

Taken with M8, Summilux 50/1.4 with R72 IR filter @ f1.4, 1/22, ISO 640.

striped kitty

2009-09-12T00:19:00.000-07:00

resting on a spotted blanket.

cats on the ledge

2009-09-12T00:17:00.000-07:00

Gilligan and Slate, resting.