Street Day XPro2 18-55mm
Managed to get out again for an hour in Liverpool, the above shot will always remind me never to fiddle with my camera whilst talking !!! I managed to delete the better frame ! Lesson learned !
The above image had actually been in my head for over five years. I guess the bonus today was the frame filling snow flakes. I always have a few ideas floating around my head for places to shoot and I guess it’s great that McDonalds have not refitted this window for seven or more years.
I really hate the Christmas Markets ! I once did a Street Workshop in Manchester with a small group and two people in the group were from another country. They said what is it with British people buying junk for ten times its value in these markets when you can get it online for a tenth of the price.
Not only is he right but bloody hell the food is expensive and now we have rip off those a ball for a teddy bear you don’t need ! It’s crazy funny and walking around today did make me smile. People have no money but have loads to spare for crap at Christmas! It makes no sense.
I have come to the conclusion that my brain damaged is causing me to miss shots. I don’t shoot the way I used to and my XPro2 and X100F are fantastic but I need a tilting screen to help me frame and compose more quickly !
Not 100% sure what to go for but might try and pick up a second hand XT-30 small light and cheap. I missed a few amazing shots today because I was looking and seeing but not reacting. I need to now try a new method. The last thing I wanted to do was buy another camera but it really does make sense to invest.
Not used the 18-55mm Fujifilm lens for over 5 years or more and forgot just how great it is.
I am still mulling over my 2024 projects and there complications! The Bus Pass project might become a thing ! But we shall see…
Journal 2024 Update
After testing some different pens and inks at last I have found the ones I need and also had a practice at joined up writing again.
The pigment fineliner’s appear to be the way to go for the pen and ink drawings and it looks like the smaller the better ! 0.05 and 0.03 are perfect but as you would expect not cheap and not available in anything but multiple sets of different sizes or expensive singles !
They work well on the test page I took out of my journal and now all I have to do is practice my sketching skills and perfect my writing style for each journal.
I had an extra journal turn up from India on an offer it’s a lot smaller than the others but I am sure it will be put to good use.
2024 can’t come soon enough !
Very exciting..
Journal plan 2024
It’s interesting researching my new Journal project, complicated but interesting.
I was hoping to use the new Apple Journal App but it’s not available until IOS 17.2 and that’s not available until possibly December this year and reviews from the Beta Testers are not promising.
However the Day One Journal App has been established for a long time now and has some amazing features both on Free and Paid versions.
It’s also interesting that with the Day One app you can also print your Journals and that is a really big bonus.
I have to remove a page from one of my analogue ( paper) Journals to test out different pens and make sure my watercolours work on the paper.
Unfortunately my Rotring Pens do not work very well on the cotton press paper so I have had to order some fine liners to take their place.
Starting 2024 I am going to write a Photography Journal mainly about my new projects and a Travel & Art journal to record my travel at the same time including my sketches.
I discovered that all my dip pens and ink don’t work very well on the paper types in my journals. So I brought a very cheap ink pen from Amazon and a bottle of ink. It’s a really lovely pen for the price so will stick with it before I splash out on an expensive pen.
It’s been very interesting practicing joined up writing again ! Last time I wrote with an ink pen was at school !!! So over 50 years ago. It’s quite a learning curve to not use a keyboard and go back to writing. I even had to look on YouTube to work out how to do X Z F etc
Once I get started on the paper copies on 1st Jan 2024 I will share a few ideas thoughts and images.
So far it’s all going well but it’s a bit of a minefield.
Out Out 2
Even though I have been out a couple of times shooting since 2019 I have not been out on my own since my Stroke. This was actually the first time I have been out alone and that’s a huge step in overcoming Stroke Anxiety.
I have been out locally however but it’s not quite the same as jumping on a train or bus or driving anywhere trust me.
The bonus is now I am 60 and live in Merseyside I have a travel pass. So apart from the coffee and cake the travel is free.
I have an idea for a travel project now I have my travel pass but not sure how to proceed with that yet.
I have a few issues still using a camera they way I used to with brain damage, so set my camera up to zone focus but I am not 100% sure about this as I prefer to shoot as wide open as I can. So we shall see.
The images here were all shot on the Fujifilm X100F and edited with Apple Photo Editor only.
I would not normally show a black and white and colour version of an image as I believe it’s up to the photographer to choose their own edit.
I normally shoot for black and white and only show colour if it works with the image story. In the two images below I prefer the black and white image and Jane preferred the colour version. To me the image is all about the girls arm mirroring the manakins arm in the shop window.
I spent a couple of hours out shooting and had coffee with a Street Photographer from London John Hughes.
I have to say it was a lot more relaxing than I expected and I now have a plan to shoot weekly and explore my new project ideas.
So watch this space or my new instagram account @matthartstreet
Autumn
I have always said that Autumn is my favourite time of year.
It used to be summer when I was younger mainly because I used to love riding my Motorcycles on lovely warm tarmac and having BBQs with friends and enjoying some weekend Raves !
I have had some amazing summers with some crazy times with friends, some truly mad times on beaches hidden in woodland and in some abandoned buildings ! Summer Raves really were epic !
But as I have got older and got more in to walking and travel Summer is just too hot most of the time to enjoy ! It would be fine if I was just to sit around and sun bathe but I can’t sit still for 5 min these days.
I hardly ever go away in August especially in School Holidays even though I live in the UK and it hardly ever gets very hot, but anything over 26 degrees is a pain in the arse for sleeping or walking in.
Spring is a funny time of year because you can blink and miss it or not ever notice it happening.
Also I think you are so looking forward to the weather changing you are just wishing for the start of summer ! The last few years it’s almost been like a switch ! Winter then Summer in the blink of an eye !
Winter if cold and crisp can be lovely but I really hate those long wet winters.
Autumn weather can be all over the place but for the last few years September / October weather has been very warm and quite dry.
People always talk about how much it rains in the UK but in 2022 after walking every day for my 10,000 steps a day Project I only got soaked about three times.
It can rain a lot but it’s not as hard or consistent as it used to be, so with planning and better weather forecasting you can plan your day around the weather. Also with modern clothing who cares about the rain it’s just water not Acid !
The colours of Autumn are just amazing and that loverly autumn light is fantastic for Landscape Photography or any type of photography. The harsh summer light has gone and you don’t have to get up so early for sunrise.
The downside to Autumn is once those leaves are off the trees and November hits it’s a bloody long way through winter to get to Spring / Summer !!
What’s your favourite time of year ?
Fujifilm X100 the Original was the best !
X100
I have written about Fujifilm Cameras over and over made videos about them for Fujifilm and YouTube. Now I am retired I still use Fujifilm Cameras and I have not been tempted by anything else except a Leica Mono.
On reflection I moved from Nikon to Fujifilm because of the absolutely amazing sensor in the original X100 and then the XPro1 ! The two cameras I regret selling ! I still keep my eyes open to this day for a bargain X100. The sensors to this day can’t be beaten for creating amazing black and white images and even the colours are very special. The issue was for most photographers the autofocus was pants and the cameras made you slow down and work slowly ! So Fujifilm went with what the majority wanted new faster sensors with faster shutters and better ISO ! The trouble is that left that amazing sensor behind.
I still have a few friends who have X100 and XPro1 cameras and will never sell them. They are just so good. I have an X100F and an XPro2 but don’t have the originals ! I even had new ones and sold them and to this day I am gutted !
When I look back at my work over the last 20 years some of my favourite images have been shot in really bad light and awkward lighting situations on the X100 and XPro1 in fact the XPro1 was the only camera I had on a Venice trip and a few others. Working with Fujifilm I went with the flow of new tec but I can hand on hart say I miss those original sensors !
The versatility in processing was amazing. I love my X100F and my XPro2 but really am thinking about getting my hands on the older models !
We shall see ! I have plenty of projects for 2024 but will keep my eyes open for a good price X100 in the future !
2024 Journal Project / Digital v Analogue
I have always wanted to start a Journal but being Dyslexic and having really bad writing skills and horrendous spelling I just did not want to spoil such loverly paper.
I decided to buy two journals to get started one refillable and one with fixed pages.
Now to explore different inks and fountain pens and nibs to see what works best. The analogue Journals will be for different projects and purposes and transferred from the new Apple Journal App available in December. That way I can practise my pages digitally then transfer the best part of my digital projects on to paper.
I will spend some time getting used to pens and inks before I ruin a journal but at the end of the day it’s all about practice and progression and one big learning curve. It will also leave something for my family when I am gone. These days we don’t leave much behind so this is one of the main reasons to start getting some thoughts on paper.
I will update you on my progress.
If you want a link to the journals let me know.
2023 wow I made it to 60 !
Well I made it to 60 years old ! Lots of Accedent’s a broken back broken arms legs and other fractures a stroke and a few operations.
I always said at 60 I would get rid of Facebook, Twitter and all the time consuming social media and that’s exactly what I have done this month.
Social media used to be a welcome release and fun. Something to do after a stressful day have a laugh and a joke with your friends online. It’s changed beyond recognition to targeted advertising.
So much so you can’t even see what your friends say because the algorithms are just there to mine your data and sell you stuff you don’t need.
Funny thing is I made two new instagram accounts as they are quite good for inspiration. Some people will think it’s mad deleting a large numbers account but it’s bliss as you get less trolls and targeted adverts.
Social media these days is just diabolical, Politics, left wing and right wing rhetoric war and division ! Manipulated to hell to suit someone’s agenda the click bate and fake news is screwing up the western world.
I had always planned to get back into my photography and Art at 60 and to do that I have to get my brain back in to creative mode and ween it off social media !
So far over the last couple of months Jane and I have walked a 58 mile long distance walk and some lovely break’s away from the internet.
It’s been extremely difficult to get my brain to focus on drawing but slowly I am getting there. I’m no where near as good as I was but hopefully with practice I will get there.
I have a rough plan for 2024 it involves a new photography project and a digital and analog journal idea. I am going to keep this blog going until its subscription runs out then see what happens.
I will probably share my journal idea in the future but keep my photography projects secret until they are completed.
Retirement is a complicated beast but the planning is the key !
Back out !
I hardly update this blog anymore and I think I have to renew the subscription in 2024 and just noticed it’s a ridiculous price to renew. So even though I got rid of Instagram I have started a new account @matthartstreet so if you want to follow what I am up to from 2024 then pop on over and find me.
I have removed all social media from my phone and moved all the Apps to my iPad this was always part of the plan when I reached 60 years old.
I am 60 in a couple of months but have been moving the Apps in anticipation !
Social media is a huge time sink and it’s even worse for creativity ! I want to get back in to my painting drawing and photography but social media holds me back by taking away my concentration and destroying my ability to relax and take my time !
However I have opened a Facebook account an Instagram account and I still have my Twitter account I just don’t have them on my phone and will only be checking them at the weekends from October !
One of the main reasons I opened new accounts after 5 years away was because I lost contact with a few friends and also wanted to find some great water colour artists. I was hoping to do it on WordPress but with their ridiculous price increases it’s just not going to happen.
The image about was taken on a day out shooting street with a couple of friends this week. I was invited out by Garath and dragged Chris along. It was the first time since May this year I have been out with my camera so was not expecting much !
I have a long term plan to get back to street photography and get my water colour painting back up to scratch. Watercolour work will come first and the street photography will develop over time.
The good news is at 60 I get a bus pass and 1/3 of rail travel with old persons rail card ! So that opens the gateway to street photography!
It’s all still quite hard work overcoming the Anxiety I have gained from my stroke brain damage but the good news is I am fine on the trains so that’s a bit of a result !
I will still write a few blog posts up until my subscription runs out then we shall see what happens !
New to me Bike
I already own an E Bike but it’s my long distance bike I purchase after my Stroke to get me out and about. I also have back damage from previous motorcycle accident. So purchased my Giant Explore for getting out and about. The downside is just using it for local runs to the shops or in to town. This is mainly because of theft in my area.
So I went to my local bike shop recently to buy a £50 bike to go to the shops on ! Second hand tatty but functional. I ended up spending just under £200 on this beauty ! A Dawes Kara-Kum touring bike ! I know not exactly £50 but wow !
I have just given it a 7 mile test ride and I am over the moon with this second hand purchase ! Absolute bargain and brilliant bike rides like new. Shout out to Bernard Bikes Ltd came with new tyres and two month warranty and all new cables and hand grips etc
When I did my first test ride I realised that all the other bikes I have had before my e-bike have been really crap !!! If I had a bike like this before I don’t think I would have got my e-bike I think I would have just got a really good touring bike like this.
I actually think this bike will get a lot more use than just going to the shops ! It could become my popping out to take photos bike as well ! Watch this space !
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