Testing Nikon lens

Today I had a moment to play with Nikon D80 and it's macro lens. Here are my findings, right from the hotel yard and straight to my blog :) Even if it's 60mm and the minimum length between object and lens is about 14cm, I would prefer sometimes having a little more of distance. I think 70mm could be a good choice, but need to search for an option suitable for my Pentax.

Different San Francisco

We (with my colleague Adomas) have rented a real American car (jeep, of course) and few other days spent driving through SF and it's suburbs. Living this city opened a new horizons full of scenic views of the city and justifying that this place is very similar to French Riviera except for SF city itself. While traveling to Silicon Valley, some truly American stuff was found, but I'll leave it for the next post.


Touristic cable cars, SF

Leaving SF and going near Golden Gate bridge. Touristic place with a nice views to SF and bridge. Here I am :)

A view to Alcatraz

I think everybody knows about Twin Peaks. Do they really know what's that? This picture was taken right from first Peak :)

San Francisco from Twin Peaks

SF from other side of the bay (Golden Bridge on the right)

Golden Gate bridge - the symbol of San Francisco. I also have a typical picture of it and share it with the rest of the world. Also, in SF the fog is very common and the pictures are amazing with the fog going inside the bay through the Golden Gate. However, I got a magnet with the Golden Gate and fog :) But the weather was very sunny all these days, so I really can't complain ;)

Scenic view of SF

Here it's easy to compare the size of the construction - impressive...

This place is about 10 mile from SF, lots of surfers are catching their waves. Reminds of Bay Watch TV series :)

Californian beach

Skyscrapers

After some traveling, I understood that:

1. Indians mostly live in England
2. Chinese mostly live in America
3. Africans mostly live in France

And this is quite understandable if you know some of the world's history. I have a gap to fill within the 2nd statement with my knowledge of history.


The Financial district of San Francisco:

Unexpected impressions

One day has already passed and yesterday evening I had no energy left for any post... And the thing I can say is - WOW! I just love being here! I had so many impressions, that they are overthrilling me. So step-by-step:
1. If I feel save while walking on the streets of EU cities, I feel unsave while walking yesterday. Ok, during the rush hours, it's ok. But the morning and evening - you better don't wanna feel it. Some people trying to ask smth about my camera, somebody standing in the middle of the street and talking with a truck, some black guys with dread and black coat... Overall, in SF there is plenty of poor people on the streets.
2. The first thing I needed to do was to get some cash. Banks didn't offer such service and I was sent to some other 'window', where for 200 eu I was offered 215 $. Do I look that stupid?! So I was asked then how much do I pay :D At the end I got 285 $ offer. But I thought maybe it's better to use ATM (bank machines in USA). Probably they won't cheat :)
3. And lastly, here is a heaven for shopping... I am telling that! I can't image better place for that! You can fing everything you want and at the same time you get super-duper-pupper client service! They are ready to do for you many many things... Just like when you try some shoes on you, they bring you not only other sizes, but also other similar models, that you might like! Also, I did fin a shop I liked really a lot... I haven't any that I would like for about 3 years. Ok, it wasn't dirty cheap as many here ca be, but then I found out that it's from Europe, the designer is from Paris and he's making clothes that his wife would wear. And they are cool :) So I got the pant that are tooo long for me and asked like: what do you offer me to do with that?! And answer was amazing: we don't do this kind of job, but just over the coner there is a tailoring shop, they can do this cheap and maybe even today. So they called them, told that I will come, explained how to get there, left a number of contacts for me not to get lost - that was something! And at the end, when came to the tailor (after 1,5 hour, had met some guy from Israel who was offering me cosmetics :) ), it appeared that tailors are russians, who came from Moldovia about 11 years ago. So they made me a discount as I am russian and left phone number that I could call the girl after her work as they were extremely bussy that moment. The atmosphere there I liked the most, it was real work atmosphere, you could find only needed things for their job to do, nothing else. I can't remember when I saw something like that.
3. So, the guy from Israel... he lives here almost all his life, but his roots are from Europe and Israel. Yeah, we had a nice long chat :) And lots of cosmetics to discover! At the end I got invited to go out with him in the late evening, about 12, but I knew that's will be impossible after a whole day of walking. But that was a nice experience :)
4. When I came here, I spotted that I forgot my special face cream.. And I knew that without it it'll be hard to survive. Buying here something like that was an option, so I found a place with a good choice. The idea that came to my mind when I found, was from the american movie "Friends with money" with Jennifer Aniston (it appears I like her a lot). There she is a poor girl and has to survive. So for the cosmetics, she walked to the stores, talked to sellers about different products and asked for a sample. And so she walked through a number of stores. I did pretty much the same - asked for several samples :)) I didn't pay 40$!
5. Also, I got a heircut! As I was fed up with a long hair and in France it really costs (about 40 eu), I though maybe I should try. So all day long was asking all people I meet about it. Nobody knew as lived outside the city. But when I was wolking near China Town, I spotted small salon wth chinese girls. The price was 24 $. Fair enough... then I traded for 20 $ and got pretty good service and a nice results :) Oh that chip chinese work power... just like from american movies! :D
6. And short but funny-stupid story. I was also searching for infrared filter for my camera. China Town is a good place to search, I thought. At one place I searched, I got a statement: "do you need it for your camera? It suites only for video camera as DSLR has no night photos option." It was kinda Wow... At the end I thought: I am in America and this is an evidence!

And this is still not everything I could tell... Continue with pictures:


American truck, San Francisco


The guy talking to a truck (maybe early morning could explain this..)


Enterance to the China Town


Chinese shop


"Apple world" shop


After the work, Union square


Police car


...which cam for some guys. Actually, 3 police cars.


Bay bridge in the evening

Exploring a western part of the world

The dreams have tendency to come to true, I think many of you know that. It happened so that just recently I woke up in San Francisco just after 12 hour cross-continental flight. I still feel like in a dream actually: strange noises of ambulance from outside, I remember seeing some strange black guys on the streets just like in the movies, taxi driver with a haircut of a provincial American guy and paying him the same money just like in Vilnius I would, but only in dollars. Also I already had an experience with guys working on American border. I appears that mine name was entered with some mistake in their system, so I was sent to another department for verification. Those guys were slightly tougher (just like in movies "just seat down and wait, we'll call ya"). Of course, they were very interested about the reason of my travel, it's business. I am going to give a talk on OASIS symposium in Santa Clara. After hearing this, the guy became extremely interested about what kind of symposium (Information Technology wasn't clear enough... he proved to be real American :) ), what is OASIS (later on he just googled that!), and lastly question about the topic: what is composability about? Wow! I tried my best :D I think he did not understood at the end as he asked: so you are using the same programming language? Ooh... Whatever... At the end I wasn't identified as a person that would stay in the United States.

So, now I have 7 o'clock in the morning and one thing that I want to do the most of all is to visit some shops with photo equipment :)

Zmoniu gyvenimo tendencijos

Kazkaip pastaruoju metu i mano galva ateina pasaulinio lygio suvokimas apie zmogaus gyvenima sitame XXI-ame amziuje. Turejau gal jau 2-3 mintis, bet aisku neuzsirasiau ir pamirsau, dabar tik viena tesisuka. Ir siaip, si pavasari kazkaip arba atsimerke akis ant kai kuriu dalyku arba ryskiai uzpuole pisimizmas, kad gyvenimas nebe toks ir fainas atrodo... Visu pirma pradejo slegta ta mintis, kuri vis dar sukasi - is istorijos vadoveliu dar prisimenu apie valdymo sistema kai yra kunigaiksciai (aka bosai) ir vergai (aka darbuotojai). Manau del pirmuju dar galima ginciotis, bet visgi, paemus pasaulinio masto bosus ir kaip klastingai kai kas yra prastumiama zmonem vardan pinigu/pelno, tai kitaip ir nebegali jaustis kaip vergu. Reklama gal butu geriausias pavyzdis, arba literaturinis kurinys, jau isleistas ir filmo pavidalu, "99 frankai" - pakankamai gerai atvaizduoja si reiskini. Aisku dar visokios statistikos yra pateikiama alia "praeitais metais reklamai pasaulyje isleista tiek. O badui pasaulyje numalsinti uztektu vos 10% sios sumos".

Ir siaip, gyvenimas uzsienyje leido pagaliau pradet mastyti pasauliniu mastu. Dabar Lietuva atrodo mazytis taskas zemelapyje, bet tiesiog labai gerai pazistamas man. Pradedi suvoksi Lietuvos pliusus didziuju Europos saliu atzvilgiu tarkim kad Lietuvoje ka nors pakeisti/modernizuoti yra zymiai paprasciau negu Vokietijoj ar Prancuzijoj. Ir taip yra del to, kad mes priprate prie pokyciu, ypac po nepriklausomybes atgavimo. Demokratija dar netapo irankiu, kurio pagalba tauta verstu valstybe priiminetu absurdiskus istatymus, kaip deja yra Prancuzijoj, nors ir letai keiciasi. Tokie pvz. kaip cia - neatitinka siuolaikinio pasaulio mastyma ir nesuteikia pranasumo. Idomi atostogu sistema gal zmones ir vercia geriau jaustis, bet vel gi - kokius nuostolius patyria valstybe/verslas nuo to? Galu gale, zmones ipranta prie tokio gyvenimo ir kazka keisti veliau yra zymiai sunkiau. Palyginimui, Statuose juk yra apie 3 savaites atostogu per metus. Bet spresti kas geriau yra visgi sunku, savo pliusai ir minusai.

Ir dar berods pradedu suprasti viena idomu dalyka, kuris man buvo pasirodes fenomenu. As cia buvau sutikus 2 zmones, kurie praktiskai "isejo" is darbo ir liko namie, atsteis suprast ka gi jie toliau nori daryt. Tas isejimas kaip ir netikslinis, bet dalinai susikloscius aplinkybem, jie panoro iseit. Abu jie yra prancuzai, abu turi Phd laipsniu ir abu dirbo IT srityje. Taigi, apeme juos depresija ar kazkas panasaus ir darbas tapo nebemielas. Tada jie pagalvojo ir sumaste, kad moka mazai, darbas neidomus darosi, tai reikia iseiti ir ieskoti kas gi juos sudomins. Aisku, kaip pas dauguma prancuzu, butinai aplanko mintys apie ukininkavima. Ah, as dar nerasiau - prancuzai gi visgi yra didieji ukininkai! Pas juos tai kraujy yra nuo pat gimimo. Tai pasimato, kai pakeliauji po apylinkes ir dar kai su jais pries tai pabendrauji siuo klausimu. Taigi, griztant prie jaunuju Phd depresijos.. As manau pradedu juos suprasti ir kad realios priezastys yra tos, jog pastangu ideta daug, tikslas (Phd ir darbas) pasiektas, o to rezultatai nera tokie, kuriu tiketasi... Nebera prasmes, nebera tikslo... gerai atlikti darba, o kas toliau? Tas mokslo pasaulis matomai nera toks, kurio jie tikejosi. Atlygis uz issimokslinima neatitinka ju lukesciu. Isgaruoja motivacija, o sh malti darbe tai gi nesinori. Klausimas kas gi su ta motivacija nutinka... Gal zmones pamato realu pasauly uz mokslo istaigu duru ir issigasta..?! Arba tiesiog ne ten papuola, kur jiem reiktu... arba supranta, kad tas Phd buvo tiesiog ju jaunystes svajone...

IR photography

I feel inspired with another new for me photography technique that Roota, a colleague from reach lithuanian photo world, has revealed recently to herself. So, I found a minute when I get tired of everything (the last month was quite busy and nervous) and googled around for a new term "IR photography". Lucky enough, I quickly found some advices for novice in this area and was extremely inspired with several pieces of art 1, 2. Also, as I lately have been thinking about macro photography and possible differences between 50mm macro lens and 100mm macro lens (both are 1:1 macro), I think I found the answers on this site. Technically the difference between these two is the minimum distance between lens and object. I thought like ok, less distance could be better in some way, then to have 50cm distance. The main problem usually becomes your shadow. On the other side, if the objects are insects, the bigger distance matters a lot as insects get scared easily. This is not written in the spec of lens :) However, looks like I didn't manage to understand that earlier while using P&S and was lucky to caught this guy.

moment VS moments

Today while continuing experiments with water, I found out about another method for picturing it. It is possible to capture one tiny moment of water movement or... a whole path of it's movements painted like smooth, blurry curves. Previously (2 years ago) I was trying (with a soap camera) to make the same effect, but I succeed only now.

So, next experiments are going to be with waterfalls?.. and spring is a perfect time for them ;)

French life style

Welcome to 'Bellevue 13', Riviera


French mailbox, Riviera


Summer fence, Riviera