Four Distractions for You

Well, it looks like I'm taking a small unscheduled break, without, at first, intending it.

On Wednesday, purely as an indulgence and as a way of distracting myself from what has become The Great Wait (for the incompetent States, I want to add, but don't be snarky, Mike, don't be snarky), I started writing a post called "How to Buy a Pool Table." That would have been for "Open Mike," the "often-off-topic Editorial page of TOP," which I try to post on Wednesdays.

At the same time, the weather turned nice. We have had almost nothing but rain here for three weeks, although there was one sunny warm day and one snowfall, our first wintry day of this year. (The light was wonderful that day.) Tuesday was another warm sunny day, so I also distracted myself by working a lot. I have a balcony porch in the back of the house that was actively decaying and sorely needed attention, and I used the nice weather to finish all the repairs on that and to get two coats of stain on it. Then I mulched leaves till dark. Mulching leaves is a good enough way to clean them up—I have a riding mower and a push-mower, and the push-mower is the one that has the mulching blade on it—but I need dry weather to do it! Can't mow leaves in the rain.

And the good weather, like the Great Wait, has continued. Despite two days of working on it (in between bouts with the paintbrush and the lawnmower), I have not been able to finish the pool table post—in fact, I'm not even half done with it, such that I could post it as a "Part I." Today the weather report is for 68°F (20°C) and sun all day, so I'm going to get ambitious—I'm going to try to get a coat of stain or two on my back deck. Which is pretty extensive, as it includes the wooden walkway to the barn and pool shed (I need a name for the pool shed. Maybe I can mull over that as I work).

In case you're looking to me for your distraction, I'll pass along these links sent to me by various readers:

Chris Killip 1946–2020. Photo by Kent Rodzwicz.

—Chris Killip, the British documentary photographer best known for his work among the lower classes in the north and later a Harvard professor, died of lung cancer on October 13th. Here's an obituary from Harvard that includes examples of his work.

—Darin Boville, a TOP reader, has written an extensive two-part review of Rebecca Senf's Making a Photographer: The Early Work of Ansel Adams (here's the book on Amazon—I only provide a purchase link to it because Darin doesn't. By the way after an abrupt break I am apparently an affiliate again, to my great relief). Darin is a new blogger and could use some eyes. Becky Senf is Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson, one of the premier institutions in the U.S. in the field of photography. CCP holds Ansel's extensive archives.

—I still haven't gotten around to watching "Bokeh is overrated," a video on YouTube, though several readers thought I should. You're on your own with this one. I suspect I might agree with some of what the makers have to say. I will try to get around to watching this someday.

—New Lumix S 85mm—I suspect I'm like a Pavlov's dog with regard to 35mm and 85mm lenses. They just trigger the endorphins. A recent article I read about going to chef school said that some real chefs have only one large and one small kitchen knife (plus perhaps a bread knife), and if that's true then the 35mm and 85mm focal lengths (or equivalents) are my large and small knives. I've been shooting with those two forever. (All of the post about Andrew S. the spice-rack maker was shot with those two lenses, to name just one very typical fer-instance.) Anyway Panasonic has announced a new 85mm prime which, at only 12.5 ounces / 355 grams, seems to go against the recent trend toward larger, heavier lenses.

Now off to work! Miles to go before the sun sets. Hope you find some comfort in distraction yourself, too.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

scott kirkpatrick: "On Killip. I have always liked his photos but knew little of his course in life. Reading up, it turns out that after a few years in the 'big show' in London, he discovered that photography could be pursued for its own sake, and spent the next 10–20 years working out of his caravan with a field camera in dicey places around England. When he concluded that his approach had become dated (in the light of Martin Parr's and Lee Friedlander's hand cameras with attached flash), he accepted a lectureship at Harvard. He stayed for the next 10–20 years, becoming Harvard's Carpenter Center's equivalent to Richard Benson, a craftsman/artist administering a visual arts program. How's that for a high degree of self-awareness and a soft landing?"

Nigel Voak: "I was sad to see the passing of Chris Killip. Killip was on of that great crop of UK 'documentary' photographers that came out of the UK in the eighties and who now seem to have been forgotten as photographic fashion has shifted to 'conceptual' photography."

Dan Jansenson: "Regarding Chris Killip, a very nice article, with several links, was published in the Guardian."

Comments

[MikeR]

A run of nice weather is not guaranteed, so take advantage when it occurs. I'm doing the same.

Now, about these "incompetent States." What is incompetent about methodically counting all mailed in or dropped off ballots, especially when the State efforts to begin counting early have been repeatedly blocked by entities with a vested interest in NOT counting those same ballots?

In Philadelphia, a pair of armed men who drove up from Virginia were arrested this morning for their attempt to attack the PA Convention Center, where a large ballot-counting operation is underway, and also is live-streamed.

[Albert Smith]

Just watched the Bokeh video. Ironically, I've been toying with buying the new 7Artisans 35mm f/.95 lens for my Fujis. This is stupid... I've just bought the Fujifilm 35mm f/1.4 a short time back and am 100% happy with it. That f/.95 is like a drug, and who could be happy with f/1.4?

The video was made with fully disclosed procedures, including variables so that the group of non photographers could give their opinions without prompting or hinting about what was being tested. As a person that does know about D-O-F and aperture, I disagreed with a couple of the winning images, but what do I know.

Anyhow, I do believe that I'll stick with the f/1.4 Fujifilm lens. Heck, I might even see how it looks at f/2.

[Dori]

"for the incompetent States"

I know you probably don't want to get into more politics, but that's incorrect. It wasn't incompetence, but a deliberate play by one party to delay the vote results. For anyone interested, you can Google Philadelphia Inquirer article about it. There are clear and easy ways to do it more quickly, it doesn't require a genius, but it does require the political parties in charge to want to do it.

[Rainer Dempf]

And what would be the lens equivalent to a bread knife?

[Patrick Dodds]

Don't me started on 35mm's. I have the Sigma Art 1.4 Nikon fit and it is beautiful, and I have an Oly m4/3 17mm 1.8 (beautiful), a Pana 20mm (not 35mm-e but close enough), and a Nikon 24-70mm 2.8 that of course passes through 35mm perfectly adequately. And yet, here I am, thinking that I should really get the Nikon 35mm 1.8 S because, well, I don't like adapters and I do like the 35mm field of view.

[Peter]

Totally agree! 90 percent of my photos have been taken with equivalents of 35mm and 85mm. As a happy owner of a new EOS R6, I have the Pavlovian response and have requested bi-weekly updates of stocking notification for the equivalent Canon RF lens: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1547012-REG/canon_rf_85mm_f_2_stm.html

[Geoffrey Conklin]

Another take on Bokeh posted recently by Robin Wong in a tribute to the M.Zuiko 85mm f1.8 (with a significant nod to Mike and TOP @ 8:45 of 12 min.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=qbUcLED8qdc

[Malcolm Leader]

I just had a wide-ranging talk with an old buddy I hadn't talked to in many years. We got discussing photography stuff and he mentioned his nephew works on lens design staff for (some camera maker). He said they have developed lenses which use plastic intermediate lenses (leaving glass for the outer elements for durability) that are not only much lighter and cheaper but have superior optical characteristics. He didn't know much else. But, he said, the lensmakers will have none of it. They say "it will never sell". Maybe. Will we see this in our lifetime?

[T. Edwards]

"On Wednesday, purely as an indulgence and as a way of distracting myself from what has become The Great Wait (for the incompetent States, I want to add, but don't be snarky, Mike, don't be snarky)"

This is some harmless snark, but I did want to point out that the remaining states, such as NV, GA, PA are really not doing any worse than most other states - for example CA and NY have still only counted about 90% of their ballots.

The only reason those other states are getting the attention is that their results are close.

[Stan B.]

Chris Killip- one of the good 'uns.

[Benjamin Marks]

Congrats on the repair to your affiliate status. Welcome news, I am sure.

Do you think of 90's as basically the same as 85's? I tend to think of them as so close in rendering as not to matter. Fantastic focal length(s) for portraiture.

At one point, just for fun, I adapted a Leica 90/2.8 R lens to work on Nikon with a Leitax adapter. The images were never really the same. . .Notwithstanding the failure of that experiment, the Nikon 85's are just terrific, in my experience.

[Kodachromenguy]

Oh, oh, Bokeh is back? I do not recall users of Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, Leica, or Tessar-type lenses complaining about bokeh. Nowadays, this must be one of those critically important pseudo-issues like equivalence, dual card slots, cheating on the ISO, monochrome anything, or well depth.

[Well, you're not remembering a lot of history. Group f/64 was named on the principle of "pan-focus," i.e., the use of a small f-stop so that everything would be in focus from front to back. This was a reaction to the Pictorialists, who used soft-focus lenses and lots of blur to create an impressionistic, atmospheric feeling. What's in focus and what's not has always been of concern to photographers. --Mike]

[Bruce Bordner]

Please do write a long, detailed article about buying a pool table. I love to research tempting things like this to realize how much work it is to get right... and give up early.

[Steven Willard]

Seems obvious...it’s the pool house.

[George Andros]

Mike:
I agree with the author. Don't be snarky.
George Andros

[Rob Campbell]

The voting "incompetency" problem comes down to the composition of the nation: it's too divided into states, each jealous of powers to control, unwilling to reach a national consensus of how things might be better done.

That situation reminds me of the drawback to the newer European Union plan that some states here, such as Germany and France have: they seek a tighter political integration than many of the citizens of the individual states are willing to accept. I believe it to be what scared off the thinking part of the Brexit brigade, rather than what did the same thing for the purely xenophobic component of that crowd.

The American way, where it appears to me that one party may be in government but another might hold the actual strings of power to pass legislation seems an absurdity. What's the point of that, when the colour and effectiveness of government can still be held captive by a different slot on the rainbow? That's nothing to do with checks and balances, and everyhing to do with resulting institutional paralysis which does no good for anyone.

From afar, it appears that your Constitution is an outdated set of ideas/ideals that needs radical revision to meet the demands of present-day realities. For a start, it would be nice to see something being done about the sight of armed rednecks wandering the streets... There seems little difference between gangs of armed criminals wandering and driving around, and armed gangs of "patriots" carrying out exactly the same form of intimidation. In fact, as the criminals might at least attempt to keep their guns unseen, the patriots do their damndest to become objects to fear.

So yeah, I believe your exasperation is well grounded.

[JimF]

Bokeh to me seems most critical when you are deliberately trying to isolate the subject. If you focus you attention on the photo's background you've failed. Most decent lenses will do an adequate job. I watched the video and I thought many of the test photos were just poor examples. He was really showing people DOF and not bokeh quality at all. Taken to the extreme, had he used a catadiotric lens everyone would have chosen the high DOF photos over doughnuts.

[Jim Arthur]

Names for the new pool shed: If you will be confounding ALL of your opponents you could co-opt a photography term and call it The Rectangle of Confusion. I’ve been using the original term, Circle of Confusion to describe a style of governance that’s been “popular” here in America during the 21st Century so I hesitate to offer this up as a naming option for a recreational space meant for relaxation. YMMV. A more traditional name might be, The Session Shack, The Billiard Barn or anything that includes words like Arena, Hall, Place or Thunderdome.

The Billiard Barn sounds like a place you might find in Mayberry, North Carolina. A place where Floyd and Goober could hang out after work with their customers. This small town name just might be appropriate for the new home of Penn Yan Slim. :-)

[s.wolters]

Chris Killip was one of the generation of British social photographers I always admired. Like Paul Graham, Martin Parr and Anna Fox I kept collecting their books from the Eighties until today. Except for his work I didn’t know much about Killip, but it’s sad that he’s gone.
—
The guy in the ‘Bokeh is Overrated’ video is sympathetic but completely wrong about what bokeh is. In the first minute he explains that bokeh is about blurry background. Besides that you can also have blurry foregrounds, bokeh is of course about the quality, the character of the unsharpness and not about the quantity, the length of the depth of field. As he goes on he presents some kind of research in which he presents a group of non-photographers a large number of images with blurry blurrier blurriest backgrounds and asks them which they like best. Whatever this research is, it’s not scientific.

Quantity is the new quality. People's opinions are the new facts. Sigh...
—
Suggestions for your pool shed:
1 Pool. So you can sell it in the future as House with Pool.
2 Kensington Gardens
3 Donald J.Trump Mansion

[Clayton]

Carambola Castle?

[robert e]

On another blog, a commenter very cleverly dubbed it "Zeno's vote count"

[JimF]

Break Room of course.