Darren Holloway

Click on this self portrait for larger view via Flickr. Click on “Original Size” for 10 megapixel file and look deeeepppply into my eyeeeessss….

The story of the picture:

1. Discover that my Canon 5D Mark 2 can output to my television set.
2. Put macro lens on camera. Set for manual focus.
3. Put pillow on chair. Put chin on pillow.
4. Focus camera while looking at television.
5. Take off glasses without moving
6. Click shutter to take picture

This was the best of the approximately 50 times I tried. It is hard to keep your head perfectly still. And my eyeball is still out of focus – the photo appears focussed about 4-5 millimeters in front of my eyeball.

Of course, what’s really creepy is how much the human pupil resembles a sea anemone…

Today, there’s a about a month until I leave for my Japan trip.

When I tell people I’m going, they ask “Where are you visiting and for how long”, I reply “I don’t know.” This always seems to lead into confusion.

Going to Japan has been at the back of my mind for about five years, but last year, seeing some photos of the Sakura (Cherry trees) in full bloom made me decide that a good goal for a trip would be to photograph Sakura. So I decided I would fly to Japan in the Spring of 2009, and follow the blossoms.

And therein lies the problem; Trees are extremely bad at keeping to human schedules – they bloom when they blooming well feel like it.

Fortunately, Cherry Blossom season is a big thing in Japan; so much so, that the country’s meteorological agency publishes forecasts of when the flowers will be blooming in different regions of Japan. As of today (16 Feb/09), they still don’t have the 2009 forecasts posted. According to my web-research, the first one is generally published between mid-February (now) and the beginning of March.

Add onto this that I’m really bad at sticking to dates when traveling. If I find somewhere I really like, I like the freedom to stay a few extra days. If I pass an interesting-looking place on the train, I like the freedom to back-track and just add it to my itinerary.

However, I do have a preliminary list of places I think I want to go… Some may get pruned, some may get added, but this is my “basic plan” at this point:

1. Okayama
2. Himeji
3. Kyoto
4. Kanazawa
5. Matsushima
6. Kinkasan
7. Tokyo

This morning, when I woke up, I decided to go back to sleep. Then the next time I woke up, I noticed the sunlight streaming into the room and thought “Dagnabbit, I’m going back to bed again even if I sleep until noon.”

Then I woke up. At 5:40 a.m. I’d been dreaming of waking up and going back to sleep. But now I actually am going back to bed.

Unless this post is also a dream; in which case, what are you doing in my dream?

A few weeks ago, my Dad said “Hey, you’re this big shot photographer – why are there no new photos of you?”

Well, because I’m not big on self portraits. Fortunately, my friend Larry is turning into an even bigger photo geek than me, and he occasionally catches me at dances… Granted, he was probably taking a picture of the cute girl, and I just happened to be dancing with her ;)

A brief timeline of my new camera, a Canon 5D mark II:

Fall 2006: “Canon must be introducing a replacement for the 5D this year – it’s already 18 months old! — Darn, they didn’t.”

Spring 2007: “Canon must be introducing a replacement for the 5D this year – it’s already 24 months old! — Darn, they didn’t.”

Fall 2007: “Canon must be introducing a replacement for the 5D this year – it’s already 30 months old, and they’ve replaced every other camera in their digital line-up already. — Darn, they didn’t.”

Spring 2008: “Canon must be introducing a replacement for the 5D this year – it’s already three years old, and they’ve released two successive cameras in the consumer line — Darn, they didn’t.”

Sept 25, 2008: Canon announces the replacement for the 5D; expected to ship end of November.

Sept 26, 2008: I place my pre-order on Amazon.com; note I did this one day after the announcement.

Nov 25, 2008: Rumour has it the camera has been delayed and will become available in December.

Dec 5, 2008: First J-Random-Person on the Internet posts “I got mine!”

Dec 12, 2008: I email Amazon to find out when mine will be shipped. They say February 11. Auugh! Remember, I ordered it within 24 hours of it being announced!

Dec 23, 2008: Driving down to Palm Springs for xmas, I stop at a Best Buy near Gilroy, and they say their Pasadena store has one camera left.

Dec 23, 2008: Pasadena store doesn’t have any left. Darn.

Dec 23, 2008: Check email; “Your camera has been shipped from Amazon.com. Expected delivery is Dec 26th.” Auugh! I’m 540 miles away! But at least I didn’t end up buying one in Pasadena and getting one shipped. I guess there is a silver lining.

Dec 26, 2008: UPS tries to deliver to my office, which is closed. Auugh!

Dec 28, 2008: Back in Sunnyvale, I spend a very frustrating half-hour trying to figure out what magic incantation I have to say to UPS’ automated voice-operated telephone system, I finally get ahold of someone, and they change my shipment from “next delivery attempt Jan 5th” to “Hold for pickup.”

Dec 28, 2008: I pick up my new camera, and spend 3 hours reading the instruction manual while waiting for the battery to charge.

Dec 30, 2008: Since I received the camera, it’s managed to attract a new tripod, new flash, and new lens. Auugh, my Visa bill!

Darren is now happy.

Starbucks after the sun has set. 1/30 at f/4, ISO 6400, Canon 24-105 f/4 L lens

Picture of a dog. 1/30 at f/4, ISO 400, Canon 24-105 f/4 L lens