Amputated in Tokyo

After an unforeseen link of non-connected actions I am now sitting camera less sipping my morning coffee in Japan. I'm back in a frozen Tokyo after 2 years finishing off leg #1 of a blue collar project, left with an eerie feeling in my guts knowing that if I shoot something it will be with either a Mamiya 6x6 or a mobile phone. I happen to be one of the few remaining iPhone-less people left (heard that the camera and all the applications are great) and a medium format tripod-needing Mamiya is not an option for how and what I shoot now. How I ended up here like this? First, mirror fell off/out of my secondary 5D shooting for a portrait of a friend (see below, this portrait was one of the last before camera fail. Ended up shooting with his camera the last shots…fubar). Second, Sold my main 5D to a friend in need the day before mirror downer. Third, when back in Thailand my trusted side arm i.e G9 just failed to even start up. All cameras now at Canon center in West Shinjuku here in Tokyo, including the one I sold since it needed a proper clean up as well. I will not have time to pick up since I will return to South East Asia shortly, leaving everything in the hands of a trusted friend to pay and pick up and ship to my next destination (not yet known). This is the first time I am without a camera for 23 years when I got my dads old 35mm SLR gear and began to shoot. To make things even more stressful, the online company I ordered an GX1 kit from (will give the mirror-less micro MFT system a chance) are on holiday and the whole thing is just in messy limbo. Japan is the land of quick handling and fast service, but a new year is lurking so people have decided to put everything on hold and stop the "machine" rolling. Hate holidays, don't have time for them and in this time and age who needs them, I don't?!

Hungry V.S Done

George Town Noodle in thick gravy with mystery meat, shiitake and egg half. Condense-milk laden luke warm coffee to wash it all down…not bad! To know, learn and understand is to eat is to know, learn and understand. Would food critic be a career you think? World wide Blue-collar menus on a shoestring for people off the beaten track...

Guys Growing Up...

A couple of months ago I took some photos of the 4 puppies I feed and shelter down here in Songkhla ( Photos HERE ), been some water under the bridge since then, as in their mother died of poisoning and I gave two away to a client who wanted guard dogs at his work place. Doby, below (named him from that twat character in Harry Potter, look at him!) and the girl stayed. I will be leaving this place shortly so lets see what happens, life can and will mostly play you a bad deck of cards if you are a half stray in this eat or be eaten environment we're in right here in southern Thailand.

Love to wrestle and roll around in the dirt...

Big brother (Deng) is now 15 month old and the supreme Uber ruler in the yard between 5pm and 7am i.e. when I'm home. He knows the rules, chase away people straying in the work yard. One problem though, IF you stop and pat him on the head he is your best friend forever. The Thais never have the balls though...

-mwcp- Proudly Announce

Please don't follow me on twitter or Facebook because I am not on there.

mw

Micro Four Thirds System

Been on the lookout for a proper MFT camera for some time now but living in Thailands backwater hasn't given me too man chances to get my hands on one. Well, going back home to Tokyo in a week and will do daily visits to my local ashram (Yodabashi Camera in West Shinjuku, must be the best camera store world wide. NYC B&H treated me like an Al Qaeda operative).

Almost made a final decision on an Olympus E-P2 but glad I didn't now when some whistleblower came out with the down fall of the company due to insider corruption and money laundering with the Japanese yakuza (hate the bullies), fuck 'em...going with the Lumix GF-1 or GX-1 instead. So my question to you my fellow photographers is ; Does anyone of you have any experience working/shooting with this system or cameras? Worth to haul around on a daily basis and will it be able to take some heavy duty blue collar treatment like I have found out a Canon system will be able to handle? My trusted sidearm Canon G9 is on the mend and will have to go through the hands of the geek wizards at Canon Center (also this in West Shinjuku)for a small fee. Plan to sell of one of my 5D's to a good friend in need and keep the other. Will do a proper check up first of 'em both at Canon center.

Pro's & Con's much appreciated.

Thanks and "Hold Fast"

MonoChrome from the Archives

Stuff from Asia, Europe and North America. The green Jungle to the Urban one, film and digital in a blend with no red line binding the images together except for the guy who say through the view finder and released the shutter in that moment of time. Stuff comes and goes, but a B/W image is rather close to timeless in my view.

Could write a whole lot more about this, maybe another time...

Yard Dogs - Revised

Been here in Songkhla working on my bluecollar project for over one year by now. And since then seen 2 generations (10 puppies in all) either get killed by poison or taken away during the night. Saw on TV that you get about 100 baht (US$3) per puppy, stolen or not, sold to pet stores, street vendors or private homes. Easy money for the slackers down here I am surrounded with.
Of the last generation two remained after 2 month, one disappeared and the other got poisoned. My wife nursed him for three days on our balcony before he died in his sleep. This time we got 7 whereof 4 have survived the tricky first weeks. Law of the nature and only the strong pass evolution, survival of the fittest.
With improved shelter and proper food to make 'em fat and happy we shall see. Being the pack leader, I will train these little ones into K-9 terror/attack freaks, snapping at any little brown guy entering the safe area where I keep 'em…LOL!

Getting used to the dry stuff. Still second to the real deal though.

Didn't have a proper camera, but you get the idea.