Maxime Rousseau » Photography

This Week’s iPhone Pics (9/52)

Maxime Rousseau — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:35:41 +0000

From right to left, top to bottom:

This is all I did this week. 20 hours of school went by fast, the 40 hours of work however were a bit harder. A nurga’s gotta do what a nurga’s gotta do.
I’ve developed a particular skill at using whatever is left-over/soon to be wasted/otherwise inedible in my fridge to cook up something nice. One of my experiments this week was an omelet with dijon mustard, cheese, ham, carrots and onions. I would like to say it tasted ok but as it turned out I just drown the thing in Frank’s Red Hot.
In Cali, 40 year old cars are still in top working condition if the owner isn’t a total moron. In Quebec, most 10 year old cars are rusted to hell and back, so it’s always amazing to see older vehicles like this one.
Does this look like 12$ worth of fast food to you? Mia Pasta makes it happen.

This Week’s iPhone Pics (8/52)

Maxime Rousseau — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:57:21 +0000

Last week was hella hectic, hence the tardiness. From left to right, top to bottom:

After finishing “Who Won the Oil Wars“, I started another book that was given to me when I moved out of RMC. While the theme of the book is without a doubt interesting (I am developing a penchant for international politics), I think I headed into some pretty dry reading, with lots of side-tracks and mid-chapter research on Cold War events I never knew event existed.
My friends and I developed a taste for smoking a hookah once in a while after getting over our teenage flavored cigar phase. A local place called “Pyramides” gave us a discount rate on a smoke, we jumped on the occasion. Employees there kick ass, excellent post-barhopping grub.
I hate convertibles with a passion usually. But a Z4 with a hardtop on, I’d make an exception.
Enough said. This guy is a legend.

This Week’s iPhone Pics (6/52)

Maxime Rousseau — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:28:28 +0000

This Week’s iPhone Pics (5/52)

Maxime Rousseau — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 01:17:15 +0000

Another slow week… I’ll catch up!

This Week’s iPhone Pics (4/52)

Maxime Rousseau — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:55:52 +0000

Last week was a fun week. Fixing stuff. Buying stuff. Seeing friends. Drinking beer.

I’m going to have to link to a song for that last frame… here you go. Enjoy.

This Week’s iPhone Pics (3/52)

Maxime Rousseau — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:57:47 +0000

It’s been a busy week. And taking pictures of customers’ machines will probably get me fired. Soooo….

This Week’s iPhone Pics (2/52)

Maxime Rousseau — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:20:29 +0000

See it bigger and leave comments on my Flickr by clicking the image!

This Week’s iPhone Pics (1/52)

Maxime Rousseau — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:05:31 +0000

I’m not going to lie, this concept was ~~stolen~~ very strong inspired by Nuno Oliveira’s own “The Week in iPhone Photos” series. I’ve always wanted to start a photography project like a 365, but with my erratic shooting phases, the annoy particularity of film of being hard (harder, longer at least?) to process, I had never had the guts to undertake such a project. With this weekly stuff, I’m setting not limit be it a maximum or a minimum, as long as I’m getting something out on my blog every week. So here it is, my very first entry for my very first “This Week’s iPhone Pics”, TWiP for short.

See it bigger and leave comments on my Flickr by clicking the image!

Internet Ownage…

Maxime Rousseau — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 01:58:19 +0000

It never get’s old. I’m not going to lie, I appreciate getting into arguments with people over the internet (or over any other medium really), and I get kicks out of winning. How doesn’t. The latest to respond to my provocation was photographer, middle-aged man and twitter big-shot Scott Bourne. (Yes Scott, I’m still giving you link love, I hope we can still be friends!)

Mr. Bourne is an apparently very successful self-employed photographer who runs Photofocus.com who recently bought a Dodge Challenger SRT8, and has been keeping his readers aware of the mods he has been outfitting his new vehicle with via Twitter. From the very start, I’m not an American car kind of guy, but I made no comment. His latest tweet about his new mirror decals however needed to be called out.

The outcome: I am blocked from following his twitter profile and can therefore no longer enter his camera gear draws. But on the bright side, my remarks did earn me two followers.

My First Rangefinder

Maxime Rousseau — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:22:12 +0000

When you’re a collector of fine things, whatever kind of things they may be, everything you take possession of in relation to your hobby has a certain importance, but some leave a stronger impression than others. I’ll take German cars for example. There’s the first car, that shitty old Volks that could barely do a commute without breaking down. It’s the spark that lights the ever-growing fire, and then next thing you know you’ve got 6 cars in your back yard that will remain in your memory forever, no matter if or when they get crushed up in a tiny little cube. The one that’s twice as old as you are. The one you bought for a fistful of quarters and a handshake off the old man down the street. The one you grossly overpaid. Your first luxury compact sedan, that beat up old BMW.

My latest photography related purchase feels just like that: my first old luxury compact sedan. I’ve had my big deal just a while back, but now thanks to eBay, they’re all in the hands of new owners and all that remains is a good story on how much of an exceptional business person I am. My newest camera is an Olympus 35SPn rangefinder.

Just like any ~30 year old camera (or car) it wasn’t in outstanding shape when I got it. The individual who sold it to me pitched it as being an excellent camera for “casual picturetaking in social events or on a day at the beach” and as it turned out he was talking from firsthand experience, because the focus and aperture rings were laden with sand. Not a problem, I had a steady income from military college and about 1000$’s worth of capital sleeping as 35mm SLR bodies, so I contacted John Hermanson from Camtech Photo Service in New York, visibly the only vintage Olympus repairman in North America at the moment. His repair work and expertise seemed universally acclaimed on many photography-related forums and Flickr, so I figured he was my best bet. One hundred loonies and a couple of weeks later, my camera was back in tip top shape, with a new silver-oxide battery conversion and all. Props to Mr. Hermanson for his excellent work, I strongly recommend his services.

The ergonomics are way different than anything I’ve ever used before. This is light years away from even the now second-oldest camera in my collection, the fatherly pass-me-down that is my Pentax Super Program. There’ll be a learning curve for sure, but learning is fun, right?

I haven’t gotten around to shooting with this new toy yet though… my unemployment, moronic budget management and the loss of my film stash just aren’t allow me to set out with this vintage beauty strapped to my neck. But don’t worry, as soon as I get some film, I’m heading out to the beach.

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