VOLTRON RAWWWWWWRRRRWRWRW!!!
 
Okay, so I just saw this post over at Gizmodo, featuring the following image:
 

 
This is awesome because I received this exact camera when I was 6. I had an entirely Voltron-themed that year and it. was. awesome. The only thing I didn't get was a whole set of the individual characters to create the "full sized" Voltron figure, which at the time I was sad about, but I get now was just that my parents were smart enough not to completely spoil me.
 
All I am saying is Voltron kicks ass still, and I was super excited to see this classic camera posted online. It is even more appropriate now that I am a photographer.
 
Also, I just got back from Japan. Took a trip with my sister to celebrate her graduation from Grad School and man did we have fun. Here is a random snap while I wait for my film to get processed. I shot 8mm as well. That's exciting.
 

This is my buddy Zack's oldest child, Caleb, chillen out on the couch at the studio in Atlanta. I dropped by to hang out with Zack while in town en route to Japan and came packin'. The 4x5 that is. This is the first of several frames I like. (The ones that are still drying are my favorites)

I figure this is just about any kid in their current natural habitat (somewhere electronic).

Denny shooting another vending machine. I think this time it is a cigarette machine. In Kyoto.

Somewhere along the lines I thought I got way behind on EL but I guess I am on track.

random shot of denny.

Okay so here is a random snap from the subway. Nothing crazy. To make this post slightly more interesting, ill throw in some video.

Here is a lady in Hiroshima making okonomiyaki, aka japanese pizza. It is cabbage, sprouts, pork (bacon really), egg, pancake batter, sauce, etc. Here is the wiki.

woman in hiroshima making okonomiyaki from cary norton on Vimeo.

Here is my sister eating it.

nicole eating an okonomiyaki (japanese pizza) from cary norton on Vimeo.

And here is a random spider i recorded for steph. I shot it because it was having trouble climbing the rail. by the time i got to video the little guy he had succeeded.

spider for steph from cary norton on Vimeo.

today denny and i just stayed around kyoto (while my sister and denny's wife leigh went off to see some huge buddha) and shot photos all day. here is one i like. i cant wait to get all this stuff home and get the film processed and send off the 8mm.

anyone out there? anything happening? hello?

Denny shooting one of a gagillion vending machines in japan. this is at Himeji outside the castle (well down the hill). bunch of photos, no time really to post them, for now.

creepy sign. so tired.

Get ready for more JApoptPANs. they're here. they're mushi mushi. get used to it.

ill LEAD OFF with the odd ball. its the odd ball because its in Tokyo and THERE IS A HUGE FRIGGEN sort of BALL looking THING. Notice the classic mushi mushi they have going on there. also note that i took a few of these, from long range, and eventually a man who i think was with the group eventually stepped in between myself and the girls. POPTPOP IS NOW STALKING JAPANESE SCHOOL GIRLS. really, though, that was bound too happen. i salute your sir for taking passive action against american perverts with cameras who are about 50 feet away. (nerd note: you can see the top of the mans head on the far left under the yellow sign thing. its literally just his hair)

NOW ON TO THE TAKAYAMA GOODNESS.

holy crap takayama is great. super pretty. an amazing ride to get there. sort of touristy. what does all that mean? good times, great oldies views, and touristy pOpTpOps galore.

First up is one to give a tiny sense of the setting. down on a river bank.

Next, MORE HOT RIVER ACTION. this is a woman LONG RANGE poptpopping a stranger who was spying on a crane in the river (with a mediocre lens and flash strapped to his camera. whaa?). i zoomed in on the crane FOR EVIDENCE.

Next is another classic MushPoptMushi.

And finally one from more in the city of Takayama. the dude shooting is shooting a rangefinder 6x7, btw.

thats ALL FOR NOW. tons more on film. enjoy.

any thoughts or requests?

Kyoto last night. here a couple more nights i think maybe. then its wild card time.

good read about reps over at a photo editor.

and im about to update the hell out of poptpop i think.

old lady in takayama

in classic form i have things to say but am bad at writing them out. takayama was cool. a very traditional place in a similar sense of gatlinburg being traditional. only japan is old as crap and has a lot more awesome history and character to offer. no offense intended to the great smokey mountains. this place is really pretty though. i cant wait to get the 8mm back. i think ill shoot a tungsten roll today for no apparent reason.

we meet up with my buddy Denny and Leigh, his wife/friend-of-nicole, today in Kyoto. there is apparently a spa across the street. bring that mess on. last september eastern europe was amazing and we walked a million miles but somehow i am more sore this time. we still walk a million miles but we slept at a traditional place last night (ie on a mat on the floor) so it is compounded a bit.

also for lunch and dinner yesterday we had Hida beef. holy shit.

here is me cooking my own at the table at lunch. dinner we had a lot more and were a bit tipsy on whisky and sake, so it was even better.

(the video is in line to be processed, so itll eventually be here. url: http://www.vimeo.com/4991311 )

my dinner last night in takayama japan from cary norton on Vimeo.

all i can say is Best. Sushi. Ever.

i have a lot more to say i guess. for two random people not knowing much about tokyo, we sort of kicked its ass. surely if we'd had a local friend or something it could have maybe been better but really we killed it. i am completely sore in like 19 ways.

we leave for takayama tomorrow

ill give more later i guess. nic took a horrible(horribly great) photo of me today randomly with a japanese flag. blah. must sleep.

So this guy's job was to walk around the observation deck and clean up the grease left on the windows by people like me using them to help steady their photos. Gross.

International POPTPOP action!

so yesterday my sister and i went up the Tokyo Tower (which is like a huge orange version of the Eiffel tower) and up in the Special Observatory (the one you pay a little more for) we found this chick and this guy all snuggly looking at stuff. classic cheesy tourist poptpop goodness here. the bonus is she Barely looks 18 and speaks japanese and these two are clearly sexing it up, as given away by their body language. i have a whole backstory for them in my head but i wont bore you with that.

ive taken a good bit more poptpops with film, and grabbed a poptpoT (two people shooting tokyo) but it doesnt technically qualify for here.

anyway. PopTpoP 4 Lyfe.

so here is a Super cheesy view of the Tokyo Tower and the moon in the corner. im taking little crappy shots like this on my little crappy digital camera for posting to this little crappy weblog from my little crappy tiny laptop for the sake of updating when i can.

okay that was for june 1 and i thought i was behind. i guess iwasnt?

another one on the way.

quickly posting a thing before bed. too lazy to figure out what day its supposed to be. ive missed anyway..ill fix it later.

reedit...i was a day behind. time for makeup.

And that concludes Kevin and Juanita week. We here at Cary Mills appreciate your support.

If all is going as planned, I should be on my way to Japan now. This will be the last electric lion until I find a way to make it happen, which, in theory, could be when I get back.

Camera / Nerd info about my trip--I am taking the following cameras and stuff:

5D (and some sort of lens)
Lomo
8mm camera (Nicole is picking up a couple more cartridges at B&H)
Crappy digital camera
various readers and hard drives and stuff
lil superstar (thats the name of my tiny, tiny hackintosh)

I really debated bring my 4x5 but I just can't seem to do it.

So this is one of my favorites. I decided to leave it for Friday to end the week on a positive note.

Tomorrow is the end of this glorious week. Stay tuned for the final photo of Juanita tomorrow.

This is about the only serious photo i took the whole day with Kevin and his dog. The rest were intentionally awful in some way.

This is just painful.