Black on Orange

Gray on Green

Lantern Sky

I recently found a plastic toy camera. The camera is of unknown make and model but was a part of some sort of promotional giveaway from yesteryear. I loaded it with a roll of Fujicolor Superia 200 [as various speeds of Superia are the only film available in the greater Jhongsing Village-area] and walked around town with it during a few lunch breaks over the past couple of months. Here are a handful of those shots.

Moderate to Extreme Corrosion

Lotus Podemonium

Light to Moderate Corrosion

Cross at Your Own Risk

Mustard and Blue

A visit to the Neighborhood Temple

People Pile

During the long weekend I downloaded and experimented with a trial version of Exposure 4 by Alien Skin. Exposure 4 is a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. The program is an easy to use film simulator filled to the brim with presets mimicking discontinued films, dark room tricks, and lo-fi camera idiosyncrasies.

Kodak Technical Pan, Daguerreotype, AGFA APX 25, and Polaroid Polapan

Included in this post is a small collection of some of the presets available in Exposure 4. For users that grow out of picking and choosing presets to suit their whims; Exposure has six editing controls - Color, Tone, Focus, Grain, IR, and Age.

Sunlight Faded, Fuji Provia 100F, Agfacolor Neu, and Polaroid SX-70

A major drawback to Exposure 4 which is likely to scare off potential users is its $199 US price tag. There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of work was put into this software but keep in mind the entire Nik Collection of photo editing plug-ins costs a comparatively low $149 US. Even Lightroom 4, the product Exposure is a plug-in for retails at $149 US.

Cross Processed Fuji Sensia 100 and Kodak Portra 400VC

If you are looking for a powerful film simulating software than you’ll probably be very happy with Exposure 4. If you are simply looking to add a few lo-fi quirks to your images because you’ve outgrown Instagram than you’ll likely be steered away by the product’s price tag.

Wet Plate Tabbed, Kodak Transparency, Negative, and Grungy Print

Don’t be afraid to try. Give your digital photos the look of film with a 15 day trial of Exposure 4.

Taiwan’s Aviation Museum [航空科學館] is located at Taoyuan International Airport between the main freeway entrance and the airport terminals. It is a worthwhile visit because it’s a lot more interesting than trying to kill time in the airport. The museum is divided into five areas: Civil Aviation, Flying Technology, the ROC Air-Force, Aviation History, and the Space Tunnel Zone. Since it isn’t a large museum, exploring its educational exhibitions won’t require more than two hours. I spent a little more than an hour there while waiting to pick up my family from the airport.

Here’s a collection of photographs from my visit:

Douglas DC-3

Aviation Pioneers – Wilbur and Orville Wright

Model Planes

More Model Planes

The Four Forces of Flight – Lift, Thrust, Gravity and Drag

John Travolta talks about his favorite hobby

Man in Uniform

The General Electric J79-11A

An OH-13 Helicopter in the Foreground

The three pictures below were taken at the museum’s ROC Air Force Zone:

Men in Uniform

Formations

Emblems

Even More Model Planes

France, 1917 - two American JN-4s come to the aid of a British S.E. 5a being pursed by German tri-wing Fokkers

China, 1943 – a P-51 Mustang scrambles to intercept an incoming aircraft

The remaining photographs are from the Space Tunnel Zone:

Sputnik I – Let the Space Race Begin!

FORMOSAT I – Taiwan’s first satellite

Cosmonauts

Welcome to the Moon

In search of Mooninites

The museum is open from 9 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday and admission is $30NT for adults and $20NT for children. There’s a free shuttle bus that runs from the airport terminals to the Novotel Hotel. The museum is a stone’s throw from the hotel.

Official Website