a long overdue post …

with only nine weeks left before we leave india, it’s a little late for me to be posting this, but it’s been a constant issue … at a cash register in any country, it’s not uncommon to see foreigners sorting through their change, trying to figure out which coin is which.  india makes it particularly difficult.

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top row: four 2 rupee coins and a 1 rupee coin. bottom row: two 1 rupee coins and three 1/2 rupee (50 paise) coins. click on the photo to enlarge.

counting across and then down, coins 4, 5 and 6 are exactly the same size, as are coins 7, 8 and 9.  all were minted within the past 20 years.

a post about photography instead

i was going to do one more post about the kumbh mela, but that probably isn’t going to happen, since i’ve shared all the really good photos already.  instead, i’m going to demonstrate a really obvious point about photography.  in january, abby and i went to thailand, and while she brought along the digital olympus om-d, i brought along the leica m6 and some rolls of ilford delta 400, to do some street photography, because i’m stubborn that way.

my attempts at being garry winogrand and elliott erwitt weren’t particularly successful, so i also took the camera along on our tour day of bangkok, where we visited the royal palace, even though i figured it would be an exercise in futility.  and in some respects, it was.  compare abby’s photos of decorative statues with mine:

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the dimensions are different because the olympus om-d has a micro 4/3s sensor, vs. the 3:2 ratio of a 35mm film negative.

black and white film is perhaps well suited for overcast days (like it was when we were at the palace); nonetheless, it fascinates me to think about the difference between the information that people could share from their travels in the days before digital cameras, or even color film, and what they can share now.

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