Retail Store Ideas that are Too Specialized?

I'm walking around in one of the most rapidly developing areas of downtown Vancouver, the DTES. This spot is traditionally the poorest neighbourhood of Vancouver (actually, it's the poorest in all of Canada), but many new businesses have opened up here to much success. Many food joints such as Acme Cafe, Save on Meats, and Cartems have successfully maintained a good balance with the neighbourhood, as well attracting new people who would usually not venture into this part of town.

When I saw the above "coming soon" business, I thought to myself, I don't see it doing well here. Poor neighbourhood, not a lot of money, and a very specialized group of people who shop for lingerie, and on top of that, plus size men only. I was also wondering what the window display would look like. Would it be tasteful, or just plain tacky? Where would they get plus-size men's mannequins? I checked up on it a few months later, scared to see what would be on display, and this is what I saw....

Ride On Vancouver: Bike Couriers Are Cool

When I first saw John taking a break from his job, he was exactly as you see him in the above picture. I told him not to move. I liked the way he was using his bike like a foot stool, but also holding it like he was protecting a friend at the same time. I introduced John in a previous post holding the Minolta CLE camera pointed at me. He was just as interested in my camera equipment as I was in taking a picture of him.

Bokeh Test between Ricoh GR-D IV & GR V

 Taken with the Ricoh GR V @ F/2.8 1/40th sec at ISO 800

Taken with the Ricoh GR D IV @ F/1.9 1/26th sec at ISO 250

I thought I would do a short series of comparisons between the new Ricoh GR and the previous Ricoh GR D IV. I know when it comes to sensor size, there's no need to do a comparison. In terms of resolution capabilities, APS-C is superior over 1/1.7". However, I would argue that there are a few advantages to GR IV, which includes the fact it has a smaller sensor.

Hanging Out with the Boys of Livestock

Askmen.com did a poll on the top 10 coolest sneaker shops in the world, and Vancouver's Livestock made number 3! That's pretty good, beating out other major sneaker shops from Tokyo, UK, San Francisco and New York. To work at the #3 coolest sneaker shop in the world, I guess you have to be pretty cool yourself? Meet Stan and Evans, two guys who's shoes fit the bill. Stan wears his retro Guns and Roses t-shirt and backwards cap with style, while Evans pulls off his more understated flatcap and black t-shirt with a quiet confidence...

The Ricoh GR, a Hipster, and a Yellow Fixe

I was out testing both the Ricoh GR and GR-D IV when I saw a young hipster leaning up against a pole next to a hip yellow fixie. Cool shot I thought. I asked him if the bike was his and he said no. He didn't like the narrow handle bars, more show than function. We debated the merits of different handlebar shapes and configurations since we both like riding bikes, especially fixies.

I asked Joseph if I could take a picture of him next to the bike since it seemed to match his style (in my eyes anyways) and he agreed. His pose was totally natural. I didn't ask him to move or stand in any particular way. The reason why he's looking down at his hands is because he's admiring one of my Moo business cards. Thanks for the shot Joseph. Perhaps I'll see you around on your bike next time.

This picture was taken with the Ricoh GR D IV at F/2.8, 1/90 sec, iso 80. 

Ricoh GR Trio: The Tiny, Full-Frame & APS

I finally have in my possession the latest and greatest Ricoh digital camera, the Ricoh GR. Unofficially it's called the GR V or GR 5 since it's the 5th generation Ricoh GR digital camera. The big deal with the new GR is of course its APS-C size sensor crammed into its slim little Japanese camera body.

Quicksilver: The Real Life of Bike Couriers

Meet George. He's from Leeds, England so he has a super cool accent...well, it is to us plain English speakers.  When I asked him if he loves his job, he gave me a smile. Of course he loves his job. Then I asked him if he's seen the 80's movie Quicksilver starring Kevin Bacon, and again it's a smile and another yes. It's kind of a cult classic among bike riders, but especially bike couriers.

However, unlike Kevin Bacon's character, most of these guys aren't ex-millionaire stockbrokers who decided to take a break and ride bikes for a living. But like the movie, they do this job not to make a whole lot of money, but because they love the thrill of riding and they like the lifestyle...

Zone Focus Street Photography with Ricoh

As most of my followers know, I rarely steal pictures in public. I usually ask permission before I take an image, or else I'm shooting a wide scene with lots of elements, including random people. I'm not ethically against "stealing" images, but I don't do it often. I tend to do it more when I'm on vacation. I don't know why that's so...I'll have to think about that one.

Anyways, the above picture was "stolen" while shooting with the Ricoh GR-D IV camera. As you can see, I didn't get the focus right (more below for the nerds) but I think I caught the mood of the shot. His cool, confident stride reminded me of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever strutting down the street with his tight pants...

Preview: Ricoh GR-1 vs GR-Digital IV

I've recently retired my beloved Panasonic LX-3 after 4 years of faithful service. It's been to Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore and other faraway places and it's never let me down. It's replacement? I don't know yet, but I'm testing the discontinued Ricoh GR Digital IV. Why test a discontinued camera you ask? Unlike many digital cameras that are easily forgotten, for some reason the Ricoh GR series cameras tend to be come cult classics as soon as they come out. From the original GR-1 film camera (pictured above with the GR-D IV), to the latest and greatest APS-C sensor equipped Ricoh GR V (I know that's not the official name), Ricoh cameras seem to have staying power. Just type in Ricoh GR on E-bay or Craigslist and you'll see what I mean.

Upcoming Tests: Ricoh GR & Minolta CLE

I'm testing out a few cameras at this time, including a Ricoh GR Digital iv and a Minolta CLE. I will be getting my hands on the new Ricoh GR as well, and perhaps the new Pentax MX-1. I've already been given the ok to test the Canon 5D Mrk III with an L series lens (thanks Gastown Photo), but I need to really set aside an afternoon to lug that bad boy out.

The above picture was actually a spontaneous shot. I was talking to John aka "Leon Boskovich" about bikes, and he was really interested in the CLE that was hanging off my neck. I was explaining to him how to focus with a rangefinder camera, so I told him to focus on me. Since I was already looking at him looking at me, I quickly shot back with the Ricoh GR-D. I cropped the image to a 21:9 cinema aspect ratio. More on that later...

I'll have the Ricoh review up soon, and I'll have a separate post on John and the wonderful world of bike couriers as well. Thanks for viewing...