Roll 249 — the Olympus C-AF is still such an unbelievable camera
Film: CatLabs X Film 320 Pro, metered at ISO 100
Developed & scanned: Li-lai Photo 2025/4/1
Camera: Olympus C-AF 38mm f2.8
-
Today, April 27, 2025, was my April book club with friends. This month we read Quit by Annie Duke. The writing itself isn't great, but the theme is well worth pondering: when we've invested too much in something, we often keep pouring in more precisely because we've already invested so much — even as the odds of success grow ever slimmer — and end up with even greater losses.
This kind of example is common in business. A business is already declining, yet it keeps struggling on, trying every method to extend the company's life — borrowing money, for instance — which only digs the hole deeper. In the end it shuts down anyway, but with even more debt. Had they spotted the warning signs and pulled out in time, they could have cut their losses somewhat.
For me, I happen to be facing exactly this situation. Income is still insufficient — should I change careers, or keep holding on? Wanting to work through this question, after book club today I took a detour to the Eslite bookstore in the underground mall of Taipei MRT Zhongshan Station to look for books. I found a few business books I wanted to read, but since I'm already out of money, I couldn't buy them there at Eslite — I could only get secondhand copies on Shopee, which are cheaper. I feel a little guilty toward Eslite.
-
#1
A rare occasion where I turned the flash on.
#2
Wandering a night market with my wife and son, and again I made the rare choice to use the flash. I always feel that flash in a black-and-white photo doesn't make the image as jarring.
#3
That familiar water dispenser design — it's become a classic by now.
#4
Took my son cycling at Neihu Rainbow with my wife.
#5
Since a stall owner at the fish-scooping game gave us a little goldfish while we were at the night market yesterday, today we came to "Taipei Aquarium Street" to buy equipment to keep it.
#6
Growing an inch with every night's sleep.
#7
Tomb-sweeping that day. I'm someone who honors and remembers the ancestors.
#8
I see tomb-sweeping as an expression of heartfelt intention, but I find burning joss paper deeply un-environmental.
#9
There happened to be sheep near my home — a rare chance to photograph them this close.
#10
That morning, a rare run together with my wife. This is the scenery I see while running.
#11
I've photographed this little tree with various cameras and lenses, hoping to record many versions of it.
#12
Right to left: my wife and me. We actually argue quite a lot — far more often than you'd think, probably about once every two weeks.
#13
A cat walking straight toward you is very hard to focus on (though a Sony Alpha probably could).
#14
Taipei MRT Zhongshan Station — currently crowned my favorite MRT station.
#15
I've made some changes this year, starting to take on "non-web-design" work. This is a lightbox ad I recently designed for a client.
#16
The lightbox ad I designed for a client. Since it's the client's own storefront ad space, the pressure is lower. If it were a paid ad placement, the design pressure would be much higher — because you know the client is spending money, so the results absolutely have to be good, and you can't be careless about the design.
#17
After work that day, I took the MRT and got off at Beimen Station, because I was going to pick up film at Violet Color.
#18
I love the sense of motion in this one. Near Taipei Main Station.
#19
Violet Color's development shop. Look at that "Konica Digital Imaging" sign — living history.
#20
A close-up of Violet Color's sign typography.
#21
Because of its convenient location, Violet Color is always packed whenever I come in, and the demand is almost all film-related. Getting to see so many people who share my interest here is a wonderful experience — it makes me feel I'm not alone.
#22
We've already forgotten how, in the days before smartphones, we passed all those moments of waiting. This is a platform at Taipei Main Station.
#23
Me, just having boarded the train.
#24
Stepping out of the train carriage, looking at the sky — this must be what's called "toward evening."
#25
Documenting the family grocery cart.
#26
The neighbor's cat, who loves looking into my lens — every single time.
#27
Drive a car long enough and you develop feelings for it. I've laughed in this car and I've cried in this car — so many memories live in it. Selling it would be hard.
#28
I've forgotten the context behind this photo — sorry, it's been too long since I last wrote up a blog post.
That's this roll — Olympus C-AF 38mm f2.8 with CatLabs X Film 320 Pro. Thanks for reading.
