Wednesday, December 28, 2016

latest pickups...
Leica Elmarit 28mm ƒ/2.8

thanks Santa, you're too kind! he brought me the replacement for the 28mm Konica M-Hexanon i picked up earlier this year. this is the second version of the Elmarit, made 1972 by Leitz Canada, which is the first one that can be used on modern digital Leicas, as the first version, which cost a fortune due to being a collectors item now, has a deep protruding rear element that blocks the light metering. the lens is in a fantastic cosmetical condition and also technical it's superb, considering its age of almost 45 years. as it happens i was able to track down the (quite rare) original lens hood during the christmas days.

always want: The Real McCoy's Type B-3 Jacket




pic source: NYLON BLOG

Sunday, December 25, 2016

merry christmas everyone!

enjoy the holidays and the time with your loved ones. Royal Cheese will also take some days off, read you soon!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

How to See in Black-and-White

a great read from one of my favorite photography-related blogs.

"Color, in many ways, is the essence of life. Our eyes and brains are built to see it. Brand identities are built on it. And so are our personal fashion sensibilities (there weren’t a lot of goth kids at my high school wearing pink). Folklore based on color can be traced back thousands of years. Nian, for example, the Chinese beast who attacks people and has a particularly insatiable appetite for children, is said to fear the color red.

So when setting out to “see in black-and-white” you can imagine there will be some evolutionary challenges to overcome. But before we tackle these challenges, a disclaimer: the journey and tips I’m about to tell you are my own. Your journey will differ, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Enjoy the challenge of seeing things differently and don’t sweat the results too much. Seeing in black-and-white and reacting to it instinctively à la Ansel Adams is something that requires a lifetime of practice, and though I’ve been doing it for years, mastery still eludes me..."

for the full feature head over to Casual Photophile.

source: Casual Photophile

Burger King | Whopper Exchange

are you ready for christmas? (:

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Mike Skinner On 97

GOODHOOD recently sat down with The Streets' front man Mike Skinner to talk about the musical landscape in 1997 and the Nike Air Max 97, which just has re-released.

"You were in Birmingham in 1997, what was happening then – what can you tell us about the musical landscape at that time?"

"97, for me personally, was all about speed garage. Grime was when I came to London in like 2001 and before that, around 95, was house. Birmingham was a funny one because I hung out with guys that were rappers, really, because I used to record other rappers. Because we were from, like the suburbs really, I didn’t really feel safe at Drum’n’Bass events at that time. It did quickly go quite studenty, probably around 97. Certainly before 97 going to drum ‘n’ bass events wasn’t really, I mean it was alright but it was always something; someone firing a gun or kicking off. I wasn’t really into that. You know, ecstasy and gun fire doesn’t really go together. Weirdly, speed garage really worked for us because they played it in all the House clubs. Because it started with Armand Van Helden putting those sort of big jungle basslines on house records, so it really started in house clubs. The House clubs at that time were quite safe, you know, although they did try and put on a few bassline events at the Que Club and that was a total nightmare..."

for the full interview click here.


source: GOODHOOD

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Hiroshi Fujiwara Is the Living Internet

"Many call Hiroshi Fujiwara the godfather of streetwear. His nod of approval means line-ups that would make Supreme jealous. There aren’t enough hyphens to list all the hats he has worn, so let’s just call him a renaissance man-slash-messiah.

Hiroshi was born around the corner from Ise Jingū, a Shinto shrine that is arguably the most sacred spot in Japan. We can all be thankful that Ise is in the sticks and that our hero was so bored in the boonies that he began scanning the horizon for something more. The punk rock scene was in full swing, and he was off to London as soon as he could manage. There are pictures around of that skinny kid—maybe with Malcolm McLaren—circa 1983. Coming from a country where the rules were strict and business was king, Hiroshi was hungry for new energy. And so he became a pioneer pirate, sailing from one island to another, serving as a cultural conduit..."

for the full interview head over to SSENSE.

source: SSENSE

Sunday, December 04, 2016

Freemans Sporting Club Oiled Canvas Down Parka

this one has it all! oiled canvas shell, 700 fill-power down, 7 pockets, corozo (vegetable ivory) buttons and all made in Japan. get it from here, but be quick as most sizes are already sold out.



pic source: Freemans Sporting Club

Hakone Marquetry TEWAZA

Saturday, December 03, 2016

45 years ago: Technical cooperation between Leitz and Minolta

"The late 60s of the last century saw the great dying once large camera manufacturers in Germany. Emerging Japanese companies not only produced cheaper, but also increasingly better cameras. In this difficult situation, the Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH (now Leica Camera AG) started a successful cooperation with the Japanese manufacturer Minolta in 1971. A business decision that soon proved to be very happy. Just like 1924, when Ernst Leitz II decided to release the Leica which was developed by Oskar Barnack.

How did the cooperation between Leitz and Minolta come to life and how did it evolve, recalled in an interview by the then managing director of Ernst Leitz GmbH, Dr. Knut Kühn-Leitz..."

for the full feature head over to photoscala (in german though, but can be translated on page).


source: photoscala