A View of a Bed I Don't Sleep On

Just recently we had changed this room to a retro gaming room where my wife and I would just play old video games. At this time of the day the light was incredible and I need to capture what I could before it decided to sleep for the day. I used the Retro filter on my X Half and it gave it this cool color that I enjoyed.

So far the pace I'm putting this camera through has me realize a couple of things:

1. ISO should be at 200 on a sunny day if you're on film simulation mode and using Aperture Priority.
2. Keep the Aperture at 5.6 as best you can. It's the sharpest point of the lens.
3. Fuji Chrome, Classic Neg & Retro filters are my go-to's for the sylistic approach to the images.
4. Make sure to give it a bit of "Weak Grain" because the images do tend to look like phone filters without some noise.
5. Don't let the YouTube influencers tell you this camera sucks. Most of the time their pictures suck and they can't make a good photograph if their life depended on it.

I can almost say that this camera has a lot of interesting limitations that make the challenge of photographing good for me. Considering that I'm a film shooter with cameras that have loads of limitations (you really have to know where you're at with the exposure because most of my cameras do not) this camera sits within that frame of limitations that allows me to figure out how to make a photograph a certain way. It's making me think about how I frame pictures again and that's what I've been missing lately. This and make music has been def exciting for sure.

I have a good amount of images in the tank to sort through and post in the coming weeks. I'll def be shooting more so stay tuned

- Artly

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Morning Commute

In the past week we've been getting these sporadic moments of rain and humid sun in the mornings and afternoons (vice versa on other days) and it's been interesting for photos for sure. And speaking of photos I've been liking the idea of just shooting since I've acquired this X Half. Sort of takes me back to becoming a beginner again and making things feel like I'm discovering new ways of going about old habits. I'm finding that taking pictures with these limitations are what make the process a bit more interesting and help make photography become a bit more of a challenge than having accessability to everything that other units have these days. Now I do carry a X100T and that camera is honestly one of the best cameras I have, but I've come to realize that is not one of my favorites. I struggled using that camera a bit, but over time I think I understood what it was good for the moment I started putting it through it's paces.

On the X100T I realize that I wanted to get the RAW form of the sensor and not put any filters on top of the images. I wanted to learn the camera and deal with the colors it offered with no simulations. I kinda realized that method was good enough up until I started getting tired of the colors that it was offering. Plus my workflow was straight up ass. I just couldn't do it anymore. It lead me to shooting film more and more and just shelving whatever I shot for a good amount of years. Now, I will say that the ergonomics and the size are what keeps me from selling this camera. It's a camera that's familiar and is limiting since it's a fixed lens unit. I only use one lens, but that's something that I'm able to take on and use around the subjects that I'm photographing. I hate thinking about specific focal lengths and let the limitations help me become more creative.

Back to the X Half I'm having a lot of enjoyment using the filter simulations and allowing simulated grain to make the images have this specified look I wish I could implement on my X100T. Honestly it's probably one of the best cameras I have and it's truly gotten me excited to go to places and just shoot stuff. This coming week I'll be heading to New York with my wife to celebrate our anniversary through a K-Pop show and hangs around the city. This will give me a chance to just shoot shoot shoot as much as I can and I hope I can come home with something. Hell, maybe I'll be able to collect a good amount of work and print them out and actually make a project again. Who knows! All in all I'm having fun and that's all it matters.


- Art Photo

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Rainy Season

I'm not gonna lie to you. This camera is really doing it for me. I'm hecka excited for this thing.

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Fuji X Half

Just recently my wife and I bought each other the Fuji X Half (wife got the chrome version) and have been learning how to use it over the course of the days. Much like my X100T the X-Half has quirkiness forcing me to figure out how to navigate the camera and the subjects differently than your standard cameras out in the market. This one is slowly bringin me back to taking photos more often than usual (I usually bring my camera out anyway, but seems like there's more incentive).





Perfect pairing for a shooter like me it's small and easy to just pick up and head out the door much like my other cameras that I currently have. The Leica (needs repair unfortunately), the Konica Hexar, the Olympus Pen F and even the QL17 all have that ability to not make any excuses and just grab and go considering how small and mobile they are. I continue to have this mindset because lugging a huge monolith isn't fun and almost looks kinda dumb.





Purely this is an Instagram Camera lol, but then again it's also a camera where you can just have fun with it without having to think about HUGE production. And I think that most photographers in this era think about that too much. They don't really know how to have fun with this thing and are pixel peeping and poo pooing the aspects of it not having RAW and wanting it to be like the camera they already have and not try to experience something new and actually run the paces of the camera for a long while and all this other shit that doesn't really matter. For the most part these images are only going to be digital copies and they'll never in their life ever try to print these images. I can almost guarantee that's going to be the case.

As for me I think I want to try my hand on printing these images in some way or another. There's an Instax printer ability for this camera (with much of their other cameras also able to provide the same concept), but also I think it's good enough to print a 5 x 7 or even an 8 x 10. This might be one of those cameras I use to make a small project on just to get on the feeling of shooting like that again. I'm not sure how I want to go about it, but it might be something good for like portraits and stuff??? I don't know. I don't know anymore lol, but I'm excited about it.


Until then I'm going to be putting it through its paces. We'll see what I can gather up


- ArToGraphEr

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What a Surprise. I'm Also Not Surprised

A bit ago I was met with a letter from the Rhode Island Diocese Church requesting anullment from my ex-wife. I was surprised, but not surprised considering this person would go through these channels to avoid any contact with me directly. And honestly I'm glad that this person didn't reach out like that because the last thing I want to hear is this person's voice in my ear. Brings so much trauma lol. Gawd... how did I even get out of this. It still trips me up.

I actually called the Diocese to ask what was going on with this letter and basically boils down to the fact these requests are annulment participations for the other party to possibly be eligible to re-marry again through the church. I asked the individual on the other line "what would happen if I just don't answer this request?" and the lady's reply was "well... you'll keep receiving these requests until you send back a response." Devil horns start growing and could've meant potentially pend for the other party to marry again (lol). This was the comment on the letter that gave me that evil:

"Please know, too, that declining to participate does not help your former spouse's case; in fact, it often hurts it by, for instance, possibly depriving the Court of needed corroboratory testimony or crucial information that only you can provide.

I gave it a couple of weeks and decided to fill it out and send it back. I wanted to be petty so bad lol, but I gave in (yuck)

What's strange is that I was still married through the church (derogatory). Feels gross lol and I'm actually glad, in a sense, that this was done. What's weird is that this letter came a week after celebrating with my family and friends through a weekend (Friday and Sunday) of receptions (we decided to celebrate a year after). What's also weird is that the letter found me in my current address. Unfortunately you could look my name up and find where I live and I think I want to rid of that lol.

But I'm happily married and am able to celebrate it everyday by rotting on the couch with my wife not giving a fuck. The last portion of that life is dead for good. I could come here and say a lot of things about my ex that most of her friends don't know about, but I'll save my breath for things that actually mean something. Lol its so weird seeing this and thinking about how this was manifested.

I wrote a letter attached to the request basically saying to not ask for any more favors as any mail coming through this congregation would simply be thrown in the garbage. They get one and one only with the line at the bottom of the page Leave me alone forever. I'm dead serious about this.

I know it's kind of weird to post something like this considering the momentum, but you know.. side quest lol. It happens.

Pro tip: Marry somebody that doesn't treat you like garbage

- Art (non derogatory)

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Low-in-Key

So...

Projects upon projects upon projects. I keep myself busy as much as I can. And being at the middle point of 40 I'm realizing that not a lot of my peers have the same drive as I do. I'm constantly working on something. If I'm not working on something I'm oberserving to get inspired to work on something. This had become a habit of mine to make sure my mind doesn't go to waste. I kinda fear losing these skillsets that could potential be something of use or inspiration something or someone. These ideas were born because of my late father giving me the opportunity to understand music at such an early age.

As futures become bleak I'm becoming more adamant about making sure my presence is a positive one. Lately I've been trying to connect with some old haunts that I've lost touch with years ago and am glad to say that most of them have been making a lot of positive moves. I'm not sure if its folks from the valley that have this specified mindset, but I know that majority of them have been making their own ways in life and I'm deeply proud of them. In many ways it's gotten me inspired to make these types of moves myself.

What's inspiring the most is that my old friends are just doing "the thing" and making sure they get the thing done in the best way possible. I'm not against the quietness of people and I think I'm more apt to knowing that if there's no news than it's good news. This may be totally incorrect, but not a lot of us need to tell everyone what's going on with them all the time.

I don't think I have much else to say other than that life has been pretty cool and continues to stay cool. I have no complaints and everyone around me has been seeing that. Oh! Noted that I've been going to Martial Arts classes 2 hours Mondays & Tuesdays and by the end of this month I'm considering going for Wednesdays just so I can sweat a bit more and let my limbs be a bit stronger than usual. I hear all the ailments and just don't want to be in that position ever.

Take care of yourselves everyone. I hope this post shows that I'm working on new work all the time and I barely sleep


- LST LVS Bueno

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How Have You Been?

Photo by Eldon Bueno 2025

It's already the end of March and I haven't written anything in a bit. Been quite busy with this reception thing and other creative stuff that's been going on.





This has been a longtime coming considering I've always looked up to Jonathan as a musician and as a person in my adolescent years. Though that we had grown apart for some time I recently had the chance to ask him if he had any recordings I could lay some baritone parts on and release. Thankfully he agreed and what you hear are two tracks from this record. All recorded to tape.




This was suprise release even for me considering that this is my first foray of sampling using a pretty archaic sampler. Sometimes the basics can bring out some creative projects and this was certainly one of them. It's not perfect and has lots of blemishes, but the idea is certainly there. This project is actually a preview of how I want to write music in the next few projects I'm manifesting.

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So that's what's been happening lately. Now I know that I don't update as much as I usually would, but keeping my mouth shut has been quite the theme for me. Just doing the thing and not having to talk about it has been very freeing. No matter what I'm still plugged in for some of the projects that other people have been releasing which the exercise of listening has been my approach as of late.

I don't really want to talk about things that I don't really want out there anymore. I may hint at some things, but your personal thoughts and feelings should be kept to yourself and to the ones you trust the most. I've finally made a commitment that being open isn't always a good thing. You can be welcoming and warm, but you can still be private and keep to yourself if you want to be. I see that most people are so online that it gets them in trouble and they tend to not check themselves. And most times people say the stupidest shit online to get reactions or are really that fucking dumb. I'm not perfect, but I know my place when it comes to being outspoken about how I feel about certain things. I can't be the only one thinking about this kind of shit.

Being private is not so bad. I know that to some it's a call for help to a degree, but for me I'm not really interested in opening up doors like that to people that don't even matter. Choose your peace and try to stick with it. You may end up realizing that life is better that way and makes you a bit more mysterious lol.


- The Bueno

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2026

Welp.. Happy New Year!! 2025 was definitely one for the books considering how much work I was able to release. This year I'll be continuing to focus on a lot of my musical endeavors. Here's what I got going on:

1. The Yamaha MT8X
I've finally found an 8 Track Cassette Recorder that was in great condition at a reasonbable price. Did a short test with it the other day and it seems like it's ready to go. This unit will be the offical recording unit for LST LVS personal projects from here on out. I have some ideas that I'm going to be drawing out in the next few weeks that will hopefully see some light for 2026. Stay tuned for that

2. Yamaha CP
I finally got a keyboard that could keep me away from using some free VST software for my DAW. Now that I have this keyboard I'm able to connect it to my guitar hero guitar to do some midi connection and write the riffs I wanted to write with no restrictions. This has been such a great addition for the setup that I'm now off the market for a keyboard. This is all I need

3. SP-303 & SP-404 MKII
Last year I started dipping my toes into sample based recording. When I inititally bought the SP-303 I wanted to see how the workflow felt using something archaic than the new samplers we have today. I exclusively want to sample from cassettes and have been bringing this unit to work to sample from cassettes I bought from SAVERS. Intially this was just to get the exercise of capturing samples a certain way, but at this point I'm realizing that this workflow helps keep my mind fresh on how I work on sampling and to figure out new ways to record.

4. Recording Projects
I think I'm going to be going full steam ahead writing and recording this year. Not sure how many releases will be in the chamber, but I have a couple planned. There's a collaboration that I can't really speak on just yet, a couple of tapes and maybe tracks that I can one off for you all to enjoy. I want to keep the practice of writing and releasing stuff just so I can see it out in the world.

5. Photo Editing
This year will be the year I'll finally take the editing of scanned photos serious. I'm going to be doing my best not to shoot as much and focus primarily on the editing side of photography. I've shot enough work and I think that it needs to be displayed somewhere. I don't know where, but somewhere and somehow.

... and that's where I'm realizing the artistic direction is chaning. I've shot so much, but edited so little that I forgot that the meaning of photography (at least in my end of it) is to shoot and edit your work and not just SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT all the fucking time. I'm beginning to realize that the camera is fading away in interest and I'm slowly wanting to just dive in on the other side of editing the work and cleaning up what I got. I have to be good and I have to let that side of me be in full focus. Photography has not been that attractive for awhile and I think there's that shift that I'm beginning to understand with others who had faded from it all these years.

I have a lot going on this year that will require a lot of time at home rather than go out and I'm okay with that. With the time I have to record these days I'm going to be doing my best to write as much as I can this year. Pretty excited man.


- Arthur (B)

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