In use… what’s in your pocket?
While I have been on the subject… what camera is my current fav. Well, it varies. I have a Nikon D610, Sony RX100 VI, Canon G7X, and a Canon EOS M6 II in rotation at the moment. I started as a SLR/DSLR person with the requisite lenses to show for it. I have been through the Nikon body line, but no more. I stopped at the D610. It’s 5 years old and working just fine. It’s huge and clunky, too much of a statement for my purposes these days. I’m not shooting for profit or magazine. The G7X was my dive camera. I loved it. I am preserving it for future dives. It has 89k clicks. I want it to last; I have an expensive dive housing specific to this camera alone. The RX100 has been through 7 iterations. I succumbed at the 6th. It has been a great go to camera for 99k clicks in a bit more than a year. The EOS M6 is my foray into mirrorless. It’s less clunky and way lighter on the shoulder. This one is a work in progress. I have had a host of point and shoot style Canon (mostly). They have had far less play. They have a role but for some reason, portability was not the main consideration. The iPhone is great for photographing something I need to remember. Otherwise, it is not a memory keeper. I know I’m swimming uphill with this idea, but that’s my opinion and I’m stickin’ with it.
You can well think; a camera is a camera as an image is an image. Pixels, schmixels. I happen to subscribe to the notion of getting the best image available. So, I have a higher level of expectation and tend to leave the smaller point and shoot cameras behind. No, i did not shoot with all of these. Some were collected for a few bucks when film went away. Curiosities.
HDR
High dynamic range. It’s a photographic technique. Smash three images together to get a better “whole.” The concept: the high, medium, low tones are too great to be captured together in a single image on film or sensor. Sensor! We can capture three images and put all three together. Complicated? My new spiffy camera can do it “in camera” by merely pressing the shutter. This is not a good example. The image looks spooky. I can immediately appreciate the manipulation. And, the casual viewer knows something is not quite right. But, we got much more detail in the image than from out of the camera “automatically.” You can get “instant” black and white as easily as going to another “setting.” What happened to “work?” Is it craft if it is so easy as to change a setting “just like that!”?
Cuteness
So little time, too many images, I would post one… but who can choose? It’s like your kids. You like them all… equally. Well, no, but, you must get my point. Pick? That’s editing. I edit by gestalt now. I look over a large group and one or two stand out. Done. It’s too much to agonize over each individual and way too slow to wait for each to upload. And yet, I continue to sneak in multiples. You/I would be better served by one outstanding shot. But then again, no, maybe not.
481, 379
… and counting, since 2003, when I started using a digital camera until now. Oops! Database miscalculation – make it 526,183 images not counting my iPhone pics. Aren’t you impressed I have kept track thru a database? This image is nearly the last to date (as of a month ago). It’s all cataloged (very roughly) in a database, and, in Lightroom. It would be a monumental task to look thru the Lightroom catalog too. I’m not bragging. And, you might well shake your head. Too many, too many pics. And what for? Throw away the duds. (I did, a few) That’s just digital. There are more than 100k of slides too. I did not count print negatives. Those were too hard for me to track. (Read: lazy) … I like the symmetry – the roof, the sky (who sees such a clear demarcation), and the sun poking thru the clouds. … I ‘ve been thru at least 15 different digital cameras. Favorites come and go as the model changes and the technology improves. Would I, should I, upgrade? Of course! I don’t drive/lust fast cars. (thank $$$ goodness) Cameras have been my weak spot though my camera envy has been well controlled. I have held a Leica but never shot one. I am permitted my passion. There are far worse things… Some days, it’s good to glance back at the legacy I have made. And, I shall keep shooting. Why go thru all of this? I am able to locate an image – in not too much time – upon request. Organization in the midst of chaos, imagine that!
Lights
I have two light fixtures casting feeble light onto the main room from about 16 feet above. Not my idea, it was the design of the retard architect who thought up this idiocy. (There were ample other examples in other places.) The room is a north facing room and so is in shadow most of the day. We need some light. I put in plenty of floor lamps and even a track light on my newly constructed bookcase. But those bulbs…. And then I read up on the new LED’s. Brilliant! I got a pair of 2500 lumen LED bulbs. Bright! And low wattage! What could go wrong. I could not get the bulbs in or out. They don’t make 16 foot ladders. Whatever! We got the bulbs in. it was not easy. I say again, not easy!! I tumbled from the ladder once. Only pride was injured. It scared the hell out of Colleen. Of course! The end result, (it was a long story), we got light. it’s better. Less worse. Yay! And LED’s, they will last for years and years – good, ‘cause by the next go around I will have misplaced the light bulb changer.
War crime
If you aren’t doing something… there are governors and our fearless leader who are not. They are not ill and neither are their families. They blithely encourage you to go about your routine business and activities. The facts of the world are indisputable. Facts.
fact
/fakt/
noun
noun: fact; plural noun: facts
- a thing that is known or proved to be true
fake1
/fāk/
adjective
adjective: fake
- not genuine; counterfeit.
Fake news? You trust these guys (governors MS/FL, Trump) at your peril. It is akin to war crimes. Nothing less. Trump has said open the country, go to Easter church service. He will soon deny he ever said this. He has not closed the country. His golf courses and hotels are suffering. This is criminal activity in which many more will die who might have been spared.
Fact: people are ill and dying…all over the world… and soon, around you. Maybe it’s time to heed the warning. The shelves aren’t empty for nothing. Corona is fact.
Squirrels gotta eat too
We bought a squirrel proof bird feeder. It cost $$. Why don’t I want to feed squirrels too? I would have bought a squirrel feeder. The feeder was squirrel free until today. And it works. There is a cage that closes over the holes when the squirrel’s weight is on it. The squirrel was getting something, but not an entire meal. Seeds spilled. Some, including the squirrel buddy, chose the easier way to go, on the deck. At least in this exchange the birds get a higher percentage on the deal.
Behind the scenes (pics)
The only difference between your iPhone and my camera is that my inconsequential pics have a higher technical quality. My daily diary is not particularly interesting. I have shots of the cats, where we’ve been, and the food we consumed. Mundane. Boring, no doubt. The stories behind the picture(s)? It’s all an experience/experiment. Does the picture come first or does the narrative come as I take the picture? Both, all of the above, a gorgeous sunset is easy. But I experiment. There are few new pictures. It’s mostly reworking previous subjects in a new situation. Repeat? You bet. New? Some, too. By now I should know what I’m doing and never miss. I should not have to repeat my mistakes. I know what to do. But… most of my stuff (images) is mundane and not worthy of more than a glance. Throw stuff away? A friend told me recently that he dumps all his bad images. Clutter! No clutter! No, no, no. I have faithfully cataloged all of my clutter with a database. Database? Why not? And images are stored on hard drives. There’s no space taken up there. …except if you have too many redundant drives. Anyway, today was mundane. Anything but… Coffee in the antique store, antique store (another), ghost church/cemetery, dinner/anniversary with the cousins, and food! There’s a fine line. But, every day is a gift! Really!! You gotta be smiling by now, YTIMA spelled backwards is llits AMITY.
“P”
Not prisoner, Patch. I marked his ear intentionally so as to be able to identify him. It was important. I can’t tell him from Willow, his twin. And Patch had just returned from the hospital for treatment of his hyperthyroidism. He needs extra food. And, we can’t be petting him too much (treatment instructions). So, I marked him. He gets extra food. The disease ravaged his metabolism and he lost more than 1/3 body weight. So, to fatten him… extra food. And his siblings like to share in his bounty. Poor Patch, he’s a work in progress. He will be better in time but for now it’s back to work. And, no one eats alone around here!
Weaver cat
Nutley, so named because, he’s NUTS!, has a habit of getting on the loom while Colleen weaves. His place/choice of “lying down” spots makes it impossible to weave. Cute! You bet. Everything pauses while we/she waits to continue onward.
Trash
…perhaps Sisyphus. The bookstore (unnamed) has a full-time gal whose job it is is to replace the magazines in the rack. Perhaps, it might be wrack? Or, perhaps rack – torture instrument? Her job (never-ending) is to replace outdated mags. Out with the old and in with the new. Weeklies and monthlies come in every week. There are tons! No sooner is one batch out, another comes in.
What is so shameful is that the old are discarded. Trash! There is no recycling. None! No deep discount sale – say 75%. None! Trash! It’s a crying waste. Schools, hospitals, businesses could use… but no! There’s an opportunity lost here. I’m all out of volunteering effort. But….
guilty! We hang out in the bookstore and read current mags. I don’t feel so bad any longer. Consider it, pawing through someone’s trash.
Valentine’s
A while back we had an excellent Valentine’s Day. We are beyond cards and flowers. Heresy! I shall say, though, we had a splendid day. There was even time for a costume change.
And dinner?! It was our (Colleen’s) favorite restaurant! We have lots of restaurants we like. But there is a number one! Above all others, this was the place! An excellent stout (beer) and crab imperial. Yes!! Flowers? I did a fake bouquet at pottery barn. Hey! It’s the sentiment! And no, we did not buy that $39 bunch. Geez! Good looking and a good $$$ too. No, I followed the road to the heart via the stomach.
Critical
Ego, shy? I don’t photograph well enough to be happy to post images of myself. Hmm? You could take that statement two ways. Whatever! This is part of the ongoing selfie series I started with the new camera. Today’s tech gives me more ways than ever before to shoot. Better? I think so. This shot involved a monopod, an iPhone triggering the camera remotely, and a Wi-Fi capable connection to my camera. Complicated? You bet. I could’ve done it with just the iPhone. But, then what would have been the fun? And it would have been harder to get the end result. hmmm? … another two way statement. Was it worth the effort? I would’ve swapped the model for my beautiful wife. She is patient but not willing to experiment with me while I endlessly tried different combinations.
Elle
When there are no kids or grandkids at hand, I shoot the cats. My dearest wife has declined. She’s good natured enough. But… and while I am breaking no new ground, I can photograph well enough to get good portrait shots, too many, too numerous to count. Once in a while it’s good to post one. There are categories – photo journalism, iPhone, selfies, etc. Sometimes it’s nice to have a good portrait.
Screen shot
I am limited by technology and laziness. We have a birdfeeder. It has not been particularly productive to see many interesting birds this year. Mostly it has been LBJ’s. It’s term Colleen uses. Her mother used it before her and it does not mean LBJ, the president. It’s “little brown jobs.” I did not bother (lazy) to remove the window screen this year. Then, a cardinal – male and female – and a woodpecker showed up. My bad, there is definite image degradation due to the window screen. And I was further limited by the camera at hand. The lens was simply not strong enough to pull in the bird. The little image in the corner was due to the limited (Canon) lens. Even at 150mm the bird was tiny in the image. The electronic (Sony) telephoto did a much nicer job. Both camera’s images were degraded by the (window) screen. But, as always there is something to see. Any camera is better than none. Otherwise, this would not be an illustrated post.
New…
..idea? Nope. Selfie, selfie stick? Not new either. New camera… new opportunity. I can pair my camera to my phone and have a remote trigger. I can use a monopod and extend my reach. The idea? …take a pic and not really look like you are the photographer. Ha ha. I got a tolerant spouse. And, I got a messy kitchen. Hey! We eat well. It’s all on the counter to remind me that I shouldn’t buy anything else and the inventory reminds me to use it. The new selfie? It’s a go.
Elle
Elle is delicate. I have large cats, mostly. But, Elle, she’s a delicate cat. Look at the feet. Pretty. Trust me, she’s got beautiful feet. She’s a cutie. She’s timid and shy. When we first met, she’d run, literally run, if she saw me raise a camera. Nowadays, she’s mellow enough that I got shots without too much objection. Maybe she’s resigned like my kids. Get it over with Dad! I would usually get a forced grin from the kids. (You know the expression.) But Elle, she just sits patiently until I go away.
Folks
I walk around and observe people. As a physician I would do so and speculate on disease based upon how people walked – Alzheimer’s, alcohol, hydrocephalus, well, you know (or not). Since retirement I still observe people. I keep it to myself, of course. But… fashion. Sometimes you just gotta speculate. Whoa! Does your mother know how you went out? Remember mom’s admonition, “Wear clean underwear.” Trust me, in the ER, there are no secrets. Wear clean underwear. In the dead of winter, I just gotta say this is a fashion statement.
I noticed this poor man’s wife as we sat drinking coffee. She had the worst case of calf cellulite and calf varicose veins. No, I missed her pic. But his face… must have had some fair reconstruction. Cancer, trauma? Who knows. They did a reasonable job. In the extreme I remember pics of the woman who had the face transplant. Unfortunately, you never look normal.
Tree
It breaks your heart. We drove by a house. A power backhoe was destroying an evergreen (holly?) tree. It just bashed the major dividing trunks and smashed them to the ground unceremoniously. I have been (my kids) admonished about being green. Destroying things, especially trees, is not in my psyche. I suppose this (cutting) was for good reason. You can’t make an omelet with breaking eggs… it still breaks me up to see destruction of nature.
Why – Y?
Really?! I heard there was a run on TP in the grocery. We were there for some veggies. Yup! No, nada, none. Toilet paper and corona are linked? It affects the lungs not the large intestine. I’m mystified. It’s the Democrats too. The right wing Fox media has said that it’s all a hoax and there is no emergency until this afternoon when it became a national emergency. Poor Republicans, shhhh… there’s no TP left at the store. I got. Want some? Or, as the pic indicates, there was a run on TP by short people.
Ian and kids
99.9% of images I post, are my own. Hey! It’s my blog. But there are/were two…. This would be #2 and it’s by Ian. I laugh because most of the shots I get as messages/shared are throw away awful. Yes, they are never lost, but, they are pretty unimpressive and technically wanting. No matter, the subject, kids, makes them instant keepsakes. I don’t criticize. No, it’s not photo lessons – offered or taken. But, even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while. Ian, you did it! I’m gonna enlarge and frame this one! …someday.
Chicken or the egg
Which came first? Was the dent there or was it customized after the accident? I did a double take when I saw the back of this truck. That is Wile E. Coyote, right? I had trouble driving and taking the pic. No no, it wasn’t my driving. It was the rain that obscured my focusing. Ha! We got it. I got help. Colleen got the shot. Then we continued to speculate.
Overboard
No one ever accused me of being too conservative. Exuberant! I tend to jump in with both feet… without looking. I got started on artificial flowers. I probably shouldn’t. They are not cheap. Then again, we have a bunch of vases that are empty. Ah! And there are tons of cheap vases in the thrift store or antique store. There are expensive vases too. No need for (expensive glass). Don’t laugh. We (now) have enough (arrangements) to compete with a florist. Nice stuff. I only need to learn restraint… and pretty quickly.
Tips: Vases can be found everywhere. Most are cheap enough because they are so plentiful and discarded because mostly everyone has empty unused ones. Yes, even the antique store has bargains. And yes, we cleaned out the thrift store. Others are more elaborate as with the custom pottery pitcher from the museum store. Okay, that was an indulgence. Flowers (artificial) are expensive. Darn! But there are bargains where people have discarded them (flowers) for other treasure. I found a (cheap) trove in an antique store. Really! And then there was Michael’s (30% sale/member discount). That was still pricey! But there is a lot of bang for buck. Remember, fresh flowers are way more $$ and last only ephemerally. So far… so good.
Art… again
Okay, here’s more fun in the museum. Inspired? I have been on a tear since one member of our family disparaged our enthusiasm for art. True, there is a lot of art that does not move me. And then, there is art that calls for interactive participation. Fun! Yes, art can be fun. And so, here we are. This internationally renowned artist photographs ordinary objects and makes one look at the extraordinary aspect of their use. Take a wrench, make it your own. How about enthusiasm?
Or think for yourself?
Birdwatching?
Symmetry?
We had a lot of fun. Art appreciation is for everyone.
photobackstory 