Private Pier (and a camera for sale)

umm.. the pier.. isn't for sale.   This is the private pier in Orange Beach that is located about halfway between the Romar Beach Public Access and the pass at the Flora-Bama line.    I parked at Romar Beach and made the trek to the pass and back, the other day -- after work.  

Doing so, I learned that 1) I really like jogging on the beach and listening to headphones.  2) I really like taking pictures along our public beaches and 3) I was completely wrong in how I thought I would use my current cameras.

When I bought the A77, I always intended it as a "hip camera" for photo walks.   When I preordered the D800, I always intended it as a tripod/scenery camera.   The lenses on the Sony are pretty great, less expensive than their Nikon counterparts.    The 16-50mm kit lens might just be the clearest piece of glass on the planet.

and so, as I made my trek, here I was adorned in what I thought would be my perfect "photo walk" gearing.

A 10 lb 36 megapixel perched on my mid-size manfrotto tripod, awkwardly acting as a walking-stick.   A 5 lb camera on a sling at my side.   Ipod Nano jamming. Ready to do business.   Watchout seagulls...

Yeah, I'm stupid. 

A human being can only really use one camera at a time and I'm not a serious, professional-need-my-camera-to-provide-for-family type of guiy, so I don't need two really super ridiculous expensive cameras on me at the same time.  Besides... if I'm equipped with a super wide angle lens and then some portrait-worthy person walks up and I don't have that portrait-ready hip cam to use, is it really the end of the world?  Nope.

Moreso, I really don't need to own two of them at one time.

So, with the Sony A77 back in my possession from having the LCD replaced that I scratch and in as-new condition, I'm sad to see it go.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180857126967?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_718wt_1413

But, it will.

Worlds Apart

Isn't it interesting how we can all occupy the same planet but we each live in our own little worlds?

Some people live in worlds riddled with violence, poverty, crime, homelessness or uncertainty.     

Some people live in worlds filled with investment properties, payroll headaches, tee times & travel iteneraries.

Some people live in worlds filled with daycare, paydays, mortgages and late night baby-feedings.

Some people live in worlds filled with the uncertainty of illness or disease.

Some people live in worlds filled with health foods, training regiments and workaround schedules.

So many worlds and our situations aren't static.

I increasingly push to live in a world filled with simplicity.   Where a handshake between two people and a firm glance means more than a contract.   Where a friend can help another without being asked.  Where deadlines give way to family time.   Where we sit and commune at the table and not on the couch on TV trays. Where smartphones stay down when you are with friends.  Where I'm not deemed to be hellbound for having a dark beer with my steak @ dinner.  Where I can pick up a hitchhiker just for the opportunity to meet a new person, free of criminal concerns.

But... we don't all live in the same world, do we? 

Shuckers. Lunch.

At lunch today, I snapped this shot.  I thought it was kinda neat, this old, salt-rusted mailbox against soft-fluffy spring skies.

Try not to get too wrapped up in the details..

This is one of my favorite shots from my very-very brief photo excursion over to nearby Fairhope, Alabama this weekend.   I suppose the reason for it is that I'm a sucker for silhouetted scenes.   There is something about seeing a scene for what's happening but not being inundated with unnecessary details.  The blacks leave room for mystery and for your imagination, assuming the adult still allows your imagination to come out and play. :)

Here, someone feeds the gulls from the pier.  A young boy fishes for minnows with a net while his parents lounge on a blanket just off frame.   A young couple get photos for their upcoming wedding and a small boat fishes off of the man-made wave barriers on the Marina. 

In Memory of a Fisher of Men

Memories

Dear Soon-to-be-married couple:
To the wedding-bound couple who had your pictures made in Fairhope, Alabama this evening... Thank you for adding a charming lifestyle ambience to my shots today. 

May your marriage be long and fruitful and remember: When you argue... always do so in the nude. It will keep you from staying mad at each other and make for some .. interesting.. dinner parties later on in life.

Chill-Mode, Jobs

If you could email your Highschool, just-starting-to-work, self some words of advice; what would it be?

I would totally urge the impetuous, skinnier, non-bald version of myself to take some jobs like this and live-a-little.  You're only 18 once. :)

The Southern Alabama Sunset

This is my first HDR from the D800.

I almost didn't go to Fairhope, Alabama yesterday for a sunset photo opportunity.   I'm so glad that I did.   Fairhope was all-abuzz with springtime activity.    Fishing carts rolling up and down the pier, chinese tourist dads videographing every possible minutia of their family outing, families out for a stroll and photographers scurring about doing their thing.

Wishing you a fantastic week ahead..

Gulf Coast Boat Show

The Gulf Coast Yacht and Boat Show is today through Sunday.

You don't have to be in the market for a boat in order to walk the docks and take in some salt air.

More information here: http://thewharfmarina.com/ and here: http://rvexpo.net/site/shows/gulf-coast-boat-super-show/

Infrared Photography?

Have you ever looked into Infrared Photography?  

I'll admit that I've been a bit infrared-curious for some time now.  For those of us that enjoy really - far - out looking images, infrared photography can be quite amazing to see.

I saw this link hovering around the GooglePlusOSphere the other day and it reinvigorated my interest in the subject.  

http://amazingezone.com/photography/infrared-photography-by-maria-netsounski-from-netherlands/

Pretty amazing stuff if you ask me. 

I haven't tried capturing infrared images yet and I'm really not even sure where to start aside from a "infrared filter" they sell on the intertubes.  Some of the sites even mention making modifications to your camera's high-pass filter.   Well, we won't be doing THAT but a filter should be easy enough to experiment with: I'll keep you posted!

Some Sony Redemption...

So, awhile back I posted a general post about the sadness of the state of product support, in the electronics industry.

http://www.graffitivisuals.com/blog/2012/3/19/an-open-letter-to-the-electronics-industry.html

A call to Sony provided an example exchange of the customer service sadness.    

Well, Sony "did me right" so I didn't want to be one of those folks who only writes the negative.

The recap:  My Alpha A77 camera screen was scratched in some Mardis Gras mayhem.    Recalling a previous Alpha camera had a protective film on the screen, I attempted to locate that protective film on the screen and managed to pull back the corner of the LCD screen with my prying fingernails.    

I just made it worse and I'm not one to be hard on gear.  I tend to keep things pristine.

Understanding the fault was my own and expecting to pay for the repair, I engaged Sony for a replacement LCD. They expressed that I would have to mail the camera to them for an estimate.  Of course, any damage I did to the LCD wouldn't be covered under warranty.

Yesterday, Sony shipped the repaired camera back to me, for delivery this week.  

Free of charge.

Thanks for doing me right, Sony.  I'm excited to have two fantastic cameras to work with now.

Banana Boat

It could be that I'm a child.  But I laugh every time I see this sign near the Gulf Shores, Alabama public beach pavilion.   A yellow sign that says banana boat.  What's not to like?   I just with they had a turnip truck sign.  How great would that be?!

Palms and Flare

The original resolution of this one, actually exceeded the picasaweb export resolution limit when I went to upload to GPlus.    Now, that is kind of funny.

This isn't HDR. It wasn't a good time of day for such things..
It was still nice to walk around, jam to some beach tines and snap away with the new camera. 

Lines in the Sand

I grew up in a very.. lets say.. adversarial.. household.   Doing so definitely develops a set of conflict resolution skills.

How do you handle conflicts?

Growing up..  it wasn't uncommon for the whole family to get into yelling and fussing matches.  The picture of the 1980's dysfunctional family.   But, we managed to turn our dysfunction into something more functional.

Now that I'm a dad..  our house is a little more like Zen Garden.   We try to keep things chill, mellow.   We understand that words can leave bruises and we tend to err more on the side of touchy-feely.   Everyone tells everyone else they love them, often too much.   Aside from kids fighting or the rare occasion of a child reaching for something that could harm them, we don't really allow yelling.

Sounds almost Gene Roddenberry utopian, right?

Still, I wonder, as is sometimes the case, when I'm reintroduced into some adversarial situation, if I would have handled those as well without the 17 years of practice.   

Today, a rather insistent person saw the bright yellow "D800" strap and was quite determined that I would "sell" it to them.   I refused.. repeatedly .. and the situation seemed as if it could, potentially grow physical.   Fortunately for all-involved, it didn't.

So, I learned too lessons.   1) time to use a more discrete strap.  2) Thanks, mom and dad -- for the practice.

I fear my kids will be less practiced in those arts but hey, I'm okay with that.

It is a pier. It is wet. The colors are slightly muted.

A Play Date with the D800

Some more first experiences with the D800..

I'm working today but Dina and the kids are on spring break.    She took the D800 for its inaugural kid-capture-a-thon.  

She's a great photographer -- has a natural talent for seeing a shot.   The kind of thing some of us work and study to try to emulate.     

This is straight out of the camera.  (90% jpeg quality on export/upload via Lightroom)

I have to say, the clarity at distance of this shot with the extreme resolution to bring it out, draws me into the previously mentioned D800 reality distortion field.  Pretty awesome.   More to come...

A Photo Outing Invitation

 

I'm planning a trip, weather permit on April 17th @ 8am to go to the Pensacola Lighthouse in Pensacola, FL to see the Blue Angels Practice. Admission is limited - there are 12 slots available, admission is $15.00

Attendees would need to be of reasonably good health, capable of climbing the stairwell to the top of the lighthouse.

If you've never been to the Lighthouse, it has some amazing views. If you've never seen the Blue Angels Practice, it is pretty epic. If you've never seen the Blue Angels Practice from the Lighthouse, you're in for a real treat.

Please RSVP if you care to attend and I will make the reservation. 

The Most Realistic D800 "first impressions" you'll ever read...

So, today around dinner time, the big brown van pulled up and delivered this little guy.

I'll post a more complete review in a week or so after I get some time with the camera.    Running outside to snap a DSC_0001 of the ol' trusty rose bush beside my house, just doesn't seem comprehensive.

First impressions?   The D800 is little.   I'm thankful I have little-tiny-midget-like fingers.   The camera grips well in my hand.    If you are a recent draft pick for the NBA or NFL..  The grip may be a touch too small for you.

The autofocus and metering is pretty fantastic.  The shutter sound is.. different.  Not as crisp and "toned" as some crop sensor Nikons and Sonys that I've shot.  Power up time is fast.   Button layout is good, albeit not really creative or much of a design departure for any other Nikon.

In fact... that leads to the only bad thing I can say about the camera, as of yet..  After reading reviews and expectations, first impressions and dialogs of speculation, I half expected to be more blown away.   The box didn't unwrap itself.  Food still tastes, pretty much the same.   My car still gets similar gas mileage.   My hair has still fallen out.  I, so far, seem unaffected by the reality distortion field surrounding this camera.  

Given the hoopla of the D800,.. I half expected a beer commercial-like scene to somehow take place around me after opening it.    Bikini models would bring me a Guinness and children would ask for my autograph.  The President would call for congratulatory advice and I would broker a deal for world peace.

Apparently, the D800 is just a camera, after all.  ..and from my first experiences... a pretty darned good one.

In a Sea of Clouds

Prehistoric

Standing Beneath the Spanish Moss, you can't help but feel that you've been transported through time, to an era dominated by giant Iguanas and featherless birds..

With my D800 not arriving until Monday and my A77 still in the shop, I considered renting a camera body for the ESCC Photo Walk.   I also considered picking up another "cheap" Micro 4:3's camera for the event.  

Instead, I took my Nikon N90S 35mm Film Camera.  I'm so glad that I did.   Shooting with film again, really made me focus on technique and camera handling.. It forced me to be more thoughtful in shots, light, my surroundings and composition.  I only went through two rolls (one B&W and one Color) but I'm pretty sure something good will come back from the North Coast Process and Scan Service.

I had a blast today at the Eastern Shore Camera Club - "Brody Bunch" - Photo walk @ Blakeley.

It was really great to get to see everyone, especially since I haven't been able to make the last two meetings.  

It was super-cool to get to finally meet www.flickr.com/photos/bamboosage  in real life and hang out a bit!

This, was taken with a 3rd Generation iPad.   It is composed of two shots that were stitched together in photoshop and some various de-coloring stages in Nik..