The Temple and the Path
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Fairhope, Alabama December, 2012.
(been swamped. some posts coming this week though :) )
Shoot the Gap
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I guess another name for this shot could have been "Maximum Vignette"
Both would work for a summer Hollywood action movie name, though -- right?
The Portal to the Future
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2012..
In technology, 2012 gave us more iPhones and iPads. We saw more-of-the-same computers. We saw dozens of iterative Android Phones and Tablets, so many that they are like fish in a barrel, clammering over each other for momentary superiority. Really strong products drowning in a sea of their own making. We saw Microsoft, struggling to re-invent itself through bold, but probably - too late - to dent the universe - product releases and marketing millions. We saw Apple, shifting under new leadership trying to maintain its stride but largely failing to dazzle and inspire.
In photography, we saw some new gear. Much of them obvious iterations on existing strong products. The D700 v 5dMk2 debate turned to a D800 v Canon 5D Mk3 debate. At least Lytro tried something new. We saw social media clammering to channel the massive flood of photography brought about largely by explosions of phone/cameras. We saw some of the same people at the top of the social media/photography pyramid continue to inspire and train and of course, sell their warez along the way. I saw a half-dozen around me, new-to-photography and trully talented try to break out into the industry with the same frustrating setbacks we all experience at first.
As a nation, we saw the continuance of the polarized politics that prove our form of Government no longer works. Our country is still dedbating the same issues they were 20, 30 years ago. Abortion, gun control & equal rights for citizens. We the taxpayers pay them to flip back and fourth on these topics every four years in probably the greatest con-game ever devised. We heard about the dangers of fiscal cliff's and then road right over it. We heard about a pending apocalypse and skipped right over that. We watched a monster commit unthinkable atrocities to children and our typical national response to limit the rights of citizens in response. We watched one of Washington's most powerful lobbies respond to the event with a poorly times, weak and tired argument instead of contributing to a national discussion on the viability of Assault Weapons. After all Mortal Kombat is to blame. (throws freeze ray, then teleports to the next paragraph)
As a family, my wife and I watched my children grow a little older and develop little quirks and nuances that will one day form their adult personalities. Ever-pressed by the notion that these little people in my house will all-to-soon be big people moving away to their own lives, I tried my best to balance work & life. In that balancing act, something always gets dropped but from the smiles of my kids and the conitnued paycheck, I guess I got the balance right.
As a career, I came to some powerful realizations concerning others' motives and planted the seeds for future endeavours. I can't control my title, I can't control the markets but I can always make plans and work towards the goals. In the end, I'm sure it will all work out well.
As for what 2013 will hold? I'm sure that next December the Earth will still be spinning. We'll all be a little older, we'll have crappier music to listen to and we'll see more of the same. A government that disappoints at least half of the population (the left or the right half, does it matter?). We will see companies do what companies do, maximize profits and we'll see employees do what employees do -- gripe about their bosses. We'll see death and life, we'll be touched by extraordinary loss and inspired by moments of magic. That's life. and it continues in a new arbitrary unit of measurement today, that we call, the new year..
I hope yours is fantastic.
Spanish Fort Veteran's Memorial Cemetary
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A few hours ago the Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort was dedicated.
An agreeable nod to today's significance in US and Military history.
This project has been 10 years or more in progress, with proponents making dozens of trips to D.C. with no expectations to "get anything" out of it in return. I visited the site and it is a tremendously nice location.
From a photography perspective, the thing that makes a cemetery interesting is the stories of the heros who are memorialized within it's grounds. This cemetery's story is just starting.
While the photographic results of my lunchtime outing are underwhelming, I met and spoke with a couple of the more outspoken of the 500 Veterans that attended today's ceremony.
Utopian Ideas
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Quick question for those who may be Fairhope - knowledgeable.
During the photo walk last weekend, I noticed this young lady riding a white bicycle downtown.
Just curious.. has anyone seen this collegish-aged kid riding the white bike through Fairhope dressed essentially like a younger Gwen Stefani in pastel colors. I'm just curious, is that some sort of marketing gag for this business:
or is it just some artsy kid going about her day?
Because, if it's marketing, I'm trying to envision that job interview.
"so, basically I need you to dress up in bright pink/blue combinations in a costume that is a cross between a antebellum maiden and light/hipster pop-rocker-theme and ride a bright white bike up and down the block to promote our stuff.."
Meet Ace (He Needs a Home)
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We tried to adopt this little guy over the weekend. We kept him for a 'trial run' over night.
He was great with my kids and in/around the house but my son's allergies got out of hand really quickly.
(Which was strange b/c this part lab/ part hound mix isn't really known to be an highly - allergenic breed)
My son's dog allergies are off the chart - so we didn't get the Adopt Ace. Sunday, he went back to his temporary home.
Ace is about a year old, pretty much fully grown but with a good bit of puppy playfulness. He's a Baldwin County Humane Society Rescue dog from Summerdale currently residing in a home/kennel in Daphne.
If you know someone looking for a family dog, I couldn't imagine a better fit.
Baldwin County Humane Society Posted about him yesterday on facebook here:
and they have some info on their site here:
Adoption fees are waived in December and the dogs come with some rudimentary free obedience training, either in-home or on-site with the trainer.
Like I said, if you know someone looking for a great family dog you can contact the Baldwin County Humane Society at this number:
251-928-4585 ext 100 or (toll free) 1-800-547-6518 (Mon-Thru 9am-4pm CST).
Ye Ol' Bladdity Blah
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As my great grandpappy used to never say, there are basically four types of people in this world.
1. Those who will think nothing about busting up in your Boutique dressed like a fatter - balder Jimmy Buffet, lugging 20 lbs of camera gear and happily snapping away about the wonderful array of holiday colors on display in your shop.
and
2. People who really have too short of an attention span to count to four.
Fire and Slate
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Sort of a differ'd perspective on the Fairhope Pier beach areas just south of the pier.
-Taken during the ESCC Photo Walk over the Weekend.
ESCC Holiday Photo Walk
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This evening was the annual ESCC Holiday Photo walk in Downtown Fairhope.
I believe my take-home from the outing is about 30 gb of RAW files to parse through in the coming weeks.
The shop/storefront decorations didn't feel as "complete" ( to me ) this year.
What did feel complete was the the smiling faces of the awesome group of friends from the Eastern Shore Camera Club that descended on Fairhope this evening to practice their craft. I always look forward to the inspiring contributions from this wonderful group of folks!
I managed to pluck this photo out during the download this evening to act as my first submission. Can't wait to see what everyone captured!
The Prehistoric Waterfront
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For the weekend, I picked up a Nikon 14-24mm from BorrowLenses.com to use for a holiday photowalk in Fairhope, Alabama on Sunday.
I've added this lens to my Amazon cart half a dozen times but haven't followed through b/c of the $1800 price tag.
Getting familiar with the lens today at Historic Blakeley Park, a few miles from my home I took this shot on the waterfront.
Getting familiar with the lens today at Historic Blakeley Park, a few miles from my home I took this shot on the waterfront.
So far, I'm thinking.. the next time this gets added to my cart, it'll probably get ordered! ;)
Another one from this outing...
A-HA! Well, not really A-hA! More like.. mehhm...
Okay, before you get critical and say, this is too busy or is poorly composed or weirdly processed, I just gotta say:
6 times I've walked past this tree and tried to get a shot of the whole tree in the frame. 6 times! I just can't find the right way to shoot this tree!!
Plus, I believe the park officials would be grumpy with me if I brought a machete with which to clear things out of the frame :)
So, this is one of those "I learned 100 ways to not make a lightbulb moments.."
.. Plus.. It's still an interesting enough scene that I wanted to share, even though I'm not thrilled with the composition.
..and finally..
I arrived at Blakeley Park around 4pm CST. I've tried a number of times to get in around sunset and always get smited by something pedestrian. Last time I attempted, it was the small order of cash.
It costs a token amount to enter and I had zero american presidents at my disposal.
Plus, I doubted this place has a card swipe machine or RFID google wallet reader :)
This time! -- Ohh this time I was prepared.. I scooted off with a crisp $10 bill and made it to the gate at 4. The park guy was great, recommending that I be gone by 5:30. As he put it, not for his convenience but so that I wouldn't be eaten by an alligator or carried off by mosquitos.
The latter was more likely.
As I walked down the boardwalk I heard plenty of critters below and I couldn't help but feel for the men who were tasked with building this boardwalk. Do they have snake-repellent boots?
At any rate, this is one of the first times I've been able to get a shot of this particular scene that I'm pleased with. In part because of the loaner lens, in part because of the good light and in part b/c of the cool atmosphere. I hope you enjoy!
"Mr. Santa Claus, Sir.."
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Now that the Turkey is devoured and people have been able to take out their repressed angst on strangers on Black Friday, we are coming around to Santa Season, once more.
I’m a huge fan of the season, if for no other reason than for the photographic opportunities. :)
I took this shot last year, my daughter was pleading with the Santa at Bass Pro Shops, on my behalf. We had been joking that I had been bad throughout the year so/she felt inclined to use some of her Santa face/time to appeal for my reinstatement to the nice list.
I’m probably not going to be able to out-do this shot, this year. But, I’ll try!
Alien Sunset
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As an idle-passerby'r in this universe and reader of things beyond my intellect, I have a passing fascination with Quantum Physics. My daughter asked me one day about a Quantum Physics book I was reading, I explained it to her ( for now ) that Quantum Physics is the construct of made-up/probably never applicable physics.
She's 7. Usually, she just blinks, calls me silly and goes about her day of DS/Wii/Homework/Cartoons/Kid-Dom.
Quantum Physics is really impossible for someone of my practical mindset to grasp. Particles with hard-to-imagine behaviors. For instance, a particle, that if you were to imagine it as a playing card (a standard plane of n width and infinite planal surface), that you could flip the playing card over and see not only the suit, the number but also any infinite number of other supposed "states'.
I mean.. What the hell? Playing cards with two sides but infinite states? Who thinks this crap up?
Some of my favorite ideas borrowed from Quantum Physics are the ideas that for every possible outcome of a situation there are matching infinite universes based on those outcomes. Maybe that means there is a universe where I attended enough college and neglected enough video games in order to understand this stuff.
I guess, somewhere, there are other pBranes housing universes where the sun doesn't set in the colorful display we see but maybe the sun sets onto silvery lakes of molten Mercury. I visited this alternate universe recently, and captured this shot.
Or.. I used an IR filter in post. Which-ever.
Intradimensional travel vs photoshop filters. They are virtually the same thing, anyway. Until someone flips over the cosmic playing card...
Not a Bad Way to Spend an Afternoon
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Either photo-walking or canoeing, either is better than Black Friday shopping, I'm thinking.. :)
Thankful
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Increasingly the American tradition of Thanksgiving seems to be eroded away by retail and other things. Too bad.
Cousins gathered in the yard, playing ball while dads sit around yacking about football/fishing/work.
Whatever your tradition is, I hope you are fortunate enough to take pause and observe it, this Thanksgiving!
We've been developing a tradition of family portraits around this holiday -- this was one of my favorites, taken today.
From the Causeway
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The Original Oyster House on the Causeway is the launching point for airboat rides along the delta. Above the launching area, there is a banquet room for large parties and such. A few times we've been at the Original Oyster House for dinner, I've eyed the deck on the banquet room as an ideal location for shots in the evenings of the distance Mobile, Alabama skyline.
Finally, last week I got permission from Original Oyster House staffers to camp out on the deck with my tripod and a Sweetwater-420. I think it's important to be a customer at a place when imposing to use their property for photography stuff.
The sunset wasn't bad/wasn't the best but we enjoyed our meal as always and I'm glad to have gotten a few shots from the outing.
Amber Waves of Pain
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I can't stand commuting.
Awhile back a friend of mine that works for Coke transferred over to Mobile.
In just two weeks, he found that certain aggressive driving techniques could shave as much as 20 minutes from his commute.
The Pavlovian conditioning worked and now those particular "stay in this lane and cut over the last minute" behaviors have stuck.
I worked in Pensacola for about 3 1/2 years and in Mobile for about 4 years and I was subject to the same conditioning. I would scare the crap out of my wife on weekend drives b/c I carried over my work-week aggressive driving to dates/outings, etc.
To this day, even though I am CONSIDERABLY mellower behind the wheel, she drives 90% of the time for our family outings, because of those memories of me casually weaving in and out, following to closely and treating speed limits as the square root of my actual speed.
These days, my commute is more of one from the shower to the coffee pot. Just when I wonder if that aggressive driving streak is still there, a trip to Orlando/Seattle/Atlanta usually awaken the stupid driving Hulk.
Hulk, SMASH! - Ah, oh. :)
Here's hoping your friday commute is smash-free.
LifeStyles
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Isn't it fascinating, the different lifestyles people live in? This shot, taken on the Mobile Bay Causeway, I think illustrates the point well.
This area of land is considered Spanish Fort. Spanish Fort PD patrol it anyway. I've been.. let's say.. kindly questioned.. on occasion shooting photos in an abandoned hotel just north of where this shot was taken.
The Median Household Income of Spanish for in the 2010 Census, is listed as $65,000. The average home vale is $193,000.
I live in Spanish Fort, today. This is actually the second time I've been a resident of this town. The first time, we were homeless and living at the aforementioned hotel shortly after my parents burned down our house/trailer in an attempt to collect insurance money.
I've seen boat/houses like this parked along the North side of the causeway since we moved here in 1993. They fascinate me. This represents a freedom that my mortgage-chained suburban mind can hardly fathom. In my mind's eye, this parcel is occupied by a Vietnam Vet, whose chosen a life of solitude that matches many Jimmy Buffet song-line.
Granted, this could be someone's fishing camp but let a guy's imagination go wild, won't ya? :)
Step in Line
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"They" (whoever they are) say we are in an employer's market. Our employer's can pretty safely impose some unpopular terms on the workforce. The safety net comes from the fact that there are 100 people in line for your job.
..or so they say..
I receive, on average 6 emails per week from technology headhunters and I turn down, on average 2 or 3 projecs per month. Feast or famine, I suppose. If was unemployed, I'm sure Murphy's Law would route those offers elsewhere. My employer doesn't wave the "employer's market" banner. Decent human beings in manager's clothes don't do that.
I have a friend/professional peer who isn't so lucky. Richard called me and was beside himself in annoyance and anger, ready to quit his job. We chatted over beers about his work situation, let’s call him Richard.
His manager is a little man, like Bob Parr's manager on The Incredibles. They are on-call 24/7 and he works 70 hour weeks for a too-low salary that isn't commensurate with his job description or his experience. The manager is demeaning. He yells at the employees, ties their hands (figuratively) with silly policies. He reads their email and pours over their web surfing logs with interest. He is chauvinist, racist, dishonest and rude.
The guy gets away with it all. The Sr. Partners of his firm have basically “checked out”, paying no attention to runaway antics of this manager because his department meets their goals.
Richard has been working on improving his education through certifications and he’s been saving from his modest pay to build a little financial cushion so that he could make a move to another company. After our small liquid-therapy session, Rich decided to step back in line – grin and bear it for another two months. On January 1st, he’ll be moving to a new job, one way or another.
How about you? In this so/called employer’s market are you a “grin and bear it” or have you managed to find decent and benevolent managerial overlords?
That Old, Familiar Feeling
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Over the last few weeks, I've been attempting to ramp back up for some photography.
I have some work still to do, on my timing. I leave the house(my office) with intent to catch a sunrise or sun-set and always seem to get smite'd by traffic or a phone call or... some other bit of life that jumps in the way. Partly I just don't have the feel for "deploying" from the new house for after-work photo outings. Living in my old town, Robertsdale, I knew the traffic patterns like grizzled old farmers know the rain seasons.
On top of this, my work schedule this year has been a monumental juggling act. I can't really get into specifics but I CAN say that I'm basically working 13 hour weekdays and 8 hour weekend/days - 7 days a week. Some for my programming career and others related to some start-up projects for colleagues & friends. All things that fit in the work column - not the life column.
I'm not complaining, mind you. I've been blessed to have stayed healthy and had the opportunity to work on these things but boy, what a pace! :)
Regular ol' 48 hours weeks are going to feel so/easy by comparison, sometime early next year.
But today, it happened. I made a sunset by jetting out my door to the nearest body of water, right at 5pm. I used the NEX-7 because of it's convenient carry/size. The Sony NEX-7 is really turning into my go/to camera for all misdemeanor trespassing photo outings. The compact size is totally great for being on-the-move. I like the menu system and the swivel screen allows for some interesting angles. The 24 megapixel sensor isn't too shabby after all. The resulting images feel lightning-fast in post processing compared to the 36 megapixel RAW monsters coming from my D800.
The D800 will still be my Go/To for most above-board photo activities but in cases where I may land in the back of a police car for my antics -- the NEX-7 is definitely my bud. Hey Sony, there's you a marketing campaign :)
For this shot I drove past two no trespassing signs and parked my car stealthily between two boats that were hauled out on the shore. This wasn't exactly a black op. Despite 2 more signs warning that this area was for owners and club members only, I apparently looked as if I belonged because no one challenged my shutter-happy presence.
It was another epic Gulf Coast sunset and this photo doesn't even begin to do it justice.
It sure felt great being out, shooting again!
Let There be Light
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Something like 133 years ago, the electric light bulb was invented.
Isn't it fascinating in a world with Nuclear bombs, iPhones, Aircraft and inner-solar system exploration that we are only one living generation removed from the invention of the light bulb? That 100 year old whose birthday was announced by Willard Scott -- their parents lived partially in an era without a light bulb.
Also interesting that we are still re-inventing the light bulb in new ways.
A fantastic lesson for the entrepreneurs out there, just because something has been done, doesn't mean there isn't a market for an innovator promising a better, or simply different, way.