December 24, 2013

I'm dreaming of a Black (and White) Christmas

I spent a few nights driving around in my motorized vehicle taking pics of Holiday Lights. Listening to one of those Radio Stations that plays Christmas Music 24 hours a day and the motorized vehicle's heater keeping me nice and warm made for an easy photo outing.

Ideally I would have stopped at each location, got out and setup a tripod and taken the pics all proper like. But that's too much work for photos that I may never print.

I set the ISO to 4000 and adjusted aperture to keep my shutter speeds around 1/125. Kept it simple. Less Brain Damage.



















And for those of you that absolutely positively have to have COLOR in your holiday light picture:::



Thanks so much for looking.

December 20, 2013

Olympus Bioscapes 2013 Gallery

This takes 'macro' to a whole new level.



More here...... http://www.olympusbioscapes.com/gallery/2013/index.html

December 10, 2013

How technology is changing our minds for the better

Blame it on the apps. When technology isn't distracting us from driving (causing accidents — or at least some unnerving swerving), it's pulling our attention away from work, making us less productive. Smartphone games steal time from our families, and apps suck our downtime into a black hole of "Wait, what time is it?"

We are getting dumber and less compassionate because we are using our phones more than our brains, right? So assert writers like Nick Carr, Jaron Lanier and others. In response, we are planning phone-free vacations and doing weekend tech detoxes. But what if all that thinking about the evils of tech is just wrong — or at least overblown?

In "Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing our Minds for the Better," author Clive Thompson asserts that as technology gets smarter, so are we — it is a net gain. Not that our current tools are perfect: "The arguments about the dangers of tech are about consumption. Are we too distracted to be able to focus? I actually agree with some of [those arguments]. Our tools really have been pecking at us like ducks and we have to get away from that. But my book is looking at something different — what it means for the individual to express their thoughts and think socially with other people. To bounce ideas ideas off of other people more easily and to solve problems with other people. I found those trends to be very powerful and I was convinced that this was a net boon for most people's everyday thoughts," he says on the TechCrunch video below.

http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/how-technology-is-changing-our-minds-for-the-better

I have mixed feelings about this contention. Being a bit of a Tree Hugger I enjoy walks/hikes without any 'wired' connection. Clears the head. I Day Dream, which for me is a good thing.

December 9, 2013

Sophie and a Small Town at Night

Thanks for takin' a looksie.

November 26, 2013

I picked up an Experimental Lens Kit for my Oly ELP2

If tack sharp images with perfect exposures is your thing then you should definitely pass on this. If you like experimenting and creating images 'in camera' then this is a great little kit. For about $80 you get 3 lens, colored filters, and the lenses have some unique features that allow you to create interesting photos.

So for I've only played with the fish-eye lens. The main thing I tested was the 'zone focusing', which is sorta' kinda' just estimating the distance from your subject and the camera.

Now that I've gotten used to working the lenses I can take them all out for a day trip. Anxious to see what the light will show me.

















Thanks for looking.

November 17, 2013

>> NOVEMBER PRELIMINARY PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST THREAD 2<<

Preliminary Voting Thread 1

The Theme for the November Contest is: Metaphor – Abstract
Entries are allowed to focus on Metaphor, Abstract, or Both. The Processing Rules are ‘there are no processing rules’. Anything goes.

Please take a moment to comment on a photo or photos and help keep this thread kicked (and recommended). This has been a challenging Theme for some so your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

And don’t forget to Vote in both Threads:

Preliminary Voting Thread 1: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024045437

NOTE: Skinner has authorized this contest be run in GD.

Aura



Getting Your Feet Wet



He shined during his darkest hour



The Road Less Traveled



Winter’s Dance



America?



Calm at the center of the Storm



Colorblind



Let’s Put Our Heads Together

November 11, 2013

I missed out on most of the Autumn Color

I completely missed the awesome Autumn Color this year, but it didn't stop me from heading out. I love this time of year, color or no color.

Mountain Pond



Autumn Light



Ground 1



Ground 2



Ground 3



Fluffy in Black & White



Bursting



Autumn Grain



Trio



Path



Thanks for looking.

October 29, 2013

November Contest Information

I'll be trying my best to have this contest run smoothly but I can't give any guarantees.

The Theme for the November Contest is: Metaphor – Abstract

Submissions will begin Friday November 8 and go through Friday November 15.
Submissions will be open which means you will post your entry to a specific thread.

Preliminary Voting will start on November 16 and go through November 19.
Finals Voting will start on November 20 and go through November 23.

Voting will last for 72 hours in both the Preliminaries and the Finals

Dates are not written in stone and could vary.



Anything goes regarding the processing of your photos. We're talking Abstract here so there really are not any boundaries on your creativity.

Have a question? Just ask.

Thanks!

October 9, 2013

I'm clueless

Perhaps I'm over thinking this whole thing but judging from the lack of entries I sorta' kinda' think I'm not alone. I'm not looking for a 'winning' photo I'm just looking for something that comes fairly close to the actual theme. These are a couple I found while digging through my virtual shoebox.





Anyone else clueless? Or am I the lone idiot here?

September 25, 2013

Ice Cream, Water Spirit, and Stairs

3 of my favorite things







Thanks for looking