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Funny thing about the Colorado River…
It didn’t have to do a thing other than be itself to have a dramatic and profound effect on its environment.
Happy Father’s Day!
Posts in category Uncategorized
Gentlemen, and ladies… Start your engines!
No this isn’t a post about the Indy 500. Well, not really. Although, just for gee-whiz, the Indy 500 is turning 100 this weekend. Even though I grew up 30 miles South of Indianapolis, I’ve never been to a 500 in my life.
What the 500 brings to my mind, is one of the most significant holidays of the year, Memorial Day. That and Danica Patrick, but that’s another subject altogether…
It only seems right we should take the time to remember those who couldn’t be here with us as we kick off the beginning of another brilliant summer… Picnics, barbecues, vacations, travel and fun!!!!
So, look at it as it’s intended. Take the time to contemplate, honor and appreciate the sacrifices of the nation’s fallen, then get out and have your best summer ever.
Dewayne
What is Digital Photography?
Okay, so everyone knows what photography is, what is digital photography?
For those who are old enough to remember vinyl records, 8-tracks, and parachute pants, taking pictures always meant going down to the store, buying a camera or just the roll of film to go into the camera, taking three or four months to shoot all of the pictures on the roll of film (who processes a partial roll of film?), losing the camera, remembering it’s hidden in a drawer or closet when you find it six months later, finally taking it to your local Photomat or drugstore for processing and then spend the two or three days it took to get the prints back wondering “what in the heck was on that roll of film, anyway?” If the roll of film was lucky enough to make it to the drugstore or Photomat, when you finally get your anxiously awaited film prints back in your grubby little fingers, in a typical roll of film, you had 10-15 pictures you meant to take, 3 or 4 pictures you have no earthly idea what you were trying to take a picture of, and then 6 or 7 pictures you shot just to burn off the roll., (because who processes a partial roll of film?). You might have had a little piece of picture or memory magic in your hands.
Gosh, that’s almost as bad as having to go outside to use the facilities in the dark!
Welcome to the new world, my friend.
Today for just an embarassingly low price you can now purchase a camera that doesn’t require you to buy film, can be manipulated to take pictures on par with most of the cameras on the professional level, and doesn’t weigh a ton of bricks and can easily fit in your pocket because it’s almost as small as a credit card.
You don’t have to buy film, lose it, waste it, pay for processing, then wait anxiously for your precious memories to return…, you get to see the pictures on a TV screen on the back of your camera.
Welcome, my friend, (chorus of angels singing in the background), to the wonderful world of digital photography.
Photography and Your Personal Safety..
Be aware of your surroundings!.
It seems like something you shouldn’t have to tell someone looking at their environment for some really good pictures, right?
Every now and then you come across a topic or a bit of information too valuable to keep to yourself. I’ve had a lifelong history with violence, and yet I do not consider myself violent, nor do those around me. I’m not a recreational drug user, but recently I had someone ask, “Dude, are you a stoner? You are just too laid back.”
For me this was shocking, usually I’m so keyed up and mobile, I make myself nervous. But today I wanted to relay some old information that I rediscovered only recently, and it makes it well worth passing along.
I don’t like violence, but it is an essential tool. When it is used, there will be repurcussions. To me, the first thing that happened when I was spit out in the hospital is, the doctor slapped me on the bottom. I like to live the rest of my life not getting hit and doing my best not to hit others.
In the past three weeks I have been indirectly exposed to two intentional shootings, one, an attempted murder in a set of circumstances that made national headlines, and the other involving a manhunt still ongoing, where the victim was shot, then a witness was murdered after the fact, some people say, “to prove a point.”
First things first, I do not believe anyone can look at a situation and say, “If so-and-so had done this…” Monday morning quarterbacking…, you’ve had it happen and you know just how dumb it makes the other person look. If you weren’t there, you have no idea what happened and you are now trying to construct your own reality. Not exactly the best gauge for what took place. I am a firm believer that some people have bad things happen to them just because they are human. Not in the moment, have their minds somewhere else… You get the point. Violence can occur anywhere, at anytime, with little or no notice. SWAT teams call this “dynamic entry” due to the rapid loud, violent disorienting nature, it makes for a very effective wake-up call, and usually ends the situation in a matter of seconds rather than hours.
The story of violence is deep, shocking and usually leaves a long string of victims in its wake. A newspaper article doesn’t cover exactly how devastating the impact of one act of violence can be. I came across a book recently called, “The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs To Know About Fighting” (Kane/Wilder 2009, approx. $25). This is a book I would strongly recommend for anyone with teenager stepping out into the “real” world. A word of warning, the graphics and some of the language would probably offend the prurient, but the information it passes along is definitely life-saving. One of the most useful tools the book passes along is the use of an unarmed variation Jeff Cooper’s Color Code, not to be confused with the Homeland Security color code. The rundown:
Condition White: (Oblivious)A person attacked while he or she is in this mode is probably going to be seriously injured or die. You’ve seen people in this mode, I’ve been there myself, the guy on the train so wrapped up in his phone/laptop he doesn’t even look up to see who got on the train or off, is still fighting the previous argument with girlfriend/boyfrind/spouse, not even looking at how many people are around them, etc. You’ve heard the term “sucker punch”. Guess where it came from?
Condition Yellow: (Aware) A relaxed state of awareness. No particular threat is identified, but you are at least looking at the people and the areas around you knowing where an attack or an attacker could be.
Condition Orange: (Alert) A more heightened state of awareness, a specific location or individual has been identified as a potential source of violence and should get a little more attention and mental preparation than the innocuous and safe parts of your environment.
Condition Red: (Concerned) Now a potential adversary has been identified and is in a position to harm you or someone you’re with. Exactly how should you respond? How far are you legally allowed to respond? What are the repurcussions if you react immediately? What are the moral implications?
This book addresses those topics and so many more. Well worth the time for a very graphic, but easy read.
Pay attention to your surroundings!
More on these later…
Albuquerque, NM 061210
Same as above
Two quick items: The camera sensor is very similar to the human eye. If you should not look at the sun for very long to prevent burning out your retina, you also should use extreme caution when taking picture of sunrises/sunsets, because too much repeated exposure could cause damage to your cameras sensor. Personally, I like to use clouds as a barrier for most of the light and still pick up the texture of the surrounding skies. By the way, there is nothing magical in the camera to prevent your eyes from being damaged while you’re looking at the sun prepping to take the picture, so if there ever was a time to use “Live View” (the back of the camera) to preview the image…
These are also great examples of why you should keep your camera at arms length, you never know what life has in store. One other quick item that I like to keep in mind is sunsets/sunrises make great batter for “cookie cutter” text. It can really add drama to lettering on your website, in your emails/blogs or on your letterhead. I’ll get into more on this in just a little bit.
