Kathy & I got out early for our walk this morning in order to beat the “heat.” I say “heat” in quotations because we are actually – finally – seeing seasonal temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. Our thermometer actually hit a high of 91 yesterday. Pretty toasty.
When we get out early we can walk around the parking lot of the Walmart that is outside our neighborhood and stay in the shade most of the way. The back of the store is often a target-rich photographic environment, which has provided me with content for the next few days. I’ve never actually been inside the store, but have walked miles around the perimeter of the parking lot. And taken pictures of their detritus.
These cameras have evidently reached the end of their useful lives, and were piled in an old shopping cart behind the store. Probably waiting for someone to come and haul them away along with the old shopping carts.
I finished a long-time workflow project yesterday. All of my “picks” in Lightroom have been processed! That consists of just over 60,000 photos dating back to my first digital camera in 2004. While 60,000 photos is a tiny collection compared to a lot of photographers, I have been very selective about what I keep. I’ve probably taken twice that many photos over the years, but I have been systematically deleting the “non-picks” in order to keep the number down.
I know that digital storage is cheap, but just like I’m stingy with my closet space, I tend to be stingy with my “digital closet” as well. As it is, I’ve just about filled my 2-terabyte hard drive. Fortunately, later today the FedEx truck will be bringing me 4 new 4-terabyte drives. That will get me thru a few more years of photos and give me breathing room for an impending camera upgrade.
All this activity is paving the way for a long-overdue update to my website. I love the layout but the photos need refreshing. As I work on that project I’ll probably post some highlights from the archives on this blog. It’s been a fun project, and I have a few thoughts about working on old photos with new software. Spoiler alert: one of the most interesting but frustrating changes is that the new software allows us to see sensor dust spots better, and the old digital cameras didn’t have dust removal functions built in! Ugh! 🙂
I don’t have much to say today after a weekend of mostly staying away from the news and (anti-)social media. I hope everyone had a good weekend and is looking forward to a good week!
Edison at the End of the (Brio Train) Tunnel on Mother’s Day 2020
One of the highlights of Sunday was a visit by our son Scott and grandson Edison. We have an old Brio train set that Edison likes to play with when he comes, so we spent quite a lot of time with that. He also likes walking outside – especially on the brick retaining walls – and and running down the sidewalks and driveways. At 4 years old he’s a bundle of energy, and while we’re always happy to see him come we often take a nap after he leaves!
Edison on Mother’s Day 2020Edison on Mother’s Day 2020Edison on Mother’s Day 2020Edison on Mother’s Day 2020
Panning with moving objects to convey a sense of speed and motion. I need to do more of this, although people can be weird about a guy standing on a street corner with a camera. Maybe now that I’m older they’ll just think I’m eccentric but harmless. 😉
Motion Blur in Uptown Charlotte, North CarolinaMotion Blur in Uptown Charlotte, North CarolinaMotion Blur in Uptown Charlotte, North CarolinaMotion Blur in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina
I’ve been working lately on having a camera with me on my morning walks. It’s interesting what I see when I have a camera with me (duh!). 😉
Transmission towers aren’t exactly a glamorous subject (unless you’re into such things), but they do have some interesting lines and shapes. This one is a regular subject, mostly because it’s always there, looks different in changing light and weather, and gives me a reason to trudge to the top of the hill.
It’s also a good camera test – to check focus and sharpness!
It always interests me to see how people tend to refer to their equipment in more specific terms the newer or more expensive it is. I was reading a recent blog post that was commenting on the age-old (at least 10 years!) argument about whether phones were “real” cameras. Never mind the argument (which I think is silly), but the writer stated that “there are significant differences between my iPhone 8’s camera and my OM-D E-M5 Mark II, not to mention some newer full-frame cameras.” Well, no sheet, Sherlock!
The thought that went through my mind when I read that sentence was that, if he were shooting with a 3-generations old Android phone (like me) or a hopelessly obsolete mirrorless camera (like me) he might not have been so quick to mention his gear. Is that what is referred to as “humblebrag? As in, “I had a hard time finding a suitable parking place for my Porsche?” Anyway, my weird thought twists on this Saturday morning.
I hope everyone has enjoyable holiday week/weekend, whichever holiday (if any) they choose to be observing.
Views of uptown Charlotte from the Seventh Street Station parking garage, Charlotte, North Carolina
Nothing to say today, important or otherwise. I just processed a few more photos from the same folder as the last post and thought I would share. Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend. Staying warm where it’s cold and dry where it’s wet. 😉
Views of uptown Charlotte from the Seventh Street Station parking garage, Charlotte, North CarolinaViews of uptown Charlotte from the Seventh Street Station parking garage, Charlotte, North CarolinaViews of uptown Charlotte from the Seventh Street Station parking garage, Charlotte, North CarolinaViews of uptown Charlotte from the Seventh Street Station parking garage, Charlotte, North CarolinaViews of uptown Charlotte around the Imaginon Children’s Library in Charlotte, North Carolina
Views of uptown Charlotte from the Seventh Street Station parking garage, Charlotte, North Carolina
One of the many advantages of not being a television watcher is that I don’t have to put up with all the commercials and mindless programming, including the so-called news. One of the disadvantages of not being a television watcher is that I miss out on a lot of the sayings and expressions that come from both the commercials and the programs themselves.
Views of uptown Charlotte around the Imaginon Children’s Library in Charlotte, North Carolina
Case in point – last week I sent an email to a co-worker about something good that had happened, and he replied, “dilly dilly.” I was puzzled but figured if he wasn’t making some obscure reference to my name that it was probably something I missed from television. I get pretty good at recognizing things like that. 😉
Charlotte Transit Lynx Light Rail at the Seventh Street Station in Charlotte, North Carolina
Just today I came across an article about a guy with Charlotte roots who had found recent fame by being the “dilly dilly” guy, and it turns out he is the actor that plays the king in a series of Budweiser commercials where he replies “dilly dilly” whenever someone brings him beer. Little did I know, but “dilly dilly” is this year’s version of “WHASSSUP?” 🙂
The things I miss. Sigh….
Views of uptown Charlotte around the Imaginon Children’s Library in Charlotte, North CarolinaViews of uptown Charlotte from the Seventh Street Station parking garage, Charlotte, North CarolinaViews of uptown Charlotte around the Imaginon Children’s Library in Charlotte, North CarolinaViews of uptown Charlotte around the Imaginon Children’s Library in Charlotte, North Carolina
The photos – by the way – are more from 2012. I took this during an outing with a digital point & shoot class I was teaching. Although it appears I “cheated” and was using my then-new Canon 5D Mark III. 😉
Views of uptown Charlotte from the Seventh Street Station parking garage, Charlotte, North Carolina
