Flood, Yosemite
11/30/2005
Quote of the Day
Blog Goblins & VueScan
I heard - el Bloggo was down. I told Heath that sometimes my ISP likes to delete files just to make life more interesting. Since you're reading this - it's up again.
* * *
All morning spent with VueScan. Yes. Quite the program. I still think I'm going to end up with the 4990, but maybe it isn't quite the rush I thought it was. One thing for sure, VueScan blows away the Epson scanner driver. And of course - I'm sure that Barrett mentioned it years ago to me but I'm a slooow learner. Or maybe it's that until I hit a brick wall, I don't start listening.
* * *
The only problem I had with VueScan and the 1600 is that when the negative was in the negative holder, the scan was soft. Also - you can't - at least I can't - figure out how to focus the scanner through VueScan since the Focus Title is always grayed out - which I figure means that the scanner itself doesn't support manual focus. What the scanner does have is a switch for setting whether the focus should be at Zero or 2-point something (the latter is for when it's in the negative carrier, i.e. the film is farther away from the scanning table).
Anyway - to make a long story longer - I just took the negative out of the holder and stuck it on the glass - and then the scan through VueScan was considerably sharper. (I'm not using any sharpening settings in VueScan, nor am I decreasing grain appearance etc.) All the sharpening is done post-scan. The other cool thing - is the RAW scan. What a concept. More later...
* * *
Thank you Barrett, Markus -- VueScan did the trick. I'm going to hold on to this 1600. Getting great results now.
* * *
All morning spent with VueScan. Yes. Quite the program. I still think I'm going to end up with the 4990, but maybe it isn't quite the rush I thought it was. One thing for sure, VueScan blows away the Epson scanner driver. And of course - I'm sure that Barrett mentioned it years ago to me but I'm a slooow learner. Or maybe it's that until I hit a brick wall, I don't start listening.
* * *
The only problem I had with VueScan and the 1600 is that when the negative was in the negative holder, the scan was soft. Also - you can't - at least I can't - figure out how to focus the scanner through VueScan since the Focus Title is always grayed out - which I figure means that the scanner itself doesn't support manual focus. What the scanner does have is a switch for setting whether the focus should be at Zero or 2-point something (the latter is for when it's in the negative carrier, i.e. the film is farther away from the scanning table).
Anyway - to make a long story longer - I just took the negative out of the holder and stuck it on the glass - and then the scan through VueScan was considerably sharper. (I'm not using any sharpening settings in VueScan, nor am I decreasing grain appearance etc.) All the sharpening is done post-scan. The other cool thing - is the RAW scan. What a concept. More later...
* * *
Thank you Barrett, Markus -- VueScan did the trick. I'm going to hold on to this 1600. Getting great results now.
11/29/2005
hex AFC3E8
I don't know what happened to me the last month. I became infatuated with this #AFC3E8 pale shade of blue. The whole site is slowly turning blue. What would you call it - China Blue? I also became overly infatuated with the ads to the point where I plastered them up on the sales pages. It didn't really seem to hurt sales but I removed them. They were ruining my own enjoyment of viewing the images.
My bedroom, as I remember it (probably faulty) was this shade of blue when I was a kid. So maybe it's some form of regression. I'm thinking that hex RGB colors might be good for domain names. Please visit #AFC3EB to view Dave's Blue Period.
I might go and get the Epson Scanner tomorrow. I don't usually act this fast with a piece of hardware but more and more of my medium format stuff is being ordered and and the 1600 is not up to the job. Besides, I have about 30 MF shots that I've never been able to do properly with the 1600. I'll let you know if I get it; how it works out; and then if anyone in New York wants to pick up the 1600 - let me know.
Everything has worked out well so far this season. I also have a couple of offers from retailers from various places around the country wanting to know if I'll sell prints wholesale. I have to figure that part out. Definitely cheaper mats (thanks for the mat tip John C.) if I'm going to do that sort of thing. As is it - I'm printing away as fast as I can. That will end in a week I'm sure and I'll be back to shooting. I see things all the time these days as I walk around - but don't want to think about shooting. I mostly think about ordering packaging supplies and drudgery like that lately. Should I get the 200 lb carton or the 150 lb carton.
The weird thing is that I seem to relish the rote work. Maybe it's a Zen thing. I don't know.
There's a passage in the new book by Frank McCourt (Teacher Man) where one of his students tells how he went to learn Karate and the teacher only told him to go and clean the toilets during the first session (which the kid did). Next week, the kid comes back and the Karate teacher tells him to clean the toilets again. Only after several weeks of this did the karate teacher begin to get into Karate technique. Zen, Zen, Zen. The sound of hands folding cartons and slapping tape around same.
P.S. Barrett recommended trying VueScan with the 1600. Wow. Very promising. That's what I call a driver.
My bedroom, as I remember it (probably faulty) was this shade of blue when I was a kid. So maybe it's some form of regression. I'm thinking that hex RGB colors might be good for domain names. Please visit #AFC3EB to view Dave's Blue Period.
I might go and get the Epson Scanner tomorrow. I don't usually act this fast with a piece of hardware but more and more of my medium format stuff is being ordered and and the 1600 is not up to the job. Besides, I have about 30 MF shots that I've never been able to do properly with the 1600. I'll let you know if I get it; how it works out; and then if anyone in New York wants to pick up the 1600 - let me know.
Everything has worked out well so far this season. I also have a couple of offers from retailers from various places around the country wanting to know if I'll sell prints wholesale. I have to figure that part out. Definitely cheaper mats (thanks for the mat tip John C.) if I'm going to do that sort of thing. As is it - I'm printing away as fast as I can. That will end in a week I'm sure and I'll be back to shooting. I see things all the time these days as I walk around - but don't want to think about shooting. I mostly think about ordering packaging supplies and drudgery like that lately. Should I get the 200 lb carton or the 150 lb carton.
The weird thing is that I seem to relish the rote work. Maybe it's a Zen thing. I don't know.
There's a passage in the new book by Frank McCourt (Teacher Man) where one of his students tells how he went to learn Karate and the teacher only told him to go and clean the toilets during the first session (which the kid did). Next week, the kid comes back and the Karate teacher tells him to clean the toilets again. Only after several weeks of this did the karate teacher begin to get into Karate technique. Zen, Zen, Zen. The sound of hands folding cartons and slapping tape around same.
P.S. Barrett recommended trying VueScan with the 1600. Wow. Very promising. That's what I call a driver.
Epson Scanner
Was this the scanner you guys were talking about a while back:
Epson Perfection 4990 Photo, 4800x9600 dpi
I need to get something better than the Epson 1600 I'm using now for scanning medium format negatives. I see it listed at B&H for $409. I've never been happy with the d-max of the 1600 for negatives. I'm too pooped to go back through the blog and look for what you said but I remember things like: it's almost as good / as good / as a drum scan. Things along those lines.
For $100 more you get:
"With an included professional software suite including LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast Ai, the Epson Perfection 4990 Pro provides a total digital imaging system right out of the box. It also offers expansive color management with an IT8 target to consistently color match photos. And, it incorporates leading-edge image acquisition software for maximum scanning control, plus high-speed connectivity options."
Do I need any of this extra stuff?
Epson Perfection 4990 Photo, 4800x9600 dpi
I need to get something better than the Epson 1600 I'm using now for scanning medium format negatives. I see it listed at B&H for $409. I've never been happy with the d-max of the 1600 for negatives. I'm too pooped to go back through the blog and look for what you said but I remember things like: it's almost as good / as good / as a drum scan. Things along those lines.
For $100 more you get:
"With an included professional software suite including LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast Ai, the Epson Perfection 4990 Pro provides a total digital imaging system right out of the box. It also offers expansive color management with an IT8 target to consistently color match photos. And, it incorporates leading-edge image acquisition software for maximum scanning control, plus high-speed connectivity options."
Do I need any of this extra stuff?
Hey Dave
what happened to that print you had of the guy walking through the gate in the snow by the river. i wanted to purchase it but can't find it anywhere. j.b.
That's my bad. When I began to redesign the site, a bunch of old prints got lost in the shuffle. Here you go:
The Road Ahead
That's my bad. When I began to redesign the site, a bunch of old prints got lost in the shuffle. Here you go:
The Road Ahead
11/28/2005
Yosemite after Rain
Yosemite after Rain
If you've ever gone on a vacation with someone who isn't a photographer - and is impatient to boot - you sort of know what it was like. I kept wanting to stop to shoot stuff and my friend who had just left a programming job was depressed and wanted to explore the edges of cliffs. It was a tense time all around. I was afraid that only one of us was going to come back from this trip.
This was shot while I was alone. Mamiya 6. I had borrowed wading boots and was in the muck waiting for the tripod to settle down.
Content Ads
Someone should write an article about how content-driven ads effect what you write about.
I'll give you an example. I was going to write an article about how I used to use a JOBO rotary tank on top of a Besseler (sp?) motor; sort of a hybrid thing to do rotary processing. Rotary processing is actually a great thing if you want to do a lot of film processing, because besides a certain amount of automation - you use very little chemicals since the tank lies on its' side and rotates the film through the chemicals. In other words the whole tank doesn't need to be filled up. I tried it on the cheap. Instead of buying the whole JOBO rig, I bought the rotary tank with their reels and put it on top of a motor made by Besseler that turned the tank.
The motor drive had a button on the front so that it would go first one way, than reverse itself. That broke the first day. But the basic concept worked pretty well, though you had to keep an eye on the tank that it didn't wobble off onto the floor. The other problem is that chemicals tended to leak out of the top, and sometimes get into the motor.
So one day, while the tank with six reels is spinning - the motor burns out. Dead. Not such a terrible thing if it was in the hypo stage - but it was still halfway through the developer stage.
What to do. Think fast.
Did the only thing I could think of: take it off the motor base and begin rolling it across the apartment floor (which at that time had a rug) trying to approximate the rotation speed of the motor. Bad for the rug. Well, that's what I was going to write my article about but then I'm thinking:
Is JOBO even in existence anymore? Does Besseler even make that motor drive? Do people still do rotary processing? This is like writing a story from the dark ages. Who's going to buy advertising for this?
So I hop on the web and try and find out what JOBO is up to. Like every other film-based firm, they are called JOBO DIGITAL now or something like that and their official distributor in the U.S. is so-and-so. I went to several official distributor sites they mentioned and either the processors were out-of-stock or a search of the site doesn't even mention the rotary systems.
So - I figure, this is stupid to waste my time writing about some system that isn't going to generate ad revenue. And this was conscious. I wonder - as I said before - what the effect of content-driven ads is on writers?
You can see it in action if you look at successful sites based on content-driven ad revenue. What do they write about? The latest and greatest digital products. They try to scoop their competition with the first review. And digital is perfect for this since new products are hatched quicker than you can write about them. New "content." New ad revenue. They feed well on each other.
I can't compete there. My pc is nearly five years old. My camera was made in 1965 or something. In a year or so they'll have a replacement for just about everything that I'm using.
But there is something pernicious about it; though no more so than the relationship that has always existed between advertising and magazine writing. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. I always felt that when I was reading reviews in Popular Photography. Very rare they'd say, now here's a product by a major manufacturer that buys tons of advertising space in our magazine and what they've just turned out is a POS.
Oh, about that article about the effect of content-driven ads on writing - maybe I just wrote it.
I'll give you an example. I was going to write an article about how I used to use a JOBO rotary tank on top of a Besseler (sp?) motor; sort of a hybrid thing to do rotary processing. Rotary processing is actually a great thing if you want to do a lot of film processing, because besides a certain amount of automation - you use very little chemicals since the tank lies on its' side and rotates the film through the chemicals. In other words the whole tank doesn't need to be filled up. I tried it on the cheap. Instead of buying the whole JOBO rig, I bought the rotary tank with their reels and put it on top of a motor made by Besseler that turned the tank.
The motor drive had a button on the front so that it would go first one way, than reverse itself. That broke the first day. But the basic concept worked pretty well, though you had to keep an eye on the tank that it didn't wobble off onto the floor. The other problem is that chemicals tended to leak out of the top, and sometimes get into the motor.
So one day, while the tank with six reels is spinning - the motor burns out. Dead. Not such a terrible thing if it was in the hypo stage - but it was still halfway through the developer stage.
What to do. Think fast.
Did the only thing I could think of: take it off the motor base and begin rolling it across the apartment floor (which at that time had a rug) trying to approximate the rotation speed of the motor. Bad for the rug. Well, that's what I was going to write my article about but then I'm thinking:
Is JOBO even in existence anymore? Does Besseler even make that motor drive? Do people still do rotary processing? This is like writing a story from the dark ages. Who's going to buy advertising for this?
So I hop on the web and try and find out what JOBO is up to. Like every other film-based firm, they are called JOBO DIGITAL now or something like that and their official distributor in the U.S. is so-and-so. I went to several official distributor sites they mentioned and either the processors were out-of-stock or a search of the site doesn't even mention the rotary systems.
So - I figure, this is stupid to waste my time writing about some system that isn't going to generate ad revenue. And this was conscious. I wonder - as I said before - what the effect of content-driven ads is on writers?
You can see it in action if you look at successful sites based on content-driven ad revenue. What do they write about? The latest and greatest digital products. They try to scoop their competition with the first review. And digital is perfect for this since new products are hatched quicker than you can write about them. New "content." New ad revenue. They feed well on each other.
I can't compete there. My pc is nearly five years old. My camera was made in 1965 or something. In a year or so they'll have a replacement for just about everything that I'm using.
But there is something pernicious about it; though no more so than the relationship that has always existed between advertising and magazine writing. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. I always felt that when I was reading reviews in Popular Photography. Very rare they'd say, now here's a product by a major manufacturer that buys tons of advertising space in our magazine and what they've just turned out is a POS.
Oh, about that article about the effect of content-driven ads on writing - maybe I just wrote it.
11/27/2005
New Print
Funny how a new print makes it into the world. A couple of years ago I was doing my pilgrimage to the Bronx and figured I'd take in the 2nd most popular tourist attraction: Bronx Botanical Gardens even though flowers don't move me in the least.
My uncle Joe spent year after year at these gardens - returning with millions of flower slides which he'd then project for us in long boring sessions filled with Latin names. You know, sometimes photographers get caught up with one subject and just beat it to death. (Sorry Joe).
I've done it myself with benches. Can't pass a bench without wanting to take its' picture. I don't know why. Benches, trees, things made out of wood. Poor benches, out there in the elements all day. Splintering. Weathering. Getting darker with age. Gleaming when soaked. I'll have to get that part of my psyche analyzed someday.
So there I am in the botanical gardens - just as bored as if I were at Uncle Joes - and it starts to rain and I wander around with tripod and G2 - and find this wooden railing. So now I like this. I carefully setup the shot so that there's this trail leading off into the mist, and you are right above the railing (difficult tripod shot was it).
The Botanical Garden Trail picture is found on the site (somehow) by a design firm in Utah. Big hunt for the neg. And I mean big hunt. Took me longer to find that negative than to take or process same.
Then I don't hear from them for something like 4 months. Turns out that they would like it after all. So I finally print it and - the thing springs to life again.
You can see it here, but I don't think it would be interesting to you based on the web shot. But the print - it has that feeling of being etched in the paper - if you know what I mean. It must have been the 21mm lens which was really good with that G2.
Without the push from the folks in Utah (I bet they know their wooden railings out there) - the neg. would have just gone the way of all negs. - whatever that is.
My uncle Joe spent year after year at these gardens - returning with millions of flower slides which he'd then project for us in long boring sessions filled with Latin names. You know, sometimes photographers get caught up with one subject and just beat it to death. (Sorry Joe).
I've done it myself with benches. Can't pass a bench without wanting to take its' picture. I don't know why. Benches, trees, things made out of wood. Poor benches, out there in the elements all day. Splintering. Weathering. Getting darker with age. Gleaming when soaked. I'll have to get that part of my psyche analyzed someday.
So there I am in the botanical gardens - just as bored as if I were at Uncle Joes - and it starts to rain and I wander around with tripod and G2 - and find this wooden railing. So now I like this. I carefully setup the shot so that there's this trail leading off into the mist, and you are right above the railing (difficult tripod shot was it).
The Botanical Garden Trail picture is found on the site (somehow) by a design firm in Utah. Big hunt for the neg. And I mean big hunt. Took me longer to find that negative than to take or process same.
Then I don't hear from them for something like 4 months. Turns out that they would like it after all. So I finally print it and - the thing springs to life again.
You can see it here, but I don't think it would be interesting to you based on the web shot. But the print - it has that feeling of being etched in the paper - if you know what I mean. It must have been the 21mm lens which was really good with that G2.
Without the push from the folks in Utah (I bet they know their wooden railings out there) - the neg. would have just gone the way of all negs. - whatever that is.
Weborial: Developing Film
Okay - one more. Feel free to let me know if I've made any major blunders or if you want more info. Oh, that's right. Faster film. Didn't do that. I will.
Developing B&W Film
Developing B&W Film
11/26/2005
Weborials
Every time I read through one of these articles I've written in the last few weeks some glaring mistake jumps up and bites me. No editor. A general problem on the web. Someone should start an editorial society for weborialists. I know there's no word like that, but after going through a thesaurus for synonyms for article, weborial was the best I could come up with.
Here are some of those synonyms for article:
beat, blurb, column, commentary, composition, discourse, editorial, essay, exposition, feature, item, paper, piece, scoop, spread, story, theme, think piece, treatise, write-up
- Hey mac, I cover the Photo beat for the Daily Gotham. Whaddya do?
- I write weborials for the Gotham Blogger.
- Huh?
- Yeah. I'm a weborialist. One of the first ones. You should try it.
- Yeah? Well what the hell is a weborialist?
- You write articles, reviews, opinions - but you work on the web so they call it weborials. It's great 'cause no one checks your spelling or anything.
- You're kiddin' me.
- Nope.
- Weborialist, huh? Maybe I'll give it a try.
- Definitely. The competing word right now is itorial - but it's hard to say.
Here are some of those synonyms for article:
beat, blurb, column, commentary, composition, discourse, editorial, essay, exposition, feature, item, paper, piece, scoop, spread, story, theme, think piece, treatise, write-up
- Hey mac, I cover the Photo beat for the Daily Gotham. Whaddya do?
- I write weborials for the Gotham Blogger.
- Huh?
- Yeah. I'm a weborialist. One of the first ones. You should try it.
- Yeah? Well what the hell is a weborialist?
- You write articles, reviews, opinions - but you work on the web so they call it weborials. It's great 'cause no one checks your spelling or anything.
- You're kiddin' me.
- Nope.
- Weborialist, huh? Maybe I'll give it a try.
- Definitely. The competing word right now is itorial - but it's hard to say.
Back to Shooting
I have about seven prints to mat - and I've done all the tinkering with the site that I'm going to do for a while - and then - gasp - I'm going to starting shooting again. It's true that I don't really like this season much. I didn't get half the stuff done that I was supposed to: didn't send cards out; didn't get calendars made; didn't get any books published; didn't do much shooting; but like a kid who's got his new pencils for the new school term - I'm ready again to start anew and begin the usual backsliding.
What I did do is figure out how to sell more prints than last year and how to pick up a little extra money with ads and whatnot.
My only new year's resolution is to get a freakin' photography book published - even if I have to rob the local bank to do it. But no Lulu.com for me. At least that's been ruled out. I think I'm going to take a trip to China and meet with the local printers who work in the shadow of the great wall. Or maybe visit Milan where they do some mighty-fine printing.
Oh - but one thing I am going to do - I'm going to send a small Bronx photograph - to everyone I know who was born in the Bronx. No profit in that - just the act of giving. So, if you once in lived in the Bronx - and I know you - I'm going to get something to you for the holidays.
What I did do is figure out how to sell more prints than last year and how to pick up a little extra money with ads and whatnot.
My only new year's resolution is to get a freakin' photography book published - even if I have to rob the local bank to do it. But no Lulu.com for me. At least that's been ruled out. I think I'm going to take a trip to China and meet with the local printers who work in the shadow of the great wall. Or maybe visit Milan where they do some mighty-fine printing.
Oh - but one thing I am going to do - I'm going to send a small Bronx photograph - to everyone I know who was born in the Bronx. No profit in that - just the act of giving. So, if you once in lived in the Bronx - and I know you - I'm going to get something to you for the holidays.
11/25/2005
Another Gathering
Last year the turkey caught on fire.
This year - it wasn't ready in time - so the lasagna was pulled out first and me and a couple of teenagers were devouring it while the traditionalists waited and waited for the turkey.
Dad takes a small piece and complains about how he doesn't like spaghetti sauce or cheese and my sister is trying to get him to wait for the turkey.
Finally same arrives and a lot of us were stuffed already. After the pre-teens analyze the latest Harry Potter movie - seems they didn't like it but I couldn't understand half of what they were talking about. The teens and younger kids retire to the bedroom where they attached some Atari game box to the t.v. and play a game about hijacking trucks. Lots of violence and bad language.
The old folks came into the room but the kids wouldn't let them touch the game controls and the sound was turned down so they couldn't hear all the bad words. I got to play for about 30 seconds and drove my truck over a cliff into some water. I drowned.
In the living room - there were a lot of single 50-ish women talking about good places to go dancing and whatever happened to the Candy Stripe lounge that they frequented in the 80's.
The old folks couldn't get into that either. (Neither could I).
I had been instructed before hand to try and keep my big mouth shut and let the old folks control the conversation and not to bring up politics (which always leads to arguments). Fine with me. But it backfired when the talk was dominated by the ladies and their dance down memory lane and I was told afterwards that I should have brought up politics because those arguments are the highlight of any get-together. Oh well. Next time.
So my birthday is Dec. 1st - and every Thanksgiving I tell dad I don't want to celebrate it at Thanksgiving and sure enough there I am again with everyone surprising me with a cake and candle and me yelling, "God, how many times do I have to tell you - I don't want to do this at Thanksgiving."
One candle in the cake. I go to grab it to take it out and blow on it - and get into a control struggle with dad who wants me to blow it out while it's still in the cake. I make a grab for it again and a chocolate strawberry falls off, rolls under the table - and the dog goes for it. The dog isn't much bigger than the chocolate strawberry.
Chocolate (so they tell me) is poison for this breed of dog - so now there's a mad scramble under the table to get the chocolate strawberry from the dog with people surrounding the poor mutt and someone knocks over the coffee pot on the new white rug.
Oh the horror. Quick - use baking soda. No, use soda water. The women all advance their own secret formulas but the stain is spreading.
Why'd you knock off the chocolate strawberry?
Sorry.
Then someone starts singing: how old are you now? How old are you now?
"I'm 54," I say.
"No you're not," my middle sister says. She must be calculating her own age.
"I think I know how old I am. Do you wanna see my driver's license!"
Someone in the backroom must have hit the volume control because some very dirty words are filtering from the game into the living room. Horrified parents rush in to see what's going on and discover the obscenity filled game and want to know where this came from. In the confusion, they hit some other button and now all the bad politically unmentionable words are booming through the house.
I'm still thinking about how it feels to be 54. 6 years from 60. No way around that.
My uncle Hy was dead already at my age and had accomplished so much more.
Dad is wandering around looking for the check he was going to give me for my birthday. He can't find it. He's worried that he may have dropped it in the elevator because he was signing it as he came up. So out he goes to search the elevator. His eighty-year old companion is searching her pocketbook, either for her glasses or for the envelope.
And then it happens - the final coup de grace. Dad's companion asks me how I like the poster she brought back from somewhere as a gift. (I had passed it on to my sister for her house). Somehow, I know, by the way she was asking - that I had passed it on to Jean.
Now Jean is too cagey to have said anything - but her teenage daughter - she might have said something about the poster.
I excuse myself to go back to the other room where the hijacking game has been confiscated and ask my niece if she mentioned anything about the poster to anyone. She tells me that she might have mentioned the Van Gogh Bedroom print to someone dad's companion and sticks the iPod pods back in her ears.
Good God. Now what.
"I heard that you gave it to your sister," my father's companion is saying behind me. First time I've seen her move all night - and she's quick and silent as a cat and wearing magnifying glasses on her eyes.
"Well - I - "
Here eyes are huge.
"We brought it all the way back from Milan, you know. Especially for you. Your father picked it out. "
Meanwhile, dad comes back - unable to find the missing check. But he has a hat with him. Someone left their hat in the elevator.
The women are scrubbing the rug.
The kids are crying in the other room about the confiscation of the game.
I'm searching for an explanation for why I gave the poster away. Finally: "I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but I had that poster already. That's why I gave it to my sister."
"Really," she says suspiciously. She'd love to see the poster next time she visits me, so I'm going to have to get to the Museum of Art and get another one. I hope it says printed in Milan on the back.
As people are leaving - I'm invited to play anagrams. There are two anagram sets in the house. One is the actual real anagrams game (impossible to find these days); and the other one is just a bottle filled with scrabble tiles. The realanagrams set belongs to my sister's mother-in-law. I haven't mentioned her yet but she is not an old lady to trifle with (former high-school principal).
I say, "Let's play with the real set." My sister says, "what real set?"
I say, "You know - the actual set - we played with it the other day."
Her mother-in-law says: "You have a real anagrams set? Where did you find it? Took me years to find one. Finally found an old one on eBay."
Well, apparently my sister - who is giving me signs to shut up - stole it from her mother-in-laws house.
"Don't you remember, you loaned it to us a while back," she stammers.
Mother-in-law doesn't remember and starts in on a story about how difficult it was to find that set. They don't make them anymore.
Sister continues with her fable: "Remember, we were playing at your house and you said I could borrow it for a while?"
The dog begins to cough. He's been licking whatever they've been pouring on the coffee stain and it's making him puke. He almost pukes on the anonymous hat, but misses.
So that pretty much wraps things up as we take care of the dog; and a big fat guy in a florid bathrobe comes to the front door - somehow he's heard that my father found his hat. I don't know how he found out - my father must have involved the doorman at some point - but he takes his hat sticks it on his head and as he wanders away I notice some specks of dog-puke on it.
This year - it wasn't ready in time - so the lasagna was pulled out first and me and a couple of teenagers were devouring it while the traditionalists waited and waited for the turkey.
Dad takes a small piece and complains about how he doesn't like spaghetti sauce or cheese and my sister is trying to get him to wait for the turkey.
Finally same arrives and a lot of us were stuffed already. After the pre-teens analyze the latest Harry Potter movie - seems they didn't like it but I couldn't understand half of what they were talking about. The teens and younger kids retire to the bedroom where they attached some Atari game box to the t.v. and play a game about hijacking trucks. Lots of violence and bad language.
The old folks came into the room but the kids wouldn't let them touch the game controls and the sound was turned down so they couldn't hear all the bad words. I got to play for about 30 seconds and drove my truck over a cliff into some water. I drowned.
In the living room - there were a lot of single 50-ish women talking about good places to go dancing and whatever happened to the Candy Stripe lounge that they frequented in the 80's.
The old folks couldn't get into that either. (Neither could I).
I had been instructed before hand to try and keep my big mouth shut and let the old folks control the conversation and not to bring up politics (which always leads to arguments). Fine with me. But it backfired when the talk was dominated by the ladies and their dance down memory lane and I was told afterwards that I should have brought up politics because those arguments are the highlight of any get-together. Oh well. Next time.
So my birthday is Dec. 1st - and every Thanksgiving I tell dad I don't want to celebrate it at Thanksgiving and sure enough there I am again with everyone surprising me with a cake and candle and me yelling, "God, how many times do I have to tell you - I don't want to do this at Thanksgiving."
One candle in the cake. I go to grab it to take it out and blow on it - and get into a control struggle with dad who wants me to blow it out while it's still in the cake. I make a grab for it again and a chocolate strawberry falls off, rolls under the table - and the dog goes for it. The dog isn't much bigger than the chocolate strawberry.
Chocolate (so they tell me) is poison for this breed of dog - so now there's a mad scramble under the table to get the chocolate strawberry from the dog with people surrounding the poor mutt and someone knocks over the coffee pot on the new white rug.
Oh the horror. Quick - use baking soda. No, use soda water. The women all advance their own secret formulas but the stain is spreading.
Why'd you knock off the chocolate strawberry?
Sorry.
Then someone starts singing: how old are you now? How old are you now?
"I'm 54," I say.
"No you're not," my middle sister says. She must be calculating her own age.
"I think I know how old I am. Do you wanna see my driver's license!"
Someone in the backroom must have hit the volume control because some very dirty words are filtering from the game into the living room. Horrified parents rush in to see what's going on and discover the obscenity filled game and want to know where this came from. In the confusion, they hit some other button and now all the bad politically unmentionable words are booming through the house.
I'm still thinking about how it feels to be 54. 6 years from 60. No way around that.
My uncle Hy was dead already at my age and had accomplished so much more.
Dad is wandering around looking for the check he was going to give me for my birthday. He can't find it. He's worried that he may have dropped it in the elevator because he was signing it as he came up. So out he goes to search the elevator. His eighty-year old companion is searching her pocketbook, either for her glasses or for the envelope.
And then it happens - the final coup de grace. Dad's companion asks me how I like the poster she brought back from somewhere as a gift. (I had passed it on to my sister for her house). Somehow, I know, by the way she was asking - that I had passed it on to Jean.
Now Jean is too cagey to have said anything - but her teenage daughter - she might have said something about the poster.
I excuse myself to go back to the other room where the hijacking game has been confiscated and ask my niece if she mentioned anything about the poster to anyone. She tells me that she might have mentioned the Van Gogh Bedroom print to someone dad's companion and sticks the iPod pods back in her ears.
Good God. Now what.
"I heard that you gave it to your sister," my father's companion is saying behind me. First time I've seen her move all night - and she's quick and silent as a cat and wearing magnifying glasses on her eyes.
"Well - I - "
Here eyes are huge.
"We brought it all the way back from Milan, you know. Especially for you. Your father picked it out. "
Meanwhile, dad comes back - unable to find the missing check. But he has a hat with him. Someone left their hat in the elevator.
The women are scrubbing the rug.
The kids are crying in the other room about the confiscation of the game.
I'm searching for an explanation for why I gave the poster away. Finally: "I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but I had that poster already. That's why I gave it to my sister."
"Really," she says suspiciously. She'd love to see the poster next time she visits me, so I'm going to have to get to the Museum of Art and get another one. I hope it says printed in Milan on the back.
As people are leaving - I'm invited to play anagrams. There are two anagram sets in the house. One is the actual real anagrams game (impossible to find these days); and the other one is just a bottle filled with scrabble tiles. The realanagrams set belongs to my sister's mother-in-law. I haven't mentioned her yet but she is not an old lady to trifle with (former high-school principal).
I say, "Let's play with the real set." My sister says, "what real set?"
I say, "You know - the actual set - we played with it the other day."
Her mother-in-law says: "You have a real anagrams set? Where did you find it? Took me years to find one. Finally found an old one on eBay."
Well, apparently my sister - who is giving me signs to shut up - stole it from her mother-in-laws house.
"Don't you remember, you loaned it to us a while back," she stammers.
Mother-in-law doesn't remember and starts in on a story about how difficult it was to find that set. They don't make them anymore.
Sister continues with her fable: "Remember, we were playing at your house and you said I could borrow it for a while?"
The dog begins to cough. He's been licking whatever they've been pouring on the coffee stain and it's making him puke. He almost pukes on the anonymous hat, but misses.
So that pretty much wraps things up as we take care of the dog; and a big fat guy in a florid bathrobe comes to the front door - somehow he's heard that my father found his hat. I don't know how he found out - my father must have involved the doorman at some point - but he takes his hat sticks it on his head and as he wanders away I notice some specks of dog-puke on it.
11/24/2005
Dead Books
It's pretty obvious that the next step in the never-ending (seemingly) quest to monetize the site (I picked up that word in a late-night info-mercial for accordian players) is to redo my Amazon book listings which are so out-of-date that half the stuff on my photo book page is out-of-print. I think the last time I updated that page (which I won't even tell you where it is) was in 1945. I guess in all the excitement about the end of the war - I just plumb forgot.
Anyway - it goes along the same lines as vendors that I use, i.e. I'll only list books that sit at my side constantly - and are covered with spilt soda and cigarette ash. Well, don't think I have the latest edition of any of these Photoshop books - they come out with a new one every time the product changes.
But I could do a bird's eye shot of my desk and surrounding area and you'll see 'em scattered around. The cat likes to sleep with his head on the Adobe Photoshop for Photographers book and gets p.o.'d when I need to look something up in it.
Anyway - I'm re-doing the Photography Book pages with comments about what I found useful. Page One has to be Ansel's page. Then I'm going on to my favorite photographer's autobiographies.
Anyway - it goes along the same lines as vendors that I use, i.e. I'll only list books that sit at my side constantly - and are covered with spilt soda and cigarette ash. Well, don't think I have the latest edition of any of these Photoshop books - they come out with a new one every time the product changes.
But I could do a bird's eye shot of my desk and surrounding area and you'll see 'em scattered around. The cat likes to sleep with his head on the Adobe Photoshop for Photographers book and gets p.o.'d when I need to look something up in it.
Anyway - I'm re-doing the Photography Book pages with comments about what I found useful. Page One has to be Ansel's page. Then I'm going on to my favorite photographer's autobiographies.
11/23/2005
Happy Thanksgiving
To Sister's House We Go
My sister usually does Thanksgiving at her house. It all began when she sent an e-mail to family that read:
"We're thinking Thanksgiving meal at 3pm. As well, do we have your blessing to shift the menu from the traditional turkey and trimmings to Lasagna and vegetable side dishes (to avoid the bird flu/and also spice things up a bit)"
I wrote back that the bird flu thing was silly but that I would just as soon have lasagna as turkey so whatever she wanted to do was fine with me.
Other replies:
Aunt Janet: I think that turkey is the traditional thanksgiving food. Of course, dear, you can do what you want to but I think your father enjoys carving the turkey.
Dad: Could you make the lasagna with turkey? I'm not supposed to eat red meat.
My other sister: Bird flu? We don't have no bird flu here. We don't need no stinkin' bird flu.
Uncle Frank: Sorry, but I don't like Italian food. I want turkey.
Frank's Son Larry: I think it's a good safety precaution re: the whole bird flu thing. And I don't think you should use meat in the lasagna since I'm a veggie. Could you make a veggie lasagna with tofu?
Frank's Daughter, Suze: It sounds like the carving of the turkey is the big thing. Maybe you should give your dad the electric carving knife and let him have at it.
I'm bringing a flak jacket for the moment that dad pulls out the electric carving knife to cut the lasagna.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.
p.s. The photo above was taken in the Bronx Botanical Gardens when I was doing my Bronx thing.
p.p.s. Trying to think of other subjects for articles. Do you think that an explanation of how to read an MTF lens chart - or are all those charts faked anyway?. Do you think it would drive a reader nuts to read such a thing like flying too close to the sun?
SELLING PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE WEB
There may be some useful information in here:
SELLING PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE WEB. I've tried to put down what I've learned so far.
SELLING PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE WEB. I've tried to put down what I've learned so far.
11/22/2005
Busy
I don't even remember if I wrote anything today. It's been very busy. I started this morning with something like 25 prints to do (mostly 5 x 7's but a few larger prints as well). Several e-mails asking where my Christmas cards were like I had last year. Nice experiment but way too much work. I might make a couple of holiday cards for family - but that's it.
A couple of things struck me as ironic today:
- I like and have always liked smaller prints. But it didn't dawn on me to sell them until I was 6 years into this. Well, okay - it dawned on me - but it was impractical in the darkroom. Way too labor intensive to sell prints in various sizes. I had enough trouble just getting them done in one size. So the smaller prints are the result of: experimentation, worry about finance, and having a printer that can reliably do the job.
- Also with all my research into Print on Demand (POD) through Lulu.com I realized that that was what I have been doing since chucking the chemical darkroom. The inks in the printer are even CMYK-ish.
Do you know that the lead weight for the column of the old enlarger is still sitting downstairs as a door stop? It's this big lead weight with a hook on it and I pass by it every day. Sometimes I might say something to it as I pass through the vestibule: How ya doin' down there big weight. Glad some part of you is still useful.
A couple of things struck me as ironic today:
- I like and have always liked smaller prints. But it didn't dawn on me to sell them until I was 6 years into this. Well, okay - it dawned on me - but it was impractical in the darkroom. Way too labor intensive to sell prints in various sizes. I had enough trouble just getting them done in one size. So the smaller prints are the result of: experimentation, worry about finance, and having a printer that can reliably do the job.
- Also with all my research into Print on Demand (POD) through Lulu.com I realized that that was what I have been doing since chucking the chemical darkroom. The inks in the printer are even CMYK-ish.
Do you know that the lead weight for the column of the old enlarger is still sitting downstairs as a door stop? It's this big lead weight with a hook on it and I pass by it every day. Sometimes I might say something to it as I pass through the vestibule: How ya doin' down there big weight. Glad some part of you is still useful.
11/21/2005
RNC Protest, Union Square
I'm beginning to make a gallery of protest coverage. This was at the RNC, entrance to Union Square. It really was getting a little scary at this point because the police were determined to clear this entrance to the park so that they could make arrests and the demonstrators were on the steps shouting back at them. As I remember it, the police backed off and came in through another entrance and made a few arrests.
Arrest #1
More Packaging Tedium
I know there are at least five photographers out there who might find this post interesting, so this is for you:
The one thing that impressed me about Lulu.com was what the calendars and books were shipped in. Sort of this flat, folding mailer where various corners folded in such a way that the thing was absolutely sturdy, and yet lightweight. Perfect for the 8 x 10 mats. And so, I recycled 'em for a couple of 8 x 10 sized orders.
And then I went hunting them down. What were these mysterious flat cartons? I think I found them (in white - even more classy) - at BrassPack.com under Variable Depth Mailers. I believe these are the same thing, but I'm not sure. The Lulu.com mailers seem to have two extra pieces of cardboard.
I ordered fifty of them. So there you go - I might have gotten something useful from Ms. Lulu.com.
The one thing that impressed me about Lulu.com was what the calendars and books were shipped in. Sort of this flat, folding mailer where various corners folded in such a way that the thing was absolutely sturdy, and yet lightweight. Perfect for the 8 x 10 mats. And so, I recycled 'em for a couple of 8 x 10 sized orders.
And then I went hunting them down. What were these mysterious flat cartons? I think I found them (in white - even more classy) - at BrassPack.com under Variable Depth Mailers. I believe these are the same thing, but I'm not sure. The Lulu.com mailers seem to have two extra pieces of cardboard.
I ordered fifty of them. So there you go - I might have gotten something useful from Ms. Lulu.com.
Creating Galleries with iView Media Pro
I finished the last page of this technical article on how to create a Paypal Shopping Cart through iView Media Pro. I'm thinking that the last page is going to be confusing. I don't know. Maybe it is.
Here's the link if you're interested in this sort of thing:
iView Media Pro Web Galleries and Paypal
If you have any ideas about how it can be made clearer (esp. the last page) let me know.
Here's the link if you're interested in this sort of thing:
iView Media Pro Web Galleries and Paypal
If you have any ideas about how it can be made clearer (esp. the last page) let me know.
11/20/2005
Personal Surveillance
If you have nothing to hide, and would like to volunteer to help your country - this is the latest in advanced personal security. It should be noted that the current beta version is for outdoor use only.
Warning: Do not use this system during lightning storms.
11/19/2005
The Making of One Inkjet Print
I don't know if this sort of thing is useful or not - whether I've left out some critical ingrediant - but for what it's worth, I put together a couple of pages about The Making of One Inkjet Print .
How Ansel did this for (how many did he do 25 - 40?) I don't know. It is time consuming to try and show.
I can tell you this - it took longer to write about than to actually do. If you have any suggestions, would be glad to hear 'em. (P.S. I didn't spell-check it because I think it's time for a nap now.)
How Ansel did this for (how many did he do 25 - 40?) I don't know. It is time consuming to try and show.
I can tell you this - it took longer to write about than to actually do. If you have any suggestions, would be glad to hear 'em. (P.S. I didn't spell-check it because I think it's time for a nap now.)
11/18/2005
11/17/2005
What is it called when you say one thing equals another thing? There is a literary term for it but I can't remember what it is. Is is the strongest word in the English language?
"She walks in beauty like the night." No, she is the night.
"A rose called by any other name is still a rose."
And finally, the most powerful of all, the contracted equals:
"She's a real fox."
More Offset
Contacted offset printer last night and they are going to overnight me samples of their b&w (4-color offset) printing (cards, brochures, posters, calendars). I think that CMYK is calling me back. Oh God - CMYK. They told me what printer they use but I already forgot. Markus made a great point about getting a RIP / Profiles to emulate the end printer. All I know about CMYK is that to get good blacks you don't just set the K to 100% but need to mix other channels as well. Whatever - I'll figure it out. And what I liked about the site was that they gave good instructions about formatting files for CMYK with templates for photoshop.
iView Media Pro (chapter I)
After working with Mr. Fish on his website using what I thought was a pretty simple method with iView Media Pro - it became obvious that more help was needed.
So here's chapter one on how the web galleries on this site were created. Believe me - I'm not doing this for the sheer fun of it - but because the advertising associated with what may be useful information is the most targeted and because I figured out how to hit the "ALT" button and the "PRINTSCREEN" button at the same time.
What I've discovered is that there are four distinct groups of visitors to the site:
1) Just looking (maybe 70%)
2) Actually looking to buy a print (maybe 5%)
3) Photographers looking for technical information (10%).
4) Yikes - what did I click on to wind up here? Quick, click on anything to get me out of here (15%)
* * *
Added chapter TWO
to the iView Gallery Tutorial.
* * *
So here's chapter one on how the web galleries on this site were created. Believe me - I'm not doing this for the sheer fun of it - but because the advertising associated with what may be useful information is the most targeted and because I figured out how to hit the "ALT" button and the "PRINTSCREEN" button at the same time.
What I've discovered is that there are four distinct groups of visitors to the site:
1) Just looking (maybe 70%)
2) Actually looking to buy a print (maybe 5%)
3) Photographers looking for technical information (10%).
4) Yikes - what did I click on to wind up here? Quick, click on anything to get me out of here (15%)
* * *
Added chapter TWO
to the iView Gallery Tutorial.
* * *
Lulu and Part Ways
Ciao Lulu.
I suppose we had our good times, Lulu and I - but I was looking for something more - something more beautiful. Lulu is just not good for fine-art books - or high-quality calendars - and so I guess we'll have to go our separate ways. I will think back fondly on all the time I wasted with her reading through forums for printing specs, and waiting eagerly for proofs. Good-bye Lulu - and I only wish you the best. I hope we can still be friends.
* * *
I am going to have to put the calendar thing on hold for now since there are orders to work on - and it's already getting late in the year and I would like to begin shooting again. I have sent out for samples from a few companies that do 4-color b&w printing - not on demand - but with digital printing presses (Indigo, Heidelberg DI) as suggested by M.
I also see that if I am going to do a high-quality calendar or book, I'm either going to have to get into CMYK in a more serious way, especially as it relates to good black and white printing. For example - one thing I read is that if you want rich black tones - you don't just set the K value to 100% but you also need to mix the ratio of other channels in certain percentages. And as M. mentioned - the best thing is if you can afford to get a proper RIP and profile that mimics the output a particular press / paper combination on your inkjet printer for proofing.
It was an adventure being with Lulu because honestly, I never knew what she'd do next. I have four or five proofs of various items she left behind and you know - they all look slightly different.
Ciao. Maybe we'll meet again someday.
I suppose we had our good times, Lulu and I - but I was looking for something more - something more beautiful. Lulu is just not good for fine-art books - or high-quality calendars - and so I guess we'll have to go our separate ways. I will think back fondly on all the time I wasted with her reading through forums for printing specs, and waiting eagerly for proofs. Good-bye Lulu - and I only wish you the best. I hope we can still be friends.
* * *
I am going to have to put the calendar thing on hold for now since there are orders to work on - and it's already getting late in the year and I would like to begin shooting again. I have sent out for samples from a few companies that do 4-color b&w printing - not on demand - but with digital printing presses (Indigo, Heidelberg DI) as suggested by M.
I also see that if I am going to do a high-quality calendar or book, I'm either going to have to get into CMYK in a more serious way, especially as it relates to good black and white printing. For example - one thing I read is that if you want rich black tones - you don't just set the K value to 100% but you also need to mix the ratio of other channels in certain percentages. And as M. mentioned - the best thing is if you can afford to get a proper RIP and profile that mimics the output a particular press / paper combination on your inkjet printer for proofing.
It was an adventure being with Lulu because honestly, I never knew what she'd do next. I have four or five proofs of various items she left behind and you know - they all look slightly different.
Ciao. Maybe we'll meet again someday.
11/16/2005
Printing Recommendations, Julie
I think this is the hot topic right now in the forum - and there's new info there about the Lulu experience (are you experienced?). Incidentally - the main saving grace for me through this has been loading the Allman Brothers Band on my iPod. Whipping Post seems to be the appropriate song. I suppose that someday I'll do some shooting again - but don't hold yer breath. I'm basically just printing (good ole 4800), experimenting with ads, and doing the publishing stuff right now. Paul's Lulu book arrived and as I say - it's actually pretty good. Paul's Lulu Book (scroll to the bottom)
I don't know how to link to a specific reply in the forum.
* * *
Hi Dave,
Bill sent me the link to your current blog discussion of the lulusaga, and this would be solely because this is the exact idea I proposed if he would just let me design an unusual calendar for him to use for ... well, getting his work stuck on art director's walls and far more. I wasn't sure I could have high hopes for lulu; seemed too good to be true that the underfunded could still offer it up for others, but I'm so dismayed.
Sorry to ask you this off the blog, and you're welcome to post it if you want/think others would find it of interest, but I'm really stuck on this issue of submission of PDFs. They asked you for PDFs for final printing?? They didn't ask for or let you supply high res CMYK .tif images? More color management there, and all around more reason to have faith....
[Julie for the calendar - all they accept is an RGB JPG. Period For books, the recommend a PDF with embedded RGB files. But I believe they will take CMYK files, but what they'll do to them, I don't know.]
If you're doing a fairly standard size calendar, I have a strong recommendation for a printer, from a group that just send me LOADS of their work. So many pieces they sprung out of the pocket folder like trick snakes out of the peanut butter brittle can. But they're good to have bookmarked, and if you don't already know them, go to the site and request their sample packet.
[Julie, I just requested samples from them. Telling them that what I really wanted was a good b&w calendar.]
EXCEPTIONAL printing. I was overwhelmed. Very good prices, and an unbelievable variety of what they'll print for you. But, overall, the print quality was unexpected. Best of all, they're independent and devoted to artists who are just doing everything they can to get the
truth of the creation to reproduce.
www.jakprints.com
And now I'll have to review their booklet to see what files they allow for this purpose. The hatching -- was it at all moire like, where lulululu didn't adjust this plate or that by a few degrees? Curious.
[It wasn't moire in the way that I'm used to seeing it with digital images where it happens in certain areas where there are fine lines and high contrast. It was just this general cross-hatch pattern. Maybe they just ran out of ink :)]
Hope you've been well, and have a wonderful morning....
Julie
_____________________________________________________________________
"Your work is to discover your work, and then
with all your heart, to give yourself to it."
--Buddha
I don't know how to link to a specific reply in the forum.
* * *
Hi Dave,
Bill sent me the link to your current blog discussion of the lulusaga, and this would be solely because this is the exact idea I proposed if he would just let me design an unusual calendar for him to use for ... well, getting his work stuck on art director's walls and far more. I wasn't sure I could have high hopes for lulu; seemed too good to be true that the underfunded could still offer it up for others, but I'm so dismayed.
Sorry to ask you this off the blog, and you're welcome to post it if you want/think others would find it of interest, but I'm really stuck on this issue of submission of PDFs. They asked you for PDFs for final printing?? They didn't ask for or let you supply high res CMYK .tif images? More color management there, and all around more reason to have faith....
[Julie for the calendar - all they accept is an RGB JPG. Period For books, the recommend a PDF with embedded RGB files. But I believe they will take CMYK files, but what they'll do to them, I don't know.]
If you're doing a fairly standard size calendar, I have a strong recommendation for a printer, from a group that just send me LOADS of their work. So many pieces they sprung out of the pocket folder like trick snakes out of the peanut butter brittle can. But they're good to have bookmarked, and if you don't already know them, go to the site and request their sample packet.
[Julie, I just requested samples from them. Telling them that what I really wanted was a good b&w calendar.]
EXCEPTIONAL printing. I was overwhelmed. Very good prices, and an unbelievable variety of what they'll print for you. But, overall, the print quality was unexpected. Best of all, they're independent and devoted to artists who are just doing everything they can to get the
truth of the creation to reproduce.
www.jakprints.com
And now I'll have to review their booklet to see what files they allow for this purpose. The hatching -- was it at all moire like, where lulululu didn't adjust this plate or that by a few degrees? Curious.
[It wasn't moire in the way that I'm used to seeing it with digital images where it happens in certain areas where there are fine lines and high contrast. It was just this general cross-hatch pattern. Maybe they just ran out of ink :)]
Hope you've been well, and have a wonderful morning....
Julie
_____________________________________________________________________
"Your work is to discover your work, and then
with all your heart, to give yourself to it."
--Buddha
11/15/2005
Lulu Arrives
The first calendar via Lulu arrived. I wasn't expecting anything great but it was worse than expected. The cover, which is on a heavier stock than the inside pages, is okay. Once you get inside there are streaks of magenta ink in various places; usually showing up the most in the lighter areas. Not the type of thing you need to look closely to see. It's almost as if you took a little magenta, mixed it with water and did a bit of watercolor painting in the lighter areas.
There is also a cross-hatching (what I'd call banding on an inkjet, but this one goes in both directions). And of course the maximum black is nowhere near an inkjet print. What else can I say - it basically looks like a badly made calendar by an inexperienced high-school student on a xerox machine.
The next calendar to arrive has sharpening applied - though I can't imagine that will help much. Also - even if it does arrive without streaking - what am I to make of that - some will be streaked and some won't?
I also have one book arriving. That may be better. I don't know. All in all - pretty dismal so far.
* * *
I'm pretty sure this is going to be a waste of money, but I'm going to take one more stab at it, this time doing the "premium" calendar (larger and more of a card stock paper is used, i.e. thicker). And I'm going to take - I think it was Jeff's suggestion and stick the images on my own white template so I can have more control over the layout, put some rule lines around the image and place the caption where I want. This is surely asking for trouble because even if the damned thing does work - the production cost is like $20 for each calendar. Gods above, be kind to me as I am a stubborn guy.
There is also a cross-hatching (what I'd call banding on an inkjet, but this one goes in both directions). And of course the maximum black is nowhere near an inkjet print. What else can I say - it basically looks like a badly made calendar by an inexperienced high-school student on a xerox machine.
The next calendar to arrive has sharpening applied - though I can't imagine that will help much. Also - even if it does arrive without streaking - what am I to make of that - some will be streaked and some won't?
I also have one book arriving. That may be better. I don't know. All in all - pretty dismal so far.
* * *
I'm pretty sure this is going to be a waste of money, but I'm going to take one more stab at it, this time doing the "premium" calendar (larger and more of a card stock paper is used, i.e. thicker). And I'm going to take - I think it was Jeff's suggestion and stick the images on my own white template so I can have more control over the layout, put some rule lines around the image and place the caption where I want. This is surely asking for trouble because even if the damned thing does work - the production cost is like $20 for each calendar. Gods above, be kind to me as I am a stubborn guy.
Kick Me
I'm just printing all day. Printing, printing, printing. About 20 prints to get out. And everything was going well until - you guessed it - I couldn't find a negative. What is wrong with me? I could picture the strip it was on. It was for a 5 x 7 print ($25). And after spending two hours looking for it - I remembered that I had been in the middle of filing negs. the other day - and hadn't finished and sure enough it was in that pile. So kick me.
It's bad because it ain't the first time and I know it won't be the last that some neg. disappears. The problem is that there's always a different reason. A few weeks ago it was because I had pulled a negative from the file system (at least I have one) because so-and-so wanted a high-rez scan. Did I re-file it afterwards? No. I just left it in a pile with some other stuff.
Most probably some of these negs. end up where my socks end up. I can buy a million pair of socks at the beginning of the year but by the end of the year only two are left (I'm wearing them now).
Oh and on top of that - my healing brush cursor which used to be a nice circle just turned into the healing brush icon and I'm too proud to ask someone who knows why that happened. I changed all the cursor preferences but no luck. When you select the source with the ALT KEY you get a nice circle - and then when you go to zap something you get this stupid healing icon which doesn't show me exactly what it is healing. What did I do to deserve this fate? Must be bad karma for doing too much marketing and getting too many orders.
It's bad because it ain't the first time and I know it won't be the last that some neg. disappears. The problem is that there's always a different reason. A few weeks ago it was because I had pulled a negative from the file system (at least I have one) because so-and-so wanted a high-rez scan. Did I re-file it afterwards? No. I just left it in a pile with some other stuff.
Most probably some of these negs. end up where my socks end up. I can buy a million pair of socks at the beginning of the year but by the end of the year only two are left (I'm wearing them now).
Oh and on top of that - my healing brush cursor which used to be a nice circle just turned into the healing brush icon and I'm too proud to ask someone who knows why that happened. I changed all the cursor preferences but no luck. When you select the source with the ALT KEY you get a nice circle - and then when you go to zap something you get this stupid healing icon which doesn't show me exactly what it is healing. What did I do to deserve this fate? Must be bad karma for doing too much marketing and getting too many orders.
11/14/2005
Blue Face
As I was going through the Mermaid Day shots - this one hit me again. This may be the only shot that I've done that must be in color. It was shot through a fence which gives it that misty feeling around the edges.
Misc.
I'm beginning to put back galleries organized by theme: the first one is Mermaid Day Gallery. It's getting very busy around here again (yes - orders) but the next gallery is going to be a New York Protest gallery (loads of images). Eventually, I'm thinking these would be good for calendars (the first calendar proof should arrive tomorrow).
As far as print-pricing - if you look through the for sale gallery - you'll get a good idea of the range of what works. Once you hit the $100 for a print, no matter what the size - watch out.
As far as print-pricing - if you look through the for sale gallery - you'll get a good idea of the range of what works. Once you hit the $100 for a print, no matter what the size - watch out.
11/13/2005
Faces at a Marathon
Mother and Child at New York Marathon
Ash
Untitled
When you have cut into the continuity of time you are only stealing your 1000th of a second as if the other minutes don't matter.
And I'm not talking about Heidenberg's Uncertainty Principle.
And I'm not saying, as some believe, that you've really stolen the fraction of a second from someone's soul (or possibly their entire soul) - but you have put your 1/1000th of a second forward to be looked at as if it were reality. But when you present your slice of time you are always messing with reality.
"The rose dies because you picked it," Tom Waits
Education and Art in Western Society
Julie and her husband Jude were drinking expensive ultra-premium Vodka. Jude had a paunch and was doing a comb over. The bar was dark, but Julie looked the same as in college - except her hair was all streaked silver.
They are both psychiatrists on the upper-west side - and they've been specializing on the problems of artists in Western society.
Two days later - Julie sent me a sample chapter of the book they're working on. Julie asked me to comment on it before it went to their editor. You can read the rest of their chapter here.
They are both psychiatrists on the upper-west side - and they've been specializing on the problems of artists in Western society.
Two days later - Julie sent me a sample chapter of the book they're working on. Julie asked me to comment on it before it went to their editor. You can read the rest of their chapter here.
11/12/2005
In the Trenches
I added a simple Photoshop Workflow aimed at showing how I get to a web image (after Markus') in the (Scroll down to the bottom when you get there) Cafe Forum.
* * *
Man, is anything going on in the world I should know about. I swear I've been glued to this computer for the last month or so. And lord preserve me - it's all been about selling. Last night I found myself up at 2 a.m. for no other reason than I had the brilliant idea of lowering prices and adding a few more prints to the 5 x7 section (since those are selling like the proverbial hotcakes).
Poor kitty. Doesn't know what to make of these odd hours. These are his hours for prowling and here I am with all the lights blazing clicking away on what seems to him to be - I can only guess he thinks the keyboard is a new-fangled scratching pad.
And naturally FTP connection was giving me all sorts of grief. Did some investigating after getting a no help response from the ISP and saw that I had some extra goodie for advanced FTP turned on in Dreamweaver. I haven't touched that particular goodie since I installed the thing, but now the Advanced mode was the cause of the problem because when I unclicked it - everything began to work as advertised. Someday, when I'm rich and famous I'm going to hire a webmaster to deal with these idiotic problems.
Anyway - if something important is going on outside my apartment - please let me know.
* * *
Man, is anything going on in the world I should know about. I swear I've been glued to this computer for the last month or so. And lord preserve me - it's all been about selling. Last night I found myself up at 2 a.m. for no other reason than I had the brilliant idea of lowering prices and adding a few more prints to the 5 x7 section (since those are selling like the proverbial hotcakes).
Poor kitty. Doesn't know what to make of these odd hours. These are his hours for prowling and here I am with all the lights blazing clicking away on what seems to him to be - I can only guess he thinks the keyboard is a new-fangled scratching pad.
And naturally FTP connection was giving me all sorts of grief. Did some investigating after getting a no help response from the ISP and saw that I had some extra goodie for advanced FTP turned on in Dreamweaver. I haven't touched that particular goodie since I installed the thing, but now the Advanced mode was the cause of the problem because when I unclicked it - everything began to work as advertised. Someday, when I'm rich and famous I'm going to hire a webmaster to deal with these idiotic problems.
Anyway - if something important is going on outside my apartment - please let me know.
COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
I interrupt the general meandering of this blog to announce that prices have been radically and lovingly lowered in ye olde Photography Store.
The reason: sales were dismal at the old prices and the holidays seemed like a good time to do this slashing (that's an original idea - Christmas Sales).
Everyone was buying the $20 prints and a some medium sized $90 prints. So I tried to make the range from $20 - $90.
My marketing consultant advised me to remove the FREE FEDEX SHIPPING FOR ORDERS OVER $150 but I think he's skating on thin ice right now. Never hire your relatives to do your marketing, especially if they're still in junior high-school.
The reason: sales were dismal at the old prices and the holidays seemed like a good time to do this slashing (that's an original idea - Christmas Sales).
Everyone was buying the $20 prints and a some medium sized $90 prints. So I tried to make the range from $20 - $90.
My marketing consultant advised me to remove the FREE FEDEX SHIPPING FOR ORDERS OVER $150 but I think he's skating on thin ice right now. Never hire your relatives to do your marketing, especially if they're still in junior high-school.
11/11/2005
Mother and Child, Marathon
Mother and Child, Marathon
Speaking of Photoshop technique: these are almost totally unworked since I didn't have the time. They're just up as reminders to me - worth working on. Scanned at 5400, flipped down to 72 dpi in one pass; and just sharped with the Photoshop unsharp mask. They are just ideas for me right now. You can see all sorts of technical errors - bad sharpening; highlight of baby's face blown; hair of woman mixing with background, etc. And it can all and will be fixed.
Business Crap
So far I've spent about $100 on samples from Lulu and haven't seen a thing yet.
I published the first Lulu draft calendar on11/04/2005. Still hasn't shipped. And what has shipped - still hasn't arrived. Oh man - today's Vet. Day. No mail
What does Lulu mean anyway? "It's a Lulu?"
I also think Lulu was Ed Norton's childhood dog. Remember the sleep-walking episode? Poor Ed is dreaming about his pooch and starts sleep-walking - looking for his poor Lulu that he lost at Coney Island. "Loooo-looooo."
There was also a screen siren in silent films called Lulu. (Louise Brooks)
Lulu may be the bleeding edge technology of the day.
Anyway - the ftp connection was (is) unbearably slow this morning so I decided to develop two rolls of film. Ah the old technology. Can't beat it sometimes. Hope to have something worth looking at later.
I published the first Lulu draft calendar on11/04/2005. Still hasn't shipped. And what has shipped - still hasn't arrived. Oh man - today's Vet. Day. No mail
What does Lulu mean anyway? "It's a Lulu?"
I also think Lulu was Ed Norton's childhood dog. Remember the sleep-walking episode? Poor Ed is dreaming about his pooch and starts sleep-walking - looking for his poor Lulu that he lost at Coney Island. "Loooo-looooo."
There was also a screen siren in silent films called Lulu. (Louise Brooks)
Lulu may be the bleeding edge technology of the day.
Anyway - the ftp connection was (is) unbearably slow this morning so I decided to develop two rolls of film. Ah the old technology. Can't beat it sometimes. Hope to have something worth looking at later.
11/10/2005
Next Year's Wish List
First off - while I'm awaiting the calendars etc. from Lulu - I've delved into InDesign and I'm churning out PDF files with various settings. Since the shortest test book you can do on Lulu is 32 pages - I figure I might as well do a real one. What the heck.
* * *
Next year's wish list: the 35mm Leica f1.4, though I might settle for the Voigtlander 35 which I've read good things about.
A new computer; lot's of deals at Dell.
* * *
I've noticed that Christmas displays are everywhere - so I'm already behind with that in terms of specials. The main thing, is that I'm trying to get the calendar finished so people can get it from Lulu - or maybe directly from me (which might be faster).
* * *
I've been meaning to raise the prices on the 5 x 7 prints (since they're selling pretty well at the $20 price) and I want to see what happens if I go for $25. I've got to go now - the cat is giving me all sorts of troubles - climbing everywhere - demanding attention.
Now he's stepping on the remote control and switching channels. I'm trying to listen to the senate debate whether we can torture prisoners or not. Apparantly the cat wants to watch the animal channel which is what he keeps switching to.
* * *
Next year's wish list: the 35mm Leica f1.4, though I might settle for the Voigtlander 35 which I've read good things about.
A new computer; lot's of deals at Dell.
* * *
I've noticed that Christmas displays are everywhere - so I'm already behind with that in terms of specials. The main thing, is that I'm trying to get the calendar finished so people can get it from Lulu - or maybe directly from me (which might be faster).
* * *
I've been meaning to raise the prices on the 5 x 7 prints (since they're selling pretty well at the $20 price) and I want to see what happens if I go for $25. I've got to go now - the cat is giving me all sorts of troubles - climbing everywhere - demanding attention.
Now he's stepping on the remote control and switching channels. I'm trying to listen to the senate debate whether we can torture prisoners or not. Apparantly the cat wants to watch the animal channel which is what he keeps switching to.
11/09/2005
POS PC
I've finished all the conversions from RGB -> Output Sharpener -> CMYK -> Adjustment Levels -> 8-bit so it can be saved as JPG for the calendar. And the biggest pain in the you-know-where is my POS computer which wasn't always a POS. But for what I'm doing now is. And I just can't afford a new one this year.
It was fine when my Photoshop needs were simple, but with lots of layers - it is slow as you-know-what.
Really freakin' annoying since now the most time-consuming part of what I'm doing is waiting for the POS PC to do its' thing.
I still need to upload all the new images, and then order another calendar. God only knows how long it will take for the new calendar to arrive (still don't see the previous one as shipped).
At this point - I'm sort of leaning towards dealing with a printer in the States who can do a short run, say 500. I have one printer in mind - who was helpful with the specs for Lulu and when this is over I may contact him for a quote.
It is really wonderful to actually speak with the actual printer who will do your work as opposed to the monolithic (sp?) Lulu. How about actually being able to choose the paper you want to use? Good God. What a concept. I don't think the time with Lulu is wasted as I've learned a fair amount about offset printing and workflow for same, but egads - I wish their turn-around time was quicker.
Maybe I shouldn't talk because my own turnaround time for prints is getting worse and worse - but if someone says, hey - I need this fast - then I do it fast.
* * *
Terrible day with the calendar. I went through the conversion to CMYK and uploaded all the jpgs - which took about 45 minutes to upload with no progress bar, just the infernal blinking of the hard drive light - and then the thing is converted by Lulu to PDF and guess what - looks like pure cyan tint.
So I'm figuring that at least for the calendar, where you don't have control over the PDF conversion settings - you'd better just give 'em RGB like they say. Books may be different since you can do your own conversion to PDF.
Anyway - I need to use the original RGBs again, though this time with what is hopefully proper sharpening settings (this is taking the whole day so far).
May be time to pick up a bottle of Vodka.
* * *
6:30 pm.
Okay. Everything looks fine now, at least in the PDF. Now I'm going to wait for the first copy of the calendar (basically the same as what I did today but without output specific sharpening). So if all works out I'll have one slightly soft version and one sharp version (or if they apply sharpening after all: one sharp one, and one over-sharp one).
* * *
Tomorrow back to the real world: developing film and printing.
It was fine when my Photoshop needs were simple, but with lots of layers - it is slow as you-know-what.
Really freakin' annoying since now the most time-consuming part of what I'm doing is waiting for the POS PC to do its' thing.
I still need to upload all the new images, and then order another calendar. God only knows how long it will take for the new calendar to arrive (still don't see the previous one as shipped).
At this point - I'm sort of leaning towards dealing with a printer in the States who can do a short run, say 500. I have one printer in mind - who was helpful with the specs for Lulu and when this is over I may contact him for a quote.
It is really wonderful to actually speak with the actual printer who will do your work as opposed to the monolithic (sp?) Lulu. How about actually being able to choose the paper you want to use? Good God. What a concept. I don't think the time with Lulu is wasted as I've learned a fair amount about offset printing and workflow for same, but egads - I wish their turn-around time was quicker.
Maybe I shouldn't talk because my own turnaround time for prints is getting worse and worse - but if someone says, hey - I need this fast - then I do it fast.
* * *
Terrible day with the calendar. I went through the conversion to CMYK and uploaded all the jpgs - which took about 45 minutes to upload with no progress bar, just the infernal blinking of the hard drive light - and then the thing is converted by Lulu to PDF and guess what - looks like pure cyan tint.
So I'm figuring that at least for the calendar, where you don't have control over the PDF conversion settings - you'd better just give 'em RGB like they say. Books may be different since you can do your own conversion to PDF.
Anyway - I need to use the original RGBs again, though this time with what is hopefully proper sharpening settings (this is taking the whole day so far).
May be time to pick up a bottle of Vodka.
* * *
6:30 pm.
Okay. Everything looks fine now, at least in the PDF. Now I'm going to wait for the first copy of the calendar (basically the same as what I did today but without output specific sharpening). So if all works out I'll have one slightly soft version and one sharp version (or if they apply sharpening after all: one sharp one, and one over-sharp one).
* * *
Tomorrow back to the real world: developing film and printing.
11/08/2005
New York Marathon, 1st Avenue
Actually had an hour or so to walk over and do some shooting of the marathon. I still had tri-x rated @ 1600 in the M3 - so - what the heck. I shot the first roll with it. I have to say, I like the look. (p.s. it was very foggy early on).
I have a few more rolls (@ 400)- mostly of things going on in the crowd (but I tell you - I remembered taking this shot and it may be the only shot on three rolls that actually contains a marathon runner).
11/07/2005
Part I The New York Calendar
Calendar Preview
Well - this is the stuff I've been working on for the last few days. It was harder than I thought in terms of selections. I wanted a picture that suggested the season. Had to be night. Had to feel like New York. And about half people and half scenic.
I think I've managed to get together all the info I need for the final printing (no, I haven't gotten the first proof yet). One of the good things about putting all this mental energy into the calendar is that if it works in the calendar = it will work in the book(s).
If it doesn't work - then no point preparing book through Lulu. (I have my fingers-crossed that the first proof will look halfway decent._
Well - this is the stuff I've been working on for the last few days. It was harder than I thought in terms of selections. I wanted a picture that suggested the season. Had to be night. Had to feel like New York. And about half people and half scenic.
I think I've managed to get together all the info I need for the final printing (no, I haven't gotten the first proof yet). One of the good things about putting all this mental energy into the calendar is that if it works in the calendar = it will work in the book(s).
If it doesn't work - then no point preparing book through Lulu. (I have my fingers-crossed that the first proof will look halfway decent._
11-6-05
Finally figured out which images will go in the New York Night calendar. Was having trouble coming up with something seasonal and nocturnal for January and realized that Midnight Grand Central was perfect (New Year's Eve). I'll be putting up a preview page showing all the images included soon.
I also managed somehow to tear myself away from the PC and do some shooting at the Marathon yesterday. I think I got some good stuff - mostly of activity in the crowd; but also one shot of a lone female runner coming up first avenue with a little girl watching her pass (the type of p.c. shot that should insprire a generation of little girls to be marathoners). Though it had some artistic merit as well since it was foggy on 1st avenue early on. Still had 1600 Tri-X in the camera when I started so that'll be going into Microphen.
Between the calendar and the marathon and the ads I was so out-of-touch with "the real world" that I forgot that I was supposed to be at Tony's Italian Restaurant (not the one by Billy Joel) last night for my sister's birthday and got call at 6 p.m. asking when I was planning to be there.
Be where?
Tony's. We're all here waiting for you.
Oh, my God. Sorry. I'll be right over.
Tony's is the super mega family Italian restaurant which was so noisy that you couldn't hear the person next to you even if they were yelling in your ear with a megaphone (which no one had).
The reason it's so crowded is that the food is good and served family style. But they've stuffed customers into every possible square inch of floor space, and their must have been some echo system in the ceiling because it felt like having dinner at a rock concert where ordinary conversation was all that was on the program.
And there were a lot of old people at the table and no one could hear what anyone was saying. When someone wanted to tell a story, we assigned relayers at each end of the table to amplify what the story-teller was saying. They did this sort of thing in Central Park when the Dahli (I don't feel like looking up how to spell the man's name, though I can assure you that Dahli can't be right) Lama spoke, though they didn't use human relays as we did.
For some reason, I had taken care of the ordering for the ten or so people who were at the table and naturally when the bill came, the waitress put it down in front of me. Without looking inside the leather case containing the bill I immediately passed it, behind my back to my other sister (behind my father's back); and she looked at it and passed it back to me. No way I'm paying for this thing.
I pretended that I had to talk to her about something and dropped the bill in her lap and then moved to another side of the table to chat or pretend to chat with my aunt.
Eventually dear old dad looked at the bill - pretended to faint - but paid and we went on our merry way. I had paid my share when I had money. These days - I don't even offer anymore.
So the check was paid. But one awkward problem remained: no gift for her. Fortunately, my father had returned from somewhere - Amsterdam? And had a present of a small Van Gogh poster (Vincent's Room) for me. I managed to arrange things so that dad got into a cab first, and then I gave the poster to my sister wishing her happy birthday and making up a story about how I had asked dad to bring me the poster for her birthday. A lie so blatent that she laughed - and she said at least that she loved the poster. But what if dad came over and saw it in her house, she wondered?
Oh - I wouldn't worry about that, I said. He doesn't remember these things anymore. And, obviously - neither do I.
I also managed somehow to tear myself away from the PC and do some shooting at the Marathon yesterday. I think I got some good stuff - mostly of activity in the crowd; but also one shot of a lone female runner coming up first avenue with a little girl watching her pass (the type of p.c. shot that should insprire a generation of little girls to be marathoners). Though it had some artistic merit as well since it was foggy on 1st avenue early on. Still had 1600 Tri-X in the camera when I started so that'll be going into Microphen.
Between the calendar and the marathon and the ads I was so out-of-touch with "the real world" that I forgot that I was supposed to be at Tony's Italian Restaurant (not the one by Billy Joel) last night for my sister's birthday and got call at 6 p.m. asking when I was planning to be there.
Be where?
Tony's. We're all here waiting for you.
Oh, my God. Sorry. I'll be right over.
Tony's is the super mega family Italian restaurant which was so noisy that you couldn't hear the person next to you even if they were yelling in your ear with a megaphone (which no one had).
The reason it's so crowded is that the food is good and served family style. But they've stuffed customers into every possible square inch of floor space, and their must have been some echo system in the ceiling because it felt like having dinner at a rock concert where ordinary conversation was all that was on the program.
And there were a lot of old people at the table and no one could hear what anyone was saying. When someone wanted to tell a story, we assigned relayers at each end of the table to amplify what the story-teller was saying. They did this sort of thing in Central Park when the Dahli (I don't feel like looking up how to spell the man's name, though I can assure you that Dahli can't be right) Lama spoke, though they didn't use human relays as we did.
For some reason, I had taken care of the ordering for the ten or so people who were at the table and naturally when the bill came, the waitress put it down in front of me. Without looking inside the leather case containing the bill I immediately passed it, behind my back to my other sister (behind my father's back); and she looked at it and passed it back to me. No way I'm paying for this thing.
I pretended that I had to talk to her about something and dropped the bill in her lap and then moved to another side of the table to chat or pretend to chat with my aunt.
Eventually dear old dad looked at the bill - pretended to faint - but paid and we went on our merry way. I had paid my share when I had money. These days - I don't even offer anymore.
So the check was paid. But one awkward problem remained: no gift for her. Fortunately, my father had returned from somewhere - Amsterdam? And had a present of a small Van Gogh poster (Vincent's Room) for me. I managed to arrange things so that dad got into a cab first, and then I gave the poster to my sister wishing her happy birthday and making up a story about how I had asked dad to bring me the poster for her birthday. A lie so blatent that she laughed - and she said at least that she loved the poster. But what if dad came over and saw it in her house, she wondered?
Oh - I wouldn't worry about that, I said. He doesn't remember these things anymore. And, obviously - neither do I.
11/06/2005
Boom in the Night
Speaking of things that go boom in the night - last night the windows were really rockin' and rollin' and at first I just said - oh - must be some fireworks somewhere - but couldn't figure out what sort of holiday November 5th was. Strained my poor head (given my recent calendar output experience I'm an expert on holidays) but couldn't figure it out.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM went the sky. Not thunder. Can't be a terrorist thing, it sounds like it's on timers.
Look out my back window into the alley (only window I have) and see others with their heads out craning towards the tiny corner of the sky - but can't see anything exploding.
Cat jumps down in terror and runs to a neutral corner.
I shut the window and figure someone will wake me if this is the big one.
Looked this morning in google for New York fireworks news and found the answer:
"ING announces: Dinner followed by fireworks in Central Park and live entertainment."
Ah - it was a pre-marathon fireworks blast. I wish they'd make some public announcement before they set this stuff off.
ANNOUNCER: Friends, Romans, residents: We come not to scare the freakin' hell out of you, but just to give a bit more promotion to an overly promoted event.
I've seen the orange ING - banners all over the neighborhood for the last week now. Should have put two and two together.
Look - I know the marathon is a great triumph to the human spirit and all that but why do they need to run through the whole city to prove how motivated they are? One thing I'll tell you - they don't stay in the Bronx very long. Just a quick touch and back down to Manhattan.
I know, I know - how inspiring it is. The pubs on the upper east side are happily filled. The sponsors are happily filled. Everybody's happy. It's a great achievement. A monument to the human spirit.
Reminds me more of those dance marathons they used to have to raise money (They Shoot Horses Don't They). There's just something excessive and possibly freakish about the whole marathon around the city thing - and I sort of wish they'd just nip it in the bud. Too late now I guess.
Don't they know that in a couple of years they'll all be sitting around with plastic bands on their knees tottlin' around the town.
The whole thing is just - well - un-American. How are we supposed to compete with our lungs filled with urban soot - against kids who grew up running from one village to another to go to school in the purified air of - oh - Kenya maybe?
Not to mention that our whole country is about 800% overweight according to the last fat poll.
Business sponsors this thing because it symbolizes the purity of purpose of the human spirit. Not exactly what the big banks are all about.
Speaking of big banks, did you notice the last Citibank campaign: there's more to life than money? Live well?
Sorry boys - but I don't buy it. Not from you. You spend every waking minute trying to figure out how to get the last dime out of my pocket and tell me there's more to life than money: that from a bank? You can only Orwell me so much.
Citibank telling me that there's more to life than money? Who do they think they're foolin' with that one.
Anyway - that's my take on the whole marathon thing. Wake me when it's over.
[The views expressed in this post are solely those of Mr. Beckerman, and do not represent the philosophy of DaveBeckerman.com Inc. DaveBeckerman.com is a proud sponsor of the New York City Marathon. We don't actually contribute anything financially to it, but we sponsor it in our own way which must remain classified because of national security. Editor]
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM went the sky. Not thunder. Can't be a terrorist thing, it sounds like it's on timers.
Look out my back window into the alley (only window I have) and see others with their heads out craning towards the tiny corner of the sky - but can't see anything exploding.
Cat jumps down in terror and runs to a neutral corner.
I shut the window and figure someone will wake me if this is the big one.
Looked this morning in google for New York fireworks news and found the answer:
"ING announces: Dinner followed by fireworks in Central Park and live entertainment."
Ah - it was a pre-marathon fireworks blast. I wish they'd make some public announcement before they set this stuff off.
ANNOUNCER: Friends, Romans, residents: We come not to scare the freakin' hell out of you, but just to give a bit more promotion to an overly promoted event.
I've seen the orange ING - banners all over the neighborhood for the last week now. Should have put two and two together.
Look - I know the marathon is a great triumph to the human spirit and all that but why do they need to run through the whole city to prove how motivated they are? One thing I'll tell you - they don't stay in the Bronx very long. Just a quick touch and back down to Manhattan.
I know, I know - how inspiring it is. The pubs on the upper east side are happily filled. The sponsors are happily filled. Everybody's happy. It's a great achievement. A monument to the human spirit.
Reminds me more of those dance marathons they used to have to raise money (They Shoot Horses Don't They). There's just something excessive and possibly freakish about the whole marathon around the city thing - and I sort of wish they'd just nip it in the bud. Too late now I guess.
Don't they know that in a couple of years they'll all be sitting around with plastic bands on their knees tottlin' around the town.
The whole thing is just - well - un-American. How are we supposed to compete with our lungs filled with urban soot - against kids who grew up running from one village to another to go to school in the purified air of - oh - Kenya maybe?
Not to mention that our whole country is about 800% overweight according to the last fat poll.
Business sponsors this thing because it symbolizes the purity of purpose of the human spirit. Not exactly what the big banks are all about.
Speaking of big banks, did you notice the last Citibank campaign: there's more to life than money? Live well?
Sorry boys - but I don't buy it. Not from you. You spend every waking minute trying to figure out how to get the last dime out of my pocket and tell me there's more to life than money: that from a bank? You can only Orwell me so much.
Citibank telling me that there's more to life than money? Who do they think they're foolin' with that one.
Anyway - that's my take on the whole marathon thing. Wake me when it's over.
[The views expressed in this post are solely those of Mr. Beckerman, and do not represent the philosophy of DaveBeckerman.com Inc. DaveBeckerman.com is a proud sponsor of the New York City Marathon. We don't actually contribute anything financially to it, but we sponsor it in our own way which must remain classified because of national security. Editor]
11/05/2005
iViewMedia Pro Vers. 3
Finally had a chance to launch iView Media Pro 3. Guess what? Mikey likes it. If nothing else it has a way to FTP to your site when you're done (which is not such a big deal) but finally - you can tell it to SKIP the image files that it hasn't touched. Before, if I made changes to an HTML gallery, I would then go into Dreamweaver, and unless I had added some images, I would just manually upload the changed files (the media page and the index pages).
The only down thing is that Media Pro in the gallery building stage, still seems to want to re-make the jpgs, i.e. when it's done I checked the timestamp of the jpgs and they had been updated. I'm not sure why it wants to do this all the time or if there is a way around it (probably is - I just haven't tripped over it).
Still - that it knows which Image files don't need to be re-uploaded is a big deal.
One other quibble - so far. You could always save certain preferences for each gallery in the settings tab. However - and this seems stupid - it doesn't associate the ftp gallery to load to with your settings. In other words - if you have several galleries - make sure you change where they're going in the ftp settings. They also changed the gallery directory structure slightly. So for example if I were to republish the blog gallery - some images from the blog are going to have to be repointed.
As far as any conversion problems: none so far. Just opened the old version 2 catalogs and everything was as it was - though they have added a much better user-interface for the catalog sets.
There are several sections that relate to gallery building that are new - but I haven't had a chance to play with them yet; but at this point I'll take the shortcut to version II off the desktop and continue using vers. III.
The only down thing is that Media Pro in the gallery building stage, still seems to want to re-make the jpgs, i.e. when it's done I checked the timestamp of the jpgs and they had been updated. I'm not sure why it wants to do this all the time or if there is a way around it (probably is - I just haven't tripped over it).
Still - that it knows which Image files don't need to be re-uploaded is a big deal.
One other quibble - so far. You could always save certain preferences for each gallery in the settings tab. However - and this seems stupid - it doesn't associate the ftp gallery to load to with your settings. In other words - if you have several galleries - make sure you change where they're going in the ftp settings. They also changed the gallery directory structure slightly. So for example if I were to republish the blog gallery - some images from the blog are going to have to be repointed.
As far as any conversion problems: none so far. Just opened the old version 2 catalogs and everything was as it was - though they have added a much better user-interface for the catalog sets.
There are several sections that relate to gallery building that are new - but I haven't had a chance to play with them yet; but at this point I'll take the shortcut to version II off the desktop and continue using vers. III.
More Lulu
I setup a Self-publishing section in the Forum so I can keep track of the Lulu publishing saga.
* * *
I setup my Lulu store: there ain't nothin' for sale there yet - but it won't be long now:
Click here to take a peek.
First product is going to be NEW YORK NIGHT - 2006
Then I'm definitely going to do one of the Mermaid Day Parade
And then a political calendar - NEW YORK PROTESTS
Lester suggested that I do a preliminary calendar based on the book we're writing together: THE 11TH MAN with pictures and quotes from same. At the rate I'm going you may have a calendar and no book. I guess that would be your pre-product publicity.
It really is sort of fun - and gives me a feeling of another avenue of expression opening up.
* * *
Update: from what I can figure out - Lulu is using a Xerox iGen 3 printer for color work. There are all sorts of threads on Lulu about color management, but most seem to recommend sRGB which seems odd given a narrower gamut - but what do I know about gamuts. Not that much right now but I'm going to find out. It would be kind of cool if the Calendar was printed on the iGen 3 since I could begin to make adjustments in my workflow that I could use later on for the book publishing part. The one thing I can say for sure, after reading numerous Lulu threads, is that for the book - you definitely want 4-color output (yes, even for b&w pictures unless you don't care what they look like).
Nowhere, have I read that you should actually use CMYK mode for the images on your end - they want some form of RGB. The actual amount of color management info they give that comes straight from Lulu seems limited. The boards are filled up with people doing various Lulu color tests. Some saying that they've gotten good results; others disappointed. Oh, whatever. Right now I don't see any other alternative.
* * *
I setup my Lulu store: there ain't nothin' for sale there yet - but it won't be long now:
Click here to take a peek.
First product is going to be NEW YORK NIGHT - 2006
Then I'm definitely going to do one of the Mermaid Day Parade
And then a political calendar - NEW YORK PROTESTS
Lester suggested that I do a preliminary calendar based on the book we're writing together: THE 11TH MAN with pictures and quotes from same. At the rate I'm going you may have a calendar and no book. I guess that would be your pre-product publicity.
It really is sort of fun - and gives me a feeling of another avenue of expression opening up.
* * *
Update: from what I can figure out - Lulu is using a Xerox iGen 3 printer for color work. There are all sorts of threads on Lulu about color management, but most seem to recommend sRGB which seems odd given a narrower gamut - but what do I know about gamuts. Not that much right now but I'm going to find out. It would be kind of cool if the Calendar was printed on the iGen 3 since I could begin to make adjustments in my workflow that I could use later on for the book publishing part. The one thing I can say for sure, after reading numerous Lulu threads, is that for the book - you definitely want 4-color output (yes, even for b&w pictures unless you don't care what they look like).
Nowhere, have I read that you should actually use CMYK mode for the images on your end - they want some form of RGB. The actual amount of color management info they give that comes straight from Lulu seems limited. The boards are filled up with people doing various Lulu color tests. Some saying that they've gotten good results; others disappointed. Oh, whatever. Right now I don't see any other alternative.
11/04/2005
NEW YORK NIGHT
I created and self-published New York Night Calendar (through Lulu.com) but it's not available to public yet as I just bought a copy for myself. Should get it in a week or so. On screen, it actually looks pretty good. We'll see.
I probably have two or three shots that don't exactly belong in there - the idea being the beauty of New York at night and all that. I tried to picture someone looking at the same picture for a month.
There really were no apparent hiccups and you get to look through a "print-ready" PDF. The thing I wasn't sure about was whether I should let them do any sharpening for their printer - do they do any? Or is that something I should do? I basically gave them basic sharpening to make up for the scan or the digital capture but not for the output device (as I usually do at least a second sharpening for the inkjet or the web).
My piece of the action for each calendar is about $10 - which considering that if they're doing the packaging / selling / production isn't too bad - is it for a $24 calendar?
I think that's the price I settled on. If the results are decent, I'll do some revising - and make it available for the public. It would be great if it worked out because I have a lot of ideas for calendars. The next one would probably be New York Subway Shots.
Then the Bronx calendar etc. In other words, in that market I could make niche calendars rather than what I'm selling on my web site which is mostly living room prints. I'd love to do a Political Protest calendar as well.
I probably have two or three shots that don't exactly belong in there - the idea being the beauty of New York at night and all that. I tried to picture someone looking at the same picture for a month.
There really were no apparent hiccups and you get to look through a "print-ready" PDF. The thing I wasn't sure about was whether I should let them do any sharpening for their printer - do they do any? Or is that something I should do? I basically gave them basic sharpening to make up for the scan or the digital capture but not for the output device (as I usually do at least a second sharpening for the inkjet or the web).
My piece of the action for each calendar is about $10 - which considering that if they're doing the packaging / selling / production isn't too bad - is it for a $24 calendar?
I think that's the price I settled on. If the results are decent, I'll do some revising - and make it available for the public. It would be great if it worked out because I have a lot of ideas for calendars. The next one would probably be New York Subway Shots.
Then the Bronx calendar etc. In other words, in that market I could make niche calendars rather than what I'm selling on my web site which is mostly living room prints. I'd love to do a Political Protest calendar as well.
11/03/2005
Good Night - New York - 2006
G' Night: New York (sounds British - G'Night Governor)
That's going to be the working title of the first calendar: all night shots. And I have pah-lenty to choose from. It's also a good printing test since I (and maybe you dear prospective customer) get to see what the tonal range will be like.
Of course - first problem I ran into was quite a lot of image cropping necessary to hit their 11.25 by 8.75 inch side (decided to start with the smaller size after looking at pricing and also looking on Lulu at what sold best). As far as cropping goes, what I mean is - it seems (and I could be wrong about this) that they want the image to fit the calendar page - i.e. I don't think there is a way to say: this is the image size, it will fit on the paper, just center it even though it's smaller than the page.
Maybe there is a way - not sure yet.
A lot of what I'm going to be futzing with in the beginning will be calendar related (as opposed to book) but it's a good way to get me started and seems like the quickest thing for me to produce.
G'Night New York - Calendar of Black and White Photography of the city that never sleeps unless forced to.
Reminds me of a story. When my father first came to NYC from Cleveland Ohio (he was about 12 at the time); he said he couldn't get over the fact that there were people and cars out at night.
This was around 1935. He said he never got over that. Years later, in his seventies then - we were driving through Manhattan at 4 a.m. - and he looked around and saw lots of cars and said again - just can't get over the fact that there are this many people doing something at this time of night. Some of those early - he's how it works where I grew up - soul mappings just stay with you forever I guess.
Lying in bed, I heard a tremendous booming sound. My windows shook. Wondered if it was an explosion or just something falling off a truck. Could be those pesky terrorists again. Well, probably not. I'll find out what it was in the morning. Sounds of several police sirens. A bit of walkie-talkie chatter. And like that - as if they had put on the sounds of the forrest CD - I'm sound asleep.
And waking up - well let's just say that when you flip the t.v. or radio on - you will surely be greeted by the announcement that some tractor-trailer has jack-knifed on some important artery; usually in the early morning. You know that it jack-knifed at an important exit or entrance ramp since those are the only locations worth reporting. For all I know they're doing a jack-knife dance throughout the highways of America. And the only thing that does pique the interest is: what kind of truck jack-knifed.
"Good morning, New York. Seems that a tractor-trailer has carrying ketchup in glass bottles has overturned on the exit ramp of the G.W. Bridge. Traffic is stalled for miles, and some of the ketchup has poured into the Hudson River. The E.P.A. is on the scene, as well as cleanup crews."
OR
"Good morning, New York. A truck jack-knifed this morning on the entrance ramp (fill in the blank) of the New Jersey turnpike. The truck was carrying containers of ball-bearings. Clean-up crews have been slipping and sliding all morning. We interviewed one driver who was behind the truck when the ball-bearings tumbled out - and he told us it weren't a problem since his car just speeded ahead faster than normal - though he couldn't steer it too good."
G'Night New York.
I always wonder about those tractor-trailers and their equilibrium. They always seem to be jack-knifed and it's always on an entrance or exit ramp where millions of cars need to pass.
That's going to be the working title of the first calendar: all night shots. And I have pah-lenty to choose from. It's also a good printing test since I (and maybe you dear prospective customer) get to see what the tonal range will be like.
Of course - first problem I ran into was quite a lot of image cropping necessary to hit their 11.25 by 8.75 inch side (decided to start with the smaller size after looking at pricing and also looking on Lulu at what sold best). As far as cropping goes, what I mean is - it seems (and I could be wrong about this) that they want the image to fit the calendar page - i.e. I don't think there is a way to say: this is the image size, it will fit on the paper, just center it even though it's smaller than the page.
Maybe there is a way - not sure yet.
A lot of what I'm going to be futzing with in the beginning will be calendar related (as opposed to book) but it's a good way to get me started and seems like the quickest thing for me to produce.
G'Night New York - Calendar of Black and White Photography of the city that never sleeps unless forced to.
Reminds me of a story. When my father first came to NYC from Cleveland Ohio (he was about 12 at the time); he said he couldn't get over the fact that there were people and cars out at night.
This was around 1935. He said he never got over that. Years later, in his seventies then - we were driving through Manhattan at 4 a.m. - and he looked around and saw lots of cars and said again - just can't get over the fact that there are this many people doing something at this time of night. Some of those early - he's how it works where I grew up - soul mappings just stay with you forever I guess.
Lying in bed, I heard a tremendous booming sound. My windows shook. Wondered if it was an explosion or just something falling off a truck. Could be those pesky terrorists again. Well, probably not. I'll find out what it was in the morning. Sounds of several police sirens. A bit of walkie-talkie chatter. And like that - as if they had put on the sounds of the forrest CD - I'm sound asleep.
And waking up - well let's just say that when you flip the t.v. or radio on - you will surely be greeted by the announcement that some tractor-trailer has jack-knifed on some important artery; usually in the early morning. You know that it jack-knifed at an important exit or entrance ramp since those are the only locations worth reporting. For all I know they're doing a jack-knife dance throughout the highways of America. And the only thing that does pique the interest is: what kind of truck jack-knifed.
"Good morning, New York. Seems that a tractor-trailer has carrying ketchup in glass bottles has overturned on the exit ramp of the G.W. Bridge. Traffic is stalled for miles, and some of the ketchup has poured into the Hudson River. The E.P.A. is on the scene, as well as cleanup crews."
OR
"Good morning, New York. A truck jack-knifed this morning on the entrance ramp (fill in the blank) of the New Jersey turnpike. The truck was carrying containers of ball-bearings. Clean-up crews have been slipping and sliding all morning. We interviewed one driver who was behind the truck when the ball-bearings tumbled out - and he told us it weren't a problem since his car just speeded ahead faster than normal - though he couldn't steer it too good."
G'Night New York.
I always wonder about those tractor-trailers and their equilibrium. They always seem to be jack-knifed and it's always on an entrance or exit ramp where millions of cars need to pass.
iViewMedia Pro Vers. 3
iViewMediaPro 3 is available - and I upgraded from vers. 2.x to 3.0 for $99. I've installed it but haven't done anything with it yet. Reason for upgrading: to be honest, MediaPro is control center for just about everything I do, from launching files in Photoshop to creating the photo galleries. And I noticed that they've improved (added functionality) to gallery creation process including direct FTP so I won't have to go into some 3rd party app to do that; and a couple of other features I wanted as far as searching goes, and - smart as they are they said that this upgrade price was only good until November something or other which gave me the extra push.
As soon as I get a chance, I want to see how it works with the old catalogs I have, i.e. do I need to create this stuff again (category sets, custom fields etc.); or can I import or merge or upgrade the old catalog structure. Will find out soon.
As soon as I get a chance, I want to see how it works with the old catalogs I have, i.e. do I need to create this stuff again (category sets, custom fields etc.); or can I import or merge or upgrade the old catalog structure. Will find out soon.
Calendar and Zen Hotdogs
I went through the business with Lulu of creating a calendar yesterday - just a quick run through only uploading one image - but it does seem pretty straight forward. Now - what to call it and what images to select?
It's tempting to just put images that relate to the season as a first go round:
I sort of wanted to call it: A Season In Hell (Rimbaud) but thought better of it. Though that might be the second calendar. I also ordered someone's b&w calendar so I could see what it looks like (which was stupid since I could have made my own and ordered it).
Of course they've got two types: premium and regular (gas pump analogy) and I'm going full hog for the premium one first. Might as well start at the to and work my way down.
You get into the usual funk about what to call it, but at least you've only got 12 images to select assuming that you use one of the monthly images for the cover.
Look - at some point - after I reach a quarter of a million page views per month (which will be soon) without making money - I'm going to get myself a nice hot-dog stand in Central Park - and hang my pictures or books or calendars from the awning. And if anyone asks about buying one - I'm going to say - oh well - you see they're not for sale anymore. I've become a Zen hot-dog vendor. I will concentrate fully on the making of your hotdog. Do you wish mustard on that?
What, hotdog vendor - you can't make any more? Not for sale!
No, sir. You see these hotdogs, sir. Each one is made with the same rapt attention that I once put into images. However, these sell better. Go ahead, try one. Come back soon.
I digress - so calendar names. Should be easy enough:
NEW YORK - 2006 - Central Park Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - People Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - A Season in Hell (Photographer's Edition)
NEW YORK - 2006 - Papaya King (Gourmand Edition)
NEW YORK - 2006 - Pet Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - The Winter Edition - just people suffering in the snow
Now I'm not sure about this - legally - but you might be able to use a line from a popular song for captions - and maybe the lawyers out there would know - just one line per picture. Something from Dylan would be first of course: "I'm walkin' down streets with no names..."
Stuff like that. It's endless. Let's see what I come up with. It is one of the pleasures of all this - how you have to keep coming up with ideas to stay afloat - and that some of those ideas are exciting. I think I first learned photography by studying a very good quality Ansel Adams calendar.
Sometimes - it feels like you're standing still, not making any forward progress - only to discover when you look back that you were in fact speeding along at the time.
It's tempting to just put images that relate to the season as a first go round:
I sort of wanted to call it: A Season In Hell (Rimbaud) but thought better of it. Though that might be the second calendar. I also ordered someone's b&w calendar so I could see what it looks like (which was stupid since I could have made my own and ordered it).
Of course they've got two types: premium and regular (gas pump analogy) and I'm going full hog for the premium one first. Might as well start at the to and work my way down.
You get into the usual funk about what to call it, but at least you've only got 12 images to select assuming that you use one of the monthly images for the cover.
Look - at some point - after I reach a quarter of a million page views per month (which will be soon) without making money - I'm going to get myself a nice hot-dog stand in Central Park - and hang my pictures or books or calendars from the awning. And if anyone asks about buying one - I'm going to say - oh well - you see they're not for sale anymore. I've become a Zen hot-dog vendor. I will concentrate fully on the making of your hotdog. Do you wish mustard on that?
What, hotdog vendor - you can't make any more? Not for sale!
No, sir. You see these hotdogs, sir. Each one is made with the same rapt attention that I once put into images. However, these sell better. Go ahead, try one. Come back soon.
I digress - so calendar names. Should be easy enough:
NEW YORK - 2006 - Central Park Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - People Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - A Season in Hell (Photographer's Edition)
NEW YORK - 2006 - Papaya King (Gourmand Edition)
NEW YORK - 2006 - Pet Edition
NEW YORK - 2006 - The Winter Edition - just people suffering in the snow
Now I'm not sure about this - legally - but you might be able to use a line from a popular song for captions - and maybe the lawyers out there would know - just one line per picture. Something from Dylan would be first of course: "I'm walkin' down streets with no names..."
Stuff like that. It's endless. Let's see what I come up with. It is one of the pleasures of all this - how you have to keep coming up with ideas to stay afloat - and that some of those ideas are exciting. I think I first learned photography by studying a very good quality Ansel Adams calendar.
Sometimes - it feels like you're standing still, not making any forward progress - only to discover when you look back that you were in fact speeding along at the time.
11/02/2005
8/27/2002 (Old Blog Entry)
I've been going through the old blog, cleaning it up so it's readable and came across my thoughts on 8/27/02. Here they are - unedited:
"On the political front -- it really feels like the U.S. is going to launch a "pre-emptive" attack on Iraq, and it feels like it will happen in the next month or two. A pre-emptive strike is pretty tricky wording for what used to be called a "first strike" and it is something that I cannot remember the U.S. doing before -- although I admit my knowledge of American history is limited. On the other hand, you could say that unofficially, the U.S. is already at war with Iraq -- and has been since the Gulf War. There is a blockade -- and air-space is controlled by the U.S. Not to sound like Hamlet -- but the arguments pro and con both have some validity. The "con" side suggests that:
a) By attacking you risk starting a nuclear strike by Israel if Iraq, hoping to bring other Arab countries into the war, hits Israel with chemical weapons.
b) You supposidly want the help of the Arab countries in the "war against terrorism" and this will only cause more hatred of the U.S. and more terrorist strikes.
c) No connection between 9/11 and Iraq has been shown.
d) Iraq has not been an aggressor against the U.S.
e) This will be a much tougher (more bloody) war than the Gulf War. You cannot take over Iraq without bloody house to house, urban fighting. Many civilians will be killed, and it will not be an air war.
f) The U.S. will then be involved in propping up whatever government they set up for years to come.
g) There is no alliance of European countries as in the Gulf War. This will basically be a unilateral attack.
On the Pro side:
a) Iraq is in violation of the U.N. settlement that was agreed to after the Gulf War because they will not allow American inspectors.
b) Iraq is close to attaining nuclear weapons (this was the V.P.'s major argument recently). Once they get them, it will be too late.
c) Sadam has used Weapons of Mass Destruction against his own people (The Kurds).
d) Sadam has terrorist training camps set up.
e) And this is the main idea -- it is only a matter of time before Iraq attacks either Israel or the U.S. and rather than wait for them to get more powerful, they must be taken out now.
f) All those people who said that we'd get bogged down in Afghanastan -- that it would be a bloody war -- were wrong -- and the same people who are saying this about Iraq are wrong as well.
g) Comparisons are made with Neville Chamberlin (sp?) and the treaties he signed with Hitler, which proved worthless, and just gave Hitler more time to get stronger.
What I wonder -- is what support for this war would be if:
a) A draft was started, with no college deferments.
b) Thousands of American soldiers were killed.
c) American civilians were put at risk, and killed and it was linked to a retaliation by Iraq.
If that did happen -- then the first reaction would obviously be revenge.
In short -- are the potential gains -- worth the risks? Right now, I'd say no. The case has not been made."
11/01/2005
Girl, Pizza Place
Girl, Pizza Place
I remember this day because the owner was somewhat upset that I was taking pictures of the pizza place. And nothing I could do to assuage him. Oh well. Maybe I should bring him this print.
The Male Camera
I skipped the Halloween Parade to continue working on making the site more profitable (business before pleasure) but I managed to write a new bit called, The Male Camera.
The Male Camera
As I contemplated the awful chore of writing mini-reviews for the photography-related vendors I use, I thought first about B&H Photo (the Superstore).
My relationship with them goes back to when they were on 17th street? There was a point when they had two stores: north side of the street was for new equipment and south side for used equipment.
I imagine myself standing in line in that former small store - a line that snaked around and was always getting tangled up in itself - and I can see the camera salesmen behind the counter. I'm peering around at them - trying to remember faces.
Many wear green frocks - the color of B&H's logo. And peering into the faces of these men, it dawns on me that they are men. What I mean is - that all the sales people are men.
Young, middle-aged, old - but male. There's a a hip guy by showing the latest Canon lens. Oh - there's one guy who is still wearing his "shooting vest." Does he think he's on safari?
There's the guy who likes to tell you that every camera you like is flawed. He barely seems able to get himself to sell it to you. According to his reckoning, every photography company that made every piece of equipment would be out of business soon if they didn't get things right next time. He had given them a piece of his mind, but did they listen? No.
I wander further back - looking for saleswomen in that all-male world. Back in to places like Wiloughbys, and 47th Street Photo. Back to Olden Camera which had a lots of floors and a tiny elevator and a realm of dark bins with secret camera parts in it that only the cognoscenti knew about. Back to Camera Barn on Broadway where I bought my first camera thirty something years ago. But there were no saleswomen to conjure up. Not a one.
Is this the way the world is? I only know New York. Are there pro-photography stores with saleswomen? That I don't know.
Part II
Don't get me wrong. It's not photography as a craft that is imbued with maleness - it's the camera itself, and the myriad of attachments that go with it.
Look - do you see that sales guy standing behind the counter? It's true - he once enjoyed shooting very much. Had some talent too. But what gave him a real thrill was owning the best there was and more than that - being able to talk with another guy who could appreciate the beauty of the beast.
He's no different from the guy that knows cars and sells BMWs. He enjoys being around them. He enjoys being the expert. And he can test drive the latest models when they arrive.
When you guys were back in the stone age, don't you remember that fellow - well we didn't have names back then but he sure had a methodology for chipping flint.
Dissolve to:
Salesman: Sir, I see you're interested in the model #42 Havagotcha.
Man: Yes, yes indeed. I'm not sure I can afford it though.
Salesman: That's fine. Why don't you just hold it for a minute. (Hands it to the man). See how it balances in your hand. Why don't you point it at something and press the trigger - mean shutter. This baby can fire 8 shots per second in normal mode, but press that switch - that's right. Now you're in rapid fire burst mode. 24 shots per burst! Yes it is amazing. I can see you appreciate that. What sort of shooting do you do - if I may ask?
Man: Well - you know - mostly shots of the wife and kids but every once in a while I like to try and shoot nature. Deer, fish - that sort of thing. I like flowers a lot also.
Salesman: Well I'll tell you, sir - you won't miss much with this beast. I see you notice the finish. Yes, that's triple-coated, 100% weather-sealed titanium. Did you know it has over 400 gaskets in the weather-proofing system? Yes, 400.
The camera you have in your hand is the same model that went to Everest. I guess that says something about durability. And can you believe it - two of these beasts have been to Mars and back. That's right - NASA uses them.
Man: Wow. I didn't know that - I mean about going to Mars.
Salesman: But I understand - not everyone can afford a piece of equipment like that. But press that button - yes that one. See that green light. Now You're in ultra-tracking mode. This baby can follow-focus an object approaching you at 60 miles per hour.
Man: That is amazing.
Salesman: Of course - you heard about that poor fellow that was run over last week - guess he forgot to duck.
Man: Wrap it up. I'll take it.
Tracking and hunting. The modern camera can do both. What's worse than not being able to track properly. What could be more embarrassing than for a man to admit he's lost.
You wonder why you can't get him to ask directions when he's lost on the way to the latest French restaurant in the burbs.
Asking directions would mean that he's a bad tracker. Bad hunter. Not able to provide French food for the wife and kids.
No - he doesn't need directions - he just needs to get out of the car and put his ear to the highway pavement and listen; or stick his nose out the window and pick up the scent of French food. That's how he'll know where he is.
I am quite sure that when Stanley finally met up with Livingston that he actually told the bearers - you see - knew where he was all along. We were never lost.
Clever name for the Guidance System for cars: NeverLost.
If camera-male is the weapon for tracking and bringing down game, that is: killing something, then the photographer finds himself straddling the creation-destruction cycle: trying to create with an instrument he really wants to destroy with. That can be a problem.
That is an awful dichotomy. How easy to just let it all go and fall back into who has the best spear way.
And so - that's where my first review of photography vendors took me - and why women (assuming they are artists) should, be more creative photographers than men. But that is for the next installment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)