Fall Behind?

Setting the clocks, maybe but not when we’re talking updating this site.   After playing around with several site designs I finally decided decided on a minimalist design. The final choice was “Strpped” by one of my favorite RapidWeaver designers. Henk Vrieselaar,  Of course changing a theme is no big deal with a CSS driven website.  But with so many options/looks/capabilities picking one is no easy task.  With the “look” set, now I can continue to refresh the content.

 I shot my first solo Bat Mitzvah this weekend, totally enjoyed the experience, but still waiting on the family’s take on the images I captured.  A few years ago I shot an equestrian event and shot images I thought would meet the customers need.  Not so, I had no idea a formal style portrait of the rider standing next to her horse wearing her prize ribbons just isn’t what they want.. Just the horse, i was told. maybe with the rider doing something..  Go figure.  Hopping history doesn’t repeat the experience.  

Time to Refresh this Site.

I've become totally enamored with applications that can share with others.
Example is an image of one of the performers in the recent Bellydancers Passionate for Pink Performance on 101610. Image is hosted on Flickr. Just opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. Maybe not new to all, but new to me.

New Kid in town.

Mainly me, Downtown Baltimore that is. It might have taken over a quarter century but I finally made a visit to the iconic Bromo-Tower in Downtown Baltimore. Thanks to a  Baltimore Bizjournal piece I stumbled across Friday that discribed the upcoming (Saturday) Open Door Baltimore event where 27 building that were not accessable, or had  Limited or sporadic access to the public.  I quickly scanned the list and picked three buildings for targets. The aforementioned Bromo-Tower, the spectacular Peabody Library. And to wrap it up the iconic Baltimore shot Tower.  

Of the three the Shot Tower was the most disappointing to me. Mainly due to it vast interior space which was dimly lit and very hard to photograph.  Of course all these are accessable at various times, and of course all will be revisited at a later time for additional attempts to capture these treasured bits of Baltimore history.  

and maybe another lunch at my favorite Baltimore dining spot. Harry Attman’s Deli on Lombard st

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Why I Love/Hate going to summer carnivals.

 

The Food

Yes: Can anything top the smell and taste of Carnival Food. Yum!

No: The idea that one buys a side here, (fries) and the entrée way over there, (sausage sandwich) and the drink (Lemonade) somewhere else.

Yes: Taste’s great.

No: Have to take out a second mortgage to pay for it.   

 

Buy for me I good for the long exposure on the rides after dark. 

Hello Old Friend... StudioD and Alien Skin Enhance 6

What 4 months since my last post..  Bad Poster, Bad Poster….    Well what’s new?  Other then a mindset redirection over at Speed Vision of MD..  Two things come to mind.  One is the rebirth of “StudioD”, play on words. Studio for my vintage Sunpac folding lightbox  and D for Doug, get it?  and another is a trial run of Alien Skin Exposure 6.  Lets look the specifies.

“ ©StudioD ” - In 2008 when I was much younger and new to Flikr, Santa left a SUNPAK Mini Studio under the tree.  Forward to Feb 2nd of 2009 and one of my early Flickr posts was one a model organ made by Father in Law, using said device.  As with so much of what I have, it saw sporadic use early on, but was quickly relegated to the back of the closet.  

 

Lets fast forward up to last Wednesday (52814) when Norm Barker, Director of Pathological Photography @ The Johns Hopkins gave a presentation to the Central Maryland Photographers Guild on Micro Photography.  Toward  the end of his presentation it was mentioned he used a portable light box and carried a small bit of good black velvet in his kit to use as an impromptu backdrop because of it’s ability to absorb light. Being a good minion of who’s ever presenting, come Tuesday morning I too has a piece of my own.  Up from it dark containment the Sunpak Mini Studio was transported, the black velvet backdrop incorporated  and “©StudioD” was created.  Immediately the resulting imagery of things laying around the house were a cut above what had been shot prior.  I was pleased 

Alien Skin Enhance 6  Saw several tweets a few days ago singing the phrases of Alien Skin’s new release of Enhance. 6.  Being a constant user of NIK, Perfect Photo Suite, Topaz, and Alien Skin products on almost all of my posted images inside of Adobe CS6 or as a standalone I investigated and later D/L a trial copy of the software.  On use I was very impressed with the vast range of effects included and started incorporating them into published  images using  “©StudioD”  or on motorcycle racing images..    

To be sure this software will be in my image manipulation tool kit but only when I can free up the $149 needed for purchase. Which is a shame as the more I look into the options the more Im amazed at it’s abilities

Job Interview at "the Dark Conservatory"

How can anyone journey for color and light turn into a much darker experience.  From this ………………………. Images of pure joy… 

To images like this, each with a story that hints of dark actions with deadly concurrencies.   

Was it a cry for help from a tormented mind or was it just a black mood triggered by the less then OK hot dog, offered at the temporary “Terrace Cafe”. Most likely we’ll never know as all this is now water under the dam.