| It was a dark and stormy ‘morn when I drove into the flooded parking lot of Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier. I turned my collar against the rain and splashed through puddles to bang on the delivery door. Gail opened the door and welcomed me in, a little too cheerful this early on a dreary Saturday. We did some quick chit-chat then I braved back out in to the storm and unloaded the gear. We. Had. A. Blast. And Glass Nickel Pizza for lunch. Gail and her team make a great series of chocolate (i’m not just sayin’ that, my wife agrees).
Below are some of my favorite photos, but not necessarily my favorite chocolates (ahem! Blueberry, Gail, I’m just sayin’!) |
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Caramels |
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Shiitake Mushroom |
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Cointreau |
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Rose |
One of my favorite “set it-and-forget-it pieces of software, SoundSource by Rogue Amoeba was disabled in Snow Leopard. We were now faced with opt-clicking on the volume button to get different output selections. This was like driving a ferrari and suddenly finding yourself in a renault. It worked and got you places, but wasn’t any fun anymore. Now i can split system sounds to computer speakers and music to my headphones, etc… I assumed, incorrectly, since Sound Source was free, it wouldn’t be updated. My Bad. This might not be new to some of you, but i just found out (and downloaded) the Snow Leopard version. Thanks Rogue Amoeba, i should have had more faith (especially since i own two other of your softwares, Airfoil (way cool!) and Audio Hijack Pro.
SOPHISTICATED SONIC SELECTION
SoundSource is a tiny application for Mac OS X enabling you to switch your audio input and output sources with a single click, and even adjust their volume settings.
New in 2.5:
SoundSource is now a stand-alone application, compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and requiring Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or higher.
This really isn’t a photography entry, but it’s something that really bugged me and I thought i’d share it.
Quicktime X vs Quicktime 7 Pro registration
Snow Leopard comes with Apple’s new Quicktime X, which seems pretty nice in and of itself. If you upgrade from Leopard, and have Quicktime Pro, don’t worry, it’s now in your Utilities folder.
Get a new machine and migrate your old one? You’ve lost Pro. Don’t worry, there’s documentation available at Apple Support…basically pull out your install DVD and you can install QT 7 from there. Before wiping out your old drive, retrieve your prefs/registration.
Quicktime X shows all the clutter of your working environment.
Solution: Spaces and a little app called SpaceSuit.
Moving QTX (and QT7) to a different Space, allows me to have nothing else in the background. Except my desktop wallpaper. SpaceSuit allows me to change the background to whatever I want, which I made a 90% black wallpaper. I know have a “theater” in which to watch my videos.
The clutter involved with quicktime x is appalling.
Using SpaceSuit and Spaces, clean up your quicktime video watching
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Scouting some camping locations to take my son, lincoln, for his first camping trip. I’m realign looking forward to it. He’s only three, and he loves doing anything with Dad. We’re going to go with my long-time friend Paul, and his son Jack, 4. Anyway, in scouting, Lincoln and i stopped at the base of Enee point to eat our lunch. A shaft of light poked out and illuminated the Geological structure. Amazing.
| 11″ x 14″ Print Only | $175 | |
| 11″ x 14″ Framed | $225 | |
| 8″ x 10″ Print Only | $100 | |
| 8″ x 10″ Framed | $150 |
Fall Anemone amidst prairie grasss and others. natural lighting.
| 11″ x 14″ Print Only | $175 | |
| 11″ x 14″ Framed | $225 | |
| 8″ x 10″ Print Only | $100 | |
| 8″ x 10″ Framed | $150 |
Those awful, awful, loud bug the end of summer are Cicadas (in America anyway). Coworker found this dead guy and a luna moth on the front porch. Anyway, wanted to treat this guy with respect, but since they are so hated by most, i wanted to do so in a creepy way. Then i thought: Jersey Style a la Mark K — Jersey Style a la Mark K (Not that he’s creepy, i mean, but he’s got this Noir thing).
STROBIST: Canon 580EXII TTL gridded flash directly above with green gel (not that it comes through on this version). 2nd flash my right with built-in Canon wireless slave. Hobby style printer paper left of bug as reflector.
100mm macro lens. Used Lightroom to create greyscale then add split toning.
Being a member of a community, i often wonder how does one depict Community, and especially what makes a neighborhood. One of the places my wife (and kids) and I like to go is to Troy Gardens. It’s a community garden, and there are some amazing examples of God’s Creation going on in these 20×10 foot blocks of soil.
Above is a red shed in Troy Gardens. I saw one (or more) of the farmers were using a fence for drying their rags etc. The sun was beautiful, and showed an interesting story behind the wonderful gardens.
Below is a windchime hanging in the Kids Garden Area. A neat little learning place, toys, plants, chickens, strawberries…
Granted, i can’t say i’ve seen every gun spinning trick rider extraordinaire out there, but award winning Brian Bausch asked me to update his website and I was happy to help. This guy is amazing, check out some of his videos. He and his wife Paula (also award winning mounted shooter) do some unbelievable stuff.
Sometimes i read the digital photography school emails. Sometimes they pile up unread like old newspapers in the corner. Today i read one from a few days ago which had some photographer quotes in them. I gleaned a few that seem pertinant to me right now…
“You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper.” – William Albert Allard
I need to remember to learn to the tools i have, and learn them well. And remember to push the envelope, don’t slump and get comfortable.
“I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good. – Anonymous
Don’t be afraid to take risks, but reign it in. it’s gotta make sense to the audience.
“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. – Ansel Adams
I take every shot with equal amount of umph. But i can’t expect the cover of Time or Life with every click of the shutter. If this is true, my batting average would be around .00006.
“It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures were the ones that were hardest to get. – Timothy Allen
Just Tuesday, i spent 20 minutes setting up light for a shot that turned out ok. The shot right after that was 45 second set up and is way better, both technically and emotionally for the viewer.
“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.” – Ansel Adams
Keep reminding myself of this one. especially when photos are sent out for review. Or when i walk into somewhere there’s other photographers and they have the nicer lenses, or cameras.
