.. slides/jan31.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 I got this idea from Zebruh, on Flickr. He has to make healthy food into fun shapes for his son to eat them, and this was one innovation of his. He said he didn't mind if I copied the idea (hey, it's flattery). Things I would do differently: ? Mods: Sharpened. I got this idea from Zebruh, on Flickr. He has to make healthy food into fun shapes for his son to eat them, and this was one innovation of his. He said he didn't mind if I copied the idea (hey, it's flattery). Things I would do differently: ? Mods: Sharpened. slides/jan31.jpg slides/jan30.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 I had to pick up some medicine for Tasman tonight on the way home from work. When I got in my car, I saw the pure white lettering against the beautiful blue of the sky. This being my favorite time to take pics worked out well here. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. I had to pick up some medicine for Tasman tonight on the way home from work. When I got in my car, I saw the pure white lettering against the beautiful blue of the sky. This being my favorite time to take pics worked out well here. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan30.jpg slides/jan29.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Tasman's really not ferocious- I was trying to get a picture as he was cleaning his face- I wanted the tongue out. I caught this in mid-lick, but it looked fierce :) Tasman will not be around with us much longer- he has a spinal cord tumor that has partially paralyzed him. He eats lying down. We had held out a little hope that he would respond to some anti-inflammatory medicine, taking pressure off his spine, but it doesn't look good. It's now a matter of my wife being able to say goodbye- hard as it is, I know it's likely a matter of days. ); Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Sharpened. Tasman's really not ferocious- I was trying to get a picture as he was cleaning his face- I wanted the tongue out. I caught this in mid-lick, but it looked fierce :) Tasman will not be around with us much longer- he has a spinal cord tumor that has partially paralyzed him. He eats lying down. We had held out a little hope that he would respond to some anti-inflammatory medicine, taking pressure off his spine, but it doesn't look good. It's now a matter of my wife being able to say goodbye- hard as it is, I know it's likely a matter of days. ); Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Sharpened. slides/jan29.jpg slides/jan28.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Today's shot was another product photo, but rather that just post the original shot, I decided to show the final version that I also put on Flickr. This is an underlit blue bottle (sample size) with a red crushed velveteen backdrop that I purchased at a fabric store. I added the text, which closely matches both font and color from their website. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Touched up in Photoshop. Today's shot was another product photo, but rather that just post the original shot, I decided to show the final version that I also put on Flickr. This is an underlit blue bottle (sample size) with a red crushed velveteen backdrop that I purchased at a fabric store. I added the text, which closely matches both font and color from their website. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Touched up in Photoshop. slides/jan28.jpg slides/jan27.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 OK, I did better tonight. I bought black card stock paper and cleaned the glass with Windex to remove more specks. Also, I used a dimmer and more diffuse light, and turned off most lights. I forgot about one light a ways behind me- that may be causeing the few specks in the glass. overall, though, I'm much happier with this shot. Things I would do differently: Refine the process a little more? Mods: A little dust speck removal, a little sharpening. OK, I did better tonight. I bought black card stock paper and cleaned the glass with Windex to remove more specks. Also, I used a dimmer and more diffuse light, and turned off most lights. I forgot about one light a ways behind me- that may be causeing the few specks in the glass. overall, though, I'm much happier with this shot. Things I would do differently: Refine the process a little more? Mods: A little dust speck removal, a little sharpening. slides/jan27.jpg slides/jan26.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 I got this idea from Digital Photographer, a British publication. Glass is difficult to photograph, ane one method was to light it from underneath. I need to do better, but this was OK as a first attempt. You will probably see more as I try to refine the technique. Things I would do differently: Hide the backdrop better and try more subtle lighting. Mods: Removed lens flare. I got this idea from Digital Photographer, a British publication. Glass is difficult to photograph, ane one method was to light it from underneath. I need to do better, but this was OK as a first attempt. You will probably see more as I try to refine the technique. Things I would do differently: Hide the backdrop better and try more subtle lighting. Mods: Removed lens flare. slides/jan26.jpg slides/jan25.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Guinness Record- still inspired by the visual pun, I guess. I used silver and gold reflecting boards as the backdrop, blurrily reflecting the room to add visual interest (if you call it that). Things I would do differently: Who knows? Mods: Mild white balance. Guinness Record- still inspired by the visual pun, I guess. I used silver and gold reflecting boards as the backdrop, blurrily reflecting the room to add visual interest (if you call it that). Things I would do differently: Who knows? Mods: Mild white balance. slides/jan25.jpg slides/jan24.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Farmer's Branch just passed another ordinance trying to make it difficult for illegal aliens to live there. The problem is the xenophobic response and draconian penalties will result in discrimination against legal aliens or even folks that were born here, but just happen to be Mexican. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. Farmer's Branch just passed another ordinance trying to make it difficult for illegal aliens to live there. The problem is the xenophobic response and draconian penalties will result in discrimination against legal aliens or even folks that were born here, but just happen to be Mexican. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan24.jpg slides/jan23.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 This was a further experiment with the cat's eye. However, I am unhappy with the blur of the face itself, so I will have to experiment further with the technique. Things I would do differently: Try for a sharp face except for the eye. Mods: Sharpened. This was a further experiment with the cat's eye. However, I am unhappy with the blur of the face itself, so I will have to experiment further with the technique. Things I would do differently: Try for a sharp face except for the eye. Mods: Sharpened. slides/jan23.jpg slides/jan22.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 I bought some reflective posterboard today at Hobby Lobby, so thought I'd try it out. I have some ideas to experiment with- this was just testing the waters. I like the sheen of the backdrop on this, coupled with the relative quality of the reflection. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. I bought some reflective posterboard today at Hobby Lobby, so thought I'd try it out. I have some ideas to experiment with- this was just testing the waters. I like the sheen of the backdrop on this, coupled with the relative quality of the reflection. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan22.jpg slides/jan21.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 I saw this idea somewhere on Flickr- take an old vinyl album cover with a full-sized face on it and substitute it for your face. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: None. I saw this idea somewhere on Flickr- take an old vinyl album cover with a full-sized face on it and substitute it for your face. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: None. slides/jan21.jpg slides/jan20.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 This is me backwards. I put the camera onmy desk and shot at a small, handheld mirror. Since this was room light only, with 1/2 second exposure, I flitted my eyes back and forth rapidly, blurring a bit to look like a cat's eye, which was the desired effect. I may try just that part up close sometime in the future for fun. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: White balance, sharpened. This is me backwards. I put the camera onmy desk and shot at a small, handheld mirror. Since this was room light only, with 1/2 second exposure, I flitted my eyes back and forth rapidly, blurring a bit to look like a cat's eye, which was the desired effect. I may try just that part up close sometime in the future for fun. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: White balance, sharpened. slides/jan20.jpg slides/jan19.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 This is a action shot of Nadia. Gail is furiously scratching her chin, and she's purring approvingly. The exposure was 1/30s, so she was moving fast enough to blur this much. Notice the rest of the picture is mostly sharp. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Some sharpening. This is a action shot of Nadia. Gail is furiously scratching her chin, and she's purring approvingly. The exposure was 1/30s, so she was moving fast enough to blur this much. Notice the rest of the picture is mostly sharp. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Some sharpening. slides/jan19.jpg slides/jan18.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 This opportunity just dropped into my lap today. We were in the waiting room of the 2nd tier vets (where Tasman spent the day), when I looked through the fishtank into an adjacted office of another waiting room. This clinic is an expensive one for animals, with lots of specialties. We were in the internal medicine waiting room, and we were looking into the opthamalic waiting room. I got this photo, which makes it look like fish are actually swimming in the office. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Compositing of a couple of shots for a denser fish effect. This opportunity just dropped into my lap today. We were in the waiting room of the 2nd tier vets (where Tasman spent the day), when I looked through the fishtank into an adjacted office of another waiting room. This clinic is an expensive one for animals, with lots of specialties. We were in the internal medicine waiting room, and we were looking into the opthamalic waiting room. I got this photo, which makes it look like fish are actually swimming in the office. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Compositing of a couple of shots for a denser fish effect. slides/jan18.jpg slides/jan17.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 It's No Fun Being Flaxseed- that's the title of this one. It's an unhappy fellow, formed from a pile of flaxseed, but spelled a different way :) It's a visual pun, of sorts! Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. It's No Fun Being Flaxseed- that's the title of this one. It's an unhappy fellow, formed from a pile of flaxseed, but spelled a different way :) It's a visual pun, of sorts! Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan17.jpg slides/jan16.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 This ride 'em dinosaur for kids was alongside Trinity Pharmacy in Carrollton, a few miles from my house. It seemed rather lonely there, and the bright colors against the white-washed building were pleasing. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: None. This ride 'em dinosaur for kids was alongside Trinity Pharmacy in Carrollton, a few miles from my house. It seemed rather lonely there, and the bright colors against the white-washed building were pleasing. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: None. slides/jan16.jpg slides/jan15.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Ethanol- it's not the answer to our fuel crisis, at least not yet. Ethanol is primarily derived from corn, not the cellulose stalks. As a result, food prices are rising worldwide as farmers sell corn for fuel and convert other crops to corn. One tank of ethanol in an SUV consumes enough corn to feed one person for one year (Source: The Economist) Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. Ethanol- it's not the answer to our fuel crisis, at least not yet. Ethanol is primarily derived from corn, not the cellulose stalks. As a result, food prices are rising worldwide as farmers sell corn for fuel and convert other crops to corn. One tank of ethanol in an SUV consumes enough corn to feed one person for one year (Source: The Economist) Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan15.jpg slides/jan14.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Today, Picture365 is 1 year old! I will be archiving this site (keeping online, though), and restarting it (back dating to Jan 1 for convenience). Will be coming soon. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. Today, Picture365 is 1 year old! I will be archiving this site (keeping online, though), and restarting it (back dating to Jan 1 for convenience). Will be coming soon. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan14.jpg slides/jan13.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Tasman, one of our cats, is not doing very well here. We are still trying to find out what's wrong with him, but his lying under a dresser is a sign he's not feeling well. I took this picture, as I don't know if he'll be with us much longer. He's almost 15 years old. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Sharpened. Tasman, one of our cats, is not doing very well here. We are still trying to find out what's wrong with him, but his lying under a dresser is a sign he's not feeling well. I took this picture, as I don't know if he'll be with us much longer. He's almost 15 years old. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Sharpened. slides/jan13.jpg slides/jan12.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 OK, re-take of the same shot I took yesterday. I replaced it with another shot that was time critical (the moon at sunset), so here's this shot again. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Nothing. OK, re-take of the same shot I took yesterday. I replaced it with another shot that was time critical (the moon at sunset), so here's this shot again. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: Nothing. slides/jan12.jpg slides/jan11a.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 I took several pictures, and decided to use this one, since it came out so nice. I replaced one I uploaded earlier in the day in case you already saw that one. I'll re-take that one at a later date. The moon nicely hovered above the horizon shortly after sunset, and I really like how this turned out, with the warm glow of the yard lights and the cool blue of the fading sunset. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. I took several pictures, and decided to use this one, since it came out so nice. I replaced one I uploaded earlier in the day in case you already saw that one. I'll re-take that one at a later date. The moon nicely hovered above the horizon shortly after sunset, and I really like how this turned out, with the warm glow of the yard lights and the cool blue of the fading sunset. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan11a.jpg slides/jan10.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Raisin Eyebrows. I like a good title! I've had the idea for this for a while, finally figured out how to do it by stringing the raisins on ultrafine nylon thread. The shot was difficult- it was hard to balance the raisins- they wanted to roll into my eyes or up my forehead. I shot about a dozen pictures to get a decent one. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. Raisin Eyebrows. I like a good title! I've had the idea for this for a while, finally figured out how to do it by stringing the raisins on ultrafine nylon thread. The shot was difficult- it was hard to balance the raisins- they wanted to roll into my eyes or up my forehead. I shot about a dozen pictures to get a decent one. Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan10.jpg slides/jan09.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Active Sink. That's my title for this one. A lot won't get it, but Microsoft's synchronization protocol is called ActiveSync. I got the idea while out running, thinking oddly enough, about a heat sink problem on my computer. Being a punster, somehow this image popped into my head. In case my wife is viewing this, I did not let the sink get this full- the shot was staged! Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. Active Sink. That's my title for this one. A lot won't get it, but Microsoft's synchronization protocol is called ActiveSync. I got the idea while out running, thinking oddly enough, about a heat sink problem on my computer. Being a punster, somehow this image popped into my head. In case my wife is viewing this, I did not let the sink get this full- the shot was staged! Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan09.jpg slides/jan08.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Over Christmas break, my wife suggested we play some Boggle- an old word game that was gathering dust in the closet. It was a great idea- I love this game, since both players work from the same set of dice, any luck is removed. Things I would do differently: Get a bigger piece of the green matte board- I really like it as a backdrop. Mods: None. Over Christmas break, my wife suggested we play some Boggle- an old word game that was gathering dust in the closet. It was a great idea- I love this game, since both players work from the same set of dice, any luck is removed. Things I would do differently: Get a bigger piece of the green matte board- I really like it as a backdrop. Mods: None. slides/jan08.jpg slides/jan07.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 We had a bottle of this Saturday evening. It's a half bottle size of 2006 Rosa Regail, a sparkling sweet rosé wine. It's light and meant more as a fun wine than a snobbish, serious wine. I chose macro mode and exposure metering on the black label to get the red glow and the washed out background for effect. Things I would do differently: Try to find a setting where I can get the whole bottle (not possible where I shot this). Mods: Sharpened. We had a bottle of this Saturday evening. It's a half bottle size of 2006 Rosa Regail, a sparkling sweet rosé wine. It's light and meant more as a fun wine than a snobbish, serious wine. I chose macro mode and exposure metering on the black label to get the red glow and the washed out background for effect. Things I would do differently: Try to find a setting where I can get the whole bottle (not possible where I shot this). Mods: Sharpened. slides/jan07.jpg slides/jan06.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Compact Fluorescent Lights- Bush just made them illegal starting in 2014. They are NOT the answer to our energy problems. They do NOT last 6x longer under normal use- they last about the same amount of time, but cost much, much more. In order to extend their life, they must not be turned on and off often, so you leave them on longer, and they burn more energy than the incandescent they replaced. They are poisonous comparatively as well, containing mercury. And they put our a more harsh light, cannot be used on timers and dimmers, and future versions that can be used with them require you replace the dimmers and timers with compatible ones (I'm not sure why timers won't work, but that's what I've read). Things I would do differently: Even out the lighting more and eliminate the shadows. Mods: None. Compact Fluorescent Lights- Bush just made them illegal starting in 2014. They are NOT the answer to our energy problems. They do NOT last 6x longer under normal use- they last about the same amount of time, but cost much, much more. In order to extend their life, they must not be turned on and off often, so you leave them on longer, and they burn more energy than the incandescent they replaced. They are poisonous comparatively as well, containing mercury. And they put our a more harsh light, cannot be used on timers and dimmers, and future versions that can be used with them require you replace the dimmers and timers with compatible ones (I'm not sure why timers won't work, but that's what I've read). Things I would do differently: Even out the lighting more and eliminate the shadows. Mods: None. slides/jan06.jpg slides/jan05.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Jeffus ex Machina- that's my name for this one (reference Deus ex Machina on Google). Hopefully this is the last of my scanner fun for a while :) I moved my head up and down while it was scanning to distort it. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: None. Jeffus ex Machina- that's my name for this one (reference Deus ex Machina on Google). Hopefully this is the last of my scanner fun for a while :) I moved my head up and down while it was scanning to distort it. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: None. slides/jan05.jpg slides/jan04.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 Not to abuse it, but a scanner is in effect a camera. You can be creative with it, and here is a probably silly example. I slowly rotated my hand while the scan was ongoing, thereby warping it. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: None. Not to abuse it, but a scanner is in effect a camera. You can be creative with it, and here is a probably silly example. I slowly rotated my hand while the scan was ongoing, thereby warping it. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: None. slides/jan04.jpg slides/jan03.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 This photo was taken with a flatbed scanner. I hadn't used one in this manner for quite a few years, but they can take decent pictures of small objects, and they don't have to be flat. However, the 1200dpi is more like 300dpi usable, so I can't get the super mangification I was getting with other optic combinations. I might play around a little, though, and see what I can do. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: Sharpened. This photo was taken with a flatbed scanner. I hadn't used one in this manner for quite a few years, but they can take decent pictures of small objects, and they don't have to be flat. However, the 1200dpi is more like 300dpi usable, so I can't get the super mangification I was getting with other optic combinations. I might play around a little, though, and see what I can do. Things I would do differently: ? Mods: Sharpened. slides/jan03.jpg slides/jan02.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 This is Nadia again- the part time cat we take care of. She sleeps in a spare bedroom at night during the winter. I caught her in a familiar pose- scratching. She doesn't have fleas or any other skin condition- we've had her checked. She may have some allergies, however- when I was a kid we had a cat with bad allergies. I'm not happy with the soft focus of the camera here- this isn't even 1:1 pixels. I took 3 shots and all were soft. Things I would do differently: Get a better camera :) Mods: Sharpened This is Nadia again- the part time cat we take care of. She sleeps in a spare bedroom at night during the winter. I caught her in a familiar pose- scratching. She doesn't have fleas or any other skin condition- we've had her checked. She may have some allergies, however- when I was a kid we had a cat with bad allergies. I'm not happy with the soft focus of the camera here- this isn't even 1:1 pixels. I took 3 shots and all were soft. Things I would do differently: Get a better camera :) Mods: Sharpened slides/jan02.jpg slides/jan01.html Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:28 -0600 Jalbum 8.0 This is me starting out the year right- I just got back from the gym. Thought I looked dapper in those gym clothes :) Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. This is me starting out the year right- I just got back from the gym. Thought I looked dapper in those gym clothes :) Things I would do differently: Nothing. Mods: None. slides/jan01.jpg