Saturday, November 25, 2000

The PBS film, American Photography: A Century of Images examines the impact of photography on the arts, science, politics, news and American society at large.
7:24 PM ::link::

There's a new digital camera buyer's guide at ZDNet. Provides some very basic guidelines to help narrow your choice to the type of camera that's right for you.
7:14 PM ::link::

In another vandalism, some low life in the Cleveland area stole 4 kitten angel statues from a pet cemetery.

What is wrong with these people?
6:59 PM ::link::

About $500 has been raised to repair damaged graves in Hattiesburg, Mississippi's Oak Lawn cemetery. Unfortunately, the estimates of the damage is closer to $200,000. One suspect has been arrested in connection with an episode of vandalism on November 5.
6:52 PM ::link::

The City of the Silent is developing a cemetery photo gallery at the Virtual Lawn. It's still in the works, so stop by and contribute your favorite cemetery picture.
6:41 PM ::link::

Friday, November 24, 2000

Defining Content at Currentform.
9:25 PM ::link::

Just uploaded some new additions to both Mount Carmel and Trinity cemeteries. There are 4 new photos in each section. 3 new pinhole pictures at Mount Carmel, which came out pretty darn nice, if I say so myself. :)
3:18 PM ::link::

City of the Silent has new additions to the Taphophile section, including tips on tombstone rubbings and photography. Also included for the Sims addicts are hints on building a Sims cemetery.
9:54 AM ::link::

Search terms as a language lesson? I'm always curious as to just how people wander into my strange little corner of the web, what was on their mind to bring them here and did they stay and play or just click off to a new destination.

This morning someone used the search term "pohlednice". It turns out that it means "postcard" in Czech. While certainly impressed with the abilities of search engines to do a bit of on the fly translation and turn up my card page regardless of the language used by the inquiry, it got me thinking about the use of language on the web. It seems to be a characteristic of many of us to just assume that everyone everywhere speaks English. We do this despite the presence of domains indicating non-English speaking countries in our access logs.

As this site is primarily built around photographs, should I be concerned with the issue of language differences? Is the relatively low percentage of non-English speaking visitors a justification for continuing an English only site? Or is the low percentage a result of not providing alternative languages? Too many questions this morning. ;-)
9:30 AM ::link::

Thursday, November 23, 2000

This isn't exactly what I was looking for as a method of improving my sense of vision but a system to double visual acuity sounds like it would open a new window on the world.
8:30 PM ::link::

Wednesday, November 22, 2000

An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth - 43 points of light on the road of life.
10:41 PM ::link::

With winter on the way, brush up on some tips to help both you and your camera survive cold weather photography. As much as I hate the cold, there's still something special about the low angle of winter sunlight that makes it worth getting out and about. The long shadows, the clear air and the golden glow of a late afternoon make fumbling with frozen fingers a small burden.
2:02 PM ::link::

If you get an irresistable urge to nap tomorrow following your Thanksgiving dinner, don't blame it all on the turkey. Don't blame the increased blood flow to the gut or the solid meal,either. Just enjoy that warm sleepy feeling as a nice part of the holiday. Think about all the good things in your life and smile while you snooze.
1:31 PM ::link::

Il mio amore a voi, il mio amico.
12:24 PM ::link::

Copier As Camera, an exhibit at the UCR California Museum of Photography.
11:19 AM ::link::

There are many elements that can be considered in photographic composition. This site explores several techniques and shows the results with some well chosen examples.
10:37 AM ::link::

Clementines are back. Hooray! They're like a holiday that you can peel. Yum.
9:42 AM ::link::

If you're contemplating a move to digital photography, want a true professional quality camera but have been taken aback by the idea of dropping over 20 kilobucks for a camera, there are some relative bargains available in discontinued Kodak digitals. Still quite a bit beyond my budget but very tempting.
::wiping drool from keyboard::
8:49 AM ::link::

Too late a night last night, not in terms of staying up past my bedtime, just in hours spent at school. It was our last formal class/lecture and it was extended from the usual 2 and a half hour session by attending a panel discussion after our regular meeting. Attendance for the full length of the discussion wasn't required but was "suggested". With the director of the program as a member of the panel, sneaking out the back door half way through wasn't really an option. ;)

I can't complain though. I'm there to soak up as much knowledge and information as I can and any additional opportunities for learning are welcome. Though we all moaned and groaned, it was a good natured kind of whining. That's one thing that I really enjoy about this school. Most of the students are attending on a part-time basis, balancing jobs, family and other concerns with the pursuit of a degree. It's an incredibly eclectic group of people, all united by a desire to learn and improve our lives. We're there because we all saw a need to change and saw this as a path, if not to our dreams, then to a better and brighter vision of what passes for reality.
8:30 AM ::link::

Tuesday, November 21, 2000

Tips on geting an accurate exposure with your meter from the Kodak technical data reference.
12:59 PM ::link::

"So what is the value of photography in all this?
Clearly, it provides a means of preserving those observations that hold significance for us; it sustains our sense of awe in contemplating the world and it awakens a whole gamut of resonances springing from the simile, metaphor and allegory of our poetical endowment, which is inadmissable to science."

Mike Ware "What is Photography?"
11:06 AM ::link::

Cemetery statuary and poetry by Eileen Albrizio.
10:00 AM ::link::

Look for clues to your own emerging photographic style and vision by editing that stack of photos. Might be worth a try, who knows what will emerge from giving your older work another and more critical look.
9:32 AM ::link::

Monday, November 20, 2000

Book attack!! Give me something good to read and I'm in heaven. The selection at the On-Line Books Page isn't as wide as Amazon.com but you can't beat the price... free! All that knowledge waiting to be scarfed up and your still here reading this? I'm flattered but go check it out. :)
10:41 PM ::link::

Cemetery preservation "Do's and Don'ts" from the Connecticut Gravestone Network. Helpful tips on maintaining and rehabilitating a cemetery.
3:38 PM ::link::

I was grousing a bit earlier about the need to bracket exposures using infrared film. In looking over the results from my last roll, as well as some recent black and white shots with the pinhole, which I also bracketed, I've started to realize that this technique normally used to be sure of having at least one printable negative is also helping me to learn more about the effects that exposure has on the final image. I'm still struggling to "see" in black and white, to be aware of light and dark and to choose how to portray a scene. Having several versions of the same scene, each shot with different exposure settings, just might be helping things to finally sink in. I've got lots to learn yet and welcome any suggestions for improvement. It's a struggle but I'm having fun and learning.
1:54 PM ::link::

Graveyard Sneaker is an interesting use of colorization of a black and white photo and combination with another color photo.
11:58 AM ::link::

Gettysburg's Evergreen cemetery is raising funds to erect a statue in memory of caretaker Elizabeth Thorn. After the Battle of Gettysburg, Thorn, six months pregnant, labored to bury the bodies of 91 Union soldiers. Her story is told in a new book written by the present curator of the cemetery. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to finance the construction of the memorial.
10:12 AM ::link::

Sunday, November 19, 2000

Is there a better way to develop your sense of vision than examining the ways that Masters of Photography have developed theirs? Are there exercises and methods of practice besides critique of your own work that can improve the ability to "create a photograph" as opposed to "taking a picture"?
9:19 PM ::link::

Applying the Zone System to Color transparency film. Examines how to appply the Zone System, usually used with black and white, to the narrow exposure latitude of slide film. Some suggestions for experimentation and learning are included as well as several charts of color zones.
8:45 PM ::link::

Some useful photo tips for the beginning photographer, including help with composition, exposure, choosing the right film and how to correct common faults and errors.
8:24 PM ::link::

Exposure Value (EV) - what do the numbers mean?
8:08 PM ::link::

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