26-Sep-2020
Riding at night
I didn't like the car behind him.
However I loved the smear of colors.
Most of them were not that noticeable.
But the ISO was pretty cranked up.
When you walk around at night,
this is sometimes what you get.
It was a really nice night,
and a great walk with Buffy.
18-Sep-2020
Another Z50 test shot
So this is another shot I never would have taken with my D3.
Because my D3 wouldn't be with me at the time of the walk.
The interesting part of this one was the angle.
Yes, I wish I had moved a few feet to the left for a better picture (bah).
But I took this with the flippy screen.
So I was at a normal height looking down at the screen.
That really intrigues me.
There have been shots on the D3 that I didn't take.
Crawling on a sidewalk in the city... pass.
But that is the angle.
So I like the screen on the Z50 a lot.
By the way, 50-250 kit lens.
18-Sep-2020
Rawrrrrrrrrr - Camera Testing!
So I'm testing out the Nikon Z50.
This picture would not exist from my D3.
Because I wouldn't have carried my D3 on this walk.
I always thought eventually I'd get a D6, or even a used D5.
But I've gotten tired of carrying the D3.
Another single digit D body would have the same issue.
I LOVE the pictures from the D3.
Especially with the 1.4 lens I have.
But the Z50 has some potential.
And it is light as a feather.
I can carry 2 lenses and hardly notice them.
I can adapt my F mount glass with an FTZ.
I'm starting to think this thing might stay.
11-Sep-2020
A perfect round
I won this in medal 2019 by having a perfect round.
It is a really nice memory for me.
It was back when the world was "normal".
I could drive through any state I wanted to.
I could stay at any hotel I wanted to.
I could eat at any restaurant that appealed to me.
I'll admit that I just barely won it.
It came down to a battle at the end.
And then, there was only one person left that could beat me.
But he fell just short.
I didn't come close to winning the whole competition.
But for one out of the ten rounds, I was perfect.
12-Sep-2020
Puff the magic dragon dog!
She is always watching you.
She never sleeps, unless she is sleeping.
She never eats, unless she is eating.
She never wakes us up... unless she does.
But she never minds me taking pictures...
Unless she does :)
01-Sep-2020
I voted today
I don't like the direction of my country.
I don't like the insanity.
I don't like the lies.
I don't like fomenting of violence.
I'm tired. I voted.
I've been told maybe my vote won't be counted.
Maybe it just won't get there on time (oops).
Maybe it will be stored in a box out back.
Today was to make sure I could vote.
It was just a primary, but I had to be sure.
I had to be sure I wasn't ripped out of the rolls.
I had to be sure my vote was not suppressed.
I can't even go out and buy a fucking pizza, but I'll vote.
I don't even care if I get sick from it.
Honestly I don't care if it kills me.
But I will get my one vote.
And that vote will be counted.
It is the single thing I can do to change things.
I'll do it again in November.
27-Aug-2020
Fishing for flies
I had the wrong lens with me.
I was walking across a bridge when I saw him.
I yelled down to ask if he minded some pictures.
He said "Have at it".
So I happily snapped a few.
And here is why I like photography.
This was the wrong lens for this (35 from a long distance).
My camera only has 12 megapixels.
And I had to crop like crazy to get this.
The D3S is an awesome camera in the right situation.
But here it was a little limited due to the lens I had with me.
But I'm joyful I was there watching him fish for flies.
I enjoyed the day walking around taking some snaps.
So I just don't care that it is technically flawed.
I don't care that the angle is not the best.
Because I was there that day.
23-Aug-2020
What's Cookin?
We had talked about this more than a decade ago.
What to do when Buffy's youngest turned 18.
This fire contains Buffy's divorce papers.
Not all of them, because we had to feed them in.
When we put to many in, they didn't burn.
There were so many there was a lack of oxygen.
So now what will he do?
This chapter is finally over.
He is alone and has nobody to file more papers against.
I watched as he filed these multiple times a year.
And now they have gone up in smoke and ash.
What a lonely and pathetic life he leads.
14-Aug-2020
This is interesting
This is an important photo.
However it isn't an important picture.
I was driving home when I saw this.
And I wanted to do an experiment.
This is exposure stacking.
It is my absolute first attempt at it.
I didn't use a tripod.
I just set bracketing and hoped for the best.
Then merged it all in Lightroom.
It has nothing to do with the subject.
Just that the subject had varied light intensity.
I'll experiment more with this.
Just learning and having fun.
12-Aug-2020
Walking around the city
Vacation had some very fun parts.
Sure, everything is socially distant.
And that makes "vacation" different.
I turned it into little "photo tours".
Just go to the city, pack a lunch.
Then I just walked around.
It wasn't the best vaca ever...
But it wasn't the worst either.
05-Aug-2020
To the edge
Still on my mandatory vacation.
So I decided on another journey.
I'm really still "testing" this lens out.
I decided I loved it.
Then I decided to return it.
Then I decided to give it another week.
Then I decided to return it.
So now I'm half way through the week.
And I decided to keep it.
What an aggravating lens.
Not this shot, but when at f/1.4.
I never know where the focus will be.
But when it hits, it is wonderful.
Then it backfocuses by a mile.
I've spent hours calibrating it.
I've got a few more days to vacillate.
Chasing the dragon of 1.4.
04-Aug-2020
So much was different
I went to the town I grew up in today.
I'm on a "forced" vacation, so I had nothing to do.
I looked around for a bit, and it was so different.
One of my schools, gone.
Another school, looked a little run down.
The library, had been reconstructed.
I already knew that, but I really wanted to go in.
Unfortunately... pandemic.
So I couldn't go in to look around.
Once this is over, I will though.
Just to see what is still there and what was added.
When I tell Buffy about this, I'll of course say "Lyberry".
I always insist on saying it like that.
It still amuses me.