So I'm currently in Charlotte, NC waiting on my flight to get here. I figured now would be as good a time as any to sit down and relax a bit, maybe even reflect a little on my past week. As I start this recollection, I can't help but think that I should probably blog some of the events of this week, which has proven to have a very odd-ball start, but will prayerful turn out to have a pretty good ending.
So the first thing that comes to mind is that I'm struggling to find a power outlet to plug my laptop in. This airport sucks when it comes to that. I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt to the fact that these things (airports) were probably constructed back in the day before laptops were major items and definitely before consultants dominated a significant chunk of airport traffic. Luckily I've found one...but we'll come back to this point a bit later.
So this past Monday, I start my normal travel routine: my alarm goes off at 4a.m., and I'm in the shower getting ready so I can leave and head to the airport between 5:15 and 5:30a.m. I'm doing better this week than I did last week 'cause (1) I didn't oversleep and (2) I packed up and was ready to go the night before. I normally pack the clothes I need for the week (obviously) as well as a pair of gym clothes 'cause I'm trying to make sure that UAintNevaLied doesn't have to roll me out of the house. So I lock up, jump in the car and hit the road and then it starts...
Strike 1. I suddenly remembered that I left my gym shoes at home. So I can't very well get my workout on in a pair of dress shoes, and going barefoot on the treadmill isn't going to cut it. So no major workouts like that taking place this week. Which, consequently, means that I've got to eat like a bird this week to compensate for the lack of the cardio.
Strike 2. On the way to the airport (remember, this is 5a.m. and I start boarding at 6:30), I hear what I think is something hitting my car as I travel 70mph (yes, dear, I was doing 70!), so I pass it over as nothing and keep on going. When I'm about half a mile away from the parking location, I start hearing a puffing noise, and I'm assuming it's my muffler. Notice I say assume. When I come to a start and to idle, I don't hear it any more, but when I go in gear and start taking off, there it is again...so now, my concern grows greater, and as soon as I get into my parking spot and get out of the car, there's my tire...flat as hell!! Do I have AAA (that's Triple A for those of you who don't know)? Yes, I do. Do I have time to call them and have them come fix it? No...
Now let me take a brief moment to clarify something. Yes, I know I am a grown man and a grown man should be able to fix his own tire, or at least change it if need be. I can do that, BUT DAMNIT, I'M PAYING FOR THE SERVICE...so I want my money's worth. You feel the same, trust me.
...I don't have time to call them because I need to get into the airport and make my flight. The car is parked and isn't going anywhere, so I'm expecting it to be right there when I get back.
Strike 3. To add to the misery, when we get on the plane and get in the air, it becomes quite clear that someone is funky as hell. I'm talking the kind of funk that makes you have to put in eyedrops because your cornea is burning. But to give you an accurate account of how funky...you know how there's usually a stewardess (or steward) that sits at the back of the plane to service the guests back there. She got up, covered her nose, and sat at the front of the plane the whole time next to another passenger. DA-YUM!! And of course, I'm back there clawing at the hatch that releases the oxygen, with absolutely no luck.
Strike 4. I'd think things would get better considering I've already struck out. Not. Before I give strike four, I will admit that my work week wasn't all to bad. Considering that I had a few items to play catch-up on, I was still at least able to put up two blogs this week, get a new lens for me camera (see previous blog) and just enjoy the fact that I've been blessed with peace. I got a call regarding some craziness on Wednesday night, but that doesn't count. All in all, a good work week.
HOWEVER, once I get to the airport, where I am now, I realize that I'm being checked out on the sly. Now keep in mind, I've found a hole to crawl into to get to a power cord. Some dude, who's hair is done up like a freakin' sunflower, from another country, wearing a ring with two hearts on it (yes, you can probably guess where I'm going with this), and that has on blush (yes...blush), has decided that he's going to come charge his phone. I don't have a problem with this, really I don't. However, slick here decides to "gracefully" slide down across from me and - thinking that I can't see him peripherally - begins signaling his "friends" that he's close to me and looking me up and down...so much so that he extends his "hearty" hand as if to see if I'd acknowledge and reciprocate his gesture.
Negative, Ghost Rider...the pattern is full!! (from Top Gun...good movie)
I don't say anything. I've put myself in such focus to my computer screen it isn't funny. I'm probably going to need glasses I've got this screen so close to my face right now. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against anyone's sexual preferences...but damnit don't sit next to me smelling like you dove head first into Chanel No. 1-5 and are grinin' like you don't know what to do with yourself. Knowing my luck this week though, I'll probably end up right next to him on the plane. Hell, I'll pay the $50 to go to first class in that case!!
Strike 5: I still have to fix this flat tire after I land.
Man, I never knew it was possible to have 5 strikes in one inning. And to think...I still have two days left in this week.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Snap Happy
For my last birthday, my then fiancée gave me a Canon Rebel XTi, and I’ve been snap happy ever since. I probably took that thing with me just about everywhere I went for the first several months of having it. I’d even pack it with me when I went to church. Taking pictures is something that I enjoy doing and something I’ve been doing just for the hell of it since I was in high school.
I remember I was using a Kodak 35mm when I was in school. It was the kind that flipp
ed up from the middle, and the flash was hidden when it was folded down. I can’t say that my pictures were that great, but I snapped up just about everything I could. My shots were normally of people, those that I thought were friends at the time, and trips, events, or other situations that I may have been around at the time. I can honestly say that during that point in time, most of the photography I was doing was simply to capture memories of my experiences and the people who may have been involved with them.
This probably set the stage, ‘cause a month later I was presented my XTi and an expectatio
n of getting good enough to probably do something (financially) with my photography was put out there. Since then, I’ve been trying to set the stage. I began reading up on digital photography, and have since then learned that there is SOO much to it…learning about f-stops, aperture, focal lengths, etc. Even my editing skills were getting challenged as I learned more about the capabilities of the software programs I used. However, more importantly, my pictures began changing. I’m a lot more open to the pictures I take. I still take pics of friends and family, but they have a different feel and quality to them. I try to keep them more candid, but with a much more natural feel to them. I’ve started looking at photographs in magazines differently now, and I find myself asking “How did they take this shot? What were the settings?” From there, I try to recreate it if possible. I really enjoy getting scenic shots…not just of landscapes (though a nice day when the sun is setting makes for a great shot and a peaceful mood), but also of city landscapes - especially at night. I definitely got into back in my Olympus days, but a better camera and editing software make for awesome shots that can take you places…or so I’ve been told and I’ve felt from pictures I’ve seen.
I remember I was using a Kodak 35mm when I was in school. It was the kind that flipp
ed up from the middle, and the flash was hidden when it was folded down. I can’t say that my pictures were that great, but I snapped up just about everything I could. My shots were normally of people, those that I thought were friends at the time, and trips, events, or other situations that I may have been around at the time. I can honestly say that during that point in time, most of the photography I was doing was simply to capture memories of my experiences and the people who may have been involved with them.
This carried on into my ea
rlier college years, where the same style seemed to show up in my shots. I guess at the time, I didn’t even view it as a hobby, just something to do…be in a place, see folks around, and snap the shot. It was as simple as that. The weird thing is that I started getting compliments on some of the pictures I took. I never thought much about it, but I guess that subconsciously it caused me to start “thinking” about the shots I was taking, and how they looked before I took them. I’ll admit that the ones I took then, at least the better ones, were often results of dumb luck. Still, they were mine and I took them. Over time, I moved from taking posed shots (still very much amateurish) to more candid shots. I don’t know why, but I moved to a stage of wanting to have the camera catch things “just happening”. It seemed more real then, and appeared to have more of an impact to memory than something that seemed “phony”.
By this time, I had moved from the Kodak 35mm to an Olympus D560. It was a fun camera to use. The pictures were normally okay, but the quality was better. I had no idea at the time of serious photography lingo, just the simple “see it, shoot it, print it”. I’m sure you can imagine that the pics often looked grainy, washed out, and often blurry. But still, a lot of them came out okay, and I started learning my camera more, and that’s when things started to change. I played with settings, resolution settings, using the timer and tripods, and the pictures got better. Still, my focus was people at the time, but there was a feeling of becoming more “seasoned.
rlier college years, where the same style seemed to show up in my shots. I guess at the time, I didn’t even view it as a hobby, just something to do…be in a place, see folks around, and snap the shot. It was as simple as that. The weird thing is that I started getting compliments on some of the pictures I took. I never thought much about it, but I guess that subconsciously it caused me to start “thinking” about the shots I was taking, and how they looked before I took them. I’ll admit that the ones I took then, at least the better ones, were often results of dumb luck. Still, they were mine and I took them. Over time, I moved from taking posed shots (still very much amateurish) to more candid shots. I don’t know why, but I moved to a stage of wanting to have the camera catch things “just happening”. It seemed more real then, and appeared to have more of an impact to memory than something that seemed “phony”.By this time, I had moved from the Kodak 35mm to an Olympus D560. It was a fun camera to use. The pictures were normally okay, but the quality was better. I had no idea at the time of serious photography lingo, just the simple “see it, shoot it, print it”. I’m sure you can imagine that the pics often looked grainy, washed out, and often blurry. But still, a lot of them came out okay, and I started learning my camera more, and that’s when things started to change. I played with settings, resolution settings, using the timer and tripods, and the pictures got better. Still, my focus was people at the time, but there was a feeling of becoming more “seasoned.
After graduating and entering the real world, I just about took my Olympus wherever I went. I star
ted shooting not only people then, but the objects / buildings / locations of where I was currently working. And I took them around different times of day and in different ways, looking for different angles and different setups – particularly night shots of the bigger cities I worked in. I moved on to editing my pictures using various editing programs, and that made a HUGE difference. At a friend’s wedding, I took some pictures – mainly because my then fiancée was the bride’s maid – but I was trying to take them differently than just shooting straight on. I was catching reflections in mirrors, and shooting individuals in mirrors from the reflection of mirrors (think about it and it’ll make sense).
ted shooting not only people then, but the objects / buildings / locations of where I was currently working. And I took them around different times of day and in different ways, looking for different angles and different setups – particularly night shots of the bigger cities I worked in. I moved on to editing my pictures using various editing programs, and that made a HUGE difference. At a friend’s wedding, I took some pictures – mainly because my then fiancée was the bride’s maid – but I was trying to take them differently than just shooting straight on. I was catching reflections in mirrors, and shooting individuals in mirrors from the reflection of mirrors (think about it and it’ll make sense).
This probably set the stage, ‘cause a month later I was presented my XTi and an expectatio
n of getting good enough to probably do something (financially) with my photography was put out there. Since then, I’ve been trying to set the stage. I began reading up on digital photography, and have since then learned that there is SOO much to it…learning about f-stops, aperture, focal lengths, etc. Even my editing skills were getting challenged as I learned more about the capabilities of the software programs I used. However, more importantly, my pictures began changing. I’m a lot more open to the pictures I take. I still take pics of friends and family, but they have a different feel and quality to them. I try to keep them more candid, but with a much more natural feel to them. I’ve started looking at photographs in magazines differently now, and I find myself asking “How did they take this shot? What were the settings?” From there, I try to recreate it if possible. I really enjoy getting scenic shots…not just of landscapes (though a nice day when the sun is setting makes for a great shot and a peaceful mood), but also of city landscapes - especially at night. I definitely got into back in my Olympus days, but a better camera and editing software make for awesome shots that can take you places…or so I’ve been told and I’ve felt from pictures I’ve seen.
(Surfer's Paradise, Australia and W. Kerr Scott Reservoir - Wilkesboro, NC)
So I guess it’s definitely become more of a hobby now, but it’s more than just that. I really enjoy it, and I like catching moments that seem almost as grand as they are if you were there in person…or presenting a feeling that can make you wish you were there. I’m still an amateur, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t feel as much as a novice as I once did. I can’t thank my wife enough for helping bring me into this. She knows this more than anything I guess, ‘cause she has – more than she’d probably like – been the subject of my focus. But considering she’s the most beautiful thing on Earth to me, why wouldn’t I take aim? I’m still hoping and working towards that one day that I’ll be able to bring in a little something-something for this fun hobby, but until then I’ll just keep having fun with what I do and learning more to get better at it as I go along. And who knows, maybe I’ll continue to sneak a few into my blog.
So I guess it’s definitely become more of a hobby now, but it’s more than just that. I really enjoy it, and I like catching moments that seem almost as grand as they are if you were there in person…or presenting a feeling that can make you wish you were there. I’m still an amateur, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t feel as much as a novice as I once did. I can’t thank my wife enough for helping bring me into this. She knows this more than anything I guess, ‘cause she has – more than she’d probably like – been the subject of my focus. But considering she’s the most beautiful thing on Earth to me, why wouldn’t I take aim? I’m still hoping and working towards that one day that I’ll be able to bring in a little something-something for this fun hobby, but until then I’ll just keep having fun with what I do and learning more to get better at it as I go along. And who knows, maybe I’ll continue to sneak a few into my blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
