Archive for December 2011
Partying Like It’s 365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, With #56
Daredevils.
Lone Eagle.
Partying hard.
Dinner at the historical Drift Inn.
And coffee with live music.
Here is number 56…
Where fresh meets salt. I thought of my brother, and then pictured him throwing gobs of prawns at nickel bright steelhead and salmon returning home. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll grab a net.”
365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, #55
Here is number 55…
Salem River Front Carousel and Old Glory, with a hint of the moon.
But my favorite part of this scene is the sign, which reads, “Morning Glory is not a piece of play equipment.”
365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, #54. New “How-to” Section!!!
Great Pics Photography introduces its first “How-To” section. Every so often Great Pics Photography will take you into an in-depth world of photography with coffee, and camera equipment with coffee.
Awhile back, I had noticed that one of my EF lenses came equipped with a dual-core thermal radiating heat liner. Yes, it was a surprise find. Why would an EF lens be equipped with such technology, you ask? Well, it’s for coffee junkies like yours truly.
This section will show you how you can access the thermal radiating liner, and how to adjust the switch to “on” while working with the dual-core for optimum heat. This basically turns your lens into a mini thermos. And trust me, it works.
First off, you will need the following tools.
1. Allen wrench set.
2. Phillips screwdriver.
3. Socket wrench, with a 15mm socket.
First off, turns your lens upside-down. Unscrew the cap. You will notice right off the bat that about an inch down there is a glass element. Flip the glass element to the right, then quickly turn it to the left. After it pops out, you will find the dual-core switch. Switch it to “On.” Then replace the glass element, and screw the cap back on.
Second, turn the lens onto its other end. Take the lens cap off. Then unscrew the lens projector protector. You’ll notice that it’ll turn and pop off.
Thirdly, you’ll now use your allen wrench for loosening the different screws for the glass elements within the body of the lens.
Fourthly, you’ll take the screwdriver and unscrew the titanium screws that hold the magnetic field sensors in place.
Fifthly, you’ll insert the socket wrench and work loose the remaining bolts.
Apply plenty of pressure. You should here a loud “pop.”
The bolt is then ejected from the cavity, and the socket is driven home, thus igniting the sudden motion sensor.
After removing the glass elements within the body, your lens is ready for a fresh brew. Simply set it on a counter, and say, “It’s about that time.” The dual-core will instantly warm the thermos, and will respond with, “Giddy up.”
Now you are ready to pour your hot and incredibly delicious beverage into your new thermal coated lens. Decaf will turn the dual-core off, and instantly freeze it into a tube of ice.
And here is number 54…
My EF Thermal Lens filled with coffee, parked right next to my EF 70-200 Lens.
Hope you enjoyed this “How-to” section.
Warning: This is purely satirical.
365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, #53. Including “Story Time With Paul.”
Here is number 53…
Included Bonus: “Story Time With Paul”
For starters, nonstop rain. Nonstop. Every time I’m on the coast, and the weather is absolutely relentless with showers, sideways and stinging and with this and with that…I always think of Lewis and Clark. I remember in their journals, “Nonstop rain. Everyday. I can’t take this. What am I going to do. Where am I at. They call this Oregon. I call this misery.” That’s a loose version, a very loose version of how they described the wonderful weather in the dreary months that lay ahead.
My camera got soaked. Absolutely soaked. Always good on Canon products. Nothing quite like a wet lens and body.
Number 53
This was number 53. It’s not much, but it’ll have to work. My lens was wet, I was dodging sneaker waves, desperately trying to keep my feet dry.
I had set my tripod and left it somewhere behind me. Turns out I didn’t even need it. One good sized wave came in. I turned, and there was over a foot of water cruising through the legs. I thought, “That’s it! There goes my tripod.” But, alas, it held its ground.
So, I’m turning back around for a quick shot while showers pummel and soak every open surface available. Suddenly I feel this great gust, and I’m pushed back. I turn and suddenly I’m smacked in the other direction when a sneaker wave wrapped itself around my knees, sending me into a moment of pure shock.
After I made it back to my rig, I cranked up the heat, and laid clothes out to dry. Then I headed back into Lincoln City, wet and hungry. Salmon sounded great. A good and healthy snack. So, I stopped by the Dory Cove, and grabbed a pound of smoked Chinook.
“Where’s my coffee? I need a coffee, like bad.” Then I found this cute little warm and fuzzy cafe, with internet. Beach Town Coffee.That’s where I now reside for the time being. Then it’s back out, fighting this awful weather, while heading back to the valley.
And that’s how not to spend your evening on the beach.
365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, #52
Here is number 52…
Well, it’s really pouring. And I wasn’t exactly creative tonight. So, I took this shot from under an awning near a street corner. My camera took a nice little shower, and I’m sure it’s really liking me right about now.
They say desperation breeds creativity, but I can’t say that I’m exactly feeling that way right about now. In fact, I’m sitting in my car, uploading this photo onto my laptop, which will then go online (no editing this time around), while oncoming rain pelts and blurs my windshield. Good times.
But, I did grab a cup of java from Broadway Coffee House.
365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, #51
Here is number 51…
Cold, gunmetal gray skies. Starlings in a conference of chatter, robins crossing the tracks, pigeons whistling in flight. And then there’s me, trying to figure out the best way to capture a seed mill. So I ended up further down the way, by the railroad truss. That’s where I’d get my photo. Or at least that’s what I had in mind.
Then a thought occurred to me. Is it grey or gray? “Gunmetal gray skies, sounds nice,” I said to myself. I often play word games in my head, or try to figure the best way to put them on paper or on a blog. I kind of dig the English language, even though it’s in jeopardy. Words fascinate me. Origins, and the like. But with blogging, I like to keep it simple so that the majority of readers won’t get lost. Something most bloggers and writers should keep in mind.
Runner up for Number 51.
So, I asked again: Is it gray or grey? “Well, you can use either,” I answered (normally I don’t ask and answer my own questions). “For the color gray it can be either way.” Half a dozen pigeons whistled overhead, circling a lone silo. Their feet came in contact, screeching on the slated (gunmetal gray!) roof.
If you’re ever curious on how the color gray is spelled, just remember: It’s gray or grey.
And that’s Paul’s wordplay for the day, along with a few photos.
365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, #50
Here is number 50…
With the family.
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.
365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, #49
Here is number 49…
Merry Christmas everyone. At the rents, with a candle and Christmas tree for light. Santa is on the way. But Jesus is the real reason for the season.
There It Goes
Some of us saw it coming, while others had no idea. Some are aware that it’s gone, and others have a surprise in store. Gold’s, Platinum, or whatever you cared to call it over the years (trust me, I had a few choice names), well it’s now closed.
Never thought I’d get attached to a place, to an atmosphere, but I guess I kind of did. Guess it kind of grabbed at me, and over the years it never really let go (yes, I had joined when it had first opened its doors right next door, where cracked buckling concrete floors met rusted dumbbells). Now that atmosphere is literally gone, literally in under 24 hours. It’s kind of a shock, even though I fully expected it, it’s still a shock nonetheless. There’s no way of getting around it. There’s only moving forward.
And all of you new members that paid a hundred, or two hundred, or three hundred dollars. Well, you’ve kind of been left high and dry. Merry Christmas.
What goes around, comes around. I know that much is true. And the person responsible, which I believe is a sociopath by his behavior and actions in and out of the gym, will get his in due time.
365 Days Of Great Pics Photography, #48
Here is number 48…
For a moment it feels like you’re stepping into yesterday, maybe going back a hundred years or so. Having a glimpse of town after sunset. Then you realize they’re just well preserved buildings. For sure built to last. No “Made In China” stamped on those bricks.
