We spent a day with our daughter and her boyfriend. I decided to shake off the mid-winter rust and snap some pictures.
Category Archives: Personal
Last weekend we went to the Great Southern restaurant in Seaside, just a short top-down drive from our house; and I ate fried ginger chicken, collard greens, and black-eyed peas. Yum! Lori is pesco-vegetarian and had the fresh fish catch of the day. The Tennessee Firearms entertained us during the meal, then we went for a stroll on and around the beach.
Here’s a look into the creative space where all the processing happens. Since I work primarily with digital capture, I do all the processing. It’s more work, since I can’t drop film at the local pro lab for color correction. But then I make all the processing decisions, a creative freedom that I like.
Color accuracy is very important to me, so I painted the walls gray to avoid introducing any color bias into photographs. I used the excellent Colorwheel brand of paint in Silver Shimmer 8772W.
During the day, I work by natural light. But at night I use a Solux task lamp and bulb because it’s the most accurate daylight spectrum artificial light source on the market. This light does not introduce false color casts when I’m doing color correction work; and when viewing prints from the lab, I’m sure to see the colors accurately in comparison to what’s on my monitor.
My Apple Cinema Display and Mac Pro allow maximum usability and productivity; ColorEyes and X-Rite DTP-94 Colorimeter calibrate the monitor. And I love my new Herman Miller Embody chair: it fits my back like a glove, flexes as I move, and allows for the healthy reclined seating position. Scanner to the right and trusty Wacom graphics pen and tablet near the keyboard. Around the corner are some bags, gear, lighting.
Note for criminal miscreants of the world: if burglary is on your mind, please notify your next of kin and bring a pre-written toe tag. Homey don’t play that.
I love to travel, because it enriches my mind and spirit. I enjoy meeting people in other countries, experiencing their way of living, and learning about their perspective on the world. I recently traveled to Europe with my wife, who periodically works in Geneva, Switzerland, representing American libraries in treaty negotiations. When she learned of her November trip, I knew it was a good time for me to join her. And on the way home, we stopped over in Paris for a week to celebrate our wedding anniversary a few months early (stay tuned for Paris photos).
I really enjoyed Geneva, and apparently those living there like it, too. In 2009, the city ranked third among the best places in the world to live, according to Mercer Consultings Quality of Living Survey, topped only by Vienna (No. 1) and Zurich (No. 2).
While in Geneva, I ate a hearty breakfast (my favorite meal) at a neighborhood cafe every morning. The locals were very warm and down-to-earth, and they treated me like family. Geneva itself is a beautiful city that wraps around Lake Leman and sits beside a small mountain range to the north with a view of the stunning Mont Blanc to the southeast with its stunning 14, 000 foot snow-capped peak. It was a great time of year to visit. The temperatures were cool not cold; and the leaves displayed bold, vibrant colors. I enjoyed walking around the old city, meeting the locals, and even hanging out in the Starbucks near the university.
After Geneva, we spent several (rainy) days in Paris; on the way home, I spiked a fever on the plane and wound up in the ER getting IV drug therapy. Feeling better now! It was a great adventure, and we had a really fine time.
Enjoy the following montage of photos from Geneva.
Camera: iPhone 3Gs. App: Hipstamatic