I have been taking photographs for many years now, and I have come to the sad conclusion that I suffer from Equipment Disease. This disease manifests itself by the seeming uncontrolable desire to by new cameras and other associated equipment. Of course all purchases are so that I can take better photographs. Obviously the new stuff will be the key to improving my compentancy. Sad to say I don’t believe that I ever truly utilized all the capabilities of the soon to be replaced camera. So I have the new camera, but strange to say I remain pretty much the same picture taker I always was. Hmm, strange disease this. I know that one needs a "decent" camera to take acceptable pictures, but from reading this forum, I would say that Equipment Disease is an affliction suffered by many.
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Do you feel better now after confessing? Look on the brightside, our national economy needs consumers…and there have to be some joyous perks to working full time…One of my sons makes up for me not doing my fair share in the consumerism department.
Has PSE helped you improve your images though? My digital camera images are decidedly better straight across the board after some editing in the program.
A photograph that is pleasing to the eye can be taken with ANY camera. My mother-in-law never had anything but a very simple point and shoot 35mm camera, but she always seemed to come up with some fun pictures. I think we need to be aware of the quality of light and spend a little more time composing our pictures. While it’s true that all of the new cameras coming out are loaded with more features than we will probably every use, if we would just get back to the basics of composition and lighting we all could probably do more with the equipment that we already have.
I have a bad case of it and I don’t know that there is a cure. It seems to infect golfers also. If you are a golfer and photographer it is hopeless. Thank God for loving, understanding spouses.
I have been taking photographs for many years now, and I have
come to the sad conclusion that I suffer from Equipment Disease. This disease manifests itself by the seeming uncontrolable desire to by new cameras and other associated equipment. Of course all purchases are so that I can take better photographs. Obviously the new stuff will be the key to improving my compentancy. Sad to say I don’t believe that I ever truly utilized all the capabilities of the soon to be replaced camera. So I have the new camera, but strange to say I remain pretty much the same picture taker I always was. Hmm, strange disease this.
I know that one needs a "decent" camera to take acceptable
pictures, but from reading this forum, I would say that Equipment Disease is an affliction suffered by many.
There is a cure: just don’t buy a new camera before you understand everything in the manual. This will provide enough delay to miss at least 3 new cameras.
BTW, I don’t play golf; I ‘m still sexually active…. 😉
hum, sorry, i can’t afford this disease 😉 although ain’t nothing wrong with it…spend and be happy. Death is part of life and life is part of death…where would you prefer to spend your money taking pictures ?
wrote in message I have been taking photographs for many years now, and I have come to the sad conclusion that I suffer from Equipment Disease. This disease manifests itself by the seeming uncontrolable desire to by new cameras and other associated equipment. Of course all purchases are so that I can take better photographs. Obviously the new stuff will be the key to improving my compentancy. Sad to say I don’t believe that I ever truly utilized all the capabilities of the soon to be replaced camera. So I have the new camera, but strange to say I remain pretty much the same picture taker I always was. Hmm, strange disease this. I know that one needs a "decent" camera to take acceptable pictures, but from reading this forum, I would say that Equipment Disease is an affliction suffered by many.
In the privacy of the dark corners of my home I have been know to push process and hyper-sensitize TRI X. … Hell I have even been know to try a ferrotype or two.
I actually went in a two1/2 year remission prior to this camera. But now it’s the need for another lens (2-3), flash, monopod, several bags (light load & all lenses), tc’s, macro flash….etc.etc… Not to mention the need for a new lightweight camera to have along at all times.
Sorry but the connection between golf and sex (or lack of) went right over my head.
I’m battling the disease by vowing that I won’t buy any more equipment until I start taking photographs instead of snapshots. That should keep me out of the B&H website for a long, long time….
Chuck, you are so full of crap ! You are an amazing photographer and i can’t wait to see your work posted as the featured artist ! Then everyone else will see how you talk down about your work and will agree with me about what you are full of 😉
Chuck sends me his beautiful images from time to time…believe me…he is not a snapshot photographer !
Chuck, you know I love you but you need to stop…or else…I will post all the images you have sent me. I got that real sexy one of you in the cowboy hat…remember ? 🙂
I’m suffering from a variety of this disease : software disease… It seems I can’t stop looking at them, contemplating their functions, and many times, I succumd to my addiction and buy the latest version. Oh please, God, have mercy on my soul (and hard drive). May you also protect my OS from being corrupted by the nasty demon of the rogue DLL…
I think I’ve just about gotten over this forever chasing after a better camera, or lens for a particular type of shot. In looking over some old photos slides from long forgotten cardboard cartons about ten years ago, I discovered my better photos were taken in my early years when the camera equipment was pretty basic. A few of the really good shots were taken in 120 B&W on my first camera, a flip-out concertina Balda Baldinette with a 80mm Schneider lens. That was a real sobering discovery!
Shan, I am with you! I have some great photos from a long long time ago when equipment was basic. I had an old Calypso, that really dates me,,,,, We just did the best with what we had. But, now, with PSE, we can take those old photos, and work with them, transform them, into something really far beyond what we originally had! And my goodness, is it fun.
This is all a new hobby for me, and I love it. (Tis fun to buy a new toy now and then, though.) Jane
Funny you should mention this. Over they years I have had two wonderful do everything type systems. Notably a very good Pentax one consisting of eight excellent fixed length Super Takumar lenses and later an equally attractive Nikon system consisting of three overlapping zooms an one fixed lens. The shocking truth is that 85% all my shots were taken with a 50 mm f 1.4 standard lenses and the basic camera. All the rest of my glass only accounted for 15% of my shooting and the majority of that was in the 35 – 85 mm range. The one tool that really did create a huge difference in my shooting quality was when I purchased a good hand held meter, to this day I almost always over ride my meter with what I get from the hand held.
While you think I would learn from this I haven’t as I am in the process of changing all my Nikkors for the state of the art lenses and maybe then I will be satisfied.
I do have an addiction but I don’t always act on it, thank God. I was surprised when my brother told me that golfers have a similar equipment obsession as photographers. It’s the age we live in. A new technology is introduced the day after we buy something. And of course we can’t live without it! 😉
When I first saw the iMac I dreamed of having one. Eventually I bought one. Next was my first digital camera, the Canon Elph, then I had to have the G2. It never stops, does it? Fortunately I’m limited by what I earn and don’t get too carried away. There aren’t many hobbies that don’t cost some $$$. And it always is a bit of a rush with the new toy. Coporations really understand this phenomenon.
Though you profess to be an absolute beginner (which may or may not be entirely truthful), your enthusiasm will carry you forward. On Thursday, when the new Challenge comes out, why not download it, decide what you’d like to do with it and participate in the fun stuff "at Grant’s place". There is no better way to learn the program than just messing around with it and having fun. You have a whole group of people here, only a posting away, that could help you over any sticky spots you might encounter in achieving your design using PSE. Start with a simple to execute idea, hey sometimes less is more! There is no reason to feel "inadequate" or not up to any "standard", we’re all just folks having fun creating our image and enjoying seeing what others have done. I have never seen a posted Challenge that I was tempted to laugh at or scorn. Everyone puts thought into their image using whatever skills they posssess. The deal is with the Challenge, one may see something in one of the images that just really grabs you, but you don’t know how to do it…and if you ask the creator, they will tell you how they achieved it! Some of the participants have incredible artistic talent, but there are others, like myself, who were better in Mathematics/Sciences and such but are attempting to learn things in the "arts". We want you to join in on the Challenge, Jane. Please consider it seriously.
Shan, you are probably right. When we were young 😉 we neeeded to take time to take a picture and probably that’s why we were composing our images more carefully. Until recently I worked with MF equipment with a handheld meter and I had 12 shots on my film. Now I’m using digital and I often need about 50 shots to get the same quality and the best images usually are in the last 10.(Although I must admit they often are better than before; probably because I have the opportunity to review and check the lighting and contrasts.)
Recently I started to use my handheld meter again to check what my camera tells me. Quality has improved since.
If my memory serves, you used your Calypso in Capri, or not? I love PSE for its ability to turn a bland image into something more pleasing and to allow a second chance at capturing what turned out to be a near miss.
Grant,
Funny you should bring up the lens issue. When I was young, I scrapped and saved to buy different kinds of lenses. Got excited and keep using them for a number of times. Then, they were consigned to the back of the cabinet. The 24mm wide angle was the most used only for interior shots. The longer focal lengths fixed or zoom became items sorely missed while far away from home, because they were a burden to carry and didn’t find that much use. As I got older and less able to carry heavy loads, I turned to using extreme zooms. For several years, the 24-120mm zoom became my main lens, with a 24mm as interior lens and general backup. Still later on, either a Minox or a Rllei Prego Micron served as a backup and walk-around shirt-pocket camera. Like you, the most frequently used range was likely to be between 35 to 80mm. Tenty years ago, as a sort self discipline, I took a 28 f2.8, a 50 f1.4 and a 105 f2.5 for 10 days in England. Out of the 20 rolls or so of slides, most of the better ones were taken with the 50mm! There’s nothing better than an incident meter in a lot of situations. I found they are a lot faster and easier to get better results that even a spot meter. At least you don’t have to work the Zones, which mandates your doing the darkroom work. BTW, I still have Gossens and my favorite Sekonic 396(?)- the incident with a selenium cell needing no batteries.
Hi Nancy, Yes, you do make me feel more confident, and I was better at math and science too back in the old days. And the arts are so much fun! My family is both artistic and musical, and I never could hold a candle to them, but now PSE is here, I can! I did try 2 challanges last spring, <http://www.pbase.com/image/14332897> And I will do more! I think that I got a bit shot down when I had so much trouble trying to install and use The Wonderful Hidden Powers, but I am on the track of correcting my many mistakes installing them. I have had great help with my errors there.
Yes, Shan, Capri was one of my favourite trips with the old Calypso! I still haven’t found the right box of slides, tho I do know that they are in our attic here and not my brother’s house. They can’t be more than 50 feet from me right now and I will find them this winter!
And everybody here, Thank you for the great encouragement, if it wasn’t for you all, I sure wouldn’t be as far along with PSE. And my great instructor, Sara. Jane
My ‘flu shot must be more effective than I thought — it seems to be protecting me from Equipment Disease as well. I bought a Canon A40 about a year ago and I *still* don’t have any yen to upgrade!
I’ve used it on two trips to Europe and I still think it’s an almost-perfect travel camera. (See: www.mountaincable.net/~rhands for some of my pictures of Italy)
Also, I seem to have evaded the whole "resolution issue" — by ignoring it. I simply use the Crop tool in PSE 2.0 by putting the print size I want in the Option bar, in inches. I make sure the Resolution box is empty!
After making any color adjustments, etc., and sharpening, I use Save As to save the result as a JPEG with maximum quality (minimum compression) and then upload to an online processor. All this without ever looking at the resolution! Prints have been excellent, right up to 8 x 10 size. In some cases, after-the-fact calculations have revealed that the resolution was down around 130 ppi on some prints but they were still quite acceptable to me. Since the A40 yields a 1600 x 1200 pixel image, I can’t reach the magic 300 ppi even on a 4 x 6, but the results all seem better than anything I ever obtained on film with my Pentax gear.
So digital has been a rewarding experience for me, and I don’t even have any urge to buy my own color printer. Anybody want to buy any darkroom equipment? 🙂
My ‘flu shot must be more effective than I thought — it seems
to be protecting me from Equipment Disease as well. I bought a Canon A40 about a year ago and I *still* don’t have any yen to upgrade!
I’ve used it on two trips to Europe and I still think it’s an
almost-perfect travel camera. (See: www.mountaincable.net/~rhands for some of my pictures of Italy)
Also, I seem to have evaded the whole "resolution issue" — by
ignoring it. I simply use the Crop tool in PSE 2.0 by putting the print size I want in the Option bar, in inches. I make sure the Resolution box is empty!
After making any color adjustments, etc., and sharpening, I use
Save As to save the result as a JPEG with maximum quality (minimum compression) and then upload to an online processor. All this without ever looking at the resolution! Prints have been excellent, right up to 8 x 10 size. In some cases, after-the-fact calculations have revealed that the resolution was down around 130 ppi on some prints but they were still quite acceptable to me. Since the A40 yields a 1600 x 1200 pixel image, I can’t reach the magic 300 ppi even on a 4 x 6, but the results all seem better than anything I ever obtained on film with my Pentax gear.
So digital has been a rewarding experience for me, and I don’t
even have any urge to buy my own color printer. Anybody want to buy any darkroom equipment? 🙂
You are right-on in "we needed to take time to take a picture". Looking back to my first experience, I really took time with my shots because roll film and printing were way too expensive for me as a student. Almost all the money I could spare from working part time were for my photos. The guesstimating of light and shades of grey, and compostion to allow for croping a square into 4×5 proportions were lovingly considered before tripping the shutter.
Much later on and after years of 35mm, I started on medium format on a large print binge. Looking down a waist level finder with the camera on a heavy tripot and measuring light with a handheld meter helped me to calm down and concentrate. Too bad my arthritis prevent me from lugging heavy loads around these days,
On group tours, the rush from place to place with a big crowd only permits grab shots. In more distant foreign lands, especially in countries where English is not spoken or tourists are not safe going on their own, organized tours are the only means availble to me. So the point-n-shoot is king and most of my pictures are so awful tht I wonder I bothered in the first place. 🙂
Shan – altho’ when I travel I avoid the tour groups I still find it hard to take good pictures – it’s often too crowded and too rushed (mummmy, what have you stopped for agaaaain!). In the end, when I’m travelling, particularly with children in tow, I end up putting the camera away and just enjoying the experience. I actually took fewer photgraphs while overseas for six weeks than in the previous six weeks at home!
And I’m a gadget freak too. I have too many tools and gadgets for every hobby I pursue (and don’t ask me about my fabric stash…I sew too!). But I’m quite moederate with photography (I drool a lot in camera shops but limited budget keeps the credit card in the wallet)
Shan, I fully agree with you. Photography, especially illustrative photography is a rather contemplative kind of "sport". Applying equipment that requires your full attention contributes to ones concentration on the subject, its shape, its texture etc. and how it is lit.
That’s why I never travel in groups. My wife is used to missing me now and then for a few hours or even days as I need to have time for myself and my photography. I suppose she understands me. 😉 Saying "Yes I do", over 33 years ago, was one of the best decisions in my entire life.
You’re blessed with jewel of a wife. I’ll never forget that time many years ago. I climbed down the cliff to take some pictures of the surf crashing on on a rocky beach near the Monterey Peninsular in California. After a few shots, I climbed back up and discovered the truth of Hell Hath No Fury like a wife sitting alone in a borrowed station wagon for a little over an hour. Well, maybe not so little over the hour. 🙂
Enjoy immensely your fantastic portfolio on your website. BTW, when it is a good time to visit Amsterdam? Some time in the not too distant future, I would like to visit the museums with the Rembrandts, Hals and the van Goghs, and of course the cityscape with the beatiful canals.
As most know I am not a fan of digital for may reasons but I suspect the prime reason is that I do not think long enough about my shots when it comes to digital. I suspect I think well it doesn’t cost anything so I may well shoot. Yes lack of digital discipline. A while back I wanted to photograph a Christmas Cactus and in a short time I had shot over 200 images and I didn’t get one I was pleased with. I was very discouraged and so I put the project a side. The next day I rethought the project, bypassing the built in metering system, used some planned locations for artificial light and a hand held. While I shot very quickly I had thought about what I wanted to do for a very long time. Of the dozen shots I took I posted 9 on the web. If you are interested here is the link http://home.cogeco.ca/~grant.dixon/photography/Study1/index. html all images are uncropped and not retouched with the exception of a slight sharpening to return the images to there initial crispness.
You have some fantastic shots Grant. I was guilty of the same thing with our Christmas Cactus. I went back over the next two days and shot about 25 and came up with these. http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview/red_and_white_flower I would appreciate any constructive criticism from all of the photographers in the NG.
You have some fantastic shots Grant. I was guilty of the same thing with our Christmas Cactus. I went back over the next two days and shot about 25 and came up with these. http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview/red_and_white_flower I would appreciate any constructive criticism from all of the photographers in the NG.
Grant, as always your garden images inspire …I haven’t even tried the B&W or Chrome settings on my new camera yet…winter slows me down when it comes to taking photos although i will try to get my lazy @$$ outside this year and get some winter scenes…..because ya know around february we will have to have a ‘winter’ gallery..hint hint. I will even appreciate winter pics from all those people who live in ‘no snow zones'(grrrrrr, I’m jealous of them right now…..but not in july and August;) ) so looking forward to spring at the moment but a february forum artist winter gallery would be nice.
Thanks Jodi if I am the jh you are referring to, if not I am red with embarrassment. I searched the thread for another jh and found Mr. Hess but no pics. I agree with you on the winter gallery. I spent part of today waxing skies and cleaning up snowshoes after driving to the top of the mountain this morning and finding close to 2 feet of snow.
Grant, the pictures are terrific! I particularly like the grayscale one (was that a camera setting or did you desaturate or …?) and the one in the upper right corner. The amount of time you spent planning and visualizing was obviously well spent.
I recently had an opportunity to take a mini-course (about 6 hours) on the principles of lighting for close-up photography and it’s made me rethink the whole macro process. It definitely emphasized the planning and suggested using a flashlight to preview the effects of various lighting angls. Hope to be able to try some of what I’ve learned after I stop working and before I forget everything I was taught (that may be a very short window…)
Shan, the best time to visit Amsterdam, at least in my opinion, is in spring. I love the "fragile" green colours of the trees alongside the canals. (BTW, I hate Amsterdam. But I’ve been working there for 3 years. Probably for tourists it is different.) Don’t forget to spend more time in the Netherlands; Amsterdam isn’t the Netherlands, like London isn’t England and NY isn’t the USA. Visit other beautiful towns like Gouda, Bolsward and a lot of other beautiful historic cities like my own Zierikzee. Take some more time than most American tourists do and visit those wonderful Belgian cities like Bruges, Gent and Mechelen. You won’t be dissappointed.
If you -or any one else on this forum- want more information, please mail me.
Inside all of us, regardless of age and sex, there is a boy of twelve, and it is he who goes out and buys new toys. He is marginally more effective in controlling those of us who have male bodies, but don’t kid yourselves, ladies, you carry him around too.
And there is also a girl of fifteen in all of us; she it is that leads us to buy new clothes which we don’t need. She is distinctly more powerful in women, although some men ("dedicated followers of fashion") are badly infected too!
Hey, Grant, those are truly stunning photographs. I took the liberty of perusing the rest of your ‘digital’ site and my favorite photo is one in Virginia with the trees, mountains, and clouds. Everything is so smooth and low contrast (a beautiful effect) that I thought the flowering tree in the foreground was some sort of digital artifact. That picture is almost religious!
James, I like the translucent effect of the flower petals in rw8, but rw7 almost seems overexposed. Was that intentional?
Yes it was intentional, I had two halogen work lights behind the flower to get what I had hoped would be even more of a translucent effect. So much to learn with this exciting hobby. I haven’t used an SLR in quite a while so it is like starting over. Thank you for the comments.
I suffered from a variant of the disease for years, but I think digital photography and PS cured me.
I used to spend a lot of money on equipment, film and paper and spend MANY hours in the darkroom suffering from my inability to make good pictures. At best, I’d spend my time trying to salvage bad negatives. I really didn’t know what I was doing, but the chemical fumes made me THINK I was doing something good.
My symptom was that I’d get so frustrated that I’d just put all that expensive equipment on the shelf and go skiing.
With a digital camera & PS, the ability to experiment, erase and see instant results without spending a fortune, has really taught me alot, and sparked my interest in learning to make good pictures (more and more "in-camera" vs. doctoring with PS).
Am I a good photographer? Not really. Am I getting better? Yes. Am I having fun? ABSOLUTELY.
The only purchasing disease I’ve felt was to buy a digital camera and PS Elements. By necessity, I’ve graduated to a Canon 10D. It does what I want, so I’ll be happy with that for a long time.
The only other things I might need are some more lenses, a new tripod, Photoshop CS, bigger CF cards and maybe a bigger camera bag.
I’m glad I don’t have "the disease." I only go after the bare necessities.
D. E. Nial
PS. When do you think the prices will drop on the 10 Megapixel’s?
Whoopie! What a marvelous way to get back into the swing of this forum (after a great 2 week vacation). I’ve read mighty encouraging notes, been uplifted by the fact that I am not alone in this (worse than nicotine) addictin, and braced for an expensive trip to the Photo Shop. I just missed by a few seconds of getting a large deer running past my yard. It couldn’t have been more than 25 feet away but too fast for my camera. What a wonderful bunch of people you are! Marty
There is a way to respond to messages without all that extra stuff. You must be using a newsgroup reader. Could someone explain to him how to do it. It’s rather distracting, especially on longer posts.
I will try and remember to remove quotes in this group. Yes it is a newsgroup reader as that is much easier and quicker than the web forum. This is only one of about a dozen groups I participate in and most other groups rely on quotes so everyone knows who is being responded to. Sorry for the inconvenience,you may want to remind me from time to time. — Have A Nice Day, jwh 🙂 My Pictures http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview
O.T. on other diseases….I adopted 2 cats from the SPCA today. I have this disease that i want to save all animals from an uncertain future. Anyways I did not intend to do this but when i saw those faces…<sigh> bro and sis…twins…fixed…all shots and test. Radon and Cinderella ( Cindy for short ) 7 months old…black, gold eyes. They seem content to be here. I did my good duty. Now i want you all to go to your nearest animal shelter and give an animal a home 😉
Hi Jodi, The shelters are where all our family’s pets have come from. It sure is the best way. Our town has a new animal shelter, and we have many many volunteers and donaters. <http://www.smalldog.com/mydog/number.php?id=800> Jane
I can’t yet Jodi!! The current "pound puppy" is too old now to survive a sibling. And then there’s this cat that’s adopted us. They really do know how to zero in on people who either aren’t cat lovers or have allergies, don’t they?
A few years ago I told my husband I wanted to sign up as a volunteer at the humane society. He never told me I couldn’t, but he did threaten what would happen if I started dragging home every dog I met. He’s right. It’s not safe for me to go near that place.
Jane, what a sweetheart ! Yes, about 4 days ago a very large farm was raided. Over 200 animals that weren’t being taken care of from guinea pigs to Clidesdale (sp?) horses ( almost everything you can imagine )were rescued and brought to numerous shelters throughout the area ( we have quite a few ). The owner was a Doctor. I can really hate people at times.
Anyone watch Animal precinct on Animal Planet ?? Sometimes i can’t even open my eyes. I really hate people sometimes.
Beth, I was just going to get one kitten. My daughter has been wanting one for a couple of years. My hub is not home from work yet to see what i’ve done…..yikes…na, he is cool….I hope 😉
Chuck, I grew up with horses and i certainly miss not having one…two..three anyways, maybe someday. That Doctor had miniature horses !!!!!! I wish i could go adopt one but that would not be possible at this time…maybe someday. I need Oprah’s money 😉
Chuck, youre right using capitals for THAT. I still remember the first time I saw such a HORSE! I was walking in a small village in Wharfedale in Yorkshire and I noticed the sound of hoofs. So what? Then IT came around the corner at only a few feet away from me…. I’m over 6’3", but I felt like a mouse next to an elephant. And, somewhere high above me, there was a "passenger" on it. I still wonder how he got there, but he seemed quite at ease. I would have suffered from acrophobia.
Leen, I’ve seen them in parades here (they pull a beer wagon, as you may know) but have never visited with one up close and personal. Amazingly beautiful animals!
p.s. I’m only 6’1", so imagine how dwarfed I would have felt! 🙂
That reminds me…we should have a forum featured artist pet gallery !!!! Grant, go ahead, you can slap me. I keep coming up with all these ideas that will give you more work to do. hmmmm, it doesn’t have to be our pets…anyones…any animal ! Miniature horses would be a good starting point 😉
Bless you all, you people who rescue animals from shelters. If they don’t get rescued, of course, it’s death. I’m afraid to go there…I know I couldn’t resist. Our last cat died of feline leukemia a couple years ago, and both of us are suffering without a feline companion in the house. We travel a lot, and it’s so hard to find a reliable "cat sitter." Bert
But, back On Topic…I also suffer from terminal acute Equipment Disease. My symptoms include an irresistible urge to give old cameras, cars and computers to my children, thus freeing me to buy new ones. My addiction is nicely camouflaged as generosity. All of you are hereby forbidden to inform anyone in my family of this. Bert
Bert, sounds like you are trying to talk yourself out of it 😉 Just how much do you travel ? There are reliable agencies that pet sit so perhaps a trip through the yellow pages may give you some ideas. There is a cat or dog out there somewhere that needs your love and it sounds like you and your wife have plenty to give. Just think, he/she is in that little cage in the dark as we speak wondering why their previous owners aren’t there. Animals are loyal….even to idiots that mistreat them.
Beth, I hate to do that. Our cats always were much happier if they could stay in familiar surroundings. When we did put them in catterys (sp) they always came out looking starved and harried. I hated that. Bert
Jodi, Stop it, stop it, stop it!!! I’m starting to shake and shiver! It’s terrible how some people treat their pets. At least the ones in the shelter will either be adopted or put painlessly to sleep. Many others are condemned to die of starvation or predation by their cruel owners who take them out in the country and dump them. Bert
We have an Animal Welfare league cat – she is a joy and a delight except when she tries to climb the curtains at 5am in the morning. Luckily we have a reliable house/cat sitter so being away is not a problem.I’d like a dog too, but we’re really too busy to give one the attention they deserve.
I live in "that country" where people drop off animals (dogs) all the time. We really haven’t a clue as to what the owners are thinking, perhaps that they will revert to the wild and survive? Hardly…the majority get shot by cattle ranchers when they bring down calves or when a pack runs the herd or is even spotted as a dropoff. I suppose the mountain lions also take their share. Coyotes wouldn’t be above taking a pup and they sure do like cat meat. One of the drop-offs has been our faithful defender and companion for 10 years now. Like Jodi said, sometimes I hate people.
I missed your web site the first couple of times. May be because it’s not one of those URL thingies that is highlighted and can be just clicked to go on. But I finally read the web address and got over your beautiful Italy tour images yesterday.
How they bring back fond memories! You’ve had good luck with the weather too. The three and a half times I went to Italy, I didn’t have much luck with the weather. It’s either too hot, raining or at least overcast, with the occasional breaks for a day or two. and the huge crowd! The very last time (given a 1/2 count) was a complete rain out failure. The very first day, I got caught in a sudden downpour in the Piazza di Navonna, and had a real bad cold for over a week and lasted until I went onto the cruise to the Greek Islands.
Did you select and desaturate the marble statues and back drop for the shot at the Fontana di Trevi? If un-retouched, it’s a wonder of natural lighting. I like especially the image at the quayside of the Piazza di S. Marco in overcast light. The blue of the gondolas is very hard to capture. I was up to the top of the Campanille in the Square twice, but the screen and wire-mesh softened up my shots of the roof domes of S.Marco. The lighting of your "David" shot is the best I’ve seen, with just enough contrast to bring out the relief in the marble. Did you have your camera on a tripot in the interior of the Parthenon? Tack sharp!
They are all good images. From the first image, looks like you you have a fairly young and active group to travel with too. Thanks for the memory.
I would if I could. Even with year-round medication, my allergies are a constant drain on my already limited strength. Actually I love small animals. Had me a huge (15lb.) tiger-striped tabby when I was a kid in grade school. Really missed it when it passed on.
I missed your web site the first couple of times. May be because it’s not one of those URL thingies that is highlighted and can be just clicked to go on. But I finally read the web address and got over your beautiful Italy tour images yesterday.
Thanks for the kind words. We were in Italy at the beginning of October and were fortunate in hitting a period of good weather.
Did you select and desaturate the marble statues and back drop for the shot at the Fontana di Trevi? If un-retouched, it’s a wonder of natural lighting. I like especially the image at the quayside of the Piazza di S. Marco in overcast light. The blue of the gondolas is very hard to capture. I was up to the top of the Campanille in the Square twice, but the screen and wire-mesh softened up my shots of the roof domes of S.Marco.
I did manipulate the levels of the Trevi shot, mostly to rescue the crowd in the foreground from complete darkness, but wasn’t sufficiently proficient with PSE2 at that point to do any selections. In fact, all the pictures were manipulated, to the extent of my capabilities, with PSE. They would have been unusable otherwise.
The lighting of your "David" shot is the best I’ve seen, with just enough contrast to bring out the relief in the marble.
Thanks. The incentive to take it, of course, was the fact that pictures were forbidden in the Accademia. 🙂 All the interior shots were taken with the camera on, or against, whatever solid surface I could find. I’ve carried a mini-tripod to Europe twice now — and never used it. Fortunately the Canon A40 can select up to a 15 second exposure, although I think the longest I used was probably 1/2 second.
They are all good images. From the first image, looks like you you have a fairly young and active group to travel with too. Thanks for the memory.
The tour covered all age groups. My wife and I, at 74 and 75, probably skewed the average.
— Ron Hamilton, ON The pictures, in case any are curious and missed the URL the first time around, are at <www.mountaincable.net/~rhands>
I remember Hamilton from over 40 years ago. To celebrate his birth day, friend of mine took the bunch of us down to his uncle’s bar/restaurant/nightclub in Hamliton. His uncle gave us free drinks and then a dinner show. We were mostly struggling students at the time. That evening was all the more memorable by the best meal I’d had in a long, long time.
Can’t swear to it, but it could have been the Grange Tavern. Owner’s name was Ing. He went to Osgoode Hall in Toronto for his law degree but, instead of practising a a lawyer, went into the restaurant business instead. I recall his two sons were in the Canadian army and served in Europe in WW2. I wonder if the place still around.
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