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This is how I avoided getting eye strain today (365:277)
Well it worked.
I spent the day processing pictures – a slow job until I get a faster computer. After getting the kids from school we took Alek and Katie to a career fair. Having made sure that they were actually asking questions and collecting information, Lanie and I went to the library. I couldn’t find a book that took my fancy before being called to go back and collect the big kids.
I spent the remainder of the evening working on picture processing, taking a break to chat with Ginger on the ‘phone (love you honey) before processing more pictures until I decided to call it quits and take today’s picture. I’ve always fancied playing with backlights and hair lights, so that’s what I did this evening. While I was at it I thought I’d show off my funky goggles too.
I seem be be having problems with the skin tones on this camera – I end up with a lot of post processing to try and improve them. So this morning (5 October) I took some simple shots and did some direct comparisons – subject to chimped image and subject to the image on the monitor (which is colour balanced). The results showed some ever so slight but acceptable red/orange tones in places where the actual tone was less red/orange. I tried both manual white balance and auto white balance – interestingly the later was actually better. More research is needed, but the evidence to date is that the camera’s doing its job. That’s not necessarily true for the photographer’s post processing.
Note: image re-edited in Lightroom December 2014.
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Playing with lighting (365:276)
It would have been an okay picture if the camera hadn’t focused on my ear.
Oh well, it’s the only picture I’ve got. Today Ginger left myself and Getzger in charge while she’s away on a trip to Chicago with our friend Rebbie. I get my chance to go to Chicago in a couple of weeks time. I spent my day at the computer, and by early evening I couldn’t see a thing. Last Thusday after just eight hours in front of the computer I couldn’t read a license plate at 15-20 feet. Not good. I guess it really is time for new glasses, I’ve only been putting off getting a pair for four or five years.
As I couldn’t see anything on the computer screen I thought I’d spend a little bit of time on today’s picture, so I lit the wall separately with a snoot. Unfortunately my eyes weren’t good enough to chimp the resulting picture or maybe I’d have got one that was in focus, which brings us back to where I started today’s post.
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Blessing of the Animals (365:275)
Today was another busy day.
I was up at five-thirty am and out the door at six for my lift to church, and then I spent most of the next seven hours in the kitchen helping with the meals. It all went very well (well planned and executed Kris!). We were far too busy to take any pictures. I really should have made the effort.
Clearing up took a long time, so I decided to stay at church until the afternoon’s events started. I took today’s picture after the blessing of the animals had taken place, Getzger was very well behaved and the only feline this year – there were lots of dogs but no lizards (shame).
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Incense, wine, and conversation (365:274)
Today was a bit of a mad day.
We were out taking pictures in the morning and out again in the afternoon. Then we did what all good Episcopalians should do for a Church social meeting – went on a brewery tour followed by an evening in a pub.
Yes, I said pub and not bar. There is one in Springfield. I tested the ‘bangers and mash’ not bad, but not enough onions in the gravy for my liking and more butter in the mash would have been perfect. Ginger drank some Old Speckled Hen. Jim (Ginger’s dad) joined us for the brewery tour – he was in town for a car show, and the girls helped out back at church with the babysitting. Alek was at work, so everyone was busy!
Come the end of the day I wanted to relax with some wine (I’d not had a drink earlier) and some nice incense. The only problem is I’ve got to be at church at 6 am tomorrow as I’m helping prepare breakfasts for the three services, then we have the blessing of the animals and Getzger’s annual outing in the afternoon.
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September 2011
Another month spent almost entirely chained to the computer working late into the night. We did manage to get out for one short hike, so that’s better than nothing. I started the second year of my EFM course – which is a fantastic help in keeping me sane. We also saw the Symphony orchestra (thanks John & Marsha), I renewed my driving license, which surprisingly now doesn’t expire until 2018, and I helped some friends with logging some timber.
Next month is extremely full already – I’m planning to go on a short backpacking trip and spend a week in Chicago. Ginger is also spending a week in Chicago so I’ve a week alone with the kids to look forward to. Some fishing and time in the kayak might be nice.
1. Just me – reprise, 2. More of the same, 3. Sitting at the kitchen table chatting with Ginger, 4. I was going to use a picture of me facing right for a change. But I like this one more., 5. Gary, Lanie and Ginger (hiding at the back) too, 6. 2011 Day 249, 7. Gary at the computer, 8. Tedious, 9. Gary in the backyard, 10. No wall, 11. This evening I was momentarily stumped as to where to begin, 12. Staring into space, 13. Working late, 14. Day 257, 15. Studying again, 16. Warmth, 17. On the way home from the symphony, 18. This is what results when one accidentally presses the shutter while struggling to get the camera into position, 19. I have a bolt stuck in my tyre, 20. 2am, 21. Double take, 22. Thursday evening, 23. Gary’s a lumberjack for the day, 24. Saturday September 24., 25. I eat toast and marmalade while Mr. Getzger Cat exits frame right., 26. I have a new driving license, 27. Quick shot in the hall mirror, 28. At the computer, 29. Day 272, 30. Whoosh!
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Whoosh! (365:272)
There goes September.
Hiking: 4 miles (just). Kayaking trips: 0. Nights camping: 0. Hours spent at the computer working – too many to count. I cock a snoot (metaphorically, and photographically quite literally) at September.
Definition: Cock a Snoot
Photography: Snoot -
Day 272 (365:272)
Move on, today was the same as yesterday.
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At the computer (365:271)
I’m spending a lot of time waiting for my computer.
With image files starting at 20 Mbytes nowadays my computer is no longer up to the job of processing them quickly.
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Quick shot in the hall mirror (365:270)
I’ve been busy processing pictures.
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Today I received my new driving license
Gary Allman and his new Missouri Driving License. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Not normally a momentous event, but this one doesn’t expire for seven years. This means the licensing people know something I don’t, and that is that my 10 year US permanent resident application has been approved. That is very good news.
Update: According to the Department of Homeland Security my application has not been approved yet. So a seven-year license is probably a mistake made by the Missouri licensing people. A driving license should only be issued for your period of residence – hence my last license only ran for two years. At the moment I only have a letter extending my residence by a year, which gives the DHS a year to process my ten-year residence application. Oh well, we’ll see…
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I eat toast and marmalade while Mr. Getzger Cat exits frame right. (365:268)
I eat toast and marmalade while Mr. Getzger Cat exits frame right. (365:268). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. “Marmalade, I like marmalade.”
It’s one of my favorite sayings – and true to boot. After church I put in another day helping with the logging. It was hard hot and dirty work. I’m already aching from Friday’s exertions, so no doubt I’ll really be regretting it by Tuesday.
By bed time I was hungry again, so toast and marmalade seemed appropriate, not to mention a picture opportunity. Getzger also decided to get in on the action, and I decided to go with this shot showing his tail about to exit the picture.
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Saturday September 24. (365:267)
Saturday September 24. (365:267) Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved Just another Saturday
Lanie had been out on a sleep over so we collected her and did some shopping. Later on we took a few pictures, and then watched a movie.
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Gary’s a lumberjack for the day (365:266)
Gary’s a lumberjack for the day (365:266). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I spent most of the day logging
Some friends are thinning out their trees, cutting the big ones into 8-9 foot logs and sending them to a local lumber mill. I volunteered to give them a hand today, so I spent my day clearing and cutting back brush, chaining logs and standing well back as the tractor dragged them up the hill.
I was too busy working to take a picture – so here I am at home with a spare chainsaw Ginger’s dad left with me, initially so I could help out in Joplin, and latterly in the vain hope that one day I’ll cut up the limb that’s been sitting in our front yard for the past few months.
Had I not been tired I might have worked a little harder on the lighting. Had I arrived home before dark I might also have cut up that limb – honest.
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Thursday Evening (365:265)
Today was my study day.
Today it really is 100 days until the end of this project!
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Double take (365:264)
I thought I’d cleaned the mirror before taking this picture.
Obviously not. Ginger’s not been feeling too well, so I let her sleep and picked up the big kids from school.
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2 am. (365:263)
okay 1.55 am to be precise.
It could also be titled HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript, oh my! I’ve been busy working on a WordPress theme.
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We had a bolt stuck in our tyre
So this afternoon I got it fixed.
The van’s a lot quieter now.
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This is what results when one accidentally presses the shutter while struggling to get the camera into position (365:261)
This is what results when one accidentally presses the shutter while struggling to get the camera into position (365:261). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. AKA Parking lot fund raiser wash-out.
Ginger and I volunteered to watch over the Youth Group kids working the Cider Days parking lot fundraiser after church today. Yesterday’s attempt got rained off, and the weather wasn’t any better today. After less than an hour we sent the kids in and Mark and I stayed out and took around six dollars an hour (that’s two cars) for about three hours before throwing in the towel.
While Mark was off having some lunch I took a few pictures for today’s self-portrait. This is what you get when you accidentally hit the shutter and it fires several times in quick succession when you are not expecting it to do so. I had a more normal shot – but I’ve loads of those, so I decided to go with this rather stupid-looking one. You will, I hope, note the rain on my glasses. Unfortunately, you can’t see how wet my hair is.
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Trying to get out of the parking lot on the way home from the symphony (365:260)
Trying to get out of the parking lot on the way home from the symphony (365:260). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It took nearly an hour to complete a ten-minute journey.
I spent the day doing ‘webby’ things and ending up ultimately disappointed once more in the quality of software – this time bought. Sigh. This should be simple.
Ginger took Lanie down to church to help with the ‘Cider Days’ parking lot fundraiser, and Katie clothes shopping in a hunt for some classic clothes in the downtown flea markets. The fundraiser got washed out, but the shopping trip was a success, and I was treated to an impromptu fashion show when they got back.
John and Marsha are on vacation and very kindly gave us their tickets to this evening’s symphony concert, so we had a Beethoven treat night. I had planned on taking today’s picture either just outside or inside the auditorium, but the light was horrid inside and it was frightfully busy outside.
After the concert we got stuck in traffic trying to exit the parking lot – apparently a rodeo just down the road had finished at the same time, so we spent 50 minutes just sitting in line. I decided to take a safety shot while we were waiting.
We were a bit concerned about our back tire which currently has a number plate screw, complete with washer, buried in it. It’s been raining heavily all day, and I didn’t fancy changing a tire in the wet, so we left it in place. It can stay there, probably until after the school run Monday morning if I can get away with it.
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Warmth (365:259)
Warmth (365:259). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This week it went from a hot 94°F to a chilly 45°F.
Ginger got the chance of a well earned break today and went out with our friend Rebbie.
While she was gone, considering that it looks like autumn is on the way, I decided to clean the furnace’s air filter and burner ready for the colder weather; fitting in my daily picture in the process. Working on the furnace has to be better than another ‘Wall’ picture.
I won’t recount the epic tale of how I got this photograph, but let’s just say that taking the doors off the cupboard turned out to be a good idea. If you look carefully you’ll see the sweat on my brow.
