We live in an age of forgetting.
photography
The 37.5 Day Project
Jan 31st
Over a month ago, I started a “365 Day” project where you take a photo every day for a year.
I quickly realized that would never come to fruition, so I changed it to a “30 Day” project. Then a 32 day project. Then 34 days.
The current name is the “37.5 Day” project. I am on day 37.5. I will either change the name to the “40 Day” project or the “Increasingly Innacurrate 37.5 Day” project.
I’ve lost some motivation in the project since deciding to write a sketch every day. It’s hard to split my mental energies between the two. Comedy comes first, and most days, the daily photo seems like an afterthought, or even a chore. As a result, I’m barely growing as a photographer, and that was the whole point. It might be better for me to stop and restart it when I have more time. I’ll keep it going for a few more days and see how I feel.
No Thanks, Flickr
Jan 9th
After Flickr finished processing my photos, a “Thanks” button popped up that I had to click. Maybe I don’t want to thank you, Flickr. Have you ever thought of that? You’re just doing your job. Processing photos is what I pay you for. It would have been nice if I sent you a holiday card, I admit. But that’s no excuse for being passive-aggressive. What’s next, a “Thanks a lot” button? With “thanks” in quotes?
Icicles
Dec 24th
I took a few photos of icicles in our back yard. Click the photo to view the rest. I removed a stray icicle from one of the photos. It was a quick-n-dirty job, but I don’t think it’s noticeable unless you are looking for it. So…I guess I shouldn’t have mentioned it.
China Photos
Dec 21st
I finally finished editing and uploading the photos I took in China. If you are interested, you can view them here. I put them it bite-sized chunks to trick you into looking at all of them. Mwha ha ha ha ha! Go ahead, try to ignore a one-photo set. Oh, wait, you’ll be forced to see it once you click the link. Might as well look at a two-photo set while you are at it…
A Short Post
Dec 16th
I’m Giving Up Photography
Dec 4th
There’s no point taking pictures any more after seeing a photo like this.
Photographing Dogs
Dec 3rd
Here’s something you may not know if you don’t have dogs: they’re camera shy.
Most dogs hate looking at the camera. They’ll glance away quickly if you point one at them. They don’t like eye contact in general, and I think a camera lens is like a large eye to them, only creepier.
It was a rare, warm and sunny day today, so I took my camera out and snapped some photos of the dogs I walk. I had a treat bag and would take out a treat and hold it next to the lens to get them to look into it. I rewarded them regularly to keep their interest up. Even then, most of them could only hold their attention for a few seconds. Nugget, a Jack Russell terrier, would start trembling after a few seconds of what is dog torture: seeing a treat and not being able to eat it. Cubby, her brother, would frantically paw in the air. He knows “shake” and was taking a guess at what I wanted him to do.
I took over 300 shots, and about 10 of them are what I consider “good” shots. Take a look at five of them.
DC Zombie Raid
Aug 16th
I went to a zombie raid yesterday. Around 40-50 people dressed as zombies gathered in Franklin Park, smeared some fake blood on their faces and clothes, and shambled down to Chinatown to terrorize (well, more like delight) the tourists.
I took some photos and a few videos in full 320×240 glory.
It was a lot of fun to watch. There were a few zombie families, along with a Golden Retriever (perhaps the most non-zombie dog in existence). The dog’s owner smeared some fake blood on his pooch’s nose, which the dog tried to lick off for the next two hours.
Occasionally, the zombie mob would pass a store and start clawing at the window. “Arrg. Staples. Need savings.” Most people watching the zombie horde either smiled or looked confused, although there were a few teen girls who shrieked and ran into the street.
There was also a run-in with a cast member from the Real World, but I had to leave before it happened.
One of my favorite lines was the zombie who said, “Arrg! Palin 2012!” That’s called commitment to staying in character.
Kind of funny how there’s been a mini-zombie Renaissance the past few years. A few notable books (like “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”) a local zombie Shakespeare play, and at least two zombie raids such as this one. Like robots, ninjas, and monkeys, zombies never go out of style, but their popularity has ebbed and flowed over the years.
Photos (Belgium and Germany)
Aug 14th
I went for a few days to Belgium and Germany four years ago, and either forgot to upload the photos or they were lost by Flickr.
I like how the Belgium photos turned out. The Germany photos are more mixed, but I do want to point out one of the highlights of German architecture, the Lazy German Ice Cream Building.
Vacation Photos
Jul 17th
Run while you can! It’s vacation photos.
I went to California in April 2008 with my Mom and sister Tina, and finally got around to putting the photos up. Here are some I found amusing or thought turned our well:
Fallen Princesses
Jun 14th
Good photo series.
I’ve been busy working on a freelance project for the past month, hence the few posts of substance. A better organized person could work + write a few monkey jokes on the side, but for me it’s an either/or propisition.
I keep telling myself I’m going to refocus on comedy writing after work slows down. I’m feel like I’m at the age where if I don’t start taking writing comedy seriously, I’m going to wake up in ten years with a lot of regrets and what ifs. I feel less funny than I was five years ago, and I don’t know if that’s age or lack of practice.
If I’m not posting daily a month from now, you’ll know which way I went…
Photos: National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Feb 2nd
I visited the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday. It is the largest Roman Catholic church in the U.S. I’m not religious, but it was interesting learning about Catholic history and looking at some amazing stained glass and mosaics.
The photos I took are just so-so. My camera does poorly in low-light situations, and many of the interesting sites are too large and/or far away to get a good shot. If you visit, go on the free tour. I would have missed a lot of the features if the guide hadn’t pointed them out.
Tilt-Shift Photography
Jan 9th
I saw this on Boing Boing and Jon Taplin’s blog: a tilt-shift photography gallery. Tilt-shift uses a special lens to make objects look like miniatures.
The technique works best with photos taken from a high angle, such as aerial shots. If you don’t have a DSLR + hundreds of dollars to spend on a tilt-shift lens, there is this cool site TiltShiftMaker.com that will apply the effect to your photos. This is a photo I took of a park in Ireland:
Mini-Ireland
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