Good morning all from a rainy Georgia. First rain we have had in a while and probably need it.
I've been absent for a few days dealing with a severe case of vertigo. I spent one entire day in bed because I could hardly get around. But, fortunately it has subsided and I am "almost" back to normal, whatever that is.
Something to look forward to though is that 2 weeks from tomorrow we will be driving to Atlanta to spend the night and fly out the next day to New Mexico. We will spend a bit over a week there exploring Bosque del Apache NWR. We did this same trip a few years ago and had a good time so we decided we would do it again. I also discovered another small NWR just outside of Albuquerque that we will visit. I don't know how we missed it before. Hopefully I will have some decent photos to share.
"A moment in time
Immortalized forever
With silver and light"
Good morning Rich. I remember going up in the arch many years ago, somewhere around 1970 or 71. I was just out of the Navy and a Navy buddy of mine that I knew from Sicily had gotten assigned to Pensacola so we kept in touch. We both had motorcycles at the time. He had a brother that lived in the St. Louis area so we loaded our bikes into his van and went to visit his brother to do some bike riding. Also visited the arch while we were there. Good memories.
Yesterday I made a short trip to the grocery store to get some buttermilk so DW could make some corn bread, and saw an oil slick in a puddle in the parking lot. Used my phone to take a photo but I couldn't get the colors that I initially saw, so I did some manipulation in Topaz, resulting in a somewhat abstract image.
"A moment in time
Immortalized forever
With silver and light"
Hey guys, Happy Sunday.
Well, I finally should have some time to relax now.
I have been busy for the last 10 days sewing up a storm to accumulate items for a craft sale that my daughter and I attended.
That may be the 2nd and last craft sale for us as it was a bust.
We only sold 13 items and now are wondering what are we going to do with all of these purses, bags, crayon holders, etc., We have been quilting, but quilts are not what we sell. Our purses have quilting on them though, much like VERA BRADLEY purses. Oh heck, you guys wouldn't know who VERA BRADLEY is.
So my daughter and I sat there yesterday from 10-4 as people walked by and complimented us on our beautiful purses. It is not that they were too expensive either. I had 5 purses that were priced at $25, and everything else on the table was less than that. One thing that might have hurt us though is that the High School that hosts the sale increased their vendor openings and had 250 vendors. So, the variety and competition of goods was high. People were buying, we are probably lucky that we sold what we did. But it is a lot of work, and not worth the money, time, and effort. It is not that we are looking to get rich, we just like sewing, and then you have to figure out what you are going to do with the stuff when you are finished making it. Well, back to making blankets for charity I guess.
We spoke to 4 other crafters who were equally disappointed. All of them said that they did a lot better last year, as much as TWICE the amount of sales.
Our club meeting is this week, so I need to work on photos for that. I am glad that there are no more craft fairs for us.
Rich, Hey I think I know that lady in your picture. That is because as I look around at so many old people, they are all staring to look like that lady!
It is a cool shot, Rich. There is a lot going on up there.
Don, My brother had Vertigo and so did my husband. I had it once briefly, so I know the feeling, but I was able to get up and walk around after about 2 hours. It sure was scary though. My husband had it really bad and he thought he was having a stroke, so we went to the hospital, ER. Good thing this did not happen while you were on vacation or on your motorcycle. But now you know the symptoms and can be cautious.
Your oil-slick abstract is cool, definitely fun and has bold colors.
Now I have to read what has been going on this last week.
Till later, friends,
LORELL
PS. Here is a photo that I took at our last club adventure where we assembled to take photographic set ups our our meeting place. I brought my lens baby. Finally got around to looking at the photographs. Here is one that didn't get end up in the garbage. You will be seeing a lot more like this with this soft effect as I get to know my lens baby and what it is capable of. I am glad that you posted your SOFT photograph, Dave. I wasn't so scared to post my softer than soft KODAK camera then.
Don, very abstract oil slick, neat! I can see a few images in there. Good colors!
Lorell, I feel for you. I schlepped my artwork with frames and a ton of smalls around to many craft shows and sold zilch sometimes. Everyone loved my work but not many buyers. I had to charge $300 for some of my work because of the frame. I just got an invite to a craft fair in town but I didn't commit. Just not worth it!
"Rich, Hey I think I know that lady in your picture. That is because as I look around at so many old people, they are all starting to look like that lady!" FUNNY!
Had to laugh out loud on your camera shot. Back in the film days to produce that effect we would buy a clear lens filter and put a thin layer of Vaseline around the outside edge leaving a clear spot in the middle. Worked great!
Rich, I never did the Vaseline trick, but I used to put a clear thick plastic bag at the end of my lens so the edges of the lens would be interfered by the plastic bag. I was trying to achieve this effect for a LONG time. I think I got what I was looking for. But think of how many boxes of plastic bags I could buy with the money I spent on this lens. A lot!
And thanks, Rich for your comments about the craft sales. I don't feel so deflated when I hear stories like that from others. By the way, NO photographers were showing their pictures at this craft sale. You see that kind of thing at the fairs on the beaches in Florida.
Hi Lorell. I like the old camera shot. I have an old bellows camera similar to that one, but not a Kodak. Sounds like you are enjoying the lens baby.
Our local camera club, the local chapter of the Georgia Nature Photography Association, is going to meet next Tuesday to talk about the future of the chapter. Not sure if it is going to survive. The current coordinator is not able to continue because of family issues and I'm not sure anyone is willing to step up and take over. I know that I don't want to do it. At this point in my life I am happy to just follow and not lead. I have had enough of "being in charge" and am ready to relax.
I understand about not selling anything. I feel that way about both my photography and music. People are happy to take something for free but don't want to pay for it. They don't appreciate the time, effort and money that goes into a good photograph or a CD of original tunes. Fortunately I don't have to depend on that for a living.
"A moment in time
Immortalized forever
With silver and light"
Don, sorry to hear about the vertigo.I've had that happen a few times; one was bad and lasted over a week. A couple others were far less intense and lasted only an hour or so. Still. it's not a good feeling.
I too have been to the top of the arch. It was during the best summer of my life when I was finishing my sentior year of college on an archaeological dig at Cahokia, across the river from St. Louis.
Creative and pleasing treatment of the oil slick photo, Don.
Lorell, you sure have been busy! Sorry about the poor sales. I've been ther, back when I partnered with an Art League memner in a booth down by the pier on Fridays. Love the imahe you and that lens created!
Don't blame me - I didn't vote for him!
Nikon D7500 with Nikkor 18-300 mm; PSE2021, PSCS5 Ny Flickr Albums
