Thursday, August 28 2025

[Dave]

Good day, folks.

Yesterday was a good day from a photographic perspective, but not good for other reasons.

This shot was one of many I took on my early AM walk; very little processing: no cropping, no darkening of the background - all I did was slightly lighten and desaturate the reds and do a little sharpening...

   

But when I got home I didn't have my wallet with me - it must have fallen out when I got down on hands and knees to take photos. So I retraced my steps but couldn't find the wallet. As I neared home my wife called to tell me that a neighbor had found the wallet and returned it.

WHEW! Quite a relief.

[Don]

Rose looks good. I find red images are often problematic.

You story of the wallet reminds me of a time in Vancouver. We had taken a taxi to our hotel, and after getting out I realized I didn't have my wallet. The concierge was right there and I was describing the taxi when I looked across the street and actually saw the taxi. We ran across the street and the driver was looking through the wallet trying to find ID, so I was able to recover it. Close call, being without ID and such in a foreign country.

My morning started like this: I drove up to leave my truck at the mechanics, and started the easy 20 minute walk home... I noticed some insect activity around a garbage bin that had been put on the side of the road for later pickup. Didn't pay much attention as I figured it was just houseflies. WRONG! Turns out it was yellow jackets, who immediately went into attack mode when I got close. Stung me at least 3, maybe 4 times. Can't tell if they got me once or twice on the back of my head - also leg and finger. Day has to get better, right?

[Man From Ironbark]

Reds can be difficult but there are so many shades.

I've done some wallet doozies but the greatest was when I drove 400km after the last time I used the wallet. Couldn't find it when unpacking, searched everywhere searched the car twice, wife searched it twice. Told the police I'd lost it at a fuel stop. Had to get all new cards etc.
Several months later was in the car with a friend. Had a mandarin in my hand and wanted to put it down for a moment reached behind the steering wheel where there was a pocket for maybe a phone or other device. The mandarin hit an obstruction which turned out to be the missing wallet complete with all the cards and a wad of cash.

Neither the wife nor I had actually looked in that spot.

[Dave]

Thanks Don.

Hi MFI.

Noticed years ago that often my photos that included a lot of reds (especially flora with red blossoms against green foliage) just didn't look right. They simply weren't satisfactory, but a few years ago that I discovered one reason why: quite often the red blossoms and green foliage were of very similar values and this lack of value contrast made the images unsatisfactory.

Of course another problem with reds (and some yellow-greens) is that vibrancy or color saturation - they often need to desaturated.

Losing one's wallet can sure be a big hassle, and can cause much concern about identity theft. Sometimes we get lucky and find our wallets, with no harm done.