Day 123 (July 12) - Some Photo News

I didn't take any photos today, but I did get a lot of things done. I finally finished editing and processing all the (decent) photos from Myanmar, so expect a long overdue post about our trip there on the other blog soon. I also think I'm going to try to make them into a book, and maybe an ebook as well, although I'll have to learn some new software to do it. So, we'll see. Still in the thinking stages for all of that.

The photo above I took at Inle Lake, on our day trip there.

I have also set up a new account at Red Bubble, a sort of online art shop, so if any of you are dying for some prints, you can grab one there. I'm still uploading photos, so if you know of one you want that you don't see there, just send me an email or leave a comment here. Here's the link: http://www.redbubble.com/people/quotidianphoto.

Day 122 (July 11) - Our Puppet

Did you know we have a puppet? Well, we do. We spent all of 15 dollars on him in Myanmar, which for us seemed like a fortune at the time, given that we had brought only a finite amount of cash into the country. He's pretty scary, don't you agree?

In other news, I think the autofocus on my 50mm f/1.8 Canon lens is broken. I'm not sure where to go to get it fixed, but I love that lens. I need my 1.8! It was working just fine in Chiang Mai, but today, no bananas. It gets close to focus, then just keeps searching. I'm pretty sure it's under warantee, but figuring that out is going to be a big headache.

Anyway, the manual focus still works fine, so that's what I used for this picture. But I'm lazy, and I like my autofocus!

Day 119 (July 8) - Panning

Any photographer will tell you, panning is no easy trick. Basically you make sure your shutter speed is relatively slow, and then you move your camera with a moving subject. If you're lucky (and talented, too :)), your subject will be (relatively) in focus and the background will be blurry. This is a great way to show movement, because a shorter shutter speed often makes the subject look like they are standing still.

Anyway, Evan went to the go-kart track our last day in Chiang Mai, so I practiced my panning skills. I had nothing else to do! I don't know if you've ever been to a track, but it can get kind of repetitive, the round and roundness of it all.

Out of some probably 50 pan attempts I took, only a handful were decent. But I did notice that I got better over time. At least it's now another trick in my arsenal. Check out our other blog for a couple more pan shots that turned out ok.

I apologize for the noonday sun and harsh lighting. Sometimes that's when the pictures happen, though.

Day 118 (July 7) - Recovery

Maybe that should have been the title of my last post, given the image's amazing recovery in Lightroom.

But actually, it's my own recovery I'm mentioning, if only because I'm so grateful to be feeling like a normal person again. As soon as we got to Chiang Mai I developed a fever, and basically camped out in bed for the next three days. Evan was amazing and supportive until he got sick too on day three, and then we moaned about together and complained about how difficult it was to walk to the restaurant next door to get sustenance.

Anyway, all of that came after almost four weeks of unrelenting colds and coughs cheerfully provided (I can only assume) by the cute but contagious urchins I teach at school.


All of which to say, I was extremely happy to be able to go out and do a day trip on day 4 outside of Chiang Mai, and capture this little fluffer. He's a caterpillar, and some of the village children were playing with one and throwing it around (poor thing), so I venture to say, not poisonous or dangerous in any way. For another shot of him, see my Chiang Mai post on our other blog.

And by the way (I almost forgot!) I have been visited by the blogging fairy. Please check the comments of the post below for a rather post modern take on blogging. I promise, you won't regret it (unless you happen to be Idiot #1, in which case you might feel a bit foolish).

Day 113 (July 2) - More Cheating

Another image from Myanmar. Evan and I are going to Chiang Mai tomorrow for a long weekend, so I didn't get a chance for a shot. Plus, sometimes I feel lazy and uninspired. But I won't hate myself for it if you won't, so it's okay.

Because we're going away, expect no posts for the next five days, and then a slew of posts when we return, as per the usual formula.

I'm posting this photo because it's a great example of what photo editing can do for you, as well as the power of shooting raw. Take a look at the original:


I mean, raw photos in general look a bit flat, but this is night and day. I'd love some feedback on the processing, if anyone feels so inclined. Just for your information, I was handholding and the light was fleeting, so I underexposed on purpose, to keep the shot in focus.

A short rundown of what I did to the photo: brought the exposure up, added some fill light to make the grass even lighter, used the graduated filter option for the sky, optimized the contrast, brought up the vibrance (colors), straightened the photo, and added some sharpening, plus a few other fixes.

Day 112 (July 1) - Ice Cream

Some ice-cream today, thought I would try my hand at a little food photography, Lensbaby style (since that was the only lens I had with me at the time).

Surprisingly, my favorite photos were the ones I took with someone in the background, and not the carefully arranged 'no clutter' photos.

By the way, for my one Canadian reader (if you are still reading!), Happy Canada Day!

And yeah, I know it's not really a big holiday in Quebec, given your whole 'we're not really Canadian' thing, but still. Thought I would let you know that I remembered.