Quick Self Portrait to Keep My Streak Alive

My Nikon and I, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

Tonight I was supposed to be cleaning house because I have people coming over tomorrow night after work. I did a little as well as got some dinner and watched a little TV. I have no idea how it got to be a quarter to twelve. Evenings just seem to fly by for me. I had to take a quick picture just to keep my streak of taking and posting at least one picture a day since I bought my camera. Actually for only taking one frame it didn't come out too bad. I can't tell you how many times I've taken 30 or so frames of myself only to toss them all. Not being very photogenic does not do too much for my motivation when it comes to getting a good shot of myself.

Slipped Out Late Last Night to Take Pictures

Fire Escape at Night, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

It got to be eleven o'clock and I still hadn't taken any pictures so I grabbed my camera and took a walk around the neighborhood. This was the only shot worth sharing from the alley between buildings across the street. I still didn't manage to blog before falling asleep. This morning I was hoping to be to work by nine and I'm not even out of bed at 8:30. I keep falling a little behind. Not enough hours making up my days I'm afraid.

Watching the World Go By

Watching the World Go By, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

I like how this picture came out. It's not of me but I know I still get that look sometimes when I'm riding on the outside looking at the city. This was taken at the top of Nob Hill. I'm pretty sure he was looking at Grace Cathedral.

I spent most of the afternoon at the library doing some research. This is only the second time I've been to the new main library and it's starting to grow on me. Last time I even got myself a library card for the first time in forever. I'm getting to know the angles. I especially like how I can use my own computer in the library as a card catalog. I ordered two books from other parts of the state to be sent up. Free internet and power. Nice lighting and a bathroom. I think I'm going to be spending more time there in the future.

Yellow Flowers

Yellow Flowers, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

This morning I decided I wanted to take my camera out to the ocean for the first time so after a long write over coffee at the Sugar Cafe I boarded the 38 bus for the long ride out to Sutro Heights Park. I took some pictures of the sky and the shoreline but I think the best shots came from the flowers in the park. I'm still learning the ins and outs of macro but it was fun.

New Jeans / New Shoes

New Jeans / New Shoes, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

My wardrobe is expanding. If you know me, you know I usually have to have my arm twisted pretty darn hard to by anything casual. The Jeans that are sitting on the radiator are the pair I bought two years ago and constitute the only piece of denim I've owned in the past five or so years. This makes the jeans I bought tonight (that I'm wearing) a complete changing of the guard. The Top Siders I bought last week are the first pair of casual shoes I've owned since moving to the city. I still don't own a pair of athletic shoes. Man, I've got to lighten up.

Okay, So that Wasn't Such a Good Idea

Dragon & Firecrackers, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

I think the third hour did me in last night. I started shivering uncontrollably with about an hour left to go. Once the parade ended I had a hell of a time stopping shaking long enough to put my gear away. The walk home was not fun. Not at all. I tried to run a hot bath when I got home but that just made my hands and feet hurt more. This would all sit better with me if I had got got shots. But the rain kept me from bringing my flash and I grossly underexposed most of the shots.

Today I've been trying to work my way through editing them down. I shot almost 700 frames and I have no patience for anything but eating and watching old movies. I'm achy and irritable and so tired. I called in sick and then canceled on John and Sarah's Oscar party for the first time in several years. I have no idea what I'm going to take a picture of tonight. That's the one streak I've got going and I really have no idea what I'm going to shoot.

Waiting for the parade.

Wet Rat

So tomorrow is the Chinese New Year's Parade in San Francisco. It is the Year of the Rat. It looks like this year it's going to be a very wet rat. The forecast for tomorrow night is for rain, heavy at times, with winds 30 to 45 mph with gusts up to 70. Last year the evening of the parade was near perfect weather but I was sick as a dog and couldn't really get out of bed. This year in my excitement of having the new camera I went ahead and ordered a bleacher seat. It looks like it could be a pretty soggy seat by the time the dragon comes around. Tonight I've been working out a system of plastic baggies with holes cut in them for my camera and lens as well as breaking out my old bib from my sailing days. Stay tuned. Whatever the weather I'm sure to have some interesting pictures tomorrow night.

I Do Believe I'm Feeling Better

Brown Twins Walking Up Powell in the Rain, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

Yesterday when I broke my blogging streak I also blew my journaling streak at 92 days. This was the first time I'd managed to go three full months without missing a day. However the last couple of weeks had seen some weak entries. Lots of last minute notes just before midnight just to say that I had written something that day. Sure that's better than nothing but still not what I had in mind when I started writing every day. So this morning with nothing hanging over me saw me get up early enough to sit in my chair and have a clear-headed write. That did wonders. Now if only I can get myself to write these blog posts in the morning before work again I'll be back on track.

The picture I took on my way home from seeing George's entry into the San Francisco Indy Fest, Inertia. It was very good and I must acquire a copy if at all possible. It was playing one last time at the Roxy. I didn't take my camera out while I was in the Mission at all. But when I got back to my own neighborhood I found a spot to lean and then saw the Brown Twins climbing the hill home after hitting the Powell and Sutter Walgreens. I snapped when they got into the light but the iso was off the chart for the camera that's why it's so grainy.

Nice to Have a Day Off

Just One Eye, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

I almost didn't know what to do with myself. I tided my apartment, did half my laundry, ordered groceries, and uploaded a bunch of photos to flickr. What I didn't do was set foot outside. I haven't done that in a while but that's okay. It was nice to stay in for a day. My daily photos from today were of me taken here. I'm still learning the in's and out's of my flash.

My Favorite New Read

Where Are We Going?, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

Lately I've stopped reading Digg and Reddit so much and have been spending most of my online time on flickr. However there are a couple of photography sites that I'm starting to read religiously. My favorite is ADIDAP–All Day I Dream About Photography. She runs a monthly contest based on the submissions to their flickr group. At the end of the year they publish a calendar of all the monthly winners. My Photo "Where Are We Going?" was labeled as #6 out of the 900 or so pictures that got submitted this month. Now the voting begins. I heartily recommend checking out this site and voting on this month's contest.

ADIDAP Flickr Round 2

A Month with My New Camera

So yesterday concluded my first four weeks of Nikon ownership. I thought I would put up something about how it impacted my life. I carry my camera almost everywhere with me. Often times with my whole kit which includes a tripod, flash, extra lens, batteries the works. On the rare occasions that I don't have it all with me I miss it. It has become an extension of me. 

The screenshot above is from my flickr stats page taken today. To put it into perspective know that four weeks ago nothing on that chart was above 50 in a daily reading. That one shows a peak of 650. My total views a month ago were 3,500 for the first two years I was a member of flickr. Now I'm approaching 10,000. Wow!

Some Night Shooting

Peter & Paul at Night 1, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

This is the entry I should have written last night. The problem was after I took pictures in Washington Square Park I ate at the Pomodoro right there on Union and had a quarter carafe of red wine. They don't serve wine by the glass anymore. Anyway by the time I got home I was pretty much done in for the day. I laid down to take a nap before processing the pictures I'd taken and post one here. I woke up at, no kidding, 12:01. Too late to make my midnight deadline. So I went back to sleep.

Anyway on my way home last night I got off the 45 at Columbus and decided to take my first stab at long exposure photography since I got the new camera. I got some nice pictures of Peter and Paul and a couple of good ones of Coit Tower. It was easier than I thought and I'm starting to feel more comfortable shooting in manual mode.

Still Sleepy

My Eyes Seeing, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

I've been writing these entries the last few weeks at the end of the day. This has not produced my pest writing. Tonight I can barely keep my eyes open. I was successful in keeping them both open long enough to get this snap.

I'm keeping my streaks alive. A journal streak that goes back to November, a posting streak that's started since a couple of weeks later and my flickr streak dates back to mid-December.

Annual San Francisco Pillow Fight

Feathers, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

Today was a long day. I started by helping on my sixth inventory this quarter. I was drained by the time the day was over, but I had to head out to the Pier to complete a transfer. I caught a cable car home but noticed people heading down to the plaza. Then I remembered the pillow fight. I finished my ride home but then ran into my room to throw together my camera bag and caught a cab back to the Ferry Bulding. I took pictures for a couple of hours and then went home to work on the editing and get some sleep. Well I've done some editing so I guess it's time to get some sleep.

What a day!

My Nikon and I, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

My god, I had a day today. I was up, packed, dressed and on my stoop waiting for Brandon to pick me up at a quarter after six. By the time dawn had happened we were set up taking pictures out at the wave organ. Brandon is working on a new MySpace layout for his band and had hired me to take some pictures of him for it. Eight hours, four locations and nearly four hundred frames later I got back home. Waiting for me at home were the packages that I had paid extra to have delivered to me the day before so I would have them for the photo shoot. My new tripod and flash unit were the chief components. The flash I'm still learning how to use, but boy we could have used that tripod today. Until this afternoon I was using a very inexpensive tripod with a truly diabolical head on it that allows for very little fine tuning. My new Slik tripod that my camera is resting on in this picture is my first one with a ball head. Wow, what a difference. Put the camera wherever you want it and tighten the lever. No struggling. No swearing. Very nice.

As for the shoot, Brandon came over tonight and we started sorting and playing around with post production. We did end up rating and figuring out what shots we liked and what shots would get the most attention. We did a rating system and ended up with about 70 with three stars, 17 with four and two or three that qualify as some of the best pictures I've ever taken. I'm really quite proud of the work.

Where is it you ask? Well, like I said he's working on his MySpace and wants to hold on for a kind of grand re-opening. I'm still doing some work on them so you probably aren't going to see much more than a teaser for a while on this site. In the meantime I was having some fun with my new flash and took this shot is vaulting ahead of every other one to become my favorite self-portrait.

Is that the Roof Coming Down?

Is the Roof Coming Down?, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

Today was supposed to be the day that makes tomorrow possible.

There is probably a bad corporate inspirational poster in that comment somewhere. Just randomize the words.

I had to work an inventory and change over for a new merged store. It was, as expected, long and a little stressful. But I was safe in the fact that my new tripod and flash would be waiting for me when I got home.

Not quite.

My new rechargeable batteries were the only thing of the two next day and one third-day package that was due from UPS. Since they were still showing as "out for delivery" on the UPS site and I was afraid of missing them before having what is my first paying assignment I sat in the lobby for three hours afraid to leave, afraid to go out and grab a bite to eat (my apartment is at the moment barren of food). Anyway the stuff never showed. Not even the slip to sign off to have them leave it tomorrow without a signature. I was pretty pissed and not a little frantic from not having eaten anything. I then went and got a club sandwich and some ice cream. The ice cream ended up melting all over my shirt, my pants, my chair, my carpet. I'm just sitting down to write this at eleven at night. I haven't written anything in my journal at all. Nobody looked at the pictures I took yesterday. I haven't taken a single picture today for the first time in almost a month and I want to be up and actually shooting on location in eight hours. I've got to take a picture, write something in my journal and fall asleep, like, right now.

Back in My Favorite Spot for People Pictures

Man in Glasses Crossing the Street, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

Between a steady stream of work related phone calls for a day off I made my way back to my favorite spot to snap people pictures. At the end of Market street in the area between the two directions of the Embarcadero I can usually get some good even light and catch some people coming and going from the Ferry Building. It was nice to get a couple of good shots after some disappointing work the last few days.

This blog is starting to show some potential as a photo blog as I've been avoiding the news in most subjects. I did notice that the long-time Congressman from the peninsula, Tom Lantos passed away this morning. An interesting time for the Democrats to lose one of their biggest hawks and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs committee. A set back for what's left of the pro-war side of the party. Okay, maybe I don't completely have tunnel vision.

Early Morning Set-up

Early Morning Set-up, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

I was up early this morning to try to catch morning light. I walked down to the square but found that all but the smallest part of it was being prepared for a major event. I took some pictures around the edges but wasn't very happy with any of them in the end. So I started taking shots of the workmen. This is the best of those. I decided to stop shooting and get some coffee and write in my journal. This was a good decision. Lately I've been doing my daily writing at the end of the day. This does very little for me other than helping me keep my commitment to myself. At night I'm just too tired and full of too much of the day's baggage to use the time to clear my mind. This morning I got myself back on track at the Cafe Rulli in Union Square. Of course I'm still faking my way through this blog post while trying to keep my eyes open. One step at a time I guess.

S.S. Independence Leaves San Francisco

Independence Under the Gate, originally uploaded by lacadaz.

I had lunch with Karen at Crissy Field yesterday and we were there when this ship passed by and headed to the gate. Karen found the article in the Gate about the whole story. Check it out here.

Last U.S. ocean liner heads into the unknown

Grace in the Fog

Grace Clock in Fog
Originally uploaded by lacadaz

Got up this morning at dawn to get the good light but encountered a blanket of fog instead. Decided to give it a try and shoot some pictures up the hill anyway. They actually came out okay. The others are a little more dark and brooding but that's part of what makes Grace so nice to shoot no matter the weather.

Two Good Books

No, don't misinterpret the title. I have not gone and brought a balance back into my life and stopped my myopic obsession with photography. The two books I'm thinking about are "The Digital Photography Book" and the well titled "The Digital Photography Book 2". They came from amazon after what seemed like an interminable wait. They are just what I was looking for. Good solid tips on how to make better pictures. Very little theory; lots of practical suggestions. Highly recommended. 

The Digital Photography Book

The Digital Photography Book 2

So since becoming a photography freak I've been making some purchases from B&H, the legendary camera store in New York. I'm on their email mailing list and yesterday came this picture with the caption. Mother of all Telephotos. It seems that they have gotten ahold of one of the extremely rare Canon 1200/5.6 custom lenses. Canon's lead time to deliver a new one is 18 months. They claim less than twenty and more than a dozen in existence. The punch-line. This used one is $99,000. Crazy. Still being able to take my favorite street candid's from a half a mile away would mean getting shots completely unaware. 

Check out the whole store here. 

Election Day

Believe
Originally uploaded by lacadaz

Well to keep my string of voting for losing candidates, today after being a HRC supporter, I gave in to that nagging voice inside and switched my vote to Barack Obama. I still have no idea who I'm going to vote for in the general election. This may be the first time in my life that I'll be voting for someone rather than against the other guy.

What I'm Up To

I got one of those "check-in" chain emails this morning. I thought I would post my responses tonight instead of actually putting some thought into writing a real entry.

1. What is your occupation?   Store Manager 
What day is it today? Monday

2. What color are your socks right now?   My Feet are Naked 

3. What are you listening to right now?   The Decemberists, The Sporting Life 

4. What was the last thing that you ate?  Steak and Eggs at Mel's

5. Can you drive a stick shift?   Yes

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?   Midnight Blue

 7. Last person you spoke to on the phone?  My Mother
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you?   Yes 

9. How old are you today?   39

10. Favorite drink?   Water 

11. What is your favorite sport to watch?   Baseball in Person, Football on the Tube 

12. Have you ever dyed your hair?   No

13. Pets?   None, but I'm thinking about getting a Hermit Crab

14. Favorite movie?   8 1/2

15. Last movie watched?  No Country for Old Men

16. Favorite Day of the Year?   Whatever day the MacWorld Keynote falls on 

17. What do you do to vent anger?   You're supposed to vent it???!! This explains so much. 
18. What was your favorite toy as a child?   I don't remember the name but it was a building set with plastic interlocking girders that you could snap film windows on to make skyscrapers. If I still had that it would totally be set up in my apartment. 

19. What is your favorite, fall or spring?   Fall

20. Hugs or kisses?  Both

21. Cherry or Blueberry?   Blueberry

22. Do you want your friends to email you back?  Yes

23. Who is most likely to respond?   Karen

24. Who is least likely to respond?  Paul (He sent it to me)

25. Living arrangements?  Like I said I'm thinking about getting a hermit crab. 

26. When was the last time you cried?   Probably during an episode of West Wing. Political drama get me right there. 

27. Whats on the floor of your closet?   Boxes, and a Computer monitor.

28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to?   John

29. Who is the friend you have had the shortest that you are sending this to?   Brandon

30. Favorite smell?   Beef over Flame 

31. What inspires you?  Person:   The unnamable X   In general:   Music 

32. What are you afraid of?   Death 

33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?   Cheese 

34. Favorite car?  #60 on the California Line, # 21 on the Powell Line

35. Number of keys on your key ring?   6 (including one duplicate)

37. How many years at your current job?   2 1/2 

38. Favorite day of the week?  Monday (least number of tourists on the Cable Cars)

39. How many states have you lived in?   2 (plus a variety of Consciousness) 

40. How many countries have you been to?   2 (plus Texas which I don't consider to be America and neither it seems do they)

The Patriot's Lose!!??

You know I was not into the Super Bowl this year. I even volunteered so that my assistant who is from the East Coast could watch. The last thing I wanted was to spend a couple of hours of my life watching the hated Patriot's beat up on New York. That is why I was pleasantly surprised when I check in on the score and saw that the Giant's had come from behind to win it all. Congratulations to New York on this one. Almost makes me feel sorry I didn't watch.

Broke the Streak

So I didn't get home tonight until just now. That officially breaks my streak for consecutive day posts. I was at the movies. For those of my readers that I used to be married to that have been asking me to see No Country for Old Men you got your wish. I'm still in that shock to the system state that a good movie has a tendency to put me in. Joel and Ethan have made a number of essays on the evil that snakes it's way through some of the undercurrents of our country. This was the best one. Despite the fact that it is set over twenty years in the past I think it will be the movie that will best remind me of the feeling that I had about these times when I think back from the future. Our markets, our place in the world, our country seems to be driving right up on that dark border. We are not descending into chaos. But perhaps we are learning to live with it in the neighborhood.