Tuesday, August 4, 2009

My other brother Darrell

This is a photo I took at the Krebsbach family re-union of my step father's brother, Darrell.
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

It's been a while

It was a busy May for me. Work work work and when I wasn't at work I was taking my youngest to her soccer practices and games. (It's not just soccer moms!)

In the middle of that, my wife and I were cleaning the house to try and sell it and build a new one.

Lots going on.

Then I got the call. 8:30pm my wife answered her cell phone and her face just fell. It seems my daughter who'd gotten her license in April, and she just rolled the truck she was driving. First things first, she's ok. I am not even sure she was all that shook up. I can tell you for sure I was shook up more than she was!

She was on a gravel road and took a corner too fast and started to fish tail and down into the ditch she went, rolling the truck upside down twice from the sounds of it. I am glad she's ok, but now I am out the vehicle that she was driving and of course she doesn't understand why I can't just go out and buy her another one! Clearly I have done something wrong in raising this child.

So for now, she is driving one of the other vehicles while I decided what to do about her driving on a more permanent basis. Is it too harsh to make her buy her own vehicle? She's only 16 and has no job so if I tell her she has to buy her own, she won't have one for years, but she also needs to understand that her recklessness has consequences and also that money doesn't grow on trees.

/sigh

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Online Printing - MPix - Update

Count me a believer!

I have already received my prints from MPix and they are wonderful! Specifically the metallic 8x12 is totally awesome! I had someone at my job like it so much, that she wanted it and would like a black and white version too!

I will most definitely be using MPix again.

I am going to test Adorama and WHCC too, but for now I am an MPix believer and would wholeheartedly give them my recommendation.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Daughters and Driving

First of all, stay out of the eastern St Paul Metro area for, oh..., the next three or four years.

My 16 year old daughter just got her driver's license a week ago. Now she's responsible and all, but I am absolutely terrified! I pulled out of the driveway this morning to go to work and I see the mini van across the street and the left rear bumper is just crumpled. The first thought through my mind wasn't, "hmm I wonder what happend?", it was OMG that could by my daughter!

My thought wasn't a financial concern, (thought I have to admit it certainly is a concern), it really is around her safety. I have her driving a midsize suv, for both better road visibility and hopefully better saftey vs a car, but no one is safe on the road when facing one of those mountain sized suv's or a semi.

I clearly knew in the back of my mind that getting into an accident was a distinct possibility, well, probably certain event, but I don't think it actually hit me until this morning.

Makes my palms sweat now just thinking about it. Thankfully she is level headed and we have set expectations about her driving as well as new laws enacted in Minnesota that prevent a new driver from having more than one non family passenger for the first six months that they're driving, so I know she's as safe as I can make her.

But still....

Online Printing - MPix












Last night I decided to tryout an online printer I've heard good things about. So I went to http://mpix.com/ and created an account. I uploaded three images and made four prints. I printed three different 8x12 images, one being black and white, one being metallic and one normal print. I also took one of the images used in an 8x12 print and had an 18x12 image printed which I added the luster coating to.

The total cost was around $30 with shipping. I am not sure how long it will take to get to me, nor am I sure if the prints will come flat or rolled, but I'll update the blog when I receive the images. I am expecting either late next week or the week after.

I am excited to see the results. I have the ability to print up to 8x10 at home and have ok results, but really nothing I'd like to frame. I don't have my monitors/printer calibrated, but my prints do represent the color and brightness of one of my monitors well, so I am hoping that the prints made by Mpix turn out well.

Above are the three images I printed, with the flower basket the image that was printed large.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Posting Images to the Web


With my last couple of posts I talked about having a good name for my business and posting images to the web.

I'd like to make a couple of points.

First, Lightroom needs to add the ability to add a creative copyright notice to an image. If the process is going to allow the program to create web galleries then they are going to have to give us a better way to protect our images when they are uploaded.

Second, check out this link from TWIP, http://twipphoto.com/archives/3030. This is a vimeo video posted by Nicolsey about how to create and add a text copyright notice to an image. I watched the video a couple of times and was able to walk through the process and create a decent looking copyright notice that I added to one of my newly uploaded photo galleries.

Check out the video!

Back at work...


Well vacation's over and I am back to work. Lots of things changing here at work with the economy and all.

I was actually able to go out shooting this weekend. Went to a local nature center on Saturday just before dusk and was able to get some interesting photos of some cattails and some bark.

Went out Sunday to the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington just after lunch and spent some time walking along one of the trails, (too much time as my aching feet tell me now!). It was very windy and hazy so it wasn't a good day for landscapes, so I put my 300 f/4 on and went macro hunting. I found some more bark that I liked along with some fungus. Nothing too spectacular, but it was good to just get out again.

In both instances, I used Adobe Lightroom 2.3 to create the web gallery. The Lightroom upload process didn't work, (most likely a problem with my hosting site), but I was able to use the export function from the web gallery option and upload manually. I wish there were more options that the four given as I am not a big fan of using Flash, but it worked for a quick and dirty way to throw some images up on a web site.

Check out the photos at: http://www.caperiver.com/ and follow the links to the photos. Let me know what you think!

What's in a name?

So I have thought for a couple of years that I'd really like to start my own business. Nothing special mind you, as I know how tough it is to make it in the world of nature photography, well, photography in general.

I have had my own website for at least five or six years, http://www.caperiver.com/, and I use the site to host my genealogy site and I used to host some forums. I have always like the name, it has always spoken to me of some far off wild place and I always thought it would make such a cool name for a nature photography company.

Now I am not so sure.

I started thinking that perhaps it should be different as the name really doesn't mean anything. This past winter my wife and I met with a portrait photographer to discuss how she got into business and how her business model worked. Part of the discussion we had was how she chose a name for her business. Her thoughts around how she works and how she markets herself work perfectly with the name she chose.

I know that this is just one example, but I am not sure that I can market myself under Cape River Photography if I am taking senior portraits, where's the reference?

I guess the one nice thing, is that I do have a free hosting account that I haven't used yet, so I'll be able to set up another web site when I do finally get a name picked.

Though really, what's really in a name?

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Out and about


Spending the day in Duluth today. My daughters are on spring break and I decided to take the week off myself. We've made it a tradition the last three years to spend at least a night at the Edge Waterpark in Duluth.

I find the water too full of chlorine for my personal taste and now spend the day lazing around in the hotel room while the kids spend the day swimming. I thought to bring my camera with, but felt that it would be inappropriate to leave the hotel while the kids were swimming.

I have a very nice view of Lake Superior from the hotel room and I am sorry I didn't bring my 300 with me as I could practice BIF photos on the seagulls flying by.

So with no real regrets, I sit here by the window browsing the internet, reading blogs and photography forums while listening to an Audible book and looking out over Lake Superior.

All in all, not a bad way to spend a day!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Been A While...


I've not been ignoring, just been a bit under the weather.

Speaking of weather, it was gorgeous outside today and is expected to be even nicer tomorrow! I gather there might be a bit of a fog issue tomorrow, so I am pretty excited to get some photos.

Hopefully, it will work out.

As a side note, while resting I watched the entire Wonderfall series created by Bryan Fuller, (Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies), and I thought it was great. I do think that it was ahead of it's time for network television. I find it kind of odd saying that since it was just created in 2004, but the times they are a changing!

I still personally like DLM better, (and hope that they either do another movie soon, or start the series up again), but I would highly recommend watching some Wonderfall episodes if you get the chance.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sunday morning thoughts


Both of my daughter's are out of the house this morning. One was at a sweet 16 party overnight and the other stayed over at a friend's house. It's kind of weird. I have thought for a couple of years how great it would be to have the house for just the wife and I, but I miss my kids and it's only one night.

It is also cold cold cold today. Currently it's five degrees outside, I had wanted to go out shooting somewhere this afternoon, but I don't think it's supposed to warm up that much. Maybe I'll head back over to Como, though I am getting tired of that as it seems to be the only place I ever go to photograph anymore.

Having a ton of issues with my new router, so much so that I put the old one back in.

Do you listen to the TWIP podcast? Fred is now running the show. I think he's my favorite to listen to, but I do miss hearing Alex. I don't miss Scott that much.

I received a Flickr email from someone who wanted to include one of my Yosemite photos on a website called Now Public. She indicated that I'd get a photo credit, so I said sure! First time I've been asked to do that!

Friday, February 27, 2009

I just can't wait for spring any longer!


It's just about two weeks until St Patty's Day and it is far too cold out!

Haven't got outside to do much photography this winter. I did get to the Como Conservatory a couple of times for their photography events. (They allow you to bring in a tripod for a couple of hours prior to the regular opening time).

Both of my daughter's are both starting soccer shortly, so I'll soon be back on the sidelines again, only this time I won't be coaching, I'll be taking photos!

My first blog post!




Let's just see how this here blogging stuff works.
I've always wondered why anyone would care what I'd have to say, but what the heck!