My son at Caribou with the proud Dad - 1 week old.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Caribou Coffee
I love Caribou Coffee. A coule of years ago, I was traveling for work. I had been to the University of Minnesota for a meeting and upon returning to the airport, I was ready for my ritual coffee while I unwind waiting for the flight home. Most airports seem to have a Starbucks, at least one Starbucks, in every terminal. Minneapolis however is the home of Caribou Coffee and as I walked to my gate, I passed this coffee merchant I had never heard of. That day I was in the mood for an iced drink, yes even in Minneapolis, it was Summer. When I took my first sip, I couldn't believe how delicious the coffee taste was. I thought to myself, if the cooler is this good, the brewed coffee must be amazing too. When I got home, I checked their website to see where their other locations were. To my delight I saw that one was "coming soon" to The Greene, a new open air mall that was being built near my home. I have wanted to take some photos there, and finally got the chance to last weekend. Actually, when my son was a week old and his mom was ready to get out of the house, we went to Caribou.
My son at Caribou with the proud Dad - 1 week old.
My son at Caribou with the proud Dad - 1 week old.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
First Class
I signed up for a photography class through the Greene County Career Center to better learn all the settings an SLR camera is capable of and to get some supervised practice. The first class was very introductory and basic. I am the only male student in the class and at first impression seems I am the only techno-geek in the class. Not that I think I act too geeky, but with a physics and electrical engineering degrees I do understand a lot about the optics and even the electronics and sensor technology. I am going to research it to make sure, but I think I might even teach the instructor something about why higher ISO settings give larger files sizes. I suspect this is only true in JPEG and not RAW. And if so, other electronics/sensor people reading this will know where I am headed. I don't hold that against the instructor at all because the relationship between noise, or more correctly image entropy and file size is not relevant to being a good photographer. So as class progresses, I will make notes here about it.
The class has its separate blog and photobucket account and our homework is to take pictures. I took photographs on my drive into work this morning as I often do. Since this is a photography blog, I will share some. Finally I know, sorry. There will be many more to come, I promise.
These pictures are called, "Where's the Water?". This low-head dam on the Great Miami river has been around a long time. My grandfater fished here and has a story he loves to tell about how when he was a kid he caught a carp so big that he carried it home over his shoulder and it was dragging the ground. More recently as the bike-way travels along the side of the river, I can recall many family bike rides past this same location. Never do I remember seeing the dam without water passing over it. I make mental notes of things I see that I would like to photograph and saw the top of this dam sticking out of the water last weekend. I've been taking lots of nature photos lately, but I want to try and focus on photos that tell stories, have meaning or history attached to them. Here is my start. Enjoy.
The class has its separate blog and photobucket account and our homework is to take pictures. I took photographs on my drive into work this morning as I often do. Since this is a photography blog, I will share some. Finally I know, sorry. There will be many more to come, I promise.
These pictures are called, "Where's the Water?". This low-head dam on the Great Miami river has been around a long time. My grandfater fished here and has a story he loves to tell about how when he was a kid he caught a carp so big that he carried it home over his shoulder and it was dragging the ground. More recently as the bike-way travels along the side of the river, I can recall many family bike rides past this same location. Never do I remember seeing the dam without water passing over it. I make mental notes of things I see that I would like to photograph and saw the top of this dam sticking out of the water last weekend. I've been taking lots of nature photos lately, but I want to try and focus on photos that tell stories, have meaning or history attached to them. Here is my start. Enjoy.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
More Background
I’ve owned a camera for almost as long as I can remember. Most people probably do. I have pictures from when I was a kid (4x4 prints I think) that I took with that camera. It was a Kodak point and shoot with manual film advancement and it took flash cubes. From there I had a little plastic 110 camera, then a 35mm point and shoot with automatic film advancing and rewinding and an electronic flash. These cameras were all used for “capturing the moment”. Pictures of family get-togethers, pets, outings, vacations. They produced snapshots, the kinds of photos you would expect to find in a typical family photo album.
When I graduated high school, I bought my first SLR. It was a Minolta Maxxim with several automatic modes as well as a full manual option. I knew that an SLR camera offered much more room in the way of creativity than a point and shoot, but college came and between homework, studying, a job and a girl friend, the camera became a dust collector. I never really got to explore the creative possibilities and again the camera generated more basic snapshots.
Fast forward to today. Approximately a decade after graduating with degrees in Engineering Physics and Electrical Engineering working for two different fast paced startup companies trying to push new technology into medical practice, I feel the need for change. Maybe not a total change, maybe balance is more appropriate. Contributing to the advancement of healthcare is a very rewarding cause for getting out of bed each day. And it pays the bills. However, staring at pixels and the corner of a room without windows day in and day out does not feel like a sustainable situation.
When I graduated high school, I bought my first SLR. It was a Minolta Maxxim with several automatic modes as well as a full manual option. I knew that an SLR camera offered much more room in the way of creativity than a point and shoot, but college came and between homework, studying, a job and a girl friend, the camera became a dust collector. I never really got to explore the creative possibilities and again the camera generated more basic snapshots.
Fast forward to today. Approximately a decade after graduating with degrees in Engineering Physics and Electrical Engineering working for two different fast paced startup companies trying to push new technology into medical practice, I feel the need for change. Maybe not a total change, maybe balance is more appropriate. Contributing to the advancement of healthcare is a very rewarding cause for getting out of bed each day. And it pays the bills. However, staring at pixels and the corner of a room without windows day in and day out does not feel like a sustainable situation.
Inspired
I apologize now for the length of these first couple of posts, once I get the background info out of the way, it won't be so bad, I promise. Now, to let you all know where I am coming from.Inspiration comes in many forms, some of them positive, some of them negative. When the inspiration factors interfere with your life in a coherent way (see the physics degree coming out) the force can be great enough to move you toward change.
Negative Factor: Rat Race
Same old, same old job. Day in and day out, staring at a computer, in front of a wall, without windows, in a quiet room with 2 (sometimes 3) other occupants all doing the same thing. My fellow researchers seem to be content, quietly staring, thinking logically and mathematically, in silence broken only by the clickity-clack of keystrokes on a keyboard for hours on end. I had the opportunity to fill in some roles that required me to travel, meet with people, negotiate, set up and manage temporary remote operations in different cities. Not any easier of a task than research if you ask me, but the variety of new faces, new personalities, changing views and landscapes, and seeing a lot of country from both the road and the air was enjoyable. This experience let me know that I need to end up in a place with more human interaction. Going back to the role of researcher was a change, and change is always refreshing. But now, almost 2 years of being back into that research role, I miss the human element of going to work each day.
Positive Factor: New life
I have a son! Four years after making the conscious decision to have a baby, we finally got one. What could be better inspiration than a baby? Babies are beautiful, babies are fun, babies are work. Babies certainly bring change. Sure your social calendar, sleep schedule, eating habits, workout schedule, pretty much you name it, changes. But also changes occur inside, changes in your thoughts, your emotions, and your outlook on life. You want to be home, you want to be happy when you are home. You want to leave the stress of the office behind. I not only want to be a provider, but also a mentor, nurturer, coach, tutor, etc… Life is not completely about success and achievement, it is about family and doing all I can with and for them.
Positive Factor: Pure Inspiration
A friend of a friend turned out to be a professional photographer. We were at a cookout hosted by the friend and the photographer happened to be there. She “borrowed” our camera to take photos of the party. Later when I got to review these photos, my impression was “Wow, my camera can do that?” She has a blog and continually posts beautiful photos. In addition to a photographer, she is a great writer. She has a good eye, and a good mind’s eye.
Additionally I was looking through a listing of local photographers online and happened upon one who mentioned he started in the Engineering Physics curriculum at his chosen university, but in the third semester came to the realization that physics is too left-brained for him and that he needed a profession that was more balanced between the two cerebral hemispheres. He switched majors in college. I however am well beyond that point but nonetheless, his story actually has more than one similarity to me and his photographs are outstanding. I interpreted discovering his story as inspiration and a sign to pursue deeper into my own photography endeavors.
Positive Factor: Feedback
Who can resist taking picture after picture of a baby? They are just so beautiful. And in preparation for baby’s arrival we bought a new camera. It is a Nikon D40x, arguably the best consumer grade (as opposed to those cameras marketed as professional) digital SLR available at the time. Most if not all of the pictures I share here will be taken with that camera. I started using it to take pictures of our baby for family and they were asking if the pictures were professionally done. Hmmm……maybe there’s something to be said about that? Having seen what my camera can produce in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, I began to read and experiment. My wife continued to give me very encouraging feedback.
I’m sure there are other factors, but those are the main ones that come to mind.
Negative Factor: Rat Race
Same old, same old job. Day in and day out, staring at a computer, in front of a wall, without windows, in a quiet room with 2 (sometimes 3) other occupants all doing the same thing. My fellow researchers seem to be content, quietly staring, thinking logically and mathematically, in silence broken only by the clickity-clack of keystrokes on a keyboard for hours on end. I had the opportunity to fill in some roles that required me to travel, meet with people, negotiate, set up and manage temporary remote operations in different cities. Not any easier of a task than research if you ask me, but the variety of new faces, new personalities, changing views and landscapes, and seeing a lot of country from both the road and the air was enjoyable. This experience let me know that I need to end up in a place with more human interaction. Going back to the role of researcher was a change, and change is always refreshing. But now, almost 2 years of being back into that research role, I miss the human element of going to work each day.
Positive Factor: New life
I have a son! Four years after making the conscious decision to have a baby, we finally got one. What could be better inspiration than a baby? Babies are beautiful, babies are fun, babies are work. Babies certainly bring change. Sure your social calendar, sleep schedule, eating habits, workout schedule, pretty much you name it, changes. But also changes occur inside, changes in your thoughts, your emotions, and your outlook on life. You want to be home, you want to be happy when you are home. You want to leave the stress of the office behind. I not only want to be a provider, but also a mentor, nurturer, coach, tutor, etc… Life is not completely about success and achievement, it is about family and doing all I can with and for them.
Positive Factor: Pure Inspiration
A friend of a friend turned out to be a professional photographer. We were at a cookout hosted by the friend and the photographer happened to be there. She “borrowed” our camera to take photos of the party. Later when I got to review these photos, my impression was “Wow, my camera can do that?” She has a blog and continually posts beautiful photos. In addition to a photographer, she is a great writer. She has a good eye, and a good mind’s eye.
Additionally I was looking through a listing of local photographers online and happened upon one who mentioned he started in the Engineering Physics curriculum at his chosen university, but in the third semester came to the realization that physics is too left-brained for him and that he needed a profession that was more balanced between the two cerebral hemispheres. He switched majors in college. I however am well beyond that point but nonetheless, his story actually has more than one similarity to me and his photographs are outstanding. I interpreted discovering his story as inspiration and a sign to pursue deeper into my own photography endeavors.
Positive Factor: Feedback
Who can resist taking picture after picture of a baby? They are just so beautiful. And in preparation for baby’s arrival we bought a new camera. It is a Nikon D40x, arguably the best consumer grade (as opposed to those cameras marketed as professional) digital SLR available at the time. Most if not all of the pictures I share here will be taken with that camera. I started using it to take pictures of our baby for family and they were asking if the pictures were professionally done. Hmmm……maybe there’s something to be said about that? Having seen what my camera can produce in the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, I began to read and experiment. My wife continued to give me very encouraging feedback.
I’m sure there are other factors, but those are the main ones that come to mind.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
