I read a thought-provoking essay by Thom Hogan, a mostly Nikon-oriented photographer and writer. The gist of it was that if I want to get better as a photographer, if I wish to continue my progress from snapshot shooter to something-better-than-snap-shooter, I need to set some fairly explicit goals about how I intend to get there. Moreover, I need to define what constitutes “there”. That is, what does “become a better photographer” mean? At the moment, it means, “fewer over- or under-exposed, out-of-focus shots,” but longer term (say, the next year), the meaning is unclear. I don't have an answer now. I'll be giving it some thought and bore you all with my interior monologue later.
Posted by Kurt Wall at 21:55 2009-09-25 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)
Advice for President Carter (Politics)
Asked what he thought of Joe Wilson's ill-advised (but accurate) outburst last week, our esteemed former President Jimmy Carter said it was racist:
"I think it's based on racism," Carter said in response to an audience question at a town hall held at his presidential center in Atlanta. "There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president."
WTF? It would have been racist had Wilson said, "You lie, nigger!" But he didn't say that. I think we all agree Wilson's comment was, politely put, inappropriate and poorly-timed. To call it racist, though, is as far out of line as Wilson's comment. Hence, as one who frequently puts his foot in his mouth, I am qualified to offer this advice to President Carter: STFU.
Posted by Kurt Wall at 21:33 2009-09-15 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)
Kurt Agrees with President Obama! Film at 11! (Politics)
President Obama called Kanye West a jackass for interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. I'd like to go on record and state that I agree with the President. Kanye West is a jackass. Actually, I think West is a horse's ass, but I think this country has had enough partisan squabbling. In this rare moment of bipartisanship, it is sufficient to note that, yes, the President and I agree: Kanye West is an ass.
Posted by Kurt Wall at 21:23 2009-09-15 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)
SLIK Monopod Engrish (Photography)
I bought a SLIK Pro Pod 381 (Manfrotto head sold separately) a while back because I wanted something light (14 ounces) and sturdy (carbon fiber) on which to mount my camera. It's worked out very well and I'm glad to recommend it to anyone looking for a lightweight monopod to schlep around. There are still situations, such as shooting in low light or with long exposures, in which only a tripod will do, of course.
The point of this post is to make good fun of the Engrish in the one-page, two-sided “instruction manual.” Here's the most egregious example:
When the shock has been given to the monopod &/or leg such as falling down please check well whether there are cracks, flaws, etc. on the pipes, or not.
When you find any cracks, flaws, etc. on the pipes, please stop to use it and ask to repair. It may be wounded when some of fibers come out from the pipes. [emphasis added]
In that case, lease do not touch it.
Awesome.
Posted by Kurt Wall at 22:07 2009-09-08 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)
Point Montara, James Fitzgerald, and Devil's Slide (Parks)
Yesterday, Kelly and I visited Point Montara Fog Signal and Light Station. It was very foggy when we arrived so I initially doubted we'd get good shots. Happily, the fog burnt off while we were there, so it turned out okay.
Leaving Point Montara, we headed south on Highway 1 to Moss Beach and visited the James Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. The attraction there is the tide pools seen at low tide, but we arrived four hours too late for the morning low tide. We settled for sea lions, seabirds, and beachcombing.
From Moss Beach, we headed north to Pacifica, had lunch at that world-famous famous seafood restaurant, Denny's, then headed 5 minutes back south to Gray Whale Cove State Beach, a/k/a Devil's Slide. It's a state beach, so presumably family-friendly. I missed the memo that it had become a public nude beach (two guys) and a public masturbation beach (one guy). No pictures of them…overweight fat guys should not wear Speedos or wander around nude on public beaches, much less masturbate.
Posted by Kurt Wall at 10:02 2009-09-07 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)
Feel of Flight (Music)
Found this little gem, Feel of Flight by Senn, over on Jamendo a little while back. While I like the beat and the simple melody, it is the funky-sounding bass that hooks me. I think the bass line works because of the melody, though, so I guess they have to come as a set. :-) Give it a listen.
And before any of you RIAA brownshirts shit your knickers, this music is, in fact, freely available.
Posted by Kurt Wall at 20:54 2009-09-04 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)
Point Pinos and 17 Mile Drive (Photography)
Saturday last (August 28), Kelly and I drove down to see the 
Point Piños Lighthouse in Pacific Grove. It's not a classic tower like Pigeon Point, but it's still a lighthouse and has the great virtue of being open to the public. IMHO, none of my pictures were worth posting, but I put a couple up anyway on my Flickr pages.
After we were done at the Lighthouse, we drove south along the beach down 17 Mile Drive. Evidently, this part of the California coastline is the private fiefdom of Pebble Beach Resorts, so we had to pay $9.25 for the privilege of driving the road and visiting the beaches and other points of interest along the way. There were lots of points of interest, and even some drama.
All in all, we enjoyed a terrific day. We had a great time, finished the day with an awesome seafood dinner at a little café on Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove, and then went back to the beach below the lighthouse to see the sunset. We arrived just in time and it was glorious. I was surprised to see how many people were there strictly to see the sunset and amused at how quickly they left when the show ended.
Posted by Kurt Wall at 12:08 2009-09-04 | Trackbacks (0) | Comments (0)