That's What I Think

Rural Photography Subjects

This morning I had photography and other things that make me smile, on the brain. I hopped on over to a friend's blog and surveyed some of his photos and discovered he subscribes to a photography group on RedBubble called Rural America.

Ah, yes, that made me remember how when I first moved to Wyoming I was enamored by getting shots of the most ordinary old dilapidated farm buildings or old rusty cars sitting abandoned in fields. To me, these objects were much more interesting than any glitzy modern monolith rising from one of many of America's cookie-cutter-designed cities.

I thought I'd feature some of the photos I took years ago, here on this blog. Feel free to give comments. As I progress in my photographic journey, I can use all of the help I can get. I used to be a person who feared being exposed for not knowing something I felt I should know. When I was in high school, I was painfully shy. I never raised my hand, and I feared being called on to answer a question. It didn't matter that I was pretty bright and usually knew the answers to what I was asked. It was almost that I was embarrassed to know the answers. I wanted to blend in, and not stand out.

Now, I'm still shy, although many of my friends would say otherwise. Sure, I talk a lot, but that says nothing about how I'm feeling inside. But, 35 years into my life, I'm finally able to admit that I don't know all of the answers. Striving for perfection and the status quo is definitely overrated. Above all else I enjoy learning new things, and I cannot reach that goal without being bold enough to ask questions -- however repetitive and elementary some of them may be. We cannot know everything in life. There is just too much knowledge in existence to have tapped into all of it. But we can know nothing in life if we don't stick our necks out there and ask for help.

Anyway, philosophy lesson aside... Here are the rural-style photos I'd like to share. But feel free to check out odds and end pics, such as photos of camels and my time in Doha, Qatar, as well as of flora and fauna.

Alas, I don't have any of these in my possession anymore. They are still miraculously in existence on Zoto, a photo site I uploaded voraciously to before the advent of Flickr.

A List of My Faves

Rusty old car in a field in Wyoming. I was driving home from National Guard drill and had to pull over and capture this American automobile symbol from the past.

Lone picnic table in Wyoming

House in a field, a few minutes outside of Laramie, Wyo.

Snow-covered bridge, Casper, Wyo.

Forgotten building in a forgotten town

I love this one, for the feeling it gave me, of being the only person present for miles

I was amazed that I got this shot with a crappy point-and-shoot

Horse in a field in Wyoming

Population 2, Buford, Wyo.

Cherries in the snow in Wyo.

Feet on a wet street, Casper, Wyo.

Odds-and-Ends Pics Here for Anyone Willing to Take the Time to Browse Through Them:

Tribe.net Pics

Photos at Zoto

Auto Repair Center Reviews for Columbia, MD, Residents

I'd like to share my reviews on two auto repair shops in Columbia, MD, that I just posted on Yelp.com. One's the proverbial devil on one shoulder, and the other's the angel, in my opinion.

Two quick tips on auto repair in Columbia, MD.

1 - Basically, DON'T take your car for any service, no matter how small, to Merchant's Tire & Auto Centers in the local area.

2 - And…DO take your business to British American Auto Care in Columbia.

 

Former Raven Orlando Brown Brings Fatburger to HoCo

If you dig a cheeseburger fix every now and then, and you haven't had the good fortune to experience a "Fatburger," then keep an eye out for the first store to open in Maryland - opening in August in dah dah dah dah! Columbia, Maryland! The last time I had one of those was on The Strip, Las Vegas, and it was one of the best burgers I've ever had fast food-wise.

Former Raven Orlando Brown bringing Fatburger chain to Maryland

The Maryland Daily Record:

Former Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown has once again set his sights on Baltimore — but this time his game plan is fast food.

Brown plans to open Maryland’s first Fatburger — the Southern California chain synonymous with big, juicy burgers and Hollywood celebrities — in August. The Columbia restaurant will be, he said, the first of 10 stores in six years he plans on opening in the Baltimore-Washington area.

Brown, who was released by the Ravens in 2006, is perhaps most known for pushing a referee in 1999 when the official threw his weighted penalty flag and accidentally hit Brown in the eye. The injury sidelined Brown, then playing for the Cleveland Browns, for more than three years and he received a multimillion dollar settlement from the NFL after filing a personal injury lawsuit.

The Baltimore Sun: Click here to read more.

 

Advertising Takes to the Skies

Advertising continues to inundate us from every direction in life -- With unwieldy signs on the beds of trucks wasting gas for just that purpose, plastered on tables at restaurants, at the gas pumps...It was only a matter of time before the industry headed upward, onward and into the clouds to grab our attention from above.

Enter…Flogos floating logos.

In addition to today's interesting news:

BMW builds a cloth car

Jurors caught playing Sudoku 

Flickr Game for a Rainy Day

I found a Flickr game today that is great for a rainy day.

At the end of answering a list of questions with your own personal answers, you end up with something like my image shown here (I've seen it enlarged on other blogs, but I don't know how to do that. But you can click on it to get the idea.)







The How-To and the Questions Are:

The Concept:


a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into the Mosaic Maker by Big Huge Labs.



The Questions:


1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What do you want to be when you "grow up?"

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One word to describe you

12. Your Flickr name



My Answers:


1. What is your first name? Jennifer

2. What is your favorite food? Guacamole

3. What high school did you go to? Middleburg High School (Florida)

4. What is your favorite color? Blue

5. Who is your celebrity crush? I'm a bit too old to have "crushes," right? But I'd say Jamie Bamber.

6. Favorite drink? Sam Adams beer

7. Dream vacation? Australia

8. Favorite dessert? Cheesecake

9. What (did) you want to be when you grew up? Novelist

10. What do you love most in life? Technology

11. One word to describe you: Stubborn

12. Your Flickr name: happilycoupled



NOTE: The Mosaic Maker will work without you signing in or registering. However, I recommend registering (it's free), because, I had a very annoying moment when I lost everything I'd just entered.

Visit "Glued to the Camera," My New Photo Blog

This summer I'm getting more serious about learning my trade. Although I've been a military photographer for years, I've never done more than let the automatic settings of the camera work for me. Sure, the images come out okay, but not with the nuances that photographing in manual mode, with more of an element of control, can produce. Knowing how to manipulate the camera in more ways than just pushing the shutter button can be the difference between a good photo and one that stands out. So, I have many goals, all of them leading to becoming the best that I can be in my photography.

Please support me on my journey by visiting my new blog (one of many), Glued to the Camera: A Photographer's Journey. Feel free to give comments or critiques that may be effective in helping me refine my skills.

The following is a practice photo only. I have a lot of improvements to make. This was taken using slow sync flash last night. It's one of many techniques I want to perfect along the way.

NOTE: Please be advised that the Glued to the Camera blog is mostly kept for personal reasons, so that I can catalog the steps of my journey, and because I have a hopeless addiction to the camera. Hopefully one day I can look back and see visible progress. However, the site is not meant to be and will never equal the intensity of the pro, knock-'em-out-of-the-water level of a blog like Strobist. However, if you are a budding photographer or a mentor willing to provide feedback here and there, please feel free to visit.

Millions Saved on Electricity Costs, if Maryland Prevails

With gas prices being what they are, I would really like to see a break, however small, come from somewhere. This would be a welcome change, if the outcome of this review leans on the side of the consumer. These days, every little bit counts. Don't you agree? So, cross your fingers.

From the Baltimore Sun: Millions Saved if Maryland Prevails

Maryland residents could save up to $2 billion in electricity costs if the state prevails in a complaint alleging that power suppliers made windfall profits because of flawed federal regulations, the Public Service Commission said yesterday.

The alleged overcharges amount to an estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of the average bill for customers of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., which is among the utilities the commission says overpaid for power.

The Maryland People's Counsel estimates that eliminating the charges could save the average Maryland customer $570, or $15.85 a month, through May 2011 if federal officials ordered refunds.

News That Makes Me Wonder

From WAVY TV 10: Drivers Putting Less Gas in Tank, then Running Out

AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman Catherine Rossi says motorists could end up paying more later. That's because running on fumes can damage a car's fuel pump -- requiring repairs that make a full tank of $4 gas seem like a bargain.

From FoxNews.com: Home from Iraq, Wary Marine Fatally Wounded

Crutchfield was attacked on Jan. 5 while he and his girlfriend were waiting for a bus. He had heeded the warnings of commanders that a Marine on leave might be seen as a prime robbery target with a pocketful of money, so he only carried $8, his military ID card and a bank card.

"They took it, turned his pockets inside out, took what he had and told him since he was a Marine and didn't have any money he didn't deserve to live. They put the gun to his neck and shot him," Holt told The Associated Press.

From WaPo: As HOV Clock Ticks Down, Drivers Prepare to Pounce

In the Washington region, which suffers from the second-worst traffic in the nation, it seems all commuters have a strategy to outfox fellow motorists. Some have shortcuts they won't share with even their closest friends; others wake up at the crack of dawn or wait until after rush hour; some are outright cheaters who take their chances driving in restricted lanes and are prepared to pay the price.

From the Maryland Daily Record: Drunk Driver Who Hit Horse Gets $70K

A drunk driver is entitled to $70,000 for injuries sustained after he hit a horse, a three-judge panel in Cecil County affirmed. According to an article in The (Delaware) News Journal, Joe Class brought suit in Cecil County Circuit Court against the owners of Stone House Stables for failing to properly pen its animals. Five years ago, Class, then 21, was driving home to Rising Sun, Md., at around 3 a.m. after attending a party near the University of Delaware. At the hospital, Class’ blood alcohol level was 0.14. He received more than 100 stitches in his face and underwent two reconstructive surgeries. Last fall, a Cecil County judge awarded him damages, finding the stable owners negligent. The judge couldn’t find anything linking Class’ drunkenness to the accident.