Posts have been short here. My attention has been split in so many directions. Apologies. I’ll remedy the short posts right now.

You wanted more, you’re going to get more. I think this post is going to be one long ADD moment, so bear with me….

Bennigans going under???

Have you heard this? Bennigans is going under. Well, the corporate stores at least. The franchises might survive, but I wonder what will become of them without a larger organization behind them. 300 restaurants closing, lots of folks looking for new jobs. It’s a shame.

I used to love Bennigans, but with my food changes I haven’t visited one in a while. My favorite treat there…… Fried Mushrooms! Really great stuff, loved the dip. Can’t have the dip any longer as it has milk in it. Ah…MILK!

I think Southpark should do an episode on the loss of Bennigans. It is the favorite place for Butters after all. Remember the “Butters” episode? Yeah, he was a Bennigans junkie! Maybe Professor Chaos should step in to save Bennigans!

My spider situation

It’s spider season in Arizona. Actually, it’s been spider season for the past month. I’ve been watching the progress of so many spiders here at Point of Rocks.

At this point I’m watching them with a wary eye. They’re growing, really growing, and I’m becoming concerned.

At first all of the webs around the Airstream were cute. Small little spiders working to keep other bugs out of my trailer. Good job spiders! But something has gone very wrong now…….

See, the cute little spiders have grown into huge threatening spiders. Lately they’ve been working to encase the Airstream, put webs in my walk way, and wrap up the Titan and Versa. Every morning I walk into so many webs. Heck, I’m pulling web out of my hair at work!

Airstream Living

The Airstream continues to be a good little home.  As usual, it’s bursting at the seems.  Too many photography books, PHP books, SQL books, and an occasional novel (actually, very occasional, too busy with the other books).

While there have been no major Airstream issues to speak of I have one growing concern.  My fridge is part of the Dometic recall.  I’m none too pleased about that one.  I spoke with Rich Luhr earlier today regarding the breakdown of his fridge, the recall, and where I’m at.  As a full-timer, the loss of the fridge would be a huge downer.  And getting it worked on means hitching up and heading to a dealer.

That last thought implies a lot of my time.  You know, on a day off or something……ummmmmm, not great!

Beyond the fridge worry all has been pretty well.  A clogged drain here or there, changing the propane tank, and of course, trying to get out the door when it’s totally webbed in.

For RVers out there I have the following question…..  Do you use Drano on a clogged drain?  Is that bad for your gray tank?  If so, what else can I do?  Clearly I’m aging, and hair clogs the drain now and again.  I’ll have to figure out ways to cover up the receding hairline!

Two days of rest

A long awaited 2 days off in a row has finally arrived.  Sure, I had two days off together a few weeks ago, but they weren’t really days off.  One was spent photographing a wedding, post processing, etc.  The other day was a road trip day that was a ton of fun!  But neither day was restful.

So, today has been spent at the laundry room, the grocery store, popping through downtown for a few moments, and then returning to the Airstream to put things away and straighten up.  All of that is completed now, and a nap is in order!

This evening I’ll be hosting Sadira, Megan, Matt, & Dan for a little BBQ outside.  Lars & Jennica might pop by too!  The more the merrier!

I’ve swept off the picnic table, addressed the spider webs under it, and had a Black Widow freak me out completely about 15 minutes ago!  Hopefully the spider will move on.  One thing is for sure….I’m not sitting on that side of the table this evening!

Tomorrow might be a little more fun.  Maybe a short trip in search of a new photo or two.  Or maybe not.  If I feel like it, maybe a day of lazing around the Airstream.  Whatever I choose, I’m glad to have a little time with no obligations!

The Versa

While my new little Nissan Versa has been the subject of a cool HDR or two, I haven’t really said much about it.  I know some readers are waiting for an update regarding its performance.  So, here’s the update…..

The Versa is GREAT!  37 MPG average for me now!  That’s the overall average since the time of purchase.

It’s a fun car to drive, I’m happy with the mileage, and it makes a great commuter vehicle.  I’m enjoying the keyless entry, the keyless ignition, the built in Blue Tooth, and the stereo controls being built into the steering wheel.

For those wondering about the comfort and roominess of the Versa I can tell you it’s pretty big for a small car.  It carries me and 3 other passengers comfortably.  It also totes my gear with room to spare.  The hatchback has more space than you think.  3 tripods, 2 camera cases, 1 light stand, 2 reflectors and a diffuser.  I’ve still got plenty of room for more if need be!

What I don’t like about it doesn’t total up to be a long list.  It only has 1 DC outlet (bummer for a tech junkie), and I really wish it had arm rests like the Titan.  That’s about it!

The Titan

Since I mentioned the Titan I thought I should talk about it for a moment.

It’s a shame to say, but it hasn’t had much road time.  I took it off road a few weeks ago when Tom was here.  Since then it’s had little time on the pavement.  One recent contract job gave me a reason to drive it, as the clients lived way out in the middle of nowhere on a dirt “road”.  I put road in quotes because it wasn’t much of a road.

Hopefully this year I’ll have a reason to hitch up the trailer again and get the Titan out there doing what it was bought to do.  Tow the Airstream!

Lunch

With all the little items now jotted down I think it’s time for lunch.  I’m thinking about a salad, so I’ll see about getting one together!

If I come up with further things to blog on I’ll post them at that time.  For now I think that was plenty of reading material, don’t you?

Yesterday I skipped a blog entry. But the day before I posted twice. That should count for something, right?

So, what had my attention for the morning? I was looking into the NAPP. That’s the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. Pretty interesting group, and I spent a while reading about them.

Now, I’m no “pro”, but I’d enjoy the label at some point. After reading through the NAPP’s information I decided they’d be a good group to help me work toward the pro label! You’ve got to start somewhere.

The reading fest got started thanks to the Worldwide Photowalk information I mentioned the other day. After reading about the walk I went to the NAPP site and signed up to be a walk leader for Prescott, AZ. I haven’t gotten word as to a thumbs up or down, but I’ll cross my fingers that Prescott can be an official location. That would be great.

If we don’t get a thumbs up that’s ok. I’ve already got a group of people who are interested in doing the walk. 5 now, not including myself. And I’ll be contacting the Yavapai Photo club as well because I’m sure several folks in the club would enjoy the event. So, either way, Prescott will have a bunch of folks roaming the streets with cameras on August 23rd. If we get “official” I’ll post the link, and those who are interested can officially sign up. If not I guess we’ll use an upcoming post for signups!

I should mention, Prescott has folks roaming the streets with cameras all the time. We get a lot of tourists here on a regular basis, and people really enjoy this town! Plus there’s so much to shoot here! From the Sharlot Hall Museum to the scenes of Whiskey Row, there’s a lot of material to work with!

So…….I know, I digress!

After a good deal of consideration I decided yesterday to sign up at the NAPP site. I’m a member now! I think the biggest bonus will be the subscription to Photoshop User Magazine that comes with membership. The only other magazine I get right now is Airstream Life. Now I’ll have one more magazine in the Airstream!

Here’s hoping you find that excuse for my missing post yesterday acceptable. If you don’t, well, not much we can do about that one!

As I finished writing this post I received another comment from a person interested in the Photowalk. That’s 6 for Prescott’s walk. We’ll definitely do it all!

P.S…….

Shortly after creating this post I checked Scott Kelby’s site for further updates and found one.  A full Q&A about the photowalk is up there.  Check it out.  Good questions and answers along with some funny stuff.

Yeah, pretty unusual to have 2 posts in one day here.  I wanted to make a separate post about this event so that it stands out.

Scott Kelby’s site listed an interesting concept the other day.  He’s presented the idea of a “Worldwide photo walk” that will take place on August 23rd of 2008!  I like the idea, I like it a lot!  So, why not pick up on it and make some plans?

So, I’m officially throwing my hat into the photo walk concept for August 23rd.  There’s plenty to see and shoot in Prescott, AZ.  Why not spend the day with other folks wanting to capture “Everybody’s Hometown?”  Sounds good to me!

I’ll be checking on Scott Kelby’s site to see how I can officially sign up for the photo walk, and how I can list Prescott as an event site.  For all my friends and readers in Prescott, care to join me on the 23rd??? 

Oh, and sorry for re-using a photo from the prior post.  Couldn’t resist you know, I’m liking the shot! 

Ah, the website has been up and down for more than 24 hours.  I’ve been the same way.  I think both the site and the person are now up and operational once more.

What can I tell you about the website?  Not sure.  Database errors across all of my sites, not just this one.  Remember, they’re all hosted by the same company, and hosted on the same server.  The site could still be flakey, so just hang in there.

Away from the website issues I’ve had a few myself.  Been feeling rundown the past few weeks, and it all snowballed yesterday.  I woke up in the morning feeling feverish.  So I broke out the thermometer.

When you feel feverish you probably are.  In my case, 101.  Just a little toasty!

I headed into work for the morning, knowing I’d be leaving early.  Driving up I felt terrible.  I stayed at work for an hour and a half, knew that I made my effort, and knew that I was fighting something off.

Getting home I set up the couch for a nap.  A stack of pillows, glass of water, and a movie on in the background.

Around 2:30 I woke up, “Harry Potter” had ended.  I went through a few glasses of water, kicked on “Flushed Away,” and fell back to sleep once more.

In total, I slept more than 5 hours yesterday afternoon.  And I went to bed last night at 9.  Didn’t wake up again until 5 this morning.

I’m glad to say when I got up this morning the fever had broken.  Still a little clogged, but I won’t complain.  I’m awake today, and it’s a nice feeling!  14 hours of sleeping in a 24 hour period.  Wow!  But it seems to have helped!

Since I was up so early and not feeling poorly I decided to take a quick ride downtown.  Whiskey Row is an interesting spot, and I’ve been wanting to photograph it early.  So many people walk along the road during the day, and so many cars are usually parked along the row during the afternoon.  Getting shots free of people and cars can only be achieved early in the day.

With all my rest I could finally get those early shots!

I didn’t take many photos this morning.  Only a few that have been on my mind.  Pictures from the St. Michaels, a shot in front of Matt’s Saloon, another shot of the Palace, and a few more random photos that popped up along the way.

It was nice to be out early in the morning.  Whiskey Row was quiet, and my photos were normally unobstructed.  A few walkers made their way around the town, and occasionally I had to wait for them to pass on by.

In total, I only spent 20 minutes on the Row.  You know I’ve got other things that need to be accomplished each day.

After returning home I quickly picked through this morning’s shots.  Glad to say there were a few I found interesting.  I’ve shared several here this morning.  Hope you like them!

Nice to be awake again, nice to have the server up, and nice to have the energy to get a few new photos again!

Oh, and I hope you enjoy today’s photos.  These are extremely experimental HDRs.  I’ve pushed them here and there, and some have “haloing” on purpose.  Just tinkering with some new ideas you know!

Time has not been on my side these past few weeks.  Seems like you just never have enough time to do what it is you want.

In my case I’m looking to play with photo techniques, toy with HDR some more, and really get into experimentation mode.  The problem……..

I haven’t been out and about shooting different scenes!

I’ve continued to read here and there about working with HDR.  I’d like to create “more than real” images.  I’d also like to create prints that go beyond a real shot and really alter color and tone.  There are some amazing HDR images out there that do just that.  I’m still in the infancy of understanding how folks like Trey Ratcliff and Ben Wilmore do it.

Since I had a few moments in town yesterday after popping by Ian’s gallery, I decided to pop by to one of my favorite photo subjects.  The Yavapai Courthouse.  It’s a neat spot that occupies the square in the center of town.  Cool walkways, green grass, and an interesting center piece!

While there I took a very short series of photos.  5 exposures each this time instead of 3.  The more shots the more you can get out of the contrast of the scene.  That’s part of my understanding.

After getting my photos I returned home, wrote a short blog, and went to sleep.  I didn’t work with the photos much at all.  But this morning I decided to get into the pictures a little more and play with some concepts I’ve read about recently.

The first photo appearing here today is clearly “over baked.”  I pushed up the color saturation and strength on Photomatix.  I also dropped the light smoothing in order to head for a more cartoonish effect.  It’s a bright scene for sure.

The second photo I went for a darker more foreboding look.  It’s probably what people in trouble with the law see when they head to the courthouse! 

Both series of photos were shot moments apart, and when looking at what went in to them there’s very little difference in the exposures.  The difference in the final images directly relates to how I’ve dealt with color saturation, shadow and highlight smoothing, and a half dozen other options I have at my disposal when generating the final HDR.

What I’m really interested in producing is an image with more saturation in the foreground while reducing almost all color in the sky.  I guess I’m looking to almost move the blue skies into the realm of gray skies while still retaining the look and feel of the surrounding clouds.  Somehow I think Photoshop will need to be involved with this in order to get the result I’m looking for.

If you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about take a look at one or two of Ben Wilmore’s before and after images to see.  I’ve got a lot more to learn!  And there’s going to be a need for more of that “time” stuff in order to learn it.

Ah well, if anyone has some spare time they’d like to send me it would surely be appreciated!

Here it is, 7:32 p.m. on a Saturday night.  I’m sure most folks are out having an evening on the town.  Not me, not tonight.

I’ll be closing up shop soon and heading off to sleep.  Exhaustion has set in.  It set in last night too.  More than 10 hours of sleep, and still feeling spent.

Today was another long day.  After work I returned home for a break and dinner, then I dashed down to Ian’s to check in really quick.  Looks like he was tired too.  One of his part-timers was in the gallery in Ian’s place.  Can’t blame him for needing some down time.

Since I was in the area I did another shot of the Courthouse.  I’m still not satisfied with the courthouse shots yet.

See, I’ve got a specific image in my mind.  One that I know is there.  I just need the right lighting, cloud cover, and lack of people walking into the frame.

Still, that’s the latest shot.  Nice to have a new one to share, even if it’s not the one I want.  I’ll get it one day! 

Well, that’s the quick wrap.  I plan on being asleep around 8:00 p.m.

Wow, exciting stuff today, eh??? 

At the end of yesterday’s post I mentioned the potential birth of a new business.  My friend Brett’s last comment which I just posted basically nailed it on the head……

I am 80% of the way there!

I suppose I should work out what the other 20% is.  Maybe after some needed naps today I’ll get to those details.

If the naps run long I’ll have to push the whole thing out and deal with it another time.  Or industrious readers here can leave brilliant suggestions through their comments.  Hmmmm….maybe I’ll just leave it to you guys! 

Here’s where I’m at:

• There’s a space downtown available and waiting.
• I’ll be looking at the space today.
• I have several portrait clients this afternoon.
• The necessary equipment is already in my posession.
• I’ve got the funds to give this a whirl.
• My client list for outside consulting is growing each week.
• I’m doing my laundry.

Ok, that last bullet point is totally irrelevant to the topic, but it is a true statement.  In mere moments I’ll step away from the computer, walk to the park office and move the laundry from the washers to the dryers.  So exciting!

One of the things I haven’t worked out is a name for my business.  Ah Brett, you nailed that one too!

So, what will the business do?  Photo sales, creating prints for other photographers and painters (with a wide format printer), custom shots for clients, computer consulting (so long as it’s a Mac), and maybe a few unique items that I’m not going to list quite yet.  Gotta keep some mystery right?

But what do I call this venture?  This is where your comments could help.

As a side note, I just went down to the laundry room and popped stuff in the dryer.  See, you didn’t even miss me, did you?

So, what should the name be?  Here’s my short list:

• RLC Photography
• RL Charpentier Photography
• Image Engineering……. 

Ok, done with my short list.  Clearly I need some help on this one.  I do like the image engineering concept, but maybe we’ll skip that one……………

Comment away gang!

As I struggle to find the right balance between down time and work time I’ve got to say I’m happy to have the problem of being “too busy.”  It wasn’t that long ago that I wasn’t sure what my next direction should be.

This morning I took a look back on the blog at July 24th, 2007.  I was in a very different place, considering my options in Colorado.  Remember that?

A year ago I was sitting in Woodland Park, Colorado.  I was waiting on news about working for a government contractor there.  The job sounded pretty good, and right up my alley.  The company was in the business of providing wireless coverage after disasters occurred.  They had portable cell sites (CDMA) that could be deployed quickly to allow emergency workers communications in the aftermath of a disaster.

The position’s pay would have brought me back to the old days in wireless.  I was pretty enthused about the prospect of playing with wireless systems again.  But I wasn’t thrilled about the location.  I missed Prescott pretty quickly.

Fortunately I didn’t have a military background.  One director out of 3 folks who interviewed me preferred bringing a retired military friend into the company over me.  Sure, the guy had no background in wireless deployments, but they were old friends.  So even with two nods in my favor, one nod toward an old buddy was all it took to keep me out of that role.

I’m glad things went that way.

I had no idea what I’d do back in Prescott, but in the end I still returned.  The months between that turn down and finally finding a role here were pretty hard.  It’s freaky when you keep getting turned down for being over qualified, or for being out too long.  Nothing was ever in between those two responses.

Fast forward to today…….  I’m now too busy for words.  Tired too.  Between my job and outside work I don’t even have time to spend at the grocery store.  Tomorrow I’ll try to make some time for real shopping. 

Oh, and good grief, I haven’t even climbed this year!  And where’s the new photos?  Yeah, just too darned busy!

Additionally, I’m now considering my own business.  You heard me right.  Most friends in the area are encouraging me to take a big risk.  I’ve been weighing the options, making income and expense projections, and working up a plan.  It actually looks like it would work, especially considering the “consulting” requests I’ve had recently.  Combine that with recent client jobs, print sales, and additional inquiries about my availability and it sounds more than feasible.  It sounds like I’d be making a mistake by not considering it.

Not a bad change in the course of a year, eh?

Well, I’ve gone and missed posts for a few days in a row!  What kind of blog is this?

It’s the blog of an extremely busy guy.  This is the place you come to find out what happens when your days off are as busy as your work days.  Honestly, doesn’t that happen to all of us though?  It’s also the blog of a sleep deprived fellow…..

I’ll start out with why I’m so tired today…..  A friend’s phone flaked out last night.  I’ve seen it happen before with my friend Tom’s phone.  Somewhere in the middle of the night this rogue technology decides to dial the last number called…..OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

That happened last night (not your phone this time Tom).  Another friend’s phone decided to call me over and over.  I woke up a little rattled, and extremely acidy!  2 a.m.  And I couldn’t get back to sleep.  It was that “shocked” wake up feeling.  I’m sure you’re all familiar with it.  At some point in your life something shocks you awake.

So, this morning I massively overslept.  I couldn’t fall back to sleep for at least an hour and a half.  I still feel a little rattled this morning.

I’ve gotta get ready for work now.  Shave, shower, shampoo, and the rest……  Better blog fast!

Other things going on……

Yesterday was a “day off”.  I put it in quotes because it was anything but a day off.  Clients first thing in the morning, a stop by the gallery in the afternoon, creating a new Quickbooks file late afternoon……  I think you get the idea.  Busy.

I need to grocery shop.

Days prior to my “day off” have been spent working and getting really tired.  I need a vacation you know.  Fortunately when I have time available I can just hook my house up and go somewhere.  I’m seriously thinking about a 4 day trip, turn the phone off, and maybe turn the internet off too!

Anybody interested in photos from the Grand Canyon?  Yeah, I need to go there soon.

Well, there’s the wrap.  I need to shave now!

Of course, we take cash too!

Yesterday I got quite a surprise. And it put a spring in my step for the day.

Oh, hooray, he’s got something to blog on. No random stuff today. Well, this excerpt is kind of random. Let’s hope he gets back to the content here…….

As I’ve mentioned recently, I’ve been doing a lot of photography for clients lately. I’ve got several shoots lined up for this week! Wow! All thanks to the shoots I’ve already done.

Well, yesterday the mother of one of my recent clients stopped by work to see me and say hi. She was also armed with a yellow envelope. She dropped it off at my desk and made her way out. Fortunately she was all smiles.

You’re always a little leery about yellow envelopes. You never know what could be in them…..

In the case of this envelope a card was enclosed. A big “Thank You” written on the front. She was more than a little impressed with the portraits I’d done for her son. Apparently he’s a hard one when it comes to pictures and smiles! Hmmm…..half the shots I got had him laughing. Of course I was saying terrible things to elicit those laughs. Hey, whatever it takes!

Personally I’ve never been big into photographing people, especially doing portraits. Climbing photos are a big yes with me, most other “people” photos have been a no. But I’ve been experimenting because I understand that people expect me to be ready to take a good photo of them.

Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Book talks about this phenomena. People see you with a big camera, a big zoom, and they automatically think, “This guy could shoot my wedding or portrait.” At some point you cave in and say yes to someone, and that’s when you learn the meaning of stress. Scott is dead on about this, and you’ve got to prep yourself.

My experimentation is far from over. But as you see in this post I’ve used many subjects. My good friend Tom, my neighbor Ed, and of course, a few horses. The horses don’t pose or stand where you want them, just like people I often shoot!