Diving Deep

Posted in General, Photography and Computers 5 years, 8 months ago.

After much contemplation and consideration, I have decided on a few things. (Skip this first one if you often thing people are weird for being quirky) Firstly, whipped cream (yes, in those wonderful nitrous oxide charged canisters) is one of the greatest things on this green earth. Have a completely lost my mind? Think about all the uses that are possible; it is almost limitless not to mention how easy and satisfying it is to open the fridge and get a quick blast. Yummy.

Second is the subject of Christmas and more specifically the tradition of gift giving. Now I love that joy of giving someone a gift that is completely unexpected and not only one that is needed but one that will make the receiving individual think of you each time it is used. Accomplishing such seems to be increasingly difficult. Don’t get me wrong, finding things to buy is quite easy. We are surrounded by a none stop bombardment of shopping catalogs, advertisements, and store. The problem? The things we find are just that, things. Very seldom can we find that one special thing that embodies not only the Christmas spirit but also encompasses the true meaning of gift giving. Obviously the thoughtfulness that is required to purchase a gift for someone is often enough to instill your place in their heart and mind but too often it seems we buy gifts just for the sake of buying a gift. I know that I would absolutely love to buy wonderful gifts for every person I know but for the most part that is simply not possible financially and even logistically.

Speaking of finances, is it just me or are gifts getting more and more expensive. I think once you hit the age of about 16 your desire for gifts of high cost skyrockets. For instance, the two main things I would ask for Christmas are well above anyone’s rightful price range. For one, a 12″ Powerbook will run you anywhere between $1,200 and $2,000. That’s not to say I wouldn’t be willing to take donations for my own powerbook fund but that type of purchase is just not suitable for a gift of normal standards. I’ll admit that I did receive a Canon Digital Rebel last year which was far too much above and beyond any call for Christmas but attempting to ask for a Powerbook would be just purely wrong. (again donations are welcome). The other main thing you ask? But of course a HDTV and more specifically of the DLP variety. Again, completely ridiculously priced.

Maybe it’s just my “champagne tastes on a beer budget” as my father often reminds me but I’m so blessed that I sadly have all the necessities and some. I’m thankful most of all for that and for the love and support of my family; I owe you guys a lot.

I’m not quite sure how this entry turned into that but to return to the theme of realizations I will leave with one more completely different then the others. If you don’t know already, I run a daily (most of the time) photoblog entitled f/1.8 (that stands for f-stop 1.8 for the photographically challenged). Anyway, I visit the incredible chromasia site which houses some of the most spectacular photographs I have ever seen. The photographer, David Nightingale, is actually the one who gave me the great idea for the name of my own site (thanks David!!!) and his recent photographs have really got the idea ball rolling in my head. The following shots [ 1, 2, 3, 4] all have shutter speed varying from 1mintue to up to 7+ minutes. Why am I intrigued? For one, all the shots I have tried with exposure times that high have never turned out. I am going to send David an e-mail to see under what conditions the shots where taken and attempt to expose some similar shots of my own.