ASMP Visit

I enjoyed our recent ASMP visit since as a former educator I always found it of vital importance for
students to see the implications of what they're learning in the class room with the  "real world".  Organizations
like this give us the chance to  network and to help us plan our careers.  One thing I've learned is that everyone's
plans are going to be diferent, since a good plan is based on individual strengths and needs.

I especially liked it when we went into the vault (especially the vodka bottle), just kidding.  I think we bonded
a little bit looking at all that stuff for sale.

Have no images for this blog since I was unable to download them from my ext. hard drive for some reason.

Visit to Occupy Wall Street

Last Friday I went down to Zucotti Park, partly for an assignment in Digital Photography I, and partly
because as a retired history teacher I was curious.  There were a lot of challenges to taking photos there.
Firstly, the downtown skyscrapers block out a lot of light, second there are wall to wall people everywhere,
and inside the park the tents are jammed close together so there's no room for a tripod.  Third people keep
walking in front of the camera.

I also had a lot of issues focusing with my camera.  I calibrated the view finder, but this hasn't helped.  I missed
some really good images because of this.  I'm glad I went and I hope that the images I took can shed some light, or even raise questions about what's going on down there.  Whatever it is,  those people are tired of
accepting their situation and are willing to speak out and make a stand.  It's not easy living in what is
really a "Hooverville-like" shanty town, but lots of people are donating food, medicine and other necessities.

Protest Music is Back

And so is the spirit that will speak up to protect

the American Dream!

President Washington Says, "Enough! Stop the Madness! Give the Country Back to the People!"

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The Face of Power

What happened to the days when it was the BAD GUYS who wore the masks?  This is the only mounted cop I saw who hid behind a mask.  Notice his

night stick and pistol are displayed.

ART 144 TIME MANAGEMENT WORKSHEET

When I first heard about this assignment I thought it was a great idea for first and second year college
students, but I didn't think I'd get that much out of it.  After all, I was a teacher, a commuter, a husband,
and father for most of my adult life.  Having taught High School seniors for many years, I knew that
my students were not really aware of time and the hours in the day, and that they could have gained
much from this exercise.

One of the secrets of good time management is making good decisions all day long.  It's kind of like how
coaches tell their teams that they have to put out a complete effort for the entire game.  As I kept my time log
I began to become even more conscious of staying "on task."  Writing down how I spent my time did make
me more organized than I already was, and it certainly helped me to focus more!

Something I noticed was how much I spend on household chores!  I know my wife would dispute this,
but those items on the "Honey Do List" take up a lot of time.  When I was in college all those centuries
ago, I lived at home and basically concentrated on school and having fun of course.

Speaking of time management, my car has been disabled for a while and I tried public transportation to
get to the College.  Oy vey!  It took me 2 hours from West Islip one way!  I don't know how other
people cope, but public transportation in Suffolk county is not conducive to good time management!

"Feathered" water.

I've always like this effect on water when the shutter is kept open for a long time.  That's what I was trying to do here and I'm getting a little more 

comfortable with it.

Montauk Hwy (Babylon) at twlight.

Hope I achieved an "other-worldly" effect here.  I like the vanishing point of the sidewalk.  Next time I'll get better color as I learn more about white balance.

Bus Turning at Babylon Station

  I've always wanted to get this effect by keeping the shutter open for a long time.  I like the star effect on the street lights, but am dissappointed my focus isn't better.  Maybe the wind was shaking my tripod.

"Let Sleeping Foxes Lie"!

Found this image sort of by accident.  It was taken with my old "point and shoot".  (Boo hiss)  Looking forward to the day I'll have the lens capable of taking a

shot like this with a DSLR!

Beach Walk

Bundle up and keep walking is the order of the day!
Smell that sea air!

Robert Moses State Park in Late October

Beautiful but freezing.  Winter first comes to the beach!
Brrrr.

Back-lit SHkull

ad fun with this. I illuminated the skull from inside as well as back-lighting it. This was
probably over-kill. Did some one say KILL?? MUAHAHAHAHHA! Sorry.

Pumpkin with Candles

Was surprised to see the star effect in the candles. Prof. Colombraro said I got this because
I was so close to the sublect

Blogging Again

KISS - "Keep it Simple, Stupid"  is a good model for life and for the photography student! ;Spent hours setting up my images for my Digital I class. I took way too much time. However, I discovered some new things, which is the point of it all. The first was a nice effect in my background curtain caused by my back-lit pumpkin. This was totally unexpected.

Game Model

My daughter Sarah is trying bravely to give me what I want in this image.  Trouble was, even I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do.  We did get some shadows though!  I'm still a neophyte with the Canon D20.

What I've Learned So Far

Say Hallelujah!  I'm finally posting on my blog.  The first thing I learned about photography here at Sccc is
that it's all about light.  Previously, I looked at light as something I had to manage, and which sometimes was
pretty tricky.  Now I can see that I have to learn as much about light as I can and embrace it instead of begrudging it.