Photos

    Today was a good day for a walk. I stopped for a sandwich from one of my local favorite stops, sat in the park to enjoy it with some water and cake, and continued to cross over the newly dubbed “we love you” bridge. ๐Ÿ“ท

    a paved bridged with a tall fence on both sides; there are hearts made of metal hanging on the fence with a sign saying our community and the shadow from the sign casts the words we love you on the pavement

    Love me some hot sauce ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ“ท

    Two rows of hot sauces in various colors on wooden shelves

    What a beautiful day today. It was the first real spring day for me: walking around in a t-shirt, smelling flowers everywhere (and sneezing), I captured a photo of these small buds:

    small pink buds on a branch. In the background, green grass and more flowers next to a path leading to a local museum at a park nearby

    April Photo ๐Ÿ“ท Challenge 15: Small

    You shall not… Exit! This store. Nope. Not happening.

    April Photo ๐Ÿ“ท Challenge 8: Prevention

    A suit of armor, a knight, holding a sord standing tall. An exit sign in the background with an orange cone.

    The foliage of April is not exactly that of October, but there were many of these

    April Photo ๐Ÿ“ท Challenge 4: Foliage

    A sidewalk littered with thorny shells of some pinnut tree.

    Pick a monkey, any monkey… or an owl?

    April Photo ๐Ÿ“ท Challenge 3: Card

    Three cards laying on a blanket: a Joke, an Ace and a King. They illustrate monkeys. A wooden box with an owl curved into it.

    An older photo from the archive of a… Hyacinth? Did I get that right? Right here at a nearby park

    April Photo ๐Ÿ“ท Challenge 2: Flowers

    a zoomed-up photo of what is believed to be a Hyacinth

    Hmm I donโ€™t know that Iโ€™ll do the challenge, but this was just looking at me, soโ€ฆ

    April Photo ๐Ÿ“ท Challenge 1: Toy

    a game console controller resting on an orange cushion

    Snow at the shore ๐Ÿ“ท

    Snow on the beach, a person walking against the sea in the background. Dark blue clouds are hanging above

    An NYC corner ๐Ÿ“ท

    A tall building, trapozoid shape. its sharp corner faces the viewer, with a single column of windows going up. There are city streets on both sides of the building, with a yellow cab in front of the building.

    This morning, I finished my first written journal ๐Ÿ““ in around 20 years.

    I started writing in it in 2013 and at some point I switched full-time into digital journaling (it was TiddlyWiki at the time if you’re curious). I’ll probably start my next written journal at some point this weekend. Here’s a picture ๐Ÿ“ท of it:

    a hand holding a closed Moleskine black notebook. It's spine has a lable on it: 2013-05-09 - with a break - 2024-02-01.

    Good morning ๐Ÿ“ท

    A shelf against the window with a few plants, and glass jars. Cloudy city day in the background.

    A walk in the neighborhood with my camera ๐Ÿ“ท. These photos came so different, itโ€™s hard to believe the locations are minutes apart.

    Had a “photo itch” when I went to get coffee this weekend. Took the camera with me.

    Two pictures ๐Ÿ“ท from around Bleeker Street, near Washington Square Park.

    A bar sign advertising prices for drafts and cocktails in colorful neon chalk. In the background, another shop's neon sign and a fire escape Minetta lane, off of 6th Ave. A red fire hydrant in the foreground, a street with puddles in the background, with lights from different shops further back

    The latte from Starbucks was awful enough to throw away, unfinished. Headed to WTC, where I know a better spot. Indeed, it saved me. ๐Ÿ“ท

    I can’t start the new year without a good cup of coffee.

    Woke up this morning to the alcohol remains of last yearโ€™s final night. Standing in a Starbucks at a low table facing Dey Street, sipping a weak latte. It’s a new year, just like that. Poof. ๐Ÿ“ท

    I found my first digital camera ๐Ÿ“ท burried in my trunk of memories. I left the batteries inside so itโ€™s probably not to be used againโ€ฆ

    A hand holding an HP camera. Itโ€™s a photosmart 753 model.

    Another Manhattan sticker-covered manhole. Lafayette Street. ๐Ÿ“ท

    A manhole lid covered in various stickers, mostly look like graffiti and various writings.

    My new printer is here, and it's fantastic.

    an Epson printer with the printing bay and scanner door open ๐Ÿ“ท

    Fred, which is how I decided to name it (we’ll see if it sticks), is already proving to be a crucial part of my photography process I didn’t know I needed. Fortunately for me, good folks like Jack exist on Micro.blog to share their knowledge.

    Jack helped me several times in the last couple of weeks. When I was stuck in my “funk” two weeks ago, he directed me toward the magnetic cables he uses. That, and getting around to organizing my photos, finally pulled me out of the mental mud I was in. The pictures below are from Maine, which you can see in the photos section on the blog:

    printed photos of places in Maine, and one of a hot air balloon in New Mexico

    Then I read his post about the Epson Printer, and I found the idea of printing my own photos exciting. It took me a couple of days to decide to buy it, and then Amazon teased me about the delivery for a day and a half. I was sitting on the stairs of the lobby of my building in the evening, waiting for the delivery guy to show up. I told myself I was worried because they’d just leave it in the lobby for thieves to grab (which unfortunately happens in my building more often than not), but looking back at it now, I understand there was more excitement in the printer than just that concern. Now that I see my photos on the wall, I think I get it.

    The printer lets me see my photos around me as physical objects, a part of who I am and what I do. It puts my photography to a new level. It’s one thing to occasionally open Lightroom or Photoshop (or Darktable when I started out) and browse through your photos, nod with a smile, and move on. It’s something different to see them on a wall in front of you, greeting you every day. Sure, you can order prints, and I did. But sending photos to professional printing doesn’t happen as often as printing on your own: It took me two months to send three photos to print; it took me one night to print the same number at home.

    Even more important is the trial and error, learning the process, and being a part of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack feels the same way (probably to a higher degree) when he develops photos in a dark room. It’s probably an amazing feeling.

    After organizing my photos, I finally got to edit and work out some of my photos ๐Ÿ“ทfrom Bar Harbor in September. More work to do, but progress…!

    A picture of lighthouse island in Bar Harbor, Maine, from a deck on a boat. A text in the sky reads Bar Harbor 2023
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