Haiku with Hope for Spring

 I used as auto-generator for this one, sorry if it offends the purists.

After the snow melts,

Mud reveals its soft embrace,

Hope begins to bloom.

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It Goes To Show You Never Can Tell...

 A copy-paste of something I posted at a photo site I frequent:

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April 2024 I was attending the APQS Quilt Show in Paducah, KY with my wife. She's a quilter, I appreciate the patterns and colors and craftsmanship. As we were walking around Paducah, we passed this scene. I initially discounted it, then changed my mind, went back and took the photo. Later, I was not especially impressed with the photo but decided to submit it to one of the photo sites I'm at. And it (shockingly) took 1st place in Elements Of Design category! My only 1st place in over 6 years there. Don't get me wrong, I was happy, but is this photo actually good? I don't hate it, It's far from my favorite.

My takeaway is to not second guess myself (that dreaded imposter syndrome) and not worry about what other people will find "good". But don't discount something that you might not "love", maybe it will resonate with somebody.

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In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (0505)

 Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is shots from July 2018.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.

I don't remember what hotel this is from but I think it was a Marriot.  It was downtown  Columbus OH, and it looks like I only took this one photo.

RIP Roberta Flack

 I just heard that Roberta Flack passed away today (Monday 24 Feb, 2025).  Sorry to hear this, another great performer from my youth.

Best know for songs like "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", she was a significant artist in the late 60's and 70's.  My favorite Roberta Flack song is "Compared to What", which was used as title track for the 2015 Man From UNCLE movie.  That song grooves HARD!

Rest In Peace, Roberta!

"The ability to make a truly artistic photograph is not acquired off-hand, but is the result of an artistic instinct coupled with years of labor."

- Alfred Stieglitz

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A New Era?

 So... last week, my computer started acting funky, various weirdness.  Mostly slowing dramatically then locking up.  But I also had a spreadsheet just disappear, and some other strangeness.  Over a couple of days it was getting worse quickly.

So a trip to Microcenter ensured, and a diagnosis the my hard drive was failing.  The good news is that they would be able to save all my data files (except that one spreadsheet).  The bad news (beyond the cost) was that I would lose all my program files.  

Net result, I decided to make the leap to the industry standard photographic software:  Photoshop + Lightroom.  I'd guess 90% of people on my various photo communities use this.  But I've used Photoshop Elements for probably 20 years, and I know it inside and out.  I don't have to think at all, I just do.

Anyway, the computer has been repair, I've got the main software programs  restored/replaced, and now it is time to start learning a totally new (and dramatically powerful) set of software.  Here's my first 3 efforts:

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (0923)

 Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is is from September 2023.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.

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Almost positive this is from a trip to Pittsburgh; almost positive this is from the HIE on the southside of town, where we usually stayed when our son was a Pitt student.  These two are from a project I was doing back then to do straight from camera (no editing) black and white (camera's film simulation), and 50mm lens equivalent (zoom at 35mm for my camera).

No one else knows

"You're the only one who knows what it was 'supposed' to look like. No one else knows that this wasn't the plan."

- unknown

Note:  This was posted on a photo site I frequent, credited to "a friend" of the original poster.

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (1124d)

 Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is shots from July 2018.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.

This is from the Holiday Inn Express in Asheville, NC, our November visit.

Entry way.  The orange cones were because they had large water tanks (just off screen left) supplying the hotel after Hurricane Helene.  The normal water was restored by the time we visited, but they hadn't taken away the tanks/pipes.

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The view from our window.  Note the tunnel on the left side.

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From the breakfast area

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Abstract - HVAC

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Red Shouldered Hawk

 This hawk hung around our back yard for a bit yesterday.  I was surprised, the little birds at the feeders just ignored it.  I wish it would hunt the Starlings!  

Click on the images to see larger versions.

to see things new

 I am not interested in shooting new things - I am interested to see things new.

 - Ernst Haas

Album Cover Challenge #124

  One of my favorite challenges over at 365project is the Album Cover Challenge, where you create a "mock" album cover, using randomly generated Band name and Album title.  I (usually) enjoy the opportunity to channel my inner Hipgnosis....   I went through a period of posting my entries here, then it fell by the wayside.  I'm trying to post the old ones, to catch up, as it were.

 Check out the TAG to see all of the associated blog posts.

Here's my entry to Album Cover Challenge #124, way back in mid March 2021:

Throwback Thursday, Hocking Hills

 I was digging through the archives, looking for a specific oldie, and decided to go back to the root, the original "Straight Out Of Camera" file.  Which led me to browse through the other files from that day.  Which led me to finding a couple nice starting points I hadn't processed before.  So here you go:  3 newly processed files from way WAY back in May 2005.

This was Hocking Hills State Park, in Ohio.  I discovered HH during a trip to Columbus Ohio for an industry conference.  I had a free afternoon, and a rental car, and I het the woods!  So here's a few photos.  I was in a b&w mood lately, so that's where went with it:

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These were all taken with my long retired Nikon D70, the first digital camera I really loved (but not the last!)...

Missouri Botanical Garden

 

It was a warm (60's) early February day last Sunday, We met up w/ my oldest and the grandkids for a wander at Missouri Botanical Garden.  The light was very "flat", the outside parts were very brown, but we still saw lots of cool plants, and had a really nice afternoon.  I came up with quite a few photos that make me happy.  Click on each image to see a larger size.

In a motel, baby, like the Holiday Inn (1124c)

  Another in the series of photos in and around hotels while travelling.  Today is shots from July 2018.  Once again, the post title is from the old Elton John song:  CLICK.

Check out the TAG to see more from the series.

This is from the Holiday Inn Express in Apex, NC, in the Raleigh area.  From mid November, 2024.

Just another HIE...

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Lobby 1

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Lobby 2

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Room

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Detail 1

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Detail 2

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Bearing Witness

"Photography has been my way of bearing witness to the joy I find in seeing the extraordinary in ordinary.”

-  Harold Feinstein

December Winners, BetterPhoto.com

  Better Photo has announced the winners of their November contest, and I had a second place, along with 3x Finalists.  Always fun to get some recognition!

2nd Place winner:

Carolina Chickadee - Animals

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Finalists:

Cold Trail and Setting Sun

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Pittsburgh Skyline

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Orchid Buds 

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So, that's 1x Second Place, 3x Finalist and 0x Staff Favorite.  I also had 15x Editor's Picks, too many to post here.  So everything received some recognition.

Check out my photos HERE.