Kitchens' Sink

Have been working with PSP Photo XI for awhile now and just noticed a VERY annoying bug that of course wouldn't be so obvious. When you duplicate an image in version X, the EXIF data is properly carried over to the copy -- so you can always preserve your originals. In version XI, however, the EXIF data is simply discarded in the copy.

Now a painful, but simple workaround, is to either work on your original directly and then remember to Save As... a new filename or do a Save As... right off the bat. Neither option is very convenient. In the former, you have to be careful of hitting Save (CTRL-S) during the editing process and overwriting the file accidentally (setting the read-only flag here would be helpful). In the latter, you have to commit to keeping the edited version prior to any edits -- such that if you find the photo isn't going to work, you have to remember to delete the working copy.

Word is that a patch from Corel is due in December. I think JASC used to be a lot faster at getting quick fixes out the door.

Ok... so this is supposed to be a blog, where I, as photographer, get to post and share some of my own images as well as discuss the process behind them. But in the course of developing this website as well as real-life issues, time has not been my friend. But finally I've gotten a moment to dig through my stash. And this flower is the result:



Nothing really spectacular, just a nice purple flower, perhaps even a weed? I'd love if someone could tell me what it is. It was growing at my in-laws' new house and I took some a few weeks ago that came out pretty poor because flash was required. I was back with some time during daylight and tried again. Hearty little bugger, since the other flowers in the vicinity were starting to dethrive from the cold.

As for the processing, used my normal PSP routines. One thing I've learned however, is that in post-processing, your routines must be variable. (Does that make them still routine?) But you have to gauge each step by the photo and the result. Don't just assume the what works for one image will work with every one. You have to assess and reassess. I've seen some great shots come in on the POTD contest where the photographers are forgetting this... and apply the same sharpening levels to each photo. It may work great on an landscape, but those animals and flowers look really bad.

Sorry, that's my deep thought for the day.

So here's another one... a brain teaser if you will. What is this a picture of? It's a common household object... To find out the answer, highlight the area between the asterisks below.



The answer is: *Paint brush bristles!

My wife was trimming down a new paint brush for a faux wall treatment and I walk in and find this neat pile of bristles just sitting on the kitchen counter. So I took them to another room where there was a lot of natural daylight and took several different shots. Some "action" shots with me dropping them from above, etc.*

You never know what is going to make a good picture.

Not a worldwide observance, but here in the USA it's Thankgiving Day -- a day for family, turkey, football, and rest before the Christmas shopping season begins. At some point today we hopefully give dedicated time to think of all we have to be thankful for -- and for most of us, it's a very great deal -- no matter our circumstances.

I'm with the in-laws this year, so I'm not in the kitchen cooking all day (bittersweet). I did manage to sneak in and make mashed potatoes and iced tea, but my turkey is thawing to cook on Saturday. But I'll leave you with this bird of mine from a previous year.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! (or if you're politically correct, Happy Holiday -- hey, if we cannot say Merry Christmas, why should we name any holiday?)

Meet Shmoopie... she was from a litter of three. One was adopted, the other didn't make it. Shmoopie is right now skin and bones, literally. She was malnourished and dehydrated when they found her -- and then she contracted pneumonia as well and lost even more weight. We've had her about a week now and she's getting friskier, eating well, and starting to put on weight. She's a beagle/hound mix, similar to Archer. Will post more shots for a good before/after compare.