Well, pretty simple post here. Just thought I’d pop up two more images from last weekend that are fairly stylized. I like the final results and thought I’d share. 
3 Exposure HDR, then Photoshop and Topaz.
3 Exposure HDR, then Photoshop and Topaz.
Oh no, he’s going to vent! If you’d like, just skip this post. See, sometimes I use this blog for “therapy.”
So, this morning I stopped by my physician’s office. I’m having the “multi-rootcanaled” tooth removed on Thursday. But while we wait I still feel awful. Abdominal pains back, kidneys hurt (yes, I can feel them), and a host of other issues including some whopper dizzy spells and hot flashes. It all reminds me of 2005 when this garbage started.
Yesterday I got some blood work done and followed up today with the doctor. My blood counts are back to completely inhuman. I haven’t had results like this since the Spring of 2005. Only a few months ago I received my first “normal” blood score in 5 years and I was thrilled. It was right after several rounds of Cipro and the re-root canal. That was exciting.
Now here we are today. Screwed up blood work once again! And this time around the Cipro isn’t doing jack. 14 days of Cipro, and no real positive motion. We’ve switched to a new antibiotic, and I’ll start on that tonight. Don’t ask me the name, I haven’t got a clue.
Thursday we’ll remove the offending tooth. This should be it. And if we can get the infection under control and wiped out I might just feel like a normal human being again. Heck, my diet might go back to all the fun food I can’t eat now and sorely miss. That would be great.
So, why do I call this a venting post? Where’s the rage and anger? Here it is in a nutshell……..
5 years ago I asked 5 different doctors if my issues could be stemming from the tooth and the initial root canal. I asked 3 different oral surgeons the same question. Across the board I was told it wasn’t possible. My abdominal issues, the high white count and eosinophils, exhaustion, nausea, inflamed intestines, allergic reactions, and the rest of the annoying medical issues I’ve dealt with for the past 5 years were things I have learned to live with. Not happily, more like begrudgingly…..
Only a few months ago I found out all these experts were wrong. The cipro and redoing the root canal gave me a few months of relief. You wouldn’t believe my energy level for that short period. It was amazing, and I felt like I was back! This little back slide has demonstrated beyond any doubt…..the tooth was the issue the whole time.
How different would my life be right now had one of the folks back in New England listened to me? Instead of treating a patient like a customer at a McDonalds, really listened to me and investigated where I felt the issue started? What would be different? Marital breakdown averted in that world? Would I still live in NH? Maybe still in the wireless engineering game? In a paid for home (we didn’t over leverage, we did all the right things). The bitter part that pops to mind says, “Where’s my bailout?”
And I know, I know…… Look what I’ve gained. And what I’ve learned. And where I’ve landed. I know all that stuff guys. But still, 5 years of feeling crappy and questioning yourself takes a toll. I’m just looking forward to the final resolution at this point. And yup, when you’re feeling bad you sometimes look at the losses you’ve incurred because of it.
In the end, cross your fingers we can actually kill the infection. It’s a bitch to be sure. It survived months of amox and penicillian back in New England, nearly a month of Cipro last year, and 14 days of Cipro which just ended today. Unwelcome guest (the infection) be gone already!
Alright, thanks for indulging my venting. If nothing else, I feel better about getting that out of my head!
3 exposure HDR. All work done in Photomatix.
It’s a fact. HDR doesn’t have to be surreal.
While shooting in Vulture last Saturday John asked me my opinion on HDRs for landscape. We were walking along between buildings when the question was posed, so we stopped and set up a few landscape HDRs for processing later.
Personally, I think HDRs for landscapes ROCK! It’s my belief, at least how I see the world, that I have more success representing the scene I witnessed with HDR. It could be that my vision is a little funky of course…….
John’s concern was that there would be too many tell tale signs that the image was in fact an HDR. You know, Halos, unrealistic shadows, too much of a crunchy painted quality, etc…….. I assured him all those issues didn’t need to crop up in an image and we’d try one out on Sunday.
We spent so much time on workflow, the ins and outs of Photomatix, Topax, etc, that we almost didn’t play with the landscape. But as I browsed the library I saw the landscape images, stopped on them, and decided to take a crack at it.
0 EV from the original RAW file.
Glad I did it.
In the span of about 5 minutes we tuned the 3 exposure HDR to a point where it was agreed, that was very close to the scene we witnessed on Saturday. What a nice way to demonstrate how quick it was to use Photomatix in a less stylized way.
If you’re digging HDR, try doing some super realistic images with it. Sure, the stylized stuff is cool, and I enjoy creating those types of images. But there’s a whole big world of what you can do with HDR.
While going through yesterday’s workshop we had a little fun with Lightroom, Photomatix, and Topaz. Thought I’d share a few versions of the same image, and what was used.
3 Exposure HDR and then applied a lightroom antiqued effect.
3 Exposure HDR and then applied a lightroom high contrast black and white.
Finally, my favorite. 3 exposure HDR, then run through Topaz Adjust 4.
If you can’t tell, we decided to do a few “aged photo” effects with an HDR to see what we liked. Personally, version 3 works for me. But I’ve got to work on those blown out highlights in the sky in the middle. Yuck. Fixing those I think #3 would be a pretty cool image.
Want to see the original color version of the HDR? Click here.
Yesterday was the absolutely right day to be out taking pictures for this “workshop weekend.” And today was spot on for being inside and talking software and post processing. See, blowing snow with near with rapid accumulation just doesn’t seem like the right time to be taking pictures……in my humble opinion!
Today was day 2 of the weekend workshop for HDR workflow here in Prescott. Yesterday was a great day down in Vulture, and today we picked up the session on the software side of things. You know, you’ve gotten home from a fun shoot and now you’re looking to offload images, make your picks, and get into some post production work! Ah, the excitement!
This morning we were going to do a little shooting around town to gather a few more images to work with for the post processing session. Unfortunately Mother Nature showed up with some foul weather. Cold winds, colder rain, and then some more of that snow stuff we’ve been seeing…….
I won’t complain too much. Living in Arizona for 3 years now I’ve learned that you should always be happy to receive precipitation. Never turn it away!
So, we started into the workflow segment of the class early today. And honestly, that was fine. We used the time well, covered a lot more detail regarding Lightroom setup, catalog management, and many of the finer points of what Lightroom has to offer. And it certainly has a lot to offer.
While we were discussing Lightroom’s usage we came across the same theme several times. Photoshop seems to be the tool for super heavy lifting when post processing, and Lightroom seems to have stepped up to be the tool of choice for most of the simpler work needed after you’ve offloaded your images. So, how much do you really need Photoshop now? The jury was left out on that one, but you can seriously do a ton of work with Lightroom today. Wonder what the final incarnation of Lightroom 3 will look like with all the Beta Testers’ feedback…….
As we worked forward with the workshop today I couldn’t help but look out the window. The room we were using has an entire wall of windows, and I was facing not only today’s participants, but also the outside world. And as the day progressed the weather got downright nasty. Wind and snow, accumulation on the roads, and the question popped into my mind, “Hey, is this going to stop or are we really having another legit snow storm?”
It worked out that the “squall” tapered off, and the melting commenced. By the time we ended today’s session a light drizzle was going on, and most of the snow had melted off of my truck.
I think we had a pretty good time today. And my overall gut feel says that future workshops will improve and get even better. We covered a great deal, and talked about so many ways to approach the same image and really make it your own artistic endeavor. That was a lot of fun. Personally, I enjoy seeing what other people do with their work as much as I enjoy creating my own!
After we finally broke up the session this evening I made my way home. Very chilly, very wet, and extremely gray. That was the scene at the Airstream. Didn’t diminish what I found to be an extremely fun day. When the weather outside is frightful, get together with a few folks and talk shop…..or Photoshop…..or even Photoshop Lightroom!
Finally, I wanted to point out a fun little theme in the previous post and this current post. I focused my attention yesterday on some window shots, and more specifically trying to make some fun HDR’d window shots. These images are in homage of Jason’s recent post “ode to windows,” over at CanonBlogger. Okay, that wasn’t really the title of his post, just me being a wise guy. You can check out his actual post here. I suppose the next step would be a haiku written by a photo blogger regarding windows. We’ll just escalate the entire concept to a new level……
See what happens when I step away from the blog for a few days? I get all pent up and turn into quite the wise apple. Guess I’ll have to work on my regular blogging pattern……
Of course, if somebody out there does create a haiku dedicated to windows, please be sure to pass me the link…….
Yesterday if you were looking for me in Prescott I was nowhere to be found. Where was I?
The Vulture Mine. Yup, returned to an old favorite for the first HDR Workflow Workshop. I’ll tell you this much….the weather cooperated with us in a big way!
Last night the rain and thunder rolled in. But yesterday morning and afternoon…..oh the sky put on a show! Often I’ve been asked, “Did you add that sky into your image?” The answer is always “no.” The sky added itself in.
Well, the sky really worked with us yesterday!
Today we’ll be shooting around town for the morning. Hopefully the weather will cooperate, but it’s looking a little gray outside for the moment. We’ll walk Prescott, set up for a few more HDRs, get some single exposures as well, then make our way over to the Firehouse Plaza. Since the group is small enough I’m using one of the currently open units to run the class. Works out well.
This afternoon we’ll be covering basic Lightroom setup, managing your catalogs properly (that question came up yesterday) and then using Lightroom 2 to manage the post processing workflow once you return from a shoot.
After covering Lightroom we’ll be talking about the integration with Photomatix (the great Lightoom plugin), and also integration with Photoshop. With the scenes available to us yesterday, and some scenes from around town this morning, we should have a fun selection of images to work with.
So, there’s where the workshop is at, and I’ll give a wrap up this coming week on the first HDR Workflow Workshop.
Oh, and sorry for being away from the blog for a few days. Busy, a little run down, and getting some extra rest early. That’s what’s been going on for me. Didn’t want to come across as a sleepy guy for participants, so I’ve been conserving energy! 
Seems to have worked well!
Ian and his assistant putting the finishing touches on the new bar. The lighting is natural light through the windows camera left.
This weekend is just chock full of stuff……
For me, I’ll be at the Vulture Mine on Saturday, then Sunday here in town. The first HDR Workflow class takes place this weekend, and it should be fun! Of course, I’ll be missing some events in Prescott on Saturday……..
This weekend the Firehouse Plaza will be having a “BIG” event. It promises to be the kind of event that’s standing room only. So, if you’re in town you might want to stop on by to see what’s happening.
See, the 125th Anniversary of the Prescott Fire Department is this weekend. And they’ve decided to hold their celebration at the Old Firehouse Plaza. Hey, my gallery is located there!
The Firehouse Kitchen’s new owners decided to get in on the festivities, so there will be big doings all afternoon. I believe that our section of Goodwin Street will be blocked off on Saturday. Don’t worry, there’s parking in the Granite Street garage, right behind the plaza.
Ian "posing" for his big appearance on the blog.....
Coupled with the event will be the reopening of the newly expanded Firehouse Kitchen’s upstairs bar area. My business partner Ian Russell has been up there for the last 2 weeks working hard to have the new bar ready. See, beyond being an accomplished water color artist, Ian is also a licensed stone mason. So he’s been busily working on the whole remodel / expansion for the guys at the Firehouse.
I’m sorry to miss the events on Saturday, but I’ll be having my own fun. Sharing the Vulture Mine Ghost Town. We’ll be covering all the buildings at Vulture and working on ways to deal with the extremes in contrast that the place has to offer. Broken and open roofs, dark corners of buildings, poorly lit interiors with spikes of light coming in from random angles…… Yup, the Vulture mine is a great location to learn about HDR and other techniques to deal with extremes in lighting conditions!
Fun!
So, if you’re in Prescott this weekend you’ll miss seeing me at the gallery. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop by the Plaza and the Gallery. There’s going to be a good deal happening!
Well, this past weekend was definitely a quiet one! Decided to lay low, let the antibiotics do their work, etc, etc…….
Since it was a quiet weekend that means my little experiment that I’ve been talking about has been postponed. March 14th I’ll get another chance at it, so be watching the blog a few days after to see the results. Heck, I can’t wait to see the results.
That weekend will be interesting. March 11th I’ll be loosing the tooth that has caused so many problems. For a guy who has had very few cavities in his life, this one tooth sure has caused a lot of trouble.
I was hoping to have this squared away sooner, but things always seem to get in the way. The paperwork regarding the extraction was not received according to the young lady I spoke with this morning. It’s a shame too, as paperwork is oh so important…… See, last week after getting checked out again at Dr. Brimhall’s the front desk staff called to get me scheduled for the extraction. Unfortunately, the woman at the other office would not take the information over the phone and insisted on the paperwork being sent over…….
Next day I called to see if it was received, and it wasn’t. Calling Dr. Brimhall’s office I learned it was sent out…….. I called back again to the other office and was assured I’d receive a call the moment it came in. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday….no call. So I stopped in this morning. A stack of mail was sorted in front of me, but nothing according to the young lady. She called Brimhall’s office, and magically was able to schedule me without paperwork. Very odd that she couldn’t do the same last week….. 
For the past few months my regular dentist has had a new receptionist. She’s anything but helpful. I’m leaving his name out of this post because I feel he is a good dentist, but has the wrong person now serving as the greeter and scheduler. When the whole re-infection started she blew me off, finally offered some other referrals, etc. It went downhill from there when she scheduled a procedure too far out for anyone’s comfort, so I had to go to another office again. Finally, with this issue, putting me out another week and a half, I’ve decided that this will be the last service I get with my dentist. What a shame. For a fact, I know several other people who have now had issues with the front desk at this office. I fear business will be lost if the situation isn’t addressed.
Frankly, I wish Dr. Brimhall could do the whole thing for me, but he can’t. Bummer.
So, I’ll get the extraction done next week. The Cipro is starting to work, and maybe waiting a little longer is a good thing (that’s what I’m telling myself). And not having it done this week means that the upcoming Workshop will have me at close to peak performance!
Beyond scheduling issues, things are okay. Last week kept me busy at the gallery, and this week is shaping up to be busy as well. More canvas to run. More one on one classes. All good stuff!
Well, there’s the wrap. Apologies for a boring post. Hey, can’t always be exciting new stuff, right?
Sometimes you just can’t meet all your own expectations. Like today for instance. I shouldn’t be at the gallery, or in Prescott for that matter. Where should I be?
Anza Borrego.
That’s right. It’s time for my annual trip out to Borrego Springs, but I’m not on my way this year. I’m sorry to break this tradition, but things do come up and you roll with them.
February of 2007 I found myself parked in Borrego Springs on the recomendation of my new (at the time) friends Bill & Larry. Sure enough, they were right. Extremely cool park! I spent some time exploring the area, and finally departed March 13th of 2007 to make my way to Sedona, and then Cortez. See, I had decided to make Cortez, CO my new home. Unfortunately it was still too cold in Cortez, so I figured I’d check out Sedona for a few weeks before moving on.
March 13th my GPS routed me to Sedona on the fastest route. The route took me right through Prescott, AZ. What an interesting ride. Up Route 89, crazy curves and all. With the Airstream in tow mind you.
When I passed through Prescott I was pretty impressed. A cute little town. Pretty landscapes, not too crowded, etc, etc, etc. I continued on toward Sedona and kept Prescott in the back of my mind.
Sedona worked out to be way too touristy to me. So, after 3 days in the area I made one of those executive decisions….. I’d return to Prescott to take a look around.
3 years later I’m still here! And I own a business in town. Go figure.
So, I have returned to Borrego the past few years on a “gratitude” trip. Borrego was a place I enjoyed immensely, and it helped lead me to Prescott. There’s a lot to be grateful for there.
This year though, no Borrego trip. Too much else going on. You know. Small business owner = no disposable income. Plus we’ve now thrown the whole jaw surgery thing into the mix, and that’s really going to nuke disposable income for the foreseeable future…..bummer. But hey, life happens. And sometimes traditions get broken. This year we’re breaking one.
Hopefully this time next year things will be squared away and I can do another trip out to Borrego. There’s still more exploring to do out there, and I sure would like to continue some traditions.
In the meantime, while not photographing this year’s desert bloom, I’ve found other things to photo. This morning I popped up to the Firehouse Kitchen’s new bar area, and took a few photos of the construction crew hard at work.
So, I just had to share this one with you, and I think readers will appreciate it!
Chris Marzonie popped by the gallery the other day with a few images for his upcoming show over at the Raven Cafe. In addition to the photos he brought in, he also had one extra PSD file for me to take a look at. I’ll tell you what, the image is great, and it cracked me up just a bit.
See, Chris will be getting a certain amount of wall space for his upcoming show. So he figured out how many images he’d need, and what size. He then grabbed a ruler, made some mental conversions on size, and arrived at a scale where he could layout the wall in Photoshop. He then resized his images for the Photoshop file mock up, and voila……..
Each image has a size below it, and for good measure he included a human to show the scale of what we’re talking about……….
Now, if that isn’t a well prepared client I don’t know what you’d call it. Well, maybe you’d call him a closet engineer.
Very cool Chris!!!! By the way, I’m printing one of your 32×48 canvases while I type. Looking really cool!
Created by Philip Norton
