Reading List - Check cashing and bookstores, photographic process, hindered by the past

Is the ratio of bookstores to cash checking stores an indication of the quality of a neighbourhood?

Check Cashing places are horrible, predatory establishments—often owned by big name banks, by the way—that feed off the misfortune of poor working people. And bookstores are for people who read for fun, a.k.a., “the rich” in today’s messed up world.Bookstores vs. Check Cashing Places

Some thoughts from Olaf on the often-used (misused) term, "photographic process".

To summarize, your emotions, happiness, sadness, peace or anxiety –are all part of you – and they should become an important part of your seeing. Don’t be afraid to use your mood, honeyed or not, to observe, see and create. And never, ever use the mantra “enjoy the process” as an excuse. After all, if you are a photographer, great imagery should always be your goal.Olaf

Shirley Elkin thinks that modern photography is hindered by a devotion to the past.

It seems that technology moves too fast for our own taste: In comparison to the photos of the past, the sharp and precise digital imagery modern cameras produce seem to be lacking character. And so we imbue them with a sense of authenticity through vintage filters, creating a mashup of old and new that’s neither there nor quite here.

Taste is obviously subjective and there’s nothing wrong with vintage optics, but it goes to show how our taste is under the spell of a bygone era: While photo engineers crank out new technology for more life-like photos, we edit the imperfections back in. Our very idea of what makes a beautiful photograph is anchored in the past, even though the present gives us plenty to explore.Lars Mensel

Duke Farms

Despite severe allergies and feeling tired from another photo event the previous day, I decided to join a group of photographers for a walk through the Duke Farms estate in Hillsborough. I popped one Zyrtec one Singulair, squeezed a mist of Nasonex in each nostril and drove the ten minutes to the estate. Once again, I met with Ed and Prasanna, our leader Loren, and a few other people from my last photo walk.

The first stop along the path was the waterfall feature. On the last photo walk, Ed and Loren had talked to me about Neutral Density filters. I learned that an ND filter is essential for creating that creamy white water look in photographs of waterfalls and rivers. After some online research I purchased a Hoya 55mm Neutral Density ND-400 X, 9 Stop Multi-Coated Glass Filter from B&H to use on my Nikon 18-55mm f/5.6 lens. I used it for the first time today. What do you think of the result (above)? With some trial and error, I took a 20-second exposure of the waterfall at f/22.

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Above is a closer crop of the image.

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I didn’t take many photos on this photo walk. I had too much fun being outdoors and enjoying the company of other photogs. Perhaps I’ll come back in a few weeks when the trees have more flowers.

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Some images were post-processed in Silver Efx Pro and Color Efx Pro.

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