Night Photography - Sports and Long Exposure

I didn't have much time to capture a new image for Frank's weekly photography challenge this week. However, I do have a set of the night and long-exposure photography images in my Adobe Lightroom catalogue, which I will submit for the challenge.

Hotel Somerset, Somerville
Hotel Somerset, Somerville | Friday 28 September, 2018 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm | 15.0 sec at f/16 | ISO 200
Friday Night Football, Montgomery Highschool
Friday Night Football, Montgomery Highschool | Friday 14 September, 2018 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 22.7 mm | 140 sec at f/5.6 | ISO 12800
Lower Manhattan Cityscape from Harborside, Jersey City
Lower Manhattan Cityscape from Harborside, Jersey City | Saturday 28 July, 2018 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III | EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM @ 33 mm | 30.0 sec at f/22 | ISO 100
Lower Manhattan from J. Owen Grundy Park, Jersey City
Lower Manhattan from J. Owen Grundy Park, Jersey City | Saturday 28 July, 2018 | Canon EOS 5D Mark III | EF24-70mm f/4L IS USM @ 24 mm | 30.0 sec at f/13 | ISO 100
Schuylkill River. The lights on the houses on Boathouse Row outline each of the boathouses, giving them a Christmas-like display that reflects in the Schuylkill River. —Nikon D5100 + 18-300 mm f/3.5-6.3 @ (82 mm, 8.000 sec at f/16, ISO200), © Khürt L. Williams
Princeton Battle Monument —Nikon D5100 @ (35 mm, 59.000 sec at f/11, ISO100), © Khürt L. Williams
Morven Musem at Night — Nikon D5100 + AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 @ 35mm , 25 sec at f/8, ISO 100. Captured 28 April, 2015.

Technology

It was a busy week. I had not looked at what Frank had chosen for this week's challenge until Sunday morning. Several ideas came to mind about how to approach the photography challenge. I could take photos of my 35 film cameras next to my Fujifilm X-T2 and write about how much photography had changed, comparing the slow, steady advancement of film technology compared to the rapid pace of digital. I could focus - no pun intended - on writing about the technology of the Fujifilm X-trans cameras compared to DSLR. But then something happened that derailed my plans.

I was on the phone with my brother in Florida. We chatted about the environment, politics, public transport. About 45 minutes into our talk, I felt lightheaded. My vision was blurry. I suspected that I was hypoglycemic. I walked to the fridge to get some juice. I drank two glasses of sweetened lemonade. I must have realised that my situation was dire. I dropped that iPhone. I could hear my brother talking on the phone. I found and squeezed two glucose gel packs into my mouth and swallowed. I could feel myself blacking out. I grabbed the iPhone from the floor and pressed the screen lock button five times. The iPhone called emergency services and alerted my two emergency contacts.

I woke up with a voice on the phone calling my name. I talked to the person on the phone who told me that emergency services were on the way; could I open the door. I got my wife, who was sleeping in bed. She opened the door, and I had the Montgomery Township police and emergency services in my home, checking my vitals and cognition. From what we pieced together, the sensor for my CGMS had expired. That means that my early warning system for low blood glucose (BG) was offline, unable to warm me that my BG was trending low. I have hypoglycemic unawareness. The CGMS (Continuous Glucose Monitoring System) continuously measures my BG, alerting me when the BG goes out of range as well any rapid changes in BG and suspending insulin delivery if BG levels fall to dangerous levels. But the sensor had expired. And I didn't get the early warning.

I'm blessed to live in a time when people with diabetes (like myself) have technology like the CGMS and insulin pump that can help support them in managing the disease. I am grateful that I have technology like the iPhone that can be configured to contact emergency services and contacts. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law received SOS text messages alerting them that I needed assistance and provided map coordinates.

I was tired after all that anxious excitement so I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon talking with my family, and I called my brother back, and we talked for another three hours. He's incredibly easy to talk to. I didn't remember the challenge until much much later.

Technology ("science of craft", from Greek, techne, "art, skill, cunning of hand"; and, -logia[2]) is the collection of techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation. Technology can be the knowledge of techniques, processes, and the like, or it can be embedded in machines to allow for operation without detailed knowledge of their workings. Systems (e. g. machines) applying technology by taking an input, changing it according to the system's use, and then producing an outcome are referred to as technology systems or technological systems.Wikipedia

For the challenge, I decided to share some of the technology at my workspace. My cameras - Asahi Pentax SPII 35mm film camera and Dad's Asahi Pentax SPII 35mm film camera, Pentax P3 film camera, Fujifilm X-T2 mirrorless camera. My computers - iPhone, iPad Pro, iMac. My AKG N60NC headphones. Moleskine notebook and Pentel GraphicsGear 1000 mechanical pencil. And more.

This workspace is where I edit images. The technology is all software. No dark room. No, chemicals. No negatives.

IN my role as an information security consultant, this workspace is where I get things done when I work from home. More technology there too. Remote virtual desktop via a Citrix session. A physical computer, the iMac, controlling a session of a virtual Windows computer in a far away data centre.

So much technology. Could I ever have a life without it?

I've been a technologist all my life. Taking thing apart, learning how they work, making new things.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III + EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM @ (160 mm, f/8.0, ISO12800), © Khürt L. Williams

Profanation —

FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (40.1 mm, f/4.0, ISO5000), © Khürt L. Williams

Connections

I had my last treatment today and rang the bell. It's bell for patients who have completed their radiation treatment regimen to declare a victory loudly.

Renee, Jasmin, Jeff, and Rose have been very patient with me and making sure I am comfortable and ready for each treatment. At the first treatment, they had to remove the mask when I freaked out with an overwhelming feeling that I was drowning. The face mask felt like a wet towel over my face. My anxiety flared up three times during the first treatment. But each of these people made me feel safe to be vulnerable.

But they were gentle and kind and helped me prepare each morning. Lots of Xanax and a cup of Sleepy Time tea initially. Then much less Xanax.

In the two weeks, I was with them; I developed a connection to these people. There was a connection around the shared goal of helping me back to health. But there are other connections as well.

Renee and I discovered that we both loved Star Trek, especially the original 1960's television series. We’ve both seen all the television series as well as the movies, including the reboots. She’s a Trekkie! We commiserated about which episodes we loved and that we both didn’t like Star Wars as much. We had made a connection.

Rose and Jasmin both liked my socks. Let me explain, I have a nonmatching pair of socks that are sold that way. One has the design of R2D2, the other C3P0. So one blue sock and one gold-coloured sock to make a matched set. Rose loved it. It turns out she also loved wearing “funky” pattern socks. One day she wore socks with sushi patterns. Another day, it was flamingos. I wore a pair of socks with clinking beer steins. We had made a connection.

I have been documenting my progression with the treatment by taking a daily photo of the street scenes on 11 Street between Walnut, Samson and Chestnut Streets outside of the Bodine Center for Radiation Therapy. But this photograph of my care team is the best of all the images I have taken.

Thank you, Jasmin, Renee, Jeff, and Rose.