Island in the Net by Khürt Williams
Technology and Photography Musings. Established circa 2000.
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.
The title of this post might suggest that is an entry for last week's photo challenge. But it isn't.
Last weekend, we celebrated Bhavna's 50th birthday by bicycling and bar hopping through Philadelphia's Old City. The we was me, Bhavna, her older sister, her younger sister, her brother, her three cousins, all their spouses, and Bhavna's best friend. Fifteen of us did the Big Red Pedal Tour around Old City. It was an entirely new experience for all of us. We visited three new pubs, Irish Pub, McGillin's Olde Ale House, and So Good where I tried three new ales. In between stops at the pub, we took turns pedalling on the bike. This was a new experience for my thighs and calves. Ow!
I also gained a new perspective on Philadelphia. I've only seen parts of this town and only in the early evening.
I rented a Fuji X100F for this occasion. The Canon EOS 5D Mk III would have been too conspicuous and difficult to carry. Besides documenting out new experience I wanted to try some street photography, which is something entirely new for me. Most people mistake the Fuji X100F for a film camera. The design and the small lens and knobs, to my mind, are less intimidating than the large bodies and lenses of the traditional DSLR.
Boathouse Row, Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @princeton_photo
This image was captured in 2016 during a field trip to Philadelphia's Boathouse Row with the Princeton Photo Workshop and instructor Richard Sherman.
My sensor must have been dirty that day. I removed at least ten of them using content-aware fill in Photoshop. I also removed a number of hot pixels. I then applied the Reflector Efex filter using Color Efex Pro 4. I didn't do any tweaking beyond this and I like the result.
Sometimes it is worth it to go back to an image taken in the past, images that I didn't get around to processing, images that I may have processed previously but could benefit from new techniques that I have learned. I think photography is one of those art forms where the techniques can be easy to learn in the beginning but it takes time to become skilled at its use. But even then, being skilled is not enough. The photographer must continue to experiment to hopefully develop the wisdom to what to do and when to do it. I am still on that journey and personal wisdom, the sort that comes with age, tells me that I must focus on the destination while also enjoying the journey. Modern psychology agrees, "those who focused on the future were less likely to be depressed".
A balance between the past, present, and future is needed. And a balance between the self and others. Where you’ve been, where you are, and where you are going are all important. And who you’re with.
Doing this is especially important given my recent challenges with Graves' disease and how it has impacted my energy and my ability to get outside with the camera. And perhaps this will allow me to rejoin Frank's weekly photochallenge.
