Isolation Photo Project, Day 60

I've taken many workshops but always in person; never online. I know many photographers are struggling right now, and some have attempted to move their workshops online. Given the cost (between $700-1100) of some online workshops, I have some serious concerns about how instructors will organise the online workshops to provide value for students.

My understanding is that a workshop is designed to teach new techniques in the field, teach new techniques in a studio or teach post-production and business skills. The first two are not possible remotely, so I assume these online workshops will focus on the latter.

For example, the Bruce Gilden Street Photography workshop is $950. Brian won't be there to coach his students around their local streets. From what I read, he will provide some initial instruction, assign homework, critique student images, and help them create a photobook. Is that worth $950? In my opinion, these are not workshops. They are "teach yourself stuff and get a photo critique" web seminars. The Arcanum, which shut down in the spring of 2019, was very much like that.

Would you pay $950 for two sessions of photo-critique? Am I too critical? Can online workshops provide value?


My hair has become unmanageable. I went looking for electric hair clippers, but it seems most online stores are out of stock and prices on eBay are double or triple the norm. But I am desperate. Last night I found a highly rated men's hair clipper, the Wahl Cordless Magic Clip, for sale on Sally Beauty for $116. That's way more than the normal price, but I have limited options. I've never cut my hair. I've always used a barber, most recently the Revival Barber Shop in Hillborough where expert hairstylist Angel, Aaron and Victor know me well. It's also where my nephews get their cool young boys haircuts. Trust me when I tell you that it will be extremely challenging for me to do a High Drop Fade + Crew Cut by myself. I just want it shorter at this point.


I made a peach vodka cocktail. I modified a Kentucky Peach Vodka Cocktail recipe I found on Creative Culinary. Shall I call this the Roaring Peach Vodka Cocktail? The drink was sweeter than I liked so one modification I'll try is using unsweetened lemonade.

Roaring Peach Vodka Cocktail

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients


- 1 oz Sourland Mountain Spirits Peach Flavoured Vodka
- 12 oz Sourland Mountains Spirits 1 Year Bourbon Whiskey
- 2 oz Lemonade
- 12 oz Simple Syrup

Directions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in the shaker with ice and shake well.
  2. Pour into an ice-filled glass and garnish with lemon and/or peach slices. Or not.

The recipe above uses markup, which allows it to be imported directly into most recipe apps including AnyList.

Submitted as part of the 100DaysToOffload project.

Isolation Photo Project, Day 59

Today was another uneventful day with beautiful outdoor weather and back to back conference calls. It was the kind of weather that would find me in the nearby woodlands for a Saturday morning hike, followed by brunch on the patio at the Brick Farm Tavern with a friend or brother-in-law, followed later in the day with a small cocktail at the Sourland Mountain Spirits. These days, it's just another day.

Bocce Ball | Wednesday 20 May, 2020 | Day 59 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 400

I remarked to some colleagues in the UK and Bhavna when she came home later in the day, that I needed some time off, a vacation. But where would I go? What could I do? In the time of a pandemic, a "staycation" just feels like a very long weekend. A few of my colleagues had planned vacations before COVID-19 and were working with human resources to get the days back. The whole thing is complicated by policies that require employees to use vacation time or lose them.

Wednesday 20 May, 2020 | Day 59 | FujiFilm X-T2 | XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR | f/8.0 | ISO 400
Submitted as part of the 100DaysToOffload project.

Back Porch Cocktail

Now that outdoor activity, including hiking in the woods and forests, is verboten, I have only one way left to deal with my anxiety and this prison that is now my home1.

  • 1 1/2oz Sourland Mountain Spirits Gin
  • 3/4oz. Lillet Blanc
  • 3/4oz. fresh lime juice
  • 4 mint leaves

Place all ingredients in a mixing glass, add ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass with sugar in the raw rim. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Recipe by Craig Holcomb.


  1. I cheated. I drank it on my front patio.