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Canon K2 (The Film Years)

     I was cleaning/packing for a move and found the drawer that all of my old/broken work cameras were stored in. It seemed like a great time to go through my photo collection and walk down memory lane. I'm breaking this into posts by camera starting with my first work camera, the Canon Rebel K2.      My dad bought me this camera when I gave up pre-med and was taking my first photography class in college. It was a black and white film photography class, which was dying out but still around. He got it for me at a Ritz Camera in Washington, PA. I used it for about two years before I retired it because it had an electrical short that no one could solve, and I couldn't trust it for my work as a photojournalist at the time.      Below are some of the notable adventures I had with this camera:     I already mentioned the B&W photography class, and while none of those photos really stick out to me (let's be honest, they were bad), the class itself deserves an honorable mentio
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Goal Zero Yeti 500X - Initial Review

    I bought a Goal Zero Yeti 500X portable generator at REI this weekend, and it seemed like a great excuse to write about it. I picked it up because I've always wanted to play with solar power, and I have at least one 10 day hiking/camping trip planned for the fall this year. I had been stressing about my photography stuff being off the grid for so long. I didn't want to deal with trying to charge my camera batteries (which are old) off the car alone. I also like backing up my photos to a laptop when I'm on trips, just in case. With all of that in mind, below are some initial thoughts.      I have known about the company, Goal Zero, for years now. Basically, they make solar panels and chargers/generators. They have quite the product line, from small phone chargers up to massive generators to run appliances. I'd been drooling over them, and solar power in general, from a distance until now.     Let me start with somewhat of a con, which I noticed before anything else.

Macbook Air 2020

      I wanted to take a moment to discuss some computer stuff. I have always been torn as a computer user. I really like Macs, but I also really dislike macs. I bought a Macbook Air this weekend, and I've been having a lot of feelings.      In case you don't know, I built my own desktop PC in 2011. I still use it today, with minimal upgrades. I maxed out the RAM, added more harddrives, and upgraded the videocard over the years. That's about it. It has been nice for a major base of operations for my photos and gaming. The portability on it sucks though. Because of that lack of portability, I've always kept a laptop around. When I worked at newspapers, we always had Macs, so my first good laptop in college was a Macbook Pro. I loved it. I've had many macs over the years, desktop and laptops, but that Macbook Pro was the game changer. That desktop tower of mine is starting to age out though. The processor mostly doesn't keep up well anymore. However, since it'

Jakob Dylan and Three Legs

     First, sorry about the quality. We all know by now how picky people are about you taking large SLR cameras in, and they are hard to hide. That leaves me with my powershot and grain.      Anyway, it was an amazing show. Jakob Dylan is a really nice guy too. IF you ever get the chance to meet him, I highly recommend it. They played a lengthy set that ended with "Three Marlenas" (A Wallflowers song from back in the day, and personal favorite), bantered a lot, sang to a baby, and so on. It is clear they were having a great time playing, and that always makes me feel good about being there. He also played a good cross-section of music from the new album "Women and Country" and his last album, "Seeing Things".

Two years

     So, My camera's protection renewal form was due today. That means that two years ago today, I got my first serious digital camera and started down the path I am on now. Two years ago, my serious love of photography started to grow at an amazing rate. Anyway, this is the second photo I attempted for this post. For the first, I stacked all my 48 cameras I own. On top of the heap, was the 40D.      What changed my mind was that today, for a job interview I might get selected for, I needed to get my passport. I thought it was a fitting coincidence that I needed to do that today, on what I consider the anniversary of the start of my career. The photo is a representation of my past and future. The photowipes, and negatives are from my darkroom days. The passport was my great grandfathers to get into this country, and the camel picture is a long story. I will come back to it.      Anyway, I suggest looking back through the archives to see what I have done specifically, but I wanted

Two years, Rejected photo

This is the first photo idea I had for the two year mark...

Check

Chess sets are one of those things I always see photographed in black and white, and I decided while I was checking my camera, I might as well set it up. I think it turned out alright, but not my greatest work.