exsulto

toolmarks indicate 3d printing

2011-11-15T07:09:00.001-08:00

toolmarks indicate 3d printing, a photo by Tuzen on Flickr.

The robots will decorate themselves with our bones. Practical machines may consider lightweight-synthetic alternatives, but nothing says status like a string of skulls.

Wet Floor

2011-06-05T08:21:00.001-07:00

Wet Floor by Brian Williams

The Lego Photo app is great fun. Each tap quickly animates a new Lego interpretation of any photo into amazing Lego color.

Many photos may benefit from such creative treatment. I'll bet this can save a few blurry photos, and bestow needed color and contrast to others.

#8647 - Zebra

2011-05-15T08:54:00.001-07:00

#8647 - Zebra
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

This image is so ridiculous it makes me smile. All photographic variables are so completely aligned in this purpose that any effort to reclaim seriousness are lost. This zebra is so fat that he could never have existed outside a gated community.

The animal is in pursuit of bread and the only function of his camouflage, without a zeal of cohorts, is to disappear his tiny head against his enormous body.

The image is made from extreme levels and contrast adjustments, then cutout. I might also do some clean-up painting & erasing at some point.

DoubleSpeak Workflow

2011-05-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

#6908E - Produce Scale
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

It is imperative that individual authentic self is actualized for positive life outcomes. Behavior modification serves as primary leverage in determining incremental accuracy. Base cultural workflows of packaged behaviors, invented by prescient peoples or otherwise, are not automatically suited for the individual. These base workflows should be methodically examined and customized toward authentic outcomes.

Resistance to optimized workflows is to resist individual authentic outcomes.

Base cultural workflow packaged behaviors are largely undocumented, or dense, thus base cultural outcomes are predominately unexpected. A process of individual documentation serves workflow optimization for both intermediate and ultimate outcomes.

Workflows do not exist domain isolated, but coupled. Behavior modification optimizing an intentional workflow is expected to impact numerous unintentional workflows. All intermediate outcomes should be evaluated for total increased authenticity.

Minus Teleconverter

2011-04-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

94 sol eclipse 11
Originally uploaded by Bart Benjamin

It seems to me that any full frame lens could become a DX lens with a minus-teleconverter, if such a thing were constructed. The advantage would be that full-frame lenses could be made faster on DX bodies. Perhaps my 300-f/4 could become a 200-f/2.8 simply by reducing the image circle!

I'm sure that I'm not the first person to consider this. My best guess is that the economics of this minus-teleconverter don't appear to pan out well enough for Nikon to make one. Perhaps sports and wildlife photographers would consider another DX body for their existing lenses if it were faster?

Estrela 28

2011-04-16T08:21:00.001-07:00

#11723 - Estrela 28
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

Portugal's color shows in the old neighborhoods. The morning street markets bring out crowds, and the rail cars haul them over the steep hills.

In this image i was more selective than usual with the black lines. Only my main subjects are outlined to help them pop from the busy background.

Leavenworth

2011-04-10T10:37:00.001-07:00

#11324 - Leavenworth
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

No walls were tagged in the making of this image. It's a combination of two photos I took with friends in Leavenworth, WA.

Two copies of the head are layered above the wall layer, first is overlay blend, then a darken blend. Next I adjusted their opacity as needed.

Royal Lion

2011-04-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

#11828 - Royal Lion
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

The original photograph was terribly blurred. It was taken from, perhaps, a cake dish in one of the many museums we visited in Portugal. It was a fine example to practice on.

The first layer starts with the 'cutout' effect, and the second layer is a 'stamp' layer set to multiply with a mask for cleanup with a brush.

After 'stamp' cleanup was complete, still needed to cleanup the 'cutout' layer. I magic selected, sample all-layers, the remaining 'stamp' detail. Then I expanded and filled this selection to help create a mask for the 'cutout' layer.

Admit None

2011-04-05T22:30:00.001-07:00

#10007 - Admit None
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

I've attempted this image before, but I think I got it this time. The ticket stub waited for over a year, on the sad table of someday props.

The first cutout "colors" layer adjusted clean except for a shadow that I painted out.

The second stamp "lines" layer was my new trick. I added a mask and painted away about half the grunge. The blend mode is multiply.

Siamang on a String

2011-03-26T09:07:00.001-07:00

#12025 - Siamang
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

At the zoo I was trying to catch ape shapes with limbs outstretched, separated with daylight. This was the best example.

I edited this image with a goal of trying to pop the ape from the dense background. Also, I wanted to preserve detail on the very dark subject while reducing busy details in the background.

Initially the background leaves and sky stole the eye. I decided to lower the contrast and reduce the color until my subject started to win.

I enjoy the clarity the line-drawn treatment provided. Perhaps the final image has increased confidence and fewer obligations.

Farming is Bad?

2011-02-25T14:18:00.000-08:00

Image by The U.S. National Archives

My business teacher explained that the most efficient and least-risk strategy is to determine what a target customers wants and produce it quickly. I’ve seen this strategy illustrated with the Content Farm. He would probably say that premium quality is a consideration for established brands moving upmarket, not worth major investment in version one.

The problem with content farms is that they were able to hide competing high-quality content, eliminating market pressure to improve. These businesses would just skip ahead to increase scale and profit. Imagine that you found some way to hide your best competition so that customers only found you. Doing this wouldn’t be very efficient for the customers.

Established brands have to worry about their reputations. They have a business incentive to play fair and deliver quality above their peers. I expect that established brands will want to stay away from content farming and other tricks, while poor brands have very little to lose.

Circus Dude

2011-02-23T21:38:00.001-08:00

Circus Dude
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

I'm movable in my way, and celebrating presidents day.
I got a nice hat, baby I was born this way.

Trigger Testing

2011-02-20T22:03:00.001-08:00

#12207E - Northern Flicker
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

It was a clear day so I dumped a hand-full of bird seed in front of the camera robot and set the Nikon on a tripod. This was the first test test of the contraption outside with the critters.

The outdoors are brighter than I had expected, so I see that my sensor math will need adjustment. An unforeseen bonus, however, is that all the images have the same registered background. That will make it easy to photoshop various critters together.

The laser was up near the flicker's head, but the junco was captured about 6" lower because he was moving. I've read that to capture a bird in flight, I should aim the camera about 1-2 feet past the trigger.

fiend request

2011-02-18T19:54:00.001-08:00

fiend request
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

Recent radio news is full of oppressive regimes being pressured for change by social unrest, and how whole populations of people are largely getting organized with social media and digital networks.

It caught my attention how very quiet these social media and network corporations have been, and how both the oppressors and the oppressed are using American technologies. U.S. companies need to keep on the right side here, or face penalties.

Robot Camera

2011-02-13T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have my DIY laser trigger for the Nikon D300s up and running. A Parallax Basic Stamp controls a small laser, a photo-resistor, and an optoisolator (NTE3222) to the camera release. The laser bounces off a small mirror to the photo-resistor, and the camera takes a photo when the beam is broken. The design is a collection of ideas I've been reading about, and parts I have.

In software I need to calculate the ambient light value with the laser off, then calculate the value with the laser on; this creates a perceptible blinking. I'm starting to think it would be faster if I replace the photo-resistor with a photo-transistor. Every millisecond counts with subjects racing through the frame.

The laser must be aligned with the mirror and the photo-resistor. For this reason, a really bright laser would be very helpful when trying to line things up in daylight. I turn it off right before the camera release, so it won't appear in the photograph.

Privacy Crossword

2011-01-28T12:36:00.001-08:00

Privacy Crossword
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

I was taking some "Privacy Day" training today, and as part of the self-check there was a crossword puzzle. We laughed at the level of professionalism implied in a crossword, and then thought it would be funnier this way.

Watermarking for Fun

2011-01-15T12:11:00.001-08:00

#6598 - Holy Spirit
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

Photographers complain about visibly watermarking photos. They mostly complain about terrible looking watermarks, but they also about the time it takes to do it.

I too have opinions; if one does not spend the time required to do a nice watermark it can really look terrible. I usually don't understand watermarks designed to destroy value; they create a negative story.

I've decided a good watermark will add value. I see these works as commercial pieces with my intentions embedded. As I practice this thoughtful approach, I find that I like the additions.

"Do we really have to do this?" No, but we will miss opportunities to tell our stories. Each edit may be unique to the photograph and should fit the story we have in mind.

"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them" -Galileo Galilei

Hot Biomass

2011-01-03T16:04:00.001-08:00

#11991e - Hot Biomass
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

The technician fixed our hopper-switch and installed the stove-surround today, so I decided to grab a picture. It's still missing one final piece of surround trim that was scratched, and I've not yet bothered to hide the wiring.

While it was off, I cleaned the glass, and plugged in the watt-meter. On stand-by, it uses zero watts, on start-up it was up around 425 watts, and then on low it uses 75 watts. This will help me size a small power back-up solution.

The Robot Stove

2011-01-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

Our robot pellet-stove insert was installed on December 27th, just in time for a cold-snap. It's a good looking Quadra-Fire Santa Fe nested inside the fireplace and vented up through the chimney. The idea is that I can fill it up with renewable biomass about once a day, and the robot stove should do nearly everything except empty the ashes. Our old fireplace, useless for heat, would eat $5 of wood in about an hour, while this efficient machine might go for 24 hours on low. Once we get all the kinks fixed, I plan to find good locally produced wood-pellets.

Installation is tricky, and includes climbing on the roof, so we had the dealer handle it. This robot has fancy switches, motors, and modes of operation that add-up to a fair amount that might shutdown the heat. We got a bad hopper switch that needs to be fixed, and since I've had to do most of the trouble-shooting myself it still feels like a DIY project.

Eventually I would like to add battery backup and a digital thermostat to fully trick it out. When we lose power in our annual winter storms, it would be great to keep the heat on. I need to measure the electrical usage with my watt meter.

Geek Squash

2010-12-19T08:47:00.001-08:00

Geek Squash
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

I've decided the iPad is good for something, and that is drawing. I think of it as a notebook with infinite pages, but the zoom is what really tickles me. My meager skills with a pencil are greatly improved by the zooming.

I got one of those Pogo stylus and Sketchbook Pro. I tried some drawing with my finger, but either it got tired too quickly or perhaps I draw too slowly. With the Pogo stylus I was able to draw for hours without finger fatigue.

As for other iPad stuff? The web browser doesn't seem to completely work with many of the pages I tried browsing, but the soft keyboard works fine for writing.

Palacio Nacional da Pena

2010-11-13T08:17:00.001-08:00

#11651 - Palacio Nacional da Pena
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

All I needed to do was crop this photo square, because square is all I want anymore. It's a great feeling, on that rare occasion, when I discover a keeper straight out of the camera.

For this shot I hid the blinding sun behind one of the pillars. I had to move my feet around, crouch a bit, and then wait a few seconds in the frame for some people to move out. If you strike a crazy pose and point a camera at strangers, they do tend to move out.

Later, back at the hotel, I adjusted the exposure a touch darker in Lightroom.

Art Prints on Etsy

2010-10-31T08:50:00.001-07:00

#7790 - Sparrow 01
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

I've finally opened a shop selling some of my art photography prints at http://exsulto.etsy.com. The art photography world is ultra-super competitive, and so it has taken a long time for me to collect a portfolio of images that I thought might compete. The whole process should be very educational.

Etsy is a classy place. I first noticed this when my sister opened her shop out there. I think it stands apart from the other merchant sites that I work with. Traffic here is probably lower, but that shouldn't be an issue for me since I like to do my own marketing. I hope that my work will resonate with the crafty crowd, but that remains to be seen.

One cool feature I've discovered on Etsy is that web analytics is well integrated in for marketing. Conversion tracking is missing, but I hear this is something that they are already thinking about adding. Still, I decided that Etsy would be better for me than a DIY approach to marketplace.

#9638 - Exsulto

2010-10-19T22:48:00.001-07:00

#9638 - Exsulto
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

I made a number of photographs of these geese as they flew by hoping that at least one would be nice and sharp. We we looking for eagles at the time, so I had all the gear out when these four came by.

The sun is behind these birds, creating a nice silhouette; the camera exposed for the sky. Then, back at the ranch, I digitally desaturated the photo, rendered the lens flare, then created a hue adjustment to create the color I liked.

Even though I hear it all the time, I'm still shocked what a huge difference only a touch of light can make.

Reach - No Sabre

2010-09-19T11:23:00.001-07:00

#10368E - No Sabre
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

Like millions of people, I've been playing some Halo on Xbox, and enjoying most of the new stuff. However, there is one level of the Reach campaign where we are forced to fly the Sabre in space. It was definitely dull in space, until I got back on my feet. My real commute is more interesting and significantly shorter.

The next morning, I captured my negative reaction to the space plane in Photoshop. I already had a collection of interesting signs, and so I didn't have to do very much to create the one above.

horizontal fireworks

2010-08-21T08:26:00.001-07:00

#10983 - FSG Machining
Originally uploaded by Tuzen

Capturing this bullet explosion was much like firework photography. When shooting fireworks, I adjust the exposure for something like a 5 second shot, and use a tripod. This was very similar, but horizontal, and a slightly shorter 3 second exposure.

We turned out all the lights on the range. Next we had to figure out the best timing. When shooting much slower fireworks, I press the remote when I hear the boom. In this case, we used a count to three and I pressed the remote shutter on two, a second before the shot was fired.

Lastly, since the shutter was set to three seconds, and I was already open to f/4, I had to adjust the ISO until I got a good looking exposure. What loud fun we had!