Notes from the Bench

New photography blog

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:58:00 +0000

Since "Notes from the Bench" was created to focus on my jewelry endeavors, I have started a second blog that will be more photography-centric. This should reduce the number of non-jewelry-related posts you have to wade through.

HDR is the new black is a blog devoted to my interest in High Dynamic Range photography. It is a controversial technique with many fans and detractors. Since I'm a bit of an evangelist about its merits, I thought I'd share what I am learning.

This way I don't have to struggle to keep my hobby A.D.D. under control -- I can just focus on the appropriate audience for my yammering.

Fire Agate Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:06:00 +0000

Finally! I finally finished something new. I wasn't happy with the inital setting for this fire agate, so I dismantled the ring and made a new setting. This time I used 22k bezels, 22k gold balls, and added a trillion cut peridot. The Argentium mokume gane ring band is the same one I used for the early version of this ring.

Odd coincidences

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:27:00 +0000

We went to play team trivia this week, and one question concerned a Carthaginian commander who crossed the Alps into Italy. We missed the answer (Hannibal), but the question reminded me of a friend of mine who enjoys ending his conversations with a quote from Cato that has something to do with the demise of Carthage.

(Apparently Marcus Porcius Cato -- not a fan of Carthage -- was fond of ending his speeches with his personal motto of "Carthago delenda est," or "Carthage Must be Destroyed".)

I was trying to recount the quote to my trivia teammates, and couldn't remember what it was. Of course at the time, I also couldn't remember the quote was that of Cato, and referred to him as "some Roman dude".

So, I sent a text message to my friend asking him to clarify the quote. Mind you, this is a friend who lives in another state, and we talk infrequently -- every few months or so. His text message response alluded to an email he had sent me that same evening.

What email I wondered?

Upon checking my email, I saw that he had sent me a message about 30 minutes before I texted him. Before the trivia question about Carthage.

His email closed with:
'Tis truly tragic, the need for war; however, I shall weep even harder until Carthidge has been destroyed.

Mantis

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:12:00 +0000

I spotted this little guy the other night when I got home; he appears to be living in one of my hanging planters. I don't know if he is young or just a small type of mantis, but at about an inch and a half long, he is very cute. I hope he hangs around feasting on the other insects.

Affordable Macro Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:43:00 +0000

Someone sent me a link to a great article on "Reverse Mounting Your Prime Lenses for Affordable Macro Photography" on digital-photography-school.com.

Basically, with a little $14 adapter, you can turn your inexpensive 50MM lens around and mount it backwards. This turns your basic 50MM lens into a macro lens of sorts.

You are going to have to manipulate your camera settings manually because the camera has no idea what you are up to once you disengage the lens from its normal position. But, with a little experimentation, you'll be on your way. It was easy to tell from a quick glance at the histograms when i was on the right track. The focal plane is so shallow that rather than using the lens to adjust focus, I found myself moving the camera slightly closer or farther away from the object to find that narrow area of focus.

This is not a substitute for a 'real' macro lens, but the $14 price tag makes it much more accessible than a $900 macro lens.

Here are some sample shots -- a little Ganesha figure that was a gift from a friend (he lives on my jeweler's bench) and a liberty silver dollar.

Some additional examples can be found in this Macro set on Flickr.

What is HDR?

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 02:12:00 +0000

I've run into a few folks lately who either were not familiar with HDR photography, or have not understood why one would want to go to the trouble of producing it. And for them, here is what I hope is an "HDR in a Nutshell" explanation.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, photographs use a series of individual photos (with differing levels of exposure) and merge those photos together into one. The idea is that an HDR photograph more accurately reflects the range of light that the human eye sees.

For example, if you are in a dimly lit room looking out a window into bright sunshine, your eyes can see everything. A camera, on the other hand, could capture either the room, or the bright sunshine, but not both.

By using this technique, in which a series of photos are taken on a tripod, you are able to capture detail in the very dark areas and the very bright areas and composite them into one photograph. The series of photos range from underexposed to overexposed to get this data. Software is then used to merge them together.

Here are two examples taken at the beach last weekend. The untouched, "normal" photos are on the left, the HDR on the right. In the first one you can see that the sky is over exposed (white) while my friend Larry is in the dark. The HDR version evens this light out, showing detail in both the highlights and shadows.
You can click on the photo for a larger view.

Say cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:49:00 +0000

While on the Worldwide Photo Walk yesterday, the counter rolled over on my camera (much like an odometer does). That means that I have taken 10,000+ photos in the past year. That's an average of 27 shots a day.

Looking back at my post from last year, I guess I am well on my way to becoming "that person" again.

(This is from today in my parking lot garden.)

Worldwide Photo Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:19:00 +0000

Yesterday, we joined with 36,000 other folks across the globe in Scott Kelby's second annual Worldwide Photo Walk. Photo walks were coordinated in cities all over the world, all taking place on July 18. The walks in Atlanta had filled up (there was a limit of 50 participants at each location), so we ended up doing our walk in historic Roswell, Georgia. It was a beautiful day, and a great excuse to waste a few hours in the company of two good friends. My photos were fairly terrible, but I still had a great time.

More photos

Bug

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Does anyone know what this interesting-looking, but somewhat scary bug is? You can see him by the edge of a 2" x 4" to get a sense of scale. I've never seen anything like it.

Update from my friend Sarah:
What you have there is a leaf-footed bug : Order Hemiptera - True Bugs Family Coreidae.
I want to say the subfamily is Coreinae, and the genus should be Acanthocephala but honestly there are three different species that all look very much alike but they are in different parts of the North America so I can't say for absolutely certain which one is yours . . .

De-cluttering

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:28:00 +0000

I find I'm always more excited to get to work if I have a clean workspace waiting for me. Unfortunately, I'm much better at generating clutter than I am at consistent cleaning. Today was a day to put all the tools back where they belong and scrub all the surface down. I keep the table to the left of my bench covered in paper (old pages from my Stendig calendar work well). The is the area where I do all my polishing and use the flexshaft. When I have made a gigantic, dusty, grimy mess polishing, I simply replace the paper for easy clean up.

I cleaned off my soldering area as well. Somehow, everything manages to get covered in dried flux after a while. Periodically, I like to scrub down the kiln shelf and get rid of all the grime.
Now it's time to actually finish a piece of jewelry . . .

Really?

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:59:00 +0000

I'm a videogame neophyte and idiot. I have a rarely used Wii and that is the extent of my video game exposure. Sunday, I opened a new game that had been sitting here for a month or two and started playing along. Unsurprisingly, I was just horrible at most of it.

But somehow, I got the highest global score ever submitted on the Soul Bassa Nova portion of the Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party. I don't remember the number of points, but it was over 20K. Everyone has to be good at something, and apparently I'm good at playing fake DDR with a bunch of animated rabbits. How very odd.

Alexander McQueen = kryptonite

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:32:00 +0000

Alexander McQueen is my personal kryptonite. I have been known to refer to him as the devil -- existing solely to separate me from my hard earned money, or making me pine after gorgeous clothing I could never squeeze into (not to mention, never afford).

Have you seen the Black Label collection bearing his name from Samsonite? (Yes, I said Samsonite). Stunning pieces with equally stunning price tags. They make me foam at the mouth a bit.

Neiman Marcus is the only retailer to carry the line in Georgia, but I lucked into finding one of his beauty cases at a fantastic price online. It arrived today, and while larger than I thought it would be (14" x 11" x 6"), it is a gorgeous piece. It is a bit more luggage than day-to-day purse, but I don't think that is going to stop me from carrying it as an everyday bag. Yummy!

iPhone upgrade

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Upgraded iPhone software today -- some great new apps and functionality available. I'm holding out for a bit before upgrading my first generation phone, but I look forward to the improved camera on the new phones.

That said, I've been really happy with this camera. Once you embrace the low res quality and use the software available on the phone to manipulate your images, it's fun to see what you can come up with using only that limited tool set.

Perhaps I do have a green thumb after all

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:33:00 +0000

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June."

- L. M. Montgomery

Most years, spring in Atlanta seems to last just a day. The cold of winter often seems to move straight to oppressive heat and humidity without the more temperate springs I remember from growing up in the Northeast.

I don't know if it is just perception, but this year has felt like a lovely exception. The absence thus far of temperatures found on the surface of the sun has allowed my plants to establish themselves and grow beyond belief. These photos are of two stems of miniature roses -- some of the first flowers cut from the garden.

There should be other roses soon. I ordered a rose bush from Dutch Gardens and it has been the fastest growing plant I have ever seen. It arrived as two bare sticks with some roots a couple weeks ago, and now has a myriad of 15" shoots, as well as buds forming. I guess i should learn something about pruning before it overtakes my car.

Dinosaurs Making Toast!

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Dinosaurs Making Toast! I feel the need to speak that with an exclamation point.

I went to the Indie Craft Experience a couple weekends ago in Centennial Park, and enjoyed seeing all the talented folks and their impressive wares. It was one of the best shows I have been to in quite some time.

Among all the nice (and did I mention really talented?) people we met that day was Jon Wye. Jon is an artist from D.C. who makes stunning belts, wrist cuffs and dog collars from silkscreened leather. Please check out his site -- his work is amazing.

From his site, I ordered a belt that has Dinosaurs making toast (!) on it -- and a gorgeous wrist cuff made it into my order as well. They arrived this week, and the craftsmanship is remarkable. I can't wait to add more to my collection.

Don't forget the whimsy

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:05:00 +0000

The first time I realized I was getting old, I looked at a particular model of car that I had always considered "an old person's car" and suddenly had a change of heart. I liked the old person's car.

Five years later, I drive that car. And, while there are some things I love about it (it's quiet, has a smooth ride and is laden with gadgets), it takes itself much too seriously. I miss a sense of fun and whimsy that I had in earlier cars. The little roadsters and spry small sedans that I had years before seemed to better suit the personality of someone who kept her hair pink (and blue) for years.

So, in an effort to lighten up a bit, I looked up the folks at Unamerican Activities. I'd been buying their bumper stickers for years, and I figured they might be the key to adding a little levity back to my morning drive.

I got about a dozen stickers, put magnets on the back, and intend to switch them out weekly. It's not much, but it makes me smile.

Creating Space

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:17:00 +0000

My mother came to visit recently, and upon looking at some wasted space next to my deck, she asked "why don't you do something with that?" What a wonderful question! I had carved out a garden when I lived on the other side of this warehouse complex -- but that was space with actual earth. This was a corner of a paved parking lot.

So, following Mom's great idea, I have transformed this:

Into this:

31 planters full of 57 plants. Vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers -- you name it! The only drawback is that I have been spending so much time in my new 'garden space' that I haven't been inside to work on any jewelry!

Heat Zone 2

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Tue, 05 May 2009 01:25:00 +0000

I took a remarkable class this weekend, and feel energized and inspired to get back to work at the bench. It was a class on advanced torch soldering techniques and tips -- and while 16 hours of lecture and demos on soldering may not sound appealing to most folks, it was actually a fantastic way to spend a weekend.

Out of the Blue

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Tue, 05 May 2009 01:09:00 +0000

There was an envelope waiting by my door Saturday that contained a lovely surprise. It seems that Hi-Fructose magazine had a giveaway for active subscribers, and I was one of the lucky few.

“And The Choir Sings Quiet” by Brandi Milne.
Giclee print on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching paper, hand signed.
8" x 10"

From the artist's site:
"95 prints from the edition of 100 will be inserted randomly in subscriber copies of Vol. 11 of Hi Fructose [or apparently mailed separately - PCH] for lucky followers of the magazine to find and award new homes to. That issue will also have me in a featured article/layout.
The final 5 of the edition of 100 will be part of a special contest held on HiFructose.com (details to follow soon)"

I got print number 95 out of the 95 given away. It's just a delightful image and I feel lucky to have received it.

Thankful

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:47:00 +0000

Due to some as yet undetermined (& bizarre) neurological issue, I've been struggling with compromised dexterity and distorted vision for a few months. This meant that not only was I unable to make any jewelry, the rest of my rather tactile hobbies were put on hold as well - from knitting to blogging.

The symptoms seem to have cleared up a bit in the last couple weeks, and I'm thrilled to be able to spend the day firing up the torch, and picking up on projects that have been gathering dust on my bench for the past quarter.

It's not you, it's me

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:42:00 +0000

I'm strangely fond of this t-shirt i picked up in key west.

Wounded mermaid

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:50:00 +0000

When I was in Key West eight years ago I was just beginning to fall in love with glass. This was before I had even thought about working with glass, or owning a kiln, or anything of the sort, but I was just mesmerized by it. There was a glass gallery there, Glass Reunions, that I haven't been able to get out of my mind in these past eight years. Years ago, the gallery had several adorable small blown glass mermaids that somehow did not manage to come home with me. I've thought about those mermaids too in the time since then.

Fast forward to current day. We purposefully wander down Duval, and the gallery is still there (although apparently it had moved next door). And though it seems that mermaids are no longer in fashion, we spend a good deal of time looking around.
We are literally headed for the exit of Glass Reunions as Larry looks up and points to something that has caught his eye. Half a dozen or so blown glass mermaids (and anatomically correct mermen) dangle from the ceiling. These aren't the small whimsical baubles I had seen years earlier, but large, flowing elegant sculptures. One of these eventually did make it home to me. Unfortunately, however, she was damaged in shipping and her arm was sheared off. I only hope they can track me down another one with similar coloring -- I'm now in love with a mermaid.

You can't see in the photos, but her face is clear, in front of her purple hair. She can hang by either hand, or by loops on either side of her tail.

Update: The beautiful (repaired or remade?) mermaid made her way back to me in mid-April. She was more delightful than I even remembered.

Best. Gift. Ever. (Part Two)

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:11:00 +0000

My friend larry got me a rather interesting gift for Valentine's Day. It's a cleaver. It's a rusty cleaver with a human heart painted on it, as a matter o' fact. and i love it.

I can't imagine many folks who would really welcome or appreciate a rusty personalized miniature cleaver, but luckily larry knows his audience well. It did take me a little while to figure out that it's not just a heart painted on it, but a human heart. All the better.

It came in a cute hand-decorated box as well. Elizabeth McGrath is the artist and her work is amazing. It's funny -- I was familiar with her sculpture from my Hi Fructose subscription. It wasn't until I went to her site while writing this post that I realized it was the same artist. Makes me treasure the little cleaver even more.

Best. Gift. Ever. (Part One)

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:51:00 +0000

I have been meaning to post for a while about a remarkable gift that a friend got me for Christmas.

Anyone who has read earlier blog posts will be well aware of my fondness for margaritas. My friend Robin went to the time and trouble of researching if a lime tree can grow indoors, and she tracked down this adorable dwarf citrus tree. It is a Bearss Seedless Lime tree, and will yield full size fruit. In theory. My track record with plants is less than stellar, so I am really trying to pamper this guy. I got him (or her?) a moisture meter, and he has some new growth, so we seem to be getting along well so far.

You want one of your own, don't you?

A Jaunt to Key West

noreply@blogger.com (Paige Henderson) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:17:00 +0000

We took a short trip to Key West last week, and while it was fresh in my mind I wanted to make sure I noted where we dined so I'd have it for reference. It was a lovely short trip, and I was sad to leave on Sunday.

The food*

The Cafe: A "Mostly Vegetarian Place" with excellent sweet potato fries with a key lime curry sauce.

Mangoes: I had an excellent meal here about 8 years ago, and after seeing very mixed reviews online, I was worried that I might be disappointed this trip. No worries -- our meal was very good and so was the service. Fresh stone crab, tropical drinks, a beautiful patio.

Bagatelle: a mid-afternoon snack of shrimp and tuna 'sliders' with incredibly tasty rum runners. I must learn what is in those.

Blue Heaven: Breakfast with the chickens after we walked in the sand that morning on the tiny southernmost beach. The food was excellent - even better than I remembered. More tropical drinks.

Cafe Solé: Best meal of the trip. More stone crab, Angels on Horseback (dates stuffed with garlic, wrapped in bacon), and a fantastic artichoke dish.

Nine One Five: Might have been able to usurp Cafe Sole for the "best meal" if I had been feeling better. It was an eclectic meal - we actually ordered french fries and pate as one of our courses (and had more Angels on Horseback).

Fogarty's: Better food than I thought it would be -- just a quick spot to grab lunch. Offered a great view of the hubbub on Duval.
* I find it bizarre that only two of these restaurants have web sites . . .

We stayed at the Gardens Hotel -- once the largest private estate in Key West. The place is quite popular, and with only 17 rooms we had booked our stay last May. The gardens offer a few winding paths with some fantastic art and sculpture throughout. The Master Suite was a sight to behold, with a large sitting room, two fulls baths, jacuzzi, sauna, and large private balcony. It's no wonder I wanted to extend our stay!

I can't get the flickr badges to work in blogger to save my life today, so instead here is the link to the rest of the key west photo set.