Hearts In Hawaii

I first became aware of HDR (High Dynamic Range) images several months ago while surfing Honolulu pics at flickr.com. My first thought was “what is this crap!” upon seeing what looked more like a cartoon than an actual camera image.

Now, some people will turn their noses up at HDR images, claiming that they violate “artistic integrity”. I say that’s a load of crap. My problem with most HDR images has nothing to do with integrity. They just look bad, they look unrealistic. Shouldn’t the purpose of post-processing tools (such at Automatix, used to blend and process HDR images) be to bring more reality to these efforts? The specific application I want to apply these tools to is to correct cases where it’s not possible to capture the entire dynamic range of an image where there is a high contrast between highlights and low-lights. Yes, I know, neutral gradient filters represent a more “natural” way to do this but there are certain situations where this type of filter won’t do what I’m seeing justice. Hence, an opportunity to apply a better solution.

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Here are some of the first batch of pics I shot using my latest camera, the Nikon D90. You can click on an image to view a larger (2000×1328) version of the image.

One of the first shots from our balcony. Pile of salt unloaded from a ship; part of this coming winter’s salt supply for Duluth’s snowy streets!

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Previous to purchasing this camera in July 2009, I had owned five different Nikon digital cameras; Coolpix 900, Coolpix 995, Coolpix 8800, Coolpix S500 (these first four are point-and-shoot camera) and the Nikon D50. I had shot several thousand pictures with the D50 and was more than happy with the results and its capabilities, for the most part. Two areas of slight disappointment were 1) only a six-megapixel sensor and 2) inability to “punch up” the colors (you know, take more vivid colorful pictures) without using post-processing software. Reviews of the D90 told me these shortfalls would be addressed with this new camera. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, this was sent to me by my sister earlier today, so I thought I’d respond here.  Comments will be open for this blog (otherwise, it would get really boring!)

1. Do you like blue cheese?

  Absolutely not!

2. Have you ever smoked?

 Sure did, up to three packs a day until seven years ago. Read the rest of this entry »

I can do one of two things.  Three things, actually.  I can do nothing.  I can focus on various websites and news programs and what is wrong and screwed up in the world.  Or….I can get centered and focused on what’s truly important.

This morning I stumbled onto these two websites; Daily Recovery Readings and Daily Reflections. Both sites contain daily passages for the recovering addict (from alcohol and other drugs). Both sites are useful….if I use them. I can’t guarantee how my day will go. I can guarantee (for the most part) how I react to what’s happening around me. 95% of it isn’t important. It’s vital I keep that in mind.

The table below shows our ratings of various restaurants we visited while on Maui. We’ve changed the system this year in terms of how each of the four factors (Food, Service, Atmosphere, Price) are weighted. In the past, food, service and atmosphere each carried the same weight, that being twice the weight given to Price. Read the rest of this entry »

One final morning here, packing up the rest of our stuff and checking out. I found myself thinking back on these past two weeks and what had transpired. There were some pleasant surprises, such as the Brothers Cazimero concert, the hiking tour, Longhi’s. Needless to say, the big unpleasant surprise was Northwest Airlines screwing up not one, but two consecutive flights. I’ll say this again; another airline is needed in Minnesota to provide some serious competition, but Northwest’s merging with Delta only stengthens their hold on this area. Unlucky us. Read the rest of this entry »

One Final Day

I have this nasty pre-disposition for keeping track of not just how many days we’ve been on a trip, but also of how many are left. It’s nice when a vacation starts and I find myself thinking “two days gone, thirteen (or whatever) left”. By the end it’s not quite as nice. It pretty much sucked today knowing that two weeks had come and gone and we had one final day left. On the other hand, how many people get to experience this place at all in their lifetime? Much less six times? We’re very fortunate, indeed. Being DINKS has its perks. Read the rest of this entry »

Luck on the Northwest Coast

We slept in until 8:00 this morning. After breakfast, it was time to make one final attempt at photographing sites along the northwest coast, and the weather was (finally) perfect for such an endeavor. After driving up to just near the Olivine Pools (where the road gets very interesting, I turned around and hit nearly a dozen spots on the way back towards Honolua Bay. Lots of stunning vistas were found along the way, and I found myself wondering how I could have missed such a gem in our previous trips. Read the rest of this entry »

Room Change

We knew when Patty called Allison to reserve our favorite room that we wouldn’t have that room for our entire stay, so today it was time to load up the carts with our suitcases and food items and move down to the fifth floor. The changeover couldn’t have gone smoother; the previous occupants of our new room were up and checked out before 8:30, so after attending an A.A. meeting, we were able to immediately make the move. Read the rest of this entry »