Texting drivers...

With gas prices hovering around $4.00 per gallon (as of the date of this posting) a lot of us have taken the money saving step of using public transportation.  One of the consequences of riding the bus for me has been that because I'm sitting at a higher elevation when riding than driving, I've been able to observe more and more people foolishly "texting" while driving.  I knew there was a problem with some young people engaging in this childish irresponsible behavior.  I did not realize how many "adults" do the same thing. 

These pictures were taken at a local Auto Repair Garage.  Truthfully, I don't know if this car was in an accident that was the result of "texting".  But given the severity of the damage, I thought it a good idea to use the photos while making my point about this unsafe (and decidedly immature) practice.

No text message is worth this.  Someone's Son, Daughter, Wife, Husband, Girl Friend, Boy Friend, or Grand Parent was in this wreck.  To borrow a phrase from Mr. T, "I pity the fool", who harms my little grand daughter in a car wreck because they thought sending a text message was more important than her safety.

Spring has sprung...

Spring has finally sprung.  This picture was taken at dusk, using a camera flash.  Here in the mid-west everything is blooming and blossoming early this year.  The unusually mild winter has brought on flowers of every kind, green leaves on the trees, and an unusually warm spring season.

Hawaiian Vacation

These are all pictures my daughter took while on vacation in Hawaii.

   This "was" my latest acquisition on Ebay.  An N5005 auto focus 35mm film camera.  The Seller inherited it from the original owner, and decided to list on ebay.  I had the winning bid at only $35.00.  I wanted the camera for the lens on it.  The seller indicated that he/she couldn't get the camera to power up after inserting new batteries in it, so it was listed for sale "as is".  I didn't care that the camera didn't work because I only wanted the lens for another Nikon camera I already own.  Now, the bad news.  The Postal letter carrier foolishly left my camera in lobby of the building I currently live in.  And as you might guess, someone came along, noticed my package, and stole it.  When I inquired at the Overland, Mo branch of the post office about why my package was just left in the lobby, the supervisor rather brazenly informed me that as long as the package was delivered to the correct address, the post office has no liability for what happens to it.  I will be contacting a superior postal manager to get the real reason the package was left unattended, and unsigned for.

   I guess the good news is, the chump who stole the camera is in for a surprise when he/she tries to use it.  The camera doesn't power up, and it's a film camera, so it can't be pawned because most people are now using digital cameras.  The moral of this post is..."ebay is a great place to buy used (or even new) camera equipment.  Just be sure to insist on signature confirmation, or restricted delivery when dealing with the post office.  Some of the employees working there, are not very ethical, or professional".  'til next time, happy shutter bugging.   

Why MLK day?

Images of an infamous time in American history...

 Dr. King giving a speech in Washington D.C.

 The students depicted above were protesting NOT being able to eat at the lunch counter in a "Grants" department store.  They could work in that same store, but couldn't eat there. 

 Angry red neck youths who disagreed with the possibility of "colored people" having equal rights under the law. 

 Dr. King and several others were fined $500 and sentenced to 386 days in jail for blocking the progress of a city bus.  He actually spent 2 weeks in prison because the move back fired and brought international attention to the civil rights struggle.

1956, (after over a year of boycotting) Rosa Parks riding in the front seat of a bus, after the Courts ruled that segregating the buses was unconstitutional.

  

   I don't know which I love more, Ebay, or Photography.  This is another camera I won on Ebay.  I sniped this one, meaning I waited until the last 30 seconds of the auction before placing a bid.  The auction began with an opening bid of $9.99.  Approximately 3 hours before the auction was scheduled to end the bid went up to $10.49.  So, I just waited until the last minute to post a maximum bid of $26.99.  I wanted to bid high enough to eliminate other bidders, but not so high that I would not be getting a bargain if I won.  With only 30 seconds before it ended, I posted my bid and watched the other "Snipers" try to out bid me before time ran out.  The bids went up to $12.00, then $13.00, $18.00, $21.00, and finally $23.57, then time ran out.  Because the final bid of $23.57 did not reach my "maximum bid" of $26.99, I actually got the camera for $23.57 because in the case of a "tie", the person who bid first wins the auction.  

   I'm looking forward to receiving this camera because I used to own one similar to it.  This is a Minolta HTsi "Plus", 35mm film camera.  The camera I had prior to this one is an HTsi (minus the plus) model. It was so much fun to use, that I completely ignored all of my other cameras.  When my daughter expressed an interest in photography I gave the HTsi model to her.  Now we'll both have one.  As you scroll through this blog, you can see some of the great pictures these cameras are capable of. 

   In fairness to those of you who have visited Ebay and found cameras that cost considerably more than the prices I tend to pay, I confess that NOT EVERY camera is bargain priced.  Those are the ones I don't bid on.  Generally, I don't like to pay more than $30.00 to $40.00 per camera. I've purchased some as inexpensively as $5.00.  And the most I've ever paid was $60.00.  If you want "brand name" equipment like Nikon, you can easily pay over $1,000, but as I said, I just don't bid on anything that expensive.  My Minolta brand name cameras work just fine and don't cost me a mortgage to pay for.  If you've had similar experiences on Ebay, let me hear from you. 'til next time, happy shutter bugging!             

Lake side

I'd love to take credit for this beautiful shot, but Photographer Magnus Dahlstrom did the honors.  This is actually a digital photo.  While I am, and always will be, a "film photography purist", I have to give credit where credit is due.

This is a my latest film camera acquired on Ebay.  I literally received it today in the mail.  It is another "old school" manual film camera.  I've attached a 210mm, Vivitar Series 1, zoom lens to it (not pictured).  This is another bargain I obtained online.  The cost was $5.00 plus $7.90 shipping.  Now is a great time to bargain shop on Ebay, and every other online market place.  The reason is the after Christmas prices.   

This is a 128mb memory stick for older Sony brand digital cameras.  So why is a "film purist" showing you a picture of a digital camera component?  Simple, I came across several of these as the result of a used office furniture purchase.  I've been selling them at a wholesale price ($12.99 + 7.99 shipping) on Ebay to earn money to buy more film cameras and equipment.  These little devices paid for the camera pictured above.  To see these and other items I'm selling on Ebay, thru the end of January, or until supplies are exhausted, just visit Ebay, and search for the Seller; "mrdlt.2".  'til next time, happy shutter bugging.   

 

Pond Geese

Christmas Dogs

This short video by Dom Bower is a practical guide, showing how to use your flash to create a variety of photo effects.  The size of his flash is NOT necessarily what you or I will need because every Photographer has his or her own style.  The techniques work, regardless of flash size.  Watch, learn, and enjoy!

My Saturday Evening

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1.  On my way to downtown St. Louis, I came across this situation in Overland Missouri.  Multiple fire trucks, blocked off streets, Police officers re-routing traffic, and a lot of general confusion.  I had my Minolta 300si camera with me, and because I had intended to take pictures anyway, this seemed like as good a place to begin as any.  Because the police were specifically directing people away from the buildings on the right side of the street, I knew I couldn't get close enough to see what was actually causing all the confusion.  So I used my zoom lens to try to get a closer shot in the hope of learning what was causing all the attention to the roof of the buildings.  Eventually the fire trucks began driving away, I never did find out what they were looking for, so my next stop was downtown St. Louis, Missouri.

 As the evening wore on, the sun was beginning to set, so I took a few quick shots of downtown.  I found a band in Keiner Plaza giving a concert.  They were actually pretty good musicians.  Songs by Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson, and Gladys Knight were part of their repertoire. 

 My next stop was Union Station Mall.  The photo below was taken just outside of the mall stores.  As you can see it's getting darker outside. The restaurant in the picture below is Landry's. The time of day is dusk.  The wooden bridge leading from the mall parking lot, across the moat to the restaurant has tivoli lights that give off just enough illumination to highlight the water under the bridge.      

 My final shot for the evening is of this water fountain.  It is dark outside, but the built in camera flash lights up the water beautifully.  

 This is the Minolta 300si film camera I used to take the pictures above.  It's a modestly priced piece of equipment.  You can find them on Ebay (where I found this one) for less than $35.00, including the shipping. A great first camera for student photographers.  I used auto focus mode to take these pictures because I wanted to see for myself whether or not the rumors I've heard about this camera are true.  The rumor is that it's almost impossible to take a bad picture with this model.  What do you think?
If you own one of these cameras, please give me your opinion.  'til then, Happy Shutter bugging!      

Glamour

                                                                                                         Debra

                                                                                               Suanne


I specifically did not take these photographs.  The model above is from England. Her first name is Debra.  The lady below is American model Suanne Haffaker.  I'm posting these pictures under the heading "Glamour" because I think it's possible to have great photos that are indeed glamorous, without resorting to the seedy kind of photography that is little more that mild porn.      

Occupy Wallstreet?

                                         A protester dressed as a Wall Street Broker.

                                        A barely clothed couple engaged in open sexual activity.

                                          A teenager under arrest for dis-orderly conduct.

                                           A "protester" defecating on a Police car.

Of all the images above, only one seems to actually depict an act of "civil" disobedience.  The rest are clearly behaving in a criminal manner.  One young man interviewed by the press admitted that he was from another state, and really had no business being there.  He was running from Law Enforcement because of some warrants for his arrest, and felt that; "the protest was as good a place as any to hide and crash for a while".  

Switzerland

Paris, France

                                          Notre Dame

                                          Eifel Tower at Night