SPC - 'Pet Peeves' - #4

This is not an "anti-smoking" message. This is an "anti-littering" message.

If these people can't stand to have them in their own vehicles (where they smoke, anyway, right?), what makes them think we want them littering our streets and highways (and rivers and oceans, etc.)?

THIS is one of my top Pet Peeves. I see it constantly, but I don't feel like there's anything I can do about it -- especially along the highway. I could beep my horn, but will they understand why? Probably not. I could run their vehicle off the road and then calmly explain to them the problems with littering, but I'm not sure the law is on my side for such altercations.

It drives me CRAZY!!

www.cigarettelitter.org/

Photo Friday - 'Nature'

"Nature" is a bit broad for a Photo Friday theme, I think.

Fortunately, with the recent snow and frost, I have found some opportunities to get out and shoot a bit.

Here's one of my favorites, which was taken just outside my place of employment. As I was pulling into the parking lot one frosty morning, I noticed this male cardinal flitting around in some nearby bushes and trees. I missed the shot that I really wanted where he was perched on the very end of a branch, but a bright red bird in a frost-covered bush tends to be visible, regardless. On this one, there's just enough separation around the bird that I thought it would work. It isn't as sharp as I'd like it to be, but it's not bad for shooting out the car window, I suppose:

SPC - 'Pet Peeves' - #3

For me, it's not so much about "full screen" or "widescreen" or "black bars," etc.

It's about the Original Aspect Ratio (OAR), that is, what the Director intended to be seen.

Resources:
Widescreen Advocacy Page
and
The Digital Bits' Widescreen-o-Rama!

Photo Friday - 'Lightness'

Reposting an old favorite for Photo Friday's theme: "Lightness"

SPC - 'Pet Peeves' - #2

The rules are as follows:

1.) CDs shall be returned to their jewel cases and properly aligned in their trays.

2.) CDs shall be handled gently by their edges. At no point should a fingerprint be left on the surface, top or bottom, of the CD.

3.) When inserting CDs into CD player, the drawer shall be closed by the pressing of the OPEN/CLOSE button. An open CD player drawer shall never be shoved close.

That is all.

Photo Friday - 'Surfaces'

Better late than never, I suppose.

I'm posting this twice just to show the difference between the photo size of which my old blog template was capable of displaying versus the new one:

So here's 500px scaled to 432:



...and here's 1000px scaled to 700:


...and if needed, I think I could squeeze in a few more pixels -- maybe around 730-ish.

Regardless, I think is an improvement, especially for a blog that mainly features images.

Update

I don't know why I feel compelled to write this.

The purpose of this, I suppose, is to inform you of that which you are most undoubtedly already aware.

I have made the switch to 'New Blogger.'

Besides the bells and whistles that come along with New Blogger, you'll notice some obvious changes in the appearance of this space.

One thing I'm probably happiest about is the wider format here. On the main column on the old template, I often had to scale photos to 432 pixels wide. This wider format should be able to accomodate photos up to 700 pixels wide, if necessary.

Truth be told, I believe I could have widened the old template some time ago, but it would have been a major hassle with the changes I had already made on the old template.

Let me know if this doesn't appear properly on your screen and I'll look into it. Let me know if anything appears "glitchy."
Let me know if the commenting system works for you, or not.

All feedback is welcome.

SPC - 'Pet Peeves' - #1

It's February and there's a new challenge theme at Self Portrait Challenge that I think is going to be all kinds of fun and possibly a bit therapeutic, as well. Don't worry, my rates are quite affordable.

Pet Peeves

Whether it's on the road, in the office, at the mall, or hanging out with friends (but not family, right?) minor annoyances are everywhere. What are your biggest pet peeves? How would you portray them in a photograph?

That's the challenge. I'm looking forward to the results of the endlessly creative minds at Self Portrait Challenge.

Here's my first for the month:



Words that don't exist or are often misused.