Christmas in August? Maybe Crazy Eddie was right!

I am showing my age here, but I remember "Crazy Eddie" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Eddie ) had famous Christmas in August sales ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO9XC3tAbkQ )....this was back when nobody started Christmas sales until after Thanksgiving.
As You know, Christmas is early this year because of the eclipse, falling on December 25th, instead of the usual December 25th.

It has been a fun week! (Okay, not really)

We started the week off by spending the night in the hospital with my Brother, and ended the week with my Daughter, Sunny Logann, leaving daycare early, with a fever. A trip to the Doctor on Saturday Morning, and our fears are confirmed. Coxcakie Virus. It is one of those things kids get. No treatment except for the symptoms and she is just going to be unhappy for a few days. She has moments where she is happy and laughing...then suddenly she is not.

We were playing on the grass Saturday afternoon, when in an instant, she went from happy to not. Even with the puss on her face, she is still adorable.

In other news, Confetti, my Wife's cat of 19 years, was put down today. I am not a cat person...but I actually did like the little fuzzball. When my Wife Erica and I met, I had a Golden Retriever. The month we bought our home, Madison passed on after 13 years. Hardest thing I ever had to do. So I know how hard it was for Erica to make that decision this Morning. I am trying to be as supportive as I can.

Edit Wednesday August 20th***
Ok, so Erica caught it from the baby and added bronchitis. She enjoyed high fever, chills ( I had 7 blankets on her!) and aches. I took care of her and baby on Monday, pushing a shoot of a brownstone in NYC until Tuesday, when Erica's sister was able to take over.
I got to spend a few nights on the couch (to not get sick...not that I did anything wrong!).

Tuesday I was on site at 5Am to get night and twilight shots of the exterior. Much easier to shoot at 5am, when there are no passersby than at 8PM, when there are tons of folks walking the upper West side of NYC. The extra day actually worked out well because the home staging consultant did a fantastic job and even as I was shooting, we worked together to present the home at it's best. Stunning woodwork and craftsmanship that you just don't see everyday. Tons of cool pocket doors, stained glass transoms and a NYC rarity...a real backyard!

August 23rd NYC Photowalk is Sold Out!

Wow! That was fast. All 50 spots are spoken for on the August 23rd NYC Photowalk I am leading.
The group will meet at the Columbus Circle Fountain, walk under the Trump globe then meander through Central Park, stopping at the boat pond, bridges and tunnels, exit the park at the Hayden Planetarium and walk down Columbus and Broadway to Lincoln Center.

From the emails I have received here are the answers to the FAQS:
No experience needed.

A $4 disposable camera would work as well as the latest greatest camera. In fact, maybe better because you can take risks with it you would not take with a $5k DSLR.

This is more about learning to see creatively, than the tech side of photography.

Everything in Central Park has been shot before, but not through your eyes. Come up with a theme or mission to force yourself to think creatively.
Something like:
Show your feet in every picture, but still have the picture offer a strong sense of place, or a "moment". Could be a sock puppet, could be your hand....could be anything...does not have to be your feet...but the idea is then you start to think of how to show you are in Central Park and how your shoes might be interesting as part of that. My wife has a bunch of pictures taken from a lounge chair in resorts or beaches on various vacations. We call it Toes Around the World. Don't look for it in a musuem anytime soon, but it is cool and creative. Or you could try to show a sign or a name in every picture, perhaps take every picture from 5 inches off the ground...something to force you to see differently.

Travel light.

Less gear means more mobility and forces you to use what you have creatively

The schedule is for a two hour walk. Wear comfortable shoes and clothing. At the two hour mark we should end up at the Lincoln Center Fountain. From there, if there is interest in folks grabbing a casual dinner, we can do that (separate checks? Split costs? Whatever) and then photowalk some more as the sun sets in Manhattan.

There will be a widevariety of skills with us. The best of them will make mistakes,and the newest will have happy accidents. Such is life.

More details on this Photowalk?
http://www.photoshopuser.com/photowalk/city/nyc.html

Read the FAQs posted there as well.

Want to see a previous photowalk?
http://www.opensourcephoto.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=31365&st=40

Update on my Brother

Seems to be a really bad sinus infection and tonsilitis. Not fun, but hey, compared to all the other reasons to have to go to the ER all night...not bad. Glad he will be OK. I Didn't sleep though. Starbucks? Anybody see my Starbucks? I need some double espresso love.
Thanks for the kind emails...I appreciate your good wishes.

No Title

My Brother Randy. Bad pic, but the only one I had in my phone to post to the blog.

Life is fragile

I took this in the rain because I liked the way water basically fosters life everywhere. But I am looking at it now, on my phone, and thinking that even stainless steel is fragile.

I am actually an optimist, and am confident that my Brother will be fine.

The little Waiting Room

It would be a shame to waste those comfy vinyl chairs.

An unfun phone call

My brother was feeling a little sick the past few days. He went to the doctor today, got some prescription meds and should have been feeling better. But he had a headache that makes migraines look fun.

He couldn't take it anymore and went to the hospital. Well, I knew I would be waiting...they have a whole room just for that and I know they would not want to waste all the work they put into it. I waited with him while they triaged folks with bloodier issues. After a few hours we went to the smaller waiting room, then to a bed in the ER.

They are running the usual tests and cat scans, etc. Hopefully tomorrow we will hear good things. He is staying the night and I have to be focused tomorrow, so at 12:45 I left him and will pick up in the AM.

Photowalk NYC 2008 is Almost Full !

We are limited to just 50 participants and my group is almost full!
Although most of the group are pro photographers, You do not neeed to be a pro for this, just enthusiastic. The best camera to bring, is the one you have.
What is Photowalk NYC? It is a two hour tour through NYC exploring the best photo ops.

I am leading a group of photographers on a photowalk of Central Park and the upper West side next Saturday.
There are details and a sign up page here:
http://www.photoshopuser.com/photowalk/city/nyc.html
There is NO cost, unless you join us for dinner. The more the merrier, so join us and learn something!

Like many photographers, I meet up with and train with several local pros on a consistant basis to discuss our craft, try new techniques and learn from each other. This is the first one I have held to the general public and it should be a lot of fun!

How to reduce the cost of your Long Island Wedding

I originally saw this on Consumerist, one of my favorite blogs. They got it from CNN and I have a link to the whole story here:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/01/wedding.list.quiz/index.html
I recommend reading it. Really funny and really interesting idea. The basic premise is:

"Too often, women are pressured into inviting way too many people to their weddings out of a sense of obligation. Parents, prospective in-laws and grooms can turn a simple wedding into a grand affair.
And as soon as that engagement ring catches her eye, that occasional lunch acquaintance feels entitled to share in your happy nuptials.
Then you realize too late that the majority of people at your wedding don't really know you or what has been going on in your life up until your big day."

They go on to suggest a quiz to see who makes the cut and gets an invite:
"Here are 10 questions couples can use to trim that guest list and weed out the people you really don't want at your wedding.
1) Name the city I'm living in now (Good one to weed folks out, especially if you have moved a lot. Don't use this if you've lived in the same place for 10 years).
2) Name at least two of my closest friends.
3) Name my current employer and my past employer (Again, if you've remained in the same job for 15 years, this does not apply).
4) Do I have any kids?
5) Do you know the name of my fiancé? Bonus question: Where and when did we meet?
6) Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive? (Imagine a friend at your wedding asking how long have your parents been married when they divorced years ago).
7) Name at least two of my hobbies.
8) How old am I? (My favorite is when family friends would query, 'Are you 28 now?" Imagine their surprise when I proclaimed, 'yeah, 10 years ago!')
9) Where did I go to college? (Some people might not remember whether you attended college or even graduated.)
10) Name my last boyfriend before this engagement. Bonus question: if you can name the last two and why we broke up. If you get the bonus question right, that might automatically get you in.
Scoring helps determine whether you get invited.
If you score 50 percent or below, you definitely are not getting invited.
If you score barely over 50 percent, you are on the waiting list. If someone who scored better than you cannot attend, you might get an invitation. This barely acceptable person who might be invited may get you a great gift because of their guilt for scoring so low.
If you score over 60 percent, you get an invitation."