Wilful Disbelief

Crits, pictures, and a new opportunity.

2009-07-31T07:49:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was attendting a pro race at one of my favorite race tracks with our car club. Of course I had the camera and gear with me, and of course took too many pictures. I had processed a few of those pictures, and had them posted on a photography board, and something that I consider special happened.

It starts about 4 years ago, now, anyone who knows me, is well aware that cars, and fast cars in particular have always been a hobby or passion of mine. I have always liked cars. 4 years ago, I got into going to the track in my own car. At some point, that led to taking pictures of other cars while I was there, but I was not good at it at all. I got some tutorials from a good friend of mine in the car club, and that helped a lot. But I also found a pro photographers website, that had the kind of images that I saw in my head when I was trying to take pictures, but could not replicate in the field. I studied his images, every new gallery I would pour through, studying his compositions, his EXIF data, everything about the shots he came away with. While I did not want to copy his style, I wanted to know how he did, what he did. For 3 years, I kept up to date with his newest additions, from all over the country, all types of racing events. And in that time, I have progressed, and gotten much better at taking pictures of race cars on track. SO, in the thread with the set of images I had posted from the Grand Am race a couple of weeks ago, this pro stops in to give me his crits. I am floored. HE LIKED THEM! he really had nice things to say, and, he gave me some pointers. He also challenged me to do what I have always tried to do, get that shot that makes people say...wow! Ignore what is dubbed the "keeper rate", and really push the boundaries and get that special shot, you may only get two of them a weekend, but they will be worth it.

Jump to last weekend. I was out at the track again, with a group of friends at a private track day. I decided to challenge myself, shoot slow, slow shutter speed, and really work on capturing some serious motion in the cars. They may not be the WOW! shots yet, but I think that by getting used to this shutter speed, and knowing how it works, what it picks up, what it leaves out, and the effects it has, those WOW! shots can be had.

Both of the following were shot at 1/40, over 135mm range, with the cars doing upwards of 70 mph.

I think they exhibit the motion involved at the time, and mark some of the first successful shots at 1/40th in panning on fast moving cars. When I tried this in the past, I got trash images, and gave up. But not anymore, I am going to keep trying.

Now onto the new opportunity part of the program. I have been hired by two race teams, to cover their teams for the weekend at next weekends races at Road Atlanta. All the hard work, and showing of my work to folks at the track, is finally, maybe going to pay off. I at least have my foot in the door. I am excited, and can't wait to see where this leads. It combines two of my favorite things, fast cars, and photography.

Until next time.

Gone Fishin'

2009-07-29T21:15:00.002-04:00

Well, not really. I did not go far. My boss had a party at his house this past weekend, to celebrate his 50th birthday. They live on a small community lake, and they have a dock that goes out into the lake. At some point, just about everyone that was there picked up a fishing pole, or bamboo cane pole and tried their hand at fishing. I actually caught one...I did let it go, but I caught a little small mouth bass. I had not held a fishing pole in probably 15-16 years, maybe more. I know I was still in the Boy Scouts the last time, and I know that I lived in Houston, so, it was probably 1992 or 1993. Long time ago. But it was fun, there was something very relaxing about casting a line, and just watching that little float in the water. It was peaceful.

More bad news from NCARB

2009-07-20T11:15:00.002-04:00

Thanks to some idiots, who recently took the ARE exams, and then violated the explicit policies about public disclosure of testing questions, NCARB must now generate some new tests...at a cost of $1.1M. That money does not currently exist, and as a result, will be taken from those of us taking the tests who have not violated any rules. The cost of the test just went up 23%. Well that just sucks, and makes me want to take the test over again, even less.

My bigger problem, this sounds a lot like the scam the DOT puts on about Toll Roads. Pay a toll until the road is paid for, then we will take the toll booths out...this sounds familiar, pay more so that we can pay to revise the test, but I suspect they won't drop the prices back down after they are done paying this off. And I am sorry, $1.1M should not be a big deal to NCARB, they are a massive organization, and should have to deal with this on their own, as part of doing business, and not pass it on to those that give them business, just because someone was an idiot.

Bad Information

2009-04-29T07:07:00.002-04:00

In life, sometimes people don't slow down to make sure they give out the most accurate, correct information. And that is a shame, especially when dealing with matters that are really important, especially to someone who is already reeling from a bad experience, such as Architectural Registration Exam scores.

When I was inquiring to NCARB about the new testing procedures and exams, he offhandedly told me that my last FAIL (yes, he put it in all caps), was on 03-12-09. That would have been the third and final test I took, and that would have made me 0-3. When he so casually informed me of that, the last little bit of air that I had left in me, escaped in a quiet, lifeless way. He should have been more attentive, and done a better job. I got the real score yesterday, well really today, since I was not at work that late yesterday.

PASS

The jerk gave me bad info, I would like to strangle him for it. So, I actually got a PASS on Site Planning. So I am really 1 for 3. Still not great, still not what I had hoped, but it give me hope that maybe I can get through this, and that I am not starting over from square one.

Canyon Storm

2009-04-27T07:28:00.003-04:00

I have not yet started to chronicle our trip here yet, I will, eventually. But so far, one of the favorite images from the trip has to be this one.

It was taken along the South Rim at the Grand Canyon, at Powell's Point. We climbed out beyond the main observation platform, and got out to the farthest reach of the rock outcropping we could. We were trying to take pictures of the sunset, but Mother Nature threw a snowstorm at us instead. it was a very intense storm, the wind was blowing wildly, and the snow was blowing sideways. The clouds were rolling and tumultuous. Trying to capture that was my new challenge. The image that resulted is some what other worldly to me, it shows such an inhospitable place, in the middle of a big storm. It has to be my favorite image from the trip to this point.

I am not done going through them, there are over 2,300, but so far, this one is my new favorite.

0-3

2009-04-20T10:23:00.003-04:00

I struck out. I don't have the official paperwork yet, but I have been told by other means that I went 0 for 3. I get to start over from scratch now. Fun Stuff.

All Aboard

2009-04-07T17:40:00.004-04:00

All aboard the FAIL boat. I will be your captain, I can't guarantee your safety, but I can promise you, that I don't know what I am doing.

Today did not have the ending I wanted. I got scores back on two tests, both the same score, both FAIL. Not really sure why, and never will know. I am extremely disappointed, upset, and bothered by the results. The results tell you that you failed, and whether it was minor, moderate, or major. I had all three. The test sections I was worried about, I passed, the ones I was sure I did good on, I failed. So I get to do it all over again...in 6 months. Today has not been a good one. While I don't truly question my choice of profession, I have to question why I can't manage to get past these exams.

Nothing

2009-04-07T07:51:00.000-04:00

Nothing, no letter, no mail, no news. All I really want it to know that what my score on my test was, did I PASS, or did I FAIL. At this point, either score is something, but right now, I have nothing. And it will bother me to go on vacation, and not know anything. I will never understand why a computer graded exam, takes 4-6 weeks to get a score on, that is one slow damn computer if you ask me.

To know, or not to know.

2009-03-27T12:48:00.004-04:00

As you get older, you are sometimes faced with more responsibility. As you progress in a company, you are sometimes burdened with the inner workings of the company, and information is passed on to you, sometimes for your benefit, sometimes to keep you informed. Sometimes, you wish you did not get passed some of this information.

Such is the case now. I have been with my company for almost 8 full years now. While I am not a partner, I am given information that is not shared with other employees. right about now, i wish I did not know, what I know now. I can see the writing on the proverbial wall, (as much as I hate to use that saying) and I know that the economic times that we are faced with have a major impact on our workload in the architectural profession. We are running out of work. Well, more so, we have nearly run out of work, period. Present tense. And as such, some job cuts might have to happen for the first time in the companies 11 years. 2 cuts. Not my job, and for that I am extremely grateful and thankful. But two other people will be out of work, in about 2 weeks time. One of them, probably should have never been hired in the first place, and the loss their does not bother me. The other person, is the troubling thing for me. her personality fits in so well with our office. She is a good worker, competent, and does not need a lot of supervision. I have been working alongside her for the last month on a project. And she has no idea. None. She makes comments about "we will work that out in a couple weeks at the next stage of the project", and knowing what I know, it is hard to stand there and have a conversation. I will be disappointed the day she leaves. She has only been with the company for 6 months. She was laid off by her previous employer. And now she gets to go through it again.

Sometimes, I think it would be better to not know. Maybe the ostrich has it right, when it hits the fan, get low, stick your head in the sand.

Southwest Vacation: Part 2

2009-03-24T07:35:00.003-04:00

One of the other adventures we are going to go on during our vacation is a hot air balloon ride. Hot Air Ballooning is something I have done before, my friend photog and I actually participated as crew members for a 2 balloon operation in Houston when we were in our younger years. That was always a lot of fun, it had to be to drag two teenage boys out of bed on Saturday mornings at 5 am. On two occasions we got to go up in the balloons and the experience, to this day, is still something that I remember vividly. There is such a sense of weightlessness and it is so peaceful. Since you float on the breeze, there is no wind, just a calm environment. When I discovered that Hot Air Balloon Rides were very popular in the Sonoran Desert, well, I knew we had to go.

Hot Air Expeditions will be our tour of choice. They come very well recommended from all of the reading and research I did online about the various outfits to choose from in the area. We are really looking forward to seeing the Sonoran Desert from 400 feet in the air. I will make sure I get good pictures.

Southwest Vacation: Part 1

2009-03-20T07:55:00.003-04:00

Now, don't those look like fun.

In about 20 days, we will be taking off to go visit the US desert Southwest. A part of the country that neither of us have ever been to. About 8 months ago we started planning this trip. Thankfully, a large portion of it is being paid for by all of the business travel I did last year. Our plane tickets, and most of our hotel nights are all free as a result. Sometimes those frequent traveler programs pay off. Anyway, we are going to Phoenix, Joshua Tree National Monument, Tuscon, Sedona, The Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. I am pretty sure I will have more than enough photos to keep me busy for a long time after this one.

But, while we are in Phoenix, we are taking a guided Tomcar tour with Desert Wolf Tours, and that picture is a Tomcar. Our tour will be a half day, taking us to remote parts of the Sonoran Desert, that are not really accessible to the visitor any other way. And, we get to drive this thing, not the tour guide, we drive. How cool is that! And the pictures that are going to come from that little trip, I can't wait to see them.

But most of all, we are looking forward to a great vacation for just the two of us. We have not been able to take more than a weekend where it was just the two of us since our honeymoon. So, we decided it was time. And I am glad we started reserving things when we did. Because if we started doing it all now, well, who knows. But most of this is paid for, and the rest has its funding. So, we are going to go, and enjoy ourselves.

More to come.

For the sake of comparison.

2009-03-10T14:25:00.004-04:00

Sometimes in life, you have to paint a picture, so that others can accurately understand a point you are trying to make. I am going to start painting now.

Lets say, that you are a fortunate person, and you spend your daily commute behind the wheel of, oh, lets say a Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Quite possibly the pinnacle of the development of the motor car as we know it.

You get to drive one of these everyday. You are good with it, you know how to extract what you need from it, you are one with it, and you enjoy it. You are never surprised, and never let down.

But then one day, you are required to take a drivers exam, because someone thinks that you need to prove your worth and ability. You show up for your test, keys to your Prancing Horse in hand...and they inform you that you will be driving this:

A 1985 Yugo. Russian Made, whose pinnacle was the addition of fuel injection.

That is about what it is like taking my current round of registration exams. I use AutoCAD, and am required to use the NCARB program for these tests...the equivlent of a newly injected '85 Yugo.

Oh yeah, took the second one today. It was a blast. Two down, one to go.

One Down, Two to go!

2009-03-04T14:39:00.002-05:00

I took my first of the last three tests today. I don't know if I passed yet, but I am confident that I did. I should, since this is what I do everyday. but i won't know for 4-6 weeks, which is crazy, since the test is scored by a computer. It should be scored in a matter of days. But the idea that design is scored by a computer is insanity in my opinion, design is subjective, not objective. It is also open to interpretation, which a computer is not capable of, at least not that I am aware of.

Oh well, that one is done, time to prepare for the next two.

Snow Day

2009-03-01T18:23:00.006-05:00

Yep, March 1, 2009 in Atlanta is a snow day. The news folks had been telling us all week that we might get a nice wintry day today, and no one believed them. While sitting around the table doing some work today, at about 11 am we realized that it was, in fact, snowing. We were sure none of it would stick, after all, this is the south, and snow should know better. But no, it stuck, and it got heavy at times, it was a very heavy, wet snow. It did not stick to the roadways at all, which is good, this town gets paralyzed by the thought of snow on the roadways.

Even the dog got in some snow time, she really enjoyed running around in the wet stuff, and loved to chase the snow balls that were soon flying through the air.

The last time we had snow was January of 2008, and we were at the airport waiting to fly to Paris. We did not get pictures of the house in the snow then, so I made sure we got some this time.

Now we have had our fun in the snow, now it is time for this mess to stop, we have to go to work tomorrow, and I don't want to do it in the snow. Once a year is enough, time for warm weather now please, ok, thanks.

Intaxication

2009-02-24T09:51:00.002-05:00

Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

I thought this new word was perfect for this time of year, and it is so true that first few seconds when you finish doing your taxes, and then it hits you. I am just glad to have our money back.

Finally!

2009-02-24T07:56:00.002-05:00

I finally signed up for all three of my remaining Architectural Registration Exams. Yep, all three, in the span of about 8 days. Building Planning, Building Technology and Site Planning. Two of them are 6 hour tests, one is only 4 hours. But all are longer than the other 6 sections that I have taken.

I got tired of everyone asking me about it, and, work is slow. Right now is a good time to get these done. My work load has decreased substantially, and that gives me the ability to take what amounts to three days off to take these tests. It will be nice to at least get them behind me for the first try, I am hoping, and fairly confident that I should be able to pass them on the first try, provided I don't let my head get in the way. These tests are all graphic divisions, involving design, but they are not to see if you can be a good "Designer". They are testing your ability to meet a client's program and needs. I have to approach it differently than we would in the real world. Any mistake, and error, or any oversight results in FAIL. Good design does not earn extra credit.

So, March 4, 10 and 12, here I come.

Zach Lutz

2009-02-13T16:00:00.003-05:00

Zach Lutz's Adventures in Racing has been added as another place to waste time. He is a nice young man I met at the track this past weekend. He and his father are both avid racers, and Zach will be competing in the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Series this year as a Rookie. his blog will follow that, and tell the stories of life as a racer in the series. He is also sporting a few pictures I took of his car this past weekend. So that is kinda cool for me, to see my pictures on a blog that is going to actually get some views. It should be fun to watch him progress.

Economic Uncertainty

2009-02-03T07:48:00.002-05:00

These economic times are starting to hit home. Yesterday was particularly upsetting. A very good friend was laid off, and while she felt it a blessing to not be working for the evil woman she worked for, she is now out of work, a situation I would be terrified of Then, we got news that UPS will not be doing annual pay increase for management, and they will discontinue their 401K match for the foreseeable future. And, then, to make matters worse, my office has lost two big projects in the last 4 days, one of them was mine. It was what was going to be in production for the next two months, permitting for two months after that, and then construction for 14 months. So, the next 18 months of work for me, just evaporated. Poof, working on it hard everyday one week...sitting around with nothing to do the next.

I have been told that if worse comes to worse, the partners will weather the storm with me on board, and the 4 of us will get through it, and that is comforting, but if it gets worse than that, I will be out of work, with no where to go. I don't have any skills that would be useful in any other field. I just hope and pray that something changes. A certain someone preached "Change" for the last two years at us, filled our heads with it, I think it is about time he steps up to the plate, and actually goes through with it.

Hello 2009!

2008-12-31T11:40:00.001-05:00

As we look forward to 2009, there are always unknowns. Will I have a job, will all of my family still be with me at the end of 2009, where will life take us. All of these things are not up to me. But one thing I know is that I will be surrounded by good people, I will have the love of my wife and family, and the support of great friends spread across the country. This is the time of year, when we should look back on the year behind, pay our respect to those we lost, those we added, and to take stock in what we achieved, and to give thanks for what we have received, and be ready to take on the new year. I know I am ready for 2009, ready to start a new year, with new experiences, new places to go, new people to meet and good times to have. Because God knows, I have had about enough of 2008.

So, lift your glass, celebrate the year behind, and embrace the year ahead. CHEERS! Happy New Years!

Random Photo of the day

2008-12-31T07:05:00.004-05:00

I took this picture in Wichita, Kansas, this past weekend. I am not sure of the names of the pedestrian bridge, or the park in the island between the two bodies of water. I know the main river is the Arkansas, as it passes through Wichita. What I liked about the scene, was the contrast of the still water over the spillway to the rough water at the bottom and on into the flowing river. The back lighting made for some nice silhouettes of the oddly shaped structures. It was a tough shot to get, the lighting was not great, and I had to prop my camera on a wall to shoot the 1/15 second exposure, any longer than that, and there was too much movement in the camera. I wish I had my tripod with me, that could have been interesting, or it could have been worse. No matter, I like what I got. It is the desktop of the day.

Little Surprises

2008-12-30T14:00:00.004-05:00

My grandfather can be a surprising person. He has always had an ornery side, and he has always kept me on my toes. You never really know what he is going to do. In the hours following the funeral for my grandmother, we as a family gathered at a common place, the home of a family member. We were there for a number of hours. Grandpa was alert, and part of the evening, and eventually joined everyone in the basement, where there was a pool table, TV, games and all sorts of things. The family was enjoying each others company, the women were chatting, and the men were involved in a little sibling rivalry, best settled at the pool table. And then, out of nowhere, Grandpa decided it was his turn to shoot a little. He played 5 or 6 games, and all things considered, did quite well. It was not a matter of who won or lost, it was time well spent with him.

It was a great way to end the day, and a nice break from the day that we had all been through.

An Angel went home.

2008-12-22T05:59:00.006-05:00

Last night, at around 6 PM, an angel went home. We will miss her, we will cherish all of the times we spent with her, but we will be at peace, knowing that she is singing in the choir again, because her voice has been returned to her. She is no longer encumbered by the disease that took her away from us, her pain and suffering are over. We know she will eternally be with us in spirit, watching over us in everything we do.

I am so grateful that I had the chance to see her one last time at Thanksgiving, got to hold her hand, and spend some time with her. I will forever remember that time, and always be glad I got to see her one last time.

GRAND OPENING...quiet exit

2008-12-19T08:10:00.010-05:00

The project that I have been working on for the past 13 months, has come to an end. The Grand Opening was held on Wednesday, and I was fortunate enough to attend. This was the first hotel that was mine, from the time the first lines were drawn, to the time the last furniture was put in place, and the last piece of carpet was vacuumed. There is a sense of pride in standing in a building that big, knowing that you had a hand in it. I learned a lot, got to see a lot, traveled way too much, but in the end, it is a great project for our office, not glamorous like the downtown firms, but for us, and what we do, it is a good project.

I got to go to my first Grand Opening party, got to meet all of the big players in the partnership, got to meet the mayor, and all of the power players in the city it is built in, and then, got to quietly climb into my rental car, and leave at 5 am the next morning, with a job well done.

A few pictures.
The Front Entrance and Porte Cochere

The Main Lobby

The Pool at Night

and finally, my favorite one, the pool in the fog.

When we arrived, a coastal fog was setting in on the site, and I knew I did not have long to get up and capture this image. The building created a pocket of light fog behind the building, and everywhere else was dense fog. It reminded me of the California coastal fogs that I had seen during my visits there. This is one of my favorite pictures of the year.

18mm versus 10mm

2008-12-19T08:03:00.004-05:00

The new lens for the DSLR works great, I think I am going to really enjoy having it, both for my personal photo work, and the work for my office. It opens up the ability to shoot interiors, and in cramped spaces outside.

A little comparison, side by side. First, the widest angle the 18mm could produce, then second, the 10mm version from the same spot. I can reduce some of the barrel distortion in the 10mm shot, it looses some of the image on the sides, but it makes it feel a little less like a warped perspective.

Hey, nice glass!

2008-12-17T07:09:00.002-05:00

Yep, I finally got the super wide angle lens I have been wanting, for oh, since I got the camera. I ordered the Canon 10-22, f3.5 ES series lens. It is a digital only lens, but I don't see myself graduating to full frame anytime soon, so, this will be great for what I want to use it for. It will be great for taking landscapes, especially when we go on our vacation next year, and it will be great for architectural interiors...can't imagine when I will use that part...HA!. Anyway, it came in yesterday after I left the office. So it was a nice treat to see it here today when i got in. It is a really well built lens, metal body, metal attachment ring, much nicer than I expected. My other digital only lens is all plastic, this one is quite sturdy, well built, and a little on the heavy side. It has a great feel to it though, the zoom movement is nice and fluid, I now see why so many people love this lens. I am sure I will too.

I will put it to good use today, since I am going to a Grand Opening for my hotel project in LA...Lower Alabama. I will take some shot of the interior with both lenses for comparison. Should be fun. Can't wait to get out and use it.