civilized ku # 609 ~ barbarous ancestors and their contemporary spawn

The mind of man ~ Jefferson Memorial - Washington, DC • click to embiggenThe trip to the South Jersey shore also included a day trip to Washington, DC wherein I introduced Hugo to some of the nation's history.

A history that the teabaggers and their strict-constitutionalist conservative brethren seem to not know or ignore. To wit ...

I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.

civilized ku # 607 ~ too hot to handle

Counter debri • click to embiggen
Counter debri processing steps • click to embiggenAs is always the case, it's too hot for me too handle here in South Jersey. That said, the phrase "too hot" in entry title above refers not to the weather but the color red on the twist tie in the accompanying picture.

A few days ago, The Cinemascapist and I were conversing about the fact that he was unable to obtain, neither in RAW conversion nor in PS processing, the orange-ish red of the after-storm clouds he had pictured. The discussion centered around the fact that neither color film nor digital sensors can capture anywhere near the full color spectrum that the human eye can see.

In a best case scenario, one might be able to come close to obtaining it by judicious after-picturing processing, that is, as long as it can be displayed on your color monitor - which, itself, can not display the the full human-eye spectrum.

Now, I mention this because, on my way to South Jersey, I spent 2 days and a night in NYC which included a trip to the candy store, AKA - B&H Photo. I needed to order some printing supplies and begin looking for a new monitor since mine - a 8-9 year old Apple Cinema display - is starting to show on-screen visible signs of giving up the ghost.

Naturally, I inquired about a replacement Apple Cinema display, whereupon I was informed that I had been using a piece-of-shit display for the past 8-9 years. Damn, I wish I had known that because, all the while that I was processing and printing really nice pictures, I never knew that the Apple display was a piece of junk.

This got me to thinking - if my display was a piece of shit, what's my printer - an Epson PRO 7800? After all, it's 1 0r 1.5 generations removed from the newest, best-est, and brightest Espon 7900?

To be absolutely certain, a new Lacie 324 will undoubtedly be able to display more and better color, contrast, and tonality than my current Apple Cinema display - just as the salesman pointed out. However, even given a new Epson 7900, I would not be able to print all of the colors nor the contrast that I can see on a Lacie 324 (most likely my choice for a replacement)- just as the salesman DID NOT point out.

Thanks to my decades of experience, I was able to jam-up the salesman on a number of his points. For example, he was quick to point out that one of the "problems" with the Apple Cinema display was the fact that it is way too saturated a display for critical color work, which, as I pointed out, was why I turned on the PhotoShop desaturate-display-20% preference option. I could have done a major jam-up on the guy on many of his points, but I was in a kindly and generous mood so I let him prattle on, gearhead-style, for as long as I could stand it and then I moved on.

FYI, the 3 pictures above illustrate - from RAW conversion to first-step PS correction to final image - how the sensor in my camera and the proper WB RAW conversion of images made thereupon results in reds (and yellows) that are a bit too red and/or too yellow - depending upon, amongst other things, subject matter and light conditions.

BTW, one of the great things about making a still life picture like the one above is that I can make the picture, run to my computer, process the image, and then go back to the still life scene and check for color variances.

You should try it some time. The results might surprise you.

civilized ku # 608 ~ it's a rotten leisure hours activity but someone has to do it

Wilderness Inn ~ Wilmington, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
At the bar ~ Wilderness Inn, Wilmington, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenGeorge Eastman stated:

What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.

I wonder what he'd think about my presence in bars making pictures of unaccompanied women (I have absolutely no interest in unaccompanied men)?

FYI, in many of his leisure hours George used to travel around the world killing large animals (and making pictures) - I know because I've been to his house and the walls are hung with lots of "trophies". What's that make him?

BTW and FYI - I'm off to the beach, South Jersey style. There are couple a of pre-loaded entries that I will post during the week and, once again, I will ask The Cinemascapist to fill in here and there - it's the least he can do considering that I have his kid for the week and he and the wife (his) can have some quiet (or noisy, if they like) time together.