Learning Curve

The computer is great, working, and all is fine here. Photo workflow is still working out kinks. Particularly regarding blogger, which may be a past-tense experience shortly.

Most of the focus has been on the Peru work, which was (mostly) reviewed yesterday by the editor, which is why I haven't been able to focus much on new photographs of the kids or anything else with learning the new system.

I need to figure out a good photograph workflow. Here are the needs: something where I can quickly scan and weed out photographs (finder seems fine here); something that will let me create an archive file to have around short term for blog-entries and then upload to our archive -- AND -- will see photos after I've done edits from Photoshop (iphoto is breaking down for me on that last part). Also, I made a mistake by not shooting everything RAW and am not sure how to incorporate current shots and future RAW conversion in this workflow...

And I can't figure out a smooth way to get photos from iphoto to blogger, which is why I haven't blogged in a few days. This may be the straw that breaks my back and forces me to move out from blogger to one of the URLs I've been holding for a year. Time to download wordpress...?

Peru, the trip, the work... The Start.

We've been back in the States a week and I'm still figuring out how to write about our three weeks in Peru. Part of the issue is that my trusty notebook, with all my travel notes and thoughts, went AWOL about a day after we arrived home. Another issue is the nature of the work... I'm unsure of some of the ownership details of the photographs I took and feel that if I put them online before the Magazine has chosen which they are using that I could get in a sticky situation. The third issue is workflow, which does not exist. This issue relates to how we store photographs, how I process them, and the tools I use to do all of the above. Paul has a great storage system arranged for us... it just takes me hours to use it because my little 'puter can't handle much, doesn't have much in terms of software, and has display problems. The new baby has been ordered, so that last issue should be somewhat fixed in another week or so. Until then, all I'm really doing is cropping photos and trying to organize them.


Some lessons learned about photography gigs:

-- They get harder when the gig is everyday for 3 weeks. It's hard to keep up with the volume, keep equipment ready and waiting, and stay fresh. (That said, I totally loved every minute.)

-- Make sure your cameras have the same time/date set. I didn't do this and because we used two cameras, putting the photos in a chronological order is an ongoing nightmare. Combined with how S.L.O.W. it is to do anything with the photos from my computer, it is a real time-sink... but completely necessary.

-- I was up late every night emptying memory cards, checking back-ups to make sure everything was safe, trying to upload backup copies to our home network, and checking that equipment was charged and ready for the next day. These things all sound easy, but were actually very difficult when you've been up since 3:30am (we had many days that started before 5am)... the bottom line is that Paul was my saving grace for everything. As always. The perfect partner for all of the work of the trip.

-- Anytime you find yourself asking whether you should take something, the answer is YES. Every Darn Time we asked, 'should we take the tripod?' or 'should we take the flash?' or said 'maybe we should only take one camera'... every single time we went with the pesky thought, we regretted it. Bottom line: haul it all.

-- I am ready for a battery pack. Bring on the weight.

-- Although we were in many situations where pick-pockets are plentiful, crime goes unchecked, and poverty and desperation are high... I never, ever felt myself to be more at risk because of my camera(s). Yes, we watched ourselves. Yes, we were smart. Yes, we traveled in groups and always had guides who knew the community. But in the end, I actually think that having the GEAR made me/us more conspicuous. The cameras stood out so much that theft would have been obvious. Better to slink away with a pocket camera than a several pound beast with a wide angle lens attached. Plus, I typically had conversations with those I photographed and explained who I was, what I was doing, and what it was for -- this opened a ton of doors for us. While there were some who requested I not photograph, more often than not, people not only were happy to be photographed but offered suggestions and help.

-- If I ever do this again, I will approach it completely differently. I didn't fully grasp how to handle both roles (teaching assistant AND photographer/photojournalist) until the end of the class. It took a few days of doing both to see what worked and what didn't.


If I could leverage this type of photography within public heath work on a regular basis... wow. Even thinking about it is overwhelming.

Fish market pictures are up. There is a short description there, too...

Low Light

La Divina -- Channel 26

Here is the commercial airing on Channel 26 with the photography I did for our friends at La Divina... complete with pictures of the kids enjoying seriously delicious panini and gelato!

New toy!!

I have been playing with the idea of getting a second camera body for awhile. Switching lenses all the time isn't the easiest thing and after the secondary mirror incident a year ago and my Dad going through an Er99 with his 350D, I've been thinking more and more that I need a back-up. With the Peru trip coming up fast, it's been on my mind more and more.

The dilemma: pay $200-300 to fix the secondary mirror on my 300D or buy another Canon body for about the same price?

Today, I bought a used 10D for $300. The shutter looks to have been actuated about 6000 times, so I figure I've got at least 10,000 more shots on it before mirror lock-up should even be a consideration. (Granted, it seems you can turn back the odometer, so to speak, but I don't think this occurred based on the history described by the seller; the number reflected his story perfectly.) I'm psyched and geeked up and ready to go out loaded with two lenses ready and waiting!

Next toy: TRIPOD. Suggestions for a very light, compact, travel-friendly tripod welcome!

La Divina

Pictures from La Divina Gelateria. For their coming commerical!





La Divina is the only place in the State that makes all their products completely from scratch -- from milk solids. Some of the flavors below include: Abita Turbo Dog, Cinnamon, Aztec Chocolate, Hazelnut, Strawberry Creole Cream Cheese, and Sweet Cream.

Mmm, mmm, good!

Last weekend was characteristically busy. Earlier in the week, I took some pictures for our friends at La Divina, to be used in a commercial they are making to air on Channel 26. Friday night, we joined up to take pictures of the kids enjoying panini and gelato.

I ate the one below. It was fantastic.





This is what happens when you ask Kate to smile. The response must be genetic: it is exactly the same expression I gave at her age when asked to smile.

Chillin'

Mardi Gras 2008: The Review, Thoth Sunday

Some call it Bacchus Sunday, but as we've never been to Bacchus, for us it's Thoth Sunday. Also known at the Krewe of Shut-ins, Thoth traipses through our neighborhood visiting the Children's Hospital and several retirement centers. Earlier in the season, Thoth visits other retirement centers off the parade route -- last year, the Abeona kids joined one of the centers for Thoth's visit. The parade route includes the stretch of Magazine right in front of Whole Foods (which is a stone's throw from our front door) so the situation just begs for a party. We donned our costumes once again (turn down the chance to wear golden boots!? not us!)

Sheri joined us for the morning -- with big kudos since she'd been up all night at the Endymion Extravaganza the night before. (Remember that event? We went last year and were very sad to turn down a gracious invite to attend once again. What a seriously fun party!)


Will's favorite throw was a plastic sword. Two, in fact. But he gave one to a friend (which Paul and I found incredibly impressive.) The 4-year old obsession with warfare is still unsettling to the pacifist parents, but we are jokingly agreed that the old-school swords are preferred to guns. Aye. Is fighting always part of early childhood development?
Kate with her throw of the season: a seriously nice stuffed monkey. Paul was holding her at the time and reported that the float riders burst into laughter when Kate took the monkey and quickly put beads around its neck. Thanks, Thoth rider! She's been inseparable from it ever since.
Ana and Elliot danced to the marching bands!
Paul juggled. While juggling, a guy came up to Paul and asked if he got his cape on Etsy. In fact, we did. Turns out the guy had contacted the same seller to inquire of capes for Mardi Gras... and learned that she had just done capes for a family in New Orleans (us), "maybe you'll see them," she added. He couldn't believe it when he saw Paul and recognized the capes. He took this picture (one with each of our cameras) so that we could send them to the Etsy seller/crafter.
Views from high on the ladder (by Paul).



Thoth was our last parade this season. We were beat. I really missed getting out to St. Charles for Tuesday's parades; I love Zulu and there is something that feels "official" about Rex that makes me feel like I'm missing something. (Although I generally feel that Rex riders are stingy in their throws.) Still, it was a great carnival holiday and we are already thinking of how to more fully enjoy the traditions next year!

Mardi Gras 2008: The Review, Iris & Tucks

Parade performers from Xavier Prep (I emailed the photo to the school; hopefully it will get to the right people.)
Ladders lined up on St. Charles, waiting for Iris to fix whatever float malfunction was holding up the rest of the parade.
The last few floats in Tucks roaring up Napoleon. The crowd was friendly and fun.

Mardi Gras 2008: The Review, Friday Megaparade Night

Friday evening, we headed out into the fray early (or so we thought)... and were on the neutral ground by 4:45. Apparently, every person with a ladder within a 300 mile radius had been there sooner and set up their ladders supplied with taser devices to ensure on one infringe upon the PUBLIC space surrounding their ladder by several feet. Some even set up huge caution tape lines. One of the best parts about Mardi Gras is the camaraderie in the lines; folks sharing food, throws, and jokes.
Luckily, Ana spotted us crawling up and down Napoleon and we joined her and their friends, who had the good sense to bring several chairs. Ana (above) settled into our ladder seat with Will. After a few minutes, though, Will flipped out over being up in the ladder (as would be a theme for the rest of the holiday). His spirit was bolstered, however, when he discovered the delights of Doritos in a bag shared by Emmy. It was love at first sight; Will hasn't quite been the same since.

In the meantime, as dusk settled in, I went to town trying out different techniques to capture the floats as the riders took their places, prepped their throws, and night began to fall. Normally, this would be a flash situation: I increased shutter speed, increased ISO, and played around with exposure to get these shots.
In my opinion, Hermes has the most beautiful floats. The parade "starts" a few blocks from where we were, so we sat at in the staging area of the parade. It was a great place to start the night. Watching them slowly light up as the sun set was almost magical.

(Note: see the caution tape below? For some reason, this seemed endemic this Mardi Gras. What is up, people?)

Ana stayed up on high (that girl is afraid of NOTHING) and chatted to me while I snapped away.
She even offered me a few of her wake-me-up-with-a-bang! flavored Zapp's chips. That's Ana, keeping the NOLA Mardi Gras spirit alive!

Hermes was the only parade we saw. At the start of D'Etat (always one of our favorites), it became clear that Kate *had a diaper*. It could not be fixed... the girl was a mess from head to toe. Will was still being freaked out by everything (the flambeau, usually a favorite, was freaking him out, too), and it was getting colder and later. We went home. It had been a big day. It was a good idea; we were much better positioned for Saturday. (Except for Kate, who we realized was unequivocally ill.) Will and I were the only ones to attend parades on Saturday.

Mardi Gras 2008: The Review, Part 1

Friday morning, Oak Street.
About our costumes. We're Mardi Gras Superheros: Will is Captain Mardi Gras, Kate is the faithful sidekick Lagniappe, and Paul and I are The Beignet Bunch. The idea came from Will's obsession with Superheros and a purple cape he made at school.
We're wearing about 8 layers of clothes each (it was a chilly morning) but the top layer is a purple t-shirt... which was incredibly difficult to find. I ordered from an online t-shirt place; working to find sizes in kids to adults that was going to be the same color was impossible. When the order came, half of the stuff was delayed and we ended up being some in long sleeves (Paul) and some in short. Paul and I are wearing scrubs for bottoms. Will is wearing purple tights from a girls Hello Kitty pajama set I found on sale in some megastore. Kate is wearing a purple glittery jumper that came from Clare. The capes were made by a crafter on Etsy who I highly recommend to any and all; the capes are fantastic (more pics of them to follow) and she was wonderful to work with. I made the embelms with sticky sided felt, glittery felt, and hot glue. Paul spray painted rubber boots with metallic gold spray paint. I was going to make golden shorts for Will but gave up after 30 minutes of hand sewing got really old and talked Paul into spray painting a pair of Will's underwear. It worked perfectly. Paul's Helmet came from MardiGrasOutlet.com and arrived the day after we ordered it. Will's King Hat came from Jefferson Variety, a local hole-in-the-wall supplier of all the fancy fabric and trim for your Mardi Gras costuming needs.

View of the full regala... with Paul and I wearing Abeona's signature throw: the Golden NuNu.
Kate, getting ready for her ride. She was pretty subdue for the morning.
Emmy lead the way as "Queen of the Boil" (complete with cajun spice and tiny crawfish in her big net skirt). Ana and Will eagerly dolled out loot to watchers. Fun moment: hearing people call out: "Throw me somethin' Mister!" to them as they went by.
Our band: Panorama Jazz Band! TWELVE musicians! They were absolutely fabulous. It was a great!
There were concerns of how pulling the float would impact it's delicate construction (and who could drill holes in that beautiful paint job?) -- so Paul pushed it. We forgot to make a float sign to go in the front. Something to add for next year's royalty!
The parade crossing Carrollton.
Back in front of the school... superheros compare their get-ups.
Will and Ana hold hands and smile... preparing for their entrance and Mardi Gras toast!
Entrance of the King and Queen. Notice Will's face... he didn't quite have Ana's sense of drama in this moment. (She waved and walked demurely to her seat.)
Toasting! After watching the Mayor toast the King and Queen of Zulu this morning, I much preferred the sincerity of this toasting.
The Little Man!