michael-mccracken.net (photo)

Zoomr, Yellow Tree

Michael McCracken — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 09:55:00 GMT

I've taken to carrying my camera around with me, for practice. It's lead to an unhealthy obsession with camera bags (of which there is no perfect single choice).

It's also lead to maxing out my Flickr account quickly, and I have no cash for a Pro account. So, I thought I'd try the new - Zoomr 2.0, and see what I like about it. Geotagging and Google maps integration is cool, and I like the trackbacks, but to be honest, the interface could be much cleaner. Lots of loud colors and bold text vie for attention with the photos, which should be the real focus of attention on a photo sharing site. At any rate, here's the first photo I uploaded to Zoomr, something I took while waiting for the 30 bus at UCSD:

Pacific Beach Night Photos

Michael McCracken — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 08:20:00 GMT

Last night I took my camera with me on a late-night food run. On the way back, I stopped at the end of Felspar street and took some shots of the beach scene. My favorite two are already up at Flickr, but I thought I'd expand on them a bit here.

This is the end of Crystal Pier, which houses a hotel (you can see the last of the cabins on the left). I took a bunch of these shots, playing with the sensitivity and exposure. This was the longest - at ISO 200 and f/4.0, exposed for about 10 seconds.

Even with an f/1.4 lens, it was super dark and I had to focus manually. I set the camera on a post and used a 2-second delayed shutter to keep it still and out of my shaky hands.

For comparison, here's a version taken at ISO 1600 :

Even reduced in size, you can really notice the noise.

Here's a shot of a cleaning lady working at JRDN, the swank bar in the new Tower 23 hotel. Tower 23 doesn't really fit in in PB - it's way too self-conscious and preening of a place to feel natural in such a laid-back, seedy beach neighborhood. It seemed appropriate that on a Sunday night when the more relaxed established places like the PB Bar & Grill and Longboards were really hopping, JRDN was closed - looking its ghostly best.

I should have remembered that I'd set the 2-second delay before I took this shot - I had the woman framed well, hit the shutter and wondered what was going on. Luckily, she stayed in the door frame, but I could swear it was a better shot just two seconds before.

Here's another missed shot opportunity, as she ducks behind the bar just as I find the right exposure and focus. I think the color in the other one makes it better, but the angle of the bar on this one has some promise. Shot through a couple of layers of glass, and manual focus - I'm sure it could be sharper if I'd kept trying.

Photos, Buzz, 4th

Michael McCracken — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 10:20:00 GMT

Buzz Andersen was in town for the 4th of July, and we both took a few photos, up on Flickr: Buzz's San Diego Photos, and my photos of Buzz.

When I get the film back from the Yashica, I'll scan some more photos in.

In the meantime, I've been getting more into photography, so if you want the full MMC web experience, you could subscribe to a feed of my photos, which should already be part of my feedburner feed. And if you're a fellow Flickr photo nut, feel free to add me as a contact and tell me when I reach photo genius.

PS, I've been working with the Adobe Lightroom beta to process my pictures lately. I really like the focus on workflow, and the UI is very responsive on my old PowerBook G4. It does get a little slower when dealing with 6MP RAW photos, but almost never beachballs. Furthermore, single key shortcuts are priceless for a program aimed at serious users.