My GPS Camera Phone

No really. They’re IN the road.

What happens to all of the trash on the road? Some of it gets picked up, some of it gets washed away by the rain. But some of it – usually small and metal – gets compressed into the asphalt.

Aside from all things photographic, what makes this photo interesting to me is trying to determine the origin of the debris. What does the key unlock? What drink was contained by that bottle cap? How many nails were picked up by the tires of unsuspecting motorists before the rest decided to stick around? How old is all of this stuff?

I suppose that might be a weak argument to some, but I can rationalize my intrigue with road debris through mystery. With mystery, there is potential for a much more robust story. Without mystery, there’s a better chance that there’s no amazing story. (OK, maybe there is, but it’s not nearly as compelling to me.) A mildewed and worn dining room table on the side of the road is far less interesting and mysterious than a key embedded in asphalt. Maybe it’s the metal and the endurance. Maybe it’s the timelessness of it.

Maybe I’m just crazy.

…deep thought…

…deeper thought…

Yes, that’s must be it.

In this picture:

• bottle caps
• a key
• washers
• aluminum can
• nails
• screws
• nuts and bolts
• a paperclip
• other bits of unidentifiable metal

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Feeling inspired by Dan’s Friday Flock photo post, I tried my hand at some bird watching yesterday (if you consider birdwatching to be looking up while walking through the parking lot…).

Being on the edge of a town that borders Paynes Prairie, nature’s garbage haulers are constantly flying overhead. I sometimes wonder if they might be waiting for me to, I don’t know, die in the parking lot or something. My guess is that they frequent the area due to the common roadkill incidents nearby. What I do know is that they can make short work out of a carcass. It’s unbelievable how quickly these birds work.

With regard to the composition of this camera phone photo, it’s actually three different birds, not one single bird. However, I think luck was on my side this time because it almost looks like three shots layered together or maybe a three-shot sequence of a bird in a dive. That’s not likely to happen though, because as mentioned above, these guys eat dead stuff, so they aren’t much into the whole swooping-down-on-your-prey aerobatics.

On that note, I think I’ll have a snack. All this talk about food is making me hungry.

Here’s a shot of the first black-eyed Susan bloom growing in front of my bedroom window. They are the result of a mixed wildflower seed box that was haphazardly scattered onto what used to be the home for a few dying azalea bushes. It was a temporary measure, but they came back again this year, so I’m going to leave them. If you’re looking for low-maintenance wildflowers, these are it.

As Floridata says, “Everyone’s favorite summertime flower is the black-eyed Susan.” You know it is, so don’t deny it.

(Rudbeckia hirta)

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Jeez, I get 60 RSS subscribers and it goes to my head. No posts in a week! Well, I can assure you that I’ve left Cloud 9 and have resumed the life of the mundane, as portrayed in this most plain shot of a sunset viewed from a strip mall parking lot.

Of course, I had to do something to liven it up. I mean, it’s a strip mall parking lot, come on. For now, I’ll give you the basics and then maybe make it a tutorial. Here goes:

Open Photoshop CS2. First, I did the basic level adjustments and cropping, along with an auto color adjustment. Then, I killed some of the ugliness by using a radial blur set to zoom, focusing on the sunset. Finally, I decided to add a lens flare, even though it’s a filter that’s way overused. In this case, I think it’s excusable.

I hope you enjoy. I’ll be posting more, promise. Thanks for sticking with me.

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Lawn bowling at night, courtesy Satchel’s Pizza, home of the best pizza in Gainesville (and possibly anywhere else). Not only is this a pizza joint, but it’s also an art gallery, a junk shop, a live music venue and an extremely child-friendly restaurant. The kids have three play areas and the adults have lawn bowling. And beer. And wine. Oh, and really awesome pizza. Green olives, roasted red peppers, garlic (real cloves, not that powdery stuff) and extra cheese.

The best part: I can walk there if I want. Yeah. Even better: all employees get a living wage and all the perks of so-called “real” jobs. Business is booming and it has been since they opened their doors. A welcome addition to the neighborhood, for sure.

Back in late February, I posted a camera phone photo of some ferns with a tree bark background. The photo was edited in Picasa2 using the “Focal B&W” effect which allowed me to retain the green color information while discarding the rest. In this tutorial, I’ll show you exactly how I did it. Achieve a professional look in just about two minutes!

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