The Wondering Lenz of olc: 2015

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Now for something a little different---Rootbeer bottle tops

It is not like I don't have enough to do, but I saw this root beer bottle in the Runtyun's room. So I guess I needed to immortalized it.

She said it was OK, but the cinnamon added took some of the joy away. Maybe I'll have to try one just to find out.

olc

Stray cat

We live in an area that is not really wild, but very rural. We have woods and mountains and deer and turkey and even a bear or two, walking through the yard on a daily basis. It seems like cats and maybe even a dog or two may have litters away from their human keepers. Maybe the term is feral.

Over the years in which we have had the pleasure of living in this house more than a few kittens and young cats have tried to convince us to take care of them. I'm not a cat person, so their pleas have gone unanswered for the most part. This little sweetheart would not take the hint though. She keeps calling us to pay attention to her (I think there must be some Siamese in her, because she yowls more than meows) and of course she has a gimpy eye and that of course called out my

bleeding heart 15 year old. (Damn teenage LIBERALS having to help the world). She does not come into the house, the cat that is, but she has figured out that the window she sits by leaks warmer air.

Well, maybe she will find some food to eat every now and then. And maybe the mouse population will decrease!

olc

Pink Elephants?

Maybe I should have known by those elephants that this was strong beer. For sure the taste was not so spectacular. Again, I am finding out that just because one spends a lot for the bottle, it does not mean the beer has a profound, or memorable flavor. But what with the high alcohol count after a couple of sips...who cares, right?!

O and did you notice the initials? "DTs" Are they trying to steer our thinking in a certain direction? Let me know what you think.

olc

More Beer bottle tops

If you, as my loyal readers, only knew the sacrifice I make to bring these outstanding images to you. I have to go to the store and buy these beers and then I have to drink them, TOO!

After that I have to break out the camera and flashes and stands, and defusers and filters. Then I have to set up the scene and experiment with exposure and all that technical stuff. And by that time I'm thirsty and need another beer! O the sacrifices I make your reading pleasure! But it is worth it to me because of the comments you leave. O wait, No Comments.

Well, here is another...

Whatduya' think?

Olc

A local Bar-beer shop

As far as I can tell, they really sell beer while you get your hair cut. What a hair raising idea!

olc

Around Sunset in AVL

I got this shot about 15 seconds after the sun slide below the horizon. I did do a little post processing here, but for the most part it is straight out of the camera.

olc

Chess at Pack Sqaure

I like they way this photo Captures the moment of a decisive move in the game, yet holds the thought of the players. All the while, the bike in the background is speeding by.

I show ed this to some friends on a photo site and they had a few suggestions...gonna have to try them.

olc

This old Gal

This old gal is the companion of a lady I met in Pack Square. She is a Beagle and I think, when I took this photo, she was tracking a mouse. Right after I took the shot, she went off on the hunt.

The next time I see Princess, we will have a little eye to eye time...work on the drama a little.

olc

My new/old film Camera and lens

I answered an ad on Craigslist for a event. Actually, they wanted a musician for an old folks home celebration, but being an entrepreneurial spirit, I asked if they wanted to record with some photos by me.

Well, one thing I have learned is that one should have a back up camera for any event, just in case the main goes south. I have my iPhone and another digital point and shoot, but felt they were not what I wanted to use. So I pulled out my old Canon TX film camera.

Relearning how to shoot with film is a story for another time, but let's just say I really like it!

Here are a couple of pics of the camera.

It is kinda old and has a couple of dings on the body, but the shutter works well and the lenzes are SHARP!

olc

Another attempt

A friend let me have these earrings to see what I could do with them. Well, the first attempt was not so good, so I did a little research on still life and staging and this is what I came up with.

What do ya' think?

Olc

More in my series of Beer Bottle Tops

For some reason lately, I have been fascinated with beers that have cork tops. This Allegash Ale is pretty nice, but I am learning that just because one spends way too much for a bottle of beer it does not mean that the beer is exceptional. There was nothing that really stood out about the drinking of it. However, the Alcocol Content was high and the brain-wash it gave was pretty pretty profound.

olc

Monday, December 7, 2015

And still more Beer Bottle Caps

Here is another in my series of Beer Bottle Tops. The other day I went out and got a Defuser for my flash unit. In this case the defuser is attachable to the flash unit with a white translucent filter that defuses, or spreads the harsh light coming from the flash unit. In other words it brightens the subject but does not create such harsh shadows or highlights.

I used a red velvet background because I thought it would make the beer bottle look good and not create too many highlights on the metal pieces.

The beer itself was OK, with nothing special to speak about, almost generic. Way expensive, I think almost $7.00 for the bottle, 24oz. Yeah, I know that is ridiculous for beer and I will not buy it again, but I liked the bottle and wired on cork cap. I knew I would use them for this string. At any rate, it was a red ale from the Belgium genre of beer. Also, the Alcohol count was pretty high, around 7%. Does this makes the sting of the price go away? And it was brewed in Maine, I have never had a beer from Maine before...

This is straight out of my camera with no PP.

What do ya' think?

olc

Sunday, December 6, 2015

A Negative question

So I brought out one of my old film cameras. I want to have a back up camera incase my main goes south on me. I can't get another digital camera right now, so we go to film.

I took the Canon TX

out and shot a roll to see how it looks. Well, let me just say that shooting with film is much different than digital. Mostly you don't machine gun pictures. One thinks about each shutter snap taken; exposure, composition, aperture, things as simple as winding after each shutter actuation and especially lighting. Not only does it cost more to print a film image, the time it takes to see what I have done is soooo much longer, think using the whole roll of film before taking it to a darkroom, then the actual time it takes for them to do the work. Then you gotta go back to the shop and pick it up! One cannot even see it on the back of the camera. (Such a 1st-world problem!)

I hope that my ability to take a better photograph will be enhanced because of all the consideration I take when shooting with this old fashioned tech. At any rate, I am enjoying the thought process involved.

When I shot the first roll, I was lucky and got a shot of a rail road that came out pretty nicely, but it is on a negative, so I cannot do anything with it right now. I asked one of my local photo store dealers to transfer it to a usb. He suggested I just do it myself. I thought I could use my computer screen as a light box and it would all be cool!

But that experiment is for another posting.

olc

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Weddings and rings

My beautiful Runtyun has many friends, some of whom have parents who are starting in love again. I was lucky enough to be asked to come to one of them. I brought my camera and was fortunate to get this shot.

olc

A little puppy

This little guy was so cute and looked so safe with his people

But I need to work on this image a little, maybe crop it some more.

olc

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Crows and Crosses

HMMM, what does this mean to you?

olc

And still More dogs

This little guy spotted me before I saw him. Truthfully, I don't know it it is a girl or boy, but in my male centric world I see a dog and think "he." At any rate, this puppy was vigilant and happy between it's people.

Look at her beautiful EYES!

I went to the dog park and caught a couple pictures. I like this one of two meeting for the first time.

olc

Pack Square and the AYC

Can you miss her? Mine the one with BRIGHT red hair. The Asheville Youth Choir had a cameo at Pack Square. The Runtyun and her friend where there.

Their music makes angels smile.

olc

Too Cute a Kid

The Runtyun had a concert a littler in the afternoon, so I thought I would treat myself to some brunch. By the way, The Twisted Laurel is fine little place. I had Eggs Benedict with real Hollandaise Sauce. Yummy!

After I was finished eating this bubble of giggles and her mother sat at a table close by me. The baby wanted to taste the pretty yellow food.

olc

More in my mini genre of beer caps

This is another in beer cap. It must have been a good beer Because I don't remember any details.

olc

Saturday, October 10, 2015

From her Garden

Here are some late season plants from Mom's garden.

This last one could benefit from a little more blur in the background

Another version of Mom's Cat

I wanted to rework this one. What do you think?

olc

A storm is afoot.

A storm is coming!

olc

More street and kids

I love this little girl. She was having fun and just needed me to take her picture. I have posted her before, but ai wanted to work on the image in post a little more.