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What I had for breakfast

Harvey's Progressive Barber Shop, North 1st and East Broad Streets

This sign was repainted a few weeks ago. Oz and I drove past one evening, during the blue hour, and saw them working. We stopped at the light at 1st and Broad and I would have had a great drive-by photo-op, except that I hadn't brought my camera because it was getting dark and how likely was I to see anything I wanted to shoot?

This morning we were questing for brunch and there were too many people ahead of us at Perly's. When we walked back to the car (to continue the quest), I saw how bright the colors looked in the morning sunshine and we walked up to the corner to shoot the sign because it looked so great and we would never have that light again. I wouldn't have this picture if we'd been seated right away, so I guess I shouldn't mind.

But I think this increasingly upscale repopulation of the city has gone about far enough if I can't get my brunch when and where I want it. Is the expanding tax base worth it? I think not!

Operation Non-sucky Passport Photo is becoming increasingly involved. Yesterday I took some available light shots with the very light olive wall of my sitting room in the background. It was a great hair day too, because I got a haircut and my stylist ("Hair Engineer", it used to say on her card) always sends me out the door looking great. I even got some good pictures of myself, but the wall behind me came up too dark gray. If I use the wall to set the color balance, then my face will end up some weird color. A better backdrop is in order.

This morning we went to Office Max and picked up a sheet of white poster board and some sticky poster clay. Over brunch, which we finally ended up at dim sum because the wait was also too long at Millie's (Saturdays are as zooey as Sundays anymore), Oz started talking speedlights again. "Mm. Okay." And once we were in the camera shop, the willpower to delay gratification and buy it online just went kaplooey, so Oz presented me with a lovely SB-600 and some batteries.

Back home, I set up my studio and tried some more. The poster board I attached to the closet door. The rug in the sitting room is a mostly bright pink oriental, so I covered it with a white sheet to keep the bouncing light from getting all colored. I angled the flash up at the ceiling (conveniently already white) and started shooting. Now I have a bunch of well lit, rather sucky photographs of myself. Since "suck" is basically one of the State Department's requirements, I could be done now. I'm getting closer though. Non-suck is within reach.

The flash, by the way, is great. Instead of blasting the subject right in the eyes with bright light, you can blast something else so that the subject is merely washed with light. You get a happy subject and a nicely lit picture.