164. Postcard - July 31-August 6, 2016
Paul-
May the Nebraska Tourism Bureau and the Nebraska Bureau of Economic Development forgive me.
In aggregate, Lincoln is unquestionably an attractive city. Lots of parks, four stately university campuses, sculpture everywhere, neat museums, a surprising number of scenic bike trails, wonderful neighborhoods, cool residential architecture, and more trees than you can shake a…well, stick at.
As such, I decided to design a "tourism" postcard for Lincoln…and ignore all these things.
So, this is a promotion for the fictitious home of the “National Photographic Museum of Boarded Up & Decaying Restaurants.” (Mainly because if such a place actually existed, I would want to visit.) As the call-out at the bottom postcard states, this is Tastee Inn & Out and until 2014 it has been owned by one family dedicated to serving loose meat sandwiches to couple of generations of Nebraskans. It was fun while it lasted: 65 years. Rather than sell the place, the family decided to close up for good.
Clearly the place has become just another piece of detritus on a blighted stretch of road in the city. Still, I have heard that several parties who have fond memories of upping their cholesterol at this roadside attraction are still bidding against each other for the icon sign.
By the way, the Tastee Inn & Out was such a regional hit it had its own cookbook. But let’s see if you notice this: Famously or infamously, depending on who you consult, it also had a drive-in window that faced the passenger side of the car. Go figure.
I tried to design a hokey postcard that was a little on the cliché and garish side—something you might actually see on a spinner rack in an extinct five-and-dime. I upped the saturation and contrast a bit with goal in mind. In addition to Lightroom and PhotoScape, I also used PowerPoint to work with the typefaces/fonts. (If you’re into this kind of thing, the typefaces used, starting at the top are Forte, Showcard, and Calibri.)
And here’s something to chew on: 55-200mm lens at 55mm; aperture priority; matrix metering; ISO 800; 1/1000 sec. at f/11.
May the Nebraska Tourism Bureau and the Nebraska Bureau of Economic Development forgive me.
In aggregate, Lincoln is unquestionably an attractive city. Lots of parks, four stately university campuses, sculpture everywhere, neat museums, a surprising number of scenic bike trails, wonderful neighborhoods, cool residential architecture, and more trees than you can shake a…well, stick at.
As such, I decided to design a "tourism" postcard for Lincoln…and ignore all these things.
So, this is a promotion for the fictitious home of the “National Photographic Museum of Boarded Up & Decaying Restaurants.” (Mainly because if such a place actually existed, I would want to visit.) As the call-out at the bottom postcard states, this is Tastee Inn & Out and until 2014 it has been owned by one family dedicated to serving loose meat sandwiches to couple of generations of Nebraskans. It was fun while it lasted: 65 years. Rather than sell the place, the family decided to close up for good.
Clearly the place has become just another piece of detritus on a blighted stretch of road in the city. Still, I have heard that several parties who have fond memories of upping their cholesterol at this roadside attraction are still bidding against each other for the icon sign.
By the way, the Tastee Inn & Out was such a regional hit it had its own cookbook. But let’s see if you notice this: Famously or infamously, depending on who you consult, it also had a drive-in window that faced the passenger side of the car. Go figure.
I tried to design a hokey postcard that was a little on the cliché and garish side—something you might actually see on a spinner rack in an extinct five-and-dime. I upped the saturation and contrast a bit with goal in mind. In addition to Lightroom and PhotoScape, I also used PowerPoint to work with the typefaces/fonts. (If you’re into this kind of thing, the typefaces used, starting at the top are Forte, Showcard, and Calibri.)
And here’s something to chew on: 55-200mm lens at 55mm; aperture priority; matrix metering; ISO 800; 1/1000 sec. at f/11.
Jerry-
When Paul chose "postcard" I thought of my little community (New Hope) and was not very excited. Lots of ramblers and split levels from the 1960's and not much else. Maybe I could pretend I live somewhere else. But there is a cute little park that borders tiny Meadow lake less than a mile from our house. So I've managed to make New Hope look more country like despite its small size.
I used the Sony A6300 with 55-210 lens zoomed to 210 mm. Exposure was f11 @ 1/80, ISO 400.
When Paul chose "postcard" I thought of my little community (New Hope) and was not very excited. Lots of ramblers and split levels from the 1960's and not much else. Maybe I could pretend I live somewhere else. But there is a cute little park that borders tiny Meadow lake less than a mile from our house. So I've managed to make New Hope look more country like despite its small size.
I used the Sony A6300 with 55-210 lens zoomed to 210 mm. Exposure was f11 @ 1/80, ISO 400.
Don-
Well this is my submission. The postage stamp side is created. The picture
side I took this morning. In New Mexico and other places maybe they
sell these boxes of Hatch Chilies. Outside the store there are these
roasters (2 here at Smiths) where the chilies you buy can be roasted. This is a picture
of the first batch of chilies being roasted this summer.
Focal: 24 to 70mm lens set to 56mm
Exposure; f/4.5; 1/6400; ISO 1600.
Well this is my submission. The postage stamp side is created. The picture
side I took this morning. In New Mexico and other places maybe they
sell these boxes of Hatch Chilies. Outside the store there are these
roasters (2 here at Smiths) where the chilies you buy can be roasted. This is a picture
of the first batch of chilies being roasted this summer.
Focal: 24 to 70mm lens set to 56mm
Exposure; f/4.5; 1/6400; ISO 1600.
Byron-
I like vintage postcards of destination cities. They often have the name of the city with photos in the letters. I decided to make mine look like it has been well used, handled a lot and placed in a drawer about 60 years ago. I took a stroll around Osseo one evening this week and shot pictures of places in Osseo that might appear on a postcard from yesteryear. I took the opposite approach that Paul took. I subdued the Saturation and changed the color balance to make it appear as if it had faded. The edges needed to look like they were worn down and torn, so I used an erase tool to create that effect. The photo inside the lettering is a Photoshop staple. I'm glad this was the theme because it served to shake off the dust of several Photoshop effects I've used in the past but have forgotten how to do.
I like vintage postcards of destination cities. They often have the name of the city with photos in the letters. I decided to make mine look like it has been well used, handled a lot and placed in a drawer about 60 years ago. I took a stroll around Osseo one evening this week and shot pictures of places in Osseo that might appear on a postcard from yesteryear. I took the opposite approach that Paul took. I subdued the Saturation and changed the color balance to make it appear as if it had faded. The edges needed to look like they were worn down and torn, so I used an erase tool to create that effect. The photo inside the lettering is a Photoshop staple. I'm glad this was the theme because it served to shake off the dust of several Photoshop effects I've used in the past but have forgotten how to do.
Kevin-
So Paul designated “Postcard” as this week’s theme, asking us to represent the area we live in, as a postcard might. Wonderful. Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes. This is apparently easier to remember than the official count from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources of 11,842 lakes that are 10 acres or larger. And no one seems willing to count the total if you include smaller lakes. But photographing a lake, or a scene with a lake, seemed cliche. At least to me.
Okay, out in the garage I have multiple tackle boxes. Perhaps a photo of one or more fishing lures, which probably haven’t been in the water trying to catch a fish for a few decades now. That got me wondering if old lures were as good as, or better then, really new lures. Do fish have a sense of fashion about how to be caught that changes over time? Interesting to ponder, but I got no closer to making a photograph.
As I was out in the garage I kept waving my hand to swat away mosquitoes. The damn things are everywhere at this time of year. Fortunately we don’t yet have to wonder in Minnesota if a mosquito is transmitting the Zika virus. But wait until after the Olympics where millions of tickets will be sold and people from all over the world travel back to their respective homes after being drilled by mosquitoes. Zika will be everywhere.
So I thought, why not photograph the true Minnesota state “bird,” a mosquito? Not as easy to do as I first assumed. First I looked online to see how to make a mosquito trap. Cut a 2-litre bottle in half. Boil water with sugar in it, add some yeast, and place it in the bottom half of the bottle. Turn the top half of the bottle upside down. The yeast creates carbon dioxide. Mosquitoes fly into the bottle and get trapped! Wonderful, except that it doesn’t work. Tried it twice, but both times I caught exactly zero mosquitoes.
Finally I captured one late at night, underneath an upside down drinking glass and transferred it to the same glass vase that I used for WPOTM - Cloud. I taped a sheet of typing paper to the back to create a white background and aimed a Nikon SB-900 flash at that from behind to make it truly white. A Nikon SB-910 flash added a bit of front light. I placed my camera on a tripod with my macro lens and tried to work the mosquito into an acceptable position by shaking and rotating the vase. I must say that I also wished that the extension tube set I have in Palm Springs was here in Minnesota, as even at the closest focus the mosquito was pretty tiny in the frame…
So Paul designated “Postcard” as this week’s theme, asking us to represent the area we live in, as a postcard might. Wonderful. Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Lakes. This is apparently easier to remember than the official count from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources of 11,842 lakes that are 10 acres or larger. And no one seems willing to count the total if you include smaller lakes. But photographing a lake, or a scene with a lake, seemed cliche. At least to me.
Okay, out in the garage I have multiple tackle boxes. Perhaps a photo of one or more fishing lures, which probably haven’t been in the water trying to catch a fish for a few decades now. That got me wondering if old lures were as good as, or better then, really new lures. Do fish have a sense of fashion about how to be caught that changes over time? Interesting to ponder, but I got no closer to making a photograph.
As I was out in the garage I kept waving my hand to swat away mosquitoes. The damn things are everywhere at this time of year. Fortunately we don’t yet have to wonder in Minnesota if a mosquito is transmitting the Zika virus. But wait until after the Olympics where millions of tickets will be sold and people from all over the world travel back to their respective homes after being drilled by mosquitoes. Zika will be everywhere.
So I thought, why not photograph the true Minnesota state “bird,” a mosquito? Not as easy to do as I first assumed. First I looked online to see how to make a mosquito trap. Cut a 2-litre bottle in half. Boil water with sugar in it, add some yeast, and place it in the bottom half of the bottle. Turn the top half of the bottle upside down. The yeast creates carbon dioxide. Mosquitoes fly into the bottle and get trapped! Wonderful, except that it doesn’t work. Tried it twice, but both times I caught exactly zero mosquitoes.
Finally I captured one late at night, underneath an upside down drinking glass and transferred it to the same glass vase that I used for WPOTM - Cloud. I taped a sheet of typing paper to the back to create a white background and aimed a Nikon SB-900 flash at that from behind to make it truly white. A Nikon SB-910 flash added a bit of front light. I placed my camera on a tripod with my macro lens and tried to work the mosquito into an acceptable position by shaking and rotating the vase. I must say that I also wished that the extension tube set I have in Palm Springs was here in Minnesota, as even at the closest focus the mosquito was pretty tiny in the frame…