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Posts Tagged ‘California’

Personal, Photography, Technology, Travel | 0 comment

iOS Camera Improvements | Tech Tuesday

There has been a lot of excitement lately with the new iPhone 6 and iOS camera improvements from Apple. Even though I am not upgrading from my iPhone 5, I am enjoying using the new features that come from the operating system update. Smartphones are really quite amazing in what the programmers can add and change without having a change to the hardware. As a photographer that is used to having more control over the exposure, I like the ability to have more controls. Previously, you hold your finger over a part of the image to set an area to meter the exposure. This really helps to get some control over the brightnes in the photo.

Monterey, California

Monterey Bay Aquarium - ©TimeLine Media
Monterey Bay Aquarium – ©TimeLine Media

In the new iOS 8 version of the camera, you can still specify a point to get a meter reading. Now, an additional control has been added. To the side of the box that pops up after you select a metered area, there is a sun icon that appears. You can then move that sun up to increase the exposure, or down to decrease the exposure from that point. This really came in handy as we walked through the amazing displays at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Monterey Bay Aquarium - ©TimeLine Media
Monterey Bay Aquarium – ©TimeLine Media

The glass that they use for display is so clear. You can put your smartphone right up to the glass without getting bad reflections through the lens. They also control the amount of stray light coming in with their darkened rooms,. This really puts the animals front and center. With the new exposure controls, I could ensure that the meter readings were taken from the bodies floating in the water, then took down the exposure. This helped to make a faster shutter speed to keep the subjects sharp, and helped to pop them out of the background. This was probably my most re-tweeted image yet!

Monterey Bay Aquarium - ©TimeLine Media
Monterey Bay Aquarium – ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Personal, Photography | 0 comment

Looking Back | Throwback Thursday

Just in case you have not noticed, I have changed the date for my Technology/Technique posts. With everyone on social networks posting #TBT or “Throwback Thursday” photos, I wanted to join in on the fun. I have a huge library of photos from days past, and the collection keeps growing every week!

Vacation snapshot
Vacation snapshot

This will probably force me to look back on some older images, and hopefully see how I have improved, and grown as a photographer and blogger. I may go even further back and see where I have come from to help me see where I should be going. Does that sound too serious – I hope not! I have enjoyed looking at the older images of friends and family as they post to Facebook and Instagram, and I want to join in the fun.

Tatay on foggy beach with Nikon
Tatay on foggy beach with Nikon

I am so lucky to have so many photos that my parents made over the years from times before I was born to the present. In trying to work with these photos – where is the data? Overall, I am completely spoiled with the amount of data that you get from digital photography. The camera, aperture, the date, and sometimes the place where you take these photos are all a few clicks away. Comparatively, analog images turned into digital files have none of these. You have to examine each on their own and try to determine the relevant data by looking at the faces, the backgrounds, and asking people that were in the photos if they remember where they were taken. It’s a great start for a trip down memory lane.

Tatay-with-camera-on-tripod
Tatay-with-camera-on-tripod

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Family, Personal, Photography | 1 Comment

Illuminada

GGB-Nada-outside-diner-0001

This post is dedicated to my aunt. She was my father’s sister that visited us often. Her brothers treated her with the respect that all good brothers show to their oldest sister. Compared to her, my dad was outwardly more energetic, and seemed to bring more attention to himself with loud laughter and funny stories. Tia Nada, as most called her, was more reserved in her actions, but she had many of the same personality traits underneath the surface. She too, had stories that could get the group going, and her humor fit right in with all of her siblings.

Family Photos

Nanay, Papa Titing, Tia Nada on deck2

From snippets of stories of the old days, it was Tia Nada that first met my mother. They both worked in the same hospital and became friends. Since the workplace was in Tia Nada’s town, it was natural for my mom to be invited to and meet the rest of the family. Who knows where I would be, or IF I would be if this circumstance was different!

Borneo-family-photo-pier-0001

I remember her as a gentle, yet strong and independent person. My mother could depend on her to help with her business if her regular assistants were on vacation. She could help with keeping her books, she helped to cook during our family reunions, and she even helped us move our things to a new house.

Tia Nada lived for a long time in Toluca Lake, California. While at home, she kept up with the headlines and all of the news of the celebrities in Southern CA. She would recount all of details of the OJ Simpsons trial when we call her. (C’mon now, every family has at least one person that followed the whole story!) She called us to make sure we were watching the Opening Ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics in her city. And driving through her neighborhood, she could give you her own tour of famous people’s homes, no map needed!

Tia-Nada-GGB-self-shot-0001-2

This always seemed to keep her younger in my mind. I admired her strength in challenging times. She relied on family, but we also relied on her. I hope much of her spirit survives in us after knowing her. 

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