03
Feb 13
Some Nostalgia…
Duwamish School, circa 1920
There was one room for each grade. First and second grades were in the basement. Third grade was on the ground floor on the right, fourth on the left, fifth on the upper right and sixth on the upper left. The principal’s office between the fifth and sixth grade classrooms.
I started there in 1956 in the third grade after attending first grade in Wichita, KA, second grade in Moses Lake, WA and Lake Meridian Elementary in Kent, WA. Dad worked for Boeing and kept getting transferred around, but finally settled at Boeing Field in South Seattle.
30
Jan 13
Fibonacci Hurricane
This is a pretty amazing photo of recent Hurricane Irene. The superimposed diagram is a Fibonacci Spiral, a mathematical shape found throughout nature.
29
Jan 13
Project Flickr: Week 05/52 – Square
Here are the three photos that I submitted for the Week 5 assignment, “Square”, for Project Flickr. The group of almost 400 members receive a photo topic assignment every week. This is our third year and I totally enjoy the group.
Lemon Pixels – by James Milstid
Golden Barrel Cactus – by James Milstid
100 Quarters – by James Milstid
12
Jan 13
Accoutrements – Project Flickr 2013: 03/52 – Body Parts
Accoutrements – Project Flickr: 03/52 – Body Parts, originally uploaded by James Milstid, aka PapaJames.
The ear is a popular place for fastening different objects… this is a look at my own ear bling!
12
Jan 13
Ovum – Project Flickr 2013: 02/52 – Back Light
[Explored] Ovum – Project Flickr 2013: 02/52 – Back Light, originally uploaded by James Milstid, aka PapaJames.
Eggs are one of my absolute favorite subjects. They are so plain and common; perhaps that is the challenge of photographing them.
They just intrigue me in so many ways. The shape, the hard shell, the contents, and the consistent sameness are fascinating. And the life that can spring from them is totally miraculous!
07
Jan 13
EMP: It’s not SciFi…
This artist’s rendering shows a CHAMP flying over a target
CHAMP – Lights Out
A recent weapons flight test in the Utah desert may change future warfare after the missile successfully defeated electronic targets with little to no collateral damage.
Boeing and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., successfully tested the Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) during a flight over the Utah Test and Training Range.
CHAMP, which renders electronic targets useless, is a non-kinetic alternative to traditional explosive weapons that use the energy of motion to defeat a target.
Power is cut to a room of computers after being hit by a high-powered microwave pulse from a Counter-electronics High-powered Advanced Missile Project.
During the test, the CHAMP missile navigated a pre-programmed flight plan and emitted bursts of high-powered energy, effectively knocking out the target’s data and electronic subsystems. CHAMP allows for selective high-frequency radio wave strikes against numerous targets during a single mission.
“This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare,” said Keith Coleman, CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works. “In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy’s electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive.”
Source: Boeing Phantom Works
30
Dec 12
Four Cameras, Four Photos
The setup – A single LED lamp, a sheet of glass, and a backdrop.
What prompted me to write this article is my father-in-law’s announcement that he purchased a Canon DSLR camera from QVC last night. He already owns a couple point-and-shoot cameras and has no idea how to transfer photos from the camera to his laptop, much less print them. He can’t seem to remember how to look at his photos on the camera itself either. He loves technology, but doesn’t have or understand the skill needed to use it. I feel bad for him.
When I asked him why he bought the new DSLR, he told me that he wants to be able to shoot photos like mine. After some discussion, I told him it’s probably way too much camera for him to handle and suggested he cancel the order. I don’t think he will though… he told me that he thinks that I can teach him to use it. I don’t mind trying, but experience tells me that it’ll be a lifelong vocation.
So, I decided to shoot a few photos and show him the differences between four different cameras.
I have a Canon Rebel Xsi, an entry level DSLR camera with which I’ve shot nearly 20,000 photos. I also have a Canon PowerShot SX200IS, a point-and-shoot camera that has a history of about 1800 photos. The third camera is a Nikon CoolPix L120… my least favorite point-and-shoot camera with less than 150 photos. Finally, I have my iPhone 4s, which I use quite often. The iPhone camera has at least 1500 photos to it’s credit.
Here are the four photos. All are straight out of the cameras, SOOC, no post processing at all.
Canon Rebel Xsl DSLR
Canon PowerShot SX200IS Point-and-Shoot
iPhone 4s
Nikon CoolPix L120 Point and Shoot
The verdict? In my opinion, the first three photos are very acceptable for an amateur photographer. If I had to choose, I’d use the second shot from the Canon PowerShot SX200IS for printing. If I were to do some post processing, the DSLR photo has purer whites and would be a good candidate. Th iPhone camera is pretty amazing… I use it a lot because it’s just so handy and it is a decent camera. The colors are typically a bit washed out, so I’ll use an app to tweak the hue and saturation if needed.
Even the Nikon point-and-shoot camera could produce some great photos. Although there are several settings for different conditions, there are no controls for setting aperture, shutter speed, or ISO, the three settings that make or break a photograph.
All in all, I believe that you can take an outstanding photo with any camera.