Babeled

While Jeff Ruemeli may take the meaning of silent partner to a whole new level, he sure can sling a mean pot.  Spending his days at the M.T. Burton Gallery in Surf City, New Jersey, Jeff has been honing his skills at the potter’s wheel.  A while back, I went over to snap some photos in order to help pass the time.

Since I am obsessed High Dynamic Range photo processing I decided to take this photo to task.  The intensity revealed in the hands really captures the essence of throwing clay.  Whatever the hell that means?

Now that we all know he can play with dirt, is it possible that he might be able to play with a keyboard?  Stay tuned…

If by chance you care to check out some of my other HDR images, cruise over to my Flickr Photostream.  I’ll be adding more pictures as time goes on.

Popularity: 13% [?]

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of taking in my first horse race.  I went up to Monmouth Park Racetrack with family and friends for some gambling, grilling, and good ole fashion beer drinking - in no particular order.  The experience was better than expected, even with the flood gates unleashing a two hour thunderstorm and over an inch of rain.  Fortunately I grabbed some decent photos with my Canon Digital SLR while it was still dry.

For this picture I was shooting in RAW mode with a wide open aperture value of f/5.6 and the shutter speed set to 1/1250.  My ISO setting was at 400. My post editing consisted of High Dynamic Range processing of this photo with Photomatix Pro 3.

Image Used in this Post

Race Horse image courtesy of flickr user Greg Molyneux published under the CC license.

Popularity: 18% [?]

Just in case some of our loyal and honored readers care to know what some of the half-sane Babelers look like, cruise on over to our about page, where the babel begins. We got together this weekend and took some group photos for this very blog in an effort to add a little more personality to the site. Please note that we take ourselves very seriously and that manner is reflected perfectly in the photographs. With that in mind if you feel the urge to poke fun, remember Jack Gamble Man - Overboard, is a very sensitive soul and is prone to flee. We are fortunate to have him back and we do not want him to disappear yet again.

Popularity: 10% [?]

It is the subtle reminders of spring that bring a smile to my otherwise sullen visage.  However, it is not only the prospect of better weather that piques my interest.  Instead the budding of life reminds me yet again it is time for one thing alone. Baseball.  Here I sit in Germany anxiously awaiting the final Opening Day at Yankee Stadium.  Despite the fact that I cannot watch the game on TV I can barely contain my excitement.  To say I love baseball and the Yankees would be a gross understatement.  The gravity I bring to the game has mercilessly sucked all of my friends into a state of de facto fan-hood.  So allow me to apologize beforehand as I will no doubt inundate this very blog to babel on quite frequently about the state of the Yankees.  Cheers to a great season.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Caution: Irresponsible Babeler embarks on a new hobby.

As my addiction to the Internet worsens by the week, I am continuously overexposed to new and exciting things (thanks StumbleUpon). Compliments of said addiction, HDR photography (check out the link as there are some fantastic shots) has been brought into my world. The rich color and psychedelic detail immediately piqued my interest and I did my best Kung Fu Google routine to find out more. Hoping I could just invoke a little Photoshop magic upon pictures I already possess; I quickly learned I need a digital camera capable of taking manual exposures if I was going to produce such vivid imagery.

Two weeks later I have my very own Canon Rebel SLR (Single Lens Reflex) digital camera, compliments of my friend and colleague A.J. Ford. Mind you, the last time I owned a camera I was but six years old and it was nothing more than a Kodak toy with flash bulbs that blew out after one shot. However, since I have a tendency to dive head first into swimming pools with no water, here I sit with a slightly used professional camera in tow. This all sounds great except for the minor detail that I have no idea what the hell I am doing.

Fortunately for me this is how all of my interests start. I see something that triggers a switch in my ADD afflicted skull and my curiosity compels me to research, experiment, absorb and produce. I sit and pontificate with Wayne Campbell like zeal, “It will be mine, oh yes it will be mine.” One year ago I knew nothing of Photoshop, now I am semi-capable with the software. I am hoping to combine the power of The Shop, with the pictures I take with my shiny new camera. During this misguided and most certainly haphazard adventure, I will share some photos that will more than likely range from god-awful to barely acceptable for a 4th grader. But as long as I am having fun who cares, right?

Pictured above is my first victim, Angie. She is a wise-crackin African Grey that makes for one hell of a cool pet. I figured she would make a great test subject since she holds quite still when I have the camera out. These birds are tremendously smart and inquisitive and it is quite remarkable to watch how suspicious she while staring down the barrel of my new SLR. Sure the picture is nothing special, but it took me quite some time to actually produce a clear shot. It is my first and I thought I should share.

Update: In between Smash Bros. sessions, I dedicated part of my Saturday to taking more pictures. While I did shoot some stuff out in nature, it was another picture of Angie that took home my personal top prize. This one definitely looks better than the shot pictured above. Hey, I’ll take the improvement.

The aperture was set to f/5.6 with a shutter speed of 1/2500 and an ISO of 400.

Popularity: 35% [?]