Close Meditations of a Visual Kind

Maybe the last in the grouping, depends on if I get enough time today to work up another one for variety. Deadline for submissions to Camera Club #1 for Tuesday coming meeting is Sunday evening.

( High Key Devilish Otterz )

Again, selected from previous work rather than spending time in Studio, and post-processing to achieve the High-Key effect. Appreciate your comments so far; for those able to take the poll (crossposting to another blog, where there is a poll capability), please do so. You don't need to feel 'qualified', as that bit is a game of sorts. How will the poll results compare to the actual competition judge results?

( Otterz Love Sashimi, Submitted to Camera Club Colour B )

I've been cross-posting Pic'o'Day postings, starting here and crossing to LJ. However, the source host, Flickr, has made the whole process a bit more time-consuming with a Shiny! New! Improved! viewing page. I've verified the process used today (not crossposted, because over on LJ there's a poll involved and I'm still unable to submit polls here) works on LJ. It will probably work here as well, as a picture poll.

On another level, it's got me thinking harder about obtaining my own domain and hosting my own photos...

( Is that a Banana in your belt, or are you just happy to see me? )

The event? Fred-Con. That's the name we gave it, the group of us who in some cases knew each other face-face, in others knew each other via Blogspace, and all of us knew Skippy & Fat Fred Otterz. Someone suggested we ought to get together. Someone else said sure, where? And... Lost Wages, Nevada got mentioned.

What happens in Lost Wages, mostly stays there. Mostly. This is during brunch (bit late to be like Breakfast, really, too early to be Lunch) our first morning there. Otterz and Humanz getting together for a meal, getting to know each other face-face. Even the waiter got into it with us. Grand time.

Posting Pic'o'Day now because this evening I will be at Hospital. Morning chores on teh Ranch are done. Laid in more feed (the never-ending story), replaced a couple of the old feed barrels due to age and cracks in either the plastic barrels or the lids. Yes, I said plastic. The kind used to import olives and peppers from Greece, big barrels, they hold 250 pounds/ 113.6 kg of feed and are weather-proof. Those barrels/lids being replaced are on the order of 8 - 10 years old, and they live outdoors here in North Central Baja Jorja through the heat and sun of summer and the freezing of winter.

OK, so our freezing isn't usually as low nor as long as say South Dakota. It does freeze here. Froze here quite a bit, for the geography, this past winter.

Those cracked barrels (and a few lids) are no longer weather proof. The plastic however is still useful for other things, and likely to show up in other projects as a result. Once it's totally worn out, then we recycle it. Best we can do given circumstances.

Also filled Forrest NissanPickup with petrol, plus a bit for Herself's yard tractor which gets a lot of use around here. Harrison Ford8N Tractor also gets a workout, but he's a bit much weight for mowing over the septic tanks or drain fields, eh? Plus, with moving the adolescent doelings last weekend (and continuing to move them into their new digs) their old spot, out in front of Studio 318 needs to be tilled and planted as a garden.

Will get some other photography work done today before Hospital work. Tomorrow weather permitting, experimental under-water photography in a friend's pool. That will be on film, so delayed gratification for all of us.

( Read more... )

The Ottarz at Fred-Con made a pilgrimage to Rub de Buddha. Group portraits of tourist crowds are obligatory, of course... Feel free to click through to Flickr (the photo is the link) for a Notes Roster of Who's Otterz Who.

In other news, re-shaped the Adolescent Doeling pen today, providing them with some greenery as well as moving it a bit closer to the Holding Pen entry to the Goat Paddock. We will re-claim unused portions of the Adolescent Doeling pen to help re-configure the Buckling Pen into separate but equal (oh, bad Madshutterbug, bad) Buckling and Adolescent Doeling pens inside the Goat Paddock. Worked on that until it got quite too warm out, then retreated inside.

Inside I worked on post-production preparation for the Participant Proofs Disks from the Summer Fae shoot. Only 100 images left to prep, oh my. Rather cross-eyed now so not going to work on those just yet. Should still be burning those disks by Sunday evening (Saturday is a Hospital Work Day, today is Off for that reason).

Joy.

( Popper Aussie Otter On Location - Vegas! )

Having figured out what might of gone down on Saturday towards the end of the Session, thought I'd just let folks know... it's just Popper. He's... like that.

Besides, digging into Archives on Flickr again easier than finding something uploadable now. Tired after yesterday's Stay Late ... stayed late.

( Dredd Phredd Goes to AORN in '07... )

Madshutterbug, he bring Dredd to t'is smaller meetin' of nurses at t'is bigger meeting of nurses. It be getting late, an' t'ey gots more to do still. T'ese nurses t'ey be busy, mon.

I suppose I am crazy, to be photographing stuffed toys enjoying adventures. On another hand, it is something of a revenge on childhood tormentors.

( Now with Otterz )

She is a performer. I'd say actress except I'm seeing more and more often the term 'actor' used regardless, or in spite of gender. Which is a good thing looked at from one viewpoint. However, that's all a distraction. She is an actor, and still studying here when we did this sesison. She wanted some headshots, and some pieces with some costumes she'd done for that year's Dragoncon. I wanted practice working the then much more recently set up Studio. I got photos, she got paid, I believe we are all happy about it.

And when I set Popper on the stool and told her to introduce herself... she did. Because she's an actor.

All in all enough things happened today that I list this one as a day NOT to remember. Nothing horrible, nor earth-shattering. Unpleasant, definitely. One thing at least potentially -- hmm, what. Disappointing? Distressing? (not so much though) Well, I'd certainly prefer it didn't happen, and might discover it hasn't happened. Maybe. Plenty of mystery. Because, well, it's been that day.

Which, as I said to a Very Good Friend in person (more or less), I'm not going to continue regaling you with how horrible it was because I'm choosing to change my attitude. Instead of being F*Kn grumpy & stuff, I'm going to be curmudgeonly. Which is why I'm posting more Otterz, even if so early in the Otterz Mob Saga that the accessories hadn't arrived just yet.

( With Otterz )

I dive into the 'archives' for today's post, again, as I've got Ranch Watch and am also looking to head over to friends for dinner. Almost time to mix up the kids milk for the evening feed, which will include rounds to Horses & Cows as well. Did run a couple errands this afternoon, after catching a nap with Houdini through the very early afternoon.

This one is from the 2006 trip to Chelan, Washington and the Washington State Council Perioperative Nurses Mini-Congress. That year, I went to the Halloween Costume Ball as a Baja Jorja Tourist... Dredd Phredd went as himself.