Close Meditations of a Visual Kind

( After Going to Feed the Cows )

Reference more to the Flickr connection than to the photograph. Neither of them look like they were either abstaining from playing nicely, nor interested in feeding cows.

I am of the very strong opinion it is either the sky internet connection, or the particular router that we've got. Laptop, post crash last October, will only connect to the Internet via wireless. This despite the modem drivers telling me they've installed correctly, and the wired network card drivers telling they've installed correctly. Still, W#nd*ws says no network card and no modem, only wireless.

Srsly? Is probably time for new PC's for both of us. Also Srsly? Not so much in the budget just now.

In other news, the music selection is first up on the iShuffle.

( Headshot. No actual models were injured making this shot. )

Right. Portfolio. I've been working through some plans this afternoon, in between doing some laundry and soothing an anxious Border Collie (thunder about). What with so many options, the primary goal is actually not to become paralyzed by all those options. So I jotted down some notes and moved on from there.

Note the first: if a picture won a place in some showing, then include it in the portfolio. After all, it impressed some judge(s) enough to award that place. This included a whopping two photographs.

Note the second: if a picture sold a print (or more), then include it in the portfolio. Much the same reasoning as before, though in this case they impressed someone enough to part with money. This included a whopping four photographs. (Note to Gentle Readers: HINT! You could influence this one, eh?)

After that it becomes a question of how to measure the qualitative aspects somewhat quantitatively. You may of noticed, following the Pic'o'Day postings, that the host site for those images is Flickr. Flickr thoughtfully provides some statistics for their customers, though the exact manner of that is changing a bit. Still, I've some records from them wherein Flickr indicated to me the Top ## (I usually only kept the top 20 as that conveniently fit into a PDF file) by 'Interestingness', 'Views' (view count), and 'Favourites' (how many people call a photo a Favorite of theirs). This includes a lot more photographs than Criteria #1 and Criteria #2 combined.

So my next level of choice, on that list, will be images that made all three. This provides another half-dozen or so pictures. I expect I'll break it down by making two, and then possibly if a photograph made any list at least once include that. That last criteria isn't as strict as it might sound. On Flickr, I 'filter' for displaying my nude work to people who are registered members, and listed by me to see those photographs. Putting one into a Group allows a slightly wider audience to see them, yet not too much expanded. So some of the nudes may be on only one list.

This does not excuse you, Oh Gentle Viewers/Readers, from yesterday's request to suggest photographs you think should be included in the portfolio. It only buys you some time before I get all emo on you.

Just now, I think I need to pay a bit more attention to that Border Collie...