CGrindahl wrote:
Yes, when I first visited the websites Expedia and Kayak it appeared there were flights available. Next day flying was between $1,500 and $2,200 for coach. I saw an article yesterday that said the major airlines WOULD NOT increase prices, but for anyone paying attention to the dynamic pricing, the closer you get to the time of departure the higher the prices go. Apparently, if one MUST fly next day, one can expect to be gouged, big time.
Sue and I continued to talk through the day yesterday and eventually she concluded the two of them would move into a complex one of her aunts moved into a couple of months ago. It is a recently constructed upscale senior complex. Sue in her inimitable style contacted someone from the complex and was told it had been built to withstand a category 5 hurricane. Her aunts condo is on the third floor so I expect it is the safest place they could possibly be. Her mother's condominium on ground level may not fair as well.
Interestingly, one of the tasks set out for Sue was to buy a used car her mother intended to give to the primary care provider who has worked for her for seven years. Sue found a four year old Camry with 7,000 miles for a very fair price, but decided to not buy the car because of Irma. The aide lives in Fort Lauderdale and worst case scenario would have been buying a car that would then be flooded out during the hurricane. Life never seems to get too easy.
James Markus wrote:
I'm interested in the "Benz" talk. It reminds me of the work of Francois Benveniste, and the way he described his 80% black mask many years ago. He called it a "negative mask", and essentially he added the layer in PS, and then used a soft eraser brush with a low opacity setting to reveal more of the background layer. (by erasing the overlaying layer incrementally) I thought Ben was using some "preset"? *or is it a nod to Benveniste? Just curious here.
I recall years ago when a fellow in Portland named Brad was a regular on this thread... a sweet guy with a lovely wife and two kids who began experimenting with post processing. I think most of us who've been hanging out her over time have found ourselves exploring a bit in our post processing workflow. For some of us that has involved dabbling in Silver Efex Pro 2 which allows the user to play non-destructively with images.
I enjoy the playfulness of our friends who use the powerful tools in the digital darkroom as they work their magic. The technique you mention intrigues me. I believe I've done something similar, using layers to handle challenging light conditions. I haven't gone as far as Mr. Benveniste... whose name certainly evokes our friend from Sydney... but I'm likely going to take some old photos and see what applying that technique will render. Thanks for this contribution to the conversation James.
leighton w wrote:
Sounds like the best place to be. Definitely better than a shelter. has Sue ever been in a Hurricane?
No, but she was at work in a concrete building constructed on fill near the edge of San Francisco Bay when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit in 1989. Not that those facts would be particularly meaningful to you, but land filled adjacent to the Bay is notorious for liquifying during the vibrations of an earthquake. There definitely were fatalities during that quake, including many trapped when a freeway structure collapsed a few miles from where she worked. At the time of the quake I was driving to a friend's home to watch a World Series game between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. Likely because I was driving in my car I didn't feel a thing. It was only when the radio went out that I figured something was going on. At that moment file cabinets were falling in Sue's office and the building was shuddering. BUT... this will be her first hurricane... I grew up in tornado country, however, so I've experienced things flying in the air... like a billboard torn from the roof of a downtown building. I was on my motorcycle when the tornado stuck. I decided the sensible thing to do was to park my motorcycle and go into a downtown theater to watch a movie. When I drove home later my eyes stung because of all the wood particle in the air created by fractured trees. I didn't think to stop at a bar for a glass of Tequila...
CGrindahl wrote:
No, but she was at work in a concrete building constructed on fill near the edge of San Francisco Bay when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit in 1989. Not that those facts would be particularly meaningful to you, but land filled adjacent to the Bay is notorious for liquifying during the vibrations of an earthquake. There definitely were fatalities during that quake, including many trapped when a freeway structure collapsed a few miles from where she worked. At the time of the quake I was driving to a friend's home to watch a World Series game between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants. Likely because I was driving in my car I didn't feel a thing. It was only when the radio went out that I figured something was going on. At that moment file cabinets were falling in Sue's office and the building was shuddering. BUT... this will be her first hurricane... I grew up in tornado country, however, so I've experienced things flying in the air... like a billboard torn from the roof of a downtown building. I was on my motorcycle when the tornado stuck. I decided the sensible thing to do was to park my motorcycle and go into a downtown theater to watch a movie. When I drove home later my eyes stung because of all the wood particle in the air created by fractured trees. I didn't think to stop at a bar for a glass of Tequila...
I remember that earthquake. I was actually watching the ballgame when it happened.
Tell her to hang in there, it can be quite scary with the sound of the wind. When Isabel hit us, we had wind gusts in the 70 mph range that was making our kitchen wall shake. I can't imagine what it's like in 100+ winds.
leighton w wrote:
I remember that earthquake. I was actually watching the ballgame when it happened.
Tell her to hang in there, it can be quite scary with the sound of the wind. When Isabel hit us, we had wind gusts in the 70 mph range that was making our kitchen wall shake. I can't imagine what it's like in 100+ winds.
I've been watching a few videos online taken by folks in the midst of this storm. For some bizarre reason I'm reminded of the old commercial touting margarine with the line that says "don't fool with mother nature"...
Whether we're fooling with mother nature or not... this is pretty powerful stuff.
When I finally arrived at my friend's home for that World Series game there was nothing to do but sit curbside with our host and wait for others to arrive. We stayed outside because of aftershocks. We eventually got a television signal and spent the evening watching reports of damage. Because the freeway collapsed in Oakland, I took a circuitous route home later that evening. The region was in shock for a long time. Checking that article about the earthquake I was reminded the Bay Bridge closed down for a month and a half. It didn't affect me personally but it created havoc for a great many people.
So are you off the sauce FOREVER Leighton? Inquiring minds want to know... I've been limiting myself to red wine, which is really not a great hardship, though a cold glass of beer sure would have hit the spot when the temperature hit 112 degrees last weekend...
I had to take a closer look myself... mmm, those look great. For a moment I thought the one on the left was a Nikkor.
Voigtlander has been working that side of the market for a long while... their niche, so to speak. Whether what they produce will outperform legacy lenses from Nikon, I've no idea, but it is heartening that someone is producing manual focus lenses that mere mortals can afford. Top of the line Zeiss lenses seem to be competing with pricey AF lenses from Nikon and Canon. Leica lenses really are for all those folks Steve pointed out to us who are driving their Ferraris to France.
We still have the market on AFFORDABLE manual focus glass, so I'm not complaining at all. Of course, at the moment I'm gazing at four lenses sitting to my left... pristine copies of the 28 f/2 N.C., 85 f/1.8 H.C., 105 f/2.5 P AI with an EX copy of an 85 f/1.8 H AI. No suffering here at all...
I'm glad you mentioned how the lens hood wouldn't fit, and it turned out to be that front ring of the lens that had the serial number on it. That hood never showed up in anyone's collection, so it's a mystery where it went. Happened to find one at KEH and got it shipped to me, then out to you in time to make it in the box to Ben. Hope Leighton has the old ring too.
CGrindahl wrote:
Loving the saga of the crunched filter ring Ben... appreciating all the useful guidance offered by folks on this thread. It reminds me a bit of the tumble taken by Nikki during its visit in Dayton and the wonderful serendipity of Laura sending the lens to APS who HAPPENED to have a front lens assembly for that forty year old lens.
I recall your lament that the fellow doing AI conversions of aperture rings on a few pre-AI lenses you'd bought sometime made a hash out of it... so I'm guessing a bent filter ring doesn't reduce you affection for this lens. I believe our departed friend Ray was the first to bring the 18 f/3.5 to the thread. I've always liked what that lens produced, so I'm definitely enjoying the images you're sharing. I'm especially impressed with the vertical shot of the building with a woman approaching at the bottom. That seemed to combine the strengths of that lens AND your unique shooting style. It seem wide lenses are finding center stage at the moment. All good! ...Show more →
CGrindahl wrote:
So are you off the sauce FOREVER Leighton? Inquiring minds want to know... I've been limiting myself to red wine, which is really not a great hardship, though a cold glass of beer sure would have hit the spot when the temperature hit 112 degrees last weekend...
For now anyway. I have been enjoying Becks and Heineken's "near beers". My liver cancer wasn't caused by drinking, but my doctor said it would be best to quit.
Talk of Irma reminded me of Andrew, which hit Homestead, and Homestead AFB. There has been one hurricane that made it to Ohio, and that was Ike. Thankfully it was pretty weak here. Missed Hugo in SC, but I heard it took out the base housing area we lived in there.
Reagan wrote:
Storm Prep
2 Bottles Tequila,2 blenders just in case,add ice and mix
Hide under table
CGrindahl wrote:
No doubt that is one of the great pleasures of this site. Every lens that arrives on this thread has the potential to motivate someone else in his or her exploration. Although our friend Brad from Portland was the first to bring a 55 f/1.2 lens to the thread, it was your work with the S.C. version that motivated me to get serious about the lens. That translated into a rush for folks to pick up that lens. And obviously, Nikki created fans around the world and many of us ended up with some version of the 85 f/1.8.
I found myself on E-Bay this morning looking for 18 f/3.5 AI-s, 300 f/2.8, 300 f/4.5 AI ED, 16 f/3.5, and 400 f/5.6 AI ED, ONLY because one or another of our friends had demonstrated the effectiveness of this or that lens. All great fun... though I didn't buy anything. I DID find a lovely copy of the 400 f/5.6 AI ED... I guess I should post a link. There were only around 2,000 copies of this lens in its various versions. It really belongs on this thread...
All this talk of quakes and storms reminded me of the weirdest feeling I have ever had in my life.
Back in 1984 while on a course in Milpitas near San Jose, in the south Bay area
at a break time enjoying a cup of USA style coffee stood in a doorway the ground began to shake and then across the open plan building the floor became what can only be described as waves of the sea ....
Hanging baskets swung from side to side and quite a noise developed .....
It was a 6.2 quake .... Morgan Hill Quake on April 24 1984 some time around 1 pm if my memory serves me.
An experience I will never forget .... though I guess Curtis and the Californians get it regularly ... just waiting for the big one when Nevada becomes wine country .....
I had no idea what was going on to begin with ... but soon worked it out .... and I was actually, quite by chance in the right place in the door way ... who knew !!
Irma and Jose and Katia seem to be giving the Caribbean a fair battering ... hope you folks out there can take on Reagans' emergency kit ... it sounds like the best way forward !!
CGrindahl wrote:
My sleep schedule is all messed up after an early morning call yesterday from Sue who at the moment is in Delray Beach with her mother. She wanted my help in booking airline flights so she and her mother could get out of Florida in advance of the approaching hurricane. Various projection include a few taking the 185 mile per hour monster Irma directly over the Florida coast where she lives. I made a few inquiries but wasn't surprised that no seats were available.
I'm definitely thinking about Reagan and Ken H, our friends in Florida. You're on the east coast Reagan. I don't know what you're doing to prepare for the storm. I also am aware that some projections have Irma coming ashore farther north, whether in South or North Carolina. I imagine there will be some impact on you George, and likely to a lesser extent on you Leighton. I've no doubt that a major earthquake in the Bay area would create comparable devastation, but hurricanes seem to arrive much more often than major earthquakes. Take care everyone. ...Show more →
Curtis, yes in fact it was Ray and he talked me into me getting my 18mm 3.5. We were to go out and shoot them a week before he died.
Thanks for the storm worries but we have a table we can hide under too! Tell Sue to hunker down. Make extra ice and store it in the freezer. Media hype .... well it isn't helping either.
One other thing tell her and her mom to wear GOOD shoes. Boots if possible. Flip flops/sandals don't do well in floods nor do they protect from debris, nails broken glass etc..
Out with the 500P with TC and D810 this morning, finding my way back into the groove! I tried ACDsee for these and didnt like the results, so back to my normal method with this report.
leighton w wrote:
Love the perspective and the tones.
Thanks Leighton.
I needed to stand in the middle of the road to get the complete spire.
Fortunately traffic lights held up the traffic long enough to allow the shot.
Colin
The 55mm f/1.2 SC does IR pretty well.
I hardly used the lens on my trip so I forced myself to shoot a pano with it before breakfast one morning.
Best viewed large.
