Glen, I am sorry to hear your distressing news. At such times well meaning wishes can seem like empty platitudes. There are no guarantees that life will treat us fairly. Being emotionally present for one another is the only gift that we can give those we love.
Ballard wrote:
Glen, I am sorry to hear your distressing news. At such times well meaning wishes can seem like empty platitudes. There are no guarantees that life will treat us fairly. Being emotionally present for one another is the only gift that we can give those we love.
Thanks Ken, Andy, Chris, and Peter (Oosty, who sent me a thoughtful PM). From folks like you, many or all of whom have been through similar experiences, well-meaning wishes do not sound empty at all, and I appreciate them. Being emotionally present is what I practice for a living, not only because it is the key to being effective in what I do, but because it is life-giving to me as well as others. It is the great blessing of my chosen profession that I have the privilege of doing this every day (I'm pretty sure Curtis will relate to this). So I certainly intend to use the coming 2 or 3 months to be present and available to my brother, his wife, and his unofficial nephew/son, as well as my other family members. Thanks for reminding me of this.
My brother and I went on photo jaunts here on Vancouver Island a couple of times over the past couple of years. I lent him my D7000 and we shared a bag of MFNG on each such trip. While he is not hugely into photography, he has an appreciation for it, and he shares with me a love of being outdoors in nature. So, in honour of my brother's current struggle and humbling practice of acceptance and non-attachment, here is a recent photo from Nanoose Bay (with 180 f/2.8 Ai-s) and a couple from Cameron Lake (tributary stream with 28 f/2 Ai-s, and the lake with 16 f/3.5 Ai).
Do what fun things you can, as his energy levels allow, and as his cognitive status allows. I'm so sorry for the curve ball you just got though. As you have conversations, record them. After my husband passed, I realized I didn't have any recordings of his voice, so I would call his office phone and listen to the voice recording saying he was away from his desk... his voice the last six weeks of his life had become softer, just above a whisper (unless he was having a discussion with his boss at 2am! about how the customers needed to have the data right).
I lamented that I didn't have anything with his voice, and his co-workers came to the rescue, one of them reaching out to the Comm Squadron who put the voice mail recording on a CD, and it was given to me. I've converted the file to an mp3, too, and it got a lot of play back then, but even now, I still will hit play a few times in a row, just to here the sound of his voice, not much of a message, but it IS his voice.
GroWeb wrote:
Agreed, Peter. And something else that I appreciate about this board is the community spirit in which we connect on a more personal level and share with each other during challenging times.
One of those times has arrived for me this week. A bit over a year ago, my 63 year old elder brother had a brush with cancer that had been treated with apparent success and cautious optimism. However, it re-emerged in late November, growing at a disconcerting rate of speed. He went into the hospital last week for a change in his medications, according to what my younger brother was told. I texted my older brother on Monday to learn that he had been transferred to a hospice and that he has been given 2 to 3 months to live. He is impressively sanguine about the news, serving as a model of acceptance and non-attachment. I, on the other hand, find all kinds of emotions coming up, mainly sadness and anger (so far). I recognize this as grief because I experienced it following my parents' deaths, but it's different because they were 90 and my brother is only 63. Because I had been living in the Toronto area and he in Vancouver for many years, I saw my move out here to BC as an opportunity for us to get re-acquainted and do some fun things together. Now that is not going to happen, and I am not happy about it.
So I just wanted to share with you guys about this turn of events in my life....Show more →
Ballard wrote:
Any lens should produce stars if stopped down enough. The effect is the result of diffraction that happens when light passes through a small aperture. It is not dependent on the optical construction of the lens.
True - but some seem to do a better job than others
Nikkor-O Auto 35mm f/2. I have always been a fan of how it renders and the quality of its bokeh. These photos are taken using my D800E although I use the lens a lot with film too.
So very sorry to hear about your brother. I know you will be there with him and for him and please know we all are here for you also. Wishing you strength and comfort.
Nikkor-O Auto 35mm f/2. I have always been a fan of how it renders and the quality of its bokeh. These photos are taken using my D800E although I use the lens a lot with film too.
graytrekker wrote:
True - but some seem to do a better job than others
Yes, lenses with an even number of aperture blades produce more intense stars. The diffraction is most noticeable as a line of light against dark backgrounds at right angles to the angle of the blades. With an even number of blades the diffraction pattern from opposite blades is superimposed producing brighter stars.
That's why newer Nikon lenses usually have an odd number of blades since diffraction reduces contrast and therefore small detail at small apertures. It's the same effect that obliterates detail but produces stars when there are bright points of light on a dark background.
The number of aperture blades and the effective aperture determine the degree of diffraction independent of the optical construction.
The variety of images on this thread continues to amaze. Great work everybody.
Refreshing to see new names adding to the mix as well.
I wish I could participate meaningfully in the conversation but I have not touched a camera in a month.
Hopefully a trip to London tomorrow will get my photography juices flowing again even if I have a couple of AF (sorry!) primes already in the bag.
On reflection I'd better throw in a manual focus gem or two just in case......
Just received series e 100mm in the post, excited for the weekend but I am confused by its FL of almost 160mm on DX (I don't have FX). What is that FL most useful for?
On DX, it should come up as 150 as Nikon crop cameras are 1.5 crop factor. Useful for whatever fits in your viewfinder/frame.
Slowcaptain wrote:
Just received series e 100mm in the post, excited for the weekend but I am confused by its FL of almost 160mm on DX (I don't have FX). What is that FL most useful for?
Slowcaptain wrote:
My bad. 1.6x is of Canon. You are right, 150mm on Nikon. I would try street and see how that works out
If you are out and about shooting street then consider architectural details too.
I sometimes shoot street at 85mm on my DX IR camera. I like the perspective when the background context is captured too.
However I normally go wide for street: 16/24 on DX and 24/28 on FX and shoot from the hip.
Confrontation always worries me so I am not as bold (or anywhere as good) as Ben or Philippe in this genre.
