Good Morning World!

I love how light reflects off its myriad planes … and how the passing of the day brings such a panoply of variation.

Rain Drops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens

I'm not a good photographer.

It's true.

But I take a lot of photos… my flickr account currently sports nearly 2000 of my photographs. And as we speak, a delightful young woman in the Great White North (Bountiful, UT) is digitizing a thousand photos from my youth. And while I take photos of stuff I like to see, it's rare that my photos would be worth a second look by anyone that doesn't know me.

I am, though, a damn-fine critic. I know a good photo when I see one.

But don't take my word for it. My collection of faved photos at flickr is currently topping the scales at just over 700 photos. Of course, if you have the bandwidth, the best way to view them is as a flickr slideshow. And for the attention-challenged among you, here are fifteen of my most favorite:

I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV

Photo Credit: Pankra Studio

Portraits in Nirvana

Perhaps it started with that Nirvana album cover… but underwater pictures of babies seem to have captured our imagination. Now there's a company that specializes in these ethereal portraits. Urchin Rock, a UK-based agency, seems to go all-out to accommodate parents in their quest for unique portraits.

What with the baby culture we have here, in Utah, I wonder if this wouldn't be a super idea for some enterprising local photographer.

500, 300, 200+

I took 500 or so photos on my trip, and upon returning, I whittled them down to 300. Now, I'm going though them all, throwing-out anything off and cleaning-up the remaining. Then, about once a day every few days ( so as to not overwhelm my dear readers ), I'm uploading about a day's worth of photos.

• FEB 15: Salt Lake City > Vegas, starts here.
  
• FEB 16: Vegas > Los Angeles, starts here.
  
• FEB 17: Los Angeles > London, no photos.
  
• FEB 18: Around the Flat, starts here.
  
• FEB 19: Charing Cross Road & The History Boys, starts here.
• FEB 20: The Dinner Party, starts here.
• FEB 21: NLA, Notting Hill, & Wicked, starts here.
• FEB 22: SoHo, Jermyn, Marlybone High Street, starts here.
• FEB 23: Last Morning in London starts here.
  
• FEB 23: London > Los Angeles, no photos.
  
• FEB 24: Los Angeles > Salt Lake City, starts here.

I voted! (With Updates)

Have you?

I'm in district 2228, and I voted at the Multi-ethnic Senior Highrise, at 120 South 200 West — the pink building behind the Salt Palace:

US Senate ( At Large ): Pete Ashdown — Lost to Incumbant, *mumble*
US House ( District 1 ): Steve Olsen — Lost to Incumbant, *mumble*

State Senate ( District 2 ): Scott McCoy — Won

County Council ( At Large ): Janice Auger — Lost to Incumbant, Jim Bradley
County Clerk: Sherrie Swensen — Won
County Sheriff: Jim Winder — Won

District Attorney: Sim Gill — Lost to Lohra Miller
Judiciary: NO on Leslie A. Lewis — Austed

Constitutional Amendment Number 1 ( Tax Exemption ): FOR — Passed

Salt Lake County Prop 1 ( ZAP Projects ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 2 ( Open Space ): FOR — Passed
Salt Lake County Prop 3 ( TRAX & Transit ): FOR — Passed

And while I was there, I shot a few snapshots for the AIGA Polling Place Photo Project.

PS... If you're in Salt Lake County, the County Clerk's elections website is really really helpful.

Beautiful Dreamer: $500

So tonight is this month's gallery stroll. A chance to visit Salt Lake area art galleries ( that are normally closed after 6 )... to schmooze a little... to sample a little gnosh... and to see some beautiful artwork. Now, mind you: it's not always good. I've seen my share of disposable art — but even disposable art inspires.

So why mention it?

Well, tonight, in conjuction with the gallery stroll, there will be a studio sale at the Uffens, featuring works by four area artists: Tom Aaron ( who really needs a web site! ), Mark Elliot, Holly Mae Pendergast, and Dallas Graham. If you're not familiar with the concept of a studio sale, it's less formal than a show, and the artwork featured is often priced significantly less than it would otherwise be... and it's a wonderful opportunity to build your collection.

The studio sale is from 5:30 – 10:00 p, tonight.

If you can't make it tonight, I understand that they will open tomorrow with works not available tonight — a perfect companion to your trip to the farmers market!

Remember: bring cash or a check book. No credit cards accepted.

UPDATE: I spent the evening sitting and chatting with my friends at the studio sale... and then a little while this morning. From all accounts, the sale was a resounding success. You should have been there.

And me? Well, I walked away wishing that I had an extra $3,000... and the happy owner of a lovely and amazing photo by Dallas Graham. So ts'all good.

Milk Bath

When her kitty got a skin ailment, she decided it was time for a milk bath.

Adorable.

A Model World

So I had seen his work before, but when I saw the Metropolis write-up on Olivo Barbieri, I was hungry for more... and then, like an answer to a prayer, there were suddenly examples of tilt-shift-effect Photoshopping all over the place.

I think it can be blamed (at least in part) on a tutorial on the tilt-shift effect by Receding Hairline. Now there's even a Flickr Tilt-shift Photo Pool — several samples of which have landed in my Flickr favorites.

Oh... and speaking of things I love on Flickr, you should check-out the HDR photo pool.

AskMefi: Disabling iPhoto's Auto-launch.

The hive mind over at Ask Metafilter answers a question that has vexed me for ages...

How can I prevent iPhoto from auto-launching when I plug in a flash card?

Hazzah!

Thanks hive mind!

Landscapes of a "World Gone Wrong"

BLDG BLOG is showcasing a wonderful series of photographs by Lori Nix entitled "A World Gone Wrong".

I thought I should share.

Hat tip: INHABITAT

The Ethereal Photographs of Sze Tsung Leong

I've been staring at these photographs by Sze Tsung Leong since I came across them a week ago... and I'm completely mesmerized.

I think you will be, too.