Surfacing and pondering

Still catching up on stuff after a busy time, and preparing for the next busy time in Yukon where I expect to get very little sleep. There is much stuff to be gathered and stuffed into a carry on camera bag and a big suitcase. Much stuff. Maybe if I get ambitious I'll lay it all out for a photo.

You'd think in a house full of stuff that I wouldn't need to purchase anything new for this trip, and yet there I was yesterday, purchasing.

The oddest thing was another pair of cargo pants, which are lined. But that's not the unexpected thing. I was pleased to see that, since the nights in Yukon are likely to be cold. But these pants had a UPF rating of 50. The first I noticed was the 50 in big bright print, and I was thinking it was some sort of temperature rating. Then I read more closely. Am I out to lunch here in thinking that the last thing someone would think of while selecting and putting on a pair of lined cargo pants, is the sun protection rating? The similar but unlined pants did not have such a rating. Call me baffled and lets move on.

Look at some experimental photos. Does it tell you what I bought?

A stronger version of the same technique.

A different technique.

Maybe not. Does the hint of a really long shutter speed help? Stay tuned.

Lunch with a dear friend was fun, and afterwards a trip to Tri-it Multisport, my favourite triathlon store to check in after the weekend race. I got stereo SQUEEE from Rose and Richelle and we chatted things over. I'm penciled in for their races next year though the dates aren't set. If you're looking for some fun races next year, their Wild Rose triathlon for women, and the swim run event are as much fun as you can have with your pants on.

I've been pondering the whole social media thing again. One of my buddies had their Netflix account hacked. It was fixed promptly, but none the less it was something to take care of. In the longer term, it's one more thing to consider if you ever change cell phone numbers. You have to remember everywhere you have ever signed up for two factor sign in, and update the phone number.

There are all the Facebook data leaks, many of which can be laid at the feet of the third party developers, but still, Facebook has their own privacy issues. As does everyone else. I've already bailed on Twitter mainly because I don't need any more rage in my life.

Which gets me to Instagram. I realize this is a polarizing topic. Some of the people I follow post prolifically, and it's fun. Some people post a variety of photos on a more periodic basis, and it's nice to scroll through them. I've lately been trying to blog daily and nearly making it (23 days out of 28 in August so far), and at the same time trying to post an at least semi related photo to Instagram. Not as regular there.

Part of the problem for me is that Instagram isn't a particularly good place to post photos. Viewers can't really zoom in, it doesn't like panorama shots, and the resolution isn't especially good. Plus posting photos from a real camera is brutal. I have to edit and export the photos like usual, then air drop it to my phone, and post it to Instagram from there, and putting the hashtags or typing any amount of text is tough. Then again, that isn't really the content that Instagram wants, they seem to want spur of the moment heavily filtered cell phone snapshots. Which isn't me.

It was suggested to me that I should start a Keith Cartmell Race Photo Instagram account, and use it to post the various race photos I take. This is a great suggestion, and is the pondering part of the blog. Who would the audience be? Why would anyone follow such an account? Then again, I know of several dogs (technically their humans, I know) have Instagram accounts that are far more popular than mine. I try not to think about that.

Do you have any thoughts about Instagram in general, or such a race photo account? Feel free to comment, or reply by other social media.

The photos are done using a dark filter over the lens. A 'normal' shutter speed for daylight is typically at least 1/50 of a second and often much faster. These were a second or longer so I have time to intentionally move the camera during the shot.

Peony of the Day (July 16)

Driftwood of the Day