CCUC North - All Church Retreat

This past weekend, members of the Chinese Christian Union Church - North from Highland Park, IL attended an All Church Retreat in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  The event's code name was "Extreme Makeover - God Edition."

I believe we had about 270 people signed up, although I don't think all 270 are depicted in the photo above.  I know I'm not in the photo!  :)

To take this photo, I had to stand on a tall 8 ft ladder and shoot down at the people.  If you are on the same plane as the subjects in a huge group shot like this, it is usually hard to see everyone in the photo.  So getting up higher is necessary.

The image required the grass area to be "cloned" in Photoshop as there were just too many dandelions and other weeds in the image.  Plus, a huge wooden swing in the background made the image look unbalanced.  So Photoshop's "Content Aware Fill" helped to remove that.

I had hoped for a shaded area to take the photo, but with so many people in the shot, there just wasn't a good place to do it and still have a decent looking background.  So out onto the grass we went.  We were really thankful that the weather cooperated as we had a great sunny morning for the photo.

Be sure to click on the image to take a closer look.

Haven't Gone Fishing At All This Year!

I have not had the chance to go fishing at all this year!  The photo above is one I posted in 2010.

Last year, I had hopes of doing a lot more fishing in 2011, but with the new teaching studio open, time is limited.  In addition, our weather has just not been cooperative either.

I keep reading the various reports on fishing forums and it seems few people have been lucky catching fish this year.  Reports from other sources show that fishing is just plain down this year because of the weather.  Eventually, I get out there, but it seems it will have to be in the early morning hours of the weekdays.  I'm actually ok with that as I enjoy watching the sunrise over the water.  But I've never had any luck out on Lake Michigan on shore.  All of the fish I've caught have been out on a boat in Lake Michigan.

Of the various species to catch, I enjoy catching salmon the most.  Big fish like you see above is what I like catching.  I also like catching pike out of the Des Plaines River, but nowhere is it as much fun as catching a salmon!  Even if I don't catch anything, I still like getting out there and trying.  It's very peaceful out on the water.

My desire for getting a Wisconsin license this years is over too.  Again, lack of time is the issue.  From what others have told me, the chances of catching a salmon in Wisconsin is far better than in Illinois.  They stock a lot more fish up there.  But I'll have to make do with what might be available from Illinois.  Time... I need more of it!

The Lights of Marfa - Doyle Dykes - New Book Is Now Available!

I just received my copy of guitarist Doyle Dykes' new book entitled, "The Lights of Marfa."

I pre-ordered it on Amazon.com and was amazed it came in already!  The book was released just yesterday (April 1, 2011) and here it is April 2 and it's in my hands.

I can't wait to read it!  Doyle and I have been friends for many years now and I've had the privilege to get to know his entire family when he hired me to photograph his daughter Holli's wedding.  In the years to follow, we've only grown closer and when I heard he had written a book, I knew I would be one of the first to pre-order it on Amazon.com.

Our mutual friend Pastor Steve Lyon from Moody Publishers asked him to write a book which took Doyle by surprise.  When he first told me about it, I immediately thought, "What a great idea" but apparently, that's not what Doyle thought.  It took him by surprise, like many other things have in his life.  But looking back, these things were obviously in God's plan for him.

The 'real' Lights of Marfa is just as mysterious and unexplainable.  This is why Doyle chose this title for his book.  Life's adventures are sometimes hard to figure out and explain.  But Doyle is such a good storyteller that I already know before reading this book that this is going to be one interesting book to read.

If you are a guitar player like me, it's an obvious book to buy and read.  But for those wanting a spiritual uplift, I'm sure you will find that here in the book as well.  Doyle is the real deal as many have pointed out already on the book's first few pages.  The likes of Phil Keaggy, Tommy Emmanuel, Pastor Rick Warren, Roy Clark, Eric Johnson, Mason Williams, Steve King & Johnnie Putman from WGN Radio and many others have said the same thing.

Go out now and get a copy of the book.  It promises to be an inspirational read!

Oh, one more thing, the book comes with a free DVD.  In it, you'll see and hear Doyle talk about the book and also get a bunch of great videos of him playing a number of songs too!  For guitar players, the DVD has a lot of closeups of Doyle playing, so maybe you'll pick up some playing tips too by watching!  Just one more thing to make this book a great buy!

A New Home Page Photo for Balanced Exposure

I think this one looks a little better than the old home page photo.  It also shows the wood floor that's now been added.  Be sure to click on the image for a closer look.

Studio Updates

The studio is coming along just fine.  I've been devoting most of my time on it and neglecting everything else... like this blog!

A new website has been implemented... so please visit www.balancedexposure.com.  One of the main reasons for the new site is because the old one was really geared as a photographer's website and it did not allow for more information to be put in easily.  Plus it was a flash site which made it invisible to people who use an Apple iPad.  The new site is an HTML site, so everyone can view it.

The Wait Is Over - Studio Announcement

Well, the wait is over.  For those who have been wondering what I've been doing for the past several weeks and not blogging about things, it's because I've been busy setting up a new teaching studio facility!

Visit www.balancedexposure.com to see more about the studio and pricing.  You can also download our rental brochure there too.  See you all soon!  Be sure to click on each photo for a closer look.

I've Been Tied Up Lately...

Sorry for the lack of blog posts... I've been super busy the past couple of weeks.

I'll have a major announcement soon.  Most likely will not not have any blog posts for at least another week.

Thanks

Band Of Brothers

After watching the HBO mini-series "The Pacific" on DVD, I decided to watch "Band Of Brothers" too as it is really the movie sibling of The Pacific.  Band of Brothers was first aired in 2001 whereas The Pacific was in 2010.  So I actually saw these two mini-series in reversed order.

While both mini-series were excellent, Band of Brothers seems to be slightly less edgy.  By this I mean that it had less confrontation of the men against their own men due to the stress of the war.  The men in The Pacific seemed to have more personal issues with the other men in their units than in Band of Brothers.  Perhaps that's why they named it Band of Brothers!

Both movies had their share of gore, but I think in the nine years of time, the film makers have gotten better at it and applied that to The Pacific.

I must admit that after viewing these two mini-series, I really feel an even greater sense of gratitude for all that the men who fought in WWII had to go through.  Every one of them are true heroes.  The next time you run into one of our service men currently serving or who had served our country in the past, be sure you thank them for all that they do or did for our country.  For me, I always offer them a discount on my photography services.  I always have and always will.  It's a small gesture, but it is something I believe they deserve.

I encourage you to watch these two mini-series on DVD.  Go to your local library and borrow the DVD set or purchase them if you'd like to own it.

The images above were borrowed from the internet.

Jennifer Hudson

Have you seen Jennifer Hudson lately?  I borrowed these images from the internet that show "before and after" shots of her.  She looks terrific!

I watched the Oprah Show today and was amazed at how much Jennifer Hudson had lost in weight!  She's gone from a size 16 to a size 6 and has lost 80 lbs.  That's impressive!

I've always liked her.  She's a Chicago hometown girl and everyone here is so proud of her.  A lot has changed in her life in the past several years... winning an Oscar, a Grammy, losing her mom, brother and nephew, having a baby and now losing all this weight.  She keeps going through the good and the bad and has a great outlook on life.  She says that when she does something, she just asks herself if her mom would approve.  I think that's great.  Good for her!

I wish her the best in life.  She's an amazing person and a terrific talent.

The Pacific - HBO Mini-Series

I just finished watching the HBO mini-series, "The Pacific" on DVD.  This 10 part series features the lives of various real-life World War II heroes like John Basilone who was one of the most decorated Marines in history.

This series really opens your eyes to all the things our veterans had to go through for us while serving during WWII.  This movie is GRAPHIC.  I kept thinking to myself, "Wow... this would never have been shown on TV back in the 1960's with all the blood and gore!"  Back then shows like McHale's Navy and Combat! were all the rage.  I know because I used to watch them both.  I told my wife many times in the past that of all the war movies or series out there, I prefer to watch WWII movies.  I'm not sure why, but perhaps it is because it is the one war that I feel the entire country really stood behind.  Patriotism was very high back then and everybody did their part in the war effort.  That appeals to me.

Ever since "Saving Private Ryan" starring Tom Hanks (who also happens to co-produce this movie along with Steven Spielberg), seeing a war movie without some of the gore doesn't appeal much to me anymore.  I think having seen this new style of shooting (handheld cameras moving along with the men as they charge up the beach) and seeing the gore that so obviously had to have happened in real life, I can't go back to see war movies without it.  That may sound a bit morbid, but I think I prefer to see it more real.  Remember too that I come from a homicide background having worked for three law enforcement agencies in the past, so seeing it on the screen is actually less graphic compared to seeing it up close for real.

I'd recommend anyone interested in seeing what WWII was all about in the Pacific to view this series.  It makes you really appreciate the things our fighting men did for us to remain free in this country.  Recently, I lost an uncle and I attended his funeral just last week.  I did not realize he served in WWII as he never spoke about it.  It was told to us during the eulogy at his funeral.  In addition, members of the armed forces presented the draped US flag over his casket, to the family.  It was quite moving to see this ceremony.  That night is when my wife and I started to watch this DVD series.  To me, it was very fitting.

If you get a chance to rent or buy this DVD series, I would highly recommend you do so.   But be aware that there are scenes that are quite graphic.

The photos above were borrowed from the internet.

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Rabbit

"Gung Hay Fat Choy!" - This is the traditional Chinese greeting wishing congratulations and to have a prosperous and good year. Be sure to say this to every Chinese person you meet today!

This lunar New Year is the year of the Rabbit. You would be born in the year of the Ox if your birthday was in 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 or 2011. But remember, each year, the actual date in a lunar year changes, so the change of the year doesn't always fall on February 3 as it does today.

Why not go to your favorite Chinese Restaurant today and celebrate the New Year?

Snow!!!!

Back in 1967, Chicago had a record snowfall of 23 inches.  Click here to see The Chicago Tribune's account of it and photos.

It's hard to say how much snow will fall for this 2011 blizzard.  I have heard reports that we have had at least 17 inches so far and more is coming.  I got up early and was out working my snowblower at 5:20 AM this morning and finished doing my driveway around 7:30 AM.  Normally, it would only take about a half hour to do my driveway, but not today.  The drifts were "thigh-high" and working a snowblower only allowed me to go down a path a few inches wide at a time.  Had I tried to blow out  the entire width of the snowblower, it would have stalled the machine.  Even after finishing the driveway, only an hour later, there was a bunch of new snow on it again.

I know that I will need to do battle with the snow several more times today.  This is the most snow we have had in a long time!

Edit Note: We ended up with 20.2 inches, making it the third largest snowfall in Chicago history.  In 1999 we had 21 inches and the number one snowfall record was in 1967 at 23 inches.

Snow Days

Chicago is preparing for a lot of snow.  It seems kids are the only ones who benefit since they get a "snow day" out of it.  Even libraries are closing early and shutting down for the entire day tomorrow.

I went to two grocery stores yesterday and found a huge line of people there trying to buy food.  The parking lots were full and jammed with cars.  My wife went to get gas and also had to wait in line.  Are people smart to stock up, or are they just panic-stricken?

I didn't buy lots of food, I just got what we normally get.  We have a lot of food in the freezer anyway, so we are in good shape (so to speak.)  But if a little snow is enough to throw people into a rush to buy stuff, what would they do if something even greater were to befall the area?  I can only imagine how it is when there is something like an earthquake or a typhoon or hurricane.  Yikes!

We'll see how much snow we end up with.  Maybe it's a ploy to get people to go out and spend.... what do you think?   :)

Edit Note: The snow is coming down... we are expecting a LOT of snow during this blizzard!!!

"Specmanship"

Years ago when my family owned a stereo store, we used to go to the Consumer Electronics Shows (CES) where all the new electronic products for the year was introduced.  It was one of the highlights of being a stereo dealer.  To get consumers to buy, manufacturers used to exaggerate their specifications.  For instance, they would combine the wattage of a stereo amplifier's left and right channels and call it a more powerful amp.  A 100 watt per channel amp might be touted as a 200 watt amp simply by adding the two channel's power specification together.

"Specmanship" is a term we gave to those products that pushed the limit of specifications.  An amplifier can be 100 watts per channel or it can be said to be perhap 250 watts per channel.  How?  Well, if you push that amplifier so that the distortion is moved up as well, you can get a lot more power.  Granted, it is "distorted" power, but it's power none-the-less.  "Specmanship."  Not good.

Today, I'm noticing some companies are doing this again.  A five channel receiver that has 100 watts for each of its channels (used in a 5.1 surround sound system) might be said to have 500 watts of power.  Come on!  That's specmanship once again!

I recently saw some powered speakers used for PA systems (public address systems) that had 500 watts of power going into the woofer and 500 watts going to the tweeter. Now there's no way a tweeter would need 500 watts.  You'd burn out the tweeter well before you would hit 500 watts going into it.  Yet, the powered speaker was advertised as a 1000 watt powered speaker!  While you might have the ability to have two amps running together, I'll bet that tweeter amp is never going to reach the bi-amp'ed 500 watts.  "Specmanship."  Not good.

So years ago when the electronics industry had cracked down on manufacturers misleading the public with specmanship, it seems once again, this practice is out there to make products appear more powerful than they actually are when in use.  I'm disappointed.  :(

Beach-front Property

I've always wondered about beach-front property.  Here's one along a beach in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

I've wondered if it is a hassle having people hanging around your property all the time since they too share the beach.  Of course it's convenient for you to head out to the beach by just going into your "backyard" and having it there.  But would you get used to all the strangers hanging around your property?

The weather in Fort Myers Beach, Florida today is 80 degrees.  That sure beats the cold of the north!

Photos taken with a cell phone camera.  Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.

A New TV

Four years ago, I purchased a Vizio 47" LCD 1080p TV at Costco... and then to the exact day four years later, I returned it for a full refund, back onto my American Express card.

The Vizio TV had "popped" when I changed channels on the remote, effectively killing the machine.  While it would still power up, it didn't have any other features working.  You couldn't even turn off the TV after turning it on.  So I decided to invoke Costco's old "Free exchange for life" warranty that had been in effect for our set.

Just a couple months after we bought our TV four years ago, Costco stopped their "free for life" electronics warranty.  But we got "grandfather claused" because we purchased the TV before it became in effect.  The requirements were that you must return everything that came with the TV, including the box.

Since we knew that one day, we might need to do this, we decided we would keep the huge TV box in our garage.  It was a good thing we did that because four years to the day, we had to return the TV.

To their word, Costco returned my purchase price (just over $2000 with tax) directly back onto my credit card!  So with the returned money, I purchased a 46" 1080p, 120 Hz LCD Samsung TV in its place for about $900 plus tax.  It even has internet capabilities via WiFi.  While the new edge-lit LED screens are the latest development in flat-screen TV's, we found that this particular Samsung model actually looked better than many of the LED TV's, so we decided to stick with the older LCD technology.  The new LED models have a potential for leaking some of its backlighting causing some "cloudiness" issues on some models and we found one Sony model that did just that.  So we were fine with getting the older LCD model Samsung instead.  Plus we found that the Samsung actually looked much sharper and cleaner than the Sony screen.

So now I have a new TV with better capabilities for about half the cost of the old TV and essentially, I had the free use of a 47" TV for four years.  Not bad!

Today's Costco policy offers 2 years of warranty, still not a bad deal, but the old lifetime warranty can't be beat. I suppose I can't blame Costco for changing their policy, but I'm glad I had the old policy in place for that old Vizio set!  Thanks Costco!

Question 67 & 68

This is another one of the videos from our Chicago Tribute Band performance back on October 1, 2010.  It was from the rehearsal just minutes before the actual performance.  We had never played this song together before this recording.  The vocal was sung one octave lower than the original from Chicago because I can't sing that high!  I think it loses a lot of the dynamics of the song, but oh well...

Enjoy!

One Of My First Wedding Clients - Nearly 20 Years Ago

2011 marks my 21st year photographing weddings!

I decided to take a look back at some of the old images I shot on Medium Format film and found these 5x5 proofs of some studio shots I did of one of my first clients in the San Diego area.  I don't remember their names or when their wedding took place as it has been so long ago.  I would guess that this was probably 2 or 3 years after I started photographing weddings because of the studio lights.  Also, I remember this session as I didn't have that many wedding clients who brought their own props with them!  Since the groom was a firefighter, he brought in an old-styled fire extinguisher and also a small fire alarm box!

I remember that the bride was the first bride who actually got into her dress while I was in the room.  I am not normally in the room with the bride as she dresses (usually just after), but I was specifically requested to be there to document her getting into her dress.   You don't forget that kind of request!  I'm not shy about that and neither was the bride apparently.  Over the years, I've seen a lot of things at weddings, so nothing really surprises me any more.  Well, ok, just last year, I helped photograph a wedding with another photographer and that was the first time I had someone pull out a Sig semi-auto 9mm handgun and fire off several rounds of bullets into the air.  That surprised me a little since I was about 6 feet from the shooter.

Anyway, as for this San Diego wedding, I used to take studio portraits of my clients the day after their wedding.  I had a studio set up in my garage back then (it was a 3 car garage that had fully finished walls) and I'd make the bride and groom come to my place to take their shots on Sunday mornings.  We had to do it then because the groom usually had to return his tux on Monday.  Plus, if they went on a honeymoon, they'd either leave later on Sunday or perhaps on Monday.  So Sunday morning, bright and early, we'd get these shots done.  Believe me, all of us were usually tired when we were taking these photos because they had been partying until at least midnight and I'd been working all day as well at the wedding.  Still, we got some pretty nice shots considering the circumstances.

Today, I don't offer the studio photo option the day after any more because I don't have a location to do that any more.  My office is only set up for meetings.

These photos are scanned images of the original 5x5 proof prints.  Be sure to click on each image for a closer look.  Remember, these are scans, so there are dust spots and the resolution is only as good as the actual 5x5 print.  Still, it's not too bad.

Kirkland AA Batteries

You can buy "name brand" batteries, or you can buy private label batteries.  I prefer to save a few dollars and buy private label for certain items and AA batteries are one of them.

I don't buy "Heavy Duty" AA batteries as they aren't nearly as good as alkaline batteries.  Some devices won't allow the use of heavy duty batteries unless you want to void your warranties.  But alkaline batteries are a safe bet if you buy ones that do the job right... correct voltage, long lasting while being used, and long lasting shelf life.

The Kirkland brand is Costco's brand.  I picked up their 48 battery pack for $10.99.  That's about $0.23 per battery.  Compared to brands like Duracell, that's about half the price.  Not bad!

I checked the batteries on a digital multimeter and they read 1.625 Volts each.  That's pretty good.  AA batteries are rated at 1.5 Volts.  Getting a little more out of the battery to start is a good thing.

In the past, I have purchased batteries from Rayovac, which is a name brand.  Still, in general, I found that Rayovac tends to be less expensive than Duracell and Energizer as well and they have always held up well too.  But these Kirklands are even less expensive and seems to do a good job too.  So why not?

Some online reports have also confirmed that the Kirkland AA batteries do a fine job.  Click here for one of the reports.

The photo of the batteries were borrowed from the internet.

Testifying In Criminal Court - A Repeat from 2008

Back on Dec 6, 2008, I wrote about how to properly testify in court.  The subject came up again recently and so I thought it might be good to repeat it here.  I'm recycling information on my blog! Never thought I would, but this one is good to know in case you ever get called to testify in court. Pay attention!
________________________


As an expert witness, it's often asked of me... "What's it like to testify in court?"

Well I can tell you, it's pretty easy (if you are not the defendant) and not like what you see on TV! You need to be very specific when you answer in court. On TV, I see so often how witnesses add information that they really shouldn't.

For instance, if the question is, "Mr. Lowe... Did you take a photograph of the victim on December 5, 1993 at 123 Main Street in San Diego California?" The answer should either be, "Yes" or "No" or "I don't recall." That's it.

But on TV, this is what I usually hear, "Yes, and it was done with the best camera I have too." Way too much information given!

Or how about this one, "Mr. Lowe, did you dust the gun for fingerprints?"The answer should be either, "Yes, I did" or "No, I did not" or "I don't recall." But on TV, this is what you'll hear, "Yes, I did and I used a special silver colored powder that works better on black surfaces of guns." Again, way too much information.

The tendency is to offer more information, but that's not the proper way to answer in court. As an expert witness, answering the question with only a Yes or No is better. Should the attorney want more information, he'll ask for it.

For example, "Mr. Lowe, did you dust the gun for fingerprints?"Answer... "Yes, I did." Attorney... "And Mr. Lowe, what type of powder did you use?" Answer... "I used a special silver colored powder designed to work better on black surfaces like guns."

Here's another type of answer that is not correct... Question... "Mr. Lowe, what time of the day did you take the photograph of the victim lying in the street?" Wrong answer, "You know, it was dark that day so it was hard to take a good photograph." This answer would most likely be objected to as being "non-responsive" because it never answers the original question! The attorney objecting would most likely motion for the answer to be "stricken from the record." The proper answer should be, "I took that photograph at 4:00 PM" or, "I do not recall."
Is it easy to testify in court? I think so. But you need to listen closely and only answer what is asked. No more, no less. If the attorney is doing his/her job properly, an additional question will be asked if needed to help clarify. Oh, and don't forget to address the judge as "Your Honor."That's always fun! :)