#APicADay 2020: Day 60

Working around the house this morning while there was good weather, foul weather in the afternoon, and activities away from home this evening have kept me from doing anything until now.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/20, 1/250 s, and ISO 160

I do not know what this rock is. I just like the difference in the polished surface and the raw surface you can see as you look at the left face versus the right face. There is also a bit of iridescence in the material that does not come across in a single image. You would need video to be able to see that.

Quote of the Day: 29 February 2020

“[T]rying to use willpower to overcome the apathetic sort of sadness that accompanies depression is like a person with no arms trying to punch themselves until their hands grow back.” -Allie Brosh
[There are a few things that have helped me to understand depression better. The essay from which this quote is taken is one of them.
Unrelatedly, Happy Leap Day!]

#APicADay 2020: Day 59

I was not able to go get an image outside today.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/20, 1/250 s, and ISO 160

This selenite crystal used to be part of a lamp, if I recall correctly. There was a base that shined various colors of light into the underside, which would then be diffused by the crystal. I illuminated it with two speedlites. One 45 degrees up and to the left as the key light, and another about 30 degrees up and 45 degrees to the right as the fill light. I was somewhat limited by the height my light stands are. I was unable to lower the fill light any closer to being on level with the crystal.

Quote of the Day: 28 February 2020

“As fatigue falls on a community, the citizens are less inclined for that eternal vigilance which has truly been called the price of liberty; and they prefer to arm only one single sentinel to watch the city while they sleep.” -G. K. Chesterton
[I see this in action, and I lament that we are losing our love of liberty to our desire for convenience.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 58

Another short walk while there was still light.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/52 s, and ISO 160 (Cropped)

I am not sure what this is. I believe it is a type of pansy, but I could very well be wrong. I don like the variety of color it displays, though. This was shot intending to be cropped. I could have come in tighter on it, but I like the negative space around it. I might start taking a flash with me on my walks to see what I can do by adding light.
These were taken as well:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/38 s, and ISO 160 (cropped)

 This was another I shot intending to crop the resulting image down.

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @  37mm, f/4.0, 1/25 s, and ISO 160

I shared an image of hyacinths yesterday, and so I thought I'd share this one of grape hyacinth today.

Quote of the Day: 27 February 2020

“You couldn’t say ‘we’re the good guys’ and do bad-guy things.” -Vimes, Thud!
[Pratchett has a way of putting things that reveals truth while entertaining. I wish I had half his ability to tell an engaging story (and I am working to.)]

#APicADay 2020: Day 57

I was able to get out for a short walk this evening before the sun was gone.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/20 s, and ISO 160 (cropped)

This is a more developed hyacinth than what I posted yesterday. I did need to move a piece of grass out of the way to take this.
Also this:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/60 s, and ISO 160

This is actually my preferred type of daffodil. I like the slight color contrast, and it doesn't range into orange, which I do not prefer.

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 26 February 2020

The selection from the log of local police activity for this week includes a forgetful gun owner.

February 14
A caller reported they had purchased a used vehicle and found a loaded gun stuffed underneath the driver’s seat. Police are investigating.

In a lot of places this would only be an inconvenience, or a reason to investigate whether the car was stolen. In Oregon, however, we have a stupid background check law that includes most transfers between private parties. So, it could be criminal in and of itself.

Quote of the Day: 26 February 2020

“To expect that we can get others to think as we do is to believe that we can overcome innate differences that make each of our thought processes as unique as our fingerprints.” -Robert Burton
[I know that I still think that I can cause people to see things the way I do, even knowing that they have their own sets of assumptions and perceptions that I do not share. It is a failing common to all men.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 56

I did run outside while there was still light in case the opportunity to get images later on did not turn out as I hoped.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/80 s, and ISO 1600 (cropped)

This is the cherry cordial ice cream The pup purchased from the ice cream shop with his own money. He was quite pleased to make the purchase (mostly) on his own.
The ISO is higher than I expected. I had set it to auto ISO, but checking the exposure earlier I was getting exposures that used ISO 320. The image still came out fairly well regardless.
I also grabbed this today.

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/52 s, and ISO 160

The hyacinth is beginning to emerge.

Quote of the Day: 25 February 2020

“A man should always have access to emergency pants.” -Owen Pitt, Monster Hunter International
[Yes, he should.
Go check out the link. It connects you to the free ebook.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 55

I tried something a bit different today. I decided to try holding a flash in my left hand while operating the camera with my right. I chose my wife's display of rock slices as the subject.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 18mm, f/11, 1/250 s, and ISO 160

I had the camera in fully manual mode, and I put the flash in TTL mode. For this image it was set to straight TTL. But other shots in the sequence I put it to minus one stop. Those did not come out as well. I may revisit this shot later on, but I will tweak the composition, and I will likely make use of the light stands I now have, to be able to light more evenly, and get both hands onto the camera to provide better stability.

Quote of the Day: 24 February 2020

“Don’t believe the toxic messages of our culture that say money is evil and wealthy people are all crooks.” -Dave Ramsey
[Wealth is created through work and providing value. It is not a fixed pie where what one person has deprives someone else from having it.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 54

Wet weather this morning, but the afternoon was dry and pleasant.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/680 s, and ISO 160

I don't know what this is. It was flowering, the light was interesting, and it's not something I've already shot over and over in the past month.

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 26mm, f/3.2, 1/240 s, and ISO 160

I haven't shot lighter colored daffodils yet. That's a variation I was able to do.

Quote of the Day: 23 February 2020

“True disciples are those who go beyond simply believing. They act out their belief.” -James E. Faust

#APicADay 2020: Day 53

I went to a game night today. I got to play crokinole.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 42mm, f/4.0, 1/17 s, and ISO 160

I like this shot for the action. There's a bit of motion blur, so you can see the person has just taken the shot, and the disc is moving towards its target. I would have preferred it to be a black disc that was moving, but I didn't get one of those.
There was this one:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 41mm, f/4.0, 1/14 s, and ISO 160

This one is a little less interesting because there are no black pieces in play, but you can see the motion blur of the disc falling into the twenty hole.

Quote of the Day: 22 February 2020

“It is rarely remembered now that socialism in its beginnings was frankly authoritarian.” -F. A. Hayek
[And still is. Though its proponents are loathe to admit it.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 52

I went out after the best of the light was gone today.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/7 s, and ISO 1600 (cropped)

I am not sure what this is. Yesterday I saw it open and I thought it was an early lily. This looks more like a crocus that has grown through some other vegetation.
Whatever it is, the light was so low that auto focus wouldn't work. And I had to open the aperture all the way up with ISO set to auto and still only got a 1/7 s shutter speed.

Quote of the Day: 21 February 2020

“[W]here everything is done through the bureaucracy, nothing to which the bureaucracy is really adverse can be done at all.” -John Stuart Mill
[And you may not realize that this is what has happened to you.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 51

Different flower today.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/14 s, and ISO 160

I don't know anything about these flowers. But they are striking against their dark green foliage.

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 20 February 2020

The selection from the log of local police activity is another example of community policing (attempted.)

February 9
A caller reported a woman, who is known to police, was purchasing drugs and inquired as to whether they should shadow her in an attempt to learn the seller’s identity. The caller was advised to stay away from the woman and her criminal activities. 

Trying to get on the department's good side in hopes of joining the force? That's about all I can come up with as a motivation.

Quote of the Day: 20 February 2020

“Smart people sound like crazy people to stupid people.” -Austin Petersen
[The problem is crazy people don't consistently sound like either smart or stupid people.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 50

I took the kids to see ducks at the library this afternoon. I expected that the baby would be held by my wife while The pup fed the ducks, and I'd be able to take a picture or two. But I ended up holding the baby, and watching The pup, so there weren't many opportunities to take pictures.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/500 s, and ISO 160 (cropped)

These are the feathers on the back of a duck as it ate seeds dropped by The pup. I had to crop because I wasn't able to get close enough while holding the baby to fill the frame.

Quote of the Day: 19 February 2020

“Violence is interesting. This is a great obstacle to world peace and also to more thoughtful television programming.” -P. J. O’Rourke
[Some thoughtful programming even involves violence. But it does inhibit the other types of thoughtful programming from flourishing.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 49

Brief walk while the light was still decent, today.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/17 s, and ISO 250

I don't have anything to say about this, but I like this.
Another:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/18 s, and ISO 160

This looked better in my view finder than it does here.

Quote of the Day: 18 February 2020

“[T]here is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride.” -Benjamin Franklin
[I know it is one I am susceptible to, and I expect that I am not unique in this regard.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 48

There was a brief opportunity to go take a short walk late this afternoon. The weather was good, but the best light had already passed.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/25 s, and ISO 160

I have not seen so many snowdrops all together before. I had some difficulty framing the shot because there is an unsightly utility box just to the left out of frame, and the background is ugly. The open aperture takes care of the background, and the portrait orientation keeps the utility box out of frame.
This one too:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/20 s, and ISO 160

This plant was begging to be in a square format image, so I shot knowing that I would be applying a square crop to the picture later.

Quote of the Day: 17 February 2020

“PRESIDENCY, n. The greased pig in the field game of American politics.” -Ambrose Bierce
[Happy Presidents Day! My Favorites: Calvin Coolidge, and Ronald Reagan. I don't see the need to extend the list any further.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 47

Beautiful weather here today. But that makes for hard sunlight.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 39mm, f/4.0, 1/105 s, and ISO 160

This bunch of daffodils was in full shade, and I still had a shutter speed that I consider very fast. These are small flowers, and I haven't featured many small daffodils yet.
I took these while walking too:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/8.0, 1/140 s, and ISO 160

 I had the aperture wide open here initially, but I decided to stop it down because the shutter speeds were very fast.

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/750 s, and ISO 160

If I consider 1/100 s to be a very fast shutter speed, you can imagine what I think of a shutter speed of 1/750 s.

Quote of the Day: 16 February 2020

“If we do not understand who we are, then it is difficult to recognize who we can become.” -Peter M. Johnson

#APicADay 2020: Day 46

My day was consumed with service in the early morning, an outing in the late morning to late afternoon, and then a second one almost immediately that lasted until late into the evening. I did grab my camera for the second outing, and, though the chance to take pictures that I imagined to myself did not occur, I found something to take a picture of.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 30mm, f/3.6, 1/30 s, and ISO 640

My sister made some pajamas for The pup. He selected tie dye fabric to have pajamas made from, and they came out great. She has these spools of thread on a peg board, and it struck me as interesting. I didn't bring my flashes though, so I adjusted a lamp off to camera right, and still had to dial open my aperture, and up my ISO to get a decent shutter speed.

Quote of the Day: 15 February 2020

“[R]aise your hand if you don’t use max a/c in the car because being too comfortable is a sin[.]” -@steve_jorbz
[I wonder if this doesn't afflict me (about other things, not air conditioning) sometimes. But it's still funny to think about.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 45

Busy day today. We made a trip out with both children to run some errands and have lunch. I did take a short walk today.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 46mm, f/4.0, 1/56 s, and ISO 160 (cropped)

I don't know what kind of flower this is, but it's colorful and something other than daffodil or crocus. The square crop was not intended from the beginning, but it was the only way I could get the entire plant in the frame, and not leave a bunch of negative space that threw off the composition.
This one happened a little bit away:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/4.0, 1/56 s, and ISO 160

Quote of the Day: 14 February 2020

“I like Valentine’s day because it’s a memory of the way things used to be before love was all about sex.” -Sarah Hoyt
[Happy Valentine's Day!
May your celebrations of love leave you full of joy and expand your love.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 44

Weather is not great today, but I took a short walk anyway.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 39mm, f/4.0, 1/60 s, and ISO 160

I was walking along and noticed the water drops on the petals of this daffodil. It was intriguing enough that I worked this scene for a while trying to get the best composition I could. I'm sure there were better choices, but this is what I came up with. I'm pretty pleased with it considering my skill level.
These too:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 41mm, f/4.0, 1/30 s, and ISO 160

Same flower, but the other composition was better.

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 48mm, f/4.0, 1/17 s, and ISO 160

The color of these succulents stood out while I was walking in the gloomy weather.

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 13 February 2020

The selection from the log of local police activity for this week involves community policing, or community code enforcement, or something:

February 4
A caller reported a woman was painting the curbs in front of his home yellow and installing no-parking signs along the street. When challenged, she advised her husband was on the HOA board and, thus, had authority to do so. He does not, both the husband and wife were cited for placing graffiti on public property.

This is one instance where I probably would have involved the police. Not sure what they were thinking.

Quote of the Day: 13 February 2020

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” -James Clear
[Or of your training. So, it is important to establish effective habits, and train to a level of excellence.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 43

Dentist appointment. Ugh. Light was gone by the time I got home.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 46mm, f/14, 1/250 s, and ISO 160

This is a sample of Fluorite (green) and Heulandite (pink) that my wife has had for ages. I should have found something to prop it up so the light fell on it better, or adjusted the lights so they illuminated it properly. The lesson for today is don't be to lazy to get things right.

Quote of the Day: 12 February 2020

“An open mind is a free mind.” -Steffi Cole
[But freedom is not synonymous with intelligence. In fact, some of the most intelligent have applied their intelligence in utterly wrongheaded ways. But, freedom is a necessary precursor to the development of ideas that will advance our civilization.]

#APicADay 2020: Day 42

The weather was overcast and cold today,  and family obligations kept me inside until quite recently.
Today's image:

Fuji X-T3 with XF 18-55 @ 55mm, f/11, 1/250 s, and ISO 160

Camera and lights are once again in fully manual configuration. My wife picked this piece of rose quartz out of a bin at Richardson's Rock Ranch a few years ago. I think we paid less than five dollars for it.