acela

For those of you who like reading about travels--past, present, and future--to far-off places, and for those of you who like music while you're travelling, I've started up a brand-new blog. I am now into my 4th week of writing it, and there's no end in sight to the material I have available from memory for it, which is a good thing. I've started blogs in the past but none of them have ever really stuck, and travel is the subject I feel most confident talking about, I've found.

nlmullins.wordpress.com

If you happen to like what you see, you can click the "+Follow" button on the toolbar at the top of the page. Comments on the entries are also appreciated.

Hope you all enjoy it!

Thanks,

~acela

Just so all of you know... I've been searching for a steady full-time job since I graduated from college in July 2009--over three years and STILL counting. It's been very hard on me, and is probably the main reason I don't often feel like uploading much here on dA. So, can ya help me out?

I haven't done it this way before, so here goes:

docs.google.com/open?id=0B61Hp…

This is my resume. Should you take the time to view it, and I meet the qualifications of a known job opening in YOUR company or somewhere that I can actually use your name/connection, please let me know. It would be very much appreciated. I can provide phone number and address upon request; this safe version is being shared so that I don't risk becoming a victim of identity theft.

Let it also be known that I am willing to interview and relocate (within the United States--abroad is probably out of the question) at no cost to an employer whatsoever--but there must be a good chance of getting a job at that location in order to support my living there (no speculative relocations, that is).

Thanks very much for your time and care. Have a good rest of the day!

I just received a lens adapter in the mail today.

This means I can now use all of my old manual-focus FD lenses on my recently-purchased Digital Rebel XS.

Only, there's one problem... and it leads to a whole STORM of other problems tied in with it.

It means that I now have to shoot in Aperture-Priority (A/Av mode), or even Manual mode.

When I was shooting in film, I learned on a Canon AE-1. Shutter-priority (Tv) mode, in today's terms.

Needless to say, this is a rude awakening for me, as I never liked messing with my f-stops unless I was setting up for a subject that ABSOLUELY needed them (like fireworks). And knowing that aperture is also tied into DOF makes it even worse, because even though I'm ok with math, apparently I fail to comprehend the math needed for that.

Right now, my shooting sucks. I'm able to hold my own a bit in close-ups, still life (love shooting cars from all sorts of angles), and even quick/spontaneous portraits. But my two FAVORITE areas from film, landscapes and transportation... still suck.

And that's why you don't see a lot of new works from me here on dA.

Now, I understand that I have a learning curve ahead of me. Right now, it seems amazingly steep. And the two factors listed below do NOT seem to help it:

1. Time and money. I have time on my hands right now, but not the money to get to places where I want to shoot. Cajon Pass, for example, is up to 2 hours away from me. My neighborhood is not very photogenic itself (smack in the middle of suburbia). And of course, even though I might get a job soon to take care of the money problem, I might not have as much time to shoot. But actually, the hardest part about the time aspect is actually the social part. If I'm shooting with non-photog friends (and many of them are just that), I'm expected to keep up with them, whether in walking or talking. If I take too long to take a shot, I'm likely to be labeled anti-social (though not to my face). Suffice it to say, it's not easy to practice.

2. The internet/deviantART. I have to level with you here: I have a small case of Artist Envy, especially when it comes to trains. Now of course, this just comes with the territory of being a co-leader of an entire subcommunity devoted to that subject... and most of the time, artist envy doesn't come up. But when it does... if you don't get the feedback from me that you expected, I apologize for probably having deleted your shots from my inbox, sight-unseen. It's just... weird. The internet/dA has this weird effect of warping your sense of self-appreciation. I wish there was a name for that effect, but I can't put my thumb upon it if there is one.

On the plus side, however, I know that there are a few lessons from shooting film that I can transfer easily, and I've already started to apply them:

1. Shooting in SNIPER mode. As I learned in film, it was best to not be trigger-happy, and to select and set up your shots carefully. Digital can sometimes override this, but I have a feeling that I CAN re-master my trigger finger.

2. Understanding that only 1/4 of my shots, at best, are actually worth anything more than the other 3/4 of them. This concept probably started in photo class back in high school, wherein our shooting assignments were to use only one 24-shot roll of film, and to submit the 6 best shots out of that for review. In my opinion, this system worked rather well.

Speaking of that HS photo class... we learned to shoot for content and composition, not for technique. This made photography a very fun hobby for me. Over the following years (from '04-'11), I improved at a steady rate without having to worry about much. But by this year, I realized that film was no longer worth shooting with unless you were at the serious-hobbyist or pro level. So, I went digital.

But as you can see... the jump has been hard. Harder than I expected.

I think I need a new class to help. I don't do well in self-teaching, not when I'm still at square one. I need a class that doesn't use fancy-shmancy computer programs (like photoshop, which I can't afford and refuse to torrent), and doesn't involve a lot of studio shooting either. I just want to learn how to use my camera's features so I can have more fun with them, not to analyze them to death in every shot I take.

(This is how I took shots with film, on a Canon AE-1/AE-1P:

1. Insert and secure film roll.
2. Adjust ISO rating appropriate to film.
3. Set shutter speed appropriate to subject. (Skipping all the f-stop stuff.)
4. Adjust focus on desired area manually.
5. Take the shot.

And that was IT. Sometimes I really miss film... :sigh: )

I realize that I may not have left much room for help, but if anyone has any BASIC pointers that could help me, without diving off the deep end about f-stop numbers and setting the aperture appropriate to lighting (which I know next to NOTHING about), that would be much appreciated.

I shoot for content and composition, not technique and lighting.

Maybe someday a couple years down the road, I'll be as good as I used to be, once again.

Part I: acela.deviantart.com/journal/2…
Part II: acela.deviantart.com/journal/2…
Part III: acela.deviantart.com/journal/2…

I realize this piece has heavy American bias. It was indeed written that way. But I still invite you to come learn and understand my thoughts, and to even take on the challenges described, if you so choose, even if you are not an American. Also, just so we can get this out of the way beforehand, I definitely do not side with the 9/11 conspiracy theories any longer. For internet support of that opinion, I reference this: xkcd.com/258/ . Granted, that issue has nothing to do with the following essay, but I wanted to get it off my back anyways.

Introduction
Two years have passed since I wrote my 3-Part essay "Reflections on 9/11" (see links above). In that time, I have continued to observe society, both through people-watching and by keeping a keen eye on the news. What I have seen so far is very telling, and with the 10th anniversary coming up tomorrow, I thought I'd take a small amount of time to share my thoughts on that.

The Good News
As a country, we have started to move away from 9/11 in a few key ways. The operation to capture and/or kill Osama Bin Laden, which resulted in his death, has provided a lot of closure for us, whether we choose to realize it or not. While I would also prefer not to inject politics into that event, it happened anyways. Oh well. Al Qaeda continues to be pared down with every passing week, and it seems that they will be quite unable to carry out effective attacks within short order.

Further good news has come in the advancement of smarter, safer, and more ethical methods of airport security, among other things we can't help but protect the living daylights out of. I am particularly glad to hear that "soft interrogation" is being tested at Boston Logan International Airport, and I look forward to the day when (I hope) we have enough SUPER-trained TSA or other airport officials who can do this job well in airports all over the country.

Expanding on the subject of air travel, airports that have yet to be built or renovated are rethinking how the public can better interact with the airlines, harking back even to the times before security was the only thing that really mattered anymore (as it still does to this present day).  We may still be a long ways off from being able to greet or send off our loved ones at the gate, like we used to, but even some similarity to that in future developments is a great step forward.

The Challenges We Still Face
While the good news mentioned above is worth being happy about, it is still my opinion that we have a long ways to go before we are fully healed of 9/11's effects on our society. Specifically, we are still fearful, still egotistical, and still reckless about how we conduct ourselves as a nation.

Our reckless pursuits of safety and protection are still eating away at our rights and our sense of dignity. From ill-trained security people touching others' junk, to ordinary American citizens from all walks of life being unnecessarily targeted and investigated (thus damaging their legal records for life, in some cases), to protests over photography bans in various places… these are not the best ways to protect ourselves, wouldn't you think? Are common sense and street smarts on their death beds now when it comes to security?

It has oft been said, "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." I recognize this statement to ring true in my own life, and it is definitely something we can adhere to. However, I see nothing in this statement about or implying that such vigilance should be accompanied by fear and/or paranoia. Americans can be stronger than this. We should be stronger than this. Our strength should rest upon the shoulders of faith and perseverance, not upon longsuffering and anxiety.

Our egotism for our society and country is also something that has been wearing thin. We have seen that for several anniversaries now, whereupon some complain of others' rampant pride, joyful words, and Facebook status memes about our heritage and military efforts. While I am also a supporter of both these things, I feel that there needs to be some modicum of restraint, and recognition of appropriate timing, with how we interact and communicate with each other on such a personal issue.

For some, the harsh reality of America no longer being #1 in the world on various rubrics must be faced, comprehended, and accepted. For others, we must own up to being responsible and respectful American citizens when we interact with the rest of the world, especially on the internet, which means that we should not be afraid to admit that we are Americans. And still others must find their way into our society while braving through both of these extremes. Regardless of which of these approaches you come from, I believe that this must be the standard by which we participate in American culture and society:

A truer patriot cannot be found,
Than the one who still takes pride in his country,
Though flaws and troubles,
Trials and tribulations,
Riches and blessings,
Freedoms and opportunities,
All of which one can see clearly,
Abound.

Closing
        With this in mind, and with all the other strivings and challenges mentioned, we can continue to move towards a better and brighter country, one that can stand hand-in-hand in friendship with all the other nations in the world. We can fight and defeat the objectives of terrorist philosophy when we fly in the face of fear together, united in strength through faith and perseverance, cloaked with respect for others, and aloft on the wings of freedom and hope. Not just for or as Americans, but as citizens of a newer, brighter world, one in which terrorism will have no place of refuge.

        And therefore I encourage everyone: be of good nature, be of good friendship, be of strength, and be of freedom. And fear… NOT.

        Thank you for reading this far. I wish you a pleasant day, a mind renewed in hope, and a heart calmed by peace, even while you remember and grieve for our loss and tragedy. God bless you all.

I didn't get the job for Amtrak as a Conductor.

Damn UP and BNSF for stacking the deck against me; the majority of candidates were freight conductors trying to get into passenger.

I know this reads rather ugly but that's how I feel. I'll probably take this down later and replace it with something else.

That is all.