11. Dodge & Burn

043008_2847, originally uploaded by steve_kurth.

Time: 6:20
Location: Salisbury
Mood: Hopeful

I ordered a new Wacom tablet. I'm looking forward to using it to do some photo retouching. I haven't done much if anything to most of these sky shots. Photoshopping seems dishonest somehow.

But the more stuff I see on-line, the more I think some PS is OK. In fact, I think you need to do some to look your best. Kind of a steroids argument there, but there you have it.

The philosophy on these that I'm taking is that if I could do it in a traditional studio, it's ok to do a little in Photoshop. So, I've dodged and burned and adjusted exposure, but I avoid cloning things or moving around content.

That said, I didn't bother doing much to this at all. The sky is too generous. But I am looking forward to that tablet...

10. Not Much to Say

043008_2844, originally uploaded by steve_kurth.

Time: 5:30
Location: Salisbury
Mood: Good

I wonder if these shots are too same-same. Oh, well. I like clouds and don't really care what you think. I do think I should get out more, though. See some different skies. Too much of the same thing, even if it's a good thing, is no good. I need to put myself out there more in general.

9. Rain's Over

042908_2822, originally uploaded by steve_kurth.

Time: 8pm
Location: Salisbury
Mood: Ok

The long nonsense at work sometimes gets to me. It did today and I found myself feeling unduly tired. I have some choices to make and I've been postponing them.

It rained for like two days. Several times today it threatened to break sunny. Every time though, it would switch back and rain some more. Even half an hour ago it was thumping hard. But just like that it broke and there was this sunset. Maybe change is as simple as just deciding.

8. Visitors

sunset cloud, originally uploaded by steve_kurth.

Time: 7:10pm
Location: back deck
Mood: happy, grateful

I had company tonight. If you had asked me a few weeks ago if people came to the house, I'd be like "yeah- sure." But as I cleaned up today, I realized: It's probably been 6 months since I've had anyone else in my place. Now, I've been travelling and I go out, so I'm not a total loser, but damn.

You get too used to things.

I was getting some art paper and on the cover of the pad I had written "Expect Poison From Standing Water." The drawings inside were four years old.

We stood on the deck tonight, snapping away and I was grateful and recharged.

7. Sky 7

042008_2539, originally uploaded by steve_kurth.

Time: 7pm
Location: Over marsh in Salisbury
Mood: itchy-eyed

I had two beers during the Sox game. Apparently, that is enough to knock me out these days. I woke up in time to see their late-inning heroics but now I feel like ass.

I can't get out of my own way now. My place is a mess and for some reason, I'm not doing anything about it right now.

But, there was the sky. Here it is.

6. Marsh Morning

042008_2463, originally uploaded by steve_kurth.

Time: 8am
Location: State Park in Salisbury
Mood: delighted

I got up this morning and took so,e shots of the marsh. The tide was very low and I had hopes to get some shots of the drainage tracts they cut through the marsh. I did get some, but it wasn't satisfying.

I drove off vowing that I would stop if I saw anything else that interested me. Sometimes I do that and chicken out. I feel very self-conscious taking photos. But today I found my way over at the park. They have these tall wheat-looking numbers there.

I walked into the muddy field and started shooting. Watching the auto focus zoom in and out and the wheat waving back and forth through the viewfinder was a great show. The wheat would fall into focus and out then lazily wander out as the camera whirred furiously, finding new focus points. Funny contrast of paces and directions. THe show was more fun than the photos, though. This one I held the camera at about waist-high and just shot up.

5. RootC

041608_2231, originally uploaded by steve_kurth.

Time: 8pm
Location: home
Mood: groggy

This is RootC. Right Out Of The Camera.
It's tempting to improve or change these colors in Photoshop. Especially after I see it one way on the Mac and then it looks duller and worse on the PC. But usually I don't do very much to these. Didn't do anything at all to this.
I guess I left it because as the shots from my deck add up I want there to be no question that this isn't a cool view. I'm not manufacturing it. There has just been a rash of nice sunsets. I'm curious if it's the time of the year and if it will last through summer.