mycreations

A collection of 17 posts

Wilted

snippets 2 min read Wilted

Life is a dance.

We step in varied rhythms. We swing, we glide, we dip, we fall.

We move from one dark corner of a crowded dance floor to the next. At times we lead. At times we are led.

Occasionally, we grow bold, and we waltz with a partner or tango with a muse. We elbow our way to the center of that dance floor. We shine beneath a chandelier. We bask in the light’s sparkling brilliance, moving in harmony, together as one, choosing a path, a future, a next step.

But the light is fleeting. The dance

Daily Photo Project - May Update

photography 1 min read

The Daily Photo project continues. For those who don’t know, the daily photo project is my attempt to take a different photo every day in hopes of better understanding my camera, its settings, and all the magic that makes for great photography (at least in a technical sense).

I missed more days in March/April than in previous months, but I made up for it by finding subjects outside the ordinary everyday stuff in my house. Warmer weather took me outdoors. Subjects got larger. I went walking in the woods. I’ve decided I like wide distances condensed into

Daily Photo Project Update: Wherefore art thou, interesting subjects

photography 2 min read Daily Photo Project Update: Wherefore art thou, interesting subjects

Two months into my daily photo project, I have both good and bad things to report.

First, the good.  Without question, I feel more knowledgeable about my camera and lenses than at any point in history. Decisions occur faster. Results are better. Should I change ISO or shutter? Shutter or aperture? Most amusing are the shots taken in daylight after opening both the shutter and aperture for a nighttime shot the day before. Find a subject. Frame the shot. Click. See the result: A frame of solid white, blown out beyond recognition. Oops.

Given my numerous mistakes and failures, I

A Lonely Duel

snippets 3 min read A Lonely Duel

They demanded confidence, and so there was confidence.  They demanded happiness, and so there was happiness.  They demanded ambition and kindness and wit, both of which were evident in every word he spoke, in every act he performed, in every nod to passersby and every smile to strangers who drifted through his days. They demanded laughter, and so he laughed. He told jokes, made clever observations, whispered wildly satirical commentary in the ears of intelligent ladies, and they laughed.  Day after day, night after night, strangers and friends alike, they demanded the world, and so he gave them the world.

Daily Photo Project 2016

photography 2 min read Daily Photo Project 2016

So last year I bought a new camera. An awesome camera. I haven’t yet learned to properly use it, but that’s about to change.

I’ve studied photography in the past. I know a bit about composition, not nearly enough about lighting and contrast, and I’m terrible at exploring the world enough to find worthy subjects, but those things are fixable. I’ve studied videography as well, in more detail, back when we worried about 3:2 pulldowns and such, before the days of progressive frame rates. I love moviemaking, and I’m better at it than

NaNoWriMo 2015 in Time Lapse

writing 2 min read NaNoWriMo 2015 in Time Lapse

For those who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is an abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month. People across the globe take part every November. To “win”, you must write 50,000 words in 30 days, but the real goal is to get you to sit your butt in a chair and write.

Like so many others, I struggle with that part. I take pleasure in having written, not in the painful task of actually writing. It’s work. Brain hurt.

One of the more frustrating aspects of writing in today’s social media world is that you have so little to

Introducing Dander (Update: Deprecated)

business 1 min read Introducing Dander (Update: Deprecated)

For those who don’t know, I’ve got a new side project. It’s a mobile app dedicated to creating awareness and raising money (via microdonations) for animal shelters.

We call it Dander. You know, like Tinder, but Dander, except for pets, not humans. Actually, our original concept really was a Tinder for Pet adoptions (swipe right if you want to talk to the pet shelter), but the app doesn’t look or work like Tinder any more.

In any case, if you love pets, want to support animal rescue shelters, or maybe just want to support a few

Amontillado: Designing the Book Cover

amontillado 5 min read Amontillado: Designing the Book Cover

This was originally posted at the Amontillado Novel blog, but I’m adding it here for safekeeping.

Let me just say it: I love the Amontillado book cover. For a long while, I didn’t think those words would escape my fingertips. Not for lack of effort. Not for lack of good ideas. I had simply ventured down too many dead ends to think I’d ever arrive at anything I could love. I was wrong.

Let me also say this: it couldn’t have happened without help. While I can doctor up a striking color gradient in Photoshop, I’