Howard brought up the Cozy Dog Drive In as a potential subject. Not letting any grass grow under my feet, I went and got the shot tonight.
Thanks Howard!
The hot dog, dipped in pancake batter and deep fried - we call it a Cozy Dog around here.
Invented by a couple of guys with ideas during the mid-1940’s. Ed Waldmire was one of those guys. He brought the “Crusty Cur” back to Springfield, Illinois and, at the urging of his wife, renamed the concoction the Cozy Dog.
Cozy Dogs have been sold in Springfield, since 1946, still by members of the Waldmire family.
I can’t say I have a fondness for them, but they are historic, and part of a landmark along Route 66 in my home town.
Try ‘em sometime, you might like ‘em!
Cozy_Dog_Drive_In Website
Cozy_Dog_Drive_In - Wikipedia
I walked into my basement from my attached garage, and saw the light pouring through the sliding glass doors.
The small blinds were blocking most of it, but that’s what made it interesting.
This is a fairly accurate view of what my eyes were seeing - meaning it was dark.
I put my Pentax K20D on my trusty gorillapod, and mounted it to a seldom used piece of exercise equipment. The tilt just adds interest.
I did my first test shot at ISO 1600, but thought, hey, let’s show what this fine camera is capable of doing.
I bumped it up to ISO 3200. ISO is a measure of light sensitivity. The higher the number, the more sensitive to light the camera sensor is. One side-effect of increasing the ISO is it increases digital noise - the graininess seen in the shadows especially here.
The K20D does a superb job of handling the noise without reducing the detail, unlike so many other cameras do. When the detail is reduced, the photo takes on a smeared, almost painted-with-a-brush look. A look not usually wanted.
I struck a silly pose, and was pleased at the result. I was even more pleased when I brought it into Lightroom (2 Beta).
I’ve made it over the half-way point in my 366 Self Portrait project.
Just me in the backyard, enjoying the trees and the Spring weather.
We’re now in the full swing of Summer.
We live about a mile from a hog farm, and on the still Summer evenings, when the conditions are just right, we are treated to the cloying stench of fresh manure. We were kidding the neighbors, who will be selling their house next year, that they will have to do a sniff test to see if they have to cancel a showing of their house. =)
We’ve lived here for 22 years. The homes behind us, were once dense forest. I miss the trees, but understand progress.
I was testing out a new wireless remote shutter for my camera, and noticed the clouds.
The quality of light with the clouds diffusing the bright sunlight whispered “self portrait” to me.
I set up and sat.
I thought a profile would be good. The light was bouncing around the walls near my face, as well as coming in directly.
I thought a sepia conversion would work, and it does.
That makes this one pop, in my estimation.
The flower is beautiful by itself, against the field of green grass and other plants. The orange spikes of the center cone, contrast with the purple and green.
It was a harsh afternoon sun, but I think that helped bring out the spider threads.
