Fire and Ice -- heavy on the Ice, it would seem

This weekend in Rochester, Michigan, the Fire and Ice Festival was held. They feature a lot of great events, and participating businesses have Ice Sculptures displayed on the sidewalk before their storefronts. I attended briefly to see part of a demonstration by Finesse Ice Sculptures out of Shelby Township, who actually create the sculptures for the event. Their work is featured throughout this post.

Tools of the trade.

Unfortunately, this is the extent of the "demonstration" for which I was able to stay. The ice blocks are made in one basic size, and have to be adhered/frozen together to make large sculptures. So, bascially, I was standing around waiting for ice to melt. I moved on.

Logging Truck

Starship Enterprise

Clear Submarine. Making it with yellow ice would have been weird.

The detail shot of the bicycle wheel shows you the level of detail these men put into their work. The spokes are of equal length, and that blows my mind.

Last one -- the Cruise Ship was great on its own, but the chalkboard flow-chart was the reason for the shot.

Getting better at focus

In my quest to improve as an amateur photographer, I need to take pictures like a marine fires rounds. When you have too many hobbies, as I do, it is tough to keep up on their development (I am not getting much better at playing the bass today, but writing and photography are on the rise). Today, I set up a bit of a shoot to test my skills with focus and figure out how to make corrections.



I started with a set of water goblets and a pitcher -- first real use they've gotten since the wedding gifting that brought them about. Very nice, no doubt, but we don't have enough fancy occasions that also serve water. Anyway, here's crystal goblets. 

I used a prime lens that is commonly known as a "nifty fifty," a Canon 50mm f1.8, which is my favorite since I hate using a flash, and the wide aperture lets me keep up shutter speed and keep down ISO. The set-up of the goblets didn't allow for all parts to be in focus at once, so I got to experiment with selecting different parts of the frame to focus upon. The first several had only the first goblet in focus, which is what auto focus tended to prefer -- I had to manually focus to move the center of the objects into focus, but you'll notice that the front goblet no longer is. The Depth of Field that comes with the territory of a fixed 50mm lens is something worthy of practice. 

In order to do a bit more DOF work with a single object, I dumped the water from all the glasses into the pitcher, then stuck a candle behind it just below the water level. This first one uses all three wicks, but I was concerned that it was a little cloudy, so I blew out one and then sped up the shutter speed more.

One of the by-products of the light changes was more attention to the reflection in the granite countertop. I recently read this article at DIY Photography about a granite tile, and since the combination of countertop and subway tile I already have is pretty eye-pleasing, I decided to start using it a lot more. I'd like to thank them for the inspiration, and thank you for reading this, because this is a direction for my posts that I haven't taken before -- actually discussing specifics as an amateur about my ways, means and practice. I'll do this more.

Rochester Mills Brewery Tour

For my birthday (which was five days ago), my best friend and his father took me along on a brewery tour. They are both members of the Michigan Brewer's Guild, and as the tour was led by the President of the Guild (and brewmaster at Rochester Mills), they were able to bring me as a guest and photographer. Here are some photos I took. If these end up being featured elsewhere (they might, still in the works) I'll update the post to say so.

UPDATE: The photos from this post were featured in Hour Magazine's Food Blog! Check out the post here!

Close up of empty cans -- there are a lot of them since they come pre-labeled and have to be ordered en masse.

We asked to take one since it was my birthday. Denied. 

Seven Fermenters -- the facility has room for forty more!

The canning line -- back half of it, starting with a UV light for purity/sanitation

Cans exit the line onto a piece of the Piston's floor from the Palace.

More of the operation.

Great time, awesome brewery. Thanks to Rochester Mills and the Michigan Brewer's Guild for putting it on!

NCTE Part 2 - Boston Sights

Goodness, where have I been? I went to Boston weeks ago, followed up with an Author post, and then got busy. Well, break is here so I've got work to do on the blog (and eventually website), so here's a follow up.

Most of the pictures I take are of buildings, and since no time was allotted for sight-seeing, they are all taken in the dark. I walked around in the back bay area, so if not everything in the world that there is to see in Boston is completed, consider that I had little time and it was cold.

NCTE - The Authors

This past weekend, I had the chance of a lifetime through my school. The entire English department of University Prep Science+Math High attended the annual National Council of Teachers of English conference in Boston. I'll give several posts to this experience, but this one had to come first -- the Authors. Through sessions, signings, and a luncheon, I was able to hear from many acclaimed authors, and sometimes got a chance to photograph them. Here they are:

First up, Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

 He was insightful, he was funny, and he was very candid and real about the incredible life he has lived, and the changes that he never expected. I managed to score an advance copy of his forthcoming book Radiance of Tomorrow, and also this photo of us:

Also amazing was hearing Temple Grandin speak on the nature of all minds in the English classroom:

No one with autism has done as much for people with autism as this woman. Seeing her live was fantastic.

I didn't her Neal Shusterman speak, but I got a snapshot of the man during a book signing. Here he is looking exactly like you expect him to look:

And finally, back to the start: the conference opened with Judy Blume. I didn't get a great shot, but her interview was a fantastic kickoff to the conference. Here she is accepting an award:

More NCTE to come! Amazing conference.

Election Night - A Victory Party!

Those that have known me for more than a few years know that politics run deep with my family. I'm not one for running, personally, but through my father and uncle I grew up working a plethora of campaigns -- everything from writing literature to knocking doors. This past weekend I went out and dropped a piece for my good friend Jeremy Mahrle, as well as the coordinated party on his campaign, Sharlan Douglass. Both were on the ballot for Royal Oak City Commission, and both were victorious! I moved from Royal Oak about a year ago into neighboring Clawson, but I still have ties to the community and feel they will be a great voice for the growth and prosperity of the town.

Anyway, canvassing on Sunday led to an invitation to the election night party at 5th Avenue in Royal Oak. It was great watching the results roll in again, and hearing victorious speeches from Mayor Ellison (who ran unopposed, but still) as well as Jeremy and Sharlan. Also sharing in the event was One Royal Oak, a campaign that celebrated the victory of a human rights ordinance that now prevents discrimination against LGBT individuals along with those already protected. Here's a few shots from that evening:

Mayor Ellison looks on as the head of One Royal Oak campaign thanks supporters for backing the successful Human Rights Ordinance.

Jeremy and his campaign manager, Alex, to the left of Mayor Ellison.

Sharlan, one of the new commissioners, thanking supporters.

Jeremy, also now a confirmed winner, thanking supporters as Sharlan applauds their victory.

Jeremy Mahrle, Royal Oak City Commissioner 

Collision Six - 11/2/2013

A good friend of mine, Kerry, is in a local cover band named Collision Six. I made it to one of their shows this past weekend, and while pictures don't display the fantastic quality that is their fun, upbeat performance of well-known hits, I will post a few anyway.

Feel free to check them out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/c6band or at a local show, because they play all over the Metro Detroit and Lansing area.

Also, special thanks to the staff of Jamboozie's in Sterling Heights for allowing me to take a few pictures that evening. It's a great place too -- check that out at www.facebook.com/Jamboozies