Your COVID-19 Images

[John Mitchell]

23 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Glad it went well. When I said my hair looked crisp, it was a funny thing. I’d look in the mirror and think my hair looked dry and brittle. Well, it wasn’t, it’s just that it appeared soft for so long. I spent a couple of days giving myself hot oil treatments until I finally realized it was that I was seeing detail so well. Then I had limp oily hair to contend with. 
edit: I was given Versaid (sp)? A drug that also is often given for colonoscopies, too. It puts you in a light sleep that if they shake you, you can rouse.

So I’m in dreamland while my eye is clamped open. I rouse, see vague shapes and find the doctor is discussing my football team with the nurses. (American football). He’s saying something about one of the players and he’s gotten it wrong. In a slurred voice I thought sounded perfectly intelligent, I proceeded to tell him how his opinion was wrong, and clued him in about the running back and how talented he was. Everyone froze, you could hear a pin drop. Then I heard a giggle. Then the lights went out again. I’m sure they adjusted my intravenous drip meds.

Just when the conversation got interesting.

 

My experience wasn't quite as dreamy as yours. I passed on the sleepy-time drug offer because -- surprisingly-- I wasn't nervous. In a strange sort of way. As a child of the 60's, I actually enjoyed the psychedelic light show during the procedure. The nurse told me that the blurriness would probably get worse before it gets better due, I assume, to the drops they put in my eye. That's certainly the case. First down and one to go... (probably in January).

[Betty LaRue]

1 hour ago, John Mitchell said:

 

My experience wasn't quite as dreamy as yours. I passed on the sleepy-time drug offer because -- surprisingly-- I wasn't nervous. In a strange sort of way. As a child of the 60's, I actually enjoyed the psychedelic light show during the procedure. The nurse told me that the blurriness would probably get worse before it gets better due, I assume, to the drops they put in my eye. That's certainly the case. First down and one to go... (probably in January).

I had the second eye done a week later. They didn’t give me a choice on the meds. So you didn’t discuss sports?  Bummer.

[Betty LaRue]

Just now, Betty LaRue said:

I had the second eye done a week later. They didn’t give me a choice on the meds. So you didn’t discuss sports?  Bummer. It’s quite nice to feel super wise for a bit.

 

[Michael Ventura]

2 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

My experience wasn't quite as dreamy as yours. I passed on the sleepy-time drug offer because -- surprisingly-- I wasn't nervous. In a strange sort of way. As a child of the 60's, I actually enjoyed the psychedelic light show during the procedure. The nurse told me that the blurriness would probably get worse before it gets better due, I assume, to the drops they put in my eye. That's certainly the case. First down and one to go... (probably in January).

Glad to hear that your procedure went well John!  In our biz, our eyes are even more cherished!

[John Mitchell]

 

2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I had the second eye done a week later. They didn’t give me a choice on the meds. So you didn’t discuss sports?  Bummer.

 

It would have a been a short conversation. I'm embarrassingly dumb when it comes to sports, even hockey, which verges on treasonous in Canada.

 

Shall be speaking to my ophthalmologist tomorrow about getting the left eye done.

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, Michael Ventura said:

Glad to hear that your procedure went well John!  In our biz, our eyes are even more cherished!

 

That's for sure. The only scary part was hanging around a hospital during the pandemic, but you know all about that because of your daughter.

[John Mitchell]

double-posted again

[gvallee]

Well done on your op John. You inspired me and I actually just made an appointment in January for mine. I'm the main driver of our minibus and it sometimes get challenging. Ditto with Photoshop. It's only the left eye at the mo but getting worse. Time to sort it out!

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, gvallee said:

Well done on your op John. You inspired me and I actually just made an appointment in January for mine. I'm the main driver of our minibus and it sometimes get challenging. Ditto with Photoshop. It's only the left eye at the mo but getting worse. Time to sort it out!

 

Driving at night was getting pretty hazardous for me - halos around lights, difficulty seeing pedestrians, etc. The operation is "a piece of cake", as the nurse assured me before wheeling me into the operating room. I could probably have waited a few years, but apparently the trend is to do cataract surgery earlier these days. Apparently it helps ensure better results. Not that I'm exactly young at 71. 🙄

[Betty LaRue]

At my doctor’s practice, many farmers got cataracts earlier than the average person.  The more time you spend in the sun....golfers, skiers, outdoor workers, the more UV rays can cause early cataracts. One should always wear sunglasses if possible, the kind that has UV protection.
I spent a lot of time in the sun. Water skiing, snow skiing, horseback riding, golf, and a lot of fishing from a boat. In the sun. I did use UV protection though, after I knew better, but not before. I have sensitive-to-sunlight blue/green eyes. Light-colored eyes are more sensitive.  I’m seldom outdoors without sunglasses. I remember when I was 17, I too poor as an Air Force wife to buy sunglasses. I was driving in the Mohave desert and had such a painful attack of sun blindness I had to pull off the road with my eyes streaming and spasming.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Betty LaRue

[Cal]

 

 

A technically imperfect image but one that I felt worth including given scenes like this will probably be gone in a year now we have a covid vaccine. A young woman on a tram wearing a face mask looks out to the crowd passing by on the street. I have a list of criteria I'd like to "fix" if I do this again but it is indeed tricky getting the camera close enough to a) not cause people to hide and b) a correct angle to keep that reflection at bay. Not only that but there were some rather hostile protesters this time round who had a particular disdain for photographers.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Cal

[MDM]

On 09/12/2020 at 02:39, John Mitchell said:

 

 

It would have a been a short conversation. I'm embarrassingly dumb when it comes to sports, even hockey, which verges on treasonous in Canada.

 

Shall be speaking to my ophthalmologist tomorrow about getting the left eye done.

 

Missed this as I rarely look in this thread. But goodonya John. As I said before it was the best money I ever spent getting lens replacements over 4 years ago now. I wish I had done it years before as it made such a huge difference to my life and my photography.

 

As for sports talk, this will probably go unappreciated by Canadians and other continental Americans but, when the surgeon was waiting for the local anaesthetic to take effect, he started talking about football (soccer) and which teams we support. I said Spurs and of course he said Arsenal. Now these teams are huge local London rivals and the fans of these teams are reputed to hate each other. So here is this guy with a knife about to cut into my eyeball. No worries, he did an amazing job and my eyesight is still perfect, good enough to see Spurs continue to beat Arsenal once again last Sunday.  

Edited December 10, 2020 by MDM

[Ed Rooney]

John, good for you! 

 

[wiskerke]

2 hours ago, Cal said:

 

 

A technically imperfect image but one that I felt worth including given scenes like this will probably be gone in a year now we have a covid vaccine. A young woman on a tram wearing a face mask looks out to the crowd passing by on the street. I have a list of criteria I'd like to "fix" if I do this again but it is indeed tricky getting the camera close enough to a) not cause people to hide and b) a correct angle to keep that reflection at bay. Not only that but there were some rather hostile protesters this time round who had a particular disdain for photographers.

 

The content could bear some thinking too: what is your message? That people feel more free outside of the public transport, not wearing a mask? Except for that righteous photographer with his black mask of course. 😁

I feel the imperfection is mostly in the edit (except maybe for that photographer). In general the inside/outside theme is great in these times.

Like Christmas times; Corona/Covid times. I would spend a couple of weeks pursuing the ultimate inside/outside image. Think the Little Match Girl? Or the opposite: Zombie apocalypse?

These things work because both the idea and the imagery are so powerful.

In the meantime, maybe have a look at this. (I'll remove it after you have seen it.)

 

wim

[Cal]

18 minutes ago, wiskerke said:

 

The content could bear some thinking too: what is your message? That people feel more free outside of the public transport, not wearing a mask? Except for that righteous photographer with his black mask of course. 😁

I feel the imperfection is mostly in the edit (except maybe for that photographer). In general the inside/outside theme is great in these times.

Like Christmas times; Corona/Covid times. I would spend a couple of weeks pursuing the ultimate inside/outside image. Think the Little Match Girl? Or the opposite: Zombie apocalypse?

These things work because both the idea and the imagery are so powerful.

In the meantime, maybe have a look at this. (I'll remove it after you have seen it.)

 

wim

 

Hi Wim, thanks for your comments and the edit, which you can delete now as I've seen it. I actually saved it to have a good comparison with the original photo.

 

Yes, I do agree the edit somewhat lets it down. Yours is a good edit but I was really fighting noise unfortunately, and I might have tipped the QC scale not in my favour had I brightened the image up anymore. My learning point to take from this is that I was probably using too high a shutter speed (and therefore ISO) and to lower both next time. I am learning almost every day how to improve this type of photography so your advice is most welcome. I intend to spend as much time as I can the remainder of this month doing exactly as you suggest as before we know it living with coronavirus will be a past concept. 

 

With regards to photographers getting in the way, I guess that's the case at any sizable protest. One of them in particular who I see every week has an uncanny knack of getting in the way though, I've binned quite a few shots with him in it. Half the time he isn't even looking at the action either which makes it somewhat amusing.

[meanderingemu]

On 10/12/2020 at 07:51, Cal said:

 

 

A technically imperfect image but one that I felt worth including given scenes like this will probably be gone in a year now we have a covid vaccine. A young woman on a tram wearing a face mask looks out to the crowd passing by on the street. I have a list of criteria I'd like to "fix" if I do this again but it is indeed tricky getting the camera close enough to a) not cause people to hide and b) a correct angle to keep that reflection at bay. Not only that but there were some rather hostile protesters this time round who had a particular disdain for photographers.

 

 

i personally don't think this is gone in a year to be honest, plus it also goes to the whole distrust towards authorities and science and i have a feeling this will only amplify.  

 

i actually think you did good in these circumstances, liking the suspicious looks you are getting, this is all part of the story of us being FakeNews media.  I have an anti lockdown rally coming tomorrow, and i don't think I can take the anxiety at this point, and will probably pass, after getting bullied at last anti-everything rally in town...    

Edited December 11, 2020 by meanderingemu

[Cal]

2 minutes ago, meanderingemu said:

 

 

i personally don't think this is gone in a year to be honest, plus it also goes to the whole distrust towards authorities and science and i have a feeling this will only amplify.  

 

i actually think you did good in these circumstances.  I have an anti lockdown rally coming tomorrow, and i don't think I can take the anxiety at this point, and will probably pass, after getting bullied at last anti-everything rally in town...    

 

I'm sorry you went through that. I've been to quite a few of these now, never had a problem with protesters until this one where some deranged loony was chanting at the photographers that we were fake news media and other things I can't repeat here. There was even spitting at one point so the camera stayed welded to my face until I could retreat. All in all though I still enjoy doing it, it's an antidote to my otherwise very pedestrian life.

[meanderingemu]

1 minute ago, Cal said:

 

I'm sorry you went through that. I've been to quite a few of these now, never had a problem with protesters until this one where some deranged loony was chanting at the photographers that we were fake news media and other things I can't repeat here. There was even spitting at one point so the camera stayed welded to my face until I could retreat. All in all though I still enjoy doing it, it's an antidote to my otherwise very pedestrian life.

 

 

it is too bad, but i need to think of my mental state at this point, Early on they were generally fine, but as the level of distrust and misinformation has increased i have found things have gotten worse, and so as my anxiety. I actually feel sorry for the labelled media guys, we had a few agitators by mid autumn that were downright abusive with them.  

I'll go shoot Christmas lights 😀

[MizBrown]

On 09/12/2020 at 00:10, John Mitchell said:

Driving at night was getting pretty hazardous for me - halos around lights, difficulty seeing pedestrians, etc.

 

Once you have those problems, you really need to get the problem fixed.   I had a unilateral cataract (left eye), and like Betty, came out from under the sleepy time drug, but while they had sharp instruments in my eye talking about the difficulties with unilateral cateracts and being careful with a haptic (little devices that hold the lens in place).  I kept very quiet until they were finished.  The painkiller on the eye itself kept anything from hurting.   I kept thinking, "But I'm supposed to be amnesiac for this.   I will remember." 

 

Driving at night for me had been a problem in suburban areas where there were no street lights (which constricted my pupils enough to see better) and many cars (I could manage country driving because the cars were infrequent.   Not being obviously blind meant getting people to take my night driving problems seriously was quite difficult.   No problems during the day, or in rural areas with few cars and known road, but in suburban Maryland, arrgh.   I did get it done before moving to the DC area where I had to have a car. 

 

If you're still getting the dirty windshield flare with one cataract left to be done, try a patch over that eye when driving.

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, MizBrown said:

 

Once you have those problems, you really need to get the problem fixed.   I had a unilateral cataract (left eye), and like Betty, came out from under the sleepy time drug, but while they had sharp instruments in my eye talking about the difficulties with unilateral cateracts and being careful with a haptic (little devices that hold the lens in place).  I kept very quiet until they were finished.  The painkiller on the eye itself kept anything from hurting.   I kept thinking, "But I'm supposed to be amnesiac for this.   I will remember." 

 

Driving at night for me had been a problem in suburban areas where there were no street lights (which constricted my pupils enough to see better) and many cars (I could manage country driving because the cars were infrequent.   Not being obviously blind meant getting people to take my night driving problems seriously was quite difficult.   No problems during the day, or in rural areas with few cars and known road, but in suburban Maryland, arrgh.   I did get it done before moving to the DC area where I had to have a car. 

 

If you're still getting the dirty windshield flare with one cataract left to be done, try a patch over that eye when driving.

 

I'm going to have wait a few weeks to get the second eye done, so I'll have to live with having one cataract eye and one good eye, which is a bit inconvenient but manageable. At the moment, I'm seeing glare and odd horizontal lines at night in the fixed eye as well, so night driving remains difficult. There is also still some fuzziness. The doc tells me that things will gradually improve. I have to say that the world looks very different now -- it's a Kodachrome world with the cataract eye and an Agfachrome world with the new eye.

Edited December 11, 2020 by John Mitchell

[MizBrown]

1 hour ago, John Mitchell said:

I have to say that the world looks very different now -- it's a Kodachrome world with the cataract eye and an Agfachrome world with the new eye.

One of my eyes appears to have a faint blue filter (the eye with the plastic lens, and the other eye has a faint yellow filter.    The other thing that was kinda trippy for a while was being able to see in 3D at close range.

[John Mitchell]

22 minutes ago, MizBrown said:

One of my eyes appears to have a faint blue filter (the eye with the plastic lens, and the other eye has a faint yellow filter.    The other thing that was kinda trippy for a while was being able to see in 3D at close range.

 

My plastic eye seems to have a slight mauve tint -- some greys (e.g. overcast sky) look purple-ish. The doc says that this is normal. I decided to shell out for a "premium IOL", which is supposedly a better quality lens than the ones provided by the free healthcare system here, and I'm trusting that it was a worthwhile investment. I'm amazed at how yellow my world had become, even though my cataracts weren't all that advanced. Whites and blues really pop now. It was actually a bit disconcerting at first. I had gotten used to my Kodachrome world.

[Chuck Nacke]

9 hours ago, Cal said:

 

I'm sorry you went through that. I've been to quite a few of these now, never had a problem with protesters until this one where some deranged loony was chanting at the photographers that we were fake news media and other things I can't repeat here. There was even spitting at one point so the camera stayed welded to my face until I could retreat. All in all though I still enjoy doing it, it's an antidote to my otherwise very pedestrian life.

That is where a Monopod comes in really handy.....

 

Chuck

[meanderingemu]

14 hours ago, Chuck Nacke said:

That is where a Monopod comes in really handy.....

 

Chuck

 

nice, i'll have to remember that one - though not sure if that would have been a good idea at a pro-gun rally...

[spacecadet]

35 minutes ago, meanderingemu said:

 

nice, i'll have to remember that one - though not sure if that would have been a good idea at a pro-gun rally...

Well Cal is in Scotland, I think. Most firearms are banned in the UK. Scots can get annoyed, but not that annoyed.