Self-isolation Activities

[geogphotos]

30 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

 

I still haven't tackled my PS website -- changing to one of their new templates, reorganizing galleries, etc. It has devolved into a total mess. Perhaps I'll finally muster the motivation to clean things up. Mind you, I don't expect potential customers to be lining up at the door any time soon.

 

BTW, which template are you using? Can't recall.

 

I think it is Element. One of the ones that allows Collections. I haven't looked at the external aspects of it for a long time, just busy working through my archive to sort images into galleries. For example, putting all the ones of Netherlands in a gallery so that later on I can break them down into individual cities/areas. just trying to get more images out there in listed galleries.

 

I do have mine set for photo prints but have never yet sold any. Getting Google visibility is going to be a long slog but if paying for the site I might as well try and maximise its use. 

[John Mitchell]

57 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

 

I think it is Element. One of the ones that allows Collections. I haven't looked at the external aspects of it for a long time, just busy working through my archive to sort images into galleries. For example, putting all the ones of Netherlands in a gallery so that later on I can break them down into individual cities/areas. just trying to get more images out there in listed galleries.

 

I do have mine set for photo prints but have never yet sold any. Getting Google visibility is going to be a long slog but if paying for the site I might as well try and maximise its use. 

 

Thanks. I'll have a look at Element. My galleries still seem to be doing OK in Google searches for some reason. Do you include "stock photos" and "images" in your gallery descriptions? I think (?) that helps.

[geogphotos]

7 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

 

Thanks. I'll have a look at Element. My galleries still seem to be doing OK in Google searches for some reason. Do you include "stock photos" and "images" in your gallery descriptions? I think (?) that helps.

 

I need to go through a very large number of galleries and add individual descriptions.

 

Lots to do!

[John Mitchell]

27 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

 

I need to go through a very large number of galleries and add individual descriptions.

 

Lots to do!

 

You've got an impressive collection of stained glass windows. Here in Vancouver, churches (such as they are) tend to get turned into condominiums. Coincidentally, I've only had three zooms during the past week, and one of them was an image of a stained glass window in a church just down the street from me. Photographing the interior of this church was one of my more productive photo expeditions. All churches now closed here.

[Michael Ventura]

Had a good day of semi self isolation.  My son came over and helped with yard work and did the first grass mowing of the season...we are super early here, with such a mild winter we had here in the eastern half of the U.S.   Afterwards we streamed the movie “1917”, so good and so well filmed!  Made a nice shrimp pasta dinner...all the while we kept our distance. 

[Cecile Marion]

I’ve debated watching 1917. I’m not sure I’m up to it, though I’ve heard it’s very well made and is an excellent film.

[Robert M Estall]

Do have a viewing of 1917. It's a bit like Saving Private Ryan except it is the first world war and there are absolutely no known Hollywood or British  actors involved. Just really well filmed. Just a tiny slice of the story. Oh,and yes there are a couple of moments of two current British stars, but they have stupid little roles which American viewers might easily miss. Just a little box office draw nonsense/

[Michael Ventura]

23 minutes ago, Cecile Marion said:

I’ve debated watching 1917. I’m not sure I’m up to it, though I’ve heard it’s very well made and is an excellent film.

Not sure what might be keeping you from seeing it.  If it is graphic violence, there is some but no where near as much as Saving Private Ryan.  Just enough to remind you that this is set on WWI battlefield.  The acting is terrific and it is shot in a way to make it seem like one continuous camera take....without it being annoying somehow.  

[Cecile Marion]

Ok. I may give it a go. I’d like to see the film, but I’m also a bit of a wimp. My NYC daughter and I have been plowing through the TV series The Americans and there are times, when I know something sinister is going to happen, that I’m pulling a pillow over my eyes. Of course, now that my daughter is here staying with me, everything we watch is "negotiated." 🙂

Edited March 23, 2020 by Cecile Marion

[Betty LaRue]

3 hours ago, Michael Ventura said:

Had a good day of semi self isolation.  My son came over and helped with yard work and did the first grass mowing of the season...we are super early here, with such a mild winter we had here in the eastern half of the U.S.   Afterwards we streamed the movie “1917”, so good and so well filmed!  Made a nice shrimp pasta dinner...all the while we kept our distance. 

My grass is shaggy, also. Michael, I’ll pay you $30 to mow it. 😉 That’s probably sounds cheap but that’s what my yard guy charges. But that’s Kansas, not where you live.

I cooked some comfort food. Fried potatoes with skins on and onions. I do some about every 6 months. I try to be good. Back in the day, I cooked some form of potatoes every day...usually fried. But nothing beat southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes with milk gravy made from the chicken crunchies scraped from the bottom of the frying pan. Corn on the cob or green beans to go with.

[Bryan]

Used video WhatsApp calls to contact our sons and grandchildren, still able to get round to the allotment, and plenty to do there, music practice, fortunate that we both play, and hoovering up Rick Stein's travels on the TV. Most of his cooking is inappropriate for us, far too much meat, salt, butter etc, but I enjoy his delivery and style. Skim read Monty Don's gardening book, should really try to get back into reading, particularly if we have to seriously self isolate, but, these days I find it difficult to find fiction that I can relate to, and more often than not, I abandon a book after a couple of chapters.

[Bryan]

3 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

My grass is shaggy, also. Michael, I’ll pay you $30 to mow it. 😉 That’s probably sounds cheap but that’s what my yard guy charges. But that’s Kansas, not where you live.

I cooked some comfort food. Fried potatoes with skins on and onions. I do some about every 6 months. I try to be good. Back in the day, I cooked some form of potatoes every day...usually fried. But nothing beat southern fried chicken, mashed potatoes with milk gravy made from the chicken crunchies scraped from the bottom of the frying pan. Corn on the cob or green beans to go with.

Have you tried cooking Spanish potato tortillas Betty, one of my favourites? Might make some for lunch today.....

[Betty LaRue]

18 minutes ago, Bryan said:

Have you tried cooking Spanish potato tortillas Betty, one of my favourites? Might make some for lunch today.....

No, but it must be delicious. I have made what we call potato patties, though. Where you add an egg, maybe a bit of flour to leftover mashed potatoes. Pat them out into a flat round and fry each side until crispy. You have to add some kind of binding to the mashed potatoes or the patty won’t hold together and stand up to frying.
I messed that up as a young bride. Ah, well. We all make mistakes.

I ended up with a lot of mush. It’s best to make small patties, about the size of the bottom of a cup or they might break when flipping to the other side. I think they’d be good with green onion tops chopped into them.

[Bryan]

1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

No, but it must be delicious. I have made what we call potato patties, though. Where you add an egg, maybe a bit of flour to leftover mashed potatoes. Pat them out into a flat round and fry each side until crispy. You have to add some kind of binding to the mashed potatoes or the patty won’t hold together and stand up to frying.
I messed that up as a young bride. Ah, well. We all make mistakes.

I ended up with a lot of mush. It’s best to make small patties, about the size of the bottom of a cup or they might break when flipping to the other side. I think they’d be good with green onion tops chopped into them.

 

Ah potato patties, ultimate comfort food, particularly if made with onions and some cheese and eaten with baked beans, but, as you say, surprisingly difficult to get right!

[geogphotos]

11 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

 

You've got an impressive collection of stained glass windows. Here in Vancouver, churches (such as they are) tend to get turned into condominiums. Coincidentally, I've only had three zooms during the past week, and one of them was an image of a stained glass window in a church just down the street from me. Photographing the interior of this church was one of my more productive photo expeditions. All churches now closed here.

 

Thanks John, I have I think learned a bit about how to process pics of stained glass windows. My church coverage is partial and subjective - but I enjoy it all and am learning a bit. I even spent £80 on a specialist book about 19th century stained glass windows in Suffolk also  various other guides. As to the future who knows. There are perhaps 500 medieval village churches just in this one county, even more in Norfolk. A few were converted into homes when that was considered an option 20-30 or so years ago. A  few of the most historic are cared for by various trusts if and when they become redundant. One or two have been converted to cultural and community venues. Most are looked after by a small and dwindling group of elderly villagers. Who knows how long they can survive as actually places of worship. I suppose in part that is my interest. Not all of might accessible in the future and their best chance of survival is if people find an interest in exploring them and valuing them. I've got at least some coverage of around 220 Suffolk churches now - but that varies from one shot to lots and lots. Might go out and bag a few more today since the sun shines on us.😃

 

I've been doing the same in Wiltshire when down there visiting mother -in-law.

 

As to stock sales. No, not worth it really from that point of view.

Edited March 23, 2020 by geogphotos

[Martin Carlsson]

18 hours ago, Phil Crean said:

Tip for anyone on Adobe subscription...

I just went into my account and contacted them via live chat and asked how they could help as my work has totally dried up due to crisis and they gave me a 60 days free on my account.

I pay annually so they just extended the next payment date 2 months ahead...

Phil

Did the same thing (live chat). Free of charge they cancelled my two current subscriptions, CC Photography Plan and a single-app subscription for Premiere Pro. Instead I got the CC All Apps (really wanted to get After Effects) for almost half of previous total cost, as well as three months (90 days) totally free. Adobe are very understanding and accommodating.

 

Did the same thing with the bank, whom cancelled some service fees until after the summer. 

 

Sitting on the board of a quite well-off (a bit too much in the coffers currently) home-owner-association (a peculiar type of ownership very prevalent in Sweden, you own your house, but a joint association take responsibility collectively for exterior maintenance, boilers, heating systems etc.) so are working on how we best help ourselves (66 houses/households/families). Possible action will be to cancel monthly service payments for a few months, hopefully help people feeling less worried, not having to worry about losing their homes and hopefully spend more money in the local/regional economy. Everyone needs to do their bit. In every house around me all or part of the households have been put on notice that their jobs are about to be lost. It's brutal right now.

 

So when stuff like above is done/prepared, I might edit a crappy crappy vlog, as that is something that I'd really like to get back into. Did it for a while about 18-24 months ago, but then stopped. 

 

Admittedly it is hard to focus at the moment, the heavy burden of responsibility of making sure one's family is healthy, safe, as well as extended family here in Sweden, but also out of reach in rural Scotland (with health issues and old age 75yrs and 80 yrs), as well as all the neighbours - about 30% whom are elderly that I worry tremendously about.

[spacecadet]

5 hours ago, Bryan said:

, far too much meat, salt, butter etc,

Just leave out the salt and use a lesser quantity of sunflower oil. Usually works.

[Ed Rooney]

Cecile, Lately, instead of an adventure film serving as an escape, I find that I take on the negative elements of the plot.  I attribute that to PTSD following the fire in NYC. Now we're all in a kind of fire. 

 

Bryan, what instruments do you and your wife play? I had to abandon all my music stuff at Mulberry Street. 

 

 

[NYCat]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

Cecile, Lately, instead of an adventure film serving as an escape, I find that I take on the negative elements of the plot.  I attribute that to PTSD following the fire in NYC. Now we're all in a kind of fire. 

 

Bryan, what instruments do you and your wife play? I had to abandon all my music stuff at Mulberry Street. 

 

 

 

Edo, you lost so much and yet kept moving forward. You are an inspiration to us all. Be good to yourself.

 

Paulette

[Vincent Lowe]

600 free online courses -   https://www.classcentral.com/report/new-courses-october-2018/

 

Dates from October 2018 so some of them might be a bit out of date but there might be something of interest.

 

Me?  Started a long-term project to copy slides from way-back with a view to making Audio-Visual slide shows, otherwise they never get seen (quality not good enough for Alamy).  Currently working on a trek across Spitsbergen (Svalbard) which I did in 1996.

 

Also copying medium format transparencies with a view to uploading to Alamy.  I've already uploaded five as a test - they went straight through via the 5-star route but I asked QC to take a look at them to check if they were good enough before I did any more.  They did and said they were fine.  I do have access to the 'archival' route but these are just landscapes of no particular historical interest (except to me) so I don't want to abuse the system.

 

Plenty to keep me occupied..!

[Betty LaRue]

I went through some months of physical therapy and manipulation for my back issues. I’ve been dismissed, but have sets of home exercises I do every day. I am very strict about doing them. They have helped me tremendously.
Before treatment, one day I had gone to Home Depot looking for a drill bit. Very painful walking around. Upon exiting the store, there was my car a short distance away. By then, I was nearly in tears from the pain. I started toward my car, then thought I’d need to just sit down in the parking lot. My legs felt a hundred pounds each. Then realized if I sat down, I would not be able to get up. I shuffled across and made it.

So every day, I am doing my exercises. My thighs are rock hard! 😂 Before this isolation, I could shop as long as needed with minimal pain.

Betty

[Bryan]

10 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

 

Bryan, what instruments do you and your wife play? I had to abandon all my music stuff at Mulberry Street. 

 

 

Sorry to hear you had to abandon your stuff Ed, maybe you could replace some of it? 

 

I used to play the clarinet, but these days just recorders. My wife accompanies on a keyboard as a harpsichord, but she also plays the accordion and piano. We were playing 17th and 18th century music  at the local National Trust property until the shutdown, but need to continue to practice. If this lockdown continues for a long while I might just dig out the clarinet, assuming I can get some reeds and my teeth don't fall out !

[Ed Rooney]

I'm a fan of Vivaldi, the Baroque boss of the recorder. I just remembered that I left a half dozen penny whistles at Mulberry Street. 

[Bryan]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

I'm a fan of Vivaldi, the Baroque boss of the recorder. I just remembered that I left a half dozen penny whistles at Mulberry Street. 

 

Well by definition penny whistles don't cost a fortune so should be replaceable! I've discovered the Aulos Haka range of recorders, which outperform their price point.   On a good day, with a following wind, the Alto sounds like a flute, while the featherweight Soprano is far easier to play than the descants that I recall from school.

 

I'm a fairly recent convert to early music, but there are some great tunes dating way back. We play Susato, Dowland, and Playford, amongst others, just occasionally probing the future with a bit of Handel!  Tried to play Bach, but I'm not good enough to do it justice, although it's fun trying if not for public consumption.  We recently attended a concert at the early music centre in York, good to see talented young musicians bringing this music back to life.

[Inchiquin]

10 hours ago, Bryan said:

 

 

If this lockdown continues for a long while I might just dig out the clarinet, assuming I can get some reeds and my teeth don't fall out !

 

 

I'm sure this doesn't apply to your neighbours Bryan, but there are going to be an awful lot of other people's neighbours around the country with thin walls cursing the lockdown!

 

Alan