The World According To My Camera » Ramblings http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com Photos, random thoughts and musings... Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:27:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Back in town… http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2010/01/back-in-town/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2010/01/back-in-town/#comments Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:46:37 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=278 …and reluctantly washing the ‘Techno Red’ highlights out of my hair. I kid you not, that’s what it said on the box.

New year’s vacation (the term ‘party’ would be much more appropriate, but writing about a continuous five day party makes me question things) was a riot and beautifully surreal (as expected from said company). Among the highlights were the traditional epic snowball fight (with Wagner playing in the background… in my head), someone disinfecting their butt with whiskey (for a sledding related cut, you perverts!), me putting on my new year’s eve make-up by the light of a headlamp (thank heavens for backup generators), a private guitar concert in the snow, various party-goers attempting to sleep in said snow, a food fight beginning with what shall remain the motto of the trip – “Put down the polenta, man!”, never going to bed before 6 AM, and enough alcohol fumes to cause the entire house to spontaneously combust. I should’ve mentioned the Eurotrip crew being a small part of the new year’s mob, but then none of the highlights would’ve been surprising.

On the photographic front, there’s really not much to ’show and tell’, seeing how I only took a handful of photos (and most of those should not be unleashed upon the unsuspecting world), after my camera caught a glimpse of the two other cameras around and, feeling in the presence of greatness, went and cowered in shame in a deep dark corner of my backpack. I will, however, share a photo I took a couple of months ago, of another campfire, reminding me of this vacation’s campfire, which, in the good spirit of the trip, was built on the first night, rather than the last…

photography blog, color, abstract, fire, light trails, long exposure, camp, night

In other news, Eurotrip 2.0 is already pretty much settled route-wise (for the most part, anyway), and now in the process of being settled financially-wise, for the purpose of which I am willing to make the ultimate sacrifice (oh, the horror) – not go to *both* the AC/DC *and* the Chris Rea concert within the next few months. Deciding to which one I *shall* go is a whole other matter, so I’m having an actual ‘Sophie’s choice’ moment here. Either way, enjoy the photo and a happy new year to everyone!

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2010/01/back-in-town/feed/ 0 Cheers http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/11/cheers/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/11/cheers/#comments Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:14:38 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=216 The World According To My Camera was in a bit of a rut a couple of days ago, when someone must have decided that last week’s celebratory mood was a bit too long lived… What happened, you ask? Fine, I’ll tell you anyway. Not only was my web hosting account suspended without prior notice or subsequent explanation, but all the content was definitively and irrevocably deleted. Apparently, as I later found out, this is pretty much what 000webhost.com does for a living. Anyway, long story short, thank heavens for Google cache and good friends.

Today’s photo-of-the-week will be the last in the Eurotrip 2009 series, and one that I thought I’d save for last. So without further ado, enjoy the goofy mugs of the Eurotrip crew (well fine, mine’s behind the camera), over beer, in Bratislava…

photography blog, color, reflection, abstract, beer, portraits, Bratislava

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/11/cheers/feed/ 0 Glass http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/10/glass/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/10/glass/#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:00:40 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=18 Your dearly beloved blogger is in a gloating mood these days… But I won’t bore you with such things. No bore at all, you say? Well fine, if you insist. Hear ye, hear ye, I’m proud to announce that The World According To My Camera ranked first (tie with another entry) in the Macroday challenge themed “Photography” (as in the theme of the competing photos being that of photography itself), with the entry Vintage, which some of you folks might remember… <enter the cricket sound>… Either way, screwdrivers all ’round!

…brag mode off…

Today’s photo-of-the-week is an abstract of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, which proved to be a real pain in the neck, literally, from all the staring up and left and right and over the shoulder, all the while going “ooh… aah…”.

photography blog, color, abstract, glass, sky, train station, railway, travel

In other news, I’ve been plotting and scheming lately around this idea that I’m hoping to turn into a new photo series (a bit more special than the others, though), which should be oodles of fun to work on, if all goes well. I’ll have to see if I can manage to pull it off. Cheers!

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/10/glass/feed/ 0 Missed me? http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/09/missed-me/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/09/missed-me/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:00:29 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=50 Evenin’, y’all! No, I did not fall off a train or get stabbed in a hostel back entrance, in case anyone was wondering. I got back a couple of weeks ago, but I’ve been sort of busy studying (ha-haaa, I crack myself up…) for this exam that people tell me is a big deal. But of course, I won’t bore you with the way my newly discovered masochistic streak drove me to enroll in another two years of college, because hey, I want a Master’s degree. Suffice it to say I’ve been in a highly celebratory mood for the past two days. Jello shots all ’round!

Anyway, moving on to the part you people might actually be interested in, the Eurotrip was a huge success, probably my most awesome holiday ever, and dare I say, quite revealing as far as my bohemian-unrestrained-uncivilized-rugged-traveler side is concerned. The complete route was Bucharest – Budapest – Krakow – Gdansk – Berlin – Dresden – Prague – Vienna – Bratislava – Budapest – Bucharest, over two weeks, so yes, there’s quite a number of photos. I might consider a couple of double features even, seeing how I’d rather not be posting photos of the same things till next holiday.

Either way, I’ll get started with an evening view of the Danube, as seen in Budapest…

photography blog, color, water, Budapest, Danube, night, travel, reflection, lights, bridge

As far as Budapest is concerned, I found it to be a stunningly beautiful city, especially at night (which actually seems to go for most of the cities I’ve seen), and one thing in particular that I found impressive is the almost obsessive attention to recreational space. Basically, within an hour or so of leaving the hostel, I’d lost count of all the parks I’d passed by. And you can actually see the effect of all that on people’s state of mind. Where I’m from, people are always in a hurry, always stressed, edgy, and there was just no such thing over there.

Interestingly enough, Budapest wasn’t even my favorite of all the cities I’ve seen. It did, however, produce most of my favorite photos of the whole trip, so you’ll get to see quite a lot of it here. And wouldn’t you know it, we were there just as the Red Bull Air Race was taking place…

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/09/missed-me/feed/ 6 Surprise, surprise… http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/07/surprise-surprise/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/07/surprise-surprise/#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:00:50 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=74 I was this close to naming this post “D-Day”, but didn’t want to sound overly dramatic…

Anyway, as you may have noticed… <insert drumroll here>… The World According To My Camera has not only moved to its own personal little corner of online space, but has also been subjected to a major facelift. Also, for those not inclined to read any of my nonsense, there’s now a slideshow page, where you can just view the photos without being bored to death. Other than that, I’m pretty sure there’s still a small heap of kinks I need to sort out that haven’t occurred to me yet, so if you’re looking around and something Twilight Zone-ish happens all of a sudden, fear not… I’ve merely forgotten something behind. So bear with me and know that any bug report would be greatly appreciated. And if you happen to hear a Muttley-like grumbling sound while said bug report is being greatly appreciated, be a dear and just ignore it. All in all, I hope all these changes to be for the best.

But enough news for now, time to resume our regularly scheduled program. Chef’s specialty for this week – Urban Sunset…

photography blog, color, sunset, sky, tower, city, clouds

P.S. Yes, I know all the photos are still watermarked with the old link. I’ll get to that too soon enough. Cheers!

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/07/surprise-surprise/feed/ 2 Goodies galore http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/05/goodies-galore/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/05/goodies-galore/#comments Mon, 25 May 2009 18:00:07 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=191 Soon enough it’s going to be exam season again, which, from my standpoint, can only mean more blog maintenance, since it’s such a noble cause for which to procrastinate. And during my many recent travels throughout “I’ll start studying tomorrow. I swear!” – land, I’ve discovered some very yummy treats for my many, many readers (enter the cricket sound). And when I say treats, I mean neither sugary goodies, nor doggy biscuits. What I did, however, find is a couple of truly inspiring photography blogs and/or online galleries, and what a sight for sore eyes they are, which is why I thought I’d share. So without further ado…

  • Perspective Images – This is the online gallery of photographer Will Williams, which is so far my personal favorite among my recent findings, and on which I must’ve spent around two or three hours simply because I couldn’t stop clicking that darned “Previous” button. As the title description succinctly mentions, the theme is “Travel and Nature Photography”, but this seems somewhat generic to do it any justice. I suppose that what I most love about the style of these photos is the clean, elegant simplicity and the impression you get that each and every item, from an entire mountain to a speck of dust, has its exact place, making for some flawlessly balanced photos (in my humble opinion, obviously). And then, of course, there’s those charming black and white Holga photos, that may very well be my favorite from the whole package.
  • John Marquess Photography – I’ve found this to be a gallery equally impressive, though in an entirely different style. As with the previous gallery, this also consists mainly of landscape photography, but where “Perspective Images” is about serene, almost Zen-like photos with zero clutter, these are all about motion and dramatic contrast, with plenty of raging waves, dark cloudy skies, both mostly in black and white, making for a much more intense viewing experience. Of course, that’s not to say that all images fall within this specific category. There’s also a number of considerably calmer ones, either in natural color, or in a very charming old photo tone, vignette included. All in all, a spectacular portfolio.

That’s it for now (actually there’s more, but I can’t even remember the last time I wrote a post this long, if ever, and I have my lazy writer reputation to think of), so I’ll be back next time I don’t feel like doing homework.

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2009/05/goodies-galore/feed/ 0 Jingle bells, Batman smells, Sylvester laid an egg… http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/jingle-bells-batman-smells-sylvester-laid-an-egg%e2%80%a6/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/jingle-bells-batman-smells-sylvester-laid-an-egg%e2%80%a6/#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 15:00:48 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=187 Being in much higher spirits than the last time I dropped by, and actually quite jolly, I’ll take the opportunity to wish the merriest of Christmases to whomever finds a moment to visit this place on this lovely day.

On the other hand… On any other day, I’d be delighted to be paid a visit, but it is Christmas, and you should have better things to do than to sit at your computer and StumbleUpon anonymous blogs.

Either way, have the jolliest of holidays, however you wish to spend it! Having said that, and if you’ll excuse me, I’ll now proceed to nibble on yet another gingerbread cookie dipped in wine. Yummy!

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/jingle-bells-batman-smells-sylvester-laid-an-egg%e2%80%a6/feed/ 0 Jaded… http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/jaded/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/jaded/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:00:54 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=137 Despite finally being on holiday, after two or three weeks where my life just seemed like one giant homework, I’m still finding it a bit hard to enjoy the Christmas cheer that goes with the season. I was in a profoundly jolly “if I were to put in my two weeks’ notice tomorrow, would anyone give a rat’s behind?” sort of mood earlier today, so I suppose I should be thankful I’m now in that slightly more cheerful state of numbness where you manage to drop a sock into the turtle tank and find it mildly amusing.

Normally, I’d dismiss that sort of thing saying nobody wanted to hear about that, but my turtle glared at me as if wanting to express how deeply un-amusing he found the incident. It was probably at that point that it occurred to me how I still was yet to offer him center stage in my strange little corner of online space. It seemed like a good way to make up for the sock incident and all…

Photography Blog, close-up, animals, turtle, water

So that would be Mitica, in all his algae-prone, thermometer killing splendor.

In other news, the stickers I was talking about last time I dropped by are printed and all nice and shiny and ready to vandalize buses and park benches all over town.

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/jaded/feed/ 1 Critiques and news galore http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/critiques-and-news-galore/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/critiques-and-news-galore/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2008 10:00:42 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=183 Once again, I find myself apologizing for having fallen off the face of the Earth. And again, due to homework, exams, and all that. Soon enough I shall begin to sound like a broken record.

But now that I’m back here (eventually), we might as well get down to business. In this week’s news… I’ve been getting some new critique, mainly on the soap-bubble photo and the wire photographer (Note to self: Do start naming your photographs). And sadly, I don’t really know what to make of it, considering how mixed the opinions were. Some liked them with great enthusiasm – even amusement, in the case of “the photographer”, some found them bland, uninspiring, and downright bad. So either I’m smack in the middle of the fuzzy line between sublime and ridiculous, or one “side of the fence” is biased – “which one?” being the million dollar question here. Which brings us to a bit of a dilemma. Although I can’t help but agree with some of the points made (on “soap-bubbles”, for instance – too much noise, the bubbles should have been actual bubbles, instead of light trails), I wouldn’t go so far as to name either of the two photos “pointless”, and they have been named so. But then again, I would be the very definition of “biased” in this situation, so I suppose I’ll just have to wait for the scales to tip in one direction or the other.

And now, having concluded this week’s equivalent of handing over one’s report card to one’s parents, I’ll proceed to the “In other news” section.
So in other news…

A couple of days ago I received my first actual post comment. Which – being proof that some are kind enough to stop and read for a second, and not just hit the StumbleUpon button again – naturally caused a most childishly giddy reaction in yours truly. Reaction that I will refrain from describing, for the sake of my dignity.

Also in other news, I’ve been spending the little spare time I’ve had lately, on designing some stickers to promote this place. Once I’ve come up with a draft I’m happy with, I’ll shamelessly resort to sticking these around town – hopefully, not so shamelessly that it’ll be called vandalizing public property. I should find some charitable and morally impeccable soul to drag around with me, just for the occasional reality check. But more on that in next week’s “other news”.

And last, but simply not least, I have just yesterday received a darling little present that I’m really excited about, in the shape and size of an ant farm. Which can only mean that over the course of the following couple of weeks or so, one will have the opportunity to observe a dorky little person with a big camera around her neck, going around chasing ants and slapping “home-brewed” stickers on ant hills. Twist my arm hard enough and I might even let you know how that turned out.

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/critiques-and-news-galore/feed/ 0 I am a bad person http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/i-am-a-bad-person/ http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/i-am-a-bad-person/#comments Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:00:32 +0000 Catalina http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/?p=141 I must be. How often can you hear a normal, decent person say they single-handedly reduced to silence a highly frequented forum thread of one hundred and forty-six pages, with one post? I should take note and refrain from having my critique requests unleash further death and destruction upon the world.

Then again, at times, I briefly think to myself that maybe my photos were so inspiring, that everyone was too much in awe basking in their glow, to actually reply. Because I’m confident, like that.

No matter, the show must go on. (I feel I’ve said that somewhere before. Either that, or I’m suffering from deja-vu syndrome, which sounds so glamorous, I couldn’t help but see a silver lining in it all.)

Fearful as I may be of the consequences, I dare present to you my latest weapon of mass forum destruction…

Photography Blog, macro, grass, sun

As you may suspect, this was also taken sometime this summer, and I hate my then self with a vengeance for being in a warm sunny place, with glorious mountains to gaze upon and not a care in the world. I also hate my future self for being not just cold, but at the very least snowed upon.

However, it has come to my attention that I am beginning to make less and less sense, which can only be a clear indication of the fact that I am now too sleepy to be coherent. I shall now bid you good night, before I start quoting limericks in a shakespearean tongue.

]]> http://the-world-according-to-my-camera.com/2008/12/i-am-a-bad-person/feed/ 0