2022-09-01 16:19:28
From the creators of Geocaching.com comes a fairly new way to use GPS coordinates to find different locations and learn about them. I just published an Adventure that highlights some street murals in Tulsa.
AL is a free download and free to play. You can get it from the App store here.
2022-09-01 16:26:54
Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry.
Jack Kerouac
2022-09-04 15:08:22
Which should I listen to? I’ve come to realize lately that my body has more self-wisdom than my mind. My mind tells me what I want to do, whereas the body tells me what I should do. Huge difference,
Should is moral and ethical dogma, when must is a bodily command.
2022-09-06 19:42:55
Lately I am having issues with my ankles turning while on a dirt trail or geocaching. I think city hiking for a while is a good alternative. Future walks will include paved trails, parks, desire paths and green spaces.
More wandering, more flanuering. These evoke freedom, serendipity, and encounters with city life.
Long walks (nothing like Craig Mod’s expeditions across Japan though)to explore, quantify, document, record and archive my discoveries.
In the future, I will acquire a Garmin watch to help track and quantify these urban excursions. I believe they will do a better job than the Apple Watch currently on my wrist with a third-party app.
2022-09-06 19:49:13
Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with that there is.
Ernest Hemingway
2022-09-06 19:49:55
I’m a fool, the new day rises on the world and on my foolish life…
Jack Kerouac
2022-09-07 00:39:06
I was a charter member of the photo hosting site, Flickr since it’s inception back in 2005. Since then it has been a shit-show roller coaster and grew stagnant. It’s been sold more than a few times and then again to a more stable photo host called SmugMug. That seems to have been the life-saver for Flickr. However, I canceled my account back in 2019 for various reasons. A quote from the article on my website:
I am on a roll when it comes to de-bullshitting my life lately. I have been a Flickr photo account user since 2005 and have been through the ups, downs, acquisitions and no more. I simply do not see the value in another photo host with little to no social engagement with other photographers.
ChrisDenbow.com
Now that Flickr has been stable these past few years, I am back. With unlimited photo and video hosting on a paid Pro plan, I am in the slow process of uploading images. Migrating years and gigabytes worth of data will be worth it. Flickr organizes galleries and albums anyway I see fit and includes camera/image EXIF data. It will be good to see it all in another back-up location to my Archive Vault on the external hard drive.
I am hoping to reconnect with the amazing talent of other photographers there and rebuild the photo community. I use to draw a lot of inspiration from them as well as contribute my two cents as well.
2022-09-07 00:50:20
I am on a hiatus with analog film photography for now. The price of film, developing, scanning is getting out of control and is not sustainable for me right now.
I love the results but damn.
Going all-digital for a while.
2022-09-07 15:53:01
It’s been about a solid week since re-using iA Writer exclusively, instead of Ulysses and I’m thrilled to be back. I’ve never stuck with iA Writer except for editing Markdown files but now I am using it exclusively to publish here.
I’m thinking I have too many cameras and one has to go. Eek!
After reading about the latest iPhone, Watch and AirPods I think I will…pass on upgrading this year. I’ve finally arrived to the point where I am content and this is a unique experience for me. That Apple Ultra Watch though…
The idea of using a manual typewriter is a nice one but I almost never use it because it is very loud. Satisfying but loud. (::::::)
I have stacks of notebooks with virgin paper to fill but I’ve been too lazy. This has got to change or they go out the door.
I’ve decided I am going to do one more portrait session with the film cameras and then I’m going all-digital for awhile. Film prices are outrageous right now. Ten years from now when the film market is abandoned, I’ll dust off the 35mm cameras and be a hipster photographer.
2022-09-08 10:09:48
Suppose we suddenly wake up and see that what we thought to be this and that, ain’t this and that at all?
Jack Kerouac
2022-09-09 12:44:55
“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.”
– Pablo Picasso
2022-09-10 22:40:48
I am a mixture of both casual and intentional photographer.
Sometimes, the images come to me in a zen-like manner.
I wait, listen and feel for them.
Other times, I shoot deliberation and determination.
I purposefully plan and will them into reality.
I also take images to document as an autobiography of what is going on around me at the moment.
However, as Ansel Adams said:
“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
After nearly thirty years of photography I don’t feel like I have progressed to where I should be and want to be. I’ve almost always shot from the hip, never to be bothered with the technical. My images reflect this. I need to slow down, be more intentional. I need to spend
a hell of a lot of time alone before, during, and after the photography experience.
*Update* I need a project to kickstart this initiative, one that can build a body of work I can be proud of. I do not want to limit myself to one genre though. It is consistent, sure, but boring.
2022-09-11 09:12:54
It’s cool to use the computer, don’t let the computer use you… There is a war going on. The battlefield’s in the mind. And the prize is the soul.
The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, 1999
2022-09-12 14:29:46
Almost two weeks without alcohol.
Minimal soda consumption in two weeks.
Currently 14 hours without smoking pipe tobacco.
2022-09-20 08:21:15
In order to write about life first you must live it.
Ernest Hemingway
2022-09-20 08:22:18
The hard part about writing a novel is finishing it.
Ernest Hemingway
2022-09-20 21:40:01
In the entire twenty years of this website’s existence, I have never monetized it. No ads, no gimmicks, nada. It has been self-sufficient this whole time. But, all of a sudden I find myself in a situation where rising costs of server hosts and email hosts may be too much at the moment.
The domain for this website (chrisdenbow.com) expires next month.
The email address services (hello@chrisdenbow.com) also expires next month.
For the couple of hundred interested followers of this site, thank you for your interest through the years. If you have the kindness and appreciation for me and or this site, please consider sending a donation to help keep this site going for another year.
Apologies in advance. I am not use to this situation and I find it difficult to type these words. If interested, please send me a message to the above email address before October 24, 2022.
Thank you.
2022-09-23 13:37:37
The first and final thing you have to do in this world is to last it and not be smashed by it.
Ernest Hemingway
2022-09-24 00:37:15
“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”
— Søren Kierkegaard
2022-09-07 09:18:37
I’ve enjoyed using the DayOne journal app on my Apple devices since 2016 because it includes the current date/time, weather and location of the post in every entry. But I am not a fan of paying for an annual subscription so I am looking at building my own alternatives here and in my pensieve software, Obsidian.
I want to add these features to every blog post here as a way to document, in context. Example: writing a post in December about a topic and the post shows I am holed up at home while a map on the post displays it is snowing outside. The post will ideally show a map, current weather and temps.
The solution must support adding geo coordinates, a location taxonomy, and a textual location description to a post, comment, user, or attachment. Supports adding weather data to a post or to a widget based on location. It must offer a choice of map displays. It supports retrieving location using the HTML5 geolocation API by default. Clicking the location icon or ‘Lookup Location’ will retrieve the location.
A work in progress that will enhance my online journaling experience.
2022-09-08 10:09:13
After reading about the latest Apple products yesterday I had to ask “What drives American consumerism?” Americans are bored. Or we want the latest and greatest.
This is a new concept to me and I find myself content with what I have for now.
2022-09-09 12:47:28
Right now, the Photo Denbow brand is a mess and it is frustrating
2022-09-13 21:31:14
The latest iOS software version has been released this week and I have some ooh, ahh and WTHs.
Apple WatchOS has a new way finding tool built in to its compass. Why the hell didn’t Apple see fit to update the same Compass app design with Wayfinding in its iPhone?
I would enjoy equal use of this on both devices. Make it happen, Apple.
2022-09-20 08:27:45
What’s in store for me in the direction I don’t take?
Jack Kerouac
2022-09-23 13:36:48
Creating a reading list.
Mix in some fiction, non-fiction, classics and new authors.
Set a goal.
Start this Sunday.
2022-09-25 00:04:47
With my friends joining me, I have claimed an island in the middle of the Arkansas river as my own and renamed it “Mojo Island.” After verifying GPS coordinates, I placed a container full of treasure and a log for those intrepid explorers who follow me. From the geocache description:
This geocache is rated as a 5/5. Not everyone may be able to attempt this cache. It will require walking down rocks, wading, or possibly swimming in river water currents (not suggested) You may have to use a canoe or kayak to access Mojo’s island. Either way, you need to understand that you assume the risk. Myself, nor Geocaching.com/Groundspeak can be held responsible for your decision to attempt to retrieve this cache. You are looking for a container on the island itself. It could have a tendency to leak, especially in high water, so if you cannot sign it then a photo of you and the container will qualify as a smiley in your log. Due to the nature of the terrain and difficulty level, photographic proof is required in addition to the signing of the log. Please send images to me directly instead of in the geocache log. Good luck and stay safe out there as there are potentially sharp rocks along the shorelines.
– Geo Mojo, host of Mojo’s Island
I’ll be headed back to Mojo island as soon as I have found a more suitable container, more treasure to add to it and even a human skeleton that I will chain to a tree as a waypoint for future explorers to discover.
2022-09-26 21:17:24
There are phases I go back and forth with in my photography such as mobile-only for awhile or a professional camera. This article will discuss my continuing fascination with iPhoneography and tips on how to make it better.
Our iPhones get stuffed inside pockets, purses, backpacks, etc. You’ve seen how dirty your screen can get, now go show your camera lens some love. A clean lens will give you sharper, higher-contrast images. Make it a habit to regularly clean your iPhone camera lenses.
2. Composition
Keep your compositions simple or minimal. Duh.
3. Shoot from various angles
iPhones are compact compared to a heavy DSLR or mirrorless camera. This makes it far more effective when shooting high, low or at various angles. Put your iPhone on a tripod mount and explore all those options too.
4. Get a new camera (app)
The stock iPhone camera app is brilliantly intuitive, but you can get more control with other dedicated camera apps such as Halide or Camera+. These allow you to adjust settings manually, shutter speed, ISO etc. This seems like an appropriate time to mention editing apps.
5. Post-Process Fun
There are plenty of amazing iPhone editing apps but only a few are really worth your time as a serious photographer.
Adobe Lightroom
Hipstamatic
Snapseed
VSCO
Everything else are just fad apps.
With the above apps, you can adjust image exposure, crop to improve the composition, correct image white balance, add beautiful color effects, improve sharpness, and so much more. Many of these apps also offer advanced features, such as vignetting, noise reduction, and masking. If you really want to have fun with editing images, there are specialist applications that’ll remove image backgrounds, objects, and apps that’ll stitch layers images together.
I enjoy editing images. It’s a fun way to enhance your photos, and once you’re done with the basic enhancements, you can have fun adding creative effects.
6. Shoot It Until You Get It
Digital photography has an advantage over film in that you can afford to shoot a lot. You can also make a lot of mistakes that can be forgiven quickly. Pick out your best images later. Don’t delete any photos while you are out shooting. Wait until you are done to properly review.
7. Zoom with your feet
All cameras have two types of zoom options: optical zoom and digital zoom. An optical zoom is created by the camera’s lens. A digital zoom is made by cropping an image. The iPhone deletes pixels to create a zoom effect. Digital zoom destroys the quality of your images.
Don’t sacrifice image quality, just zoom with your feet. Move closer to your subject if possible. If it isn’t possible, then shoot your image and crop later. The difference in quality is improved and you’ll be happier.
8. Hold your phone like a camera
I always shoot in landscape mode (phone is horizontal instead of vertical.) I also almost always shoot with two hands on the iPhone for control and stability.
2022-09-30 14:40:59
Not too many things can beat a free public library card paired with the Libby e-reader app. I’ve downloaded and read so many e-books from there this year that I’ve beaten my goal of twenty two books for 2022. I knocked out that goal by March and I am still going. I do want to try my luck and download the audio book to listen to during the day, and finish the day with the digital form as well but I haven’t been that lucky to get both at the same time so far.
Since cancelling my Apple One subscription, I’ve lost out on the News app which includes magazines. Well, thankfully they are available through the library/Libby app as well. Huzzah!
And here is another plug for book titles in the public domain. Project Gutenberg and Standard E-Books help fill in the gap on classic literature reading. My digital bookshelf is stocked.
2022-09-30 14:49:20
“If you feel the urge to write, just lie down and read a book: it will pass.”
Fran Lebowitz