Tarheel Ramblings

Sunday Scenery – #113

Window with Bunting

I have created an online album of what I consider to be some of my best photographic efforts of this year. Rambler’s Best of 2010 is a gallery of those images and provides an opportunity to view camera settings used to capture the image and options to buy prints and other items if you see something you really like, using PayPal. I would be interested to hear what you think of the album.

I’m Not Angry – I’m From Philly

Anti-gentrification sticker in West Philadelphia

Image via Wikipedia

Not me personally, but a California resident, Mike Monteiro, is. In order to explain himself to Californians who thought he was blunt and rude, Monteiro designed a t-shirt with the words, “I’m not angry, I’m from Philly” emblazoned across the chest. The shirt has become popular in his hometown, and fellow Philadelphians are grabbing up the shirts. The blue-collar bluntness is becoming a badge of honor that the city is not only proud of, but willing to exploit to promote their city.

Bluntness is not unique to Philadelphia natives, and can also be found where New Yorkers and New Jersey natives gather. Conversations that become emotional or passionate with people from much of the Northeast will be carried out at high volume and with much saliva being sprayed around. I witness this on almost a daily basis around my adopted home of Raleigh, North Carolina.

For the past 25-30 years, Raleigh has been the destination for many transplants from all over the country, with a significant number coming here from the Northeast. Brash, loud and highly emotive, these Philadelphia/New York/New Jersey natives are seldom shy about sharing their opinions or offering their views on how the world should function. And pity the poor fool who has a different point of view.

Don’t get me wrong, these folks are no more intolerant than anyone else. They just come across that way. But loutish, boorish behavior is explained away with explanations like those offered on Monteiro’s t-shirt. To be honest, isn’t the way most of us react during intense conversations, or during emotional events shaped by the environment we came from? Don’t we all tend to adopt the means of communication and conversation that we are most exposed to?

“Ugly Americans” have been a topic of discussion around the world for generations. We are thought to be arrogant, self-absorbed and demanding. And for the most part, much of this kind of characterization is true. Personally, I tend to be laid-back and easy-going. But get me going on one of my pet peeves, or challenge something I believe strongly, and my volume and intensity rise in proportion to the challenge, as I perceive it.

As I read about the t-shirt that Monteiro designed, my first thought, “this guy is a jerk who is just rationalizing his tendency to be a jerk.” A few moments of reflection allowed me to figure out that what bothered me most was the fact that I have more in common with Monteiro and others from Philadelphia than I cared to admit. Maybe I should just go ahead and buy the t-shirt and pretend I’m from Philadelphia. Some of my friends would probably think, “That explains a lot!” And don’t even get me started on Californians!

T-shirt explains Philadelphia’s blunt speech (reuters.com)
Blog Tax in Philly Rumor: NOT TRUE (blognetworkwatch.com)

Sunday Scenery – #112

Groundhog Mountain Picnic Area (Click to Enlarge)

Sometimes in photography, things don’t quite turn out as you plan them. In this case, an image that appeared to be well captured when I looked at it in the LCD at the time of shooting it didn’t turn out so well when I looked at it on the computer. Poorly focused, poorly exposed, and with a huge lens flare in one corner, it was just a bad shot. So, I thought I would turn this edition of Sunday Scenery into a teachable moment in terms of salvaging what could have been a wasted shot.

One of the great things about digital photography is that there are a lot of good tools to salvage a bad image and turn it into something that is pretty good after it has been worked with a little bit…or in this case, quite a bit. The resulting image above took me a little over an hour to produce. I’ll show you the original after I give a brief overview of how I corrected the problems in the shot.

I started out by taking the image into Photoshop where I used the Spot Healing Brush tool to remove the lens flare from the upper left side of the photo. The newest version of Photoshop has “content aware fill” which makes fixing problems like this very easy. Briefly, the way it works is the tool looks at the pixels around the area you need to fix, does some calculations as to what the area should look like and then creates a ‘patch’ to fill in the bad area. That’s an over simplification, but it works very well. Compare the two photos and you’ll see what I mean.

After fixing that problem, I used a plug-in for PS, called Viveza from Nik Software to make some adjustments to specific areas that had exposure problems. This helped to get the color balanced across the image and brought out some detail in a couple of areas. Basically, Viveza is a tool for photographers like me who make a lot of mistakes in getting camera settings correct.

Finally, I applied an artistic filter to the image called Ink Outlines, which created a painting-like result. The main reason I did this was to compensate for the poor focus of the shot. Adding the effect essentially rendered the lack of focus moot.

So, what do you think? Did I succeed in turning a poor photograph into a fairly decent artistic image?

The Original Image

You: Photoshop tools to give your pictures that professional look (washingtonpost.com)
Three Touch Up Tricks For Photoshop To Improve Your Photos (makeuseof.com)
35 Fresh and Wanted Photoshop Tutorials (noupe.com)

A Beautiful Drive

Mabry Mill Water Wheel - Meadows of Dan, VA

One product of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal is also one of the most scenic drives in the United States, The Blue Ridge Parkway. Begun in 1935 and originally named “Appalachian Scenic Highway”, the 469 mile route terminates in the south near Cherokee, North Carolina, in the Great Smokey Mountains, and in the north at the southern terminus of Shenandoah National Park‘s Skyline Drive. Construction continued for 52 years and the final section near Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina was finished in 1987.

One of the best features of The Parkway, is that access is limited to short connecting roads that link to state highways in both Virginia and North Carolina. There are no links to major interstates and commercial traffic is generally prohibited without a special permit issued by the National Park Service. Top speed as you travel through the mountain scenery is 45 miles per hour, and it drops even lower in some areas. Driving this route is not the best choice if you’re in a hurry.

There is a wealth of spectacular scenery along the entire length of this road, and there are many scenic outlooks where parking is provided so that you can step out of your vehicle and enjoy the view. Unfortunately, because of cuts in both state’s budgets, many of those overlooks are not much more than parking lots these days. Lack of maintenance has allowed trees and brush to grow up blocking the intended views. There are efforts being pursued to raise funding to restore the views and return the parkway to its intended purpose – a way to enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Even with the lack of maintenance, there are plenty of scenes that will take your breath away. One of the most spectacular views can only be enjoyed as you drive The Parkway, as there are no turn-outs, or places to park and linger. That is the Linn Cove Viaduct, which is a marvel of modern engineering. Designed and built to preserve as much of the natural landscape as possible, the viaduct carries the roadway and hugs the mountainside as it twists through the picturesque countryside. Built with 153 50-ton pre-cast concrete segments, the viaduct was the last section of the road completed.

Image via Wikipedia

The Blue Ridge Parkway is not a drive you want to hurry and many take several days to explore the historic and scenic wonders along the route. There are campgrounds, both publicly owned and private; bed and breakfast inns, and small motor hotels all along the way to accommodate tourists. Larger communities on or near the road are Asheville and Boone, North Carolina, and Waynesboro, Roanoke, and Galax in Virginia. Near Asheville, the roadway runs through property of the Biltmore Estate, which is also a major tourist attraction.

Exploring Mabry Mill, near Meadows of Dan, VA, the Biltmore Estate, and the many restored and preserved log cabins and early farmsteads along the Blue Ridge Parkway is truly an adventure. A camera, binoculars and a willingness to move at a slower pace will provide memories and visual proof that there surely must be a God. And I promise the last thing you’ll be is disappointed if you enjoy scenic views.