So I made this spirea photograph on May 11, 2018, and here I am blogging it up on June 22. Six weeks later is been than forever weeks later, right? Right!?
Last spring I made a spirea photo which served as a source of pride. I even printed, matted, and signed a few for Makers Fest, and it looked wonderful on photo paper. With a stout bloom thanks to ample rain, I was keen to get back in there to see I could conjure this year.
In this photograph I am executing soft focus and bokeh. Allowing the frame to sit largely out of focus. A pronounced shallow depth of field brings a sliver of sharpness on two narrow planes moving diagonally from left to right across the frame. Falling off in either direction, the spirea blossoms and its lush leaves fade quickly from focus, drifting off to whimsy. This lends a fantasy quality to the image. I can imagine faeries tucking away a touch out of sight, using esoteric magic to float clear from focus. Their secret hides in the bokeh. Drifting out of range of prying eyes and surreptitious lenses.
New Beginnings — 35mm | f/1.4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/5000
It was April 2010. After four reliable years with my first HP laptop—a machine which held together after drinking an entire Miller Lite—I moved onto my second HP. Loaded up with impressive horsepower this machine lacked the collegiate fortitude of its predecessor and left my services immediately following its second birthday. Fresh out of warranty I had a problem with the motherboard and my time was over with HP. It was here this lifelong PC user plucked an Apple from the tree.
I was a first time homeowner when I took the Cupertino Challenge. I have not looked back since. My priors with Apple machines included a few rounds of Oregon Trail played on an elementary school Macintosh, and a second generation iPod Nano I bought in college—back when my HP was drinking beer. When my iMac arrived in spring 2010 I was smitten. This is the first piece of technology I fell for. Once large screen ensconced in world class industrial design born of perfection. From the moment I pressed power and heard the ubiquitous chime I felt part of the family. I was all in.
For seven great years my 27″ iMac carried me. It’s been my digital partner through my entire photographic journey. While it finally began showing some age in 2016, it remained steadfast and reliable. A total workhorse through over a terabyte of photo storage and heavy processing. While not gone before its time, it finally called it quits in late April 2017. With a long expected iMac refresh due this fall I was hoping to get six more months of service time before pulling the trigger on its replacement. Alas that of best made plans.
And so this brings me here. Typing out my first blog post to share my first photo processed on Apple Number Two. This a MacBook Pro. I decided to go with a laptop for what is something of a two part replacement solution. This machine will more than hold me over until the new iMacs conjure into existence. If all goes well it will provide me a much needed mobile solution once I do get another desktop in 2018.
After near four weeks without a machine it feels great to be creative again. Back on the photo grind. Back on the blog grind. I missed it. I missed sending work out into the world. It’s good to be back.
