Photo: The Brighter Bulb

The Brighter Bulb

Light bulbs at the makeup room back stage of Daytona State College’s theater. I snuck in after hours and saw one light bulb was much brighter than the others. Instant photo opportunity! I’ve published similar photos before (one out of many concept), but this is slightly different.

Below the light bulbs are mirrors. You can see your reflection in all of them if you stand in the middle of the room. I may use the room for photography if I find a model.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/100, F10, 50mm, ISO100, 2009-09-18T15:34:52-04, 20090918-193452rxt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Photo: Colorful Widgets

Colorful Widgets

A product at Wal-Mart. I think these were post-it notes on a roll but I don’t remember. I just liked the colors. They were near the frozen foods.

Any product you don’t know the name of is a “widget.”

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/100, F3.2, 50mm, ISO200, 2009-03-01T12:47:23-05, 20090301-174723rxt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Photo: Signs

Signs

What happens in Central Park stays in Central Park.

This is on West Granada in Ormond Beach, Florida, on the corner of Orchard St. There is also a sign for Harbor Baptist Church.

I liked this arrangement of signs, and it became better when I switched to black and white in Photoshop. This photo has no meaning, but you can read your own meaning into it.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/1250, F5.6, 132mm, ISO400, 2009-01-01T10:15:03-05, 20090101-151503rxt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Photo: The Swamp

The Swamp

Another photo from Gemini Springs park; this time, of stagnant water. Mold and shrubbery can grow on stagnant water. That’s why most stationary ponds have fountains: the water must be kept flowing to stop bacteria from festering.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/200, F3.5, 28mm, ISO400, 2008-12-31T09:16:19-05, 20081231-141619rxt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Photo: Gemini Springs

Gemini Springs

Downstream from the springs at the Gemini Springs park in Gemini Springs, Florida. There is a lot of algae and that tree is precariously perched.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/500, F3.5, 35mm, ISO400, 2008-12-31T09:13:38-05, 20081231-141338rxt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Photo: Dog on a Leash

Dog on a Leash

A dog on a leash at Gemini Springs park in Florida. I don’t remember the owner, but the dog was enthusiastic. He looks like a Yorkshire Terrier with white hair.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/160, F4, 38mm, ISO400, 2008-12-31T09:12:29-05, 20081231-141229rxt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Photo: Dark Sunshine

Dark Sunshine

White flowers on top of a green plant out back of the cafeteria at Daytona State College (main campus).

On auto my Canon Rebel XTi over-exposed the flowers majorly; I had to set the exposure bias way down to get them in range. I’ve titled this “Dark Sunshine” because everything but the flowers is dark.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 50mm 1:1.4, 1/2000, F4.5, 50mm, ISO100, 2009-09-18T15:43:44-04, 20090918-194344rxt

Location: Daytona State College, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL  32114

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Photo: Ordinary Flowers

Ordinary Flowers

Pink flowers in a garden in the trailer park near our house. I like the look of these flowers; they have a pink hue mixed with cool blue, unlike pink roses which are generally more warm. Of course this all depends on white balance and editing, but these flowers look good in cool colors while roses don’t.

“Cool” colors are bluish; “warm” colors are yellowish. This photo might be closer to neutral, but I pick warm colors over cool colors in most of my photos so it’s subjectively cool.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/30, F5.6, 135mm, ISO800, 2009-09-12T07:19:48-04, 20090912-111948rxt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Photo: Not a Daisy

Not a Daisy

I have no idea what this flower is. I photographed it on one of my morning walks. It was by the road three feet into someone’s yard.

There’s no good way to search for the name of a flower with its picture. I tried searches on Google like “white flower pink fringe long petals florida” but I had no luck at all. You practically have to be a florist to identify flowers.

So I’m titling this “Not a Daisy.” I’m not going to bother asking random friends and family if they know the name of this flower.

Canon Rebel XTi, EF 28-135mm, 1/40, F5.6, 132mm, ISO400, 2009-09-12T07:44:30-04, 20090912-114430rxt

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Please credit me as “Photo by Richard Thripp” or something similar.

Negative Feedback, Speaking Your Mind

You are always going to get negative feedback. As you get more and more positive feedback, you get more and more negative feedback.

For example: this month I reduced my freelance photography rate from $50 per event to $20 per hour, with a minimum of $20 plus a $10 travel fee. Editing and a CD are free, but I provide no prints. I’ve done almost no freelance photography and I don’t even care about it, but I offer it because people ask about it all the time. The people who say I’m too expensive are actually MORE vocal now. Out of the ten who have asked this month, two have said I charge way too much. I have good equipment, 5 years experience, and a gallery of portraits, so I’m charging very little, but some people still complain. If I charged $5 there would be people saying “it will only take a few minutes!” There will ALWAYS be negative feedback.

Sometimes negative feedback is valid. More often negative feedback is bogus and positive feedback is legitimate. If you are evil this will be flipped: positive feedback (“good job gassing those Jews!”) is bogus and negative feedback (“murderer!”) is legitimate. You should ignore bogus feedback and cut off the source. In your email inbox, bogus feedback makes you want to click “Delete.” Constructive criticism makes you want to click “Archive” because everyone ignores constructive criticism. Accurate negative feedback makes you want to click “Archive” quickly because you are uneasy. If you keep mulling over a comment, it has truth.

A couple years ago I believed you should always speak your mind. Now I know you have to be cautious if you want to be part of normal institutions, i.e. public school, the university, or a bureaucratic place of employment.

For example: here are my observations about the word “nigger”:

* For a long time it was used derisively against blacks and mulattos. Even President Harding was called a nigger.

* Now it is often used by blacks when talking to their black buddies in “the ‘hood.”

* Black rappers say nigger in their song lyrics all the time and their CDs are sold at Wal-Mart.

* If a white man calls a black man a nigger, there are now Draconian penalties—a tenured professor could be fired.

* Calling a white man a honkey, a cracker, or white trash is not very bad.

* If a black man calls anyone a nigger there will likely be no penalty.

* This is racist. Two wrongs never make a right—you cannot mitigate historical oppression by flipping it. When the oppressed become the oppressors they are still unjustified.

* “Nigger” should be universally offensive, but when a white man is called a nigger he brushes it off.

* Professors are afraid of their white students saying the word, even when discussing historical racism. Instead we have to say “the N-word.”

These can be objectively proven. Therefore, they are not beliefs. They are observations. However I would not dare make these statements at my job or school because there could be painful sanctions, even in history class! Most professors would not find them offensive, but white professors would strike me down, lest they themselves be labeled “racist.” It’s a sad system.

I love this website because I can say whatever I want. I own the domain name, I own the DNS name servers, and I control the server and software. I’m renting the server, but my web host has a traditional policy of non-interference. When you post on someone else’s site or you speak on someone else’s property, you are subject to their rules. You can be moderated. I am accountable only to the U.S. government, my local government, and defamation lawsuits, so I don’t have to watch what I say.

Granted, my main source of income is Google AdSense and they could cut me off, but there are always other income streams. I have a lot of freedom.

If you can’t speak your mind at your job, your school, or your social clubs, you can always opt out. Quit, leave, find your own space. How much personal autonomy are you willing to sacrifice? We all must sacrifice some amount of freedom for convenience or safety. For example, if you enjoy eating or injecting cocaine, you have no legal options in the United States. Your two legitimate options are: a.) don’t use cocaine, b.) move to Colombia and grow some Coca leaves. Moving to Colombia is very inconvenient, so most people choose option a.

Speaking your mind always has a price. Ask yourself: is this price worthwhile? Are you willing to pay it? You might get fired. Can you pay your mortgage? There are many reasons to speak your mind, but there are also many reasons to NOT speak your mind. There are shades of gray. Weigh your options. The decision is yours alone.