Digital Imaging Explained
September 30, 2008
Digital Imaging is a process where an electronic photograph, scanned document, or image is converted into a series of electronic dots called pixels. Pixels is an acronym for “picture elements”.
After the image is converted, or digitized, it is stored on a memory storage device which may be a hard drive or some sort of electronic storage device such as a memory stick. The pixels are stored in a compressed format to save storage space.
As each pixel is being created it is assigned a color value, called a tonal value, of black, white, shades of grey, or an actual color. These pixels must be processed by a piece of software in order for them to be called up and viewed as an actual image later.
Traditional cameras capture images onto film while digital cameras use an electronic chip known as a Charged Coupling Device (CCD). The CCD is actually a grid of miniature light-sensitive diodes. These diodes convert photons (light) that strikes them into electrons (electrical impulses). The technical name for these diodes is ‘photosite’. The brighter the light is that hits the photosite the stronger the electrical charge is that’s produced.
Checked Into Nirvana. Where Is Joy?
September 29, 2008
Eckhart Tolle lived upto his twenty ninth year in a state of almost continual anxiety interspersed with periods of suicidal depression. Then he woke up one night with a feeling of absolute dread. The silence of the night, the vague outlines of the furniture in the dark room, the distant noise of a passing train - everything felt so alien, so hostile, and so utterly meaningless that it created in him a deep loathing of the world. “I cannot live with myself any longer.” This was the thought that kept repeating itself in his mind. Suddenly he became aware that if he could not live with himself, there had to be two - he and the “self” he could not live with. He was stunned by the realization. He became enveloped by powerful feelings.
Tolle had little memory of what happened after the powerful feelings overcame him. He woke up into a new world. His depression vanished. For the next five months, he lived in a state of uninterrupted bliss. While it diminished somewhat in intensity, for another two years, he sat on park benches in a state of the most intense joy. He felt that what he experienced was a form of enlightenment, of union with the eternal, somewhat similar to the experiences of Buddha. He quoted Buddha’s definition of enlightenment as “the end of suffering”. Tolle became a respected teacher, with dedicated followers in Europe, North America and India. His book, The Power of Now, was on the New York Times best seller list.
More Than A Memory- A Legacy
September 28, 2008
Everyone has that box of pictures either in a close or in a garage. Even worse yet in a magnetic album. Years go by and unless there is a date notation from the picture process, the dates and places fade into the recess of time.
Maybe we have inherited an album of faded photographs of people we either don’t know or have any connection to. And we keep it because we feel not right just geeting rid of it.
A generation or two from now, will people ponder over what to do with your photos and memories?
It is so easy to take your photos and create a legacy for those that you love. In little time and with no artistic bend or experience, you can create a book that you will be proud to place on your coffee table!
Carefully preserved to last the generations, this treasure will be honored as much as the lives that are part of the history of who were all are.
The best way to start is to begin with current photos. Put some pictures together by category. Maybe a vacation, a season, an event, or an occassion. Just gather them together.
How To Stay Slim During The Holiday Season
September 27, 2008
The majority of people find themselves carrying additional fat once the holidays are over. Worst of all, most of them never lose this extra weight. Over the years, few pounds gained over the holidays here and there add up to 10, 20, 30 pounds of excess fat!
To avoid falling into the holiday fat trap, follow these simple tips:
1. Don’t deprive yourself. Munching on a green salad while everyone is feasting on turkey and stuffing is just not worth it. You will end up miserable, and chances are you’ll binge at home or on the next party. Depriving yourself once is likely to cause you to eat everything in sight the next day to “compensate” for your suffering.
2. Don’t stuff yourself. You are not a turkey, after all! 
Remember, this is not the last time in your life that you can eat.
3. Eat a small meal several hours before the party. This will prevent you from being too hungry when faced with abundant menu. When you are not starving, you can think with your brain, and not with your stomach.
How I Spent My Summer Vacation
September 26, 2008
The song says it all, “Hot Fun in the Summertime." Our summer was certainly full of fun: outdoor barbeques, neighborhood cookouts, making ice cream, 4th of July parades, a trip to grandpa’s house, sleeping late, moving my oldest daughter into her first apartment? It never seems like the season is long enough to do everything we want to do.
Now that the summer is almost over, how do we preserve these memories? Take a few minutes before the busy routine of school begins to put together a family album of summer keepsakes. Whether it’s in a scrapbook, photo album, or shoebox, these mementoes chronicle tidbits of family life that often become lasting traditions. Your kids will love showing friends and family how they spent their summer vacation.
Want a quick and easy way to make a time capsule of your summer vacation? Make a keepsake jar.
Find a large, clean, wide mouth jar (mayonnaise jars work well) to hold your treasures. Paint and decorate the lid.
Gather together pictures, ticket stubs, sea shells, maps, souvenirs, pressed flowers or anything that has sentimental value from you summer vacation.
Is Film Better than Digital for Weddings?
September 26, 2008
As a professional wedding photographer I get this question asked more than anything else. Rarely will somebody ask me about my wedding photography education, awards, or professional memberships. I believe the root to this question lies on misinformation about the different qualities of film and digital.
Film
For a photographer with no computer experience or who does not want to spend the time correcting digital files film is the way to go. Film allows the photographer to photograph a wedding or event and at the end of the day be done with the process. When the time comes to print the photographs the photo lab will take care of color balance adjustments and retouching. From a technical aspect film has a wider dynamic range than digital. This means than in high contrast scenes film has the edge. It can handle them better without blowing the highlights.
Digital
The greatest advantage for digital is the control of the photographic process in the hands of the artist. The photographer is not longer at the mercy of the lab to produce a photo that reflects his inspiration and vision.
Im Sorry Mom! A Mothers Day Poem
September 25, 2008
Mother’s Day Poetry,
I’m Sorry Mom!
I’m sorry for the troubles And the worries I brought you. I’m sorry for my mistakes, I didn’t mean to make you blue.
When I was young and growing up, Living in your home for so long, I made many people sad, I did many things wrong.
So I thought that I could show you now, By moving away and being on my own, That I was finally straightened out, I wanted to prove to you I am finally maturely grown.
But I haven’t done to well at that, I guess it goes to show, You never really solved it all, You never really know.
I’d like to show you now, I need to take the time to say, Thanks for accepting both the good and bad, I hope you have a Wonderful Mother’s Day!
Copyright Laurie Meade 1989-2005 All Rights Reserved
http://lauriemeade.com http://lauriemeade.blogspot.com http://www.lauriemeade.com/scrapbooking http://teenlovepoems.blogspot.com
Santa Goes Low Carb!
September 24, 2008
North Pole- The word is out! Due to an “unpublished dilemma” last Christmas Eve Santa has gone Low Carb!
Sources reveal that Santa was stuck in a chimney somewhere in California for over an hour last Christmas Eve - how embarrassing! The incident certainly wreaked havoc with his jolly schedule for the most important night of the year. In the aftermath, it caused Santa to really stop and think.
After careful consideration - Santa and Mrs. Claus decided they could not risk a repeat of the incident, but more importantly the risk factors associated with Santa’s health - oh my! Right after the holidays, Santa visited his primary care physician for a complete physical. A “new lifestyle” was decided upon - It’s the “Low Carb Lifestyle” for Santa!
Santa has Changed His Mind - Changed His Heart - and is Losing Weight for Life! Will this make Santa “less jolly”? Absolutely not! Fat is not what makes Santa jolly! His weight goals are not to be a skinny “Twiggy Santa” but rather a “healthy weight Santa” with less inches (for some VERY obvious reasons). The keyword here though for Santa is: HEALTH!
Starting Your Own Scrapbook Club
September 23, 2008
Before I discovered the world of scrapbooking, I was inexplicably drawn to my local office supply store. I loved to stand in an aisle surrounded by the different colors of copy paper. And the pens!
At the time, I thought this was really strange. (So did my family). And then I discovered that there are a lot of people who share this fascination. I realized that there is an entire industry that caters to my obsession with patterned paper and coordinating embellishments.
Then I discovered that these people also form clubs where they get together, share ideas, and eat chocolate. What could be better?
Scrapbooking clubs are the quilting bees of the modern era. When you join ? or form ? a scrapbook group, you create a regular time to meet with creative, loving, and family-centered friends.
Carving out a regular time to meet is an ideal way to create and maintain these meaningful friendships. Plus, as everyone gets together to work with family photographs and poignant memories, conversations tend to be deep and meaningful, too.
You can start your own scrapbooking club by asking yourself these questions:
Kona Cotton: The Quilters & Embroiderers Dream Fabric
September 22, 2008
What, Exactly, Is Kona Cotton? Kona(R) cotton is a premium, 100% cotton broadcloth from Robert Kaufman Fabrics in Los Angeles. The company introduced the fabric in the 1980’s in response to the then rapidly emerging quilting industry, an interest that continues unabated today. It is a soft, light fabric, often called the ‘Quilter’s Cotton’, that is also ideal for fine apparel such as children’s clothing; soft, comfortable shirts; dresses; applique and home decorating. It has a ‘meaty’ hand, which means you can really feel the difference when you touch the fabric and that makes it a joy to work with. Warps. And Wefts, Too Kona cotton has a high 60 by 60 thread count. This means there are 60 warp threads and 60 weft threads per square inch of fabric. Until I did some research, I didn’t know what warp and weft threads were. (I had never even heard the word ‘weft’.) A warp thread is a support thread in the loom, long and strong and usually tied down onto the loom; a weft thread is passed back and forth between the warp threads to form cloth. It is that high thread count, all those warps and wefts playing together, that make Kona cotton a soft, light, yet very durable material; one of the best woven fabrics available for hand or machine quilting. Pre-use Care It’s a good idea to launder the fabric to remove any sizing/finish before using it in your project. Treat it as you would any new 100% cotton fabric: Gentle wash, mild detergent, tumble dry low, remove promptly and iron. Expect about a 1-3% shrinkage. What About Color? Kona is available in plenty of colors, 170 solid colors according to the manufacturer’s web site, RobertKaufman.com. And a quick search for ‘hand dyed Kona cotton’ will pop up vendors offering hundreds of colors and patterns of beautifully dyed Kona cotton fabric. But Aren’t You an Embroiderer? Yes, I am a machine embroiderer and those same qualities that make Kona cotton ideal for quilting and sewing apply to machine embroidery, too. That meaty feel I mentioned makes it very easy to hoop and quick to stabilize. The push/pull factor is minimal and, best of all, the stitched out designs are gorgeous on it. Even though there a many cheaper fabrics, I test all my embroidery designs on Kona cotton and turn to it first for any finished embroidery project I have.
