Sunday, April 29, 2018

My New Digital Printing Setup

Cleaned off a table in my house basement and set up a little digital printing station. The table holds my new iMac and the Epson P800. Now I just need to pay for all this stuff!

My new digital print work area

First Small Digital Prints

Did some experimenting with prints, paper, etc. The iMac and the printer are not talking the same language yet. I need to get the Spyder Calibration Sytem to help improve that conversation.
Spyder Express Calibration

Bought An Epson P800 Printer

Got me a new Epson Sure Color Printer, the P800 cost was $1460 with a $350 mail in rebate. I was really torn between the Epson P800 and the Canon Pro 1000. Ended up going with the P800 because it was about $150 cheaper. I will probably be buying a new printer anyway within 5 years, these type things are constantly improving. Can throw the $150 to the next greastest printer.

Epson SC P800

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Very Exciting Possibility, My Head Is Spinning!

The possible 2019 Contact Photography Festival event with fundraiser has the potential to grow into something much more. Over the next month I will make up a presentation to my friend-contact in Toronto and then will see how it goes from there. I do not want to talk about all the possibilities here on the blog. No use jinxing something that has so many variables in play. If everything develops as it might develop, this could be an amazing opportunity to help the families.

More New Dump Image Edits

Here are some new dump image edits I did up on my new iMac yesterday. I think they are too grainy, it must be happening when I am playing with the clarity setting on the RAW section of the edit, not sure. I will need to tone that grain/pixel look as the original file does not have that much grain. I am not sure all the images are sharp enough to print thou. Some of the images are also underexposed but that was more a result of the desperate shooting conditions I was in. We will see what can be done to print some of this work.

I do not really understand digital printing, lots of trial and error to go  yet here, figuring out how to to do this will take lots of effort and time. I like working in the darkroom better, it is much more fun, but this is what it is. These photos would be near impossible to shoot on film. At some future date I might also be able to make digital negs and print these photos in a darkroom on platinum-palladium!

Girl child grabs my hand in the dark
Children walking in front of garbage workers
Dancing in the dump
Girl working alone in the garbage
Group with truck
Group with truck #2

Friday, April 27, 2018

Dad Dream

Just woke up after a sad dad dream. It was Xmas day, I was standing in mom and dads house, their living room, mom was there siitting as was my sister. Dad went away then brought back a small wrapped present for me. I felt guilty because I had nothing to give him. I opened up the package and it was filled with 4 or 5 pocket book sized art bookss,t there was also a small book of Shakespeare. I cried, looked at dad with tears on my face to thank him.. He did not speak but seemed sad at my reaction.

I then suddenly woke up in real life. I dream about dad so often, that will never end.

Note* Often the last year of his life at the hospital or at home when people cried near him, dad sat quietly with downcast eyes. He was like that in this latest dream.

Dads Grave - Mom

Visited dads grave grave with mom. I washed down the stone with some hot water and a bit of soap while mom sat and watched (took her out a small chair).i cried a bit, it does not take much to get me crying when I think of dad. We both kissed the grave stone and spoke to dad a bit.

Mom has been weaker of late, she looked weaker, older at dads grave. It is so frightening to seee her like that. Hopefully the family can keep her healthy and strong for many years yet, no need to join dad just yet, she has so much more in life she can enjoy yet. I have spent a lot of time with her this week trying to raise her spirits. My time away, her being more alone after losing dad (they were married 57 years) and some other private family problems have had a negative effect on her. We need to get her back up and healthy again. I will do a bunch of things with her again today. She seems better oats of late, I so hope she continues to improve. Mom deserves a good long happy life. She spent her life helping others, now it is our turn to help her.

First Edit With New iMac

Here is my first edit of a RAW file using Photoshop on my brand new iMac which arrived today. I do not know Photoshop well, so it is very basic edit, dodging and burning type stuff. I will need to learn Photoshop layers and so much more before proceeding with this. I muted the colours somewhat. Tonight when I went out to eat with my friend Larry I saw several of his new photographs in colour. They were very beautiful in a desaturated softer colour type way, almost b/w colour work. I decided to play with the look of my final image somewhat, to see where I could go.

Here is the new image.

Note* I might change this up. Deeper blacks? Lower contrast? Desaturated more? I need to figure lots out before I start to print the final exhibition photographs. Heck! I also need to buy me a printer!!

Boy in front of his dump hut with parents, Mae Sot Thailand 2018

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Quote: Burt Lancaster

Life is to be lived within the limits of your knowledge and within the concept of what you would like to see yourself to be.”

Friday, April 20, 2018

Quote: Vincent Van Gogh

"It often seems to me that the night is much more alive and richly colured than the day."

Bought A Photo Editing Computer

With my HP Notebook currently down (after the flight) and with so much photo editing work in my future I decided to go all out and buy a high quality computer. I bought a high end 27 inch iMac for $2999, it arrives on April 27. I bought the unit online from Bestbuy.ca. I do not have a lot of money right now but I felt it was important to do this right. This is a ton of money for a computer, but I have had 2 previous verions of the iMac and have loved both so much, I thought I would do it again.

My hope is to use this computer for ONLY PHOTO EDITING (Photoshop) thou I might eventually use it for some limited film editing as well. I will not put the computer online, will not fill it with unnecessary programs and files, want to keep this thing lean and mean. I plan on bringing it with me here to work as well as using it at home and a moms place. I will use the back up external hard drive files I did up in Asia with this computer. I should be able to do lots of editing at work between my security rounds and patrols over the next year. One of the advantages of being a night guard is you have some time for personal projects.

Note* I am now saving money to make the final payments on the HF3535 ultra large format camera. Hopefully in a month or 6 weeks that will be taken care of as well.

Note** I will try to use this computer in combination with an existing gifted printer (thanks Larry). If that does not work then I will need to buy a new printer to make my exhibition prints from digital files. This is weird! I am so use to doing everything in the darkroom, doing them digitally is throwing me off. Still the photos I made in Japan and the dump would have been impossible to shoot with film (espeically the near darkness nightime dump work).

Here is a link to the computer (I got a $80 discount the day I bought it).
My iMac 27 Inch Computer

Apple iMac (MNED2LL/A) 27"

Exhausting Days

I returned to Canada at 0045hrs Monday then went to work 12 hour night shifts at 1730hrs Monday. It was an exhausting 4 nights, thou tonight, Friday, the fifth night, I do feel one hell of a lot better. On Monday my first night I felt like a thousand year old man, I had a fair amount of pain in my knee, my walk was slow, and my head felt heavy and confused. Each day everything got a bit better, but even last night I was walking, doing my patrols like I had cement in my shoes. The good rhythm is returning now, my knee still hurts but its probably at 80%, so that is a relief as well. Next week my first week off since the 6 months in Asia, I plan to SLEEP, SLEEP AND SLEEP some more.

Sorry about not writing in the blog this last bit, but I just felt like crap, had nothing much to say and no energy to write it.

Monday, April 16, 2018

Quote: Dylan Thomas

"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

Computer Damaged?

My HP laptop computer which because of its size-weight, I was forced to put into my check in luggage (did that going there as well),is not working, damn.  Maybe I should have taken it in carry on but was afraid of all the security issues, starting it up at the X-ray machines etc. My battery would have needed to be charged mid 3 plane flight etc. Looks like I will have to take it to a computer shop for a possible repair.

I am not worried about my digital master photo files as I backed up everything on e terns hard drives. I could lose thou all the work I did on the potential book, on the PowerPoint presentation, on the various picture and movie files. Will also lose my photoshop plus video editing software.

This sucks because I am really short of money right now and it will slow my work down. I was hoping to use the computer at work this week. Now that looks like it will not happen.

Pigging Out On Canadian Foods

Eating, gourging out on all my fav Canadian foods.

 - pyrogies with sausage and sour cream.
- mini wheats with Canadian skim milk (milk tastes a bit off to me in Thai).
- cottage cheese (all kinks of cheese are expensive in Asia).

I got totally riced after 6 months in Thai.

Back in Edmonton, After 6 months Away

from Facebook....

Am back home in Edmonton Canada. The knee survived the trip, it swelled up a bit but got me home. The photo is after a 3 hour jet lag nap. Tonight am back to work in the guardhouse, I will need to take it slow. This little injury and the various ailments over the last month plus are nothing compared to what the families in the dump face on a daily basis.
Warning* You cannot unsee this photo. Check out the white guy legs, 6 months in Asia and am lighter than I left! Did long pants and long sleeve shirts most everyday. Covered myself with sun cream as well. Not a big fan of the sun and bad red burns.

Swollen left kneecap and leg

Saturday, April 14, 2018

KILLER Needle

The worst part of the hospital visit was when the doctor gave me the option of taking out the fluid in my knee to help with the movement as well as to use in a gout test. I was unsure if I should go for it. The doctor told me they would freeze my knee and the needle would be a similar pain level to a dentist freezing your mouth before dental work. I thought “It is probably more painful than that” but I need to do this so told him OK!

I went to another area of the hospital, and laid down on a bed. The doctor and three nurses came over, he  put on sterile gloves, cleaned the knee, then leaned forward froze the area and stuck a #12 needle in! The needle was around 3 inches long, and it hurt like hell! The doctor moved the needle about here and tried to take out fluid but there was none! I was moaning and occasionally kicking my right foot. The doctor withdrew the needle then administered a local freezing of the kneecap area with a smaller needle. He then made attempt number 2 with the big needle, poking about here and there a bit less pain than the first attempts but it still hurt a lot! There would be nothing, nothing, then a jolt of extreme pain for 5 to 10 seconds. Again the doctor could not find any fluid to withdraw! All the pain was for not, no testing could ce done!! He took out the needle told me of the problem then left. I paid less because there were no lab tests. The total cost for this visit was 5300 baht ($215 CAD).

The doctor also told me I should be able to fly the next day, hope he is right on that one.

Another Hospital Visit!t,

In perpetration for my flight back to Canada today I did an emergency trip to the hospital today here in Bangkok for my. I could not bend my knee at all yesterday, tonight I can bend it a bit!

They gave me a new injectionn of anti swelling medication as well as a pain killer.  I was also new meds including a medication for gout. The knee now feels a bit better. Am also icing the knee lots, that stops the pain and helps with the swelling.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Stupidly Hurt My Knee Again

Yesterday I stupidly hurt my knee! Went out to shoot some photos with dads 8x10 Deardorff and buggered my knee up again. I twisted it on a hill with rocks while carrying the heavy camera mounted with lens on a tripod. Stupid stupid shit on my part!

Now am in my hotel room unable to sleep and took another pain pill. Last night at 1am, I too my anti imfamatory drug (Arcoxia 90mg) 8 hours early which allowed me to sleep around 3 hours. Just woke up in pain, am now limping around my room and occasionally icing the knee. Walking actually makes things better.

I cannot bend my left knee and I fly to Canada soon. How can I sit on a 3 cramped planes for 20 hours or so? I can walk slowly with limited pain but it is the sitting with blended knee I cannot do.

I might have to visit another hospital and hope they give me injections again, the same stuff as last time. Arcoxia seems a rather dangerous drug do not want to over uses it.

Arcoxia 90mg

Note my pain medication, to be used every 4 hours is Paracetamol 500 mg.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Links: I Have A Dream" Dr.Martin Luther King

In this time of increased racism, nativism, immigrant fear and Muslim fear (especially in Trumps America), I thought I would share this inspirational moment in human history. Thanks for watching.

"I have a dream!" Dr.Martin Luther King
"I have a dream!" Version #2

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Another Hospital Visit

Visited a private (faster than government) hospital in Phuket today for my knee problem. Everything went along quickly, professional and to the highest standards. You get what you pay for I guess. The doctor told me there was no structural damage, that the knee was sound and the pain was a result of inflammation.

The treatment given was a needle of antibiotics-anti-inflammatory drug along with a second injection of a pain killer. The injection was directly into the bloodstream, a vain in my left arm. They also gave me 2 sets of pills. One to take for the pain, 1 pill every 4 hours. The pill is an anti-inflammatory drug to be taken once a day after breakfast.

The hotel cost was 7070 baht $124.63 CAD, the best money I spent this trip. When your in constant pain life is not fun, we take our so much for granted. When my knee hurt everything was difficult, walking to the bathroom, eating (no appetite), even playing on the Internet. I feel quite a lot better now, the injections helped so much. After the pills, I should be 100% before heading on the plane back to Canada and back to work, which is such a big relief!!

Note* There could be a gout connection. The doctor could have take out a sample of fluid from my knee with a syringe, but I declined as it sounded rather painful. He told me it was not necessary to do that test but the next time I do a blood test in Canada I should do a uric acid test as part of the process.

Update* Modern medicine is a sometimes a real miracle worker. It is almost like magic. I could hardly walk this morning, every step extremely painful, I was rather pathetic looking with people everywhere watching me. After some injections and pills and a bit of time I am 80% back to normal. How does that happen, it was magical!

I am very relieved, now I can fly and work as soon as I am back in Canada. I have dad's gifted 8x10 camera with me here in Phuket, tomorrow will even try to make some large format photographs!

Monday, April 9, 2018

Knee Injury

Screwed up my knee somehow. I was kneeling down a few days ago for an a few minutes and ever since then  I have had real bad knee pain. Initially I tried applying ice but that seemed to make things worse, have applied heat, in shower and a hot pool (in Southern Thai) since them. The last 2 night I have been in so much pain I could not sleep. Bending my left knee me to cry out, I am limping very badly. I never take medication, pain killers and the like, I hate doing the pill thing but things have gotten so bad I am loaded up on Tylenol to help deal with the pain. Might have to visit a hospital today (am in Phuket Thailand) to see what the doctors say. I worry as my flight back to Canada is very soon, how can I fly half way round the world then report the next day to work in this condition?

Too many injuries and illnesses to end this trip, it all sucks so much. I am not used to dealing with this type of thing, am usually a very healthy person.

Saturday, April 7, 2018

Burtynsky Photo Book Submission Grant Attempt Number 2

Yesterday I made my second attempt at the Burtynsky photography book publishing grant. The Scotiabank Burtynsky grant jury gives out $5000 CAD annually ( at least for 3 more  years) to one lucky photographer who can then use the money to help in the publishing of their photography book. Maybe this time I will be lucky enough to win the grant, which would pay for a portion of a FAMILIES OF THE DUMP photo book. Last year I failed with b/w photos from the dump, this time it is a colour photograph submission from the dump.

If I did get a book published I could use it to help raise funds for the families. The book could be used at the 2019 CONTACT photography festival exhibition fundraiser as well as at future fundraisers. With a  $50 or $100 donation to the families you get a free book, that sorta thing. The books could also be sold individually with proceeds going to the dump families.

The Burtynsky grant submission process requirements asks for a minimum 10 dummy layout pages, I submitted 31. My submission is based more on the quality of the photographs versus a super duper arty farty book layout. The eventual book might include these photographs, or there might be changes. I expect the final book would have a total of 50 layout pages including 100 photographs

Update* The grant attempt failed. I wish I could get these images and book into book form. If I could, I could then use all money earned (is money earned on photo books?), to help the families.

Alberta Foundation For The Arts, Art By Acquisition Submission

Made a 5 image submission to the Alberta Foundation for  the Arts (AFA). I had a print bought by these folks several years back, the last 5 years or so thou it has been rejection after rejection. I hope this time things go better. Will see what happens. If I sell a print or even two ($500 each for a 16x20) I can donate the money to help the FAMILIES OF THE DUMP.

Here are this years submissions:

Boy eating found dump oranges, Mae Sot Thailand garbage dump
New very poor dump family of 9, Mae Sot Thailand garbage dump
Young girl lost in thought, Mae Sot Thailand garbage dump
Group of woman workers, Mae Sot Thailand garbage dump
Mother with child at midnight, Mae Sot Thailand garbage dump