The Drunken Photographer

Simple tips on how to improve your candid photography

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Adobe is launching a basic version of popular photo-editing software Photoshop free online. While Photoshop is designed for trained professionals, Adobe says Photoshop Express, which it launched in a “beta” test version, is easier to learn. User comments will be taken into account for future upgrades.

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iGeneration

What is the iGeneration? Wait I have to say I have coined this name and if you use it just give me some props.

Well first let me explain, before I explain, I am in no way trying to offend anyone, I am simple going to explain a concept presented from someone who perhaps bridges the gap. Or maybe I cannot bridge the gap at all.

First I take you back to a time when life was simple, well maybe at the time we did not think so, but now looking back it indeed was. This was a time when people wore bell bottomed jeans, granted they still do but you certainly would not be caught dead in a pair unless it were purchased for an “in” name brand. In those days it was pretty much Levis and that was about it, maybe wranglers but those were for goat ropers as well used to call the drug store cowboy types back in Denver. Anyway back to the 70’s if you haven’t guessed. Yes I am an old guy, but you know what? I totally relish that. There was a time I hated getting older, but now I realize that are some definite benefits to it, older, wiser, you know , all that BULL Sheet.

Let’s take a trip back in time and take some of our gadgets with us, and explain what they do, and then once we return to the present you will understand EXACTLY what the iGeneration is. It is 1976 and I had just purchased my first car, a 73 Chevy Nova , what a hunk of crap! I paid 1500.00 for it, with some help from my mom, but for the most part I made all the money from slinging pizzas at Shakey’s Pizza Parlour( I still jones for that pizza now and then) The car was pretty, but lacked substance like a good engine, just a minor detail.The good engine thing was a detail I would soon understand very well. It was somewhat like any car of today, it had four tires, an engine(sort of) four doors, it was a hatchback which was quite nice for the ol high school dates since the back seat folded down,( oh yeah) but that is a whole other story. It had a really cool AM/FM radio(check that AM/FM , most iGeneration people would not hear of only AM/FM), and soon after I bought it, a buddy of mine and I quickly went out and purchased an add-on unit that gave me the ability to play a cassette. My kids don’t even know what a cassette is now. OK here is where members of the iGeneration go yeah , really , so what, who cares, I don’t even listen to cassettes, and some may not even know what they are. The cassette player add-on was the shiznit man, ( oh oops can’t use those types of words since they did not exist then) , it was really difficult to install, and it looked like crap, and sounded even worse, but guess what it was a blast to put in. We were always tweaking it to see if we could get it to sound better, it never did. We loved it anyway. Then we would take like 14 cassette tapes to the lake and play them all day, or until the sun melted and ruined them! Today if a member of the iGeneration goes to the lake, they have to get fully outfitted in all the latest cool gear, take their 349.00 iPod(or More) that holds 10000 songs(probably pirated), oh yeah and since the iPod cost so much you will need some sort of super case to protect it from the elements. In the cassette days you had those 14 cassettes to listen to that you brought to the lake,and that was IT Jack! Now the iGeneration has fully featured video, movies, and television shows. Not bad, but like I said life was simple. Don’t get me wrong, like I said before I am not being that old fart that yells at the kids to get off his grass, I am simply making observations, about how life really was simpler before all of these so called technology innovations that has somehow made our lives easier.

OK sort got off on a tangent with the whole cassette, thing. Yea we never said things like that then, you know “the whole xxx thing” that is definitely an iGeneration term.Anyway, the car ran on leaded gas, does anyone out there know what the heck that is anymore? I don’t know but I think it was ruled bad for you at some point and outlawed. Like most things from those days we found that they must be bad for you, go figure, I guess my point is now the iGeneration everything is bad for us, and we have groups and the government to keep us safe. Mostly the media takes good care of us these days. Today it is St Patrick’s day and I read in the paper that green beer is bad for you, something about getting green teeth. Oh for Christ’s sake, green teeth, fuck you media, can’t we enjoy one friggin green holiday and beer? Back to the car, OK so my old piece of sheet car probably would not run on today’s version of gas, but I still loved it. Radio in those days was limited to AM/FM and even then it was about 10 channels either way, not much but it really did the trick. On long trips AM would do the trick even though it was all talk radio, you could hear it for miles, still can, I am just not sure that the iGeneration even listens to AM anymore, I mean today we have Sirius and XM with a 100 plus channels. Don’t get me wrong I totally love SAT radio on the road, but it seems we are missing something by not experiencing the local radio as we drive through, Texas or an Indian reservation, there is something to be said about being exposed to that diversity in culture. I enjoyed listening to Navajo radio coming to Arizona, although I had not a clue what they were saying since they were speaking in their native language. Still fun to listen to though.

Another tangent, OMG (oops did it again, words like that, is that a word?, er ah acronyms, were not even thought of) I have got to stay on track. One time I was driving my 73 Chevy Nova and we were heading to the lake,(one time a black guy I went to school with said why is it white people always go the the lake? but really if you think about it is true) Two things 1- I have no idea why white people go to the lake, and 2- I must correct my words to today’s iGeneration speak and restate that to African American. I have never figured out what to call myself, white, American white, white boy, not sure but really I guess I prefer Terry, and oh yeah my very good friend Frank. I won’t tell you his nationality or skin color since he is just Frank to me, the point is we rely too much on labels now and political correctness. Oh yeah back on track, so we are heading to the lake with a 6 man raft about 6 of my buddies chipped in and bought at Kmart, and the car dies, one of my buddies cracks the hood open and looks in with some sort of scientific look, and notices something that has gone astray and quickly taps, bangs, and whalla he fixed it. If that were today, a member of the iGeneration would jump out of the car place flairs, signs and other deterrents to avoid being kilt. Then proceed to call AAA for a tow to the nearest iGneration car fixing facility which includes computer diagnostics for every automotive aliment imaginable. The bill will be around 900 just to look at the car’s computer readout, then another 900 to actually fix it. As we go back to the future we take several car items, one a computer diagnostic tool, and the other a GPS system complete with voice activated Navi. My buddy, you know , the guy who fixed the car in no time flat takes a look at the diagnostic computer and asks why would he need that if he can just do a few simple things to trouble shoot , then fix it? I tell him that in the future in the iGeneration world cars are much more efficient and very complex , so much so that you need this tool to figure out what is wrong, he looks at me and says yeah right you are a tool, and laughs out loud. The other item is the GPS complete with speech activated directions, my buddies ask me what is it for? I explain, this is a device that tells you where to go.They all laugh and tell me where to go! One guy asks me, why would I need this device? I always now where I am going, and if I do not I will buy a 50 cent map . Think about it sad but true!

What is my point to this whole thing? Well it is this, we must remember where we came from in order to know where we are going. You must know HOW something works in order to use it effectively. In this Internet age we have lost a few things in my humble opinion, and one of the most important ones in my mind is our connection to our fellow person. Technology is great but don’t forget what is important , your family and friends. Step away from the technology, and reach out to touch and connect with another human being.

Well I do have to admit, I love living in this time, I mean the things I can do with a camera now far surpass anything I could do back in the 70’s so I guess it looks like I have embraced the iGeneration. -ter

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page

People that Flake!

About two months ago I put up a casting call for a tattoo shoot, and had a model respond, (yes she is here on MM) we exchanged emails, and she actually had a tattoo artist in mind, and I said sure no problem, whatever you want to do after all it is a tattoo and those are not erasable. Anyway we confirm with the tattoo artist, and get the week before and I leave her voice mails, and emails because the tat artist wanted to meet prior to the tat so that he could redraw or do anything he had to do with the artwork. Well this model stopped responding and never returned my calls, so I wrote her off, and sent her a polite email telling her how unprofessional that was , but I am sure it was not heeded. Really I have had so many flake it doesn’t even phase me anymore.

Ok so being the tenacious type I am, I reposted the casting call, I got a response from a great model here on MM. The tattoo artist still wanted to see us, and the artwork, so I purchased the artwork online, printed it out on nice photo paper so it would look nice, and met the model at the tattoo artist’s studio. The model and I go in,I show her the artwork and she loved it, I told her to make any changes , and to place it where ever she wanted. She is happy since I am paying for the tat. The artist takes the artwork, and says he will redraw it to make it better, and it would be 300.00 . Ok cool, so I say yes, we are on for Monday right? right. I also gave him another set of artwork for my personal tat, and told him I would schedule that with him another time. By the way my wife is also going to get one, but did not have the artwork picked out yet. So the model and I leave, she is nervous but excited and I tell her see yah Monday. She says great I am looking forward to it.

When I got home I realized I forget to confirm a time, so I have my assistant call to confirm, she never could get him. My wife calls the tattoo shop to schedule her appointment, cause she has finally decided on a design. She sends me a text and says the artist has canceled!!!! I respond in disbelief maybe she made a mistake? Nope when she called the lady that answered said the artist was too busy and could not do the tats.

Bet you didn’t see that one coming? Well maybe you did. Once I talked to my wife I am hoping mad, I mean think about it this is a paying gig and 300 bucks for a tat is expensive at least here in AZ it is. I call up the parlour and the same lady answers I ask for the artist, and she explains very nicely that he is out and that she tried to call my wife to let her know he canceled. WTF, I gave him my business card, why in the world did he not have the kahones to call me, but had his assistant call my wife.

The assistant was very nice, but I have a really deep voice and especially on the phone can be very intimidating especially when I am angry, well let’s put it this way I went a little apeshit! I still can’t believe someone blows off a paying gig, who does that???? She politely told me that it was not her fault , and was not involved, ( she had a great British accent, so it is hard to be mad when you hear a voice like that, something soothing about it) I apologized for shooting the messenger, and told her to have the artist call me. I have not heard from him at this point.

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page

KachOOzie.Net and KachOOzie.Com!!!!!!

Well I have been working on these sites for sometime now and the day is finally here! One of them should be online today March 21st 2008! I am soooo excited.

What are these sites? Well KachOOzie.Net is a social networking site, that is not unlike MySpace, but geared more towards folks that work in the Modeling, Art , Design, Photography fields. It will be a great site to establish relationships to further your career or just for fun to get started in the field.

Kachoozie.Com is a stock photo website that will be offering royalty free images to anyone who may be designing a website , brochure you name it! This site will be different than the other stock photo websites, so stay tuned for that . The .Com site should be online in a few weeks.

Terry Runion
Kachoozie.com
Kachoozie.net
NewLifeImages
My Myspace Page