Aaaaah, the sounds of the salty molecules formed into a wave created by the moon’s cycles. The seashore is an enigma to the mind and a tranquilizer to the soul.  Some suggest that we yearn for the place from whence we crawled out of eons ago as some sort of amphibian. Whether you subscribe to this thought or not, the sea beckons to all.  The salty aroma of the offshore breezes moving into the senses of the head and the tiny granules of sand moving between the toes is enough to take even the most jaded mental state off into oblvion and replace it with a certain sense of wonder.  The sounds of children laughing, the struts of young people showing off their youth, and the sweetness of stately older people shuffling along the side of the sea bring a sense of belonging to mass that is humanity. To all that experience that narrow strip that separates the land from the ocean, a permanent memory of the time spent there is indelibly marked upon ones mind.  Whether the lodgings are refined and elegant, or merely a weathered cottage in need of paint, the stay at the edge of the ocean seems to bring a certain sense of solace and contentment as the environment there brings everyone to a base state of existence.  People, for the most part, strip down to the bare essentials and become part of the natural world that is the beach.

OK, so this doesn’t have much to do with photography or digital imagery, but heh, we all have to eat!  Besides, Memorial Day is right around the corner and that holiday and grilling go hand-in-hand. Grilling is a real man thing and I like it.

Here is my BBQ pork rib routine:

1. First of all you need a charcoal smoker grill. I have a Weber classic. This is a must.
2. Place about 2-4 cups of mesquite wood chips into a container and fill with water covering the chips. I used an empty milk jug that has been cleaned out with a hole on the opposite side from the handle. Other woods chips will do, but mesquite has a unique, distinctive flavor.
3. Put in enough charcoal to make a single layer across the bottom of the grill.
4. Lat an electric starter element on top and pile the surrounding charcoal on top of it.
5. Plug the element in and wait 8-12 minutes.
6. Unplug the element and pull it out from the charcoal mound.
7. Let the element cool on a heat resistant surface before storing.
8. Re-mound the charcoal placing the ones that ae not hot on top of the ignited ones
9. Make sure your bottom vents are fully open
10. Wait until the charcoal is white. The time varies. If it is windy it will happen faster.
11. In the meantime, prepare the meat.
    1. If you have sausage seasoning, sprinkle a thin coating on both sides. Don’t overdo it. Otherwise, sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, Nature Seasonings, or whatever your favorite seasoning may be (or whatever you have on hand).
    2. Lightly sprinkle cayenne pepper over both sides (more or less to taste). This can be omitted if you don’t want the “heat”.
12. When the charcoal is ready (all white) drain the water from the mesquite wood chips that have been soaking.
13. Spread the charcoal into one even layer
14. Make the top grill ready to put on the grill and quickly spread the wood chips over the top of the coals
15. Put the cooking grill on top and put the slab(s) of ribs, pork chops, pork steaks, or short ribs on and close the lid
16. Leave the vents on top open
17. Let this cook for 15 minutes
18. After 15 mintues, lift the life and very quickly flip the ribs and replace the lid
19. Repeat steps 17 and 18 until the ribs are done
20. Once the ribs are done begin painting them with your favorite sauce. I like to put 3-4 coats on. The wood chips should not flare up at this time and you can safely do the sauce painting with the lid off. If flareups occur, replace the smoker grill lid and close the top vents.

BBQ Sauce

There are literally thousands of types of BBQ sauce out there. All I can do it tell you what I like and that is Sweet Baby Ray’s where “The Sauce is the Boss!”  Here are the flavors offered (and no I have no vested interest, just a love for this sauce!):

• Sweet Baby Ray’s Original
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Hot ’N Spicy
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Chipotle
• Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet Vidalia Onion

No Sauce? No Sweat!

Here are various (some are obviously optional) ingredients that will make a good sauce. You’ll need to mix them to taste:

• Ketchup or Catsup (whichever you prefer)
• Brown sugar, white sugar, or corn syrup (in that order IMHO)
• Vinegar (use sparingly)
• Soy Sauce
• Lemon, Lime, or Orange Juice (preferable freshly squeezed)
• Mince garlic or garlic powder
• Pepper or cayenne pepper (give zip)
• Coca Cola (even a flat one will work for you)
• Watermelon juice (if it happens to be handy at the time)

Here are some of my thoughts on using the ingredients above.

You can make a “sweet and sour” sauce with the sugars, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic.  Adding some citrus to this gives it an extra dimension added a little at a time. Adding the ketchup will obviously bring in back into the line of traditional sauce. Then, the soy sauce and even the vinegar become optional.  In a pinch, you could even use a small can of tomato sauce insted of ketchup. Coca-cola, ketchup, cayenne pepper and sugar to taste also make a good sauce.  If you use the sausage rub (which is very good even without any sauce), I suggest that you make (or use) a traditional tomato based BBQ sauce.

By the way, all of this will work with Chicken too!

[tags)bbq, grilling, sauces, cookout, charcoal, cooking, fire, smoker, smoking, pork, chicken, recipes[/tags]

1/80sec f/5.6 200mm - (Click for 640×480px enlargement)

 
Before and After (click for larger image)

An easy and very effective way to convert to black and white in PhotShop is to use the channel mixer: 

1. Create a new adjustment layer:  Layer > New Admustment Layer > Channel Mixer

2. Click on Monochrome

3. Use the sliders on each color channel to adjust your image

4. When you have it where you want it, flatten the layers and save

I subscribe to several photography magazines and I look forward to them arriving in my mailbox each and every month.  I started wondering why I liked them so much.  It’s not that I seem to get that much out of them, at least consciously.  Today, I received a link via email to a poll being taken by Digital Photography School and was somewhat surprised by the results so far.  Only 21% took 2 or more magazines per month and 20% took one per month.  I would have expected more out of the photography community.  Of course, at this time, the economy is not conducive to extra expenses.  These magazines are one of the simple pleasure that I really have.  I don’t think that for the enjoyment that I get out of them that the cost is all that high.  I could skip several meals out per year and have the funds to subscribe.  I must also admit that occasionally I head down to Barnes and Noble Booksellers and sit and rifle through several different issues that I don’t subscribe to.

But why do I like them?  They have so many ads in them and some of the articles are not all that interesting.  The camera reviews are only mildly interesting, unless I am in the market, of course.  Then I realized that subconsciously, I have been drilling the tips and techniques into my brain while enjoying the great photos that are displayed in them.  In addition, since digital is now the mainstream, most of them have great post-processing tips.  Every once in a while, though, I read an article that sparks my imagination. I see an image or a technique that really magnetizes me and I want to check it out, expand on it, make it my own personal stretch of the original idea.  I see magazines as a way to stay in touch with the photogrpahic community at large too.  I like reading about true professionals and how they see things. I also like the articles that take photography into the realm of art, into the realm of reporting, into the realm of service to society.  These magazines are a stepping stone that take the creation of images to a higher level.  Photo mags also give an idea of what is happening in the field now.  The leaders in the field are the ones that set the pace and the rest of us follow.  Not everyone can be an NBA star and not all of us can be polished, well known and sought after photographers. However, we can enjoy what we do, make a few extra bucks at it and strive to become better and better as we work the craft. Photography magazines are a bridge between us photo hacks and the more polished pros.

I suppose the main reason that I like photo magazines is because of the great pictures inside.

1. Image>Adjustments>Auto Levels
   You could do the levels manually if you want; however, auto seems to work well for this adjustment.
2. Duplicate your layer
3. Image>Adjustments>Equalize
   This adjust the brightest pixels in your image to white. The darkest pixels will go black. After this command is executed, check the histogram. It will appear level almost all the way across
4. Set the equalized layer’s blending mode to Soft Light
   The image should look less harsh and have a better contrast
5. Drop the Soft Light layer’s opacity
   Try dropping it to 30-35%. However, try different opacities to adjust it to what you want in the image.
6. Merge the layers

Technorati Tags: photoshop, filters, photography, digital, image, contrast, post processing, photo, tutorial, tips, techniques

Taken with a $129 Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS camera in macro mode w/flash

I should say, the camera doesn’t matter as much as what (or who) is standing behind it.  People take photos, not cameras.  You can create a great image with a disposable camera and many people have.  Lighting, composition, and a creative eye are more important than megapixels. Most of the point and shoot cameras today will allow you to make great photos.  Chase Jarvis has taken some very compelling photos with his iPhone. Pinhole camera photography is probably one of the most fundamental means of taking pictures and there are some astounding examples of work done with them. Purchasing an expensive camera doesn’t mean you can create outstanding photographs. Good musicians can play on anything and a good photographer can make great images with a disposable camera.  There have been 60 years of improvements and advancements in photographic equipment; yet, the photographs that Ansel Adams took back in the 1940s are still thought to be some of the finest images ever captured. Why is that?

“Quick, grab the camera, there’s a frog on the window”

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice Man, Practice. 

Some people think that you can fix your camera settings, put it in multiple frame mode and press and hold the shutter down hoping to “accidentally” get that perfect shot.  You may actually luck out and get that one great shot; however, chances are you’ll do much better by using your eye to find a good shot and press once. Practice is very important. Some things work and other don’t and you’ll never know which one is which until you start practicing by taking lots of photographs. Learn your camera. Change the settings. Learn about white balance. Learn about exposure compensation. Since digital photography has come into its own, there has never been a better time to do just that. Once you have purchased your digital camera, the rest is cheap (besides your valuable time).  Keep your camera with you at all times and be ready to take a shot, or two, or three, or hundreds.     Look, that taxi is one fire…    *snap*

Technorati Tags: photography, photo, pictures, cameras, megapixels, learning, basics, composition, tutorial, tips