Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Photography Assignment #5...by (Angela) Jean

This term, my photography class is significantly more intense and much faster paced. We alternate class locations weekly, from the studio to the computer lab. Our assignments are due on the lab week, and while our last assignment required images shot at home or out-and-about, for this assignment, we are submitting images shot in the studio, during the previous class.

This week in the studio, we had a hands-on lesson in formal portrait lighting. Formal, in-studio portraiture, is not where my photography passion lies, but I think it's always interesting and valuable to learn new skills, especially ones that take me out of my comfort zone.

I took some behind-the-scenes photos this week, to give you an idea of what a night in class is like. For all our classes so far, we have been using classmates as models, and we've all been taking turns.

How awkward is that? Very.

We have only been together a few weeks now, and everyone is still a bit nervous about asking the sitter to move this way or that way. Also, seeing your face projected on a giant screen for editing during lab-week class is cringe-worthy at best, and humiliating at worst! Imagine for a second, having 20 people focussed on a close up image of your face while a professor instructs the class on 'lighting techniques to lessen skin imperfections' or posing techniques to 'hide nostril hairs'. (Note to self: don't forget under-eye concealor and lipgloss for tomorrow's class).

But I digress....portrait lighting....yes. This week we worked on 4-light portraits.
  1.  The 'key light' or 'main light' is the most powerful/bright/direct light. The main purpose of this light is to create 3 dimensionality in the photo, by making shadows across the face. For this exercise our key light was placed at about a 45 degree angle to our model's left, slightly above their eye level.
  2. The 'fill light' was placed directly in front of our model, higher than the key light. The fill light had a diffuser placed over it, and was about twice the distance from the model as the key light. The function of the fill light is to 'fill in' some of the shadows created by the key light, and softening the overall result.
  3. The 'background light', is just that. It's a small, low light, placed on the floor and pointing up at the background. The background light is used to create distance/separation between the model and the background. If it's placed properly it should create a subtle highlight on the model's shoulders.
  4. The last light is the 'hair light'. Guess what it's for? You guessed it! to provide a bit of sparkle and interest to the model's hair. Our teacher suggested this may not be the best idea if you happen to be shooting a 'follicly challenged' individual. In this case the hair light was placed above the background and pointed toward the model's hair.
Following the light set-up, there was a long discussion about light metering, the 'inverse square law' , and how we should calculate what our f-stops and shutter speeds should be. I won't go into all the details here except to say that you generally base your exposure on the key light, and adjust from there.

For our assignment, we need to submit 2 portraits from the 4-light lesson. 1 with "broad lighting"-the main light is illuminating the side of the face that is turned toward the camera,  and 1 with "short lighting"-the main light is illuminating the side of the face that is turned away from the camera. Both images are to be submitted as-is, i.e. no editing in any way.

Here are my shots.

Jason. (Sometimes awkwardness leads to silliness)
Broad Lighting: f 5.6, shutter speed 1/60, ISO 400, Focal length 70mm, lens Nikkor 18-200mm

Walter
Short Lighting: f 5.6, shutter speed 1/60, ISO 400, Focal length 75mm, lens Nikkor 18-200mm

We had some time at the end of class, and our professor decided to give us a tour of the rest of the studio and some of the fancy stuff, that the full-time photography students get to play with.


'Glamour Lighting' set-up
what a reflector does, and how to make the most of it
 Since we all had a chance to shoot with the glamour set-up we were asked to submit an image for our assignment as well. 
Ivanka
Glamour Lighting: f 5.6, shutter speed 1/60, ISO 400, Focal length 120mm, lens Nikkor 18-200mm

There you have it, Assignment #5!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wardrobe Wednesday... by Barbara (Ruth)

This is a silly post, designed to help brighten your winter Wednesdays.

(Speaking of winter Wednesdays, do you remember this?)



Anyway.

Last year it occurred to me that the uniform in my office had become somewhat weary, composed of shades of black, grey, or, on a colourful day, brown and navy. And so, being the somewhat wacky boss I was, I instituted Wardrobe Wednesdays from January through the end of March.

The idea was simple: on Wednesdays you got points for every bit of colour you were wearing that wasn't black, grey, navy, brown, beige, or white. (There were half points for shoes and accessories.) The only rules were that clothing had to be seasonal (i.e no sundresses in February!), and of course office appropriate. I was the judge (ah, power), kept track, issued special bonuses and challenges, and awarded gift cards at the end.

Here's a picture of the group when I issued a group challenge to wear the colours of the rainbow.


We got all kinds of wonderful comments over those three months. One day the bonus colour was red, and I remember watching a group of about 5 head to a meeting all decked out in fabulous red attire - it made quite an impression!

We were accused of being crazy, fun, and our favourite - "Fancy". In fact, "Step Up the Fancy" became one of our mottos as the year progressed, and I even found a poster with that motto and hung it up outside my office later that year.


Here is the photo of the winners:

You had to be bold and well, just a "little" competitive to win this thing. My blogging partner, Angela (on the left), snatched victory from Nicole's (on the right) hands by a narrow margin. And Carolyn (centre) wowed everyone on the TTC that day by being bright in yellow on a gloomy March day. She claimed third prize.

It's Wednesday today, and I'm wearing brown and grey. I'll have to do something about that next week. In the meantime, I hear the team is starting up another silly winter-blah-busting contest back at the office even though I'm not there anymore. What will you do to be wacky and add a little colour to your winter??

Monday, January 23, 2012

Comfort Food for January... by Barbara (Ruth)

This posting is in honour of a number of my friends and family who had a rotten day today. I wish I could have them all over for dinner in my cozy house, because tonight I'm serving comfort food with a twist.

There are so many good reasons for comfort food in the wintery greyness of January: it's cold, it's dark, it's rainy and/or snowy, there are pot holes everywhere, cold and flu viruses run amok (GW) at work and/or at daycare, it's tax season, the stock market is nutters, commuting sucks out your soul, or you just had a rotten day.

(I should say that I can list an equal if not larger number of things that are awesome about winter, but that's another post entirely.)

The thing about comfort food is that it usually involves serious caloric intake: macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, beef stew, grilled cheese, shepherd's pie, and lasagne, for example. And in January most of us are trying hard to "be good" and get back to healthy eating habits after the gluttonous sins of December.

And so I bring to you my January-friendly Comfort Food. Delicious, nutritious, and sure to make you feel warm, cozy, and wrapped up in a big hug.

The Menu
  • Real Cream of Tomato Soup
  • Sesame Grain Bread

Total calories for this meal? 315. It also has 10g of protein and 6g of fibre, not to mention Vit A, Vit C, calcium, and iron. And it is REALLY good. 

With that kind of low calorie count you can add some butter (although fresh bread doesn't need it), or a nice piece of cheese. I'd say you should add a green salad, but that goes against the principle of comfort food, really. As for dessert? Well, there you're on your own - I think that dessert-y comfort food can not and should not be healthy.

Whether or not you had a rotten day and are in need of some healthy comfort food, I hope you enjoy these two recipes. They are guaranteed to be heart-warming, and heart-healthy.

Real Cream of Tomato Soup

This recipe comes from "50 Simple Soups for the Slow Cooker". I'm experimenting with my slow cooker more and more these days, as I find I'm inspired to cook early in the day, and not so much in the evening. It's important to practice, because slow cooker meals can end up mushy and resembling dog food, but if you pay strict attention to the directions then it can be a real life save at dinner time.

This recipe is ridiculously easy. 

 
  1. Put 2 to 3 lbs of tomatoes (quartered) in the slow cooker, along with a half a chopped sweet onion (like Vidalia), and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. 
  2. Cook on low for 4 hours until the tomatoes are soft and falling apart.
  3. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the mixture until the desired texture is achieved, Stir in one cup of cream (I used milk) and add salt to taste. You can also add chile flakes for some kick.
  4. Garnish with fresh basil leaves or fresh ground pepper.
Sesame Grain Bread

If you're a regular reader then you know I love to make bread. I've posted about it here and here. More often than not I turn to the book "Great Breads", by Martha Rose Shulman, and I always have success. The recipe is pretty straightforward, and slightly adapted to my own bread-making methods which are not quite as picky as Martha Rose Shulman's (in other words, I don't do everything by hand, I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook).

When I made this one today I was out of sesame seeds, so I used flax seeds - just as delish! Each slice has about 262 calories (based on cutting each loaf into 10 slices). It's very dense and very hearty, and chock full of nutrients.

  1. In the mixing bowl, combine 1 T yeast, 3 C lukewarm water, 2 T honey, 2 T molasses, 2 C white flour, and 2 C whole wheat flour.
  2. Blend using mixing paddle, cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place to bubble (about an hour).
  3. Using mixing paddle, add in 1/4 C canola oil, 3/4 C sesame seeds (which you should either pound with a mortar and pestle, or do what I did and pop them in the blender for a few seconds - not too long), 1 T salt, 3/4 C rolled oats, and 1 C cornmeal.
  4. Switch to the dough hook and add 2-2 1/2 C whole wheat flour, and let the dough hook do it's thing until the dough forms a ball and is slightly tacky to the touch.
  5. Turn out on to lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 mins until the dough softens. Form a ball and return to the mixing bowl. Cover with the tea towel, and set aside to allow it to rise double in size.
  6. Turn out onto the floured surface again and divide the dough into two. Knead each part for several minutes and shape into loaves.
  7. Put loaves into oiled loaf pans (I spray with Pam, and I use glass pans so I can see whether the bottoms are cooked), cover with tea towel, and let rise one last time.
  8. When the loaves have risen above the edges of the pan and look like bread, pop into a 350F oven for 40 mins.
  9. At 40 mins, check the bread - if the tops are browning too much, cover loosely with tinfoil.
  10. Leave in the oven for another 10 mins. Loaves are done when they sound hollow.
  11. Turn out and cool on racks.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Field Trip Friday-Episode #5-Books, Buds and Cavatelli...by (Angela) Jean

For this week's FTF, the kids and I packed up, hit the road, and headed southwest to visit the newly revitalized St.Thomas Public Library.

My Mom has worked at the STPL for as long as I can remember....more than 30 years! When I was little, she worked in the Film Department. It was the coolest place. I remember the large reels of film, all in metal cannisters, stored on the shelves. I remember the giant, heavy film projectors, and watching my Mom thread the film through them. I remember one of my sister's birthday parties, when my Mom brought a projector home so we could watch a movie on our wall. We were all very impressed! I believe there is even a story about a day in elementary school, when on the last day of school the teachers brought all of the kids into the gymnasium to watch a movie from the Library. It was a rare and special occasion. Teachers couldn't figure out how to thread the filmstrip through the machine. They fiddled and fiddled, and apparently I got up from my seat, walked up to the projector and did it for them. I don't remember the incident, but I remember the story...

The film department is now long gone. The films were replaced first by VHS tapes, and are now DVDs.

As a kid, I spent a great deal of time at the library, especially in the summers. The Children's Department set up summer reading programs with a different theme each year. The idea was that you would read a book, come in and tell one of the librarians about it, and you then get some sort of prize or reward. We loved it.

I'm sure that having a Mom who worked at the Library was a catalyst for me becoming the book-lover I am today. I recall my Mom bringing home bags and bags of books for us. We always had something to read.

This past year, the STPL has undergone a complete renovation. For the last several months, all of the books, videos and materials were moved out, and the library departments were housed in empty storefronts in the local shopping mall. We visited the temporary digs during the summer..
The renovation work was completed in December, and for the last several weeks the library staff has been busy moving all of the books and furniture back into the building and getting everything set up. It was a huge undertaking, but this past week, the doors opened to the public.
I was relieved to see that everyone's favourite statue is still there!

As with all renovations, there are still a few operational kinks to be worked out, but the new space is beautiful. It's bright, and fresh and calming. The Children's Department has been moved to the lower level and the kids and I spent most of our time down there. We toured the stacks and read some books together.
I do not recommend you hire this moving company. Their furniture handling practices sound quite scandalous.

After our visit, we headed back to Beppe and Nonno's house for lunch.
if you knew how much Nonno loves pasta, you could appreciate the irony
cavatelli and meatballs

a blend of Canadian, Italian and Dutch cheeses! How apropos!
As fortune would have it, it was a PA day for the schools in St. Thomas, so we were treated to a bonus visit with the cousins.
After lunch, we headed back out on the road. A quick visit, but a fun one!
As we left, we couldn't help but notice the buds on Nonno's magnolia.
 It may be the dead of winter, but the promise of spring is there if you look.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!... by Barbara (Ruth)

There's a basement reno going on (and on and on) at my house, and the noise that emanates (GW) from below alternates between migraine-inducing jack hammers to pounding hammers to silence broken only by occasional whistling.

Yesterday was a noisy day - all I heard was drilling, banging, and the creaking and groaning of old boards as they were ripped out of the ceiling. I went down to inspect in the evening, as I am wont (GW) to do, and found a huge pile of garbage in the corner of what used to be my "creepy cold room"(used only for storing gardening tools, outdoor Christmas decorations, and my bike). A closer look revealed insulation material in the form of dozens of old newspapers dating from late 1936 through the winter of 1937, and I had a bit of fun looking at all the pages. What an interesting time that was, with strikes, shipwrecks, the rumblings of war, Edward & Mrs. Simpson, murder, mayhem, and always, helpful tips for ladies.

Sadly, none of the pages was really salvageable due to damp rot, mouse droppings, and the careless handling of the construction workers. However, I did take some pics I thought you'd find interesting.

NEWS OF THE DAY





EDITORIALS

Wow, didn't I read something like that just last month? Some things never change...
An annual payroll of $150K for 200 people? You do the math.


HELPFUL ADVICE


Shame on those brides who are "too careless or too ignorant or too lazy to have
ever taken the trouble to master their profession."
I beg to differ! Ahem.
'
This is an ad for a laxative. Apparently you needed to use this so you could
avoid dieting during the holidays. So eating disorders aren't new then...
FASHION
I love this ad because not only is this shoe pretty much in style again, but it proclaims the
benefits of the fur being on the "outside" of the boot so as to avoid "seaming against your
stockings and causing a ring". 
Although I wouldn't call these attractive, they certainly do hide figure flaws.
Let's bring 'em back
ENTERTAINMENT
Madeline de Charpin was an actress in the '30s, and was declared the most
beautiful woman in Paris and in all of France.
How classic is this? 
SOCIETY & SCANDALS
Now this is fascinating... Gloria Hollister was famous for being a fearless explorer in the '30s. Among
other things, she set a record for ocean diving in a bathysphere, and discovered 43 waterfalls in
British Guinea (now Papua New Guinea). Read more about her here.

Mrs. Farrington (centre) was the housekeeper for Walter Fetter of Elmira, ON. She was tried
for his murder and is shown here accompanied by a warden and a guard as she leaves
Kitchener jail.
This was a front page update on the hearing of the mysterious disappearance of
Ambrose J. Small, owner of a number of theatres who vanished in 1919. His disappearance was never solved,
and his wife said only that she was sure he was "in the arms of a designing woman."

A shout-out to my own neighbourhood here in the Toronto beaches - Bobby Porter was a well-known athlete who played football with Balmy Beach club for 17 years. He also played junior hockey,and professional baseball. This is his
wedding picture to Dorothy McKean. The wedding took place here in the Beach, and the bride wore brown brocade.

BREAKING NEWS

I just think it's interesting that the late race results are worthy of stopping the presses.

DEALS OF THE DAY

Flour, anyone? 7 lbs for only 27 cents. Take THAT, Costco!

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PHOTOS


Read the caption. Nothing like being noted for "picturesque working oxen". Go Nova Scotia!

This very somber picture was on the same page as the photo above, along with ads for skin
care and the like. I found that odd.


DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM
I also found this interesting paper - a Finnish periodical mailed to one Emil Maki at
my address on September 19, 1936. I tried to find out more about him, and found his name
only on deportation lists. 
The banner translates (according to Google translate) as
"The only democratic socialism, the ideas driving the Finnish newspaper
in America." Perhaps this is why Emil Maki was deported.

I hope you enjoyed these 75 year-old snippets. Amusing, interesting, and darn good reading, they just prove that old saying, "plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose."