This gallery contains 16 photos.
In July last year, I went to Lake Havasu with my girlfriend, Amy, on our first vacation together. We did our best to deal with the heat, and it was relaxing to spend time with her. These photos are from … Continue reading
After I got back from my trip to Philadelphia and New York City in October 2010, posting photos took a back seat. I’ve meant to move on with my newest photos here without worrying about cross-posting on Flickr (I’m not active there anymore), so I’ll just continue from when I last posted a fresh photo here (Meet Brian).
I took this photo outside the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on my first day photowalking around Philadelphia. I didn’t run up the stairs. Walking all over town wore me out. 
(If you’re interested, here’s the Exif info.)
Not my best work, but I’m posting this to taunt a friend.
Yesterday, I stayed at my girlfriend’s apartment to wait for SoCalGas to light the pilot for her stove, oven and heater. Fortunately, Francis kept me company.
My girlfriend insists that I’m his favorite person, and it’s tough to argue with that. Most of the time, Francis wants to lay on top of me.
The downside: I can only read from my smartphone or Kindle. If I’m reading a textbook or using my laptop, he tries to run the edges with his face. But, how can I get mad? Look at that face! He’s so precious.
This gallery contains 10 photos.
I visited the Nixon Presidential Library & Museum with Amy and her friend to take photos and pay our respects. As for posting this over a week later, I’d say it’s better late than never. Hat tip: Thanks to Amy … Continue reading
For the first time in five or six years, I finally met James Huff in person at WordCamp LA. I’ve known him for about seven years. In addition to being a talented musician and all-around helpful guy, he’s a Happiness Engineer with Automattic.
Since his Gravatar is from his wedding three years ago, I demanded politely asked for a portrait. 
Thanks for the good times, James!
Edit: Thanks, Amy, for suggesting that I reword my post. To clarify, this was my first time meeting James.
You have a Sigma 30mm f/1.4, right? Why not Canon 50mm f/1.4? Was focal length the biggest deciding factor? I’m considering the 50mm f/1.4 and wanted to get your viewpoint.
Thanks for asking, Chris! I figured it be more helpful to post my answer here for all to see.
I wanted a lens that got close to representing the field of view from the human eye (50mm). On my Canon EOS 40D cameara, with a 1.6x crop sensor, a 30mm lens would have an effective focal length of 48mm. That’s the primary reason I chose the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens. Continue reading
My friend, James, asks:
How do you decide [which] photos go on Flickr, Facebook, or Zenfolio? Any duplicates?
Rather than email my reply to him, I’ll share with everyone here.
I’ve gotten more selective uploading photos these past two years. I’m uploading much less than pre-2009 Bryan.
This is my mental checklist when deciding where to upload my photos.
Facebook:
Zenfolio (referral link):
There are some duplicates, especially if I want more views, but those are only reserved for my better photos.
I haven’t been uploading web-res photos directly to my blog, especially since Zenfolio and Flickr resize automatically. That way, I don’t need to worry about gigantic backups of my WordPress-powered site(s).
I’ve been a Flickr user since December 2004 and I’ve made a lot of solid friends/contacts there. It’s only logical for me to primarily upload my photos there. (All Narfed Up doesn’t get loads of traffic. If I can keep the long form posts here and get some traffic from Flickr, that’s a nice bonus. At least I’m using a clean theme.)
On a slightly related note, I’ll be using the Dropbox for Android to save photos from my Android phone[1. as opposed to plugging into my computer every time] for future processing.
Going from a 3.2 Megapixels (LG Dare) to 8 MP (HTC Droid Incredible) is a huge plus, too. I don’t carry my DSLR as much as I used to, especially since I’ve recently gotten very busy. (Yay and boo.)
Yes, I still cull and lightly process photos taken from a camera phone, but I might let that go since I’m probably not going to sell any of those photos. (At least I make sure the white balance is close to accurate. I’m geeky that way.)
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide the:
I hope that helps, James!
The first day I went into Downtown Philadelphia, I waited at the airport for the SEPTA train to Market East Station.
An older man walked up the steps, onto the platform, and asked if this train would be going into town. I assured him it would, but not before warning him that I wasn’t a local.
Apparently, he’s lived here most of his life, but hasn’t used the public transportation system.
For the next hour, we chatted Brian told me his life story.
At six years old, Brian and his parents got into a huge car accident. His mother was 33. His father, Bernie, was a captain in the Philadelphia Police Department.
Sadly, his mother lost both of her legs from that accident. He remembered the firefighters trying to pull him out and being confused, unable to compute that his mother’s legs were being amputated within the wreckage.
Both parents recently died at 90 years old.
Brian’s eyes welled up with tears. There was so much pain. There wasn’t anything I could say. He took a breath, apologized, and continued.
Brian theorized that he was probably bipolar after that accident.
For forty years, he was an alcoholic until a horrific vision snapped him out of it. Two feathers are in his wallet as a reminder, and he’s been clean for 18 months.
During Brian’s alcoholism, he had a three-year relationship with a girlfriend, then married her for six years. They had a son and grandson. Sadly, they got divorced because “she wanted to stop partying and he didn’t.” (He hasn’t seen his son or grandson in years. Sad.)
Brian is good with numbers, so he was an electrician for a long time. Now, at 57 years old, he’s trying to get his commercial driver license (CDL) in Philadelphia to be a trucker.
Brian currently lives in Las Vegas, but plans to move to San Diego, CA. He still has two sisters, but I can’t recall if he mentioned where they live.
As Brian spoke, he was calm, peaceful, and positive on life. I was overwhelmed with emotion.
Compared to him, I can’t complain. I was heading on an epic journey around Philadelphia, with my camera, lenses, and Twitter to keep me company.
As quick as the conversation started, he arrived at his station, shook my hand, smiled, and said goodbye.
Good luck, Brian.
Note: If you’re wondering, I took his photo before we boarded the train. I wasn’t sure if he’d keep talking to me, but he did.
A couple nights this week, I experienced leg cramps. One was a bit more severe because both sides of my leg — calf and whatever you call the opposite muscle — cramped somehow. How do you stretch both simultaneously?!
I don’t stretch (exercise) enough.
I knew where this is going. It would take 4-7 days to recover.
If I didn’t have upcoming events, this wouldn’t be a big deal. Unfortunately, I’m photographing a wedding today.[2. By that, I mean it's wonderful that I'm photographing someone else's wedding, but unfortunate that I'm having ankle problems.]
All I could do is pray. I prayed for bearable pain so I can capture Judith and Rob’s wedding day.
This morning, I’d consider my prayer answered. (Thank you.)
I have a few more hours before I head out, but I have faith I’ll endure through the subtle chaos. As for the rain, everything is indoors and the couple hasn’t brought up concerns, so I won’t dwell on it.
P.S. Yes, I realize I need to see a specialist about my ankles. When I get health insurance, that’s at the top on my list. For the record, I photowalked the streets of Philadelphia, New York City, and Brooklyn for about five days. It had to be 4-5 miles/day. I’m glad my ankles didn’t go out.
