Wolfblog

Well, I am officially starting on a new website for myself and hopefully my future. What is this? Well, I am going to attempt to make a living (some sort of one) off of photography. So I am re-branding myself and moving forward with plans to make a portfolio/business website related to my work. Hopefully I don’t make this into another never ending project…

“I have no right to give an opinion on what makes a great brain surgery because – wait for it, I am not a brain surgeon. When you receive criticism from “The Internets” consider the source. If the person commenting on your photo, good or bad, has no standing, no experience, no credibility, no authority, a lousy portfolio and they hide behind a fake name, move on. You’re wasting your time. You’re not going to get anything of value in that situation so don’t subject yourself to the madness.”
Source - [link]

So, I just read some specs on the new Canon 550D (I don’t know what it will be called in the US). I almost wonder why I went to Nikon and a D300s… But when I think about it, I relly need to get into the “prosumer” market first, and worry about video later. The whole thing that bothers me is that I love how the Nikons are built, and especially with the weather sealing on the higher end models (more on why that was good for me later) but they have made (seemingly) no attempt to catch up with the rest of the market as far as video is concerned. I do love the video I get from my D300s, but the new Canon, consumer line has most of the features of the 7d or even 5d MkII in a small, cheap package.

My message to Nikon…

Get rid of Motion JPG as the video format, give me more control, and release something with 1080p/30fps…

please???!??!?!

(Link to specs)

What am I thankful for?

It’s been a long year, but time has a tendency to pass quicker during the good times. Though looking back, this was a good year, not because of accomplishments or things I can hold in my hands, but because of what I have learned. About the world, about me, about others, since in the end it’s not about what you have, not the money you make, it’s about what you know, what you have learned, and the experiences you share with those around you. We often forget this, as we are caught up in the rush of the rest of the world. For me, this year has been full of experiences and memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything, and having some good friends to share these with makes it that much better. I have found what I believe is love, or at least the closest thing to it that I have seen in a long time. Whether it is fleeting or something more is yet to be seen, as of now taking things slow is the best option.  There are many changes ahead for me. Things I need to do in order to cast away old worn parts of my life, and move on, over, and out of what it has been so far.

Now, this isn’t a rant, or whatever I normally write when I am depressed, this is a once a year event, a time to look back and be thankful for the little things, those moments in my life that convince me to give it another day and see how it works out. I am thankful for the moments of closeness I have with those I care about. I am thankful for a family that has put up with me for this long and has supported me in many ways with my choices. I am thankful for a country where free education is available to just about anyone. I am thankful for good friends, even with their quirks. I am thankful for the gift of being a freethinking human, something that can appreciate life and the beauty of the world I live in.

There are many things I am thankful for, many more than I can list. When I am down and depressed, it helps me to remember these things and get a grip. There is so much that we take for granted in life, little problems that we focus on, while key moments and entire chunks of our life pass us by. Let’s not focus on the bad, and instead remember the good.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ethan (Lycwolf)

I will be attending Anime Detroit this week(end) and will hopefully have some good posts afterwards. Until then check out my Events page (link at the top) for some details on what I do at these crazy con things, besides drinking… I have not updated to include the audio side, but I will work on that as I get some time. http://lycwolf.com/?page_id=22

Well, let’s break in this ‘new’ site with a post.

Today I am posting about simple fixes and how the little things can matter.

I recently received a pic of my sister that my mom wanted printed for a enlisted service members thing at the church my parents go to. At first glance, it appeared just as any other portrait, washed out and in need of some refinement.

After – Before image below:

Comparison of images.

I started with a simple healing brush to remove a wrinkle caused by how sharply the head is angled. Darkened the face a bit with one of the Nik software plugins, allowing me to have control over the brightness and contrast of just the face region. Then I proceeded to remove a few blemishes. Lastly I ran a filter ofer the entire picture to reduce some of the noise caused by the dark blue in the background and on the jacket.

The whole process only took a few minutes, thankfully I had my Wacom handy. I have to recommend Nik Software for their awesome and easy to use plug-ins for Photoshop.

Also, yay first real post.