A mattress had just met a robot.
Nathan turned 2 months old yesterday. As a reward he was taken from the safety and security of his home and had three needles jammed into his thighs.
Vaccinations are very important. And, of course, I want my child to be safe from the many diseases that had been eradicated before the recent hysteria brought on by pseudo-science allowed things like measles and mumps to gain a foot-hold...again.
In essence, these vaccinations are as much protections against stupidity as they are diseases.
But even with all this in mind, it's still not easy to knowingly have your child hurt, even if it is over within a matter of 30 seconds.
Nathan was much more fussy last night than in recent times. He protested loudly whenever I would try and hold him, and infant Tylenol seemed to last for only two of the four hours one must wait before administering more.
I'm rather surprised at my level of emotions regarding this. I feel...changed somehow. And that Nathan has changed too. A threshold greater than a measurement of time has been crossed and it is causing bizarre emotions. I'm sure that, when distilled down, it's simply a matter of love. Each day I love my son more and more. The smiles and happy baby noises I receive in return are such an amazing reward.
Hey, I got one…
Oddly enough today was my first real attempt at photographing lightning. I only had the Fuji A205 with me so it was an exercise in extreme frustration (the shot-to-shot time is very slow, and there's no multiple-shot mode) but out of 39 shots I actually got one. Sorta. It's a little out of focus but for jumping out of the car and braving the rain and speeding cars right next to me, it's...well it's something.
Next storm I'm heading out with at least the A80.
Photokina – 2006
Every two years there is a photography trade show called Photokina. At it, every camera manufacturer releases at least one new item and, in the digital age, most companies release a dozen new products.
As usual, dpreview.com has good coverage of the event. But I thought I'd mention a few highlights of items that have been released or leaked "accidently" to the net before the show has even started.
First and foremost is Canon. Their Chinese website "leaked" information about the following products: The latest DSLR: 400D (a replacement for the 350D). The expected jump to 10MP, and the unexpected inclusion of ultrasonic vibration on the sensor for dust cleaning (something I lust for). Also a part of the Canon "leak" was the announcement of two wallet-killing lenses: 70-200mm f/4 L with Image Stabilization and a 50mm f/1.2. Drool-worthy to be certain.
Olympus, so far, has released 10 new or updated digital point and shoots. In a trend that is likely to continue, at least one model claims ISO sensativity up to ISO 6400 (higher than professional DSLRs). Sadly, this is accomplished only through "pixel binning" which involves combining adjacent pixels and averaging them. This turns the detail in your images to mush (except for maybe a 4x6 print). Olympus is not the only company to turn to this method and it's an unfortunate trend. If companies would stop trying to cram more pixels into the same area (ie. the Megapixel Race) they wouldn't have to turn to these gimmicks.
Speaking of which, expect to see a number of point and shoots featuring 10MP sensors. With these cameras, consumers will get either excessive sensor noise, or will lose details to overly-aggressive in-camera noise reduction. The sensors being used are smaller than your pinky finger nail. Packing 10 million of anything into that space is just asking for trouble.
But on the plus-side almost every camera company has integrated some form of image stabilization into their point and shoot digital cameras. This is a tremendous boon for consumers.
Let's not forget the Nikon D80. Picking a price-point between the Canon 350D (soon to be 400D) and the Canon 30D, or, somewhere around the price of Sony's first DSLR the A100, the D80 offers some nice upgrades to current D50 owners or those getting a DSLR for the first time. It will be nice to see if the camera performs better in terms of image noise than the Sony (which uses the same sensor).
So that's all really for now, more bits of interest as they roll in.
Holgaroid – end of an era
"The Process"
Polaroid has recently announced that they are ending production of all Type-80 pack film, the kind of film I need in order to use my "toy" camera the Holga and its Polaroid back.
This is a real shame. A photographer with a Holga can produce some unique and, in my opinion, some interesting, images. I have found that the cameras stark simplicity coupled with its sometimes unpredictable behavior a very nice creative outlet. I love the "sweet spot" of sharpness the lens has and the vignetting it can produce. When I finally got a hold of the Polaroid back for it, I found a near perfect match for my needs.
The Holga (by itself) takes medium-format film, something which is increasingly difficult for limited users to have processed (unless I was to start processing it myself) and very difficult or expensive to scan. Prior to purchasing the Polaroid back, I found the Holga being used less and less.
The Polaroid back afforded me the ability to produce images with the Holga very quickly. Thirty seconds, or so, with Type-84 film and I would have a print. If I didn't like it, I would shoot it again.
Pack film isn't cheap but, like my exercise/photography project, there is value in being forced to slow down and think about ones photography.
I recognize that, in part, I am to blame for Polaroid's decision. The digital revolution has swept away a lot of the consumer (and professional) film industry. Entire companies have been lost in this change. I do really enjoy digital photography, but there was something so appealing about having a small print right there, developed right before me.
And so, I've placed what will likely be my last order for Type-80 film. I decided to buy just Type-84, the ISO 100 B&W offering. With it, I want to make at least one very good family portrait (I'll need someone to press the shutter button for me for that one), one good portrait of Nathan, and maybe a few decent shots in Chicago. After that, the Polaroid back will likely be added to my collection of cameras, where it'll remain unused.
The photo I've included in this post certainly isn't a great example of what the Holga + Polaroid can do but instead it's a reminder of the fun I had shooting with it. To some it may look like a complicated mess, but to me it was relaxing and enjoyable. It's still amazing to me that Polaroid would have produced a back for the Holga in the first place, and that it lasted as long as it has. I just hope that with my remaining film packs, I can produce images that complement both my photgraphy and the Holga.
Six weeks
Last night, when I arrived home from work, Nathan smiled at me.
He smiled and smiled and looked very intently. He responded to my voice with sounds of his own and he continued to smile.
I've been waiting for these moments since he was born. Waiting for him to provide feedback that he has learned who I am, or at least, what I (hopefully) represent: happiness. contentment. security.
The change has happened more quickly than I expected. Over the past week I've seen more directed responses to faces, to toys, to contrast (like the mobile of bird species above his changing table).
I wished so hard for this stage in his development and now that it's here, I want him to pause. Not forever, just for a little while. The changes in these six weeks have been amazing, but I'm worried now he'll change too quickly for me to keep up.
“And she knows that the lights leave the prettiest stains”
Area covered by walks: Oct 2005 - June 2006
Since returning to work, I've also returned to a schedule of walks during my lunch hour. As you may recall, I started an exercise program of sorts in October of 2005. Armed with a used Fuji point and shoot (2MP) that I purchased for $35, I decided to combine photography with (hopefully) a healthier lifestyle.
Exercise
In that time I've lost some weight (~10lbs) and have explored a wide cross-section of downtown and near-downtown Chicago.
Clicking on the image above will give you a larger view of the areas, in red, that I've explored. This encompasses about a 1.5 radius from the green arrow, where I work. (It does not include my trips out to Garfield Park and the Garfield Park Conservatory, though I should include them for completeness.)
My routes tend to be along cardinal directions. For example, when heading West from work, I've not explored every single North/South streets I cross (though I have crisscrossed on a large percentage of them). And when heading North or South, I've not walked every single East/West street either. Trying to represent that on this map would consume more time than I wish to allow, and so, a general overview is in order.
When I look at it, I'm pretty impressed. I've traveled very long distances in my allowed hour (sometimes stretched) of lunch. I've been through some admittedly "interesting" areas of the city without incident (despite my shirt/tie/camera and doe-eyed look) and I've discovered a lot more than I ever could from a car or a train.
Photography
As an experiment, I deliberately have been limiting myself to a single, 16MB card. This provides enough storage for approximately 24 images, (aka a "roll of film"), for my walk. I started with the premise that limited space will force me to think about the elements of an image before taking the picture. "What about the scene attracts me to it?" "What do I want to really capture?" "Is it worth being captured?"
And for the most part, I believe this has worked, and worked well. I believe I've slowed my approach to photography a bit. I think more when I have a camera in my hands. I've seen improvements in my photography, and have become more interactive with others photography. This experiment drove a desire to set up a photoblog at cetan.org and even presented opportunities to feature a few images at Gapers Block and WBEZ.org
Taking Stock
However, my return to this combination of exercise and photography has brought up something else. The map above represents the limit of the distance I can travel in a lunch hour. I will not be able to extend the map much further within the time alloted. A number of these areas, especially the Western routes, I've traveled dozens of times. To put it bluntly, I'm starting to get bored.
So, I have to question myself: why do I feel bored? Is it because the harsh overhead sun makes photography so difficult and frustrating? Is it the repetition of the routes? Am I over-saturated with the graphical elements I've been concentrating on and instead am scared to face the next possible photographic subject: people? Has this experiment simply run its course and I should now concentrate on something else? If so, where does that leave the exercise program?
Thanks to a sale at my local Wolf Camera, I've decided to abandon (at least temporarily) the self-imposed restriction of the 16MB card with my camera. Perhaps there is some value in shooting more in order to get through a mental wall? And perhaps more time spent on the North/South streets in the area West of downtown would provide fresh opportunities for capture?
This is my first photo "project" (self-assigned) and so it will take some learning to figure out when enough is enough or when I should push myself further. I still need to figure out how to combat the idea that, simply because I've covered an area a dozen times, it doesn't mean there isn't something fresh to see. Certainly I'm hamstringing myself by only exploring these areas at the same time of day and in that respect perhaps the project is nearing a close.
We shall see...
Nathan’s Baptism
I can't add whole lot to what 
helloheather has already said about Nathan's baptism. I would like to say thank you to all our family and friends that helped make the day very special.
Here is a nice portrait of the three of us, taken by helloheather's dad.
Additionally, the photoblog today features one of my most favorite photos (thus far) of helloheather and Nathan: