More Ethan
Introducing...
I'd like to introduce the world to the newest member of the Vnoucek family: Ethan Alexander Vnoucek. He was born on June 29th at 7:51pm after putting Carolyn through 15 hours of labour. He weighed in at 7lbs 7oz, and measurement by committee has decreed that he's about 20 and 3/4 inches long.
We are all home now: safe, sound, and sleep-deprived. Mom and son are struggling through a night and day of cluster-feeding, and I'm helping where I can. It's not glamorous, but I don't think there's a word for the amount of awesomeness I'm feeling. :)
More pictures to come.
We are all home now: safe, sound, and sleep-deprived. Mom and son are struggling through a night and day of cluster-feeding, and I'm helping where I can. It's not glamorous, but I don't think there's a word for the amount of awesomeness I'm feeling. :)
More pictures to come.
Coming Soon
I've finally gotten around to posting photos of Carolyn. I think she's looking great, even though she's not feeling like it. Only a few weeks left to go, and then baby pictures!
Click here for more photos.
Click here for more photos.
Squishy, R.I.P.
Yesterday the world lost a gentle cat named Squishy. Squishy had been with my family for 16 years, greatly exceeding all expectations since my parents live near a busy street; his predecessors - Buddy and Squeak - only survived a few years between them. But, despite the moniker given by my sister, Squishy defied the odds and saw me through the end of elementary school, through high school, university, and beyond.
Squishy wasn't an extremely social cat. He didn't particularly like new people and would often just hide in the basement whenever the doorbell rang. And even after co-habitating with my father for 16 years, there was little ground gained in that relationship. But he was fiercely loyal to me and my mother. He often slept on my bed, and would sit underneath the desk lamp whenever I was on the computer. Even years after I had moved away from home, he would still greet me as though no time had passed, waiting to be pet.
Sadly, but perhaps not unexpectedly, his health declined as he grew older. His once regal, muscular physique deteriorated, despite a healthy appetite. He had survived a near-death situation a few years ago, but this time was different. It was time.
Thanks Squishy, for everything. We will always remember you.
Squishy wasn't an extremely social cat. He didn't particularly like new people and would often just hide in the basement whenever the doorbell rang. And even after co-habitating with my father for 16 years, there was little ground gained in that relationship. But he was fiercely loyal to me and my mother. He often slept on my bed, and would sit underneath the desk lamp whenever I was on the computer. Even years after I had moved away from home, he would still greet me as though no time had passed, waiting to be pet.
Sadly, but perhaps not unexpectedly, his health declined as he grew older. His once regal, muscular physique deteriorated, despite a healthy appetite. He had survived a near-death situation a few years ago, but this time was different. It was time.
Thanks Squishy, for everything. We will always remember you.
I love my new camera!
So I bought a new camera a few months ago - a Nikon D7000. I'd say it's about 100 times better than my old D70. It's great in low light, has a beautiful and large LCD screen, produces higher quality photographs, and has a bunch of handy features (like interval shooting and multiple exposure). One thing that it has that I really didn't care much for is the ability to capture HD video. I'm a photographer, not a videographer, so why should I pay extra for something I'll never use?
That's what I had thought, up until this morning. I discovered a beautiful dragonfly sitting in the grass this morning, seemingly waiting for the dew to evaporate off its wings before setting off for the day. It was sitting extremely still, so I couldn't pass up an opportunity to take some close-up shots. I grabbed my camera and attached my macro lens... and eventually my gorillapod too.
Before I get to the point of this story, I should also mention that doing macro photography is really nice with the live view feature of the D7000 - another feature that I swore I'd never need. It makes it much easier to fine-tune the focus on your subject without straining your eyes or back. Click here, here, and here to see photos I uploaded.
I took several photos from a variety of angles, and was about ready to call it a day, when the dragonfly started to move. At first I was going to snap some more frames, but then I remembered the video feature, so I thought I'd try it out. Below is the video I captured of this dragonfly, wiping droplets of dew from its head. I am quite impressed with the quality of the video, and even the sound. (The crunching noise you head is just me adjusting my position on a plastic bag - it was dewy and I didn't want to get wet!)
I'd like to dedicate this post to that dragonfly, who apparently didn't last much longer. I'm glad I could share his last moments.
PS Speaking of which: thanks Joy for your help with the bunny. Bad Jack!
That's what I had thought, up until this morning. I discovered a beautiful dragonfly sitting in the grass this morning, seemingly waiting for the dew to evaporate off its wings before setting off for the day. It was sitting extremely still, so I couldn't pass up an opportunity to take some close-up shots. I grabbed my camera and attached my macro lens... and eventually my gorillapod too.
Before I get to the point of this story, I should also mention that doing macro photography is really nice with the live view feature of the D7000 - another feature that I swore I'd never need. It makes it much easier to fine-tune the focus on your subject without straining your eyes or back. Click here, here, and here to see photos I uploaded.
I took several photos from a variety of angles, and was about ready to call it a day, when the dragonfly started to move. At first I was going to snap some more frames, but then I remembered the video feature, so I thought I'd try it out. Below is the video I captured of this dragonfly, wiping droplets of dew from its head. I am quite impressed with the quality of the video, and even the sound. (The crunching noise you head is just me adjusting my position on a plastic bag - it was dewy and I didn't want to get wet!)
I'd like to dedicate this post to that dragonfly, who apparently didn't last much longer. I'm glad I could share his last moments.
PS Speaking of which: thanks Joy for your help with the bunny. Bad Jack!
Yum
Yum
Originally uploaded by George Vnoucek
I never noticed this feature before in flickr. Here is one of many photos taken last long weekend in Goderich with the Wightenburgs, Caroline and Justin, Adam, and Lacey.
Culinary Tip of the Day
This is my new favourite way to eat Eggo waffles:
Ingredients:
- Eggo waffles (2)
- Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter (1 good scoop)
- pure Canadian maple syrup (as much as you want)
Directions:
1) Heat waffles in toaster oven, until golden brown
2) Apply whipped peanut butter to one waffle, covering completely
3) Place second waffle on top of first
4) Liberally apply maple syrup
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- Eggo waffles (2)
- Kraft Whipped Peanut Butter (1 good scoop)
- pure Canadian maple syrup (as much as you want)
Directions:
1) Heat waffles in toaster oven, until golden brown
2) Apply whipped peanut butter to one waffle, covering completely
3) Place second waffle on top of first
4) Liberally apply maple syrup
Enjoy!
Alternate Reality
Snowing cats and dogs
Today's freakish spring snow/slush storm reminded me of a lesson I learned the last time we had freezing rain a few weeks ago: cat litter is not an acceptable substitute for road salt.
Last Day
Jason, my colleague, told me encouragingly this morning: "Last day, eh?". I told him: "I've had a 'last day' here before...".
I guess I feel I will be stranded here again.
I guess I feel I will be stranded here again.
Counting chickens
I should have learned by now... the trip isn't over until the plane has taken off.
I will be staying one more week in lovely Bavaria. Thankfully, Carolyn is still heading home tomorrow.
We saw daylight today! It was so wonderful. We got to work a half-day (only 6 hours!), so we managed to have time to walk around Hallbergmoos. They have a street here called Bürgermeister-Funk Straße. Isn't that awesome?
Tomorrow I'll be taking Carolyn to the airport for her morning flight, and then heading into Munich city for some sight-seeing. Not sure what I'm going to see yet... I will probably just walk around, trying to enjoy my day of freedom (from work, not my wife).
I'm supposed to be flying home on Friday. We'll see.
I will be staying one more week in lovely Bavaria. Thankfully, Carolyn is still heading home tomorrow.
We saw daylight today! It was so wonderful. We got to work a half-day (only 6 hours!), so we managed to have time to walk around Hallbergmoos. They have a street here called Bürgermeister-Funk Straße. Isn't that awesome?
Tomorrow I'll be taking Carolyn to the airport for her morning flight, and then heading into Munich city for some sight-seeing. Not sure what I'm going to see yet... I will probably just walk around, trying to enjoy my day of freedom (from work, not my wife).
I'm supposed to be flying home on Friday. We'll see.
Grüße aus München
So I'm in Munich right now (in the bathroom so I don't wake Carolyn). When I started this week I did not expect to end it on the other side of the ocean, but I suppose that's life.
Carolyn and I were notified at work around 3 or 4pm on Wednesday that we needed to catch a flight to Munich... at 8pm... that evening. I wasn't 100% sure that my passport was valid, so I rushed home right away. Passport was valid, so I began the packing process, but it's been some years since my work travel days, so we didn't hit the road until nearly 6pm. Thankfully the task to get to the airport was left to our new VP of Engineering, with the CEO as first mate.
Through some kind of magic (I couldn't say which - my eyes were tightly closed) we made it to Pearson in less than an hour, with plenty of time to grab Tim Horton's for dinner. We also learned that pregnancy has it's perks for travel, as we were allowed to pre-board and settle in nicely, before all the plebes.
I won't go into details about the trip, suffice it to say that the doctor drilling a hole into my thumbnail this evening to relieve some pressure after slamming it in a car door this morning just might be the highlight of the trip.
To the office tomorrow, hopefully with positive results.
Carolyn and I were notified at work around 3 or 4pm on Wednesday that we needed to catch a flight to Munich... at 8pm... that evening. I wasn't 100% sure that my passport was valid, so I rushed home right away. Passport was valid, so I began the packing process, but it's been some years since my work travel days, so we didn't hit the road until nearly 6pm. Thankfully the task to get to the airport was left to our new VP of Engineering, with the CEO as first mate.
Through some kind of magic (I couldn't say which - my eyes were tightly closed) we made it to Pearson in less than an hour, with plenty of time to grab Tim Horton's for dinner. We also learned that pregnancy has it's perks for travel, as we were allowed to pre-board and settle in nicely, before all the plebes.
I won't go into details about the trip, suffice it to say that the doctor drilling a hole into my thumbnail this evening to relieve some pressure after slamming it in a car door this morning just might be the highlight of the trip.
To the office tomorrow, hopefully with positive results.
Baby, it's cold outside
I suppose it's not so cold anymore, but it was when these photos were taken.
Flash Forward
I consider myself to be an available light photographer. I typically take landscape (natural or urban) and wildlife (flora or fauna) photos, which implies that I make use of natural light to illuminate my subject. For the most part, it's a very WYSIWYG experience.
As such, I don't often find myself creating light for the scene. I rarely use my on-camera flash (it really sucks any sense of dimension out of a photo), but I have used an old Canon flash for off-camera macro photography. I bought an optical flash trigger so I can activate the remote flash using my on-camera flash. Unfortunately, the setup is awkward enough - and the results not satisfying enough - that I haven't gained any competency using a flash. And I have been OK with that deficiency.
Until now.
Carolyn got me a very nice flash for Christmas so I have become forced to become competent. I have tried playing with it on a few occasions in order to familiarize myself with the gamut of functions that I never realized a flash could have. It's quite frustrating to step out of one's comfort zone. I feel completely at ease with my camera in my hands, but with the addition of this inarguably helpful tool I have become a novice again.
Now, I have accepted (begrudgingly) the fact that I won't understand all the fancy features of the flash overnight; I don't even know what they are all for, let alone how to active them. What is most frustrating for me is not being able to create the lighting effect I desire. I am not able to correctly visualize how the scene will appear when I place the flash in a certain way using a certain setting. I mean, I understand the fundamental concepts of lighting, but I can't seem to consistently apply them.
On top of that, flash photography requires a much different mindset than available-light photography. Consider that when taking a photograph using available light, you take what you can get, and then you move on. If the sun has set then you can't get those cozy, warm colours any more. For me, this is great because I am under the pressure of the clock to get the shot; if I don't get it within that window then there's nothing more I can do.
That concept doesn't apply when you use flash. If you aren't getting the result you want then it's because you're not doing something right, and it's up to you to fix it. And there's no clock. No clock means there is no end. No end to getting the shot that's just a little bit better than the last one. For a perfectionist, this isn't healthy.
I suppose half the problem is that I don't know when I've nailed the shot; when I'm using natural light I have a sense of this, but not as much when using the flash. I expect this will come with time and practice, but knowing this fact doesn't make it easier.
So, practicing is what I have started to do. After a trip to the dollar store I acquired some coloured bristol board for backdrops, a foam board to keep them straight, and some clips to keep them attached. I managed to keep the foam board upright using some tape and a bookend, but I may invest in some better equipment after squishing my subject a few times. Below is a selection of my recent attempts. Note that they are all against a black backdrop; I was unable to illuminate the white backdrop enough, and the blue background just wasn't cutting it.
I have signed up for a day seminar for flash photography with Richard and Ryan in April, so I have high hopes for what I will learn. In the mean time I'll keep flashing.
As such, I don't often find myself creating light for the scene. I rarely use my on-camera flash (it really sucks any sense of dimension out of a photo), but I have used an old Canon flash for off-camera macro photography. I bought an optical flash trigger so I can activate the remote flash using my on-camera flash. Unfortunately, the setup is awkward enough - and the results not satisfying enough - that I haven't gained any competency using a flash. And I have been OK with that deficiency.
Until now.
Carolyn got me a very nice flash for Christmas so I have become forced to become competent. I have tried playing with it on a few occasions in order to familiarize myself with the gamut of functions that I never realized a flash could have. It's quite frustrating to step out of one's comfort zone. I feel completely at ease with my camera in my hands, but with the addition of this inarguably helpful tool I have become a novice again.
Now, I have accepted (begrudgingly) the fact that I won't understand all the fancy features of the flash overnight; I don't even know what they are all for, let alone how to active them. What is most frustrating for me is not being able to create the lighting effect I desire. I am not able to correctly visualize how the scene will appear when I place the flash in a certain way using a certain setting. I mean, I understand the fundamental concepts of lighting, but I can't seem to consistently apply them.
On top of that, flash photography requires a much different mindset than available-light photography. Consider that when taking a photograph using available light, you take what you can get, and then you move on. If the sun has set then you can't get those cozy, warm colours any more. For me, this is great because I am under the pressure of the clock to get the shot; if I don't get it within that window then there's nothing more I can do.
That concept doesn't apply when you use flash. If you aren't getting the result you want then it's because you're not doing something right, and it's up to you to fix it. And there's no clock. No clock means there is no end. No end to getting the shot that's just a little bit better than the last one. For a perfectionist, this isn't healthy.
I suppose half the problem is that I don't know when I've nailed the shot; when I'm using natural light I have a sense of this, but not as much when using the flash. I expect this will come with time and practice, but knowing this fact doesn't make it easier.
So, practicing is what I have started to do. After a trip to the dollar store I acquired some coloured bristol board for backdrops, a foam board to keep them straight, and some clips to keep them attached. I managed to keep the foam board upright using some tape and a bookend, but I may invest in some better equipment after squishing my subject a few times. Below is a selection of my recent attempts. Note that they are all against a black backdrop; I was unable to illuminate the white backdrop enough, and the blue background just wasn't cutting it.
I have signed up for a day seminar for flash photography with Richard and Ryan in April, so I have high hopes for what I will learn. In the mean time I'll keep flashing.
Rocky Holidays
Last Thanksgiving weekend, Carolyn and I went to visit our friends Andrea and Jeremy in Alberta. They moved out there last summer when Andrea got a ministerial placement in the metropolis of Killam. I can confirm that there is at least one stop sign in the town.
They were gracious enough to drive many hours and many hundred kilometers to show us the amazing Rocky Mountains, so I thought I should finally share some photos. Furthermore, I upgraded my computer over Christmas so I can do certain post-processing techniques (such as panoramas) much quicker.
We flew into Edmonton in the evening where we met Andrea, Jeremy, and Hiro. From there we drove straight to Canmore. Jeremy has booked us a great chalet, and this is the view we found in our backyard the next morning.
We drove into Banff National Park - my first visit - and headed for the Banff Gondola. The view on the way up is amazing, and once you're at the top - spectacular. We hiked around for quite some time and I took a number of photos. I think Jeremy and Andrea learned how time can slow to a crawl when I have my camera.
We then headed to Lake Louise for another short hike. Right on the lake is the Château Lake Louise, which is amazingly large and without a doubt has the best-smelling bathroom soap I have ever used. Everything since has left me wanting more from my hand-washing experience.
Just south of Lake Louise is the pristine Moraine Lake. I have never witnessed water so turquoise. Apparently it is one of the most photographed locations in Canada, and I can understand why.
Me and Carolyn at Moraine Lake.
Jeremy and Andrea at Moraine Lake.
To our dismay (and relief) we didn't have any real bear sightings (ask Carolyn), but on our way out of the park we had the pleasure of coming across a family of deer.
After ingesting some overpriced raclette in Banff, we headed back to Canmore. The next day we started the trek back to Killam. We stopped in Drumheller at the Royal Tyrell Museum. Sadly we got there too late to see any exhibits, but not too late to purchase some gifts for our dinosaur-crazy nephew. There were some dinosaur replicas outside the museum that Hiro was not too impressed with.
Late in the evening I finally got to check another thing off my life-list: seeing a moose. The photo isn't great but it's proof.
We finished our our visit with another few days in Killam, enjoying some balmy weather and a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner.
They were gracious enough to drive many hours and many hundred kilometers to show us the amazing Rocky Mountains, so I thought I should finally share some photos. Furthermore, I upgraded my computer over Christmas so I can do certain post-processing techniques (such as panoramas) much quicker.
We flew into Edmonton in the evening where we met Andrea, Jeremy, and Hiro. From there we drove straight to Canmore. Jeremy has booked us a great chalet, and this is the view we found in our backyard the next morning.We drove into Banff National Park - my first visit - and headed for the Banff Gondola. The view on the way up is amazing, and once you're at the top - spectacular. We hiked around for quite some time and I took a number of photos. I think Jeremy and Andrea learned how time can slow to a crawl when I have my camera.
We then headed to Lake Louise for another short hike. Right on the lake is the Château Lake Louise, which is amazingly large and without a doubt has the best-smelling bathroom soap I have ever used. Everything since has left me wanting more from my hand-washing experience.Just south of Lake Louise is the pristine Moraine Lake. I have never witnessed water so turquoise. Apparently it is one of the most photographed locations in Canada, and I can understand why.
Me and Carolyn at Moraine Lake.
Jeremy and Andrea at Moraine Lake.
To our dismay (and relief) we didn't have any real bear sightings (ask Carolyn), but on our way out of the park we had the pleasure of coming across a family of deer.
After ingesting some overpriced raclette in Banff, we headed back to Canmore. The next day we started the trek back to Killam. We stopped in Drumheller at the Royal Tyrell Museum. Sadly we got there too late to see any exhibits, but not too late to purchase some gifts for our dinosaur-crazy nephew. There were some dinosaur replicas outside the museum that Hiro was not too impressed with.
Late in the evening I finally got to check another thing off my life-list: seeing a moose. The photo isn't great but it's proof.We finished our our visit with another few days in Killam, enjoying some balmy weather and a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner.
