In just a few weeks, the national conventions for the US presidential elections will take place. The Republican convention will be held in Tampa, Florida while the Democratic convention will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both states are key to the November election. Recalling the electoral votes from 4 years ago, here is the 2008 Electoral Map.
As the campaign enters the final months, no doubt the political rhetoric will heat up and the candidates will make all kinds of campaign stops. The presumed nominee for the Republican Party, Mitt Romney is on an international tour. After day one, he was already stumbling. You cannot go to some one's country and criticize them. It just does not work like that, but he did. He criticized the British on their ability to host the 2012 Summer Games just days before the opening ceremony. I guess since he was the chairman of the Salt Lake City winter games, no one was in a better position to say something than he is.
Despite all of the criticism that President Obama receives, many people around the world believe that he is on their side. The other day, I came across a picture from Niger, a country in West Africa and one of the poorest in the world. There in a fishing village, a man was wearing a shirt that should bring any American to tears. Here is the picture taken by Anthony Pappone, Festival on the Niger. This man may never meet President Obama, but he knows of him and seems to believe in him. President Obama's decisions go far beyond the shores of the United States. If people in the US want the world to respect them then they need to start respecting their own president. It seems the rest of the world does, for Barack Obama is a president for all.
27 July 2012
06 July 2012
Photography
Wow!!!!! I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post. Sufficient to say, I have been busy. It has been a rather hectic time. Stress from the financial markets keeps everyone on raw edge. Thus, it is really a good thing that I rekindled my love for photography. It is a hobby, that allows me to be close to nature and forget about the everyday stress in life.
A few years ago, my father gave me a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera. I already had one, a gift from my husband which started to reintroduce me to photography. My father bought one which was on the professional level, and found it required a lot of time to learn all of its features. When I saw it, I told him that when he tired of it, he could pass it on to me. Within two months of my saying that, he decided he would give it to me. I, too, was overwhelmed with all of the features, but I was very grateful for his generosity. I received the camera at the end of 2008 and 3.5 years later I am still learning new features.
There are many types of photography, portraits, landscape, nature, wildlife, still-life, sports, etc. I like landscape, nature, and wildlife. These allow me to be outside. For some reason, I don't like using flash. May be it is because I have not yet mastered the skill or may be just being outside is more relaxing.
During my junior high school days, I was the photographer for our yearbook. In senior high, I took a photography class. My father helped me to learn the foundations of photography and continued to help me over the years. Once on a recent visit to my parents, my father and I went to the zoo to take pictures of the animals. As each day passes and I see more and more incredible pictures, I want to improve my photographic skills. I have been able to learn a lot on my own, but really think it would be fun to take a workshop. The internet is a great resource for improving photographic skills there are so many tutorials both free and paid courses. It is also amazing how many people are willing to share their knowledge about photography. I have found some fantastic blogs as well.
Today, with technology there are a lot of people interested in photography. Some are professionals and others like me do it as a hobby. I don't spend much time in post-processing. The key to a good photograph for me is capturing the image you want when you take the picture, not adjusting it afterwards. I think cropping is within the limits, but color enhancing does not interest me. The key to good photography, like everything else, is practice. With the digital medium, taking thousands of pictures is more affordable than when film had to be processed. Often, I feel that I lack a subject to photography. Since reading a few blogs and watching some tutorials, everything item is worth capturing; be it as mundane as a bottle cap to a majestic picture of an iconic mountain peak.
Finally, photography has a side benefit. It is a way to get good exercise. On the days, when you just don't feel like hitting the gym or making a major effort to play around of 18 holes of golf. Take the camera and go for a walk and see what new things you discover. Recently, I took the camera to some of the villages in the area. These are places I pass on a regular basis, but just never stopped to really look at them.
Just remember get out there and shoot, shoot, and shoot some more.
A few years ago, my father gave me a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera. I already had one, a gift from my husband which started to reintroduce me to photography. My father bought one which was on the professional level, and found it required a lot of time to learn all of its features. When I saw it, I told him that when he tired of it, he could pass it on to me. Within two months of my saying that, he decided he would give it to me. I, too, was overwhelmed with all of the features, but I was very grateful for his generosity. I received the camera at the end of 2008 and 3.5 years later I am still learning new features.
There are many types of photography, portraits, landscape, nature, wildlife, still-life, sports, etc. I like landscape, nature, and wildlife. These allow me to be outside. For some reason, I don't like using flash. May be it is because I have not yet mastered the skill or may be just being outside is more relaxing.
During my junior high school days, I was the photographer for our yearbook. In senior high, I took a photography class. My father helped me to learn the foundations of photography and continued to help me over the years. Once on a recent visit to my parents, my father and I went to the zoo to take pictures of the animals. As each day passes and I see more and more incredible pictures, I want to improve my photographic skills. I have been able to learn a lot on my own, but really think it would be fun to take a workshop. The internet is a great resource for improving photographic skills there are so many tutorials both free and paid courses. It is also amazing how many people are willing to share their knowledge about photography. I have found some fantastic blogs as well.
Today, with technology there are a lot of people interested in photography. Some are professionals and others like me do it as a hobby. I don't spend much time in post-processing. The key to a good photograph for me is capturing the image you want when you take the picture, not adjusting it afterwards. I think cropping is within the limits, but color enhancing does not interest me. The key to good photography, like everything else, is practice. With the digital medium, taking thousands of pictures is more affordable than when film had to be processed. Often, I feel that I lack a subject to photography. Since reading a few blogs and watching some tutorials, everything item is worth capturing; be it as mundane as a bottle cap to a majestic picture of an iconic mountain peak.
Finally, photography has a side benefit. It is a way to get good exercise. On the days, when you just don't feel like hitting the gym or making a major effort to play around of 18 holes of golf. Take the camera and go for a walk and see what new things you discover. Recently, I took the camera to some of the villages in the area. These are places I pass on a regular basis, but just never stopped to really look at them.
Just remember get out there and shoot, shoot, and shoot some more.
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