Spiff Happens

Sunday, March 13, 2022

Planet Baseball

52Frames2022 Week 10 "Low Key"

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry during the MLB lockout and labor dispute. I chose laughter by remembering one of my favorite and funniest baseball players … Bob Uecker. Bob is known for great quotes like: “Sporting goods companies pay me NOT to endorse their products” … and, “The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up." Also, as Harry Doyle in the movie “Major League:” “This guy threw at his own son in a father son game.” And, from his Miller Lite commercials: “I must be in the front row.” So, I grabbed my Bob Uecker autographed baseball and small flashlight to produce this photo. I did not center the baseball in the photo because I wanted it … “JUST a bit outside.”

Sunday, March 6, 2022

On Golden Retention Pond

52Frames2022 Week 09 "Reflections"

As luck would have it this week, I noticed that Mr. & Mrs. Mallard had set up residency in our neighborhood retention pond. Obviously, they were preapproved for a loan because they moved in immediately. I imagine they outbid other duck couples as the real estate market is still red hot in our area. I suspect we will also have some ducklings in the near future. I can’t wait. I was fortunate that I picked a near perfect time to wander by the pond to take this photo. The reflections of the golden grass, the blue sky and green trees made a beautiful canvas for our lovely couple. I just hope they stay a while and aren’t scared off by our rather high monthly HOA fees.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Simple Pleasures

52Frames2022 Week 08 "Rule of Thirds"

When the world seems to going to heck in a handbasket ... take a deep breath, and remember the simple joy of popping bubbles.

Gigi and I were lucky enough to have our 2-year-old grandson while his parents took his older sister to Disneyworld. I can now report that Hurricane Austin is back home and FEMA is at our house assessing the damages. If Gigi and Papa took a shot of booze each time Austin said, “Where’s Mama?” … we would both be attending an AA meeting today. (If we were conscious.) Thanks, Austin for a most excellent, fun week.

I used the "rule of thirds" focal point on the popping bubble in Austin's hands. Lucky shot you say? You would be correct! Many times I would rather be lucky than good.

Note: Many bubbles were harmed during this photo shoot.

Sunday, February 20, 2022

The Haunted Attic

52Frames2022 Week 07 "Unexplored"

So, it’s been over a year now since we moved into our new home which is located about one-half mile from Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Since I have read a few books about the Battle of Atlanta, I am pretty sure that there were troop movements through the area where we’re now living. Which brings me to this. I heard a sound, as though something fell, coming from our attic. That would not be that unusual since I do have the habit of randomly stacking things on top of each other. I decided to investigate. Now, most of you, who listened to me on the radio, know that I’m not one to embellish or fabricate stories. (Okay, I have been known to do that on quite a few occasions. Matter of fact, former NBC news anchor Brian Williams takes a back seat to me when it comes to inventing amazing tall tales.) Anyway, as I slowly opened the door to our attic, I was confronted by what I can only describe as … a spirit from beyond. Was it a soldier from the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain? Was it a former land owner from days gone by? Or, was it me attempting to finish my weekly photo challenge which is … “Unexplored?”

Thursday, February 17, 2022

How we view the world today

52Frames2022 Week 06 "Depth of Field"

Step one: Take a photo of one of my Corgis. Display the photo on my phone. This is Jenny (sister to Forrest.) I took her photo this week (200mm – f2.8 – 1/200.) Hey, that would qualify as a nice DOF photo itself. But wait, there’s more!

Step two: Hold my phone with Jenny’s photo in front of my Nikon Z6II camera and take an even narrower DOF photo (40mm-f2.2-1/50.) Apparently, this is how we view our world today, on tiny screens that we hold out in front of our eyes. Amazing!

Step three: Post the photo on 52Frames minutes before the deadline. Apparently, that is what I do each week.

Step four: Tuesday or Wednesday go to 52Frames and view my submission on my phone screen. What a wonderful and tiny world we live in.

Monday, February 7, 2022

Break on through to the other side

52Frames2022 Week 05 "Black and White"

"You know the day destroys the night … Night divides the day … Tried to run … Tried to hide … Break on through to the other side" – The Doors

I noticed this elderly couple hiking a trail in Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. They were near a monument and walking a path toward the forest. I quickly (as fast as an old man can) set my shutter speed at 1/13 of a second using auto ISO and deliberately moved my camera up and down. In post processing, I converted to B&W and made adjustments in Lightroom and Nik filters. I liked the final look of an almost watery trail, with web-like tree limbs, mysterious white blocks and a chain fence leading line. This photo can be interpreted in many ways, but I immediately thought of The Doors song. Let me know what you see.

Monday, January 31, 2022

I'm King of the World!

52Frames2022 Week 04 "Minimalist"

Okay, so it’s not as romantic as the movie “Titanic,” but hey … buzzards need love too. (Or so I hear.)

There just happens to be this awesome dead tree on our cul-de-sac. And, during the winter months, there just happens to be a LOT of buzzards in our immediate area. So, I stepped out our front door one morning and there he/she was … on the very peak of the dead tree, wings spread wide. I thought to myself, “Self, this would make a great minimalist photo. Especially if I converted it to black and white. And, I sure would love some pancakes for breakfast.” I often lose track of my thoughts. Anyway, the pancakes were delicious.

Going Up?

52Frames2022 Week 03 "Complementary Colors"

When stairs were first invented, how did people know how to use them? I wonder if there was imaging such as this to help instruct first time stair climbers? And, if only they had added drawings showing people how to go back down the stairs … that would have certainly helped with the overcrowding of the upper floors. NOTE: The original walls in this staircase were yellow. But, since I liked the blue “stair-climbing figure,” I convinced the owner of the building to repaint the walls orange so that I could complete this week’s challenge of Complementary Colors. Had I really thought about it, I would have just done it myself in Photoshop. Later, I did apologize to the owner, but she was none too happy about my idea for next week’s Extra Challenge theme of “Nude.”

Hello from ... the Twilight Zone

52Frames2022 Week 02 "Hello From ..."

You are traveling through another dimension. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination …

To tell the truth, I’m in the here and now. But, on occasion, I will mentally time travel back to my childhood where the only time I wore a mask was when I went Trick-or-Treating. That’s where I went this week after I spotted a sweet 1957 Mercury in the parking lot at Kennesaw Mountain Park. I took this photo and was shocked to see that it looked like I had used a vintage Kodak Instamatic for the snapshot. (Insert “Twilight Zone” music.)

Witness Mr. Spiff Carner, amateur photographer. A fanciful little man with a Nikon camera and a Walter Mitty imagination. An accidental siting of a classic automobile will lead him on a short trip ... through the Twilight Zone.

The World is Upside Down (and in B&W)

52Frames2022 Week 01 "Self-Portrait"

In a world that has turned upside down, there are two things you can bet on. One, I will never quit talking to almost everyone I see. (The curse of a former radio personality.) And two, my better half Janet will never be far away from me. For that, I am very blessed. For this week's photo I used Janet's magnifying makeup mirror and quickly discovered that I had more hair in my nose than on my head. After getting over that shock, I placed the mirror in front of my computer monitor with a screensaver photo of Janet and me. I kept the self portrait and mirror in color and converted the remainder of the photo into B&W. Then I ... hang on a sec. Okay, Janet just told me to take a breath and quit talking to the computer monitor. Gotta go. Thanks for listening.