Happy Leap Day everyone.   Unfortunately, something that will not be returning in 4 years is Polaroid film.   It has only been a couple of weeks since the company announced they would no longer be making it.   I listened to another story about it today on NPR.   Not only is that huge Polaroid camera amazing, but I also found some of the comments interesting in the story.

“Dorfman says the “seduction” of the digital camera — the ability to take picture after picture until snapping a good one — does not mean it’s actually a better process.

Read the rest of this entry »

… my back would be in much better shape. There is no way I could choose a favorite. I know there are many suggestions in how limiting yourself to using one lens, perhaps if only for a day, can expand your creativity, help you really learn that focal length.

While I do think that is a worthwhile exercise to try, I could never do it for very long. I also see suggestions from time to time to ‘bring only the lenses you plan to use’ in the field. Again, great advice for your back, but personally I feel a bit incapacitated. It will also guarantee that I will encounter a great subject that is perfect for the lens I decided to leave at home.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lodz (Lódz), Poland

Lodz is located in central Poland, about 100km from Warsaw. It became a city in 1423 but its real development occurred in 1800s, when it grew from few thousand inhabitants to over 300k thanks to the industrial revolution.

Textile mills have created enormous fortunes and lots of jobs. It is from this era that the most of glorious architectural monuments have been created being the merchant houses, palaces, extravagant shops and monumental churches. Lodz was a very complex cultural mix before Second World War as it was inhabited by Poles, Jews, Germans and Russians.

Read the rest of this entry »

Amsterdam, Holland

Amsterdam was our third destination. This is one very alive city. Not all of it suitable for family holidays so if you intend to visit be either forewarned or prepared to skip whole sections of the city. If you place the red light district and “coffee shops” aside there is a lot Amsterdam has to offer for the tourist. You can travel the canals for hours and admire centuries of interesting architecture. And when you are tired of the “classics” simply visit the ZOO.
Read the rest of this entry »

I have been tagged by Paul Lester to reveal 8 things you might not know about me. Since I have read some other posts lately about people’s pets, I have been wanting to introduce you to Chinny, even before being ‘tagged.’ So you will get only one for now.

Chinny (short for Chinook) is a female, purebred Alaskan Malamute (commonly confused with a Husky). Malamutes in general are a lot bigger than huskies. My wife rescued her from a drug dealer at the age of one (no, she was not a customer!!), Chinny is now 6. Her previous owner left her outside 100% of the time, often with no food or water, and was frequently abusive. This guy was a neighbor to my wife’s mother, and one day she just went over there and said why don’t I take that dog off your hands. The guy agreed, stating she was a terrible watchdog, which is why he got her. Anyone that knows the personality of a malamute would say -’what an idiot’ - Malamutes are not watchdogs. They will usually greet everyone regardless if they know them.

Read the rest of this entry »