We’ve been away for a long time but I’ve missed writing and we still have plenty going on so we’re back to share. AldrichFamily.org, FairportOutside.com, & photography.randyaldrich.net have all been merged into this site, categories have been updated, and for the most part pictures/links have been corrected. What still remains will be fixed over the next few days.
photography
RIT Big Shot 27
I made it to the 27th RIT Big Shot last night. The venue would have been perfect for the whole family this time but we felt everybody is still a little young to be out that late during the week since so they had to sit this one out.
This is hands down the most people I’ve seen at a Big Shot yet. I’ve heard it was somewhere around 1500 but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was more than that. The entire SeaBreeze park was packed, It seemed like there were hundreds of people assigned to each of the lighting areas.
As always, the picture was online before I had a chance to check (ya gotta love Digital Photography). I thought it came out beautifully but check it out for yourselves below:
I managed to sneak my own picture (handheld as they didn’t allow tripods in) with one hand while lighting things up with my other:
Sorry it’s a little shaky 😦 I still thought it came out pretty neat.
Fixing the Ability to edit iPhone Images Imported to Windows
If you’ve been plagued by the following errors ever since upgrading to iOS5:
Fret no more, relief is here!
After much investigation the root cause is erroneous white-space characters in the XMP block of the image files.
The first step to fixing this problem is to
Stop taking pictures with the volume button!
No, this is not a solution but the problem seems to happen more frequently for images taken with the volume up button than images take win the shutter release on-screen button. Therefor, avoiding the volume button seems like a good idea. Next,
Fix the Images which already have the issue!
Lots of work-arounds have been posted for when you discover the problem when editing a particular image, however; the issue may surface down the road on images you have not previously edited. For me, fixing the issue only on the images I attempted to edit was not a good solution. I wanted an all-or-nothing fix.
I’ve written a small Java utility which will scan over an entire directory (or a directory of directories, or a directory of directories of directories, etc) and fix the issue on any images which have it. The full source code is available on Google Code (yes I still live in 2009, but at least it’s using mercurial). It will not touch images which do not have the issue.
Download jpegxmpxmltrimmer
As of this post the current version is 0.01 which essentially means:
It’s pre-production, pre-release, pre-beta, pre-alpha, pre-warranty, you-get-what-you-pay-for. /disclaimer
Run jpegxmpxmltrimmer
Assuming you already have a Java JRE installed, bring up a command prompt and enter the following command:
NOTE: This command will not edit existing files. This is the safe mechanism to fixing your images. Rather than fixing the originals, it makes copies and fixes the copies (named appropriately).
java -jar <path-to-downloaded-jpegxmpxmltrimmer.jar> <path-to-root-directory-of-images>
If you would like to fix the error by editing the existing files simply add a true at the end of the commandline.
That’s it. You’ve now fixed the issue! Yay! <insert-mini-celebration-here/>
The Catch
You’ve fixed the images with the pre-existing issue, but the bug still exists in the latest release of iOS (5.1 as of this post).
For now, you’ll have to run the utility over any files you import. I’ve still found the issue on a few photos I’ve imported even since I stopped using the volume button.
I’ve reported the issue to Apple but haven’t yet heard back. If you want this issue fixed permanently I suggest you do the same:
- Submit an Apple RADAR
- Apple Product Feedback
- Call Apple Care at 1-800-APL-CARE
Rochester Made
Ever take a photograph? Rochester says “you’re welcome”
Pretty neat site about a few things Rochester played a big part in.
RIT Big Shot 26
I made it to the 26th RIT Big Shot tonight at the Strong National Museum. They had it online almost before I got home. I was pleasantly happy with the results:
UPDATE: The Democrat and Chronicle has posted a short video and a write-up. Both worth checking out.
Timelapse Junkie
I’m a timelapse junkie. I like creating them, I like watching them, I find (good ones) absolutely stunning. Not sure when this started but it is what it is.
Recently I’ve noticed a whole slew of them popping up on the ‘tubes and I thought I’d share a few of the good ones. You’ve probably seen at least one or two of them. I can watch them all over and over again though, and I’d bet I”m not the only one.
Rochester NY Winter Timelapse by Rochester’s own Mindrelic Photography:
NYC by the same artist:
The Aurora by TSO Photography:
Le Flâneur by Luke Shepard
What Happens, Happens. Breath
We’ve had a lot going on lately.
- In February we refinanced our duplex.
- A the end of February we bought a new car.
- In March our offer on a new house was accepted.
- We close on the new house May 10th.
- We’re in the process of finishing work on our apartment.
- We’re in the process of renting out our apartment (we’re keeping our duplex).
- My Photography business is just getting started.
- I started a new Outdoors Blog.
- Our first baby is due June 4th.
- Rachel has been put on bed-rest until the due date.
- Stressful things are afoot at work (some that I like, some that I don’t).
With all that’s going on I constantly need to remind myself to just slow down & breathe. It’s hard sometimes. There’s a lot to get done and it often feels like I’m not getting anywhere. I get tired of people telling me about it though, I’m fine. I take it all in stride, and whatever happens happens and we’ll deal with it as it comes.
Ze posted a song a while back that I had totally forgotten about until today, when he posted the story of how he made it. It resonates with me perfectly. I get it.
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer.swf/track=397380065/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/
Hey, I’m Ok.
I’ll be fine.
Just Breathe.
Vintage Computers
Just saw a slideshow by TIME titled ‘Core Memory: Photographs of Vintage Computers‘. This stuff is immensely interesting to me, both as a Photographer and a computer geek.
My favorite (pictured below) is the picture of Core Memory. You can essentially picture this as the grandfather of flash memory today (the stuff you stick in your digital camera or phone). Technology is insane.
Be sure to click through to see all the pictures.
NOTE: imate originally seen on TIME’s website.
Recommended Cameras
I get asked all the time if I have any camera recommendations. My first questions are always: “what are you looking to get out of it?”, and “what is your price range?”. I have some stand-by recommendations depending on what the answers are. I threw together a product recommendation page that takes care of the recommendation part for me. Of course I’m always willing to give advice and feedback, but those who know me might turn here first to get some info from now on.
You can buy direct from amazon right through my recommended products page for the same prices you’d get on Amazon.com. However; if you buy from here I get a super tiny percentage. So… If you’re looking to buy a camera and you find one on my recommendation page that you like I’d love it if you buy it here.
Thanks!
NOTE: I’ll keep the recommendation page up to date with the latest stuff as often as I can with the latest and greatest. However; remember these are my RECOMMENDATIONS, they won’t always be the hottest new stuff, because a lot of the time I feel the new stuff is just fluff, and the older models are better for the money.
Snowstorm in Fairport
Took a little walk with my Camera and MonoPod tonight. It was my first time using a Monopod and it’s alright, but I couldn’t drag the shutter as much as I wanted to so I had to crank the ISO a bit more than I’d like for pictures like these. Ahh well, turned out ok anyway. Kinda fun to shoot too.
I love the snow and I love snow storms. They make Fairport so pretty. Glad I took the time to go out even if it was for only a few minutes.
Randy Aldrich 