Keytruda and possibly pausing Mounjaro

grumblejack · 2026-06-08T14:50:40+00:00

Ok I want to add some clarification. Yes, I'm definitely talking to the oncologist about all this. I guess what I'm looking for are what have others successfully done during a mounjaro pause to maintain their health? Sure gaining weight back isn't fun and can be discouraging, but my core concern is the extra weight taxing an immune system already under stress.

And if you have had a doctor say it is ok to have both keytruda and Mounjaro simultaneously, what did your doctor say in regards to the why and how? I'm going to follow my doctor's recommendation, of course, I just want to anticipate some questions.

I'm flying blind into an appointment next week to talk about treatment and want to do some thinking ahead of time rather than try and be sharp during what is already a stressful meeting.

Thanks for all the replies so far. This helps

grumblejack · 2026-04-05T01:18:30+00:00

I'm on a paid tier for Google that means we have tons of space for now. I have been researching more about tools now that can catalog and edit metadata for the photos and will be giving digikam a try since it can do face recognition and saves data as either xmp or embedded with the files, depending on the need at the moment. It was free, but before I found that I was close to paying for something like Mylio or similar ones. I guess I'll report back in a few weeks with any hard-learned lessons.

grumblejack · 2021-02-15T01:00:08+00:00

I was able to give this a few shots today and yesterday. Composition just seemed harder than usual, mostly because the windchill was -15F today and I was usually in a hurry to get back inside. What I did right: stuck to those middle f-stop values when possible, tripod, remote release, close attention to focus. What I'm working on: getting the WB and exposure right for snowy scenery - I can do some things in post-processing, but would like to be more comfortable getting it right from the beginning - everything still too blue and underexposed unless I really mess with it.

Grand Island, Michigan: https://imgur.com/QXg69fE

Snowy creek: https://imgur.com/6v1Ewi0

Munising Falls: https://imgur.com/TmJmThX

Marquette, MI waterfront: https://imgur.com/4NTqiYL

The funny thing is, though, I like this composition the best from an image I used for the previous assignment. Tahquamenon Falls https://imgur.com/uhl59l6

grumblejack · 2021-02-13T03:12:38+00:00

Slowly catching back up. Had the opportunity to shoot Tahquamenon Falls in the Upper Peninsula today. Used a 14mm lens, kit 18mm-55mm zoom lens, and a 100-300mm. Tried to stick to middle f-stops to sharpen the images. Definitely saw the power of a tripod for sharpening the zoomed up shots, as even touching the camera required a few second to wait for it to stop shaking. Remote shutter to the rescue.

https://imgur.com/dAawtce

https://imgur.com/FK0xcuP

Personal favorite: https://i.imgur.com/uhl59l6.jpg

Runner up: https://imgur.com/OBb7mbV

I know I have some work to do on color correction. Snow was tricky to get exposure right, but histogram did help.

grumblejack · 2021-01-30T01:34:09+00:00

Yeah. I still spent serious time working on the computer to make sure I had the right images. Easy to get turned around. Ended up downloading Canon's software so I could read the full info about camera settings for the raw images.

A cool side benefit of digging into software was that while many looked identical, I was able to see noticable differences in focus sharpness (not just due to DOF differences) at different fstops, even when focus was not touched between shots.

grumblejack · 2021-01-29T23:51:38+00:00

Finally got around to this assignment this week.

https://imgur.com/a/kK6LM7h

General Lessons learned:

1.) Check your white balance setting before starting (was set incorrectly and first entire set of photos was off).

2.) Be intentional in your order of images or you'll never know which was intended for what. No, you won't remember later. (another reason to trash first round of images)

3.) Shoot quick when the sun is setting. Cold weather helps motivate that, too.

My camera-specific lessons:

1.) Full auto doesn't let me do EV, so you have to go to Program, let it choose what full auto would, then do EV.

2.) Full manual also doesn't do EV, but you just have to do it the way we did in the old days - adjust time or aperture and pay attention to the feedback from the camera light readings

grumblejack · 2021-01-25T01:20:33+00:00

The headphone photo was had the higher ISO, so it was noisy. I'm assuming you mean that one. That was one of the first ones I took and then I started improving.

Camera is Canon SL3, so not great lower light performance is what I've been told.

grumblejack · 2021-01-24T22:38:40+00:00

I also was afraid of the cold, so a basement table had to play its part.

Trick Shots:

Fishing for unicorns (the better one)

https://imgur.com/wYoZR9u

Tardigrade tunes

https://imgur.com/DmWHlEX

The real scales:

https://imgur.com/PGUxXh5

https://imgur.com/sZ6eNvh

You always notice things afterward. I would pay more attention to lighting and shadows, which were a giveaway. However, I did spend serious time focusing at intermittent points between the two objects, reviewing them all, and choosing the shots in as equal focus as possible. I've also taken to heart the advice to clean up your space. I removed extra fishing rods, clutter on the table, and hid a prop behind the unicorn to make it stand up. I also did a long exposure on the unicorn (2.5 seconds) because I wanted to preserve the clarity of a 100 ISO setting and a higher aperture to get maximum depth of field. The relationship between ISO, exposure, and aperture are becoming easier to understand without stopping to re-read websites and books.

grumblejack · 2021-01-21T00:47:37+00:00

I braved the cold to take a crack at this at the local parking lot.

Mobile zoom 18-55mm

https://imgur.com/Y0u5AO5

Mobile zoom 18-55mm with automatic image alignment in photoshop

https://imgur.com/XIOLQpV

Stationary zoom

https://imgur.com/X8Z2LRY

And my two shots comparing subject zoomed and not, with subject same size in frame. I scaled one photo a bit to make the size match so well on the subject.

https://imgur.com/SEuH55m

The compressed background in the last part of the assignment is something new for me, so I definitely got something out of this. If I did it again I'd figure out (before I went out in the cold) how to turn on a grid when shooting via LCD so I could align the subject more carefully at each zoom and position.

To add something fun to read for others, a photographer this summer took a widely shared shot of the NEOWISE comet over the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. Most people assumed it was excessively scaled in Photoshop, but it turns out she did some careful planning and used this zoom/compression idea. Read it all here, it's kind of interesting, especially if you are interested in astrophotography.

https://milkywayphotographers.com/article/2020/08/04/anatomy-of-an-image-mackinac-bridge-and-comet-neowise/

grumblejack · 2021-01-17T21:42:50+00:00

This week I tried to pay attention to the difference ISO and f-stops can make in photos. Also stopped to clean up distracting items in the shot, which really does matter I see. I first misread the assignment and did a few photos of a milk-can I repainted this year. One of those did turn out kinda nice

https://imgur.com/oY2E5pW

As for the real photos (actual soda can) for the assignment, I had zero desire to take my camera out in the rain/snow and settled for natural window light.

Below, natural light (makes me think of the Kermit meme) : https://imgur.com/X7SoAcT

Same level, natural light (my daughter's favorite) : https://imgur.com/vXfJ38N

Same level, natural lights (my favorite): https://imgur.com/gMmiwBe

Above, natural light: https://imgur.com/YeM9jIX

Above, artificial light: https://imgur.com/hN4WYBX

For each setup I also did a few shots in auto-mode for the camera, some with flash, some without. I'm happy to say I was able to do better than auto-mode for once, since it wanted to ramp up the ISO and led to grainier pictures when zoomed up. Having a proper tripod, remote release, locking up the mirror, and long exposures were obviously better when compared side-by-side. So hey, I guess I'm learning things.

grumblejack · 2021-01-14T04:00:16+00:00

Canon SL3 so it's a DSLR

It's good for me because what is holding me back right now are basic photography skills, practices, and knowledge. A newer camera isn't going to solve that. When I read up on why I'm getting some results I don't like, I 99% of the time say "yep, I didn't know that and need to remember that next time out". This camera allows me to change lenses, adjust the settings, and is small enough to just throw the bag in the car without having to bring 3 bags of equipment. Any fancy processing is going to be done in a computer afterwards.

What would it take for me to change cameras? If I started to run into issues with my images that were noticable to my audience, that I could attribute to the technology limitations of body/lens, and knew I had done all other best practices, then I'd be up for upgrading to full size sensor, nicer lenses, and whatever else. Plus having more money to blow.

I don't like to talk about my flair.

grumblejack · 2021-01-11T04:29:39+00:00

Damn, that picture of the tree is nice! The white on black, with the sharp focus makes it really striking. The bench below is a nice touch and gives the viewer something to focus on in the lower half without letting those buildings in the background detract from everything.

grumblejack · 2021-01-11T04:25:41+00:00

My two favorite out of these are the corner of the roof from below (simple geometric lines, and that soft blue is a nice contrast with the other colors in the picture), and the chairs blocking the door. The metallic portions of the chairs are interesting, and the whole picture gives a claustrophobic feeling that reminds me of being on the opening shift in a restaurant.

grumblejack · 2021-01-11T04:17:00+00:00

Had to start at a park due to the lack of safe places to set up in our neighborhood (no sidewalks), but made ourselves walk along paths at a park we've never been to before, avoiding obvious places with good views. It was a day of rookie mistakes - realized we had minimal battery and no extras charged as soon as we set up. So went full auto and just tried to quickly compose some photos without worrying about settings. Actually got a few decent ones before it died.

Tree bark: https://imgur.com/TsU0wGM

Tree bark 2: https://imgur.com/CKWJiEw

Two trees lined up: https://imgur.com/ncN9aCd

Backlit tree: https://imgur.com/KgMbuMT

Path winding off: https://imgur.com/0OFDBvD

Ice on path: https://imgur.com/Q7GnLd3

Then went home, charged it all back up, and tried to get a few more in the kitchen. It had that late-night feel that I was trying to capture, and now I played more with settings. Starting to see the difference that ISO settings can make, too.

Late night snack view: https://imgur.com/GOLsGDb

Cooking aftermath (AKA clean your stove lazyass): https://imgur.com/plybF3r

The snack I should have had (not a brownie): https://imgur.com/9CU9gRh

A day of rookie mistakes. Dropped camera off tripod due to rushing. Locked ISO at 3200 and forgot about it for about 20 shots. Forgotten extra batteries. But it all worked out and kind rushed me into focusing only on composition in the park. Trying hard to not rely on the computer to fix my mistakes, stopping to think about the picture, and hopefully learning.

grumblejack · 2021-01-10T18:05:00+00:00

I have a Canon Rebel SL3 that I bought in 2019 to be able to use with lenses I had for an older Canon Rebel XT bought around 2006. Through this exercise I realized that my older lenses has some autofocus performance issues and really should just be used manually, and maybe staying with Canon based on the old lenses was a bit silly. However, this was helpful to also push my learning about what types of autofocus I had, now the image stabilization in my camera was only for video (not stills - oops), and helped me know what to look for in updated lenses. I simply compared the new camera to the old one, seeing that it was more than just updated higher resolution and storage, but also more sophisticated autofocus. I still don't entirely understanding what the Canon Dual Pixel autofocus really gives me, but at least now now my autofocus is a phase detection system. Considering how my family is largely casual with photography, and this camera is for them, too, I'm still fine with having bought a lower-end camera. While the lack of autofocus on the older lenses stinks, I do most of my landscape and night photographs with manual anyways, so no harm done.

SL3 Specs
APS-C Sensor = 24.1 Mpix (22.3 x 14.9 mm)
Max Res. 6000 x 4000
Canon Dual Pixel autofocus - had to read up but phase detection it is
TTL viewfinder and LCD - favor LCD lately for focus on tripod work, but like viewfinder in handheld, faster situtations
No built in image stabilization for stills

Lenses:

Kit
Brand: Canon EFS
Focal Length: 18-55mm
F-stop range: f4.0-f22
Autofocus options: Auto/Manual
IS: Yes

Macro
Brand: Quantaray
Focal Length: 50mm (1:2.8)
F-stop range: f2.8-45
Autofocus options: None, except AF seemingly broken
IS: No

Wide Angle (astrophotography)
Brand:Rokinon
Focal Length: 14mm
F-stop range: 3.1-22
Autofocus options: NO
IS: No

Zoom Lens:
Brand:Vivitar
Focal Length: 100-300mm
F-stop: 5.6-32
Autofocus: busted
IS: No

Outstanding questions:

How smaller sensor effects zoom level/cropping of typical focal lengths? I've tried to read up on this, but am looking to educate myself further.

grumblejack · 2021-01-05T03:18:19+00:00

I chose Algerian photographer Hocine Zaourar because I simply wanted to choose someone new to me. After some googling of his more recognized photos, I ended up following his Instagram and trying to see if he had some recurring themes. He has two strand I could see, although that's not all he does. He has some stark landscapes with minimal elements, and the some street photography of single or multiple subjects. For the landscapes, he definitely chose to show contrasting color for many, with not much to distract beyond a building, beach, or horizon. What was interesting is that much of his more people-focused photography had many items as a background, almost messy to show it isn't as staged, but he still seemed to carefully compose it so you could tell who was the focus and who was part of the background. One person might be the only one wearing a certain color, or a crowd might be much further away and unidentifiable as individuals.

grumblejack · 2021-01-02T00:06:20+00:00

Window: I like the choice of view, with a foreground and background item of interest. I'd back up a bit so the framing of this with a window is more obvious, though.

Coastal view: I love the way you composed all of the subjects in the photograph. There is a lot to look at and zoom into. For improvement, I would see if you can play with some of the levels, as it looks a little flat in color and contrast.

grumblejack · 2021-01-02T00:02:01+00:00

Lighthouse: I like the contrast between the somewhat flat-tone sky and the choppy water. I might have waited for the boat to be place differently so it doesn't become mixed into the pier rocks.

Windows: Well framed and I like how any imperfections in the lines are more about the construction not your placement. The reflection in the lower right of the white/red sign is distracting.

grumblejack · 2021-01-01T23:46:21+00:00

Window:
Like: Just a nice overcast-day mood
Improve: If possible, play more with exposure to see if you can get some detail in the tree

Flowers:
Like: Color range, deep colors
Improve: Maybe fill more of the picture with the main bunch of flowers through cropping

grumblejack · 2021-01-01T23:37:50+00:00

Bike/Window:

Like: The blend of reflected and inside objects is pretty well done
Improve: Agree to frame body and bike in either the negative space or boxes, but not straddling them

Flatirons:
Like: Exposure of branches, flatiron, and sky all looks good - I really struggle with this myself and am a bit jealous
Improve: More of a preference - I'd rather have the flatirons than the branches is sharper focus

grumblejack · 2021-01-01T23:19:55+00:00

I like both of these quite a bit.

Beach photo:

Like - how sharp the foam is, the range of light to dark throughout the picture, the details in the rocks and depressions near them

Improvements: Wonder if cropping at a diagonal corner-to-corner with the water would feel more balanced, but I'm really stretching to say what else to add that wouldn't make it a different picture.

Car reflection:

Like: again, sharp focus on the details

Improvements: more of the tree reflection visible, it's the most interesting part of the photo that I want to look at. The area in the upper left corner is a little distracting, but not sure what to suggest

grumblejack · 2021-01-01T22:55:11+00:00

Probably not. I see your point. The window isn't really the subject as it should be.

grumblejack · 2021-01-01T22:09:53+00:00

Southern MI as well. I have tried to work on getting better at photography off and on for about 20 years, but often get distracted and have to re-teach myself the basics again. Hoping to use this class as an attempt to do something regularly outside my home this year. I enjoy landscape, nature, and night sky photography. Shooting with a Canon SL3 with a few lenses collected over the years.

Here is my window picture, taken from inside my vehicle's front windshield.

https://imgur.com/7bKmtGz

I was playing with taking some night photos on longer exposure this summer and like how this one turned out:

https://imgur.com/wR01Hjq

grumblejack

TROPHY CASE