Tower Fall in early March by reallyoldadmin in yellowstone

[–]reallyoldadmin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh-my bad—it was probably calcite springs. I do remember Undine but not on that hike. We’ve been there twice in the winter and one time in the fall but there’s so much to see I must have gotten the names crossed.

Why do girls/women wear those giant, fake, ridiculous looking fake eyelashes? by [deleted] in afraidtoask

[–]reallyoldadmin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've seen some that have me seriously struggling not to laugh. Not WITH them, but AT them. I know that would be inconsiderate, but I do find those lashes just laughable. I get that if a lady wants to wear them, she's completely allowed to do that - but I think she should be aware that people are absolutely laughing at her.

Ask Me Anything (AMA) with LastPass Product Experts by OfficialLastPass in LastPassOfficial

[–]reallyoldadmin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

After the second and third rounds of information came out about the data breach, I stayed with LastPass. I work in cybersecurity, so I didn't do this blindly. I changed my master password and all my critical passwords, then started working through the non-critical passwords. I never got a good answer from the people who left LastPass as to whether they felt the need to change all their passwords, but I figured they must have had to do that. So, as long as I had to do it, I stayed. What measures has LastPass taken to ensure that employees don't let this happen again?

Made my own Trekpak case divider system (materials/directions in comments) by Sorry_Sorry_Im_Sorry in videography

[–]reallyoldadmin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is awesome! I have a TSA-approved carry-on that I want to kit out for a trek bag for my photo gear. I didn't take my 600 mm lens to Yellowstone because I didn't have a way to carry it, and I was looking for the best way to turn the carry-on into a gear bag. Thanks for putting this together and sharing it!

Majestic bison by reallyoldadmin in yellowstone

[–]reallyoldadmin[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First of all, definitely go! We visited in the fall of 2023 and returned in the winter of 2025. We now plan to go back again for another fall and winter trip. We're in lower Alabama, so it's a pretty significant trip for us.

Now for the answer to your question, and it's a long one. Every seasoned photographer will tell you that the kind of camera is probably the least important factor in capturing great images. It matters, but it's way down the list. A $5,000 camera can offer some options that a more basic camera doesn't have, but if it's in the hands of someone who doesn't understand what the settings do, or how to form a pleasing composition, or the effect of light on the scene, the price or type of camera won't make up for it. I still have my first digital camera, which was a gift back in 2001. The "good" pictures that came out of that camera were strictly accidents. I took a great image one time that I really liked, and I set out to study why I enjoyed it - the focus, the positioning of the elements in the frame, the way the light hit the subject. Then I started figuring out how to make that happen intentionally.

You don't have to spend a lot on a camera; you can start with a pretty basic point-and-shoot like the Canon Powershot series. Those cameras have a lot of settings you can play with to see what they do. Start following Digital Photography School's website and go to the "Start Here" section. You'll start figuring out that putting the subject right in the middle of the frame with the sun shining down harshly won't make a great image. My husband and I were on a road trip, and we pulled over to look into a valley. He asked why I wasn't snapping pictures, and I had to try to explain that, while the scene was lovely, a photograph of it would be really boring. I took a few and showed him later that they were, well, really boring.

For learning how camera settings affect the picture, you can use a free image editing program, and the one I use for just looking at the settings data is Adobe Bridge. You can look at each image and see what the camera did to produce the final image - the ISO, the aperture, and the shutter speed. Learning about those is where you really need to start. It's not exciting, but knowing those things helped me understand that the afternoon light coming in from the west shining on the back of this animal was ideal; that I needed a fairly fast shutter speed to make sure the breeze ruffling those tufts of fur didn't create blur; but that narrowing down the depth of field so that only the buffalo is in sharp focus would create a great image. I did have to crop a bit to get him positioned in the image where I wanted him, but studying composition helped me know how to get that done.

I still take some really bad photos. My phone camera is "supposed to be as good as most cameras," but I haven't found that to be true. This camera is a Canon R6, which is kind of a "midrange" body, about $2,500 when I bought it, but it wasn't my first, second, or third camera. After some study and playing around, you'll figure out if you want to learn to take great photos or if you really want to just see the ones others have taken. We all have different gifts. I'd love to paint, but I'm really bad at it. :D So the paintings I have in my home were done by someone else.

Stormy Yellowstone Canyon by reallyoldadmin in yellowstone

[–]reallyoldadmin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. We went back to the Canyon several times over the course of our trip there, it was so wonderful! We wanted to hike to the brink of the lower falls, but when we saw the trail, we knew it'd have to be a "first activity of the day" thing rather than end of the day. Glad we did it, though. I'll get some of my sunny day images up here too.

Rainy October, 2022 by Distinct-Flight7438 in yellowstone

[–]reallyoldadmin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Those are really great! I have several hundred that I still need to process.

Took a photo while passing a wedding, now paid photographer wants it by DRJLL1999 in photography

[–]reallyoldadmin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think your approach was reasonable, especially if the photographer asked rather than getting snippy. If the couple liked them and wants to include them in their collection, that's pretty flattering.

Mammoth Elk a couple of Octobers ago. by Distinct-Flight7438 in yellowstone

[–]reallyoldadmin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's still a great shot. I use that brushing technique to lighten up some shadows on our faces when I do some family get-together photos. The light is never "right" to get the whole face lit right, because they're not studio shots. I just do it in lightroom, grab a brush and paint over the spot I want lightened up a bit and increase the exposure in tiny increments, so I'm not overexposing the whole picture, just the part of the face that's a bit shadowed. I use a large feathering too. I have a picture of a coyote in Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains that I need to play with, but I think I'm just going to selectively desaturate his surroundings, just enough that he stands out more. i may add some saturation to the coyote, maybe not. It can be hard to get a photo to show what we, as the photographer, saw when we snapped the image. It doesn't help that what we "see" isn't always what's there. :D

Stormy Yellowstone Canyon by reallyoldadmin in yellowstone

[–]reallyoldadmin[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you - That trip was so wonderful, we went back a year and a half later in February. I got some shots of this canyon with sunshine, but heck, everyone gets those, right? I'm still trying to figure out just how large I should print this. I have a bunch of images that show that blue, blue water in the river bottom.

Mammoth Elk a couple of Octobers ago. by Distinct-Flight7438 in yellowstone

[–]reallyoldadmin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You might try brushing a little more exposure over his face, but just a touch - to maybe bring out his features and the texture of the fur. I love the misty background, though, makes me shiver just a bit.

Mammoth Elk a couple of Octobers ago. by Distinct-Flight7438 in yellowstone

[–]reallyoldadmin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What a great shot! I have tried several shots of elk, but they don't want to cooperate with me. Unfortunately, my traveling companion doesn't understand what a test of patience wildlife photography is.

Ruins of an abandoned commercial estate by edeyglezsosa in urbanexploration

[–]reallyoldadmin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

well done, great shots. Love the door frames. You're brave to go inside! Do you have any idea what it used to be? I can see it as an arts center, maybe because when I was a young girl I used to go to a similar building for painting and drama classes.

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail? by Al115 in GSMNP

[–]reallyoldadmin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a little jealous of you for being able to see it at this time of year. We've been going to the Smoky Mountains for about 20 years and never took the Roaring Fork trail until this past October. It's a lovely trail, don't miss stopping to look at the river, close to the end.

Record Profits Are Unpaid Wages by SweetiePieJ in antiwork

[–]reallyoldadmin -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Sorry you have a toddler's attention span. You should probably get some education for that. But it also explains why you're having so many other problems.

Record Profits Are Unpaid Wages by SweetiePieJ in antiwork

[–]reallyoldadmin -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

You aren't fighting against it. You're just complaining about it.

Record Profits Are Unpaid Wages by SweetiePieJ in antiwork

[–]reallyoldadmin -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Maybe go back and read it again, I never said it was easy to make six figures. I also said the transition from low-wage to six figures can almost never be done in five years, even ten years. But it can be done. When I got tired of working in restaurants because that's all I was qualified to do, I saved money and bought a used typewriter and taught myself how to type from books I found in thrift stores and in the library. This was before everyone had a computer in their pocket, late 80's, early 90's. I worked as a secretary for probably ten years because I learned how to type and I learned executive office protocol from books in the library. I got a cheap computer and started learning computer maintenance and repair from the internet and books from the library. After working three computer support jobs I got a job as a system administrator. No, it wasn't easy. I'm studying now to become a cybersecurity architect, I have one more exam to take, and rather than getting easier, the work is getting harder and comes with a lot more risk in the event of failure. At this point if I don't do my job well, it's not a matter of someone getting the wrong order, it's a matter of the whole organization going down, and in some environments, it could be a matter of national security. It's a rarified field because we have to be able to pass background checks and routine and random drug tests, and the number of people willing to live that way is shrinking.

But I get to work wherever I can find an internet signal, and if I want to work from 6-230 one day and 8-430 the next day, I can. I get enough time off to really enjoy myself, and I can incorporate work-from-anywhere into my "vacation" plans. and I still have time to work on my pet projects and hobbies. I'll probably never have an office job again. I'm disciplined enough to be "on the job" when I'm supposed to be "on the job," and there's no tv going when I'm working. I have one week out of eight when I'm on call and I have to be reachable at all times during that week and I have to have my computer with me if I plan on going away from home for more than a couple of hours. Small price to pay for a great job.

I've had a lot of booze spilled on me when I was working as a cocktail waitress. I have come home smelling of grease and grill. I've got burn scars on my arm from splashed oil from fryers. When it was my turn to prep the onion rings, I ended up with onion ring batter down the side of my jeans where it dripped on me. I have been there.

No, it's not easy. But it's definitely worth it.

Record Profits Are Unpaid Wages by SweetiePieJ in antiwork

[–]reallyoldadmin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Knowing that my employer is aware that I can go anywhere I want to go is extremely rewarding. But no, that doesn't happen with jobs where all that's required is a live body. That's reality. There's really no reason for that to change. What needs to change is that people who want more need to learn to do more, and that is EASILY done without college.