Hello, Nice to See You

Hi. You may have noticed I haven't been around in awhile. Well, I have been. I just haven't posted anything. This is mostly due to the fact that I could not edit any of my photos from my new 50d. See, I like to shoot in RAW, and the new Canons all are using .cr2 files - something my version of Photoshop (CS2) does and will not read. So, oh darn, I had to update to CS4 Extended version. I think I like it...alot...but I am going to have to install another couple of GB of RAM this weekend if I don't want my computer to burst into flames.

So, new camera requires new software, which requires new computer hardware. Awesome.

I have been playing lots with it though (I think I need to give 'it' a name...suggestions?) - here is one I took the other day while I was walking through my neighborhood enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures (don't worry, those went away).

To me, this picture is so Berlin. I love how in Berlin (and much of Europe) it is so much easier and acceptable for bikes to be your primary transportation.

Doldrums

Being in a new city (ahem, new country, for that matter) you would think stagnation would be impossible. But alas right now I am in The Waiting Place. Waiting for my stuff to arrive (I mean really, its only 30 boxes!!), waiting to get phone and internet service, waiting for my washing machine I ordered a month ago to be delivered, waiting to be able to afford a more professional camera (without being able to earn a paycheck), waiting for artistic inspiration, waiting waiting waiting waiting waiting....

Its really easy to fall into a somewhat of a funk. At the very least, its hard not to succumb to soul-crushing boredom. But, I have made updates to this blog (as you can see, what do you think?) and to my website. I am learning lots of fun new things in Photoshop (finally I am figuring stuff out!). And I have read a lot of books I have been wanting to read for ages (if you have never read Slaughterhouse Five, please go to your library immediately. I am planning a trip to Dresden as we speak...er, type...)

Its been sorta rainy and hazy and icky lately, so I have been occupying my time with some of my old images. Giving them some pop. Here is some of what I have been passing the time with (I am kinda obsessed with green right now...I even bought a bright green couch...)

New and Improved

You may have noticed I haven't posted a recipe since mid May. This would be because I haven't cooked since mid-May (boo!). The moving madness began, and I still have close to another month before I get my shipment from the States with all of my dishes, utensils and what have you. Let me just tell you how excited I am for that.

Anyway, during my time away from the kitchen I am in the process of making my food blog something all its own. You can check it out HERE (holyfrijole.wordpress.com). I will be posting soon about food here in Germany, even if I am not cooking it, so stay tuned!

I am also in the process of giving my photography a blog all its own, but that is still very much a work in progress. In the meantime, I have been doing lots of playing in Photoshop with some of my old images. This is something I have never done a tremendous amount of (not in this way at least). I learned photography from photojournalists, studied photojournalism in college...so, lots of cosmetic post-processing in Photoshop just seems wrong (even if it is all the rage). I am getting over that however and discovering a whole new world :)

Here a couple I was playing with today, what do you think, were they better before or after? The before pictures are straight out of camera and the after is, well, after I messed with it in ways I never could have in the darkroom (I miss the darkroom. sniffle.) I am not so sure about the one of the little girl, I think it might be a bit much.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE


AFTER