Communication & Cognition

Day 72: Why Are You Taking My Picture?

Samuel D. Bradley — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:46:39 +0000

“Why are you taking pictures of me just walkin’ around?” Piper asks. “That’s not very interesting.”

I love this kid. I love all of my kids, of course. But this one has the good/bad fortune of inheriting the bulk of my personality characteristics.

And we’ve been spending a lot more time together due to soccer. Her practice was cancelled tonight, so we hung out at her older sister’s practice.

Good times.

Shot: Canon EOS Rebel T1i w/ Sigma 300 mm lens (lens made for film EOS)

1/3200 sec, aperture priority, f/4, ISO 400, focal length: 300 mm (not adjusted)

Photoshop: auto levels, curves.

Day 71: Spring Break Snow

Samuel D. Bradley — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:23:06 +0000

The sun radiated brilliantly over Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday, and temperatures climbed into the middle 70s.

It was the perfect start to Spring Break.

Today, temperatures plunged into the middle 30s, and the forecasted rain turned to snow.

This gentleman had a wardrobe fail.

Shot: Canon EOS Rebel T1i w/ Canon 35-80mm (lens made for film EOS)

1/200 sec, manual, f/5.6, ISO 800, focal length: 80mm (not adjusted)

Sunpak Power Zoom 4000AF (old) set at TTL

Photoshop: curves; color balance -blue, -green.

Day 70: Tech Admin Bell Tower at Night

Samuel D. Bradley — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:48:05 +0000

Also known as a last minute largely crappy photo.

Had a cool photo planned out, but I got busy editing a thesis discussion for a graduate student in my lab, and it got dark on me.

My handheld work with a 300mm is not stellar.

Shot: Canon EOS Rebel T1i w/ Sigma 300 mm lens (lens made for film EOS)

1/40 sec, aperture priority, f/4, ISO 3200, focal length: 300 mm (not adjusted)

Photoshop: auto levels, adjusted curves like crazy.

Day 69: Girls Made Me Proud Today

Samuel D. Bradley — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:43:01 +0000

Today I had the chance to put into action what I learned last week at the soccer coaching clinic.

Piper, Chloé, and I headed to the park to practice some soccer fundamentals.

I had some trouble motivating them to dribble quickly. We started small with both of them dribbling in a rectangle. Then I added some small coned areas to the side, and when instructed, they had to dribble the ball and stop it in the square.

As my clinic instructor predicted, this got them to pick up the pace.

Then I installed some gates in the rectangle, and they had to pass through the gates.

Still, they went slowly.

Then, I told them I was going to walk around and try to take their ball.

I would only walk, however, and if they ran, communicated, and cooperated, they would have no trouble keeping the ball away.

This was finally the motivation they needed, and I was really proud of the way the girls hustled and worked to get in position to received the next pass after they passed the ball.

To top it off, they had a great time and were very appreciative of the time.

As a reward for their hard work, we went to Dairy Queen after practice.

It was a great father-daughter day.

Shot: iPhone 3GS

1/1500 sec, normal program, f/2.8, ISO 70, focal length: 3.9 mm

Day 68: Mother and Baby Mammoth

Samuel D. Bradley — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:00:47 +0000

This statue of a mother and young mammoth stands at Lubbock Lake Landmark, an archeological and natural history preserve.

Shot: Canon EOS Rebel T1i w/ Canon EFS 18-55mm

1/160 sec, aperture priority, f/10, ISO 100, focal length: 30 mm

Day 67: My Violin Player

Samuel D. Bradley — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:15:57 +0000

Tonight was violin lesson for Chloé at the Texas Tech University String Project.

She came in last place in the bow competition, so more practice awaits!

Shot: Canon EOS Rebel T1i w/ Canon EFS 18-55mm

1/15 sec, aperture priority, f/5.6, ISO 3200, focal length: 55 mm

Photoshop: auto contrast, curves, brightness.