#marvelous photography skills edward

[grayisblogging]

photos on riddler's thumb drive

[fraiserabbit]

“Don’t you have a date in a couple hours, Thomas?” Gordon casually commented behind his newspaper.

Thomas jumped from the couch, running into the bedroom and yelling, “What?! Wait, really?”

“Saw it on your wall.” Gordon yelled back, then said to himself, “Honestly, what’s the point of putting up sticky notes if you don’t even look at them?”

Thomas’ eyes were drawn to the green sticky note on the wall beside his bed. Alright, alright, I’ve got enough time to get ready and meet Bertie. They were going to a rather fancy place, so Thomas rummaged through the wardrobe for his best threads. At this rate, I might have to borrow Gordon’s. He laughed to himself. Finally finding a decent dark green suit, Thomas quickly began changing into it. No time for anything else, just have to get dressed.

“Alright, what other plans do I have…” Thomas muttered aloud, squinting at his wall. “A picnic with James…well, I almost forgot about that one!” Buttoning up his shirt, Thomas’ eyes wandered over to the photo booth strip in the middle. He remembered that day fondly. James’ face was as red as his engine! What I wouldn’t give to see that again. Afterwards Thomas insisted James and Percy write their numbers on the strip, to “commemorate the occasion and their friendship.” And of course, James’ writing took up half the damn space.

Thomas glanced up at the necklace hanging in the corner as he adjusted his sleeves. A simple matching necklace. The golden moon that fit into it belonged to James; whenever they met up, they’d slot the necklaces together as a little greeting. Following the string, Thomas’ eyes set upon the friendship bracelet Percy had made for him. “All three of our colours!” he had said, as he handed it to Thomas. Man, I love those guys. Thomas looked around for a belt in his dresser drawers.

“Hey, Thomas, have you seen—” Henry halted in the doorway. “Oh! Getting dressed up, I see.”

Thomas nodded, as he had to concentrate to buckle his pants. Henry looked over at Thomas’ wall, and pointed to the photo of him and Edward with a big smile. Thomas rolled his eyes in amusement at Henry’s excitement. Finally having put a shirt and pants on, he put his hands on his hips and stood back to admire the photo with Henry. “It is a good photo though, eh?”

“Well, of course it is! Because Charlie took it. Nice fancy camera and all.” Henry crossed his arms, nodding in approval. “He sure made us look good.”

“Yeah, Charlie even made Gordon and James arguing look good!” Thomas flicked his eyes over to it.

A voice boomed from behind the two men, “Of course I look good!” Gordon placed his hands on both their shoulders, joining in on the wall admiring. “Look how positively radiant I look! Who knew the sheds could give such nice natural light? I am practically glowing!”

“Alright calm down, Your Radiance.” Thomas murmured, and Henry laughed. Henry nudged Thomas with his elbow, nodding toward the photo of Emily. “Where’d Charlie take that one?”

“Oh, actually, I did!” Thomas puffed out his chest in pride. “He gave me his camera for a while, so I took the opportunity to play photographer. Emily and I were walking around some nice hills while we were on break, so…”

“Well, I’ll commend your photography skill; she looks absolutely marvelous in front of that sunset!”

“Careful now, Henry, she’s taken.” Gordon remarked, snickering.

“Oh, shut up! C’mon, Thomas has to get ready and we’re distracting him.” Henry pushed Gordon out of the room and shut the door.

Thomas shook his head, amused at his housemates. He picked up the suit jacket laid on the bed. Putting it on, he looked at his wall once more. His eyes lingered over the partially burnt papers he’d taped up with much persuasion from the other two—“Memories are meant to be seen, not locked up in a box under your bed.” Turns out they were right; it was nice to look at some of the things his father did. And apparently, sketching Thomas as a child on a whim on some graph paper was one of those things. Oh, how Thomas wished he had a complete photo of his father! Luckily, Annie and Clarabel had plenty in their family albums—but it’d be nice to have one hanging on his wall.

Straightening his suit, Thomas breathed a deep sigh and opened the door. He would’ve loved to meet Bertie. “I’ll be home by 11, dad.” He smiled, giving a small wave to his father’s portrait. “Fine, 10:30 it is.”

[son-of-alderaan]

When “Solo: A Star Wars Story” opens Memorial Day weekend, fans will get the answers to decades-old questions about the origins of Han Solo, Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca. But behind one of this summer’s most anticipated movies lies another, more uncomfortable question: Who, exactly, is responsible for the final product?

The candidates include:

• Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the 42-year-old comedy directors behind the “Jump Street” series and “The Lego Movie,” who shot “Solo” for six months.

• Director Ron Howard, 64, who replaced Messrs. Lord and Miller when they were fired last June, finishing production and reshooting many of their scenes.

• “Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, 69, who wrote “Solo” with his son Jonathan. His presence on set grew alongside his dissatisfaction with the liberties Messrs. Lord and Miller took with the script, according to people close to the movie.

• Kathleen Kennedy, 64, the veteran producer and president of Lucasfilm who is charged by Disney with guiding its iconic, money-printing “Star Wars” franchise.

It isn’t unusual for high drama to surround big-budget movies in Hollywood. Many cinematic series, including Marvel, DC, the X-Men, Fast and Furious, and James Bond, have replaced writers and directors or had significant reshoots. But firing directors in the midst of production, as Ms. Kennedy did to Messrs. Lord and Miller, is rare.

The move sparked a big change for “Solo.” While the original directors attempted a contemporary tone that blended adventure and comedy, Mr. Howard tried to recapture George Lucas’s sensibility from 40 years ago, people close to the movie said.

Mr. Lucas hired Ms. Kennedy shortly before Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. Since then, there have been three director changes over five “Star Wars” films, raising eyebrows in Hollywood and among fans.

Gareth Edwards, director of 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” was replaced after principal photography by Tony Gilroy, who shot new scenes and re-edited the movie. In a recent interview on the podcast “The Moment With Brian Koppelman, ” Mr. Gilroy said “they were in so much terrible, terrible trouble that all you could do was to improve their position.”

Colin Trevorrow, the director of “Jurassic World” initially tapped to helm the next “Star Wars” movie, 2019’s Episode IX, was dismissed after Ms. Kennedy grew unhappy with his work on the script, said a person with knowledge of his work on the movie.

A firm and decisive hand is needed in running a major Hollywood franchise, and Ms. Kennedy’s supporters say she has worked well with J.J. Abrams, director of 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” and Rian Johnson on last year’s “The Last Jedi.”Others say she has too frequently second-guessed her own choices and hasn’t effectively resolved disagreements with directors.

Mr. Johnson said he felt Ms. Kennedy gave him a “creative bubble” that empowered him “to tell the story I cared about in the way I wanted to tell it.”

Mr. Abrams said he had differences of opinion “all the time” with Ms. Kennedy, but that she “really takes in what people say and finds a creative way to aggregate and distill the conversation.”

People who have worked with her on past movies, including “E.T.,” “Jurassic Park” and “The Sixth Sense,” described her as more of a skilled manager than creative mastermind. At Disney, she has worked closely on creative matters with film studio chairman Alan Horn and Mr. Kasdan, the strongest remaining link to the original “Star Wars” trilogy since Mr. Lucas retired.

Mr. Kasdan, who hadn’t made a studio movie in more than a decade before returning to Lucasfilm, co-wrote “The Force Awakens” and “Solo” and consulted on the writing and editing of “The Last Jedi.”

Lucasfilm under Ms. Kennedy has produced three blockbusters. “The Force Awakens,” “Rogue One” and “The Last Jedi” were the highest-grossing movies the years they were released, and each scored 85% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes. Pre-release polling indicates “Solo” will set a Memorial Day weekend record with an opening of more than $140 million and possibly as high as $200 million.

Still, momentum for the series is on the wane since “The Last Jedi.” Controversial among fans, its ticket sales fell faster than for earlier “Star Wars” movies, a sign of weaker word-of-mouth.

Ms. Kennedy and her Lucasfilm colleagues met many of Hollywood’s hottest directors before selecting Messrs. Lord and Miller to helm “Solo” in 2015. The duo called it “a dream come true for us.”

But as the film moved toward production in January 2017, they clashed with Mr. Kasdan over the script, according to some of the people close to the movie. Tensions rose once shooting started, as the “Solo” directors sometimes shot dozens of different versions of scenes, straying from what was in the script. While such retakes are common in the modern comedies that launched Messrs. Miller and Lord’s careers, they exhausted and frustrated some on the “Solo” set, including experienced crew members who pressured the directors to move faster, according to actors in the film.

Last spring, Mr. Kasdan came to the London set and location shooting in the Canary Islands. At times he told cast and crew members when he disagreed with Messrs. Lord and Miller’s choices, people close to the directors said. The filmmakers felt undermined, these people said, but wanted to complete production.

In June, Ms. Kennedy concluded her differences with the directors had grown too vast and fired them. Messrs. Lord and Miller knew Ms. Kennedy was unhappy but were making adjustments and were surprised when they were axed, one of the people close to the production said.

Within days, Ms. Kennedy hired Mr. Howard, who like her and Mr. Kasdan rose to filmmaking fame in the 1980s and ’90s when Messrs. Miller and Lord were children. Mr. Howard worked faster than his predecessors, sometimes reshooting scenes in a few hours that Messrs. Lord and Miller spent a whole day on, one of the “Solo” actors said. About 70% of the finished movie came from scenes Mr. Howard shot, another person close to the production said.

“Ron wanted to go back to the spirit of the original trilogy, while Phil and Chris were looking forward to something new, more like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ ” this person said.

This past winter, Messrs. Lord and Miller saw a cut of the movie prepared by Mr. Howard and decided not to challenge their successor for credit through the Directors Guild of America, the people close to them said.

“In light of the creative differences, we elected to take an executive producer credit,” Mr. Miller said recently at a public event.

The next “Star Wars” movie, Episode IX, is expected to start shooting in July, but its director drama is already in full swing.

Ms. Kennedy was a fan of Mr. Trevorrow’s work from his independent film “Safety Not Guaranteed” and recommended him to her husband Frank Marshall, who produced “Jurassic World.” Soon after the dinosaur blockbuster was released in 2015, Mr. Trevorrow was hired to write and direct Episode IX and successfully pitched Ms. Kennedy, Mr. Horn and Disney chief executive Robert Iger on his vision for the sequel, said the person with knowledge of his work.

But Ms. Kennedy was unhappy with drafts Mr. Trevorrow co-wrote and one written by “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” playwright Jack Thorne for him to direct. Mr. Trevorrow wasn’t satisfied with Mr. Thorne’s script either and asked to try again, the person close to Episode IX said, but Ms. Kennedy instead fired Mr. Trevorrow last August.

Lucasfilm considered rehiring Mr. Johnson, a person with knowledge of the matter said, though the director said there were no serious discussions. Instead, Mr. Abrams took the job after Ms. Kennedy called him following Mr. Trevorrow’s exit.

“I had a bunch of ideas from the beginning, back on VII, of where the story would go,” said Mr. Abrams. “I just never in my wildest dreams thought I would have a chance to execute them.”

[potatonewstoday]

Capture the beauty of a potato: 'Potato photographer of the Year' competition kicks off

Capture the beauty of a potato: ‘Potato photographer of the Year’ competition kicks off

While you’re stuck at home in this period of lockdown, why not flex your creative muscles and see how you can artistically capture the beauty of a potato? Whether you’re drawn to the simplicity of a King Edward, the gentle curves of a Yukon Gold or the marvels of the Maris Piper, here is a chance to show off your photography skills!

The Potato photographer of the Year competition is put on by…

[aviscline68916-blog]

10 Ways To Locate Financial Investment Properties.

Among the absolute most recognized artists of our time Claude McKay was born in Sunny Ville, Jamaica, zdrowa-daga.info British West Indies in September 15, 1889, as the youngest of eleven little ones of his cropper parents in Jamaica, Thomas Francis as well as Ann Elizabeth (Edwards) McKay. The first time I viewed these photos, I was surprised at only exactly how straightforward a life this marvelous woman lived. The SUGGESTIONS Hotline, portion of the Kansas Metropolitan Area Metropolitan Crime Payment, just recently raised the perks loan for relevant information on murders from $2,000 to $5,000. This troubled Wyatt as, 3 days before, he would certainly obtained a telegraph notifying him that a defenses ship was due today. You might love your companion, however do you love his or her metropolitan area? Receive bus, learn, taxi, metro timetables as well as charts as appropriate along withany traveler relevant information concerning places to check out. He felt that this condition would be extremely hazardous to the passions of the area as well as showed the instance of previous administrations without party employers where: "the crowns of teams were actually at chances at all times along with one another, as well as the Mayor was at chances along with the bunch of them. Except walking around with your scalp down looking at your smart phone (certainly not advisable), a Venice strolling scenic tour is the most effective means of discovering more about the history of the metropolitan area in a conveniently edible technique. It is actually a great deal different when folks ask to deliver on it. Throughout history, women have actually prepared brand new precedents and also requirements for the craft of photography. Among the dead were 2 travelers from Florida who pertained to New York to delight in St. Patrick's Day. Have a look at background and the women that were actually considered wonderful in their opportunity. Accurate, he knew the excellent walled urban area of Lahore coming from the Delhi Entrance to the exterior Ft Channel; was hand in glove with males who led lives unfamiliar person than everything Haroun al Raschid longed for; as well as he resided in a lifestyle crazy as that of the Arabian Nights, yet promoters and assistants of charitable societies could possibly not observe the appeal of it. His label by means of the wards was actually 'Little bit of Close friend of all the Globe'; and very typically, being unnoticeable and also thin, he executed payments through night on the jampacked housetops for smooth and shiny young men of style. Whether it remains in a various nation or even merely a various area, you are going to have the ability to somehow locate opportunity to observe one another a handful of times a year. He had actually viewed substantial of life in the cities in his more youthful days, and also knew that this regal royal residence was no area for him. Property focus on the Angkor Wat complex stopped in 1150 on the Master's fatality, ending 37 years of work carried out by 5,000 craftsmens and also 50,000 laborers, and leaving some bas-relief insufficient. Ann Gazebo is among the greatest metropolitan areas in Michigan to survive on an entire, however much more so if you enjoy art, cinema as well as the music setting. She shows a metropolitan area of love, light, and also charm, loaded with artists as well as musicians whose way of life is actually cost-free, fun, and as glistening as bubbly. There is actually the Hyatt accommodation, that nightclub where a lot of people were actually gotten rid of alive, several colleges, as well as even in Camp John Grass. Almighty and also long lasting The lord, that with godly continency bestowest recuperation both of completely: our team submissively beseech thy majesty graciously to look upon the religious petitions and abstinence of thy individuals, providing us in this particular planet the succor of thy petition, and on earth to come life eternal; with Jesus Christ thy Child our God, who reigneth and also liveth along with thee, in the uniformity of the Holy Character, ever before one God, world without point.

These four offspring coincide variety of generations coming from Adam as Methuselah in Origin 5. A quick little arithmetic will uncover that Methuselah perished the very same year as the flood, perhaps in it. So presumably that putting in the time to especially discuss these 4 descendants, in addition to the a variety of skill-sets they offered into the planet, would be unproductive if they and also everyone they 'spawned' died in the flood too.

Explore the Ferrari Planet, after the area tour pertains to an end and experience the adventure of a variety of flights of the amusement park. Dessert's List of 1906 likewise features the overhead Cross Horizontal Foldable Doors" provided by George N. Cole of Cross Storehouse Doors in The Big Apple Area.

[thedailychalkboard]

Through A Different Lens

I absolutely love the work of the American artist Edward Hopper. The austere and pensive look to his paintings somehow appeals to me. It's not the often felt despair that some  may describe in his work, but more the feeling that something is happening beneath the surface. There's a feeling of hope and pending action that makes his work so intriguing to me. This image is one I took a few years back while visiting San Francisco. It's a simple view out a downtown hotel window where I happened to be staying. It reminded me of a  Hopper painting so I turned it into one by exchanging the photographic lens for the digitally enhanced manipulation as viewed through the lens of a paintbrush. I'm not interested  so much in sharing digital photography techniques in this article as I am in encouraging you to begin or continue viewing life through a different lens.

We are living in amazingly exciting times when it comes to visual communications. Those of us who are photographers, videographers, graphic artists and printers are  like kids in a candy store as we marvel at all the bright shiny new products, programs gadgets and software being created to help us translate the vision in our minds to a visual medium that can be shared with the world. Every week something new is announced to make our lives more creatively meaningful to a world eager to share in our excitement.  We are truly in a new renaissance age for the visual communicator.

This is both wonderful and terrifying at the same time. Computer compositing has resulted in the creation of images of things that never happened and people who never existed or are yet to exist. Yes, they're  aggressively working on that solution as well. Who hasn't heard of "AI" or Artificial Intelligence and the coming robots and computers that will put millions of people out of work who don't possess the education and skill set to work within a new "AI" economy?  "Coding is the key" we're told. "learn to code or you will disappear into oblivion like your job inevitably will".

The picture painted is one of either a utopian society where people will not have to work but will become entitled to wages and benefits simply for being born, or one of disenfranchised and marginalized citizens who will not be able to support themselves due to improper education and training. History has demonstrated that most likely the truth lay somewhere in the middle. This is if things continue to progress as they have for the past several years. The jury is still out on that one and it always will be. No one can accurately predict the future. There's too many variables in play at any given time for that to happen with any accuracy or accountability.   So what does this have to do with the visual communicator and the recreational, educational and economic well being of said individuals who didn't listen to their parents, or college counselors and chose to become creatives instead of computer programmers? In any social or economic upheaval there exists ample opportunity to improvise, adapt and overcome whatever difficulties or obstacles that stand in the way of the person determined to utilize the talents they've been blessed with. The stereotypical view of the starving artist is just that. As with most stereotypes there's an element of truth and historic example of in the many artists who have failed to become a success while alive. But that's a stereotype that can be applied to any esoteric or unconventional profession. There will always be those who succeed, those who fail, and those who use their failures to pivot into new opportunities either by recognizing them when the become available or by creating them. I mean, after all, they don't call us "creatives" for nothing.

It's a big world out there. Some may say it's shrinking. I say that's a good thing because through the new innovations in communication we have made the whole world accessible to people, like me, who can sit in their home office and communicate with others in a socially connected globally aware and diverse community . We do live in amazingly exciting times. As creatives and entrepreneurs many of us have perfected our resiliency right along with the skills required of us to perform efficiently and excel at our craft and artistic endeavors.   In my opinion what we need to do as creatives living in a global society, in order to prepare for the impending changes that are taking place, is to take personal stock of what we have to offer others. We should consider what we offer that has value and can be exchanged for those things we determine have value in our life. Take stock of your existing skills, background,education, interests and passion. What do you need to do in order to shore up the areas where you are weak or to develop other areas you may not have even explored yet? What do you really want to do that will make a difference and ultimately make you and others happy? This is the equation that must balance on both sides if you will truly be satisfied in whatever you do and where ever you find yourself in life.

Regardless of what happens, or where you end up and what you end up doing, the most precious commodity you have to offer anyone is your time. You must value your time above all else in life and remind others of how valuable their time is to both themselves and to you. I can sense the rising tidal wave of descent from those who may take issue with this thought. "It's family, my integrity, my beliefs, my friends" you're thinking. I won't take issue or deny that one bit. I truly believe you are correct. Before completely dismissing the thought though I ask you to just consider that without time to devote to these precious and personally meaningful things they simply will not exist.

Still not convinced? Then ask yourself this; "What do I give, in exchange to my employer, customers, or clients, so I can continue to get a paycheck to pay my bills and do the things I really want to spend my...uh time...doing?" Certainly this involves your skills and expertise but what did or does it currently cost you to obtain and maintain those skills and that expertise you possess? We don't traditionally discuss a college degree in terms of how much it cost. Instead say it "cost us two, four, eight, even ten years of our life! It really does depend on what lens you look through as to how you see things.  

I am a strong advocate of looking at life through the lens of what we do and how we choose to spend our time in terms of what we have and can offer to others. Our lens can be as bright and shiny and virtually new in the box and unused as we wish. Or it can be as nicked up, scraped and dented, showing wear and tear of much use over the years, as a good tool used for good is. It really doesn't matter how many great tools you may own. If you don't often pull them out of the box and use them as intended they  are simply a wasted investment. The choice of how we use the lens we view the world through is ultimately ours to make.

- MDD

  ©2018 Michael D. Davis   All Rights Reserved Michael D. Davis is a communicator by vocation, a mentor by avocation and a social media maven by choice. His work can be found on popular channels on the web and on his blog at http://thedailychalkboard.tumblr.com/   Michael welcomes your comments and invites you to join him. Just Google #michaelddavis or #thedailychalkboard to find him and request to connect.