Back among the living... Sort of
Jan. 21st, 2003 11:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quasigeostrophyWow! I want to go back in time and find the person who invented sleep, and kiss zir. I am still not 100%, but I feel so much better than yesterday. Fever broke overnight. Still weak and a bit shaky, but I'll probably start on some very bland solid food around lunch time today. I would not wish the nightmare of air travel with a stomach virus on anyone. Even in a first class seat, finding comfort was nearly impossible. Kudos to Kim, the lead flight attendant (on both flights, oddly enough) who took good care of me yesterday. And I know I'm loved dearly by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
computerchix and semperfiona, both of whom distracted me quite a bit by phone yesterday, getting me through the worst of it.
On to the Mono Lake trip report... Flew out of Indy at the crack of dark Thursday morning (there just aren't too many options to get to Reno from here at a more reasonable hour, and we live 1/2 hour minimum from the Indy airport). The flights were uneventful. Got to Reno, picked up my rental Subaru Outback (which I ended up not really needing, but if I hadn't gotten an AWD...), grabbed lunch and drove down 395 to Lee Vining. That drive was beautiful, but I was just too tired and determined to stop anywhere for photos along the way. The Best Western in Lee Vining wasn't bad, but the TV selection was interesting - most of the broadcast stations were out of Denver. Checked in, semi-crashed for a couple of hours, went to Nicely's (the only game in town in winter) for an okay dinner, and went back to my room trying to force myself to stay awake until at least 10pm PST to force out the jet lag. Of course, spending almost two hours on the phone (a lovely conversation - not complaining) withsemperfiona starting at 11pm meant I ended up being awake for 23 hours. I was already feeling the effects of Internet deprivation as well.
Friday morning, after talking tocomputerchix, joedecker called. He and Chris were going sight-seeing to the south and wondered if I wanted to join them. We went down 395 and took several side trips: Lee Vining Canyon, June Lake loop (part), and Convict Lake, which was very cool. Used the morning to flex the photography muscles a bit. Went down to Bishop for lunch at the Pizza Factory, took a side trip up CA 168 before heading back for the workshop (which was to start at 3pm).
It was my first such workshop, and right away any apprehension I had about critiquing of my work dissipated. We started off with a sunset shoot from Old Marina, along the western end of the lakeshore, catching a beautiful full moonrise right about sunset. One pair of my wool socks in my snow boots was not enough - toes got quite cold. I ended up doubling the socks for the rest of the weekend, but still got cold. Maybe it's just my toes. Dinner at Nicely's followed, and then the first of the presentations/critiques.
Saturday morning started with a sunrise shoot at Cemetery Road and Old County Park in the pogonip (the ice fog that hangs around Mono Basin and creates some very special sights). The views of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada were awesome through the clearing fog. Breakfast at Nicely's, another presentation session, and then at midday we went up Lee Vining Canyon, where hopefully I got some nice shots of a waterfall along Lee Vining Creek. At sunset we headed down a very icy road to South Tufa. Those salt formations in their odd shapes (often quite phallic) and the light on the lake and the twilight sky were all spectacular. We finished off Saturday after dinner with the last of the presentations. I went last (well, not counting Rick (the workshop leader) and his black and white print work), though not by intent - I just didn't realize everyone else had gone before I had spoken up to take my turn. The apprehension I had felt before taking this trip regarding critique of my work by strangers was gone. I had seen a variety of excellent work by the other participants, and my own was very well received as far as I could tell. I was reassured that I went into the seminar with good skills in composition and exposure, as well as a unique "eye".
On Sunday morning, we had lost several participants to the stomach flu. We went up to Conway Summit vista (where I first saw the pogonip over the lake on my way into town Thursday and didn't take any photos) for sunrise, and then some of us went back down to Cemetery Road. At breakfast, Chris started coming down with the flu. After the morning meal, the "survivors" headed up 395 just north of the Mono Basin for some shots around the Conway Summit and Virginia Lake Road areas, where I packed it in after finishing my 12th roll of Provia slide film for the weekend. I headed back up to Reno for Sunday night, feeling like I had dodged the bullet - I felt a little "yucky" myself at breakfast, but it had passed by the late morning shoots, so I wrote it off to fatigue, jet lag, and exposure to the cold.
Along 395, just inside the Nevada border, don't try to have a decent, lengthy phone conversation. Cell phone reception really sucks along the Eastern Sierr...fzzzphlp Signal Faded. Call was Lost.
Got back to Reno, and forgot (despite the awesome room rate) how much of a pain it is to stay in a casino. 2:40am Monday was when the stomach flu hit me. Only by willpower did I make it on time to the airport. If my constitution was at all less than it is, I don't know if I would have made it home yesterday.
I have to say, it was great fun hanging out withjoedecker and Chris, and I appreciated Chris shuttling me around in her Rav4 all weekend. I learned some things about my own skills, as I noted above, and definitely feel I've moved to "the next level" - I have a better understanding of some of the subtleties of dawn and twilight. I'd been such a midday photographer, which gives the harshest light, not by intent, but because I'd always found myself in places at that time of day. I feel confident that some of my best stuff, having been taken at midday, has made me skilled in those lighting conditions. The next investment I will be making in equipment, thanks to what I learned from this seminar, is a set of graduated neutral density filters and perhaps some warming filters. Their effects are the subtleties I learned about most.
The 12 rolls of Provia will be dropped off at Firehouse tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to seeing what I got...
computerchix and semperfiona, both of whom distracted me quite a bit by phone yesterday, getting me through the worst of it.On to the Mono Lake trip report... Flew out of Indy at the crack of dark Thursday morning (there just aren't too many options to get to Reno from here at a more reasonable hour, and we live 1/2 hour minimum from the Indy airport). The flights were uneventful. Got to Reno, picked up my rental Subaru Outback (which I ended up not really needing, but if I hadn't gotten an AWD...), grabbed lunch and drove down 395 to Lee Vining. That drive was beautiful, but I was just too tired and determined to stop anywhere for photos along the way. The Best Western in Lee Vining wasn't bad, but the TV selection was interesting - most of the broadcast stations were out of Denver. Checked in, semi-crashed for a couple of hours, went to Nicely's (the only game in town in winter) for an okay dinner, and went back to my room trying to force myself to stay awake until at least 10pm PST to force out the jet lag. Of course, spending almost two hours on the phone (a lovely conversation - not complaining) with
semperfiona starting at 11pm meant I ended up being awake for 23 hours. I was already feeling the effects of Internet deprivation as well.Friday morning, after talking to
computerchix, joedecker called. He and Chris were going sight-seeing to the south and wondered if I wanted to join them. We went down 395 and took several side trips: Lee Vining Canyon, June Lake loop (part), and Convict Lake, which was very cool. Used the morning to flex the photography muscles a bit. Went down to Bishop for lunch at the Pizza Factory, took a side trip up CA 168 before heading back for the workshop (which was to start at 3pm).It was my first such workshop, and right away any apprehension I had about critiquing of my work dissipated. We started off with a sunset shoot from Old Marina, along the western end of the lakeshore, catching a beautiful full moonrise right about sunset. One pair of my wool socks in my snow boots was not enough - toes got quite cold. I ended up doubling the socks for the rest of the weekend, but still got cold. Maybe it's just my toes. Dinner at Nicely's followed, and then the first of the presentations/critiques.
Saturday morning started with a sunrise shoot at Cemetery Road and Old County Park in the pogonip (the ice fog that hangs around Mono Basin and creates some very special sights). The views of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada were awesome through the clearing fog. Breakfast at Nicely's, another presentation session, and then at midday we went up Lee Vining Canyon, where hopefully I got some nice shots of a waterfall along Lee Vining Creek. At sunset we headed down a very icy road to South Tufa. Those salt formations in their odd shapes (often quite phallic) and the light on the lake and the twilight sky were all spectacular. We finished off Saturday after dinner with the last of the presentations. I went last (well, not counting Rick (the workshop leader) and his black and white print work), though not by intent - I just didn't realize everyone else had gone before I had spoken up to take my turn. The apprehension I had felt before taking this trip regarding critique of my work by strangers was gone. I had seen a variety of excellent work by the other participants, and my own was very well received as far as I could tell. I was reassured that I went into the seminar with good skills in composition and exposure, as well as a unique "eye".
On Sunday morning, we had lost several participants to the stomach flu. We went up to Conway Summit vista (where I first saw the pogonip over the lake on my way into town Thursday and didn't take any photos) for sunrise, and then some of us went back down to Cemetery Road. At breakfast, Chris started coming down with the flu. After the morning meal, the "survivors" headed up 395 just north of the Mono Basin for some shots around the Conway Summit and Virginia Lake Road areas, where I packed it in after finishing my 12th roll of Provia slide film for the weekend. I headed back up to Reno for Sunday night, feeling like I had dodged the bullet - I felt a little "yucky" myself at breakfast, but it had passed by the late morning shoots, so I wrote it off to fatigue, jet lag, and exposure to the cold.
Along 395, just inside the Nevada border, don't try to have a decent, lengthy phone conversation. Cell phone reception really sucks along the Eastern Sierr...fzzzphlp Signal Faded. Call was Lost.
Got back to Reno, and forgot (despite the awesome room rate) how much of a pain it is to stay in a casino. 2:40am Monday was when the stomach flu hit me. Only by willpower did I make it on time to the airport. If my constitution was at all less than it is, I don't know if I would have made it home yesterday.
I have to say, it was great fun hanging out with
joedecker and Chris, and I appreciated Chris shuttling me around in her Rav4 all weekend. I learned some things about my own skills, as I noted above, and definitely feel I've moved to "the next level" - I have a better understanding of some of the subtleties of dawn and twilight. I'd been such a midday photographer, which gives the harshest light, not by intent, but because I'd always found myself in places at that time of day. I feel confident that some of my best stuff, having been taken at midday, has made me skilled in those lighting conditions. The next investment I will be making in equipment, thanks to what I learned from this seminar, is a set of graduated neutral density filters and perhaps some warming filters. Their effects are the subtleties I learned about most.The 12 rolls of Provia will be dropped off at Firehouse tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to seeing what I got...
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no subject
Date: 2003-01-21 08:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-01-21 09:41 am (UTC)Ya know, maybe you should write a little note to Northwest commending her.
no subject
Date: 2003-01-21 11:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-01-21 10:03 am (UTC)Glad everything else was good. :)
Food suggestions: Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat are good first solid post-flu foods, as is dry toast.
Feel better soon.
no subject
Date: 2003-01-21 10:07 am (UTC)glad you made it home...
Date: 2003-01-21 12:07 pm (UTC)Re: glad you made it home...
Date: 2003-01-21 12:45 pm (UTC)Oh, I'd say that if we get a chance to meet on one of my trips to the area (although not this coming weekend, as it's pretty short), I'll be sure to bring my portfolio. Starting with whatever is good from this Mono Lake trip, I'm going to start getting hi-res scans made as well, so that I'll be able to get stuff posted to my web site more easily.
And thanks for the compliment - that shot of Yellowstone is one of my personal favorites.