Brihogan.com: December 2004

12/21/2004

Marin Kate

Birth 12/7/04 - Weight 7 lbs 8 oz - Length 20 ½ inches.

I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our family: Marin, my niece. Probably the most adorable baby EVER! Okay, so I’m kind of biased, but I think it might be true.

Since she’s still so young her crying is cuter then it is frustrating. But, the nicest thing is that she doesn’t cry all that often (at least when I’m around – not to say that I’m some kind of magical dude that keeps her from crying, just that I can’t vouch for her temper the rest of the day and night when she’s with her mommy and daddy). She’s extremely inquisitive and I think that keeps her from crying. She seems to carefully study whatever it might be that is her gaze.

Probably the cutest thing is that when she looks about, she smacks her mouth and occasionally sticks her tongue out – as if she is tasting the air.

Click on the picture to see it full size - it looks a lot better that way.

I threw these pictures together in photoshop. Thought it'd be fun to try the black border/multiple picture thing I've seen before.

You can go to her family's website if you click here. From there you can open a photo album dedicated to her as a newbie.

12/07/2004

From Outerspace!

Okay, so that's a lie. This isn't a photo from outerspace. I wish!

The truth is, I went flying a month or two ago with my cousin and brother. My cousin did the flying. We flew in a little four seater prop plane. It was awesome. If you ever get the chance to fly in such a little plane, do it! It’s amazing to see things from a prospective that you’ve never seen so clearly before.

The only problem with flying is if you’re prone to motion sickness – which I am. I took some Dramamine beforehand, but the juice wore out. So I was pretty messed up. The rest of the day I was kind of dizzy. Motion sickness is my only weakness in life – it’s like my kryptonite. I mean, I can do all sorts of super hero/human stuff, but get me in a tight space while the surroundings bounce about and I’m toast.

We flew over our properties so that we could get some sweet aerial photos. This shot right here shows my parent’s house, my cousin’s house, my brother’s house, and my place. Yeah, we live pretty close together.

12/04/2004

Cool Asian Guy

Here's a picture of a fellow I saw while walking around in little China in New York (or maybe it was Boston, I can't remember). Anyway, the guy just looked cool! I thought spiky hair like his was only possible in Anime cartoons. After seeing this guy I kind of wished I was Asian. Did you know: Brian spelled in T9 is Asian? Interesting, huh?

Photo Contest Rules (boring)

Timing
Photos should be submitted to Brian's email by Sunday @ 8:00pm. Posting will go live ASAP. Voting will close Thursday at 3:00pm. Winner will fill out "interview" and deliver to Brian's email by Friday night.

Photo Delivery
Try to keep your photos under 1,500 pixels wide (or tall). You can use the "Large (Higher Quality)" setting through iPhoto. Your photograph should be titled; 1 to 5 words for a title.

Scoring
First place 3 points. Second place 2 points. Third place 1 point.

Handicaps / 1:321 Rule
The idea behind handicapping is to keep the competition close. It is also there so that we can practice photography with limits - since limits might make us more creative. Lastly, it is there to keep players with more resources from having too much advantage.

Since the winner will not be determined until Thursday night, the handicap will be for the following week's assignment. So, basically, the handicapping will always be a week behind.

When a photographer gets first place he will receive one handicap. Handicap is decided on by the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place photographers (majority rules). Handicaps for a win must be of the "basic type". If a photographer is winning over the last place person by 3, 5, or 6 wins then he will get +1, +2, or +3 handicaps of the "extreme type".

The 321 part of the rule comes from a photographer winning 3 times, then an additional 2 times, then an additional 1 time. These wins translate to having a score of 9, 15, and 18 above the last place player.

For example, if "Player A" just won a round and has a score of 18 and "Player B" has a score of 0. Then "Player A" Would have 1 basic handicap and 3 extreme handicaps. If a player is more than 18 points over the lowest player than he will get +1 basic handicaps for every single point over 18.

Basic Type Handicaps
For practice! Basic handicaps are assigned to the photographer that has just won a round. And also assigned to photographers that are more than 18 points above the last place player. Basic handicaps reset each round. The handicap is decided on by the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place players (majority rules). Basic handicaps would be anything that are not fundamental photographing "rights". These handicaps should be fun & challenging, but not stress inducing. For example, "no flash", "No post production (other than CC)", "Must use S priority mode", "No stabilization (i.e. tripods)", "Must use manual focus", "Must shot in landscape/portrait orientation", etc.

Extreme Type Handicaps
Ouch! Extreme handicaps are assigned to any photographer that are 9, 15, or 18 points above the last place player. Extreme handicaps are reset each round. The handicap is decided on by the bottom 3 players - but not including the player being handicapped (majority rules). Extreme handicaps can include limiting fundamental photographing "rights". For example, "full manual mode (M mode and manual focus)", "No post production at all (not even CC)", "Shots only between 8 & 10pm", "No looking through viewfinder or monitor", etc.

Voting Rules
Photographers are not allowed to solicit for votes. They can link to the voting. Or, even have their own voting on their own blog/site. But, they cannot suggest which photo should be voted for. Photographers can vote once - but not for their own photo.

Ties
If there is a tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. Then all the players (other than the players involved in the tie) vote on the favorite (majority rules). If there are an equal number of votes, then the lowest scored individual is dropped from voting. The score for the "lowest scored individual" is the score before the round in which the tie is involved.

Assignments
Next week's assignment will be posted at the bottom of the "contest photos" post, which should be posted no later than Monday. Assignment will be pulled from several standard websites that produce "word of the day" or "assignment of the week" etc. For now, Brian will pick an assignment on a rotational bases.

Winner's Interview
These are the questions the winner should email to Brian so that he can post your victory.

What was your thought process in coming up with your photo?
What settings did you use (shutter/aperture, ISO, etc)?
Did you do any Post Production? If so, what did you do?
What tools did you use (flash, lens, meter, etc)?
What have you learned from this assignment?
What would you have done differently now that it's over?