Here’s a gem from You Tube.

The cut is from A Song is Born an otherwise forgettable movie  from MGM (though directed by Howard Hawks).

The plot involves the girlfriend of a gangster who needs to disappear, when her boyfriend attracts the attention of the authorities. She hides by associating with Danny Kaye, and his friends, a group of nerdy music professors, working to document the history of Jazz.

When I first encountered this clip,   did not remember the movie. I realized finally, that I seen it perhaps forty years ago, when I was not particularly interested in swing-era jazz.

The clip starts out as a history of jazz music, it portrays the contribution of African-American and Latin music  to the evolution of this musical form.

Honestly, I don’t really like the score that much. It seems dated to my ears.

  But it’s when the entire ensemble starts to play, you start to notice the incredible assembly of legends that were brought together for this musical production.

Professor Magenbruch on the clarinet, for instance, is  played by the incomparable Benny Goodman. His old band mate, Lionel Hampton plays vibes. The patriarch of New Orleans Jazz, Louie Armstrong  is familiar to our eyes on trumpet, but this should not diminish his legendary musical prowess.

Less well know perhaps to our generation, but equally extraordinary musicians present include bandleader Tommy Dorsey on trombone and jazz greats Charlie Barnett, and Mel Powell, on sax and piano duties respectively.  The beat is maintained by a young-looking  Louis Belson on the drum set and Harry Babasin on bass.

I don’t know of any other occasion where so many jazz luminaries were brought together.

Against this assembly of talent, Virginia Mayo,  seems to handle the vocals nicely. Her singing however, was likely dubbed.

 Though not evident here, Danny Kaye was also a gifted vocal performer.

 Clips like this make me yearn for days gone by when performers, by and large, were actually masters of their craft, and elevated to stardom on that basis, rather than on the marketing of their sexual exploits and tawdry behavior.

Forty years ago, at least to me, an assemblage of talent like this like this, was not particularly noteworthy.

It seems noteworthy now.

Several days ago, I received an envelope in the mail from Epson

It contained a  check from Epson for the amount of US $450, which is the precise amount of the rebate on the  Stylus Photo R 1900 that I purchased in December, thus reaffirming my faith in the integrity of multinational corporations.

I remember the comments of some of the posters on the original article that I wrote, suggesting that I would not ever receive the money. Well the check is here, and unless it bounces, I  have managed to obtain a new, and relatively high-end photo printer for about US$60.

Life is good.

Don’t worry, they’ll get me on the ink.

Sometimes, there’s nothing to be said.

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When I posted “A Rebate Tale”,  I was concerned that the topic would be:

#1 Too dull.

#2 To seemingly selfish.

I did actually post the story to be a warning so that could avoid the modestly annoying situation I find my self in.

I was unprepared for the response that this post has received.

I did post a link to several photography forums that I am known to frequent.

I  subsequently had the single day record for the largest number of visitors to the blog .

And the robust readership continues several days later.

The responses which occurred in the forums were varied. Some people ridiculed me for not being careful enough and failing to fully understand the terms of the rebate.

Others told me of their similar predicament regarding the Nikon D-7000, and the Epson rebate.

Still others mocked me, for moving from pro-level Nikon bodies to what some see is an “advanced amateur” body (I continue to believe that a “pro” camera is any camera you can make money with).

Most interestingly, there was a theme among some posters that the whole issue of product rebates should be viewed with suspicion, if not outright distrust as many rebates legitimaty applied for, are never realized by the consumer.

I had a fascinating post on the site from Helen Oster who is the “Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador”. She works for a (the biggest?) competitor to B+H Photo, where I purchased the merchandise in question. She suggested that I contact Henry Posner, who is her opposite number at B+H. What a classy thing to do.

Henry was waiting for me. He already knew who I was and understood my predicament. Apparently he has the ability to scan the web for mentions of his employer and to intervene when necessary to protect the fine reputation B+H enjoys. And he found my little blog from two mentions in text, of his store. It’s a little scary.

We had an extremely pleasant conversation. He offered to check with his camera buyer to get read on when I might see the Nikon delivered (two weeks, as it turned out). He also extended he window when I may return the printer. He explained that the rebate business has been at times a problem, as companies like Epson often use outside contractors to process their rebate applications. The quality (and motivation) of those contractors affects how many rebates are issued (my summation, not Henry’s exact words).

I also talked the person in charge of rebate issues at Epson. She told me that all that needed was the invoice from B+H with the Camera and the printer shown as purchased. She reminded me that Epson has no way to track other manufacturers serial numbers, or UPC codes anyway.

I don’t trust this. Apparently the “contractors” processing claims tend to be stringent about applications or they kick them out. I also know that having the physical UPC code cut from the box prevents multiple rebates on the same purchase. I’m not going to bite on this one.

If I do get to apply for that refund, the application will be letter-perfect, with all the requirements met. It will be sent certified mail, return receipt requested.

Meanwhile, but the box is still sitting here. It’s getting a bit dusty now, but remains otherwise untouched.

Unlike me this year, it may be taking a trip back to NYC for the holidays.

A Dusting at Wagner's Run (November Image, John Heinz/Allied Services Calendar)

 

Over the past three years, it has been my pleasure to provide  the landscape photography for a unique publication. 

It is a calender, created and sold for the benefit of the pediatric rehabilitation programs at the John Heinz Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine in Wilkes Barre, and the Allied Services facility, in Scranton, both in my home region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. In an increasingly bottom-line oriented medical community, these programs are run rather altruistically: no child is refused services, regardless of their ability to pay.

The program serves a wide variety of children with a broad assortment of physical and developmental diagnosis. Many children receive services for years, if  not decades of their young lives. Through this rehabilitation, the children, many of whom are severely disabled, can have their functional status, and potential as adults strikingly improved.

The calendar will be available at all Allied and John Heinz facilities, and at a number of retailers throughout the region. The calendar can be previewed and ordered through the Allied Services/John Heinz website.

It is 9″by 12″ spiral bound, and printed on high quality glossy stock. I daresay that the print quality of the images for bulk printing, is quite high.

It priced at the princely sum of $6.

It makes a nice inexpensive holiday gift which you can really feel good about giving.

It’s certainly better than a fruitcake.

I used to fancy myself a bluesman.

I’m a big fan of Muddy Waters, Lightning Hopkins, Big and Little Walter, and Koko Taylor. I’m convinced that B.B. King is the blues guitar version of Count Basie.

It’s fun to listen to Eric Clapton play the blues, but I’m always left with the idea that his heart is not totally in it.

I can bend notes on a harmonica pretty well, and have played around in a bar band.

On the other hand I’m an old balding white guy.  I figure I’m the wrong race; and with little talent; I should definitely stick to medicine.

There was this guy, from Texas, who really played the blues.

He might have been the best guitarist in the modern era.

 He was a white guy. He wore sort of a modified cowboy hat, often with a plume.

I have always loved the blues, but, was focused at the time on classic blues artists.  I missed out on him.

He conquered drug and alcohol abuse, and was clean at the time of this video.

He died in a helicopter crash in 1990. What a tragedy.

He is of course, Stevie Ray Vaughn.  

He was absolutely astounding.

Here’s a cut.

Arielle at Twelve

I lost a niece, a week ago.

Arielle was my sister’s child, and a college student. She was driving, probably too fast, on a twisty back road to take an exam on a rainy afternoon. She lost control of the car and was killed.

She was always a personality. She had flaming red hair and an outgoing persona to match: a character in a family of characters.  She was particularly beloved by her siblings and cousins and as we discovered, by a large group of friends. She was from childhood, extremely animated and forthright.

Years ago, my father, who is her grandfather, affectionately nicknamed her “Whacko”. It has always seemed apt.

Often, as a middle-aged guy it is hard to keep up with the lives of your children, let alone those of your teenage nieces. Sadly this was the case with Arielle. I hadn’t talked to her much in the past couple of years.

 Despite this, you are still connected organically with the offspring of your siblings, and the news of her death was a shock. My sister, her husband and her brother and sister were beyond devastated, but handled the tragedy with great dignity.

I learned over the last week, the joy she had brought great joy to a large group of friends.  Her Facebook page exploded with grief.  A crowd of young friends, along with her large extended family attended the wake and the funeral and gave witness to the impact that she had on her peers and loved ones.

There is no good in this, but I hope going forward, that some of the kids, who were touched by Arielle’s loss, will have been given a sense of their own potential mortality.  Perhaps a young life will be saved.

Arielle, we miss you. I regret especially that I think that in your youth, you were much like your mother. I think that you would have matured, as she did, into a fine strong woman. That would have been wonderful. I will miss having that person in my life.

Goodbye Arielle. See you soon.

 

Red and Orange (Panasonic GH1, Lumix 20mm f 1.7)

 

On a day off, especially if I am awakening in the morning during a photogenic season, or in a scenic place, I have to make a decision.

Do I get up, grab my photo gear and go out early, or do I “sleep in”. This is a decision that I usually make based on the weather.

If it’s cloudy, I stay in bed, knowing that the same shooting conditions that I would encounter at 6 AM will exist at 11. I can sleep a bit, have breakfast and coffee, and still get good light.

If it’s clear, I think about it. You have to get up very early, arguably before sunrise, to catch the very best light. If I can look out the window and can already see that it’s clear, I probably already missed the best shooting. Have to wait until sunset.

If it’s foggy however, particularly if there’s no rain, I’m up instantly. For fogs, or mists, in many ways and in their many forms provide a wonderful backdrop for landscape photography.

Landscape photographers need to try to understand the weather. It’s helpful to anticipate the atmosphere’s behavior in order to be present for the best shooting conditions. I’m not a meteorologist, but I know a few things:

I know that in the fall of the year, when a cold front passes after a period of warmth, fog will form in valleys, particularly in river valleys, while the surrounding ridges will be clear. The amount of fog will depend on the “dew point” of the atmosphere.

I know that a similar phenomenon occurs anytime cool moist air passes over warmer surfaces.

I know that it is not unlikely to have fog, when there is an ice storm in the winter.

I know that fog will occur at times I cannot predict.

Fog is like free bokeh (see definition here) provided by the atmosphere. When it is thin, it blurs and deemphasizes the background detail, focusing one’s attention on the subject.

When it is thick, it can transform the commonplace into the abstract. It can change a pedestrian scene, into a more magical vision.

It helps to have equipment that is relatively moisture resistant. Don’t underestimate the pernicious effect  of water vapor on electronics. Don’t bring warm cameras out into cool moist environments. If you do, water will condense onto the electronics, and lenses will fog. At the least, it helps to have a lens cloth available.  

Better yet, let the equipment equalize to the ambient temperature (I usually leave my gear overnight in a place where that can happen). Typically then, there will be few issues.

Every once in a while, Mother Nature helps us with our craft.

Take advantage of it.

October 18, 2010

Alright , I admit it. I screwed up A number of our readers pointed out that the real danger of condensation on camera lenses, and in camera bodies occurs when cold equipment is brought into warm environments. Bang, you got me. In my own defense however, I would say that I was trying to warn my gentle readers about the perils of using electronic equipment, in ultra-humid environments.

I am greatful that people are paying attention.

 I hope you’ll continue.

 

Brigid's Room (Nikon D-700, Nikkor 50mm f 1.8)

I have been remiss in posting for a little while.

A lot has been going on.

 For one thing, a week ago, my wife Cathy and I dropped my daughter off at college for her freshman year.

This went well; the unloading day was very well run, she has a big dorm room and a lovely roommate. They seem to be getting along well, which I am told can be problematic for first year students picked to be “roomies” by the school.

I’m proud of her. She’s quickly landed a job at the school’s computer help desk and seems to be adapting well to college life. I think she is savoring her independence, an attitude which can be slightly nerve racking for college newbie parents. She doesn’t call as much as I would like. Much of what we know comes from texts to her brother.

My wife and I, like innumerable couples before us, are adjusting slowly to the change. It’s a little sad to go into her bedroom at home. Before she left it was an unorganizable mess, jammed with an accumulation of mementoes of her childhood, and more recent artifacts reflecting the “garbage brain” approach to life that I think she inherited from me. My wife always pushed for her to keep it neat, but never recently was that truly accomplished.

Like most teen bedrooms, it was usually a complete mess.

Posters covered the walls, and the carcasses of old computers she had cannibalized for parts, or salvaged when abandoned, were everywhere.  Along with computer gear,  there were piles of CDs and DVDs without sleeves(that drove me nuts) on her desk along  with generations of IPods which she had collected and filled with music. The bed was rarely made. The floor was covered in clothes. Parents, does this sound familiar?

The bookshelves overflowed with diverse reading, some from school, some of her own choosing.  She had a penchant for changing the room layout including the furniture, about every three weeks, an obsession which I never really understood.

 Now, with most of the debris gone, her mother’s organizational skills are winning the day. The bed is made and the room is becoming a tidy space. Eventually, it would make a very a nice guest bedroom.

Except I already have one of those.

Happily, Brigid will return for a summer or three, and the room will temporarily devolve once again.

We obviously understand that ultimately, for her as well as her brother to succeed, they will have to leave us permanently… except of course for holidays, and (caution- traditional values exposed) hopefully, visits someday with their spouses and our grandchildren.

I’m cool with this.

I just wasn’t quite ready for it to start happening so soon.

I love this.

Two icons that I would never have put together. Two of the most talented individuals in show business ever. Both died far too young, both from tobacco.

One of the best singers in Pop music history doing an extraordinarily funny impersonation of one of the other best singers in Pop music history… who also, for good measure, does an impersonation of himself.

Ladies and Gentleman… Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Jr.

Show me modern entertainers with such talent, humor and joy.

Please.