Snow day , Birthday, Obama Day – January 20th, 2009

It was an interesting day yesterday in Raleigh, NC, my family, and in the United States in general.

Snow arrives in Raleigh

Originally, I grew up in Racine, Wisconsin.   After finishing my  sophomore year in high at J.I Case High School in 1981, we moved to Rocky Mount, NC. I transformed into a southern man as I now have lived longer in the south than in Wisconsin.  One of the advantages of living in North Carolina versus Wisconsin is the more moderate weather.  We do not see much snow in the winter here. So when it comes it is an event. 

Over Christmas, my brother who lives in the Chicago area, sent me an email with titled “For those wishing for a white Christmas”.   In this email, he attached a cell phone photo of the front of his home just after they received over 2 feet of snow.  At the time at least for a minute,  I missed the snow related activities and was reminded of my childhood snow fort building , snow ball fights, and  snow sledding.  I did not of course think about the snow shoveling and snow blowing which would have ruined the moment.  

When snow arrives in Raleigh, the town definitely slows down.   It is generally best not to be “out and about” driving in the snow as inexperienced drivers head for the ditches and possible your car.  The snow began to fall on Monday night and we woke up to approximately 3 inches of snow on the ground Tuesday morning.  

The schools were closed and my wife and I decided to work from home.  With snow on the ground, it can not be all work. We needed to get out there and let our children enjoy a little of white stuff.  All work and no play makes Steve a dull boy  - not to mention the kids a little restless.

Here are a shots of the family in the snow:

 

 

Happy Birthday Dad!

Well, my dad turned 71 years old Tuesday also.  I am so blessed to have a father like him in my life.  He has definitely taught me well and has been a role model on what it is to be a great father.   Happy birthday Dad!!!!! You are my coach, my mentor, my friend, and my ideal father.   You are one in a million! That is for sure.

Obama becomes President

It is now official. Barack Obama is now the 44th president of the United States.  After watching the festivities, I have a positive sense of unity and hope for our country that I have not felt much since the tragedy of 911.   I think Barak has inspired many Americans and people all over the world.  I hope this feeling continues as we face some of our most difficult issues as a nation.  Do you think there is any coincidence that he is the 44th president and I turn 44 in February ?  Hopefully that is a good sign of things to come for all of us this year.

Take care !!! See ya soon!!

TrianglePhotoPrints.com Paper , mounting, finish options – Addicted to Metallic Paper

 

The Print experiment

Recently, I ordered a few samples from my lab that creates the prints for my www.trianglephotoprints.com web site.  The goal of the exercise was to compare the standard E-Surface paper vs. the Metallic paper that are offered as paper options for the all the prints on the web site.  I was also interested in viewing the Single/Double weight backboard in the flesh. 

As the self-proclaimed “birds and babies”, I decide to use this print of my now “family famous” spoonbill.  

I ordered two copies of this print with the following options:

• E-Surface paper with Lustre coating and  Single/Double weight backboard.
• Metallic paper with the Single/Double weight backboard.

These options can be set on any of your prints, once they are added to the shopping cart.

Paper/Print Options

This screen shot is from the www.trianglephotoprints.com  shopping cart for my chosen print. 
I highlighted the link to set your paper/print options.

  If you click the “E-Surface Color Paper”, you are presented with the following paper options: 

Here you can select your paper finish, Color Correction option (I suggest leaving as the default so a lab technician personally examines the print) and any color Conversion.  

Here is the description of the two paper options I  ordered from the web site.

E-Surface Paper

“Kodak Professional Portra Endura paper (aka Traditional E-Surface paper) is the most popular choice. This paper has slightly textured Matte finish. Accurate color, realistic saturation, excellent neutral skin-tone reproduction, and brighter colors are just a few of the attributes that describe it.  The standard print life is 100 years in home display, and 200 years in dark storage.

NOTE: B&W images will still print in black and white on this paper.”

Metallic Paper

“If you have never seen a Metallic print, you owe it to yourself to try this paper.

Endura Metallic paper offers natural looking skin-tones, sharp details and beautifully saturated colors. It is strong and resistant to tearing or curling without any additional lamination. This paper uses a patented combination of film and laminate layers that results in striking three-dimensional images on an ultra-bright background. This paper is truly impressive.

NOTE: B&W images will still print in black and white on this paper.”

 

Mounting, Framing,  Lamination and Coating Options

For the mounting options, you would click the “Frames, mounting, etc..” that is highlighted here.

This brings up the following options:

The Lustre Coating option is only available on the E-Surface paper. This is set in Lamination & Coating section of the above dialog.
The Mounting and Frame dropdown allows you to select your mounting and framing options.  Since I am planning to frame these pictures myself, I selected the Single Weight Backboard Option.  This is the least expensive mounting option; however, that foam core mount looks very interesting to me.

Here is the description of these options that I ordered from the web site:

Lustre Coating

Lustre coating is an environmentally friendly, non-flammable coating which protects against UV light, finger prints, and dust. With the coverage and appearance similar to lacquer, the Lustre Coating gives your prints a rich, glossy sheen.
NOTE: One extra day is required for processing. Available for all print sizes. Not available on Metallic paper.

Single Weight Backboard

Mounting your print on a backboard not only gives the print extra support, but it also helps preserve the value of the print over time. Single-weight backboard is 1/16" thick. These are rigid, lightweight art boards added to the back of the print with a smooth white surface and a white foam center. NOTE: One extra day is required for processing.

 

Result

Though, I like both prints for different reasons.  I really like the metallic paper for the “3D look” it gives the prints. It really makes the colors of this particular print  pop out.   I encourage you to try this metallic paper and see if it “wows” you like it did me.  I can see value of the E-Surface when you want a soft look to the photo. 

Have you ever framed a print and over time, it ends up being “wavy” in the frame where you look at the picture on the you notice bad reflections because the print is not flat in the frame.  The backboard will definitely solve this problem at a reasonable cost.

Good night Philip

Well, it was an interesting weekend in the NFL playoffs.  The outcomes of the games remind us of the parity in the NFL.  With the exception of the San Diego-Pittsburgh game, the visitors took it to the home teams.  So much for “home field” advantage in the modern day NFL playoffs.

The Arizona Cardinals will be in their first NFC championship game after beating the heavily favored Carolina Panthers .  Up until this season, the Cardinal franchise has only won one playoff game in 61 years.  As I watched the game,  I came to realize why  Larry Fitzgerald gets the press he does. He is amazing with his hands. He was catching everything that came his way.  The Arizona Cardinals defense (with a little help from the Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme) showed that they really exist.  Guys like Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner do their talking on the field and leave their egos at the house.  

Shut Phillip Rivers!

The San Diego Chargers squeaked into the playoffs with a late regular season run. After beating the Indianapolis Colts, they were touted as a team that could go all the way.  All the NFL analysts have stated that the San Diego Chargers are Phillip River’s team and not LaDamian Tomlinson’s team anymore.  If only Philip could play as well as he as his ego. 

I was glad to see the Chargers go down just because I am so tired of hearing about Phillip Rivers.  I understand that he went to college at NC state in my current home town.   Even as a Carolina Tarheel graduate, I enjoyed watching him as a player at NC state.  When he turned pro, the money and his head got the best of him.  I prefer a player that quietly does his talking on the field and does the talking with class off the field.  Maybe Phillip can learn a few things from LT.  I think it sends the right message to our children that idolize these players when they present themselves with class.  

Well, the Steelers did the job and we do not have to hear his mouth anymore this season.  Good night Phillip !!  Hopefully,  next year you will lead your team to better than a barely-over .500 record and keep your mouth shut and play with class.