Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2500 “Ride Buddy” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは！Hi, how’s it going?
Here in the States, nearly everyone returned to work or school after a long weekend. For my family, we had nine days of vacation so I wasn’t looking forward to coming back to work. But it wasn’t so bad! I got my tasks organized in a few hours and have a reasonable workload set for the rest of the week. 😂
But what always happens to me after a vacation ends is that I wish I could go back in time to when my vacation just started. For instance, tonight a the dinner table I said to my family, “Exactly one week ago, at this time, we were eating dinner at the Reata restaurant.” I can’t believe a week can go by so quickly… it seems like we were just starting our vacation!
Anyways, here’s a photo of my lunch today. I rarely eat lunch (or breakfast) but Mariko offered to make a sandwich for me today, so I couldn’t refuse. Especially because the bread is freshly baked at home using good quality ingredients 🍞. It’s so yummy that it doesn’t matter so much what is inside the two slices of bread. 😍
Today’s photo is of a stuffed animal that found its way to my motorbike. I’m not 100% sure where it came from or who put it there, but I suspect Mariko. Speaking of motorbikes 🏍, I saw a few “Adventure Bikes” at Big Bend, and I know they had a good time riding there. The scenery, weather, twisty roads, and gravel trails are heaven for dual-sport riders. I wish I could have ridden my F650 GS there, but wow, that is a long haul to get to Big Bend from our house! Perhaps someday, if I have a week to myself I will consider the trip… 😜
Hi all! It’s a couple days after we returned from a 6-day vacation, and during that trip I blogged every night, including photos that I took during the day. Since I didn’t have Lightroom with me, I did all my photo editing on my Android phone using the Snapseed app. I’m pleased with how the photos turned out, considering I used just the mobile app. And so I thought I would share how I edited my photos with you all! (If you use an iPhone, you can find the same/similar apps for that platform)
First, I take all my photos using my Fujifilm X100T in JPG mode, usually the Standard (Provia) color setting. Then, using the Fujifilm Camera Remote app, I transfer the photos via WiFi to my Motorola Moto G phone. I browse them using the QuickPic app, then when I find one I’d like to edit, I select Share, then choose Snapseed from the list:
The image opens up in the Snapseed app and then I get down to business! I’ve found I like to start by using the Rotate tool to straighten things out (it will do its best to auto-straighten, which works surprisingly well!), then Crop. Next I will use the Tune Image tool, adjusting the Shadows, Saturation, and Exposure. Lastly, I might add a slight Vignette. For many photos, this is all I do.
On other photos, I’ll go to the presets and play around more. I like to use the Tonal Contrast to give the photo a little more definition, the Drama presets to add a little punch, and the Grainy Film presets for a VSCO type feel. If I only want to add some grain, I will use a Grainy Film preset, but set the Style Strength to 0, and only use the grain adjustment. FYI, most people like to reduce grain for a super clean image, but I like the feel of grain, so that’s why I use the preset.
After I am satisfied with my edits, I’ll click on Done and move on to the next image. When I have all my photos edited and ready for posting, I’ll select them all in QuickPic, and Share them with my WordPress app, which will add them to the WordPress Media library. And that’s it! They are ready to be added to my post when I type it out on my Chromebook.
Of course, there isn’t the same kind of control as you get with Lightroom, but I think it’s a great mobile solution, and it doesn’t take long at all. I hope this helps! Please take a look at the photos I edited using this technique below:
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO5000 “A Selfie?” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Today’s the end of my long vacation. 😭 But we had a great time on the road and visiting new places. A bonus for me doing the outdoorsy vacation is that I don’t have to shave! (My wife would tend not to agree with that sentiment)
I don’t have enough facial hair to grow a moustache or beard, so it’s kind of just a patchy, scraggly kind of stubble. Come to think of it, I’m glad that I need to shave tomorrow. 😄
By the way, I started to add some photos of our vacation to a new album on Flickr. Please take a look at the 2016 Thanksgiving Road Trip album when you get a chance!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO6400 “Ain’t Pretty” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは！How’s it going?
Today’s photo is a close-up of some “repair” work I did on my hiking boots. I bought a pair of Keen Targhee II boots several years ago, on sale at REI for only $12 and they have served me well over the years. They are comfortable and have an adequate amount of support. But the one huge flaw is that Keen used a glue for that particular model which wasn’t as strong as other types of glue. The rumor is that they used a more environmentally friendly type of glue, which is commendable, but the sole pretty much separated from the upper. Upon close inspection, I couldn’t find any glue residue at all – it’s as if the glue just disappeared!
I probably should get new boots, but since I love these so much that I decided to slather a good amount of Shoe Goo on them and reattach the soles. It’s definitely not pretty, but I am hoping they hold.
We are going hiking in a couple days and I’m not 100% confident that the soles will stay on, so I am bringing another pair of shoes (running) just in case. But perhaps it’s time to look for some replacements. Either way, I am happy with my $12 purchase! 😄
*** Update 11/27/2016 *** The Shoe Goo held up and the soles stayed connected the whole trip, including three moderately easy hikes. Go Shoe Goo!!!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1600 “Kotatsu” Cedar Park, 2016
こんばんは！How’s it going?
The weather has turned cold and so I brought down the kotatsu and set it up in front of the tv. The kotatsu is a Japanese table with blanket and small heating element. In many homes in Japan the rooms are pretty cold in the Winter, and people keep warm by using heavier clothes, small space heaters, and kotatsu.
Here in the States, we tend to keep the whole house warmer, but we still like to break out the kotatsu because it is so comfortable! It’s a little “dangerous” though, because once you get comfortable under the kotatsu, the chances of falling asleep go up considerably! In fact, this afternoon I took a nice 1-hour nap… it was too hard to resist.
For lunch today, Koa and I were going to go to Taco Bell to get a couple burritos, but I decided we’d go to another place, that served more authentic Mexican food. I wanted to eat our food there, but Koa wanted to take it home so I compromised and we got the meals to-go. (He really wanted Taco Bell!) Anyways, the food was delicious and I liked going to this restaurant because all the diners there were seemed to be Mexican workers on their lunch-breaks.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO2000 “Mexican Take-out” Cedar Park, 2016
Here in Texas, we have plenty of Mexican restaurants and also Tex-Mex style. I grew up in Southern California, so I am used to a different kind of style of Mexican food, and when I first tried Tex-Mex, I thought it was strange. It was yummy, but just strange. Tex-Mex tends to use more gooey American-style cheese, whereas California-style has more fresh ingredients, most notably avocado. I actually like both styles of Americanized Mexican food, but still cannot stand American cheese in Mexican food.
However, I love to eat where the “locals” eat, and going to a Mexican restaurant in which 95% of the diners are Latino means you are getting the real-deal.
Like this:
LikeLoading...
My camera & photos
I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
