There was some dramatic light on the ocean the other evening. Weather has been changeable...typical Spring here.

What a strange year it's been. For everyone, of course...

I notice that the pandemic and related changes to our behaviors have affected us all very markedly. One common thread in my little world of photo/IT/technology geeks has been a shift in discussions to off-topics. A lot of my internet 'photo buddies' are now digging deep into ultra high-end audio, pool tables, and winter tires. Odd. And I'll be joining them today:

One way my behavior has changed recently is that I no longer photograph on a regular basis. The other has been our on-going battle for reliable internet. 

We've been 'working from home' since way before it was cool [or mandated]...early 2014, and moved three times in that period. Each location has presented its own challenges, and this latest house in rural, coastal Maine has been the worst for internet connectivity in particular.

But good news at last on that front. I've long wished for an 'aggregator' appliance for connecting multiple internet connections into one reliable stream. I finally found it in the form of the TP-Link TL-R470T+ Load Balance Broadband Router. There are newer models of this unit that will handle higher bandwidth connections than the R470...and I only wish I needed them. Our DSL connections barely meet the definition of broadband, and this model is more than sufficient, as well as cheaper.

So, how does it work? Imagine a typical network switch, but instead of one WAN connection coming in and multiple LAN ports going out, it's the other way around. This one supports up to four WAN inputs and funnels them into one LAN output, to which you connect the local network routers and switches of your choosing.

The results are exactly what you'd hope for. Four 3x1 Mbps DSL circuits in, one 12x4 Mbps connection out. The only caveat is to assign all TCP/UDP traffic [think Zoom, Teams, Skype] to just one, fast, port so that voice traffic doesn't get choppy. That's it, and you're good to go. Amazing.

The only other observation I'd make is that this unit will not help with fault tolerance. If you have a shakey connection or two this will not be your salvation. We did have one DSL line that was constantly either down or very slow, and once connected to the R470 it would bring the whole house to a crawl. After 2+ years of trouble tickets and truck rolls I hit upon a solution to this particular headache. I cancelled that line and ordered a new identical replacement. It's been up and trouble-free for many weeks now, and I'm on the verge of announcing 'mission accomplished'.

It is odd indeed to fire up the office machines and NOT wonder if I'll have to call the ISP every day.

Those of you who've ever heard me critique photography know that i don't suffer sunset or sunrise or weather related photos gladly. They're often trite and usually rely on bright garish colors that the photographer had no hand in creating. 

The examples above fall neatly into that company.

In my insular, unique, and wholly personal opinion, in order to be truly successful photographs should be two things: 1) Created with intent, and 2) Photographed in B/W.

Yes, I break both rules more often than I follow them. And, I do think those exceptions actually prove the rule...in that my few successful 'fine art' [as opposed to commercial] images have all met both criteria.

So why post these today?...'cause they're pretty. 

[iPhone, Port Clyde, USA]

There's nothing like shooting a sailboat regatta on the water to rekindle one's interest in making images again!

Well, to be fair there are other strategies...such as buying new gear [which I did not do], or simply changing geographic locations, which I did.

Amid the pandemic we did finally get out of the house and out of the state to participate in yet another workshop with Onne van der Wal in Newport. 

The weather did not really cooperate this year as the scheduled Saturday workshop was cancelled. However, Onne went above and beyond and took two of us out in his RIB on Sunday to see what sort of action we could scare up.

It was a lean field, but with a maneuverable boat and capable captain at our beck and call we were able to get right into the mix.

Goes without saying...a day on the water is always a successful day. Thanks Onne!

[Lumix G9 and GX85 w/8-16mm and 50-200mm Leica DG, Newport and Bristol, RI]

I've been thinking a lot about photography lately, and find myself often repeating the phrase 'The End Starts Here'. That was the title of a website run by Rodney Smith...an interesting and terrifically successful commercial and fine art photographer who passed a few years ago.

​I had his website bookmarked and visited often for inspiration. One day I realized he hadn't posted in weeks...then months. Finally a cheery little note appeared in which he apologized and promised a big new effort to come. There was maybe one more half-hearted entry and then nothing. Months later I read his obituary. I was the first to comment on the site after his passing. A few more of us did, then many, then the site was simply taken down.

Robert Frank made his comment above years before digital. Imagine what he'd say now.
I won't promise 'a big new effort', nor will I just take the site down. I'll let it simmer.
But it's possible I've captured all the images that were within me.

I attempted to capture the 'Pink Moon' off of a point in Maine this month. A boat got in the way, which only made it more successful to my eye. We love it out here on the coast. Peaceful in a time of turmoil. Hope all is well with you and yours. 

[Lumix G9 w/50-200mm Leica DG. Hart's Neck, St George, ME]

I acknowledge that they're all very blue. But in their defense it was past sundown, in the 'blue hour'. 
Nice few days with a Leica DG 12mm f1.4 lens. It's an effective 24mm lens on my new m43 system. 
I like the way the lens renders...future images will show this better than ISO4000 images do. But I can see this rounding out the wide angle end of my G9 system. 

Back in the late Fall I suddenly got the urge to take a walk through the garden. The 'harvest' was over on our small plots...beans long gone, squash in, and just some hearty tomatoes still hanging on the vine. 

Don't know if I was thinking of storing these images away for Winter, but glad I did. Just looking at them I can smell the green and the earth. It will all be back in 5-6 months. Can't wait.

It was practically dark out the other evening as I drove along the harbor. Cold, crisp air, and winter sky. Wonderful.