managed photos on Flickr

1

House Beautiful, 1975

NEMF specimen (206 of 217) by Ellen Bulger

There had been some discussion, prior to NEMF, about photographing the specimens. After speaking with Bill Yule about it, I conducted an experiment, a run at shooting as many samples as I could. I managed to photograph all the specimens that had been identified from Friday morning’s forays, only stopping when the afternoon foray samples started to come in, at which point I was ready to collapse anyway.

So here is what I did:

I came in to set up somewhere between 9:30 and 10:00 AM. I had a small table, a tripod with an attachment for my iPhone (4s, if that matters, point is, a state-of-the-art model is not necessary) that is pretty much the same spring-loaded holder you get on a selfie stick. I had two lights, just little gooseneck bedside clamp lamps from IKEA. The light was yellow, but one can correct these things in one fell swoop. If needed, better lights can be acquired.

I put the lamps, one on each side, on the backs of chairs spaced a little ways away from my table. I had also brought tuff-spun and other diffusion materials and even a blue gel, but decided against using them. The point here is speed and ease. Quick and dirty is fine as long as the visual data is captured. There is no point in developing a system if it is not feasible.

I brought a roll of gaffer’s tape. (Yeah, my lights were crap, but I had the good tape.) Once things are positioned the legs of the table and tripod and light stands (chairs) are taped down and the tripod is taped to the table. If the power cords are in traffic areas, they should also be taped down for safety and to secure the set up. As my iPhone is elderly, I keep it plugged into to the power, and this was taped up the leg of the tripod. The longer you shoot, the more tired you get, the more likely you are to knock into things, so this is helpful.

I had a plastic mat with a grid on it as a background, but did not use it because it was a dark green. I ended up stealing some cardboard boxes that had held envelopes from the office supplies; the insides were a bit closer to the 18% gray that would have been ideal. Grid not so necessary, but I did miss the ease of cleaning the plastic mat. The optimal background material in the future would be around 18% and a non-reflective plastic. Some mushrooms were wet and left marks on the plastic. The dirt brushed off easily with a small terrycloth rag.

The photo station was set up next to the door. I photographed samples after they had been IDed, usually after the printed labels had been made. But in order to keep up with the volume of specimens, I kept working when Teague & Dorothy & everyone else had gone to the meeting. At that time I photographed specimens that had been IDed, but not yet entered into the system. In any event, I was photographing the mushrooms with their hand-printed data labels as these were smaller and contained more information.

Such mushrooms photographed before being entered were replaced in the queue. As soon as specimens were photographed and labeled, they were put on trays to be moved to the display room. (Often I ended up moving them when a tray was filled and I was waiting on new mushrooms to shoot.)

I had NOT photographed mushroom samples like this before, so I am sure I was doing a lot of wheel re-invention. So I was, and am, open to suggestions in this context. One of the attendees who had clearly done mushroom photography before was put off by my rough & ready set up because of the obvious shadows. This, I take it, goes against the common aesthetic conventions of mushroom photography. But I was not taking beauty shots. And aesthetics are largely fashion. Shadows define form and texture. Form and texture are data, so I wanted shadows. Well, enough shadows to provide information, not to obscure information.

I shot hard for about five hours and then I was TOAST. I ain’t as young as I used to be. To do this on a convention scale, a team of shooters would be optimal. Moreover, I would like to have two photo stations set up so I could have one dedicated to shooting macro. iPhone macro adapters are the way to go, IMO.

As it was I had two levels. Most mushrooms I shot on a box, but for the larger ones to fit in the frame I removed the box. This dropped the surface down about five inches and allowed larger mushrooms to fit into the frame.

To set up a shot I would place the label under the camera. I tried to put them roughly in the same position each time. Some were crumpled. Flattening them wasted time. Optimally I would have set up a label-sized piece of non-reflective glass or plastic on the background, hinged with a bit of gaffer’s tape. This would have solved the positioning issues nicely.

The samples were removed from their boats (looking at them all day long left me with a terrible craving for fried clams, or at least French fries) by hand so as to leave most of the dirt in the boat. A few specimens I had to brush off. Mostly I did not bother. Probably the largest chunk of time was spent positioning. If I had more time, I would have split more caps in order to show top and bottom surfaces. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to split stems/stalks/stipes (whatever you call ‘em) when there are multiple specimens at hand.

I had selected a table height under the assumption that I would be sitting. Absurd. No time to sit. I was moving constantly from table to table moving specimens. The angle made the whole thing a bit physically punishing. I won’t make that mistake again! Ergonomics are key!

A strong suggestion for future foray photo inventories is to shoot the wee tiny ‘shrooms first. I got photos, albeit not macros, of the Mycenas and what all. But they were so dehydrated by the time I got them that they were worthless. On the bright side, this meant I didn’t feel so bad about not having macro capability. But even with a splendid macro set up, if the specimens look like shit, there’s not point. So a bit of a presort has to happened wherein the teeny tinies and the fragile stuff are bumped to the front of the queue.

And the iPhone is frickin’ brilliant for this. I love cameras. I’ve done a lot with point & shoots. I like nice fancy DSLRs as well, but they are not necessary for this sort of project. More than that, a real camera would be a hassle. The iPhone has the memory, the software, the touch screen and it fits in a pocket. It makes all of this feasible. A few tweaks to the set up and it will go very smoothly next time. If there were two shooters, it would be easy, a piece of cake.

The photos are not art shots, but they show the specimens. Not a bad first try, I think. Are these beautiful? Maybe not so much. Still, like my Dad used to always tell us, “Good enough is better than the best!”

The Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Philoptochos honored Archon Michael Psaros, Co-Founder.and Co-Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners at its 64th Annual Chrysanthemum Ball by Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

The Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Philoptochos honored Archon Michael Psaros, Co-Founder

and Co-Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners at its 64th Annual Chrysanthemum Ball on November

10 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City.

The invocation was delivered by His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios assisted by Archdeacon Panteleimon

Papadopoulos. The guests were welcomed by Fr. John Vlahos, Dean of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the

Holy Trinity, Stella Pantelidis, co-chair of the ball and the Cathedral Philoptochos President Dr. Miranda

Kofinas. This year's honoree Michael Psaros was introduced by Maria Marinakis and Maro Stratakis.

Honored guests included Dr. Konstantinos Koutras, Consul General of Greece to New York, and his wife,

Popita Pavli, Ambassador Maria Theophili, Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN, Ambassador

Vasilios Philippou, Consul General of Cyprus to New York, and his wife Anthea, Jennifer Constantine,

Direct Archdiocesan District Philoptochos President, James Gianakis, Archdiocesan Cathedral Board of

Trustees President and Rev. Robert Stephanopoulos, Dean Emeritus of the Cathedral along with

Presvytera Nikki Stephanopoulos.

The Chrysanthemum Ball is the Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Cathedral Philoptochos’ main annual fundraising

event for its charitable activities.

PHOTO: © GOA/GANP/DIMITRIOS PANAGOS-GANP/ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ ΠΑΝΑΓΟΣ

Frecheville library by Libraries Team

Visited by members of the Libraries Taskforce team.

Photo credit: Julia Chandler/Libraries Taskforce

Best practices for managing the security of corporate-owned smartphones and tablets0 by Mohanraj Durairaj

1

Best practices for managing the security of corporate-owned smartphones and tablets0

Managing the Kitchen by B

Betty Pinney's House

1870s and renovated in 1970s

Betty enjoyed a creative career as a textile and graphic designer. At her marital home, Bettiscombe Manor, she renovated this Victorian dolls' house to recreate a grand country household, that she sete in the early 20th century.

Introducing elements of her own childhood, Betty viewed the house's interior as an escape into an idealised world. Rooms were furnished with exotic and decorative wares that she imagined were collected from across the globe. Betty developed characters too, such as the drunken old man in the saloon and a handsome footman with shapely calves.

The real Bettiscombe Manor in Dorset is said to be haunted by a screaming skull.

[V&A Museum of Childhood]

Escape by Rosie Haywood

2 11

Managed to make a start on the next sketchibbles kit. xxxx

Managed IT Services In Dallas by Kris Lamberth

Paranet Solutions

Paranet brings unparalleled expertise in a variety of service areas: cybersecurity, managed services, and IT due diligence. Call (214) 623-5150 for more information!

Address: 5001 Spring Valley Road, Suite 1050-W, Dallas, TX 75244, USA

Phone: 855-727-2638

Website: www.paranet.com

Manage caption tracks by Deborah Edwards-Onoro

1

Easily manage captions for videos with the contextual menu. Right click on the video file in Google Docs to select the "Manage caption tracks" option

Managed to stay awake for one in three Christmases. Now that's what I call #progress! - #Jager by Elina Darling

Postal stickers by GUANOdesign

3

Finally managed to get hold of some postal stickers to play with!

MD Coffee with New Staff by International Monetary Fund

1

Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva participates in an afternoon meet-and-greet with new staff members at the International Monetary Fund.

IMF Photo/Cory Hancock

9 June 2022

Washington, DC, United States

Photo ref: CH220609031.arw

Drip by Kal Frenzel

Day 12

To be honest, today's photo was inspired by how much I needed to shower! I've been wanting to work more with water, so today was the prime opportunity. I can't tell you how difficult it was managing the lighting, camera remote, camera angle, lighting angle, etc. with wet hands and a limited power cord reach. Somehow, though, I managed to get the picture that was in my head, drip and all.

Oxford's Magdalen College by JR P

I'd been to Oxford on previous trips, but had never managed to spend much time inside most of its main colleges so this past May I made sure I saved an afternoon to do this. The light was gray and dull, but I still went around Balliol (a separate set to be posted later) and Magdalen, and especially appreciated the views from the leafy water meadows of Addison's Walk.

"Regarded by some as one of the most beautiful of the Oxford and Cambridge colleges, Magdalen is also one of the most visited. It stands next to the River Cherwell and has within its grounds a deer park and Addison's Walk. Magdalen College School also lies nearby. The large, square Magdalen Tower is a famous Oxford landmark, and it is a tradition since the days of Henry VII that the college choir sings from the top of it at 6 a.m. on May Morning.

The Grove or Deer Park is a large meadow occupies most of the north west of the college's grounds, from the New Buildings and the Grove Quad up to Holywell Ford. During the winter and spring, it is the home of a herd of deer. It is possible to view the meadow (and also the deer) from the path between New Buildings and Grove Quad, and also from the archway in New Buildings.

In the 16th century, long before the introduction of the deer, the grove consisted of gardens, orchards, and bowling greens. During the Civil War, it was used to house a regiment of soldiers. At one point in the 19th century it was home to three traction engines belonging to the works department of the college. By the 20th century it had become well-wooded with many large trees, but most of them were lost to Dutch Elm Disease in the 1970s.

The Meadow lies to the east of the college, bounded on all sides by the River Cherwell. In the spring, it is filled with the flower Fritillaria meleagris (commonly known as Snakeshead Fritillary), which gives it an attractive green-purple colour. These flowers grow in very few places, and have been recorded growing in the meadow since around 1785. Once the flowering has finished, the deer are moved in for the Summer and Autumn. In wet winters, some or all of the meadow may flood, as the meadow is lower lying than the surrounding path. All around the edge of the meadow is a tree-lined path, Addison's Walk. It is a beautiful and tranquil walk, favoured by students, dons, and visitors alike.

The Fellows' Garden is located to the north east of the Meadow, directly behind the new building of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. This long and (fairly) narrow garden follows the Cherwell to the edge of the University Parks . In spring, the ground is covered with flowers. In summer, there are some flowers, many different shrubs, and the varied trees provide dappled cover from the sun. It is linked to Addison's Walk by a bridge."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalen_College,_Oxford

www.magdalen.edu/

...

Annual Meeting 2017 - Day 3 - Africa & India Cooperation : Session 5. by AfDB Group

Group picture of Mr. Ajeet R. Kulkarni, Managing Director, Kirloskar Brothers International (KBI), South Africa; Mofatraj P Munot, Founder and Chairman, Kalpataru Group and Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd; Amadou Hott, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, African Development Bank; Claver Gatete, Minister of Finance & Economic Planning, Rwanda; Diallo Kodeidja, Director, Private Sector Operations Department, African Development Bank; Mr. S. Varadarajan, Chief Executive Officer, Shreyas Relay Systems Ltd. (SRS), Transworld Group; and Mukul Manish, Regional Manager, North West Africa, CV IB, Tata Motors during the Annual Meeting 2017 - Africa-India Cooperation - Session 5B - EXIM Success Story Case Study Presentation on May 24, 2017, at Mahatma Mandir Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre in Ahmedabad, India.

MD at the G20 by International Monetary Fund

1

Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva participates in the G20 Summit at the La Nuvola Conference Centre.

IMF Photo/Giuseppe Nucci

31 October 2021

Rome, Italy

Photo ref: G20 - IMF -31th October - HD with captions-42.jpg