thegreatlandoni's photostream  

I am the wretch that the song is about.

I am not a photographer, ... I merely take snapshots of things I see. ... I do have some experience and knowledge of the rules and art of photography ... and once in a while I produce an "advanced amateur" grade photo.

As a boy I learned to take black & white photos on 120 film with a Yashica twin lens reflex camera. ... I mixed chemicals from powder, ... developed the film in a film developing tank, ... printed "contact" photos with a piece of glass and a desk lamp, and developed the little pictures in coffee cans full of chemicals. ... Later I bought an enlarger and made 8x10 prints, ... developed in large trays of chemicals.

I was born in 1943 while my dad was in the army, stateside.

I am unremarkable, except in the eyes of my wife and grandchildren.

... an introvert ... except in email and Flickr,

... a retired Electrical Engineer.

... a grandfather of eight.

For a dear Friend :
-----///\\------Please
----///--\\\----put this
---|||----|||---on your
---|||-- -|||---profile if
---|||-- -|||---you know
----\\\--///----someone
-----\\\///-----who is living with, survived
------///\-----or has passed away from
-----///\\\----cancer.
----///--\\\---Thank you

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT FLICKR:

My introduction to flickr was simply as a place to host my photos of WWI airplane details for building scale models. ... The WWI Models website, ... which I still belong to ... is not optimum for uploading large file size photos. ... Now I can give my friends the URL of any photo on flickr that I want them to see.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a bazillion great photos of WWI planes on flickr. ... I have downloaded tons of them for future reference for building models. ... Flickr members have visited museums and airshows all over the world that I will probably never get to visit in person. ... So I visit them through my flickr friends' photos.

I've even started a group: "Scale Models From Scratch" about scale models built without a kit.

From that limited introduction my interest in flickr has expanded to include many other subjects … everything from flowers to sunsets, ... to people, ... to non-WWI airplanes, ... to nature scenes and everything else.

I really enjoy flickr … appreciating everyone's photos and having mine appreciated. ... I look forward to time on my computer to do my flickr.

Flickr has inspired me to go through all my old photos and slides and share them ... except there are not enough hours in a day.

I created another group called "Marshalltown Iowa" about my home town.

I've made some great friends here, even if only through the computer. ... But if we ever meet in person I think we'd be "real" friends.

Flickr has inspired me to learn how to use my software to create "trick photos".

I am embarrassed that I only speak English, ... while I expect everyone else to read and write English.

I am embarrassed that I can’t keep up with all the recent uploads from my contacts. ... Nor can I always find time to comply with group rules to comment on other photos in the group.

I appreciate all the invitations to join groups but I feel guilty that I can't view and compliment everyone else's work.

I am very confused about how compliments and awards are given. I see great photos (in my opinion) that get very little attention, and I see photos that (to me) are nothing more than ordinary snapshots, and they get hundreds or thousands of compliments and awards.

An award or compliment that is nothing more than the groups "copy and paste" artwork, with no personal words added, isn't much of a compliment. ... I'd rather see a hand typed message than an impersonal jazzy sparkly animated graphic, ... even though the graphic may include built-in complimentary words.

I hate it when people don't enable the ALL SIZES button on their photos. ... I like to examine details. ... I understand the concern for theft but it prevents me from fully appreciating the photo. ... And if it's a detailed photo of a WWI airplane I'd like to download the large size for future reference for building models ... or just drool over. ... I would never knowingly present someone else's photo as if I'd taken it. ... If I do post a photo taken by a friend, with their permission, I give them credit.

My self-imposed sense of obligation to view and comment on all my contacts' photos and groups photos reduces my time to take, process and upload my own work.

Oops ! ... I didn't mean to whine so much.
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