Sunday, March 23, 2025

Different Year, Different View

Photos: © Stan Banos

As per usual during the winter months, I look over the 'reserves,' and nip and tuck wherever necessary (usually more than I care to admit)- sometimes ya even get lucky and spot an almost that makes the grade (that's another post)! This photo goes back to 2017 (when people still occupied downtown SF), and I was one year into color (& digital) photography. The re-edit above of the first take below displays just how bad I was (and to a real extent still am) dealing with color balance- although hopefully getting better. I first noticed an area in the photo in need of 'repair,' and attempted to fix what I damn well knew would probably require a complete re-edit. It was only then I realized- the whole damn thing looked off! No doubt, there'll be yet more color balance mistakes along the way- and they better not take another eight years to recognize!

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Words Of Comfort And Solace...

Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law, who’s 94, wouldn’t call and complain,” he said during a Thursday appearance on the All-In podcast. “She just wouldn’t. She’d think something got messed up and she’ll get it next month.

So would I, my billionaire friend, so would I... For someone looking forward to finally taking the (SS) plunge later this year at the commencement of his seventh decade, those words fall like the warm soothing ointment of peaceful reassurance.

*if I could only recall who that quote so reminds me of... Freud?

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

RIP- NELSON!

Photo: © Lisa Wood    With Love...  10/27/2011 - 3/18/2025

Netanyahu- Mass Murderer, Serial Child Killer, War Criminal...

Obviously, this latest, unprovoked slaughter of four hundred people (130 of them, children!) is not about winning a war, it's not even about punishment, and it most definitely is not about freeing remaining hostages- it's about extermination, elimination of a people from their land so that Bibi Netanyahu can annex it!* Oh, Israel- you have learned all too well...

*All with our President's blessing!

Monday, March 17, 2025

I'll Take It!

Photo: © Stan Banos

Was on my way to one of those uniquely San Franciscan affairs called "The Brides of March," where everyone and their mom (and dad) dress up as a bride. It was a drop dead gorgeous day and a fun spoof, but with all the mugging and posing, I not surprisingly ended up with a lotta almosts, or worse.* I knew my recent keepers going to and from work during the recent weeks were no doubt gonna balance out with a string of weekend failures. Least, always seems to work that way...

Anyway, on the way home, I had the privilege of running into none other than The Honorable Dr. Sun Yat Sen. And he more than willingly posed quite patiently in the open shade for a rather handsome documentary shot (XT-1, 14mm).

*BTW- My original GR w/flash was a lot more valuable than my Q, with all those blazing white bridal gowns in the sunlight! Hope the GR IV returns its rightful flash- hopefully, I won't be in the market for one, but it really comes in quite handy for sunlight fill!

Friday, March 14, 2025

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Hope And A Prayer

Photo: © Stan Banos

I love taking pictures, with or without people; as long as it's a good image- it's all good! If it isn't centered around a certain person or persons, that just means it's strong enough to survive on its own, without the added influence of the human presence. That's an achievement in and of itself! Nevertheless, there's just something kinda special about a photograph that successfully incorporates the human visage as an essential part of its raison d'être, something that separates it from another image that can be more readily forgotten- that extra something that demands it be noticed, and hopefully remembered. Those are particularly harder to come by, and when you go without for a while, ya start getting anxious...Sometimes the person photographed doesn't project what one had hoped, sometimes, the photographer just fails to capture it. Wrong instant, wrong angle, wrong light. The subject blinks or shifts position the moment you press the shutter. It's all stacked against you, on either side of the lens.

So when that small, ever so momentary miracle of success does occur: photographer, camera, subject and all the other subtle but determining factors that pertain... When they all (in part or in whole) finally congeal to create a greater whole- it is a special moment, cause the human factor is such a fragile, fleeting element that can more often curse than bless. Most times, it's a struggle to achieve any of the above in any measure. But on those rarest of days, when luck shares your way, it can be but a single question to be asked- waiting on the bus to work as you turn your head in utter surprise... "Excuse me, can I..." 

Just remember, no guarantees- not ever

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Petitioning The King!

Why is "tariff" the most beautiful word in the world for Donald J. Trump? The answer is easy... Tariffs = $$$, millions in his case, and for his own personal use!

Don't like tariffs? Pay the king his due- and all will be right as rain (ie- Drain The Swamp)!

Sunday, March 9, 2025

SURPRISE--- NOT!!!

Republicans have long been salivating to cut Social Security for decades, and now that fearless leader is at the helm yet again, and leaving no question as to his unfettered, scorched earth policy- they may finally be able to line their pockets anew with the last vestige of dignity remaining any of us. What a paean to fiscal responsibility, patriotic duty, and triumphant moral legacy! And what a hot, flaming truckload of absolute shit to get dumped on our laps in our very hour of need... (ie- right in the very year I plan to retire)!!! Promises Kept Y'all!

Friday, March 7, 2025

The Misogynist Hit Parade

Do you have to be a confirmed and bona fide misogynist (and worse) to be a Trump appointee? Brett Kavanaugh, Pete Hegseth, Andrew Kloster (to name but a few)- all Trump governmental appointees (and let's not forget failed Matt Gaetz). Is misogyny the defining element in scoring points for the "meritocracy" called Trumpworld? And we're not even going into friends and associates- like Epstein (seven Trump flights on his Lolita Express) and the latest and possibly greatest (save Epstein himself)... The Tate Bros, those wonderfully liberated, 'Capitalists' and self professed misogynists who just happen to specialize in sex trafficking and money laundering- who were recently welcomed with open arms into our country. Who, oh who, could have possibly wielded the power to allow that travesty to occur?!?

Wednesday, March 5, 2025


Your Excellency, Mr. President,

We watched the report of your conversation with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, with fear and distaste. We find it insulting that you expect Ukraine to show respect and gratitude for the material assistance provided by the United States in its fight against Russia. Gratitude is owed to the heroic Ukrainian soldiers who shed their blood in defense of the values of the free world. They have been dying on the front lines for more than 11 years in the name of these values and the independence of their homeland, which was attacked by Putin’s Russia.

We do not understand how the leader of a country that symbolizes the free world cannot recognize this.


Our alarm was also heightened by the atmosphere in the Oval Office during this conversation, which reminded us of the interrogations we endured at the hands of the Security Services and the debates in Communist courts. Prosecutors and judges, acting on behalf of the all-powerful communist political police, would explain to us that they held all the power while we held none. They demanded that we cease our activities, arguing that thousands of innocent people suffered because of us. They stripped us of our freedoms and civil rights because we refused to cooperate with the government or express gratitude for our oppression. We are shocked that President Volodymyr Zelensky was treated in the same manner.


The history of the 20th century shows that whenever the United States sought to distance itself from democratic values and its European allies, it ultimately became a threat to itself. President Woodrow Wilson understood this when he decided in 1917 that the United States must join World War I. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt understood this when, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he resolved that the war to defend America must be fought not only in the Pacific but also in Europe, in alliance with the nations under attack by the Third Reich.


We remember that without President Ronald Reagan and America’s financial commitment, the collapse of the Soviet empire would not have been possible. President Reagan recognized that millions of enslaved people suffered in Soviet Russia and the countries it had subjugated, including thousands of political prisoners who paid for their defense of democratic values with their freedom. His greatness lay, among other things, in his unwavering decision to call the USSR an “Empire of Evil” and to fight it decisively. We won, and today, the statue of President Ronald Reagan stands in Warsaw, facing the U.S. Embassy.


Mr. President, material aid—military and financial—can never be equated with the bloodshed in the name of Ukraine’s independence and the freedom of Europe and the entire free world. Human life is priceless; its value cannot be measured in money. Gratitude is due to those who sacrifice their blood and their freedom. This is self-evident to us, the people of Solidarity, former political prisoners of the communist regime under Soviet Russia.


We call on the United States to uphold the guarantees made alongside Great Britain in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which established a direct obligation to defend Ukraine’s territorial integrity in exchange for its relinquishment of nuclear weapons. These guarantees are unconditional—there is no mention of treating such assistance as an economic transaction.


Signed,

Lech Wałęsa, former political prisoner, President of Poland

Monday, March 3, 2025

Graduation!

Photo: © Stan Banos

This is the first photo I've successfully edited in 'adult' PS after reading about one third of the Scott Kelby PS manual (videos only get me so far). I had first edited it in PSE about a year ago and the resulting image was, in a word... awful- not because PSE was so utterly lacking, but because of my pathetic color sense! I'm sure someone with considerably more experience could do the present result even better, but this version is night and day of my previous, trust me- it was so bad I'm embarrassed to post a Before/After. I can usually get color balance in the general neighborhood, but sometimes it's like that part of my brain leaves without notice and I'm left with something completely foreign to both sight and common sense. 

Well, I'm hoping it's satisfactory- particularly since I also had to get a new monitor calibrator, and after several tries and retries to get it right on first attempt, and failing miserably... I just decided to tweak it 'manually' after the fact until my library best mirrored their previous results- at least as I best remember! My previous calibration was in sync with a few prints I had commercially made with no problem, so I can only conclude it was on point or fairly damn close- and that the 'legacy' hopefully carries on... 

Looking forward to studying more of the manual and select videos, especially looking forward to using gradient masks for the sky! And being able to edit more in RAW and as a 16, as opposed to 8 bit TIFF will help relieve the banding I sometimes experienced in skies previous. Of course, this will all take more time than I currently have (why I had originally planned to do in retirement), but getting up for the challenge. One thing's for sure, I ain't gonna mess with no LR until then! I opened it up just to take a look, accidentally clicked on something or other, and next thing I knew it had reorganized one of my folders into it's own distinct filing system which took me a good hour to suss out and (re)reorganize. I gotta separate manual for that too- but one headache atta time!

Saturday, March 1, 2025

SHAMELESS!

If you saw any of the Oval Office Debacle, I need not describe just how downright low and despicable Trump and Vance were in that scripted, tag team beat down, attempting to belittle the man trying to save the lives of his countrymen from the likes of the wanton serial killer next door who just happens to be Trump's best bud.

Why does everyone associated with Trump have to be a sycophant, FOX News talking head (excuse the redundancy) or misogynist? Tell me the Tate Bros recent arrival on our shores has nothing to do with POTUS! The Tates are proud, self-described misogynists with a history of sex crimes in several countries- and, of course, rabid Trump supporters......

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Monday, February 24, 2025

Scary Shit!

These unvetted, uninvestigated teens have access to your info, my info... Everyone's Info- And answer to no one,
While quietly destroying the very agency set up to protect us.

Friday, February 21, 2025

Temporary Change Of Address...

That is to say, today's post is featured on a different venue! Enjoy the change in scenery while yours truly downloads photo-editing software,* starts the beleaguering process of viewing an endless array of You Tube tutorials on Photoshop and Lightroom (having ordered and thus awaiting respective manuals on each), only to begin what will no doubt be a years' long process of delving into the labyrinthine intricacies of each. Or should I say, trying how to most effectively avoid involvement with as much of either as possible...

*Hopefully, they will download and operate properly unlike the last time.

Thursday, February 20, 2025

The Photo Edit Blues (Cont)...

So... I made my peace getting PSE 2025 until retirement scheduled for end of year when I would have time to graduate to PS and/or LR. That was the plan, remained the plan, until... PSE 2025 started acting up from jump! Long story short, program would freeze solid after 1/2 hr of use and it would open some DNG files in RAW, and not others... WTF!?! Support then updated a driver- which didn't fix a thing. 

So... called again and am told my files are damaged or corrupted- can't possibly be program. Of course, never, ever had these problems before PSE 2025! Both my older and most recent DNG files (from same card in same camera) can open in RAW one day, can't open in RAW the next, if they are now "damaged," as claimed- pretty obvious what damaged them!!! Not possible, I'm told. Then explain how possible!!! Cause what you're saying clearly doesn't make sense...

So... after being given the distinct impression that I'd be grasping at straws if the updated driver didn't fix the freezing, after refusing to even address that something else (like the program itself) might be amiss (rather than 'corrupted' files)- I told 'em to just give me my damn money back! Agreed- now, how'd I like to purchase the entire PS package!? Well, uhm, what kind of discount would I get for my trials and tribulations? Ten bucks per month for PS and LR- essentially, half price. 

So... WTF! Here we go- not one, but at least two programs, each thirty times more complex than PSE... what could possibly go wrong?!? Download this weekend, master the 10% of each I'll end up using round about when seventy-five (assuming I get there)...

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

With Friends Like...

Leaked copy of Trump "peace proposal" would be more punitive (to Ukraine!) than the Treaty of Versailles was to Germany!!!

And then there's... "BIG BALLS!"

PS- And as the video brings out- Less than 1% of the Federal Budget goes to foreign aid (not 25%).

What's that? You still haven't stopped laughing about the nuclear guys they fired!
I hear ya!