D 83 - Don't drink and derive

We all had some few beers before. I decided that this isn't the best moment to appreciate the adrenaline of karting, since I haven't done it for more that 15 years.

I was chased away from the track's edge by a staff for safety reasons but before I took some rewarding shots. The perspective on this photo is from a viewing platform well and safe above the racing track.

This racing track is built inside a hotel near Szczecin. The owner of it had some successful business before, but visited Michael Schumacher's karting track in Germany. He never took a ride on it, because the queue was so long. He thought that this is a great business idea and sold his previous company to open 'Silver Hotel' with the most professional kart racing track in Poland.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442. ISO 1600.

What I learned

ISO 1600 is not as useless in E-510 as I used to think. In poor lighting conditions and far from fast kit lens, even this high ISO didn't allow for sharp capture of karts in motion. But at least it allowed for sharp still photos.

D 82 - Not only Berlin

Szczecin. A port city in Northwest Poland. 10 km from German border.

I was fascinated by this half devastated brick wall on the edge of a run-down neighborhood. It seemed to reflect the difficult history of this German city after WW2. Who sheared those bricks from the wall? how? and why?

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.
Color mix, levels, crop, noise and sharpness in Lightroom.

What I learned

With overcast weather none of my attempts to show the fascinating texture of scraped bricks worked out. So I have stepped back and shown a contrast between damaged and untouched bricks, adding some perspective.

D 81 - Getto dining

I made the light at a dinner table more intimate by lowering the lamp to some 50 cm above the table level.

Equipment

Samsung S630.

What I learned

Even though I long to have a good flash, I love to use natural light for photography.

D 80 - Pencils

I just love pencils sharpened with a knife. They are to the automatically sharpened pencils the same what hand written letters are to emails.

Equipment
Samsung S630.
Edited in Lightroom.

What I learned

When going for macro, tripod is a must.

D 79 - The Loop

The place where the city ends? The end of tramway line. Anything further on should be considered suburbs.

Equipment

S-630.
Edited in Lightroom.

What I learned

I wish I jumped the little fence and came up closer. It wouldn't do any harm to anybody and the shot might have come out better.

D 78 - Women's Day

It is Women's Day today. So all the best wishes for you girls. Stay beautiful (chauvinist part) as you all are, on the outside and inside (feminist part). You are the best thing, that we - men - have in this World.

Equipment

E-510 with Helios 44-4, hand held.

What I learned

Wikipedia gave me two surprises about this holiday.

First is that it begun in the USA while now it is mainly popular in the ex-Soviet block.

Second is that the English speaking countries have an abbreviation for it, it's IWD (for International... ).

D 77 - NKVD on Victory Square

A dubious result of carrying a camera with me at all times. This particular times were completely inebriated and late for the last bus home.

This place is really called Victory Square in Polish but the fur hat isn't Russian.

Equipment

Samsung S630 on high ISO (thus the noise) and long exposure (thus the blur). But the lamp light was too good to waste by turning the flash on. Or so I thought at that time. Well, maybe "thought" wasn't the word to use in my condition.

What I learned

It is hard to make long exposure photos. It is very hard to make them while being totally smashed. Each time I looked at the LCD to frame, my labyrinth went a bit crazy, my upper body went backwards and I had to try to compensate it with my hands to keep the camera steady. I wish I could see myself doing that. Must have been quite a disturbing sight.

The city is amazingly quiet on Sunday midnight. Even more so, when two major local football teams (soccer for some) play an evening match.

All restless souls of that night had been pacified in clashes with the police. And then it was quiet. Shhh... shhh... It was so still and so peaceful until I felt like singing on the bus. :D

D 76 - Snow'o'seum

Another beautiful day with fresh snow and warm sunlight. Another morning walk with my son. Another park. I'm still far more satisfied with the walk than with the photos I took there.

Equipment

E-510 with ZD1442.

What I learned

Snow cover works as a natural reflector while bright blue sky and yellowish sun enhance both cold and warm colors.