*SHAMELESS PLUG*

(that’s what blogs are for, right?)

I’ll be presenting a few Photoshop tricks I’ve learned over the years at the upcoming Central PA Photoshop User Group (CPPUG) meeting on May 12th (6-8 pm) at Penn State Hershey (more information is here on the CPPUG site). If you’re interested in joining the discussion on improving your own photos (and are in the area), I hope to see you there!

Last week, I introduced HDR to my digital photography class. To present a working example, I chose to use a photo of the Subway Cafe that I shot six years ago. Fortunately for me, it’s one of the few photos from my past where I kept all of the originals I shot, so it gave me an opportunity to play around using techniques that I didn’t really know of back then.

Here’s the 2003 version, which was composed of two exposures.

Here’s the version I did this year (2009). It’s composed of three exposures. I used an underexposed version of the sign, added some unsharp masking to the bricks, did some Shadow/Highlight to the sky, and did a bit of dodging and burning with my Cintiq.

As a photographer, it’s frustrating to realize how many of my pieces I’ve done in the past that could be revisited and improved upon–furthermore, how many that could have been revisited had I not saved over the files. Nowadays, I make a point to save all of the originals.

My company recently completed the Educator’s Technology Clinics Sub-site for Harrisburg University.

As a teacher myself, I find the concepts covered in these upcoming clinics interesting. The tools for teaching have changed over the 5 years I’ve taught (off-and-on), and I’m always looking for ways to make learning easier for students. For instance, I set up a blog with RSS and an iCal schedule for a photography class I’m teaching this semester. I spoke with a philosophy professor that was creating podcasts for his students and using Blackboard, and have had recommendations for class assignments using online postings.

Still, I’d love to see how other instructors are integrating Web tools in their classrooms; if anyone has any resources or links I’d love to hear about them.

Well, the turnout was a little less than one would have hoped (thanks to the nasty ice storm), but by all other accounts, the first BarCamp to be held in Harrisburg, PA was a success. The topics ranged from Drupal to Photoshop, to social media in Harrisburg to WordPress, SVN, and Ruby on Rails.

Thanks again to Temple University, Hauck Interactive, and Factory 44 for the venue, Nuts About Granola for the breakfast, andCulture for the coffee, Judge for lunch, and MudBrick Creative for the t-shirts.

Ironically, most of the people I initially met with that embraced the idea of BarCampHarrisburg were apparently detered from attending by the weather. Fortunately, there was still a decent turnout, including one attendee from Williamsport and another from Virginia.

The overall feedback was that everyone had a good time and that more events like this would be welcome again in Harrisburg. I had a few people ask when the next one will be held–securing a venue is always the tough part, however, we might look into hosting another one at the end of the year or the beginning of 2010 (definitely during nicer weather to yield a higher turnout, though).

Taken during Dave’s Drupal and WordPress plugin tips. I had to post this. It just reminds me of a cheesy stock photo

The traditional session schedule photo-op. We had to cut the morning sessions a bit short, thanks to the weather.

BarCampers grabbing lunch sponsored by The Judge Group and delivered by Nonna’s.

Dave, me, Dave M. and Dan (shooting photo) at the bar afterwards. Dave M. didn’t exactly organize, but was a huge help in closing up, plus drove from Williamsport, so he gets a bye.

Here’s some of the posts already on BarCampHarrisburg:

• Roxbury News
• Courtney’s Feedback (Facebook)
• Shawn Farner’s videos

If you attended, feel free to leave comments or post. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the event.

Courtesy of Frank Borges

Yesterday certainly was a chilly day for an interview.

I was outside yesterday morning for an interview with ABC 27 regarding the recent Beyond Second collaboration on the GraphTech holiday calendar. The desk calendars feature the work of 10 Beyond Second photographers and 2,500 copies will be distributed for free in the Harrisburg area (locations will be announced soon). The interview is should be airing on tonight’s news.

UPDATE: A list of locations to pick up a free copy of the calendar are listed on WHTM 27′s site.

UPDATE 2: Here’s the Beyond Second interview on WHTM 27

After interfacing with a number of enthusiastic people regarding this event, I’m beginning to think I may be the only signup thus far that’s actually been to a BarCamp before. In some ways, that’s pretty cool, and I’m glad we’re finally bringing such an event to Harrisburg. On the other hand, I’ve heard from a few concerned people (including some reluctant to sign up) regarding mandatory presentation, and I wanted to make a clarification.

Now, according to the rules of BarCamp, every attendee should present. Personally, though, I hope BarCampHarrisburg reaches around 100 attendees, and if you break down the schedule and rooms (roughly 10 thirty-minute sessions in 3 rooms) it brings us to roughly 30 sessions. By that rationale, it’s impossible for everyone to present (the current signup list just exceeds it ).

In my BarCamp experience, I’ve been to one hour sessions structured as learning workshops, other sessions where the speakers clearly planned their presentation in advance, and some sessions where it’s not so much presenting as it is simply holding a discussion on a topic of interest (it’s these ones that tend to be the most fun to me).

The bottom line:

Attendee participation is the nature of the event, and hopefully everyone comes with that spirit in mind, but presenting won’t be forced upon anyone.

If you’re thinking about attending or have an interest even in just networking, please sign up and show up. The best part about BarCamp is, if it’s not for you, you can just leave. It’s not like you paid to attend!

As most of our friends know, Daphyn and I moved out of the NYC area and back to Harrisburg, PA last month in preparation for the little one on the way. We settled on a house right off of Mountain Road a few weeks back, and have been busy with painting, moving, and working with contractors on a variety of changes. Here’s a few pics I was able to take while moving items out of the storage area (below). It’s getting there . . .

The house's exterior.

My newly-painted office. Yup, it’s bright.

The dining room prior to painting and the installation of hardwood floors.

The floor in-progress. The floor is done as of this writing–next comes the priming.

I’ve just posted the signup page for BarCamp Harrisburg, a proposed unconference for Web designers, developers, and Web enthusiasts in the Central PA area. Here’s what a BarCamp is, if you’re unfamiliar with the term. My simple definition: It’s a free, open-source conference on a specific topic where attendees participate to determine the topics and schedule.

I’ve attended quite a few of these in the NYC area (I’m heading up to MobileCampNYC3 this week) and have not only had great learning experiences, but have found these events to be wonderful networking opportunities as well.

We (Dave, Dan, and I) have spoken with a few possible venues in the Harrisburg area, but have concluded that a more definitive attendee list will help with venue and budget decisions. If you’re interested in creating or contributing to the Web and are in the Central PA area, definitely sign up.

A few weeks ago I commented on a redevelopment effort taking place in Midtown Harrisburg and was really surprised by the responses of Beyond Second members. I decided to see firsthand the revitalization effort taking place, but that didn’t sway my opinion–I still believe there’s a better approach to rebuilding Midtown Harrisburg.

Yes, the new buildings look nicer than the distressed homes that inhabited the land before them (Sadly, the alternate brick coloring hides the architecturally-starved cookie cutter appearance of these buildings), but simply replacing what’s old with what’s essentially the same–a series of row homes–doesn’t combat the problem of urban blight. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the previous developers believed an overhaul was the solution to crime and decay, too. Sadly, I see no evidence that these buildings won’t suffer the same fate as their predecessors.

Replacing entire neighborhoods of old homes with new homes eliminates diversity, which is essential to city living. Brand new homes alienate families and homeowners (often the previous residents) who cannot afford such new, state-of-the-art living. This consequently forces these lower-income families to migrate to other parts of the city. Because these families are more concerned with “getting out of the slums” than correcting their environment, the revitalization process is inevitably forced to recur somewhere else.

Harrisburg needs more diversification. For starters, it needs commercial zoning mixed with residential zoning. This creates foot traffic, which lends itself to natural surveillance. This foot traffic–people carrying their groceries home, grabbing some java at the coffee shop, visiting the art gallery, etc. generates potential witnesses to street occurrences and creates natural crime deterrents. Furthermore, the mixture of commercial and residential in the same area will attract people seeking the urban lifestyle, something that these current row homes and the surrounding suburbs can’t provide.

Another form of diversification can come from a mixture of new and older, refurbished homes. After visiting the site, I grew concerned for the buildings across the street, as “WCI Partners Coming Soon” signs made me assume that a wrecking ball was due for them, too. Fortunately, from what I’ve read off of their WCI Partners site, they intend to restore 60+ buildings in the surrounding area. This is definitely a step in the right direction, as it reinforces architectural diversity and heritage in the neighborhood. Having older homes and landmarks often encourages owners to take pride/care for their homes, and permits homeowners of a wider income range to reside in the same neighborhood.

I realize that I’m not entirely familiar with all of the details regarding Midtown’s revitalization (the Powers & Associates Midtown Master Plan only paints broad strokes) and that mixed zoning is probably more expensive to develop than Euclidean zoning, but I’m confident that more of the same isn’t the solution.

It’s good to hear about the planned addition of a public park adjacent to the Evangelical Press Building. I’m also eager to see what becomes of the Midtown Cinema area on Riley Street, as I’ve read it’s being reinvisioned as more of a commercial marketplace. Lastly, I’d also love to see a business incubator (like Murata) forcing small businesses into Harrisburg and hopefully proving firsthand the benefits of a city-based business compared to a suburban one. I guess time will tell.