Photos

Reposted 5/5/2009
Having experimented with the order in which I do things, I've learned that the frame is what really pushed the original post of this image into excessive pixellation. Therefore I cropped the image a little closer to the subject this time, then adjusted saturation and shadows a bit to make the image truer to what I saw that day, and this time I left off the frame.
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I'm in Philadelphia this week on a business trip. Although I grew up within 30 minutes of this city, I haven't been back to experience it as an adult. Now that I have my new camera (exuberant fanfare!!!!!), I am relishing the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture.

It was unseasonably warm today - probably close to 90. As I was walking around Logan Square shooting pictures, I happened upon this woman reading under a tree. She's perched over a large vent that transfers cool air from the nearby, air-conditioned skyscrapers. You probably can't tell from this photo, but her hair is lifted by the breeze from the vent, and so are the tree's leaves.

She had such a radiant expression on her face I had to stop and ask if I might take her picture. She responded that she was just wishing she could take a photo on such a lovely day - the kind of day we take for granted - but she didn't have a camera. I asked what she was reading and she said: "the Bible". The pages are well worn and it was clear to me her book is much loved.

I thanked her as I left. She really moved me for some reason, so even though it's not something I normally do, I said: "God Bless You". She smiled, looked me in the eyes, and said: "God Bless You too".

Happy Day to all you Trek Earth members from the city of brotherly love. :)

PS Wow, I just uploaded the 'small' version of this image, and it's quite pixellated compared to the full-sized version. That's such a shame. Anyone have advice on how to mitigate that when you shrink from a RAW, large file size down to less than 800 pixels?