Open Your Mouth And Say .... Ahhh

Yesterday was my first visit to the dentist this year. It feels like the other day, but in reality, I met this doctor in 2010 when my regular dentist almost damaged one of my front teeth. 

My former employer's health insurance recommended this doctor after I contacted them to report my dissatisfaction with my regular dentist. After the initial visit he assessed the situation, made recommendations and was able to save the tooth through a root canal. The work was completed in less than one hour, during my lunch break. To my surprise, the job was completed painlessly. 

Despite being traumatized as a child by a dentist, during the initial visit this one eased all my fears away and gained my trust. I can honestly say that I feel like I've won the lottery; my dentist is the best. 

Platypods Behind the Scenes

The more I experiment with the Platypod eXtreme, the better the images look. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, Platypod is becoming a great addition to my photography arsenal. They can be used with DSLR's, GoPro action cameras, and smartphones.

Platypods are excellent photography tools because they are compact, versatile, and stable alternatives to traditional tripods, especially in situations where tripods are impractical, such as in tight spaces or areas where they are not allowed.  Since Platypod offers unlimited creativity, I am looking forward as to what the future holds during this phase to get new and unique shots.

It Was A Nightmare

Original photo created by John Wilhelm the photoholic

It's been a while since I had a nightmare. It is 2:40 am, and I just forced myself to wake up from this dream, now I can't sleep.

One of the top things on my bucket list is to ride a motorcycle in Europe. 

On this particular nightmare, I am gathered with a group of people somewhere in a strange European country. Everyone around me is speaking with a British accent.

In the meantime, I am worried and began talking out loud that we needed to hurry up and get moving soon in order for me to get out of there before sunset. In the nightmare, I am not sure where we are, and where are we headed. I am also concerned because I am riding a scooter that I've never ridden before, and don't know how to turn the lights on. 

All of a sudden, without any warning, everyone gets in a bus, and I am left outside. The bus starts moving and I had to grab a pole to avoid being stranded on the road. All our scooters are secured on a trailer using straps, and attached to the bus. While the bus is running down the road, I am standing on the bus rear fender holding for dear life.

After arriving to the next destination, I kept reminding everyone, that soon will get darker and I don't feel comfortable riding a scooter without lights. 

By the time I get out of the building my biggest fear has come true. It's already pitch dark, and is also raining. And to make things worse, everyone is gone. I am alone with the scooter without lights, standing in the parking lot without a rainsuit. I have no idea where am I, or where I am headed next. 

I did the most logical thing I could think of, I forced myself to wake up.  

And Yes, The Ice Cream Was Delicious

The forecast for Philadelphia includes a wet weekend, with showers and steady rain continuing into Monday. Yesterday, before the rain arrived, I decided to head on over to one of my favorite spots, the Schuylkill River near Boathouse Row.

This is a historic and scenic area in Philadelphia known for its row of 15 Victorian boathouses, which house rowing clubs and are a popular spot for rowing, walking, and viewing the illuminated lights at night.

I was hoping to capture a few behind-the-scene images of my GoPro Hero on a Platypod eXtreme. Surprisingly, maybe because of the weather conditions, the area was empty. Faster than the blink of an eye, I took all the pictures I needed, just in time before the rain arrived.

Before heading home, and to celebrate the successful photo walk, I purchased a "Swirl" from the ice cream truck parked in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum. A "swirl" is a combination of vanilla and chocolate ice cream in a cone. And yes, the ice cream was delicious. 

Behind The Scenes: Platypod Ultra and the Top of the Rock

For my birthday, to celebrate myself indulging on my interest and passion of photography at my own pace, I went on a NYC photo walk. Visiting NYC was not only a photo excursion, but more of a way to celebrate my birthday in one of my favorite cities in the world. 

Crowded locations often prohibit tripods for several reasons. The Rockefeller Center Top of the Rock observation deck is no exception. On this photo walk I took with me the old trusty Platypod Ultra since I know tripods are not allowed at Top of the Rock. 

This was one of those rare occasions where I was able to remember to take a couple of "behind the scene" images. The only difference is that this time I used a smartphone to do it. I hate to admit, but I was in the group of people who always denigrated smartphones as a tool to take photos. That way of thinking changed for me that day. 

On my way to the exit elevator, I took four or five pictures handheld using my cell phone. The images were captured through glass windows. Glass can be one of the hardest things to take photos through. Out of those images, I blended three pictures and created a panorama image of NYC. Some of these smartphone images can rival those taken by my digital Nikon DSLR. 

The moral of the story is, don't knock it until you've tried it. Let me humbly say that I learned a valuable lesson.

Behind The Scenes: Smartphone on a Platypod eXtreme

For weeks, I've been planning to visit the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. It is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've ever seen. I was hoping to capture a couple of low-angle pictures inside the cathedral using the Platypod eXtreme. 

As expected, this cathedral is very crowded. Catholics and tourists from all over the world come to Philadelphia to admire the sacred art, the cathedral stunning architecture and the significant religious and historical importance.

To avoid the crowds, I arrived at 9:00 am sharp. It was ideal to take photos, only the maintenance cleaning man and I were the only ones there. I had the cathedral all by myself. I noticed that most of the lights inside the cathedral were off, so I sat in a cathedral pew to kill time. 

At some point the maintenance man was cleaning in my area. I asked what time the cathedral lights usually are turned on since I was hoping to take a few pictures. He noticed I was holding my camera and asked me how long it would take me to take the photos. Maybe 5 or 10 minutes, I replied. The gentleman was so kind, that he turned on the lights of the entire cathedral. His kind gesture surprised me. 

On my way home I realized I forgot to take "behind the scenes" pictures". I didn't see the maintenance gentleman again either; to thank him for turning on the lights. 

I think the Platypod eXtreme has been of the best photography tools that I have added to my camera gear.

Platypod eXtreme at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Esta mañana visite la Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul en Filadelfia. Llevo semanas planeando como fotografiar dentro de la catedral usando el Platypod eXtreme. 

Esta catedral es muy concurrida, turistas de todas partes del mundo vienen a Filadelfia a visitarla. Estuve el jueves pasado, pero habia una boda programada y no pude tomar fotos. 

Hoy llegue antes de la 9:00 de la mañana y estaba ideal para tomar fotos, el hombre de mantenimiento haciendo limpieza y yo eramos los unicos alli. Me di cuenta que las luces dentro de la catedral estaban apagadas, solo estaban encendidas las luces mas minimas. Me sente en un banco de la iglesia a matar el tiempo. 

Al preguntar a que hora prendian las luces, el hombre de mantenimiento al verme con las camaras en la mano, me pregunto cuanto tardaria en tomar las fotos. Solamente de 5 a 10 minutos le respondi. Fue tan amable que el caballero encendio las luces de toda la catedral para que yo tomara las fotos; ese gesto tan amable me sorprendio. 

De camino a casa me di cuenta que se me olvido tomar fotos de "detras de la escena". Tampoco vi mas a el empleado de mantenimiento para darle las gracias por encender las luces. Asi es esto, en cuestion de fotografia no todo sale siempre 100% perfecto. Gracias a Dios no todo fue una perdida, me gusto como quedo la foto del celular Samsung con el Platypod eXtreme dentro de la catedral. 

Pienso que el Platypod eXtreme ha sido una de las mejores herramientas de fotografia que he añadido en mi arsenal.

BREAKING NEWS: Bad Bunny May Be Releasing New Album During Super Bowl

BREAKING NEWS: 

I hear that Bad Bunny will be releasing a new album during the halftime show. 

Bad Bunny new album is called "Release The Epstein Files". 

Typepad Had Decided To Call It Quits

I am not totally upset that my favorite blogging site decided to shut down. After all, it was the main site I've used since 2009, and learned all the tricks of what blogging is all about. 

Even though I've been blogging in one way or another since 2004 in other venues, during my early Typepad blogging days, something told me to start saving my blog posts on an external hard drive. I am glad I did. In hindsight, backing up my content was a very wise decision on my part. It would be a herculean job to save all the blog posts and pictures I included on all those posts, after so many years. 

Yes, Typepad was an excellent paid, subscription blogging service, but reality is that they ceased operations last night (September 30, 2025) and permanently deleted all user content.  I don't plan to dwell too much on it, life moves on. Blogspot has been a great blogging outlet for me, so far. And best of all, it is free. 

Typepad blogging platform is dead, long live Blogspot.