QuickTip - Batch Renaming in Mac OSX

    Batch renaming files should be one of the easiest operations to perform in the Mac file system, yet it is seemingly a non-existent feature.  Thankfully, there is an easy way to enable this service.

    It really is quite easy to do via Mac's "Automator" App that comes with every Mac.

    To start, open the Automator App and select "Service" on the initial pop-up choice list.

   After this, you can add any number of automated services.  For our project, in the left-hand column under "library" choose "Files and Folders."  Now a second column will appear with more choices.  From this list, drag and drop "Get selected Finder Items" to the main workspace.  Follow this with the "Rename Finder Items" option.
   
    Rather than try to walk you through each step, let me show you a screen shot of the options you should change:

    By clicking "Show this action when the workflow runs" you will be able to make any changes in a pop-up dialogue when you run the action.

    Hit "save" and enter the title, "rename."  

    That's all!

    Now, in finder, navigate to a folder of photos that you would like to batch-rename.  Select the desired photos and right click on them.  At the bottom of the context menu you will see a new option, "Rename"  select that, enter your new file name, and your finished!

    What about you, have you found an easier way to perform this action?

Stopping By . . .

   Here in Brasil, we have been treated to so many new birds of all kinds!  This Swallow-Tailed Hummingbird is just one of the many interesting birds whose visits we have been enjoying recently.

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Quote of the Day:
    "A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."
        - Chinese Proverb

High Key Portrait from the Archives - Wordless Wednesday

Linking this WW with:

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Quote of the Day:
     Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.
             - Winston Churchill

Lucas - Faces of Brazil

     This boy is one of our neighbors here on our street.  Although he came to our Vacation Bible School, he does not usually attend our church and I don't believe that he regularly goes to any church.

     One of the blessings of living in where we do is that we are constantly surrounded by our mission-field.  The idea of communicating with our neighbors like Lucas, is a huge motivational force for me to learn the language quickly.

Friendly Camper - Faces of Brazil - Wordless Wednesday

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Quote of the Day:

     If you live to be one hundred, you've got it made. Very few people die past that age.
       - George Burns

The Brasilian Pastime - Futebol

    Anywhere you go here in Brasil, you'll see kids playing futebol (soccer).  The amazing thing is to watch them play without shoes in the unpaved road or in a rocky field!  I wouldn't last a minute; I'm bad enough even when wearing shoes.  Everyone here has grown up playing like this and so they can control the ball as deftly with their feet as most people could with their hands!

     I have played with them some - fun but humiliating!

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Quote of the Day:
     The Vision of a Champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, and the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.
       - Anson Dorrance (Head coach of the women's soccer program at the University of North Carolina. ...Under Dorrance's leadership, the Tar Heels have won 20 of the 28 NCAA Women's Soccer Championships. - wikipedia)

J. P. - Faces of Brazil

    With our recent move to Brazil, I have not been able to post many photos.  However, now I have a whole new array of subjects for photography.

     This little boy is the son of a couple who go to our church here.  We had an outdoor church fellowship yesterday and this guy was having a lot of fun playing in the dusty parking lot along with all the other kids.  He is fully Brazilian, though his natural blond highlights are not common for people in this area.  He is about the age of our son and so they get to play together after church.

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Quote of the Day:
        Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, their lack of good fortunes or the quirks of fate. Everyone has within them the power to say, "This I am today, that I shall become tomorrow." The wish, however, must be implemented by deeds.
          -  Louis L'Amour (1908 - 1988)

Untimely Knight

   This is a scheduled post.  It was written quite some time back, but I knew that with our move to Brazil, South America, my time for putting up new pictures would be quite limited.

   Many of the kids in our neighborhood in NC just got new "Swords" and so you can only imagine the fierce battles that have been taking place.  Here I got to capture one of the young "knights."

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Quote of the Day:

     If your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life.
         -  Calvin (Bill Watterson)

Summer Weather is Here! - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday


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Quote of the Day:
     “If you find it hard to laugh at yourself, I would be happy to do it for you.”
              - Groucho Marx

I Heart Wind!

     Actually, I don't love the wind, but this week's theme at "i ♥ faces" is "wind" and we've had plenty of that this week here in North Carolina.  However, the wind does make for some interesting portrait shots!

-----------------------Quote of the Day:    Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone.

           — Louis L'Amour

Cowboy Hat - Wordless Wednesday

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Quote of the Day:
     The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.
         -- Albert Einstein

Unique Family Portrait - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday.  To see other's wordless wednesday posts go here and here.

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Quote of the Day:
       All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a rich widow.
               - Evan Esar

Sincere - I Heart Faces

    This is the daughter of a close friend of mine.  We were talking about my camera and so I fired this "sample shot" and I loved the way it turned out.  Sometimes the best shots are those you're not prepared for.
     One thing I appreciate this young lady is her love for Christ and her simple transparency.

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Quote of the Day:
     “There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.”
           -  Marcel Proust

Looking In - Before and After

   This is a before and after of a recent photo of mine.  As shown in the graphic, I used three textures by Shadow House Creation.  I shoot RAW and then use Adobe Camera Raw with Photoshop Elements 9 for Mac.
   For this photo I also used a B/W gradient map, boosting contrast.  Then I used a slight warming gradient map on his skin, leaving the background a slightly cooler tone.

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Quote of the Day:

      “Knowledge is like money: to be of value it must circulate, and in circulating it can increase in quantity and, hopefully, in value.”
          -  Louis L'Amour

Little Girl's Sunny Portrait

     As I had my son at the park with some of our church friends' kids, I got to take a short series of pictures of this little girl.  It was full sun and windy, but we had a great time!

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Quote of the Day:
     Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they're looking for ideas.
            - Paula Poundstone

I Heart a Slice of Life

    This week the theme at "i ♥ faces"is "A Slice of Life."  This picture is a good snapshot of a slice of my son's life.  He just loves playing in the park; I think he'd live in the park if we'd let him!

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Quote of the Day:

     I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
         - Mark Twain 

A Day at the Park and a Train Ride!

      Today I took my son to the local park.  This is the largest park in the area, and Johnathan had the time of his life!

      There is one huge area which is divided up in three play areas for various age groups, and then a large swing-set as well!

      He turned out to be quite a little dare-devil!

      His favorite part was the train that takes passengers on a track around the entire park.  He has always been fascinated by trains and he was just transfixed by this "real" passenger train.

      Finally I broke down and let him take a ride!  Ok, so that was actually the whole purpose of going to this park.  It was all a surprise to him, and it was very rewarding for me to see how much he enjoyed it!

      And we rode off into the sunset . . .   Or however that goes!

Sugar Doughnuts! - Wordless Wednesday

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Quote of the Day:

     It's not denial.  I'm just selective about the reality I accept.

          - Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes)

Sunset Kiss - I Heart Sun Flare

      This week the theme at "i ♥ faces" is "Sun Flare."  I love sun flare and and I love taking photos with sun flare in them.
      Now, before you go and re-calibrate your monitor; yes, this photo is very defocused.   I know it's a bit different style for me, but I like the way this one turned out.  I think it's ok to take a shot like this as long as you meant to do it!

UPDATE: Thank you all so much! This photo earned 2nd place in Angie & Amy's pick for this contest!

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Quote of the Day:

     I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, 'I'd like some fries.' The girl at the counter said, 'Would you like some fries with that?'

      - Jay Leno

Jumping Girl Montage

     I've posted a few photos of this girl already, but I thought I'd finish out with a montage of fun shots.  We set up an area where she could jump while I took her mid-air portraits.  We both had a great time!

Have a fun day!


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Quote of the Day:
     A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
         - Emo Philips

Little L - Wordless Wednesday

To see more Wordless Wednesdays, go here and here.


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Quote of the Day:

     When you are eight years old, nothing is any of your business.
         - Lenny Bruce

I Heart Daydreaming!

     This week the theme at "i ♥ faces" is "People's Choice" meaning that we get to choose our favorite photo to enter.  I liked this one of this young girl.  You may remember her, as I posted another photo of her a while back which you can see here.

-----------------------Quote of the Day:     There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it.        - Mary Wilson Little

Just a Drop of Water . . . Macro Photography

       Macro Water Drops!

       I've wanted to tackle this type of photography for quite some time and finally got a little time for it recently.  Basically, it is a macro shot of a drop of water hitting a pool of water.  If you are satisfied with that explanation, then there is no reason to read on, just enjoy the photos.

       The Setup:  If you want the whole explanation of how I got these shots, here goes.  I set a clear pan on a piece of bright red paper and filled it with water.  Then I put another bright red paper eighteen inches above the pan and had a flash aimed at the paper from above.  Finally, I used a bright blue background with another flash aimed at it.  In this way, the water would reflect blue on the horizontal planes, and red on the vertical planes.  These are not photoshopped, except that I converted them from Raw to Jpeg with Adobe Camera Raw with high contrast and clarity, also boosting the vibrancy and saturation.  My camera sensor is needs to be cleaned so I did clone out some dust spots.  Several shots are cropped slightly to realign the center.

       Technical:  Shot with a Nikon 135mm F 2.8 with 60mm Extension Tube achieving Macro magnification.  1/200, F5.6, ISO 100.  Strobist: YN560 strobe at 1:64 power on background and a Smith Victor slave flash 1:1 on the top color paper.


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Quote of the Day:
   "No one can "get" an education, for of necessity education is a continuing process." 
       — Louis L'Amour