Posted by kmercury

Earlier this year I interviewed for a position with Microsoft, so I thought it would be kind of fun to make a non-traditional cover page for my résumé. I discovered that the Metro/Modern UI doesn’t work nearly as well on paper as it does on a screen. Oh well! It was a fun little project.

Note: The above is a low-res web-size PNG. The original is far more crisp.

And nope, I didn’t get the job. 🙁

Posted by dropslash

BoChallenge Words: Legs on Flickr.

BoChallenge Bi-Monthly Words & Photos: 1 – Legs

I’ve always trusted my legs to take me where I need to go and, for good reason, they always have. It’s probably by virtue of being my primary means of locomotion, but they’ve done a pretty good job so far. I’ve walked through nearly every major city in the United States and many elsewhere. They’ve climbed me up mountains, hiked me through forests, swam me in oceans, guided me across deserts, and generally powered my explorations of this world. They’ve kicked, jumped, powered, danced, ran, marched… my explorations of this world, my wandering, my adventures, have been on these legs.

…and I’m not sure I trust them anymore. They’ve stopped taking me where I think I need to be. To their credit, it could be my thinking that’s off, but I feel like I’ve come to the end of my road. It’s not that a lack of a road has ever stopped me, but I just don’t know where the next step is and without it, these legs aren’t doing me much good.

“You’ll have to decide for yourself. Walk on your own. Move forward. You’ve got a good strong pair of legs. You should get up and use them.” – Edward Elric

Posted by dropslash

One of the reasons I love self portraits is that I can experiment with all different kinds of post processing techniques and not have to worry about the images being perfect. This image was a focus error (eyes are out of focus), so I used it to practice applying landscape/travel retouching techniques on skin. Occasionally I use my landscape Black & White filters to highlight skin imperfections when I retouch.

My usual post processing is not particularly flattering for skin, which is usually why I avoid photographing models. I love hard details (part of my travel photography style) and desaturated contrast (personal preference), so applying these styles on myself is good practice, since I have photographically difficult/annoying features to retouch, like deep pores, scars, and stubble.

Posted by dropslash

Self Portrait: Brooklyn 2012 on Flickr.

In the time since I shot my last self portrait, May 1, 2012, I’ve traveled almost 20,000 miles through 26 states. I currently find myself back in NYC, seriously debating getting off the road for a while, and wondering if I can call this city home again.

Sunday Flashback

Posted by dropslash

Sunday Flashback

Gaff's Unicorn

So I was digging through my FTP space when I happened across this gem. Back when I was studying Computer Information Systems at DeVry University (go ahead, get your laugh/joke in, I’ll wait… ok, good, ready?) I was often amazed at the lack of forward thinking and technological illiteracy by both students and faculty. I mean, I shouldn’t have been, but it was still kind of disheartening to be in a “technology school” and be surrounded by technologically inept people. | Read More…

Dig That Radio

Posted by dropslash

Dig That Radio

DTR Header

Ok, so this is a post I’ve been meaning to write for a while now. It’s going to be long and it’s going to be about a topic that is both generally universal and intensely personal. Music. Specifically, video game music, both original and inspired by, some of which will be included along the way. So feel free to fire up some of your favorite tunes, or jam on some of the ones here, grab a snack, and let’s jump in. | Read More…