Panoramio Anyone?
Not long ago, I discovered a website called Panoramio, whose tag line is “Photos of the World”. It is a geographical photo collaboration site that uses Google Earth and Google Maps to link photos to the exact location from which they were taken. All uploaded photos (subject to review), will be included in Google Maps through Panoramio’s interface. During Google’s review they may also choose photos to include in Google Earth. This is a really fun way to contribute and view photos taken all around the world.
Filed under photography | Comments (2)I Miss My Superhero
My dad, Donald O’Neal, was a professional photographer for almost 38 years. He graduated from Florida State University (Go Noles!) in 1969. He began teaching photography at Hoover Junior High School the same year and eventually moved to teaching the same subject at Merritt Island High School. During this time, he perfected his craft by shooting weddings professionally on the weekends. After he developed the film, he would assemble wonderful photo albums for the happy couples.
During my seventh grade school year he helped me with my science project which was exploring the workings of a camera. He helped me create a pinhole camera from cardboard and tape. We went outside to our front sidewalk and took pictures of a house across the street while he explained how the different aperture settings, shutter speeds and focal length when changed, affected the final result of each picture we took. I always wanted to learn more about this trade of his but they didn’t offer this elective at my high school. When I went to college I wasn’t sure then what I wanted to do and lost interest quickly. Now, I find it tragic that I have just now found a passion for photography; something I feel deep regret over not learning more about from my father.
He had a goal during his retirement years to sell prints of his wonderful photoart. My husband designed and created Wall To Wall Photos with detailed notes from my father of what he wanted it to contain and how he wanted it appear. In addition to photography, he had a passion for interior decorating. All of his homes were meticulously decorated and he was comforted in his last years by surrounding himself with his photos. He enjoyed traveling and used those opportunities to capture the beauty of places on our planet and those people, animals, and things which inhabit it.
Unfortunately, his life was cut short just before his sixtieth birthday by prostate cancer. He was my personal superhero. I love him and miss him very much.
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