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photo by technotheory

techcocktail chicago 10

hopefully everyone who came out for tech cocktail chicago last thursday night had as great a time as i did. i knew it would be a popular event, being in it’s flagship city, but i was not prepared for the completely packed house at john barleycorn’s in wrigleyville. it was a blast and i took as many pics as i could (yep – breaking in the new camera!).

from a tech perspective – tech cocktail is an excellent way to learn about new startups and meet lots of interesting people from all aspects of our industry. i always walk away feeling like i met great people who i can continue to connect with online via twitter, linked in and of course the tech cocktail online community. i also thought the new “town hall” eric and frank launched before the event was refreshing – an opportunity to hear from the community their thoughts about tech cocktail and its mission.

from a photography perspective – most of you know i work in the tech industry but i never stray too far from a camera. shooting this event was a perfect mix of my two loves. and since this was my first outing with the new camera, it was a bit like being thrown into the deep end..or, er.. jumping into a new code base.  heh. it was a great excuse to interrupt small groups and jump into conversations.

if you weren’t in chicago last week, no worries – there’s another tech cocktail on february 26th in washington dc.  it’ll be at the left bank in adams morgan. sign up, come for a drink, check out some startups and say hello.  i’ll be there again, camera in hand. cheers!

thanks to zemote for catching me in the act!

see more pictures here…

bloggers for good

are you a dc-area blogger? then check out this new organization with the pretty colored logo: bloggers for good (bfg). bfg is a new, grass-roots group that sponsors local meetups for people to meet, greet, and give back to their communities. you’ll find good company and good food; bfg events provide a chance to gather in a fun, social setting with a common interest and a bigger purpose.

the inaugural bfg meetup will take place TONIGHT thursday, february 19 from 6-8 p.m. at o’faolain’s irish restaurant in sterling, virginia. if i were in town tonight i’d absolutely be there – it’s sure to be a good time.

the event is free and open to the public so whether you’re a blogger, blog reader, or just interested in this whole bfg concept, stop by. proceeds will benefit loudoun interfaith relief, the area’s largest food pantry.

to be listed as an attendee, join the bfg email list or blogroll, get the graphic, or for more information, join the bloggers for good group on facebook or contact: erin@bloggersforgood.org.

watching it snow outside

but these tulips are keeping my spring hopes alive… and providing me some lovely practice material for the new camera.

kauai photoshopping

here is the third part of my photoshopping around series. there may be more to come but the next week will be so busy that it may be a little while. especially since i just got MY NEW CAMERA and we’ll be busy getting to know each other.

i decided the best way to keep learning and moving forward was to identify a few artists i really enjoy and use their work as inspiration. so, my inspiration right now comes from two people – linda plaisted (many muses studio), an amazing local artist whose work i purchased last year and whom i follow on flickr, and aaron nace (arfotography) who is so creative and talented that i go to flickr everyday to see his daily post.  you may not see their influence, but it primarily came through in playing with layering, texture and color. as always, i’d love constructive feedback. and if you’re not loving the prolonged east-coast winter, enjoy these scenes from kauai.

california photoshopping

in honor of my friends who are in la tonight for twiistup, i’m posting my pics of cali today (san fran and tahoe.. don’t have any pics of la!). just like last weeks pictures, they’re all images that i liked a lot but that i felt needed some help. using aperture on these, they’re more to my liking. this is all an educational process so feel free to leave some feedback. i think my issue right now is over-highlighting! i just really like drawing those details out of the image. have a look-see.

i lost the detail in the dock…   but i love the highlights on the water

photoshopping around

today i’m going to the camera store. i feel like a little kid – it’s hard to contain my excitement. the only thing cooling me off is knowing the camera i’m going to purchase isn’t actually there – the new canon will have to be ordered, with no exact eta. i will patiently sit and wait…maybe even try to forget about it so i can be that much more excited when the phone call comes. in the meantime, i’ve started playing with photoshop again, so i thought i’d share some of my projects this week. i’ve mainly been working on highlights and trying to pull more detail from the existing image data – taking images that i always liked, but thought could have more impact. this series is from maine.  i’ll post the kauai and california series soon.

inaugural days in dc

my body feels like i ran a marathon or climbed a few mountains… all from the past few days inaugural events in downtown washington, dc.  it probably sounds like an exaggeration, but since sunday i’ve gone downtown everyday to witness the influx of people, the vendors and crazy street merchandise and all the excitement in the air. even though i was too far to see the ‘we are one‘ concert at the lincoln memorial on sunday (although i could hear it!), and just part of the sea of people on the mall for the actual inauguration, i really felt a part of it all and was thrilled that, being a local, i could join in all of it without much planning.  and let me tell you – trekking through the city in ten tons of warm clothes in the frosty cold air, navigating the massive crowds to do anything, waiting for trains, taxi’s and tables – it’s all quite exhausting. but it was all worth it, especially the culmination in tuesday night’s parties, celebrating this historic moment with so many others… i’m grateful for it all.

little great night in harlem

i love it when life suddenly takes you to new places you would never have dreamed of.  last may i was on a panel at the techcocktail conference in chicago, and ended up meeting david gardner, a really great up-and-comer in the tech space. through david, i was able to meet kabir sehgal, and then found myself a guest at his nyc event, “little great night in harlem” hosted by jude law & time warner chairman dick parsons. the event celebrated the mission of the jazz foundation of america, introducing us to some of their members and of course, the music and musicians.

i missed their earlier event in december and decided there was no way i was missing this one. here are a few highlights from the trip…

• forget planes and trains – they got no wifi! i decided to try the bolt bus instead – which has decent legroom, comfy seats and wifi. the trip actually flew by, i got a lot done online and they dropped us off at 33rd and 7th by 2pm.
• dancing in the famous alhambra ballroom in harlem, where billie holiday sang back in the day. i didn’t think i’d dance but after dave pulled me out to the dance floor, i just kept going until my 4 inch heels couldn’t kick anymore.
• sitting next to and chatting with mr danny glover. i didn’t get to talk with blythe danner but she spoke to the group and was stunning. she read a letter from jude law who wasn’t able to make it due to an injury. see pics of them here.
• saying hello to dick parson’s, who didn’t believe i was old enough to have worked at aol for almost 13 years. how very kind of him. that man can dance.
• watching sweet georgia brown get down and dirty (if you don’t believe me – watch her with danny glover in this video clip)!  shes got a voice that just does not stop. i got my very own sweet georgia hug from her after the show.
• all of the talent was amazing – but after the show a few of us got a private concert back at my hotel… we found a vacant ballroom with a piano where jazz pianist eric lewis entertained us until 3am. i can’t even describe what a treat this was. i’ve been listening to these clips nonstop. check out the embedded video below (thanks somewhatfrank for taking them!).
• after a few hours of sleep, i threw on some clothes and joined frank’s tweet-up downtown at the comfort diner. we had great conversations with nate, charlie, mike and ian – and the food made the morning trek worth it.

despite the weather and then the plane crashing in the hudson (our bus was very connected to the news!), i kind of wanted to stay for a few more days. but new york is close and i’ll be back up. MANY THANKS to kabir, dave, and all the great people i met – jeff, brent, eric, wendy and everyone else.

enjoy some pics and videos from the night.

happy 2009 everyone!