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Digital Native

Published at: 03:01 pm - Thursday January 15 2015

Project 365 – Day 14

Digital Native – A person born or brought up during the age of digital technology and therefore familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age: the digital tools that are reshaping our economy make more sense to young digital natives than to members of older generations.

Being in the technology industry, I’ve heard this term for years now.  Our granddaughter has made it come to life for us.  Her ability to naturally learn mobile technology blows my mind.  She can use an iPhone or iPad to find what she wants, look at photos, and play videos like it’s nobody’s business.  It comes without effort … it’s “automatic”.

Syd

Syd

Fuji X-T1, 35mm f/1.4, 1/80 sec @ f/2.8, ISO3200

Posted in: Family, People, Project 365 by Mark 2 Comments

Happy Birthday Glenn

Published at: 10:01 pm - Tuesday January 13 2015

Project 365 – Day 13

Today I had the pleasure of meeting my good friend Glenn for a birthday lunch at one of our long time favorites, Hometown Barbeque.  We’ve been friends for many years, and we share so much in common.  Faith, small town roots, values, we both have daughters (no boys), wonderful wives, cute white dogs, a penchant for photography (Glenn’s profession), motorcyclists, Big Green Egg (want-to-be) aficionados, red wine, commiserating, and a love for a good joke.  Glenn has patiently taught me much about portraiture, and he has entrusted me more times than I deserve with helping him shoot seniors and cover events on his behalf.  He has included me in activities like volunteering and serving on the board of It’s The Journey, producers of the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Cancer, as well as an annual Christmas Santa charity for needy kids.  To say Glenn is a very giving and sharing person would be an understatement.  I’m honored to be his friend.  Happy Birthday Glenn!

Glenn Martin

Glenn Martin

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/100 sec @ f/2.8, ISO2000

Hometown BBQ

Hometown BBQ

Fuji X-T1, 35mm f/1.4, 1/640 sec @ f/4.0, ISO800

Posted in: Events, People, Project 365 by Mark 2 Comments

Fog Sets In

Published at: 11:01 pm - Monday January 12 2015

Project 365 – Day 12

Today was quite unique, in that it was extremely foggy all day long.  This photo was taken just after lunch.  Typically in this part of the south the fog would have lifted by then, or else it would have turned into rain.  On this day, it was more Seattle-like than Atlanta.  This spot appealed to me because of the foreground leading lines of the crosswalks which help frame the scene.

Foggy Drive

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/1000 sec @ f/4.0, ISO800

Posted in: Atlanta, Cityscapes, Transportation by Mark 1 Comment

Backstage

Published at: 11:01 pm - Monday January 12 2015

Project 365 – Day 11

I’m a volunteer video camera guy at church once or twice a month.  Video is nothing like still photography, but that’s a story for another time.

One of the things I’ve gained from this experience the past couple of years is learning just what it takes to put on a professional production.  Having a view from behind the scenes has taught me that it requires lots and lots of advance creative planning and readiness, much of which I don’t have personal insight into.  Then on “game day,” it takes many technicians and artists, each with their own important role which makes the whole larger than the sum of its parts.  It’s truly amazing how dedicated and gifted the tech team and talent volunteers are.  All of them generate excellence in the name of producing a series of Sunday services that bring people a more meaningful and relevant worship, yet without the production becoming the object itself.  Today, a central part of the theme was “vintage.”  I was able to grab this unique perspective of a vintage quartet rehearsing.

Rehearsal

Rehearsal

Fuji X-T1, 35mm f/1.4, 1/100 sec @ f/2.8, ISO2500

Posted in: Events, Faith, People by Mark 1 Comment

Big Green Egg Pizza

Published at: 09:01 am - Sunday January 11 2015

Project 365 – Day 10

We are both blessed by and cherish our family meal times.  Most of us are together virtually every night of the week.  I came across this from a North Dakota State professor, for which most of these points are so obvious but are often overlooked or dismissed in today’s American culture:

  • Family meals provide a sense of family unity and identity. Family meals become a vehicle for carrying on valued family traditions, such as having a particularly favorite dish on someone’s birthday or going to a favorite place to eat together on special occasions.
  • Family meals give the opportunity to transmit the values and attitudes of a family from one generation to the next. Children can learn from parents and grandparents about what values are important to the family. Also, family meals are a wonderful way to link family members with their cultural and ethnic heritage, as differing foods may reflect the unique cultural traditions or ethnic tastes of a particular family’s background.
  • Family meals also furnish a means for daily communication and strengthening family connections. Conversation around the dinner table allows give and take among family members and the chance to cultivate attitudes of patience and respect in communication.
  • Family meals give a meaningful opportunity for family members to spend time together and enjoy one another’s company in a relaxed setting. Families should consider how to maximize the time they have together by encouraging positive comments, adjusting meal experiences to the family’s needs, and creating a warm and relaxed setting.

On this particular evening, we made one of our family favorites:  Homemade pizza cooked on the Big Green Egg.  It’s to die for (just like our time together)!  Special thanks go to my son-in-law Dale for being my chop-master.

Dale Preparing for Pizza

Dale Preparing for Pizza

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/55 sec @ f/2.8, ISO3200

150110_006

Mark’s Big Green Egg Chicken Pizza

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/100 sec @ f/2.8, ISO1600

Posted in: Food, People, Project 365 by Mark 1 Comment

Morning Therapy

Published at: 01:01 am - Saturday January 10 2015

Project 365 – Day 9

I’ve become a complicit victim of the coffee culture.  I hated the taste of coffee most of my life, but 6 years ago something changed.  I now love it, and it is a highlight and beloved pleasure of each morning.

Most days I make my own, but Fridays I treat myself to a hand-crafted brew elsewhere.  Most often it’s from Starbucks near my office, but I’m always on the hunt for something new and unique.  During the holidays, it has become a cherished morning tradition for my brother Mike and me to visit his local shop, Buckhead Coffee.  We are many times accompanied by my son-in-law Dale or Katie’s beau Evan, which makes the tradition even more special.

The coffee fix is one thing, but I enjoy the experience equally as well.  Watching others, slowing down for a moment to notice something typically overlooked, or conversing with someone.  Life is rushed enough as it is, with lists and things to do and expectations and worries.  A cup of java warms the soul and transcends it all.

Starbucks

Starbucks

Fuji X-T1, 14mm f/2.8, 2 sec @ f/16, ISO 800

Posted in: Abstract, Coffee, Project 365 by Mark 1 Comment

Small is Good

Published at: 01:01 am - Saturday January 10 2015

Project 365 – Day 8

“Home away from home” – This was one of the first phrases that came to mind when thinking about showing and describing where I spend a majority of my week.  The Oxford Dictionary defines home away from home as “A place where one is as happy, relaxed, or comfortable as in one’s own home.”  No disrespect to my dear coworkers, but after reconsideration I’m not sure I would characterize my work place as a virtual equivalency to home.  🙂

That said, the band of friends with whom I work are indeed a family.  We spend LOTS of time together; we agree, disagree, have fun, share meals, seek common goals, commiserate, and make each other better.  NCR Small Business, my current division, definitely fits this profile.  It’s one of the most unique experiences I’ve had in my 30+ years at NCR.  We provide a cloud-based subscription point of sale app for small businesses.  NCR Silver runs on mobile tablets like the iPad.  We are an independent start-up within a large global corporation.  We have our own building.  We have our own products, marketing, sales, product management, operations, customer care, R&D, and business development.  We are working on leading edge technology, which arguably will change the future face of NCR’s software products.  We are participating in and defining a market that is still emerging and forming.

Less than 100 people are all in one building, working arm-in-arm daily toward the same ends and solving problems together.  The office is a very open, Silicon Valley-like environment.  Everyone has the same type of desk and open work space, from the GM all the way down through the organization.  We metaphorically “sit face-to-face at the dinner table” daily and work on things like a family, unlike most of my career where people I needed to interact with are stretched across all corners of the earth.

“Home away from home?”  Maybe not.  A close-knit relational family that forges it’s way through ups and downs, finding ways to better itself and those it serves?  Definitely.

Mark's Desk - NCR Small Business

Mark’s Desk – NCR Small Business

Fuji X-T1, 14mm f/2.8, 1/90 sec @ f/5.6. ISO3200

Posted in: Project 365, Work by Mark 2 Comments

John Blake

Published at: 11:01 pm - Wednesday January 07 2015

Project 365 – Day 7

Today we took Katie’s car in for work at Blake Automotive.  We’ve been taking our cars to John Blake for years.  He’s an independent garage owner, and works exclusively on Honda products.  We’ve been Honda owners for as long as we’ve been a family.  Years ago I circulated an email at work asking for a reliable Honda mechanic.  I was sick of dealerships and didn’t (don’t) trust them.  20 people must’ve replied, and almost all of them recommended John.  They gave recommendations in detail.  I remember one person saying he witnessed a single mother at the shop. She could not afford the required work.  He said John told her to pay what she could, and to come pay the rest when she was able to.

John is like family.  One of those you depend on and wouldn’t consider going to anyone else.  I trust him as far as the day is long.  He’s saved me lots of money, but never at the expense of quality or safety.  He takes no shortcuts.  There is none better.

Recently Kathy called him one morning, asking him about an oil light that popped on during her drive to work.  Not only did he tell her to not drive it, but he asked where she was and promptly drove 12 miles to see what was going on.  In this day and age?  In metro Atlanta?  I stopped by later in the day, and he would only let me pay him for the oil he added to her engine.  That’s the kind of guy John is.  He reminds me of people from my childhood in “small town” Tennessee.  Always helping others, most generous, and totally trustworthy.

I enjoy chatting when I visit … cars, family, hobbies, you name it.  He’s soft spoken and always makes time to talk.

I’ve admired his entry door since the first day I walked in.  It was an appropriate capture for today’s photo.  I thought of asking to take a pic of John in his shop, but I sensed he was busy and then a client walked in.  Maybe next time.  🙂

John, thanks for all you do for the Sisco girls and me!

Blake Automotive

Blake Automotive

Posted in: Family, People, Reflections by Mark 2 Comments

Awash

Published at: 10:01 pm - Tuesday January 06 2015

Project 365 – Day 6

As I walked a pathway today, I ran into several areas impassable due to standing water from recent rains.  This caused me to detour from my normal course, and I ran across formations of small sand drifts, reminding me of the beach.  I love texture and patterns, so this caught my eye.  The contrasting colors were also a calling card.

Sand Drift on Pathway

Sand Drift on Pathway

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/420 sec @ f/4.0, ISO800

Posted in: Abstract, Rain, Water by Mark 1 Comment

Monday Blues

Published at: 11:01 pm - Monday January 05 2015

Project 365 – Day 5

Back-to-work Monday following holiday vacation:  Long, a little gloomy, a touch obscure, and at times disorienting.  Beams of light begin to peek through for the new week and a new year, camouflaged by shadows and converging lines.  Eventually the blinds open, light and energy return, and routine resumes.  New ideas, new challenges, brightness prevails.

Reflecting

Blind Reflections

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/100 sec @ f/8.0, ISO1600

Reflecting2

Awakening

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/100 sec @ f/8.0, ISO1600

Posted in: Abstract, Project 365, Reflections by Mark 1 Comment

12Stone Church Worship

Published at: 11:01 pm - Sunday January 04 2015

Project 365 – Day 4

We love our church.  God has done amazing things through 12Stone Church and its leadership.  It has grown to 4 campuses and some 15,000+ members worshiping each Sunday across a multitude of services and locations.  And today, we launched 5 additional campuses in the northeast Atlanta area.  Incredible things are in store for 2015.

After being away for the holidays, the return home felt complete after attending worship today.  Kathy and I long for Sundays.  We are both challenged and encouraged weekly through our worship experience at 12Stone.  Spiritual growth is renewed each week by the creativity, content, and quality of each service.  Kevin Myers talked today about not falling into the trap of consumerism with church … we are there to honor, serve and please God, not to consume the worship service for our own selfish pleasure.  That being true, we are incredibly blessed by how impactful each worship service is.  I work on the tech team , and I know just how much work and energy goes into each service to enhance the worship experience and to draw people closer to God.  I am truly grateful to be at this church, and for the hundreds of people who make each week’s worship a production of excellence that elevates reverance rather than detracting from it.

12Stone Church - Worship

12Stone Church – Worship

Fuji X-T1, 14mm f/2.8, 1/100 sec @ f/2.8, ISO2500

Posted in: Faith, Music, People, Project 365 by Mark 1 Comment

High Museum

Published at: 09:01 am - Sunday January 04 2015

Project 365 – Day 3

Kathy and I visited the High Museum for the first time.  I can’t believe we’ve lived here 20 years and haven’t been before now.  It is spectacular and impressive, to say the least.  Our main draw was the Cezanne exhibit, which also included works from Degas and other artists from the same period.  We both preferred the paintings of both Cezanne and Camille Pissarro.  It’s amazing that such beautiful art has survived for more than a century through wars and the like, much less for us to see it at arms length.  The colors and textures abound.

There are many, many other galleries throughout the High.  There were very large crowds, making it hard to maneuver.  I somehow managed to get this isolated shot of a couple, though.

Thanks for a great rainy day date, Honey!

Couple at High Museum

Couple at High Museum

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/50 sec @ f/5.6, ISO3200

High Museum, Atlanta, GA

High Museum, Atlanta, GA

Fuji X100s, 23mm f/2.0, 1/100 sec @ f/8.0, ISO1250

Posted in: Atlanta, Cityscapes, People, Project 365 by Mark 1 Comment
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