Daily Photo 2022: Mar. 01-15
Time flies! It was a year ago that I started working at FBM in Halifax. This entry celebrates that milestone. Life in the city is definitely different than life in the country, but it's still interesting. Similarly, the world of an architecture firm is a new viewpoint from my former work at an engineering office.
2022 March 02
While I wouldn't say the month came in like a lion, we did get a few dicey days. I have the good fortune of having a walking-distance commute. While it can be a slog, it's far better than sitting on a bus or attempting to maneuver a vehicle. I'm particularly pleased with how this photo turned out. The camera's timing was on automatic, and it picked the perfect speed for capturing motion in the snow and the pedestrians.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f22, 1/13 sec, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 03
Another day, another blast of Winter! You may be getting a false impression. These morning snows tended to melt away by the afternoon. This bit of falling fluff is outside the central branch of the Halifax Public Library.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f22, 1/40 sec, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 05
On the subject of the library... I got a card! I figured after a year it was high time I made the concession to my residence in Halifax. That said, I still think of myself as officially remaining a resident of Antigonish County, and I still have my Pictou-Antigonish Library Card. Alas, Halifax is the only library-system in the province which does not automatically share its collections with cardholders of other libraries.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f22, 2.5 secs, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 06
Here's an interior shot of the library. The floorplan is a bit wild. The atrium is criss-crossed with catwalks and stairs. Who designed this place? ...Oh yeah... My colleagues.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f2.8, 1/500 secs, ISO 5000
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 07
It was the seventh of March, 2021 when I arrived in Halifax, a day before beginning my new job. For the first few weeks I stayed in this hotel. I subletted an apartment from April until August, when I finally moved into a permanent place. At the time, the 2% rental vacancy rate seemed tight... Fast forward a year, and that rate's now below 1%! Perhaps it's not so surprising that my office is currently designing several apartment towers.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f3.2, 1/640 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 04
Apparently, the fourth of March is Employee Appreciation Day. I feel very appreciated just about every day already. Getting a fancy cookie on top of it all is delightful indeed. I've placed this photo out of chronological order, using it to segue into a series of shots from my work.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f22, 1/160 sec, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 01
This is my mouse at work. It's ergonomic and stylish... Though the photo makes it look awfully dusty! The macro lens really picks up every fleck. I've put this photo out of chronological order, too.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f22, 5 secs, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 08
The eighth of March is my official workiversary. Currently, my office is on Hollis Street, but we're building a new office a few blocks away. Our current building is being renovated into a mostly residential one... Again, part of the city's attempt to house its skyrocketing population. Sitting in an architecture office (Specifically, in the chair in the lower-right of this frame) feels like having a front-row seat to a dynamic moment during the city's history.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 2000
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 09
Overlooking the main space of the office is a mezzanine which houses our lunchroom. Originally I planned to take a photo of an overview of the office... Instead, I found myself distracted by our ventilation. Don't tell any mechanical engineers I wrote that.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 5000
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 14
It took a few days, but I finally snagged that overview photo. This was the Monday after the start of Daylight Saving Time; I was the first one in the office. I took this photo with my telephoto lens rather than the macro I've been using lately. Photographic confession: It wasn't entirely the pretty ducts which kept me from shooting this earlier: I wanted to use the wider-angled lens for it.
Olympus E-PL9, 12-200mm telephoto lens
f3.8, 1/250 sec, ISO 6400
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 10
For a guy with the name Burns, the Scottish poet Bobby sure looks chilly on snowy mornings! That furred brow over those piercing sculpted eyes and the self-hugging pose really make him look cold. I can practically imagine the statue shivering. Don't worry, though; all this morning snow was gone by the time I walked home from the office.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f3.2, 1/500 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 11
I figured you wouldn't be keen on another shot of my mouse. Here's a spiffy sewing detail on the edge of my wallet.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f22, 20 secs, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 12
Proof that Winter in Nova Scotia isn't entirely snow! We actually got a significant bit of rain and wind. I needed to switch lenses so I could zoom out my window and capture the big drops splattering on the parking lot below. The lens was still on my camera two days later when I took the Monday-morning photo of the office.
Olympus E-PL9, 12-200mm telephoto lens
f22, 5 secs, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 13
This yellow route is beastly! I threw myself at that wall for several days before finally beating it on the thirteenth of March. The yellows are dual-textured; one side is pebbled but the other is slippery. It's a real grip test.
The most difficult part comes fairly early on. The trouble becomes intense with one foot on the largest hold and one foot on the very small hold to its right. Even reaching that point is hard. At this point both hands are on the isolated middle-sized hold above and right of the big one, and your knees are pointed left.The trick is to then reach up to the left of the two side-by-side holds and then reverse the direction of your knees so you are squatting on the big hold. Then, you have to rise up and grab the large hold just past the dividing line of the wall-board, before you lose your footing on the slippery perch. Quite a challenge!
Palm PVG 100: f2, 1/33 sec, ISO 1250
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 March 15
I've photographed a climbing shoe before, but I just can't get enough of that dappled dot-pattern. It sublimely pleases me that they dots carry through to the Velcro straps.
I appreciate that climbing shoes regularly come in Velcro versions. In fact, lace-ups are the rarity. The designers realize that climbers may not have any finger strength left at the end of a climbing session... And also that laces can easily catch on stray rocks.
