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Technology – Page 2 – Bill Swartwout Photography

Bill Swartwout Photography Has a Verified Twitter Account

The “Blue Check” indicates that I am now a paid subscriber to Twitter.

Why not? I’ve been a Twitter member since the first year of this popular social media platform. I joined in June of 2007, only a few months after the Blue Bird spread its wings and took to the air (Internet).

Twitter header with 'Verified" Blue check.
Twitter with ‘Verified” Blue check for Bill Swartwout Photography.

Twitter is still a viable form of social media for marketing my photography. Being a “Verified” tweeter gives my account a bit of extra credibility. Perception and a positive image is beneficial to any sales endeavor. If you also use Twitter please go ahead and click on over there to give my Twitter account a follow.

Sure, there have been a raft of social media memes about how badly the new ownership is doing but I do not believe it is going to fly away any time soon. Twitter had a lot of “problems” that have been ignored for a long time – mainly fake accounts, run by bots, that spread like wildfire. I do believe that problem is being addressed because I am seeing fewer “bogus” advertisements every day.

Do YOU have a twitter account?

If so, leave a link in the comments section (below) and I’ll give you a follow.

I also have twitter accounts for two of my commercial websites. They are not, however, “verified” accounts. Yet.

Link to: Ocean City, MD – (Active since May, 2008)
Link to: South Baltimore Peninsula, MD – (Active since March, 2009)


Using Technology for a Health and Fitness Connection

Old Fart Life

In one such attempt the following conversation ensued…

Me: “Hey, Alexa, remind me about the Fun Run for Exercise this weekend.”

Alexa: “I have added Bourbon to your shopping list.”

Top Shelf Bourbon Whiskey Selections
Top Shelf Bourbon Whiskey Selections

Me: “Close enough!”


My Mini and the Moon

Attempting a drone range test with my DJI Mini SE…

Well, not really, I was flying to catch a sunrise over Little Assawoman Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.

More seriously, I was flying the drone at sunrise in our back yard – to catch early morning sky colors – and looked up to see a waning gibbous moon. I moved the drone a bit south and east (at 200 ft.) to catch this silhouette.

dji mini se silhouette with moon
DJI Mini SE silhouetted against a waning gibbous moon.

Well, I didn’t catch it at first because all I had for a camera was my cell phone. While the best camera to have is “the one you have with you” – I also realized I need a bit more reach with a telephoto lens than what my iPhone 12 could provide. It was an interesting enough image (to me) that I thought it might make a cool photograph. In this particular case the “best camera to have” was in my office upstairs in our house.

I landed the drone so I could go inside to grab my Olympus E-M10 Mark IV and mounted my Olympus 75-300 f/4.8-6.7 zoom lens. Techies might be interested in the EXIF data: 228mm focal length; 1/200 sec; f/22; ISO 1600; Aperture priority; center-weighted metering.

Oh, yes, here is the morning sunrise that prompted the silhouette image of My Mini and the Moon. Yes, the contrast and colors have been “boosted” a little – to make the morning flight on Saturday, September 17 a bit more worthwhile.

sunrise over little assawoman bay and the atlantic ocean
Sunrise over Little Assawoman Bay, the Atlantic Ocean and Fenwick Island

I’m sure I will be asked about maintaining VLOS (Visual Line of Sight) which is, by law, defined as normal vision without the use of any extra optics like binoculars or a spotting scope. A long, long time ago I learned (and got used to) peering through the viewfinder of a camera while keeping both eyes open. Yup – believe it or not!

Don’t believe that works? Try a Google Search and you might find something like this: “Most photographers close one eye when looking through the viewfinder, but keeping the other open allows you to remain aware of your surroundings. It means you can see things coming into your frame, keeping you ready to press the shutter at exactly the right moment.