Tokyo Panorama by "Human Camera" Steven Wiltshire drawn precisely from memory!
Rome may not have been built in a day – but savant Steven Wiltshire drew a 33 foot panorama of the city in just two days! Wiltshire is not part man, part machine like Steve Austin from the 1970s series: The Six Million Dollar Man. He accomplished this feat (and many more) with his natural, God-given abilities.
"Human Camera" Stephen Wiltshire
What makes this achievement so amazing is that Wiltshire was taken for a short helicopter ride where he observed Rome from a bird's eye view. Afterward, he drew the city center on blank paper. From memory, Wiltshire accurately reproduced the winding streets, buildings, the windows – even the EXACT number of columns in the Pantheon.
Wiltshire, who has been called “the human camera,” has the incredible ability to recall minute details of anything he has seen and then reproduce them in drawings. He was born mute. At the age of three he was diagnosed as autistic. At the age of five, Wiltshire attended Queensmill School in London where he expressed interest in drawing where he began to communicate through his art. At the age of eight, he started drawing imaginary post-earthquake cityscapes and cars.
Wiltshire has also drawn New York City, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem and London on giant canvasses.
To read more about Stephen Wiltshire, see more of his work and order paintings and gifts, visit the Stephen Wiltshire web site.
So how good is your re-call? I can't remember where I parked my car at the grocery store! Please leave your comments on this post.
The Avengers movie wreckage on East Ninth Street in Cleveland, Ohio
There was carnage all over East Ninth Street this week after several explosions rocked downtown Cleveland – rattling office windows and the nerves of the workers within. But fear not, Captain America was on the scene to restore calm.
Unless you've been hiding under a rock the past few weeks, you've heard how the filming of the latest Marvel Studios production – The Avengers – has transformed parts of Cleveland into New York City. Unfortunately, it has unintentionally brought some of New York’s traffic gridlock to the area with the closing of East Ninth Street between Prospect and Euclid Avenues. Local authorities expect that portion of the street to be closed for about a month of filming.
More “The Avengers” movie wreckage on East Ninth Street in Cleveland, Ohio
Nevertheless, many Cleveland area Marvel comic book fans are in “seventh heaven” as they get to see a real live action film being made in their hometown.
The Avengers is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on May 4, 2012 – about 10 days after it’s world premier in France.
Have you seen The Avengers filming in the Cleveland area? Did you snap any photos or make a video? Did you get stuck in traffic because of street closures around town? Please leave your comments on this post.
First grade teacher, Jenna McGilvray (formerly of Olmsted Falls) is seeing her students suffer the wrath of severe tornadoes that hit Dunn, North Carolina on April 16th. The area has been declared a disaster. Five of Jenna's students have lost their homes completely and many other students' homes sustained severe damage.
The 6 to 7 year old students are in need of any used or new clothing and school supplies (book bags, crayons, pencils etc.)
To help, contact: Jenna McGilvray, 6280 Abbotts Park Dr. Apt E., Fayetteville, NC 28311, Phone: 330-338-9258, E-mail: Jenmack7843@yahoo.com
Or Jenna’s parents: Jim & Kim McGilvray, Phone: 440-243-7843, E-mail: Mackpack555@cox.net
"I finally got him" by Lucian Bartosik wins Lakewood Photographic Society contest
“Click, click… did I get it?”
Fast moving, candid wedding moments are often like that. In the case of Lakewood Photographic Society (LPS) member, Lucian Bartosik, capturing his wedding photo, “I finally got him,” was a two shot moment. He took top honors in the Photojournalism category at the LPS photo contest on Tuesday evening with that image.
“The groom was in love with Classic American cars and his new bride surprised him with this red and white beauty and driver to whisk them away from the church,” says Bartosik. “There was just a few moments to freeze time, as they were about to head off to the reception and I managed to get two shots at this point. The first shot I took included the entire car with everyone looking forward, but for the second shot I zoomed in and just for a moment the bride glanced my way and I pressed the shutter button. I knew that the judges of a competition might give lower marks for not being able to see the entire car, however, I felt that the look of the bride would over ride the fact that only part of the car was in frame, and chose that particular image to include in my entries.”
Bartosik, who is originally from Wales in Great Britain has lived in Lakewood almost 5 years. Of his relocation, Bartosik said, “My brother and sister had married Americans and were living in Ohio and during our many visits up here, my now wife, liked the feel of Lakewood, with it's many unique coffee shops and eclectic restaurants, so we decided to move north. We both ski, therefore enjoy snowy winters and the summers are not as hot or humid as Kentucky. Having the lake so close means we can do some sailing in summer too, therefore enjoying the best of both seasons.”
Bartosik produces fine art photographic works and has prints on sale in a few galleries in and around Cleveland. He also take a limited amount of wedding and portrait commissions each year and his winning photo was a result of such an occasion.
Did you have a professional photographer or just a friend take your wedding pictures? What was that experience like? Please leave a comment on this post.
Dare2Care of Cleveland staged a flash mob at a park at West 25th and Lorain to raise awareness against bullying.
They danced to Abba's “Dancing Queen.” The group was suppose to perform at the West Side Market but was bumped to the park so market vendors could service their Easter customers.
I had a piece of cake in Sue's memory. Why? See article.
The world lost an amazing person this week.
Sue Sawyers passed away March 29, 2011 following a courageous battle with cancer.
I came to know Sue as a new member of the North Ridgeville Chamber of Commerce in 2006. From the moment I met her, she was a warm, welcoming person who clearly wanted her fellow business person to succeed. To that end, she gave me a few photography assignments with the company she worked for – Great Lakes Publishing – the publisher of West Shore Magazine.
Throughout her career, Sue became active in many chambers of commerce, including North Ridgeville, Lorain County, West Shore, North Coast, Lakewood and Beachwood. She served on numerous committees and held several offices for the North Ridgeville Chamber of Commerce, most recently as Chairman of the Board from 2008 to the present time.
In 2010 Sue received the North Ridgeville Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Ohio Area Chambers of Commerce Bright Star Award for her exemplary service. In 2009 she was presented with the Hugh Dawson Service Award for outstanding volunteerism with the West Shore Chamber. To honor her accomplishments, Mayor Dennis Clough of Westlake proclaimed December 8, 2009 as “Sue Sawyers Day” in Westlake.
Probably the thing that Sue was well known for was her love of cake. At a recent North Ridgeville Chamber of Commerce event, they gave away door prizes from local businesses. The last prize was a gift card to Ruby Tuesdays. Before drawing the winner, it was requested that the recipient of the card have a piece of cake in Sue's memory. Its funny how I had a feeling that it would be me who would fulfill this bitter-sweet assignment.
Yesterday, just two days after Sue's passing, my wife and I used the gift card and had a piece of cake in Sue's memory.
Sue, may you and the angels in heaven share your cake together – for eternity. We love you and miss you.
Did you know Sue personally? Please share a fun experience you had with her by leaving a comment on this post.
The "Supermoon" - seen in the top photo after manipulation in Photoshop to help the background appear more visible than the orignal photo shown at bottom.
The moon hasn't been this close to the earth since 1992.
Because the moon’s orbit around the earth is oval, it is sometimes closer to the earth and other times – it’s farther away.
Last night, it appeared larger and brighter than normal earning the name “Supermoon.”
Although Supermoons have a slightly stronger pull on the earth's tides, NASA states that last night's event did not cause the earth quake and tsunami in Japan.
I took this photo at Huntington Beach in Bay Village – looking east toward Cleveland and Lake Erie.
Upon returning home, I adjusted the contrast and brightness of the original image in Photoshop to better show the size of the moon in relation to the city in the background.
The actual size of the moon was not altered in these photos.
There were several “moon seekers” at the beach – observing and photographing this amazing phenomena.
Before-and-after restoration of a flood damaged baby photo by SpectraLight Photography
With the recent flooding in Northeast Ohio and possibly more high water on the way, I decided to put together several tips to save water-damaged, heirloom photos.
When floods and fires hit, most people don't grieve losing a stove or couch. It’s the loss of valued family photos, scrapbooks and memorabilia that makes them cry. Living in North Ridgeville and seeing how hard the residents were hit was a real “eye-opener.” It motivated me to do some research and put together a guide to help flood victims save their photos.
When facing piles of soggy, mud-spattered photos and other valuables – saving them may be possible by using some of following tips.
Carefully extract photos from muddy water. Remove photos from soaked albums and separate any that are stuck together. Be careful not to rub or touch the wet surface on the image side of the photos.
Gently rinse both sides of the photo in a sink filled with clear, cold water. Again, don't wipe the image side of the photos. Be sure to change the water often.
If you have time and space, immediately lay each washed photo – picture side up – on clean blotting paper like paper towels. Don't use newspapers or printed paper towels because the ink from those materials may transfer to your wet photos. Change the blotting paper every hour or two until the photos are dry. It is best to dry the photos indoors if possible because wind and sun will cause photos to curl more severely.
Save money with a company that allows you to back-up your files online to secure web servers.
See an affordable photo restoration software that will help you fix your photos on your computer.
Buy archival storage products for your photos.
More photography related resources to be added as I discover them.
As a photo restoration specialist, I combine today's digital technology with old-fashioned artistry to repair worn, stained, spotted, torn, cracked, bleached and faded photographs to their original luster. Digital restoration costs have been reduced to at least half of what they used to be and the quality has improved substantially!
See samples of badly faded or damaged photos and how they look after restoration here. You will be amazed with the results.
Learn about our photo restoration services here. Get our FREE guide with tips for saving water or flood-damaged photos here. See a photo restored in a high-speed video here. Read our photo restoration FAQs that may answer questions pertaining to your faded or damaged photograph here.
Do you have damaged, faded or crumbling photos representing an important part of your family history? Don't give up on them just yet – they may be recoverable! For a no-cost, no-obligation appointment to examine your photographs and receive a quote – contact us TODAY through this link or call 440.748.6300… BEFORE it's too late. (NOTE: This is a landline so text messages won't come through.)
Have you have a personal experience with photos damaged by a flood? Why did you have them restored? To preserve a special memory? To remember a special family member? Please share your story with a comment, here.
More than 10 million Americans are victimized by identity theft every year, according to a study conducted by the Identity Theft Resource Center in 2003 and 2004. A statistical analysis on identify theft, The Aftermath Study was created by the group to further determine ways to combat the crime.
According to the study, the post-identity theft recovery time can last as few as three hours and up to 5,840 hours depending on the severity of the identity crime, which varies from a missing credit card to social security card fraud.
To learn about a few simple precautions to avoid being an identity theft victim, read a short article at parade.com. Very simple and easy suggestions that could save you thousands of hours and dollars getting your life back in order.
A new conspiracy theory spreading throughout Northeast Ohio is that Cleveland's legendary meteorologist Dick Goddard used his “mystical powers” to summon the huge snow storm that has buried the area.
Thursday marked Goddard's 80th birthday so rumor has it that he wanted it to be remembered for the blizzard that hit the area late last night and extending through this morning.
Happy birthday Dick – and thank you for all you do for the animals!
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The photo of Dick Goddard in the snow was created by placing his portrait (bottom left) over the photo of the snow gnome (bottom right). I then erased part of his portrait so that it just covered the snow gnome’s face. All this was done in Adobe Photoshop but can be achieved in many other less expensive photo editing programs.
