Photo A Day – Company on Broadway

company broadway show

My friend and I went together to go see The revival of the play “Company” recently. I was very “meh” on it. As talented as everyone was, I was not excited by the story or the characters. Sometimes, no matter how good the cast is, it can’t carry a boring plot. I thought it was odd, meandering, and it jumped about in a way that wasn’t fun or interesting but was (for me) disjointed and just unnecessary. There were a few good songs, but overall I didn’t find the score to be “wow”. I didn’t love the first rendition of the play, which I am too young to have seen when it was out originally, but have heard the songs numerous times. “Company” did all sorts of new and “first” things when it was first produced, but that was 50 years ago in the 70’s. I thought it was weird and stale.

My friend chose this one, and she was really pleased by it. She and I are from different generations, so that might have something to do with it- she had seen the first/original play play, done with a male lead. I liked the performers, I just wasn’t caught up with the story, the characters, or the music. They can’t all be winners- and that’s in addition to they can’t all please everyone. This one just wasn’t my cup of tea. Seeing Patti LuPone live is always exciting and a pleasure and worth going for in itself- the play is still running, but won’t be for long.

 

Info on the play via Wikipedia

Company is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth. The original 1970 production was nominated for a record-setting 14 Tony Awards, winning six. Company lacks a linear plot, depicting instead a story occurring in the mind of the central character, a concept musical composed of short vignettes, presented in no particular chronological order, linked by a 35th birthday.

Company was among the first book musicals to deal with contemporary dating, marriage, and divorce.

Info on the new version via it’s website

Tony Award® and Grammy Award® winner Katrina Lenk and two-time Tony Award and two-time Grammy Award winner Patti LuPone join forces in Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy.

It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, Why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man and isn’t it time to settle down and start a family? As Bobbie searches for answers, she discovers why being single, being married, and being alive in 21st-Century New York could drive a person crazy.

Two-time Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott (War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Angels in America) helms this revelatory new production, at once boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious. COMPANY features Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning songs You Could Drive a Person Crazy, The Ladies Who Lunch, Side by Side by Side and the iconic Being Alive.

It will be closing soon- if you want to see it, you’ll need to hurry. https://companymusical.com

How To Take The Best Vacation Photos

When you go away anywhere to travel or for a vacation, one of the things you will likely want to do is to try and record it for posterity. Being able to look back at your memories of the trip is one of life’s great joys, after all. And one of the best ways to do that is to take plenty of photographs – which, sure enough, most of us do when we are on vacation. But there is taking photographs, and then there is taking good photographs, and a lot of people never really manage to do that second thing.

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If you are keen to try and take some better vacation photos, then there are a few things that you might want to bear in mind in order to achieve that. In this post, we will take a look at some of the primary things to think about as you try to take the best photos you can. You’ll find that you have much better and stronger memories of the trip as a result.

Upgrade Your Equipment

First of all, you are always going to find it easier to take better photographs if you have the right equipment. That doesn’t mean that you have to spend thousands, but you might want to think about upgrading to some better quality gear in order to produce better pictures. Just making a point of picking out a DSLR or at least a bridge camera rather than simply relying on your old school digital camera or even your phone, will really help.

In truth, for most amateurs, all that will really be necessary is a fairly standard bridge camera. It’s called a ‘bridge’ camera because it is halfway between a normal digital camera and a high-standard DSLR. This means you have many of the functions of the DSLR but without having to pay the cost of one.

Likewise, if you have a tripod, you are going to find keeping the camera steady much easier, and you’ll be able to take those group photos with everyone involved. As you can see, having the right equipment is often important and necessary, and can be a great way to ensure that you are taking much better photographs.

Be Candid

Most people would agree that the best photographs are often those that are not posed. Those candid shots that show exactly what is going on in a given moment can be really incredibly powerful, and it is these which usually indicate the kind of emotion that was genuinely going on at the time. For that reason, it’s best to try and be a little secretive, get your camera out when people are not paying much attention, and grab those candid shots. You might be surprised at just how much better those kinds of photographs are compared to the ones you plan out and shoot.

Avoid The Instagram Trends

It can be tempting to try and recreate the images that you see influencers create online. But remember that those photos are taken specifically with the aim of generating engagement, not because they are real in any way – and if you want to primarily try and remember your holiday as best as you can, then you’ll want to do something a little different. So rather than simply recreating those Instagram trends, just take the photos that you think really reflect on the vacation in question, and which feel to be more true to you and whoever you are traveling with. That is so much better all round.

Keep The Quality High

Sometimes you have to be careful with how you store photos if you want to keep the quality as high as possible – and quality is always going to be important for ensuring that you have some amazing pictures to look back on. We are now so used to trading photos online that we have forgotten the importance of quality, but the better quality photos are actually those which are going to be much better to look back on.

What this means is that you need to find a way to convert and store digital photos which does not impede on their quality. Most of the time, that means seeking out the best photo management software such as a cloud solution and simply storing photos on there. This is the best way to ensure that you are keeping that quality intact, and therefore keeping the photos as they really should be.

Learn To Frame

One of the essentials to taking good photos at any time and in any place is to ensure that you are framing them properly. This can take a while to develop the necessary skills, but it’s something that you will want to look into if you are going to improve your photographs as much as possible.

What do we mean by this? Simply that the photograph includes everything it should and excluded everything else. One rule that photographers often like to follow is known as the rule of thirds. This means that you divide the screen up into nine boxes, and then aim to have something of importance at some of the intersecting points. This can help with creating more interesting compositions.

Another option is to use a line that draws the eye away from foreground to background. This can be a very attractive way to take a photograph, and you’ll find that it’s a lot easier and simpler on the whole.

Don’t Go Shutter-Happy

Finally, a word on how much you should photograph. It can be frustrating for the people around you if you are always taking pictures, and you are not necessarily going to take better photographs this way – in fact, the opposite might be the case! So try to keep it down a little, and don’t feel that you have to fill every waking moment with taking pictures. If you can find the right balance here, it is probably going to mean that you have better memories at the end of the vacation.

Wordless Wednesday – Train Station, #Covid Era #WW #WordlessWednesday

Wordless Wednesdays – Waterfalls?

waterfall

#WW Road Trip with @Ford #DriveOnEnergi #ILoveEVS

Personalizing Your Decor With Your Own Travel Photos

Our homes are intensely personal places. We love to bring our own touch to our home, to make it look like our own instead of just a generic space where we store things and sleep.

The personalization of a home includes every element, whether we rent or own. We choose an overall design based on what we like, and then we select paints, floor coverings, and other final details that match our personal tastes.

One of the things that really finishes a home is art. After getting everything else set according to what we like, we can get the final flair with artwork. And today, even that final element can be supremely individualized. It’s now easier and more affordable than ever to include fine art prints of our own photographs.

It used to take considerable effort and money to take and develop photographs that were suitable for framing. In the days before digital photography, you had no way of knowing if you had gotten a good shot until you were already back home–and by then, you might have had no way to go back and try again.

And even after all that, you still had to find someone in your hometown who could print the final product onto some type of medium that would look nice on your wall.

Everything has changed about that now. The advent of digital photography has made the whole process easier, and you can now get beautiful photographs from your own experiences–travel in particular–to decorate your home.

Imagine all the travel options you have, and then imagine being able to come home and document your journeys on the walls of your home! What would be the most unique would be to tie in the photos with the function or design of the room.

For example, after an amazing Brazilian hang-gliding excursion, you could have a huge print made for the soaring open space of a vaulted ceiling in your living room or foyer. Or a culinary trip to Italy could be remembered through a series of photos hung throughout your kitchen.

If you love classical music and had the opportunity to take in a performance by the London Philharmonic. The photo of you and your family in your formal attire standing outside the venue is the perfect choice for a portrait atop your piano or near where your own strings are played.

Of course, you can play it in reverse as well. As you think about what to use for the walls of your sports-viewing man cave (or woman cave), why not set out to get just the right photos? Travel to different pro stadiums, college sports venues, and Olympic cities to get photos of the places where your favorite moments have taken place.

For a personal touch, join a wedding photo with some more modern shots of you returning to the site of your honeymoon or destination wedding. You could even repeat it periodically to document your marriage in year 0, then year 10, 20, and so on. You’ll not only decorate, you’ll make an amazing tradition.

Your home should reflect what you like and what’s important to you. What fits the bill better than your own photos? Hit the road, document your stops, and return with some perfect personal decor.

 

Forever Connected Memory Books

So, I love photos and family, but sharing our memories can be time consuming and feel like a chore. I just learned about a KickStarter campaign for Forever Connected Memory Books and am excited to share it with you! Forever Connected Memory Books is the only personalized, interactive photo memory book on your phone or tablet that allows you to celebrate memories with the people that matter the most to you in a whole new way! You can be sure memories from your next family event or get-together last forever– you take the photos and let Forever Connected build your memory book.

photo books

You can personalize it– after the event, you can sign and send personal messages to each person right in the book! Just touch their photo to send and they’ll see a talk bubble next to your photo, and tap it to see your personal message!

You can decorate it– Send fun stickers to each other: Place a fun sticker anywhere in your book and even place them in others’ book (don’t worry, they can hide it if they like).

You can send a video– You can even send a short personal video message to any person in the book and it’ll be saved right in their book.

Unlike traditional social media and photo sharing platforms – where photos and posts can be seen by everyone – the photos and messages shared in Forever Connected memory books are personal, private and secure – they’re only seen by the person you send it to! You decide who gets a copy of your book.

Because your memory book is always accessible on your mobile device, you can stay connected to those special moments, anytime, anywhere– without worrying about it getting lost, faded or destroyed!

Each mobile memory book is an in-app purchase of only $4.99 to send or receive messages, stickers & video. You can have UNLIMITED FREE COPIES available to people you choose who just want to view the photos. Compare that to $40-50 per copy for a traditional printed photo book. And photos look beautiful on the smallest phones and the largest tablets or projected onto your TV.

You can be among the first to get a Forever Connected Photo Memory Book at 50% off when you join the KickStarter campaign!

Bring your photos to life on your smartphone or tablet as private photo books with personal messages, stickers and video from everyone in the book!

Wordless Wednesday – Too Much Fun

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