I am definitely a mad man with a box

More specifically a blue box. The Doctor has a thing for the color blue and I was most impressed by today by the teal doors on the residences at the Tower of London. I searched the web and wasn't able to find a single thing on why the doors of the residences were teal, but, hey, they were pretty. I was pretty impressed with myself being able to edit the photo to highlight the doors. In order to get this effect, I had to take the original photo, copy it, turn it black and white, layer the B&W photo over the color photo, and then erase the B&W layer over the doors. There was definitely a learning curve. The first door took as long to do as both the second and third doors combined.

I tried getting this effect in Picasa...but yeah, it's not that sophisticated (or at least I couldn't make it so). So I actually used a 'real' photo editing software (Gimp). I am thoroughly impressed with myself and feel the need to toot my own horn. Toot toot. Go me. Why do I feel the need to toot my own horn? Because I now have a much better appreciation for the work that professional photographers do. I've had the pleasure of working with two professional photographers, Erin Colleen for boudoir photography and Erica Westmoreland for both wedding and family photography. Erin has commented in various forums regarding the experiences she has had with clients who believe she charges too much. This particular photo was taken with my Nikon D50 which is a DSLR camera. Those aren't cheap. I edited the photo on my camera with Gimp, which is a free software, but is a bit limited compared to the more pricey products. Then you need a laptop on which to work, backup discs, extra memory cards, multiple lenses, cases in which to carry everything, and so on and so forth. There are so many expenses necessary to maintain a photography business but there's also the consideration of time. You are paying not only for the photographer's overhead expenses but also for their skill. Anyone can point and shoot a camera, but not anyone can make magic with the camera. So the next time you think about telling a photographer his/her prices are too steep, stop and think for a moment about what you're asking and what you're getting.

After the Tower of London a group of us visited the Borough Market, which is basically a huge farmer's market. The smells and sounds were intoxicating. The market stretched on for as far as we could see with more fresh produce, meat, bread, drinks, and dairy products that I've seen the entire time I was here. This particular photo was my favorite because these three little signs were as vibrant as the entire marketplace. I didn't buy anything other than lunch since we're going to Paris tomorrow and I didn't want to waste anything. But that lunch. OMG! There's this vendor near the cathedral wall that makes these fabulous toasted cheese sandwiches. Seriously, they literally HEAP the shredded cheese on the sandwiches, throw in some onions and call it a day. Apparently these guys have been featured in various magazines and food-y venues. And for good reason. That sandwich was fantastic.

I'll leave you with one final image, because tomorrow we leave for Paris at 4:30am. And we won't be back until close to 10pm on Sunday. That's right...3 whole days in Paris. And guess what? The Tour de France will be there on Sunday. WOOOO HOOOO!!!