Just a Canadian curious about the world
Below is a picture I took yesterday. The International Space Station, with the docked Space Shuttle, north of Alymer. Here, the ISS travels into the Earth’s shadow. I found out about the perfect conditions after I left home, so I did not have a tripod. This was taken with the camera sitting on a camera bag, sitting on a big rock: 27-second bulb exposure, f/8, 17mm, ISO800.
Today is my last day as a Nortel employee.
In late 1996, I was just finishing up my 2-year contract working in the Computer Center at Acadia University. But the longer I stayed at Acadia after my graduation, I knew fewer and fewer people, as my friends graduated and moved away for work, mostly to Ottawa. So I decided not to renew my contract and that I would move to Ottawa.
I moved in January 1997. I borrowed my dad’s Chevy Tahoe and loaded my life into the back. Driving through the Maritimes was ok, but once I entered Quebec, the snow started falling. Driving from Quebec City to Montreal was the hardest because the snow was so heavy and the highway had not been plowed.
Once in Ottawa, I started looking for work. I hand-delivered my resumes to Nortel, Newbridge, SGI, Cray, Apple, Corel, and a bunch of smaller companies. None of which lead to any interviews. In February, a friend from Acadia got me an interview with his group at Nortel. The interview went well and by March 1997, I was working for Nortel.
I’ve spent my entire career at Nortel in OAM software – meaning Network Management and Configuration Management.
I started with network management of the Passport-6400 (now MSS-6400). We built a software package (called OMS-P) to integrate the Passport into HP Openview and IBM Netview. There was another group that also did network management of the Passport, which used a proprietary interface that did not work with other software like Openview. Eventually the senior managers decided to only fund one of the two products, and OMS-P development was halted.
Most of the team moved to a new project to integrate the Passport-15000 (now MSS-15000) into the new Optivity Network Management System (ONMS), which came from our purchase of Bay Networks in 1998. I worked on the development for about a year before insurmountable issues caused the cancelation of that project before we could ship the product. Basically, the Passport used software-allocated MAC addresses; by default all Ethernet ports on all Passports had the same MAC address. ONMS needed unique MAC addresses for discovery, which is the correct implementation of the Ethernet standard. The ONMS team would not change their discovery for Passport, and Passport would not change their flawed Ethernet implementation. So the project was cancelled.
Next, our much smaller team moved to Optivity Network Configuration System (O-NCS), which was a configuration manager instead of a network manager. This used a plug-in architecture to manage the new Alteon Layer-7 switches that Nortel had also acquired. We made good progress and were heading towards delivery when the team that was building the O-NCS framework was laid off. Without a framework, our plug-in was useless and in November 2001, our entire team was terminated.
Most of the team went to CDMA, although I briefly left the company to try something new. I didn’t find a new job before I started getting calls from CDMA asking me to come back to Nortel.
In March 2002, I did come back. Nortel bridged my service (after I paid back the severance package).
I’ve been in CDMA since then. I was the first person hired for upgrade/installation, and I wrote the first installation tool for the CDMA network management project that was just starting up. The first delivery of that new tool (C-EMS – CDMA Element Management System) took a very difficult 24 months. The project was almost cancelled a number of times. We all worked long hours, most weekends, and many holidays. It has been a horrible experience for everyone to go through all the layoffs of the last 7-9 years.
After the first release of C-EMS, the work still demanded long, long hours, but it was less likely that the entire project would be terminated. We still lost a lot of people from the layoffs (typically 5-20% per layoff) though.
I’ve given all I could to Nortel, and in the end it didn’t really make much difference. Nortel still went down the toilet.
I’ve had nights where I worked 24-hours straight. I’ve worked over the Y2K switch over. I’ve been wined-and-dined and nickeled-and-dimed. I’ve worked through the bubble, got laid-off and worked under uncertainty for years now.
And today, it’s all over. Today is my last Nortel day.
I’ve finished writing the story of our trip to Germany.
Our trip story: http://myredbmw.net/travel/germany-july-2006/
Our gallery: http://gallery.myredbmw.net/v/Travel/Germany2006/
The Google Earth file from the trip: Germany 2006.kmz.
This was our last trip using a film camera. Later trips used a D-SLR, and the photos started to improve.
I’ve been working on two of my photographic goals. Firstly, I have the name of a local photographer that may provide my first opportunity in the photo business. I’ll call tomorrow to see what might come up. I’ve been nervous about this, but, you know, grab the reins.
Secondly, I’ve been working on my list of example photos to try. This morning, I took the mandatory 3-hour studio orientation at the RA Photo Club. During the orientation, I was able to try both the high key and low key photos. I am mostly pleased with the results, but I also know that there is room for improvement – a reason to rent the studio and come back to experiment.
First, the low key photo. An improvement I would make is to have add a little hair light on the top left, as the shot is missing definition there. The low key shot starts with a black or dark background. On the right side of the photo, two black panels were brought in and a soft-box was arranged to shine through a 2″ (5cm) gap between the two panels. This provided a narrow slit of light. The model was positioned in various ways with respect to the light. In this photo, the model is slightly behind the slit, so that her entire face is lit. If she was next to the slit, or in front of the slit, only part of her face would be visible. Moving the model closer to the light will mean a harsher light, and if she moves away from the light, the light will be softer and will provide more coverage (remember that the light from the slit will light a triangular area, as the soft-box is immediately behind the slit – to get a straighter slit of light, move the soft-box away from the gap in the panels). This light is useful to show shapes, as the light plays across the model. But it is also unforgiving, as blemishes or other marks become emphasized by the glancing light.
Second is the high key photo. An improvement I would make here is to recompose the shot in the camera so that her shoulder is not touching the side of the frame. This high key photo starts with the white background of course. There were three lights, all in soft-boxes. A main light was on the right of the photo, above the level of the model. The second soft-box, providing some fill, was on the left, also above the model. The third light was in the background and was pointed to cover the background. A hair light is not really needed here, as it would soften the boundary between the background at the hair line of the model. A high key setup is flattering, and masks blemishes and wrinkles in the skin.
Nothing good happens to a person unless they do something to make it happen. Waiting for good luck to happen is bound to cause a profound sense of disappointment.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot in the last few weeks. It started when I was not able to go racing at Mosport. The tow vehicle broke down, leaving me without a car to race. I was already at the track when I found out. I could have stayed at the track, and possibly found another ride, but it was not very likely. Instead I drove all the way back (about 4 hours). It was a waste of my vacation day and an awful lot of gas.
Rosa asked me about the decision to drive back instead of staying at the track. Her point was that if I truly wanted something, I have to actively make it happen. If I want to race, I have to keep pushing, and not give up so easily when things don’t go to plan.
Same with photography. I know what I want, but unless I do something, and take that first step even when it is scary, nothing good will happen.
This evening I went to the RA Photo Club open house. I really wanted to see the studio, but once there I was very intimidated by the models and all the equipment and the dozens of people standing around watching. It was thinking about what Rosa said that I pushed my way to the front of the line, put the flash transmitter on the camera and started my first session with a professional model. It’s the first step.
Yesterday I participated in an exciting (and scary for an amateur like myself) photographic session at work. It was the final site-wide BBQ. The Nortel Photography Club was approached to get some pictures of the event, culminating in a group photo of all the remaining employees. After this, most will be going to different companies, although many are still being laid off (100 received notice yesterday).
I was assigned to take the official group photo. I was given access to the roof of the Service building (about 2-3 stories tall), under a number of work-place safety constraints (no closer than 2 meters from the roof edge). The only direction I was given was to include the iconic Tower of Lab 5.
I was very nervous. I really wanted to get a good shot. And this was the first time working with a large group. I did not want to hold the group there very long, so I thought through what I should do. First, I wanted to try with my 420EX flash with brand new batteries, cranked up to +2EV to push out the most amount of photons as a fill flash. I’m not sure how effective it was in the sunlight from 2 stories away, but I figured I only wanted to highlight all the faces, which are highly reflective anyways. Then, because I knew the flash would take time to recycle, I took other pictures knowing that the flash would not be ready, so they would be available light only. I tried wide and tall images.
The final one was to get everyone to cheer or raised their hands or shout or something. I wanted enthusiasm. I was not sure how I would accomplish that considering that the mood was still very sour because of the layoffs over the last decade. It’s been hard on people. And I didn’t know who in the crowd may have had layoff notices or were part of the company that has not been sold yet.
Then it hit me. A number of people had beers or other drinks from the cash bar. So when the time came for the final shot, I asked everyone with a beer or drink to raised their drinks. And that was the best shot. The group showed remarkable restraint that only one person flipped the bird when the shutter clicked.
The photo I took will be sent out in the ‘thank you’ email to all Ottawa employees this morning.
This evening I attended a presentation of the documentary “Karsh Is History” at the Library and Archives building on Wellington. BTW, I hate that title, as it seems rather inappropriate for a deceased person. It was about an hour long.
Which worked out well for me, as I wanted to go outside to get a picture of the International Space Station fly-over, which occurred tonight between 8:31 and 8:36pm. I wanted to have an arc of the ISS light over a long exposure of the sky (i.e. like star trails). I learned the following valuable lessons.
In the end, I did not get a good shot of the ISS. All I have is a white streak on a nearly black background with little context (the outline of a treetop). The ISS is bright to the human eye, but to the camera, it is moving too fast for the camera to get much exposure against the light glow from downtown.
But on my way back to my car, I saw this scene that I had to capture. I think it looks great. Very moody.
Since I set goals for myself, I have already progressed towards some of the items on the list. I have joined the RA Photo Club. I have gone to a meet-n-greet (about the World Press Photoawards) with some other photo students and some professional photographers.
I had planned to have this list ready as well, but with an important milestone at work (design test complete) and a visit from my mother, I was not able to post this until now. This is a (possibly incomplete) list of all the types of photos I would like to create for my portfolio. From the list, I can select each one, obtain/rent any required equipment, set times, book any locations if necessary and start learning how to take each photo. This list is in no particular order.
| 1 | Self-Portrait. If I want to learn to work with models (whether they be models, family or friends), I should learn to work with myself. Most other portrait photographers also have taken self-portraits –Karsh, Avedon, Leibovitz. |
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| 2 | Smoke trails. The requirements are very simple, a black or white background with something like incense creating smoke. The light has to come from the side in order to show off the smoke trails. |
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| 3 | Water droplets. The technical issues include the timing and having a light source that brings out the shapes of the water. This may require a macro lens. I can so this in my kitchen sink, although more creative ideas can be used as well. |
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| 4 | Coloured water droplets. Unlike the subject above, this is dropping coloured water droplets into a tank of clear water. The abstract patterns created are similar to the smoke trails listed above. I would need to set up a water tank with very clean, clear sides to shoot through. |
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| 5 | Star trails. This was something I had planned to do during the meteor shower last month, but work intruded. Looking at the full moon last night, I realized I would need to do this during a new moon. The full moon would be too bright, and would move across the sky causing a long streak. Requires a tripod, which I already have, and a good location without much city light, which I don’t. It might be something for the race track, as the tracks are all very dark at night. |
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| 6 | Painting with light at night. There are some really neat images atDesign Shed under the Lost America galleries. The technique involves using lights, coloured or white, which are used to paint an image that is otherwise very dark. This requires a tripod for the long exposures, and some sort of light source. |
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| 7 | Car taillights. A long exposure at night of a city street. A good location is key, as Ottawa does not have the same amount of traffic as, say, New York. The location should also have height over the street I am using. Perhaps from the top floors of one of the apartment buildings along the Queensway would work out. |
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| 8 | Ballet. I have been taking photos for the ballet school Les Petits Ballets (Rosa is a student; I am on the Board of Directors, the web maintainer, and provide some of the promo photos). However, I have not been satisfied with the results so far. I’ve only taken one photo that I would keep for my portfolio. I want to be able to show the school in the best light. Some of that is the location (the class rooms are very hard to take a good photo without the background being very distracting.
Additionally, I don’t feel I have captured what Rosa is capable of doing. She is a lovely dancer and I want to show her talent. |
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| 9 | Car shot, like the ones in the urban car mags (i.e. Import Tunermagazine instead of Car and Driver). I am more interested in a gritty sort of photo. I like some of the examples from local Ottawa photographer Mani Azeri. Location is key, and perhaps strategic use of flashes. |
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| 10 | Boxer. Many wonderful shots have been taken in gyms, training camps or around the ring. This could include kickboxing or wrestling. My cardio kickboxing instructor is Wayne Thompson, who is the Canadian champion and is training to become the world champion in the heavy weight division. I will approach him to see what facilities exist in Ottawa.
These sports are intense physically and mentally, which makes them so appealing as subjects. |
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| 11 | Ottawa downtown at twilight. Sometimes when I am driving past the downtown core of Ottawa on the Queensway at dusk, the way the buildings are lit up from inside with the darkening sky, it just takes my breath away. | No photos available |
| 12 | Airplanes taking off or landing, like the photos on airliners.net. Planes are some of the most complex machines regularly used by the public, and have that wonderful sleekness of flight. My main concern about this topic is not getting into trouble with the airport police. Since 2001, the security around airports has made it occationally difficult. The photo on the right was taken by me out the drivers window of my car as I drove up Riverside Drive. It is Air Force One with George Bush, just after push back. The security was very tight, as you might expect. I was aiming with my camera, as I was driving and shooting at the same time; too bad the camera auto-focused on the fence instead of the plane. The police were not allowing people to stop along the road during the take off.
Showing a huge plane at lift-off would be amazing. Certainly there must be plane-spotters already in the city. I just need to contact them for location ideas. |
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| 13 | High key portrait, where the subject is brightly lit on a light coloured background. The important part of this technique is learning about the light, and how to obtain the correct exposure. |
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| 14 | Low key portrait, where most of the photo is dark. The example on the right of the cat shows that the light creates a real ambiance and drama. Again, the key is learning about using light (in this case the near absence of light) and correctly exposing the image. |
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| 15 | Waterfall. Perhaps at Hog’s Back, but I’m not sure if it has the same ambiance as the photo on the right. A tripod is the only equipment, but the location is critical. |
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| 16 | Abandoned Places. There is an entire photographic subculture of people who do urban spelunking. There have been some good examples posted to Abandoned Places and Bldgblog. Ottawa does not have as many examples as larger or older cities. I have a low tolerance for danger, so finding an accessible location is key. A photographer died last year in the Don Valley Brick Works. In New York, for example, there are derelict ships and a submarine along the industrial areas of the water front, which are accessible from boats and do not require safety equipment (beyond life jackets) if you are taking the photos from the boat.
I was able to see some interesting subjects during the Doors Open Ottawa event. The photo on the right is a nuclear fusion tokamakin the Canadian Science and Technology Museum. This dovetails into another interest of mine in the operations or human systems of large scale projects, usually large engineering projects. I am fascinated by topics like how airports or dams or the Large Hadron Collider work. |
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| 17 | Lilies. Inspired by Robert Mapplethorpe‘s pictures of lilies, and a recent article in DSLR User magazine. Requires a macro lens. |
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As each of these are done, I will post how they were created.
On Thursday I signed my offer letter from Ericsson. Starting in October, I will be working for Ericsson, although my benefits and salary will still say ‘Nortel’, Ericsson will reimburse Nortel for those expenses.
Starting Jan 1, 2010, I will be part of the Ericsson benefits and salary systems. It’s been too long living with the stress of a declining and very troubled company. I am so looking forward to a new work environment.
Walking through Chapters the other day, a book caught my eye with the title “10-10-10“. It was about setting goals for the next 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years. I thought it was an interesting concept, and I started thinking about how I might apply the same thinking to my own goals.
Instead of using the scale proposed by Suzy Welsh, I decided to use 10 days, 10 weeks and 10 months as my scale.
Short-term, immediate goals.
In this interval (out to Oct 23rd), start some longer term projects.
