2. Blog

Tiny Bridge — Photo 96 — Project 365

Tiny Bridge — Photo 96 — Project 365
Bridges are usually seen when standing on them or sometimes beside them, but rarely straight down like this. This is taken along the Icefields Parkway, about halfway between Jasper and Banff, looking down from a roadside lookout.

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On the Edge — Photo 94 — Project 365

On the Edge — Photo 94 — Project 365
Driving through the mountains, we stopped at a beautiful overlook for breakfast. I love shooting in the mountains because it’s so easy to get depth and great backgrounds are everywhere!

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Looking On — Photo 93 — Project 365

Looking On — Photo 93 — Project 365
I spent the day at the mall, and used my telephoto lens to get come neat candid photos. I also liked how everyone milling around in the mall could be used to generate depth in the photo.

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Chuckwagon Racing — Photo 92 — Project 365

Chuckwagon Racing — Photo 92 — Project 365

This is the event that brought us to Ponoka for the Stampede. Chuckwagon racing involves watch eight thoroughbred horses (four with the wagon and four outriders) fly through the “Half Mile of Hell” — a figure eight in the infield and then around the track.

When it comes to photography, getting a good picture gets tricky due to the speed of the racers and the chaos of of the start as the four teams let loose.

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Bull Riding — Photo 91 — Project 365

Bull Riding — Photo 91 — Project 365

If barrel racing is about finesse, bull riding is about sheer power. Holding on with only hand, the rider aims to stay on for eight seconds. A surprising few make it. Those that do stand a chance at rodeo glory.

I liked this photo because it freezes the bull’s action so well, legs and in the air and rope flying, hinting at the bull’s power. It’s interesting to note the number of people around the periphery, watching attentively and ready to jump into action at the first sign of trouble to rescue the bull rider.

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Free Hosting for Static Websites

In addition to my blog, I have a couple of static webpages that I host at Minchin.ca. Sadly, they’ve been a little neglected of late, but I’ve enjoyed being able to put a few pages and play around with HTML. Since I don’t run any ads on them, or run a business from them, I’ve trying to avoid having to pay for hosting. In the almost 5 years they’ve been online, I’ve managed to find a place to host them for free: first at Google Pages, and then at Microsoft Office Small Business. Google closed Pages in 2009 and Microsoft’s offering will start charging for hosting the end of next month. So I’ve been looking for a new place to host them. Today I completed the move to GitHub!

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Low Cost Index Investing

One of the exciting parts about having a regular job is having a regular paycheck which means I can create a regular savings plan. Retirement is the biggest goal, but in reality, I think the goal is really about creating enough passive income that I don’t have to work anymore. Retirement (i.e. 65) just adds the time component to that goal, but I would be fine if I could hit that goal by 55 or even 35 (dream big, right?). So now that I have $100-200 per month to invest, what do I do with it? This isn’t really something they cover in school…

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