San Francisco meetup photos

July 29, 2006 7:30 PM

Photos of last night's San Francisco meetup.
posted by DaShiv to MetaFilter Gatherings at 7:30 PM (65 comments total)

In attendance were: Xelf, DaShiv, epimorph, occhiblu, ikkyu2, migurski, Triode, Rash, Nice Donkey, trevyn, ooga_booga, oneirodynia, pombe, wimpdork, tacit_urn, getoffmylawn, mudpuppie, and tangerine.

Once again, lots of cameras at the table, so look for more shoutouts and shenanigans being posted soon. Be sure to check out trevyn's photos -- they're great!

See you all next time!
posted by DaShiv at 7:31 PM on July 29, 2006

I don't know how you do it.
posted by smackfu at 7:42 PM on July 29, 2006

Wow, nice photos. Looks like I'm going to have to go digging throught the EXIF for details on your setup.

* weeps silently to himself, and wonders why he can't take those kinds of photos *
posted by blue_beetle at 7:50 PM on July 29, 2006

Nice pics!

a/s/l?
posted by ludwig_van at 7:58 PM on July 29, 2006

I had a bad day on Friday and felt too cranky to go. :/
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 8:00 PM on July 29, 2006

DaShiv's photos are beautiful as usual. DaShiv -- what was your setup for those shots? (50mm 1.2L?)

Also, DaShiv's link to ikkyu2's profile led me to a "goodbye" type message for ikkyu2 which I hope everyone at the meetup talked him out of.
posted by Mid at 8:07 PM on July 29, 2006

Wonderful jobs, DaShiv and trevyn!

I enjoyed meeting all the people I hadn't met before, and talking again to all the people I had.
posted by occhiblu at 8:19 PM on July 29, 2006

Yay!
posted by onalark at 8:42 PM on July 29, 2006

friggin' ridiculously good looking people up there.
posted by jonson at 11:08 PM on July 29, 2006

DaShiv was using a 5D with the 85mm 1.2L.
posted by trevyn at 11:12 PM on July 29, 2006

BTW, that's an absolutely gorgeous shot of wimpdork, DaShiv. I know she's easy to photograph, but the chrismas lights in the background really make it click.
posted by trevyn at 11:21 PM on July 29, 2006

Also, DaShiv's link to ikkyu2's profile led me to a "goodbye" type message for ikkyu2 which I hope everyone at the meetup talked him out of.

ikkyu2: drop dead in a ditch

Well, I guess that is one 'type' of goodbye.
posted by justgary at 11:49 PM on July 29, 2006

Thanks for the shoutout, Nice Donkey! I ♥ you and all the longboaters (and your cool longboat drawing)!
posted by Lynsey at 11:51 PM on July 29, 2006

Hmm, ikkyu2 says leaving because people are leaving bad medical advice on Askme. A symptom of its popularity, I guess. It doesn't seem like you can really do much about that, though.
posted by delmoi at 11:56 PM on July 29, 2006

Aw, Nice Donkey, how sweet of you to remember the longboaters. Thanks for the shoutout.
We should meet every June 6th.
posted by Cranberry at 11:57 PM on July 29, 2006

Sorry ikkyu2 does not have an edress in his profile. No way to tell him that I think he performed a valuable public service.
posted by Cranberry at 12:16 AM on July 30, 2006

Flameout by profile page?

On ikkyu2's wikipedia user page he says this:

I understand that oftentimes persons less qualified than myself improve an article. This has happened to articles I have edited many times. But it is the exception, not the rule. In general, such contributors and such edits make a mess out of my expert contributions; a mess that requires hours of my valuable time (if you doubt it, I can receive $600 an hour for an initial consult) to repair. They should be kept out of my way.

I'm sure his complaints with AskMe vary somewhat, but his user page here is much less detailed, so..

I don't think I will ever agree with his reasoning - in MataTalk a while ago I said this:

when answering a question do you say "Well I am a doctor and I think this"? Personally, I think that is kind of childish. If your advice doesn't stand on it's own merits then you need to write better answers. Also, if the person you are talking to needs to hear your credentials to take you seriously you probably don't want them taking you seriously.

However, I am very interested in his perspective on the issue. He obviously saw value in contributing to the community there and here, at one time..

Hopefully he won't be gone long.
posted by Chuckles at 12:24 AM on July 30, 2006

delmoi writes "ikkyu2 says leaving because people are leaving bad medical advice on Askme."

Reading back a bit I think it's more that people were arguing with him apparently without realising he's a doctor.
posted by Mitheral at 12:28 AM on July 30, 2006

Welcome to the internet, ikkyu2! Here's your beanie, have some coffee!
posted by Justinian at 1:06 AM on July 30, 2006

Oh yes, the photos:

I've looked at these photos and the photos from the Los Angeles meetup. Either everybody on Metafilter is extremely photogenic, the folks in L.A. and S.F. are extremely photogenic, or DaShiv rocks my socks. Or some combination of the above.

I think we're all just a bunch of models.
posted by Justinian at 1:10 AM on July 30, 2006

Also, if the person you are talking to needs to hear your credentials to take you seriously you probably don't want them taking you seriously.

That doesn't make any sense at all. Most people are simply not qualified to really be able to evaluate medical arguments on their own without considering a person's credentials. I don't see how it's "childish"
posted by delmoi at 1:29 AM on July 30, 2006

quite the bespeckled group. nice photos.
posted by crunchland at 1:40 AM on July 30, 2006

Bunch of nerds.
posted by Joeforking at 1:40 AM on July 30, 2006

Hadn't you heard? Nerds are the new black.
posted by Justinian at 1:49 AM on July 30, 2006

It makes perfect sense.. Explain answers to the degree you deem reasonable at the moment, if the asker is incapable of understanding refer them to good information, and leave it at there. Good information might entail consulting standard references, hiring a professional, doing a degree, or whatever.. You shouldn't just tell people "look at my credentials and believe me". This is especially true when you are trying to de-emphasize your professional to client relationship, and the liability which it implies.

delmoi, don't you remember that bigger number / busy beaver debate?
posted by Chuckles at 1:52 AM on July 30, 2006

Treven/DaShiv, is there any way we can get our hands on the pix that didn't end up getting posted?

Also, nice to meet everyone.
posted by tacit_urn at 2:12 AM on July 30, 2006

Excellent photos + some very photogenic peeps to photograph.
posted by TheDonF at 2:45 AM on July 30, 2006

*updates stalking journal, files entries under "positively edible"*
posted by loquacious at 4:12 AM on July 30, 2006

tacit_urn, I applaud you for showing up despite being new to the site. I've been posting for about ya ear and reading for almost twice that, and I'd still feel ridiculously out of place at one of these things.
posted by danb at 5:26 AM on July 30, 2006

Superb portraits, those, DaShiv. (And, goodness, me, MetaFilter is home to some pretty ladies and gentlemen.)
posted by jack_mo at 5:38 AM on July 30, 2006

*melts*
posted by dobbs at 5:53 AM on July 30, 2006

Don't be fooled: not all donkeys are this nice.
posted by NinjaTadpole at 5:58 AM on July 30, 2006

Nice job, DaShiv!

As for ikkuyu2, I really, really hope he sticks around. Yes, he can come off like an arrogant ass some times, but as Chevy Chase used to not-quite-say, "He's a doctor and you're not." I'm actually surprised anybody on MeFi doesn't know he's a doctor. I figured that was public knowledge, like Matt being the site administrator, or Jess being an exotic dancer.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:16 AM on July 30, 2006

Jesus Christ DaShiv. I don't know what you do for a living but I'm convinced you could become a very rich man taking portraits of people for online dating sites.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:40 AM on July 30, 2006

Thanks for your comments, everyone!

Looks like I'm going to have to go digging throught the EXIF for details on your setup.

Manual mode (1/100s, f/1.2, ISO 3200), FEC varying between -2/3 and -1 1/3, straight ceiling bounce flash with no light modifiers. Equipment was Canon 5D, 85/1.2, and 430EX. E-TTL II nailed the flash exposure every single shot (out of 200+) -- I was impressed.

is there any way we can get our hands on the pix that didn't end up getting posted?

Email me with requests of what you'd like to see, and I'll look through what I took.

you could become a very rich man taking portraits of people for online dating sites.

Only if I run across someone with the business know-how to liberate me from wage slavery!
posted by DaShiv at 7:27 AM on July 30, 2006 [3 favorites]

And before I forget: Triode has photos up on Flickr! Yay!
posted by DaShiv at 7:29 AM on July 30, 2006

Triode captures DaShiv's technique:
posted by Chuckles at 9:31 AM on July 30, 2006

That really needs a carriage return..
posted by Chuckles at 9:32 AM on July 30, 2006

Ah so he shoots through a beer filter. No wonder everyone looks so amazing!
posted by iconomy at 9:43 AM on July 30, 2006 [1 favorite]

Email me with requests of what you'd like to see, and I'll look through what I took.

Yep, same. You can also let me know if you want high-res pics of something.
posted by trevyn at 9:56 AM on July 30, 2006

God almighty. ikkyu2 is so far up his own arse it's a wonder he doesn't choke. What an arrogant, pompous,self-congratulating snot. Anyone would think he's the only qualified medic on the site.
posted by Decani at 9:56 AM on July 30, 2006

GRRR I'M SO SICK OF LOOKING AT ALL YOUR ATTRACTIVE FACES EVERYTIME THERE'S A WEST COAST MEETUP. DAMN YOU FOR BEING SO TALENTED, DASHIV.

/jealous
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:33 AM on July 30, 2006 [1 favorite]

Yay! Thanks for the shoutout, nd. longboat 4eva.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 11:01 AM on July 30, 2006

Can we take up a collection or something to get DaShiv to the east coast? This is just unfair.
posted by mygothlaundry at 11:37 AM on July 30, 2006

Regarding ikkyu2, say what you want about his style, but he was one of the best and most consistent contributors of thoughtful askme responses. It's a loss if he's really gone and I hope he reconsiders.

Why does that 85mm look so big?? Is that like a gigantic hood on it or something? (Insert size joke here.)
posted by Mid at 2:33 PM on July 30, 2006

The hell with the east coast--DaShiv, come to Kansas!

as for ikkyu2, well, he'll certainly be missed.
posted by hototogisu at 2:53 PM on July 30, 2006

Why does that 85mm look so big?? Is that like a gigantic hood on it or something? (Insert size joke here.)

It's the stock hood mounted on the lens in Triode's picture, Mid. The 85/1.2 is massive for a prime of this focal length: the front element is 50% larger in area (with a 72mm thread) and the entire lens weighs almost two-and-a-half times that of its smaller 85/1.8 sibling. The difference between the lenses isn't just about the extra stop though -- it's the markedly different lens signatures (i.e. the way they "draw" with light), especially when it comes to bokeh. With the 85/1.2, spectacular highlights are morphed into dreamlike splotches, and tonal transitions come out buttery-smooth.

The 85/1.2 is one of my all-time favorite lenses. Those meetup photos are the result of a very specialized lens doing what it does best -- though to be fair, the attractive subjects might've had something to do with the final results, too.
posted by DaShiv at 3:30 PM on July 30, 2006 [2 favorites]

mudpuppie is the opposite of a certain four letter word and I miss her so. Thanks, mud!
posted by persona non grata at 5:32 PM on July 30, 2006

daShiv: are those raw, or did you photoedit them?
posted by baylink at 5:43 PM on July 30, 2006

I always click through the meetup photos in hopes of discovering one MeFite who isn't younger, hipper, and better-looking than myself.

Sigh. Maybe next time.
posted by LarryC at 5:59 PM on July 30, 2006

are those raw, or did you photoedit them?

My poor old computer chugs along trying to process the 5D's massive raw files, so for now I shoot raw+jpg and just archive the raws while working off of the jpgs. For the jpgs, I turn down contrast/saturation/sharpness in-camera so that I can punch things back up to my liking afterwards, without the camera blowing them out and/or oversharpening. That (along with cropping and de-noising) is almost all I do editing-wise for most photos, but my conservative camera settings require post-processing for all of them, yes.

If you're truly curious about how much editing I'm doing, here's a straight-from-the-camera original jpg (EXIF intact) (warning: 903KB file), completely unretouched (which means it looks very soft and low-key, as per my camera's jpg settings). As a comparison, here is the posted version.
posted by DaShiv at 6:32 PM on July 30, 2006 [1 favorite]

DaShiv... odd question perhaps, but can you spell out your last name phonetically? I'm a fan of Hsiao-hsien Hou's movies and never know how to pronounce his name.
posted by dobbs at 6:39 PM on July 30, 2006

Excellent photos as usual by DaShiv. Sorry to have missed it, but I'm on another continent. Hope to see you all at the next one!
posted by ambrosia at 12:27 AM on July 31, 2006

Yup, all those folks are attractive and the pictures are beautifully shot, but more than anything, they look like a nice trustworthy bunch. Like you could totally count on them to feed your cat while you're out of town. Except for ikkyu2, who is apparently evil incarnate, because he puts in a lot of his time giving free medical advice to people who need it, and doesn't want them misled by laymen.
posted by Devils Slide at 1:18 AM on July 31, 2006 [1 favorite]

Hey the NYC MeFi/Mecha Posse looks great even with my rudimentary skills, OK? We don't need no fancy-pants west coast shutterbug to make us look all gorgeous. So there.
posted by jonmc at 5:18 AM on July 31, 2006

Love the pics, jonmc. Great "day in the life" quality to them. Btw, that's the scariest nerd posse I've ever seen...I pity any non-Mac person who crosses their/your path ;)
posted by Devils Slide at 8:38 AM on July 31, 2006

Well, Devils Slide, me and pips have a PC and a Mac. I guess, like Cher, I'm a half breed. How I learned to hate the word...
posted by jonmc at 9:27 AM on July 31, 2006

Sigh... somehow, I didn't even realize ikkyu2 was there ('cause I wanted to meet him), and I guess I left before (or didn't notice) any friction. But I'm glad I met who I did!
posted by Rash at 10:06 AM on July 31, 2006

Except for ikkyu2, who is apparently evil incarnate, because he puts in a lot of his time giving free medical advice to people who need it, and doesn't want them misled by laymen.

That's not why he's 'evil incarnate' (your words). It's the wishing that people 'drop dead in a ditch' part.
posted by justgary at 11:14 AM on July 31, 2006

justgary, I couldn't find that comment. Link?
posted by Devils Slide at 11:45 AM on July 31, 2006

It's in his goodbye message on his profile page.

(and I don't really have an opinion on him, I just thought it was a funny thing to say. Lot's of people seem to be missing him)
posted by justgary at 11:48 AM on July 31, 2006

Ahh ok. Of course, it's never nice to say something like that, but I'll chalk it up as a little parting shot at some people. We've had much worse flameouts.
posted by Devils Slide at 11:57 AM on July 31, 2006

DaShiv, what great portraits of everybody. You guys are all so beautiful, healthy and intelligent looking. wow.
posted by nickyskye at 4:55 PM on July 31, 2006

You guys are all so beautiful, healthy and intelligent looking.

I think the key word there is looking. Nice jobs, DaShiv, trevyn and Triode!

longboat 4eva

Amen, B_B! I know I left many, many longboaters out of the shout-out, and for that I am sorry. Probably had something to do with that box of sugarcubes I downed before the meetup.

Also, had I known how nice DaShiv's rendering of my shouting would be, I would have made another one for all those nice NYC folks who showed me a good time on my vacation there. Instead, I'll offer this little tidbit of MetaFilter-meetup-comparison knowledge: in San Francisco, the MeFites/MeCha-ites address each other by their RL names, and all of their shout-outs are ironic. Weird, no?
posted by Nice Donkey at 9:42 PM on July 31, 2006

DaShiv: *Damn*, you had shallow depth of focus on that.

Very nice work.
posted by baylink at 9:42 PM on July 31, 2006