Since I own an iPhone, I was able to run location trace and found the phone had traveled quite a distance in a short amount of time. I made my way to the last known location and it turned out to be a dense grove of trees. It seems the thief had sped there, stopped there, removed the SIM and powered down the phone. It was a painful moment knowing I just lost an expensive piece of electronic equipment through sheer complacency.
Anyway, I called the service provider and disabled the SIM. Then I contacted the insurance company to report the phone stolen, and lastly had my service suspended in the US just in case.
Next on the agenda was another phone. Since the insurance company will not ship internationally my shiny replacement phone is sitting at home. Luckily, the mobile phone market is very different here. You buy phones at full retail (cheaper for used phones of course), and the resale market is also strong. There are no contracts to sign and rates are dirt cheap from the service providers. I can actually call the US from my mobile phone for $0.01 per minute. Yes, that's one cent.
So what does all this have to do with iTunes? Quite a bit actually. The replacement phone I bought has less storage than my original phone, and when I synced the new phone I got an "over capacity" error message. This meant I needed to lessen the weight, so to speak. First thing I did was take off all the music except the songs on my playlists. Next I started deleting app from the newly synced phone and since it was going to take me a while (I had 350 apps) I disconnected the phone from the laptop.
Once I had deleted a majority of the apps, I reconnected to iTunes and synced. iTunes decides to reinstall all the deleted apps. What?! Repeated the process, same result. Gah! Don't have that many hair to pull out. I visited a lot of blogs and none of the answers helped. Then I accidentally discovered the solution, so here it is, in case any of you face the same issue.
- Connect iPhone
- Allow iTunes to sync iPhone.
- Ignore the "over capacity" message if you get it and let the sync complete.
- Turn off "sync automatically" option in iTunes.
- While connected, delete the apps you did not want on the iPhone
- "Sync" button on bottom right of iTunes screen changes to "Revert" and "Apply"
- Hit "Apply"
- All the Apps you had deleted on the iPhone disappear from iTunes right hand side display, which emulates iPhone screens.
- Hit "Sync"
- All's well in Happy Valley
So, in the end, I hope my trials and tribulations help you avoid the same frustrations.
But really, don't lose your phone.
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Those of us from Pennsylvania know of Freshman Senator Robert P. Casey, one of the two Senators representing the Keystone State on Capitol Hill. He has been a champion of all the right causes, backing measures that have a positive impact not only on his constituents, but also America as a whole. As a freshman Senator, he has taken on key leadership roles in Congress. He is a member of the Comittee on Foreign Relations - chairing the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs. He is also a member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry - chairing the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Food and Agricultural Research. In addition to those responsibilities, he sits on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Special Committee on Aging; and the Joint Economic Committee. We here in Western Pennsylvania hold him in high regard as one of the good guys.
Few of us have had the opportunity to meet and spend time with the Senator in a small gathering. Those of us who have had this pleasure can attest to his warm and genuine nature. He truly listens to people's concerns and responds with more than the usual rote speaking points. So it was a great pleasure and honor this past Monday when Senator Casey joined us for Iftar at the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh (MCCGP) in Monroeville, PA.
It was a short visit in which the Senator partook in the traditional snack to break the fast, observed the evening prayers and then participated in the dinner that followed. All of this was followed by a welcome address by the President of MCCGP and a short presentation by a member of the MCCGP youth group who described the meaning of Ramadan and the purpose behind fasting; the key tenets being patience, tolerance and mercy.
The Senator spoke about the need for and importance of tolerance and mercy in today's world. He then jokingly invited the young presenter to Washington DC to give the same presentation to members of Congress. After his brief talk, the Senator hosted some questions from the community. To the issue of regulating gas drilling, he stated that he has introduced legislation to create a set of guidelines at a national level. While he does not have the votes to get the measure passed, he is working on it.
At the end of his visit, Senator Casey was presented with a copy of the Qur'an as a token of appreciation for his visit. This copy contains both the Arabic script and an English translation. The Senator graciously accepted the gift.
So all in all, it was a nice visit with a remarkable man. Following are some pictures from that evening. Enjoy.
You can catch the whole set Here.
Thank you for reading!
We drove up the day before and stopped in Niagara Falls to fuel up and to eat lunch. We picked a local "tourist trap" restaurant over Denny's, because Denny's minimal parking lot was full. The food was okay and even the gulls were being picky about scraps they scarfed up. I guess that's why there were open parking spaces. Their menu touted a Buffalo-specific (town, not animal) sandwich which my brother and I opted to get. Unfortunately, it was nothing like the original according to my brother who went to UB. So, on to Mississauga.
This was a short trip because it was a short event. Everything took place on one day. Those of you who have attended weddings that span multiple days may be surprised to learn that it doesn't have to! The proceedings were very nice and elegant and nothing was over the top. We had a wonderful time while we were there and the weather cooperated very nicely. I took pictures of the bride while trying not to interfere with the official photog. We actually got along nicely. He was new to the business and a little shy about posing people during the formal portraits, so I helped out by being the "director" :)
One of the nice things about Mississauga was the quality of the roads, and the cleanliness of the surrounds. It really seemed like the city took care of the infrastructure, while the residents took care not to litter (are yinz listening Pittsburghers?).
The border exchange in both directions was too serious. I remember driving to Canada before 2001 and the Canadian official was very jolly, friendly and welcoming. On this trip he was pleasant, but serious. I miss the old Canadian welcome. By the way, the US official was pretty much the same as before 2001. What does that say about our border welcome to our neighbors?
So, thanks for reading and enjoy the pictures :)
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| The gorgeous bride |
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| The flip side with flash |
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| Spotlight on the bride |
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| Ethereal |
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| Looking at the "real" photographer |
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| Under a harsh spotlight she shines |
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| Have we met? |
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| A fun pose that turned into a great shot |
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| Waiting |
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| Hanging out |
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| A moment of reflection |
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| End of the evening |
Safar Couture, my wife's boutique held it's first national level exhibition. The response was better than we expected with very positive feedback. Mainly the young and young-at-heart were the buyers and told us that Safar Couture outfits were unlike the mass merchandise everyone else was selling. We've had several requests to have exhibitions in different cities, so depending on how soon we can get fresh outfits made we may be traveling again. One of the exciting moments was when we attended the banquet on the final night. The young lady who belted out a stirring Star Spangled Banner, wore a Safar Couture outfit she had bought the day before. This came as a total surprise and thrilled my wife to no end.
It was good to see the Senator again. He had a very busy day, with a schedule chock full of meetings. His dedication to Pakistani-American relations is commendable as he gave full attention to the issues on people's minds. Saturday night the Senator spoke at the banquet and was well received.
Speaking of the banquet, there was a musical performance that night. The group got the young crowd jumping and singing along. They performed well into the night, with their final number around 2am. This made 8am come around a bit too early, as that was the time we needed to be at her booth for the final day of the expo.
The drive back was more tiring because of the long weekend. The very next morning we headed up to Mississauga, Ontario for a wedding. Details in the next posting.
So here are some random shots from the concert. Enjoy.
So it's been over a month since I shot the wedding in Youngstown Ohio and I have been so busy with other events that I have been delinquent . It was a great experience and working with Jaci was fun. Mark and Maria were fantastic. A lovely couple, Mark and Maria were radiant on their special day. I am sure you've heard of "Bridezillas;" Maria was the polar opposite of that personality and Mark was warm and genuine. Both families were all excited as the proud and beaming parents played their respective roles on this magical day.
Both Mark and Maria were happy with my work that day and that means a lot. This was truly a great experience Following are a few of my pictures from that day.
Enjoy.
Sohail
Both Mark and Maria were happy with my work that day and that means a lot. This was truly a great experience Following are a few of my pictures from that day.
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| Mark and his proud dad |
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| Three generations |
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| It's the shoes! |
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| The Gorgeous view from the Altar |
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| Flowers for the Groom |
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| First view of the bride |
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| A glimpse through the portal |
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| Vows |
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| Celebrating the groom |
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| The Grand Room Kiss |
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| Glamor Descent |
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| Thank You card pose |
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| The veil was even more gorgeous in the sunlight. |
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| They are very happy, aren't they?! |
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| The love is so obvious |
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| Father Daughter Dance |
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| Mother Son Dance. Mark's mom was very emotional |
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| Maria's grandmother won the anniversary dance. She has been married 63 years |
Enjoy.
Sohail
Now the sad part is I will be missing the Franklin Regional HS Relay For Life, which is 9am Saturday to 9am Sunday. My niece is part of the organizing committee and I wish I could be there to capture the activities. Since non-participants are not allowed in late night (which is when I will get back from Ohio), I may still try to get there bright and early Sunday around dawn to see if I can find something interesting to capture in the morning light.
Speaking of which, have you donated to Relay For Life this year? It's a great cause and it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Well maybe just the first part, but you get the idea :) The best part is you can make a one time donation or set up monthly donations in any amount, which you can also cancel at any time. So much flexibility!
So, a short post, but after this weekend I will update this blog with my experiences. Hopefully I have good things to write about. My goal is to never post about negative experiences (unless they are educational), so if you see nothing from me, chances are I had nothing positively interesting to report :)
Till next time...Thanks for reading!
Besides always being the hub of activity, this weekend was also the taping of TLC's Royal Wedding fashion show and the EIF Revlon Run/Walk NY. Fortunately my hotel room on the 19th floor overlooked Times Square so I could see the start of each of these events, but unfortunately since I was there to cover the convention, I could not go out to photograph either of these events.
Friday night was the Harbor Cruise. A fairly windy night, coupled with a chilly temperature made for a brisk on deck experience. Luckily dinner and music was inside the comfort of the main cabin so the evening was enjoyable overall.
Since the boat stayed more toward the center of the channel, photography was a bit challenging. Keeping light on the subjects while also keeping visible the distant shore lights was difficult. I will experiment with a portable constant light solution to see if that works better in such situations.
Below is a slideshow of the pictures from the cruise.
Saturday night was the formal banquet and people were more dressed up. While I tried to do as much posed photography as possible, most people were not aware they could ask for their pictures to be taken. After the fact people came up to me and expressed regret at not knowing. One couple did ask me to do an impromptu sitting and you will see multiple sequential shots of them in the slideshow below. Hopefully if I am invited next year people will have advance knowledge and grab me to get snapped. Regardless I think I captured some nice moments.
The musical program was great and lasted past midnight, but I did not stay till the end as I had been up since 6am and midnight was my limit. I heard from the president's wife that they were looking for me to have pictures taken with the artists, so I regret that missed opportunity.
All in all this was a good experience and something I'd like to do again. However, next time I cover such an event, I will have to pace it better so I don't exhaust myself.
Thank you for reading!
After much careful deliberation and research I decided on the Spider Pro Dual Camera Holster System. This is a belt based system that allows the camera(s) to hang off the hip(s). This not only lowers the center of gravity but leaves the upper body completely free of any weight.
You can read the details about the system on their website so this review will focus on my experience.
The Single Camera System has an integrated pad on the right side and comes installed with the required hardware. The Dual Camera System is basically a Single Camera System with a separate pad and hardware that needs to be installed on the left side. It took me a bit longer than necessary because I did not look up the online instructions (none were included). I basically figured it out through trial and error but it should not have been that difficult.
Once everything was in place I tried it on and with both cameras hanging off the belt it seemed very comfortable, providing complete range of motion. I tried a few placements but the most useful for me was on the outside of the hips. All that was left was a field trial.
That opportunity came this past weekend when I went to the Pittsburgh Comicon. So as not to appear overzealous, I only took one camera body with a flash and an extra lens in a messenger bag. With the camera hanging off my right hip I walked around the convention center without a worry. When I needed to use the camera it was a simple one-two and I was ready to shoot. Replacing the camera in the holster was a simple one-handed slide and click. During or after the few hours I spent there, I felt no fatigue or stress on my upper body.
At the end of the visit, the only hitch I found was I could not sit in the car with the holster in place (even without the camera) due to the length of the pads. But it was only a matter of taking the holster off and I was good to go.
So if you are in the market for a new way to carry your camera(s) I highly recommend this device.
Some pictures of the character contestants:
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| The Kids' winner with some other contestants |
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| Science Fiction Winner |
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| Anime Winner |
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| Teen Winner |
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| Group Winners |
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| Overall 2011 Pittsburgh Comicon Costume Winner |
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| True Love |
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| All the contestants |
Till next year...
