Free to Focus

2008-11-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Ahh, dumplings with peanut and soy sauce for breakfast. This place would not rate above a C in California and I have no idea how old the cloth in the bottom of the steam trays was but the service was friendly, the food good and the company was excellent. 12RMB fed four of us for breakfast daily, that's roughly $1.85USD. Of course we did bring our own water but when a case of 24 was ~$4USD that doesn't add much to the cost.

2008-11-11T21:26:00.000-08:00

This was a 'grab' shot that existed for all of about 10 seconds when our hosts sister walked up and stood next to her. I would have liked to meter better but I saw it, framed it and got two shots off before the situation changed. Shutter was slow so I even with IS it ended up a single useful frame. I really like the shot though.

2008-11-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

Taken in a street market in China this fall, I really love the overall feel of this image. I am putting together a gallery of offerings from the trip that will help support future travel efforts. I'll add a link when I get the portal online. All the shots from the trip were shot with available light and my 5D. It was a challenge but the 5D AWB is AWESOME, personally I think it's better than my 1DMIII.

2008-11-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

Forever getting sucked into high contrast, I love dark backgrounds when using my lighting although getting some egg crates would definitely help with my spill management. This was a first attempt at mimicking a favorite shot of my friend Duane's that he took of his daughter.

2008-11-11T21:17:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the stress of shooting just gets to me so I have to think of new and innovative ways to express my frustration. EJ helps this with an experiment in exposure management using a couple of soft boxes and seeing just how much fun we can have with them.

2008-08-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my abstract artist or background guy suddenly came along and said to me...shoot this, you'll love it. It looked okay on the small screen but I am much more fond of it on the large screen and may even do a print of it. Let me know what you think. And guess what it is...:)

2008-07-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Deathmatch or welcome to my parlor. This was a long and drawn out battle...the fly is going to get it in the end but I tried a couple of different techniques with my not so macro 24-105 just to see if I could pull them off...it was fun, not for the fly though.

2008-06-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well I never got around to posting my shots from WPPI so I thought I'd throw a few in for good measure. Worked in a class with Claude Jodoin of Rangefinder fame and got to see a lot of ideas with strobes, scrims, meters and other effects. It was interesting and I learned a lot. Met a trio of ladies from Utah that also were at WPPI and had the pleasure of getting to hang out and shoot some on the strip. The last shot in this list is actually in front of Caeser's and believe it or not, while we were shooting there was a guy getting busted by bicycle cops only 30 feet away. Stay focused in the right places young Jedi.

2008-06-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Fun with slow shutters and strobing flashes...this action shot of my son captures his swing including as seen in the out take below, the ball changing directions. Shot with my Canon in 50hz strobe mode at a minimal power setting it seems to have worked out kinda cool.

2008-05-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

Exploding out of the gate at the PRCA Rodeo in Lancaster/Palmdale, this bronco was frozen with the gate door open so I waited that extra second before I fired. ISO 6400 at 2.8/320 did the trick. It was an exciting rodeo and we all had fun.

You can view the complete selection at PRCA Gallery. Everything from barrel racing, bull riding, bareback and bronc busting. Almost all of the photos were taken at ISOs 3200 and 6400.

2008-02-20T21:35:00.000-08:00

Malara running full bore for the camera. Tracking was pretty good considering I was laying on the ground upside down with her running like made around the yard. I wouldn't do a 16x20 of this but she had fun. Only used Picasa touchups for fill light, contrast, straighten and sharpen...okay, that's more than a little but like I said, it was for the fun of it.

2008-02-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

The commute today was busy with a multi vehicle accident on the 14 in Rosamond. Many support personnel on the scene with helicopter, heavy wrecker and lots of other EMS folks. The responders had everything well in hand and when I spoke to the crew chief for the helicopter, he indicated that the crew working on the injured was one of the best he knew. The tractor trailer looked to be carrying lumber/trusses and the smaller vehicle was in rough shape. I was able to shoot from the highway and the bridge with my 24-105.

2008-02-20T21:24:00.000-08:00

My take on the lunar eclipse from the Antelope Valley. The wind was ripping tonight and my hands felt like they were going to freeze off. The family enjoyed the adventure. Many minutes of totality, or at least cool red colors. Exposure waas tricky as was keeping the tripod steady. Live view was awesome and worked great to help with framing.

2008-02-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

Laura Tsaggaris came to town last night at my friend Al's house and played an awesome set. She is a fantastic folk guitarist with a great voice, wonderful presence and excellent playing. She is in California for a week or so (you can find her on myspace) and she is definitely worth a listen. I only caught about four songs and will be doing the iTunes thing for them. I caught a few shots of her from the front row and put together this poster to share. She was great.

2008-02-02T20:45:00.001-08:00

I must say that if it weren't for Zack and Brian and the folks that gave me the GREAT orange ear plugs, the evening would not have been possible. Courtesy of Zack and Brian I had GREAT access to angles around the stage shot all night with my 5d and no flash (which made for some wild shots when the lighting got more difficult). Backstage was GREAT with the band members and great company and conversations with everyone. The people at the event were polite and pleasant throughout the evening. I can't say enough about how well the event was run, security was handled and sound controlled. Granted, the volume was way louder than ANYTHING I normally listen to but that's why the ear plugs were PRICELESS! So I've been thinking about some of the things I learned.

1. AIDS in Africa is devastating the nation and they need our help.
2. World Vision is doing something about it, support them.
3. Everyone can pull together toward a common goal.
4. The Vineyard has their act together in so many ways.
5. People worship differently in different places but love the same GOD.
6. People listen to different music but serve the SAME GOD.
7. GOD is great and worthy to be praised, in many different ways, not just mine.
8. God blessed us with our senses to bless others, take care of them.
8a. THANKS FOR EARPLUGS!
9. I look forward to serving as photographer for more events at the Vineyard if I have the chance.
10. God is good, all the time. Even when we can't and don't understand. Serve Him.

Grace be with you!

2008-02-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

The main event of the evening, Project 86 from Orange County was the epitomy of intense. These guys were louder and harder than both of the opening acts combined. Band members Andrew Schwab, Randy Torres, and Steven Dail had the crowd prepped by the openers and when they took the stage at about 9pm, the wave of sound was overwhelming. All the proceeds from the evening were directed to help World Vision take care of AIDS orphans in Africa and I must say the crowd got there money's worth in support of a good cause. If you haven't seen the experience yet, it's available at the Vineyard through Monday so don't miss it!

2008-02-02T20:22:00.000-08:00

Josh, Daniel, Dan and the guys from Empire of Light rocked the house at Desert Vineyard in Lancaster as the second opener for Project 86. Josh's hard core style and the driving music was an intense experience. You can find them on MySpace at Empire of Light. Josh's voice is amazing and while they are a bit more METAL than I can listen to, the experience and the energy was pretty amazing. I hope everyone who got to hear them enjoyed the show and even more so that everyone took the time to see the World Vision AIDS Experience that was just across the hall from the concert. There were people going through the event throughout the evening and everyone I talked to was amazingly polite. Meeting Josh after the show was great and having the opportunity to shoot the event was incredible.

2008-02-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

Daniel, Josh, Jenna and Lane of His Coming Day performed Friday night at the Desert Vineyard in Lancaster, CA in support of the World Vision educational event on AIDS in Africa. The band played old and new music from the more mainstream to songs that specifically reached out to today's youth.

2008-02-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Shots from a recent dance party I attended. I took this photo for the guys with the intention of trying to create something cool and unique. As you can see, the ceiling and background definitely made it unique. I was able to do some quick edits, clean out the background (somewhat challenging as I was tired), drop in a gray backround, difference clouds to liven it up and added a selective 'coolness' filter from lightroom. Et voila, I thought it came out pretty well. It does well up to 12x18 and with some fluidity on the background removal, I think it would go bigger. I hope the guys like their unique and somewhat intimidating shot.

2008-01-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

Ken Ham, world renowned speaker and president of the Answers in Genesis, speaks at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Poppy Pavilion in the Lancaster, CA. His message is one of the importance of the biblical record of Genesis and how it is really the foundation or bedrock of all that Christians hold dear.

Ken's engaging manner and candid approach to presenting the creationist viewpoint on what works and what doesn't in modern science. Using examples of fossilization, the differing dates resulting from comparative analysis of things ranging from sedimentary rock, lava flows and other geologic formations, Ken expands on the scientific details in an easy to understand but convincing fashion.

In between sessions, Ken took time to talk to individuals and small groups who waited to discuss his position and other areas of interest.

The audience was comprised of many local residents including a number of aerospace engineers, government personnel, and many homeschool parents. It was encouraging to see the diversity of people who chose to attend and participate in the event.

Ken will be speaking again tomorrow at the Poppy Pavilion from ~6:00pm to 8:30pm and there is a store on site where educational materials can be purchased.

2008-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

So, why so many photos this time out? Well I thought I'd comment on a few things and celebrate the 'first' win of the season for the Lady Knights JV! Evan, Grace, Abby and the rest of the crew fought a pretty close battle with the Lucerne Valley Mustangs and closed it up at just two points in the lead for the victory!

Grace and Abby were on fire and everyone contributed to the victory with points almost all the way around.

The number of attacks was way up and we maintained control for most of the game. A fantastic three point shooter from the Mustangs who also hit almost every free throw was the enemy du jour and kept us on our toes.

As you can see, celebration was rampant and ecstatic. I am willing to bet that if gatorade had been available it would have been dumped!

Now the bad news, on returning to shoot the varsity, my Mark III fatal Err99'd. Yes, thus far it appears fatal and I am bummed. I am contacting Canon as I am in the serial range for the mirror check anyway but it won't reset, battery cycle, on/off, different memory card, lens, it just doesn't matter.

So my varsity shots (see next post) were all done with my 5D and actually, other than some split second subtlety it performed very well. Well, let's hope Canon customer service really stands up on this...I'm not as upset as I could be so we'll just see where it goes.

2008-01-13T08:35:00.000-08:00

Darkness falls on Sythera and while Kathryn is caught outside the wall, at least she is more prepared having brought her trusty blade since her cestus would draw too much attention.

2008-01-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

Kathryn caught in the moonlight, determined not to be taken by surprise should Blade, the Dark Wurm, or a dire wolf show up in her passing through the village late at night.

2008-01-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Learning with my Photoflex softbox and using my Kenko meter. Trying my hand at just playing and sculting with light. Kathryn (her latest stage name) had fun.

2008-01-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

My friend Duane is suffering through my high contrast phase but I decided to go for some dramatic high contrast last night using just my softbox from the left. I did end up with a couple of 'normal' shots as well but the young ones had fun with these 'action hero' shots.

2007-11-20T21:08:00.000-08:00

Spangler Hills Rally on the 10th of November brought standard rally fun such as PeeWee races and a Poker Run plus good food and good friends. I was invited by Wendy to come out and get some shots so here is one of them. Many more can be seen at my Rally featured gallery link on http://allyourpictures.smugmug.com . Hope you enjoy them!

2007-11-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

Trying out a new filter required finding the appropriate style photo to make it work. In costume I think this one may bear further study.

2007-11-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

Mother Cinnamon opens her robes and out rush the children...

2007-11-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

So what does a photographer do on a lazy Saturday afternoon after his new technical aquisitions didn't work out like he wanted? Well, since the wireless printer server didn't serve, and the remote wireless hard drive server wanted to format his hard gotten library of 'everything', and the HUEY colorimeter made everything look green instead of the other way around, I did what any good techie would do...I experimented.

First, I took apart an available and formated hard drive that was old but still functional. this was tricky as finding all the screws (like those hidden under the hard to remove label) is tricky.
Second, I used my handy dandy external hard drive power supply to spin up the disk. Cool in and of itself, once I found out which wires I had accidently disconnected. Third, I asked myself...will it work? So I hooked up the USB port and started copying files to it. What do you know, it worked just fine.

So we watched some videos get copied to it and then played them. There were a few times near the end of the experiment that it seemed to be having problems. It may not last much longer but it certainly was an interesting adventure in techie-dom. My son thought it was very cool but he also thought the video we watched 'I love sky' was hilarious.

2007-10-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Something blue...

2007-10-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it really is just the wonder of it all.

2007-10-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

Eggbert was stumped, now that he'd gotten everyone else ready what was he going to do...

2007-10-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

So I thought to myself, what would be an entertaining way to shoot the LA Zoo? I decided on doing a glamour series based on the good friends I met at the zoo. Here they are, first my dear friend the Ibis allowed me to hang over the bars and shoot through the fence while precariously focusing using the screen on the back. Digicammers of the world, there are things that just can't be done with an SLR due to size, weight, location, contortion, etc.

Next contestant was a Lion who decided to give me a little show of teeth at just the right time with some strong but effectively angled late afternoon sun.

The Giraffe that wasn't trying to strip the leaves off the branches overshead posed nicely for me as well.

Lastly, another stretch that might have been served better by a 6 pound camera/lens combination however since my digicam weighs only about 12oz with batteries, shoots handheld without IS/VR at about 3 stops below recommended shutter speed and fits in my coat pocket, I used what I had...and for the most part I was happy with the shooting.

Well, more photos to follow but this pretty much covers the highlights of our zoo animals, it was warm and the animals were not out and about. I also tried resizing these in the Picasa Blogger plugin so I hope they actually look okay online. Cheers.

2007-09-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

all that was left was half of the student's trusty bic pen, the penalty for chewing gum on school grounds had been escalated to specially calibrated laser turrets ever since the principal stepped on a giant wad of gum and lost his shoe.

2007-09-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

the wasps are back and they're bringing their larvae, hey la, hey la, the wasps are back. too many 60s tunes this weekend, or was it 50s.

2007-09-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

the tracker noticed a tack in the leaves, obviously the office worker had panicked and dropped one of his treasured blue tacks. this was a break that only rarely occurred as office workers are notorious horders of all types of surplus supplies.

2007-09-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

a very cooperative blue darter on our locust tree...i thought he was dead right up until he wasn't. that was a bit of a surprise. 100-400L doubling as a macro. :)

2007-09-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

waiting for godot...or at least for my daughter to return from a cross country meet. i'm going for the emily dickenson mode today of course since i'm trying to use punctuation that might not be correct either...oh well

2007-09-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

Outdoor scenic from Utah, just kind of liked the colors and the sunlight on the mountain. Couldn't decide if I wanted to take the shot so I may have waited just a bit too long but here it is.

2007-09-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, so sometimes I go back in time instead of forward. A friend asked about the details on this one so here they are, Core Elements in Grand Junction CO area and yes, we really are all upside down. Except for the bottom right shot. And yes, it really is easier when you are younger, and lighter.

2007-09-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Missed this one the other night...cropped into it but it was long and was a 'quick' reaction drill on my part. Focus time and capture worked out great. I sharpened a touch just for detail but I was happy with the airborne nature and the ball placement.

2007-09-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is my other favorite, shot three of a burst on a takedown that looked like it was from a kung fu movie rather than a football game...I was humming the toon to Invincible throughout the game as I played, I mean shot, I mean...well...played. :) They even tried the last play from the movie with the breakout to hit the guy on the punt return...they didn't pull it off though because the punt got blocked. Ooops. :(

2007-09-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, this guy was Mr. On Fire all day long and you can see his eyes through the lens in this shot...wide open and radar running at least three to five yards ahead of him. BTW, AIServo running saved me some incredible shots as I could see it adjusting on some of the more dynamic moves. It was around 102 degrees, with light breezes and sun drifting toward the west. Much better than last week with the overhead sun at 2PM. Okay, I was really frustrated today but as I look back on yesterday I am thrilled. BTW this is on a 70-200 which made my shutter chatter even faster, it was almost scary. :)

2007-09-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

The DC Knights strut at half time...ISO 3200 under the floods and not too bad. DOF is shallow but I'm shooting wide open. Still makes for a decent shot all in all.

2007-09-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

McConnell takes off on this backfield running play that left the Wildcats in a hurting status. ISO 6400 using AISERVO with center spot tagged as focal point. Does anyone else have that 'weird' problem where even though the center is selected it still lights up an adjacent zone? Otherwise, I loved the shot. Touched up with a bit of sharpening which seems to have smoothed out the 'minimal' noise. Okay, I'm starting to have fun. :)

2007-09-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

Take one at a sports poster for DCHS, I've been shooting their first few games and trying to get a feel for the 'subtleties' of their play. This guy is a rocking JVer.

2007-09-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

I really like the collage feature in Picasa, it's a lot of fun...especially with sessions like todays...:)

2007-09-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Well, that's it for tonight...I decided that the best way to share some of these shots was to try our the Lightroom Web Gallery function so here it is, www.allyourpictures.com/boon (for boondoggle :)). I hope you enjoy the gallery, it's flash and runs like Autoviewer. I picked a variety of shots from the past 72 hours covering storms, ghost towns, football and a great migrant flower seller out in the middle of the desert by one of the onion farms. He didn't speak english but 2 dollars and a camera landed me some great poses with wonderful light. Have a great rest of the holiday weekend.

2007-09-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

This one is just for fun and dedicated to Duane. An excellent photographer and a great friend, it was fun to spend time just off shooting whatever came by, even if TomTom did let us down a little out in the middle of the desert. He has a great eye and is more faithful to the technical side of shooting than I am...although I am learning. The fact that he provides encouragement and is excited about the success of fellow shooters leaves me with a lot to learn as the balance between uniqueness and creativity among artists often creates competition that he just doesn't display. Here he is at his finest capturing a multitude of stock and fine art shots in the desert with a bit of chimping in between.

2007-09-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

Crunchy gears in Johannesburg, near Garlock. This town was quiet and deserted. It was really great to be able to shoot from the middle of the street and not worry about getting run over. This 'ghost' town is a partly restored and lived in attraction that has some great facades and was wonderful to visit. I have more ideas for this one...

2007-09-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

Found art is an interesting thing, I thought this chair located in the middle of an old ruin on Cantil Road near Garlock was worthy of a photo. Trying out some new equipment and seeing just what comes out is always fun. Duane and I enjoyed a 6 hour long boondoggle to points north and found some really neat shots.

2007-08-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

2007-08-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

2007-08-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Some things are easier the younger you are....

2007-08-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

Passing through Vegas during DefCon and BlackHat week can yield some interesting sights, beyond the blue hair and other unique aspects.

2007-08-26T09:55:00.000-07:00

Pink and proud of it...

2007-08-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Not sure what the future holds, our drummer, pilot, vet, ballerina sits poised at the crossroads of adventure and excitement.

2007-08-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Urban farm equipment cast offs. This hasn't moved in years so I figured it was ripe for the picking. I'd hate to get hit by one of these.

2007-08-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Fishing on Edwards, no bites but some good shots. Early on a Saturday morning.

2007-08-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

That's it, done with photos for today but it's been a long time gathering them all. Rainbow in the sky, inbound to Denver. Pilots must really love this kind of stuff.

2007-08-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

The shadows in this shot made me think of the continents so I grabbed my camera, again...peopel were starting to look at me funny, and shot away. Slight rotate and contrast adjustments.

2007-08-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

Visiting an old friend of mine in Dayton. 16mm is such a cool lens, okay...I guess wide angle shots are cool too. After all, I live in telephoto lens land so this is a new experience for me.

2007-08-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, this was fun. 16mm, ISO 3200 (yes, really), 1/20s and shot through the window of my 757 flight from Denver. Experimental photography is so much fun!!!!

2007-08-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Focus taken in flight, slightly off but again, pushing the limits at 400mm and 1/160 with no strobe. Sometimes it's cool shat you can pull off. These guys 'love' my backyard.

2007-08-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

Starry night, last Sunday when the 'meteor shower' was supposed to happen. Took this for 15 minutes and managed to capture one trail but only faintly, right to left diagonal. Noise reduction in PS and slight curves adjust.

2007-08-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Duane looking professional in his office, auto white balance did pretty nicely.

2007-08-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

View two of the same nest, handheld so I sharpened due to jitter even with the VR running. I was stretching to shoot at arms length and just couldn't keep the camera still with the extension, lens length and aperture. I am happy with it though.

2007-08-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Busy as a hornet in the middle of summer, okay...this was one of those cool pictures before you get the wasp spray since this well populated nest was sitting right under our patio.

2007-08-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Photos from our travels.

2007-07-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

Portal 99, this entrance is used by a remote colony of undersea creatures that cannot travel via routine methods. The other side of the portal is in the Pool of Anara on their planet.

2007-07-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Barn photo. Light from outside north, slllooowww shutter so I sharpened some. Not too bad though.

2007-07-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Graffiti girl.

2007-07-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

Dragging the shutter and trying out the VR on my 18-200, braces done...happy girl.

2007-07-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Okay Duane, I did take this river shot so no more jokes. :)

2007-07-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

Can you say 'attitude' practice?

2007-07-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

So how close can you actually get to a chipmunk with an 18-200 lens? Sometimes, you just turn yourself invisible. Of course if you didn't come with that feature then it's a little trickier. They only offered that option on certain years.

2007-07-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Fly fishing 101, or what I did on my summer vacation. Okay, the form is not great but it is more exercise than sitting in a boat and less boring. :) It is also less stressful than work and more expensive than professional photography. :)

2007-07-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full. These three hummingbirds negotiate a tricky dance faster than the human eye can track as they flit in and out of the feeder.

2007-07-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Guts galore! 20 trout and more on a lake in Northern CO. Not bad, this is my son's first time doing the fishing thing where the fish are big enough to clean and eat.

2007-07-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Wishflowers, giant size! These don't blow very well either, they require a bit of oommppff.

2007-04-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Playing with hues, swords and the like...

2007-03-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

Experimenting with white paper, curves, swords and saturation. A little attitude helped too.

2007-03-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

Distress, temper, attitude? What more to expect from your young'un when someone else has 'their' ball.

2007-03-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Malara takes a break on a bus stop bench. A bit on the processed side I liked the effect of this. White balance was kind of messed up but who says everything has to be on purpose.

2007-03-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, blogger and Picasa like each other again. Kind of like Evan and Malara. Of course Malara doesn't really seem to keen on trying to drink out of the bottle. Oh well.

2007-01-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

This was fun to do, LAB with Hard Mix created the heavily saturated grass and tumbleweeds but left the stone and shadows only slightly changed. Used the sponge effect as a painting because the mix alone made it look hand colored and 'voila'. I liked it although I wish the old cars weren't in the way. This castle is located in the Antelope Valley by the aqueduct. You can't get very close, this was taken at ~540 mm effective and cropped down a bit since the fence for the AD went by behind it.

2007-01-10T21:50:00.000-08:00

I've tried this shot a couple of different ways but I thought this effort brought out the old fashioned aspect of it. Going for a vintage effect but not quite sure if I got it right.

2007-01-08T21:29:00.000-08:00

Still getting an understanding of LAB mode, the pros and cons of it, and playing with the difference between multiply and linear burn. Of course, shooting with good light and a nice subject always helps. This fisherman was moving just a little but the long shot handheld in morning light proved just a bit soft for me. Still, I liked the color so here it is.

2007-01-08T21:26:00.000-08:00

While this small cabin looks even smaller in the photo, there is a good deal of false perpective at play due to the light, angle of the shot and extreme telephoto (600mm eq) so I thought it was worth sharing since it was kind of unique.

2007-01-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

This little red gas station is also one of my son's favorites and since he is reading this I have to post this one additional shot tonight. It's been a crazy night with the neighborhood a bit out of sorts but it's finally time for bed. Have a great night!

2007-01-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

Finishing out the day, I shot this one of my oldest as she prepared to take out an opponent on the basketball court. What a day from fields to lakes, gymnastics to basketball, wouldn't it be great to do this full time?

2007-01-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

This was one of my son's favorites of the day. He liked the way the wall looked and the trees overhead. I had to clear a couple pieces of trash via cloning. I suppose I could have picked them up but I guess I just spaced it when taking the shot.

2007-01-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

I having to publish these directly online, the Picasa plug-in doesn't seem to be working properly. That is truly frustrating.

2007-01-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

This tired looking tree seemed a perfect chance to try more of my newly acquired editting techniques. Unfortunately the trunk was somewhat blown out and unrecoverable but I did try to get it to work. Other than that, I really liked the overall color scheme with the browns and golds against the blues and silver of the tree.

2007-01-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

The Home I Left Behind was an entry I did for DP Challenge. The focus was on fences so I had this shot from a photo day today courtesy of my day off and driving around the Antelope Valley in search of interesting shots. Trying a new editting technique courtesy of my friend Duane.

2006-12-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

Tattered but unbowed, our flag stands firm. Our country seeks truth and justice, sometimes without a clear focus and that results in conflict and frustration. Centuries have passed and our country still stands for a freedom of rights and liberty that is unmatched in the world today. My prayers go out to our nation and her servants both civil and military, no matter where they serve today and in the future.

PS adjustments courtesy of my friend Duane Ellison

Reposted 1 Jan 2007

2006-12-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

A little off center but this is one of my wife's favorites...the denim coat and pants make the outfit really trendy.

2006-12-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Testing a friends camera, I shot this abandoned building just off of Edwards, everyone who enters by South Gate knows it's location. I decided that it made a good subject. I don't think I've ever shot it with any of my gear. Funny what you shoot when you have no particular reason to be doing it...other than having fun.

2006-12-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

No I said, don't eat the worms...there's too much protein in them. You have to balance your diet with some greens and carbs. Yet too late, my son decided that he couldn't resist. Actually, the Mee Grob was great that night and we actually went out on Christmas Day Eve for Thai food. The waitress knows us and we had a great time.

2006-12-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

Spin, really fast, in low light, sure Daddy...anything you say. The result is an odd blurry but fun mix of late afternoon playground adventure. So you can't really tell who's who. That's part of the fun.