Friday, August 31, 2007

Playing Misty












The late afternoon light softened by the mist from the sea makes for perfect moments to enjoy the remains of the day...

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Aim High












I'm happy to have my passion for photography to sustain me. Tomorrow will be day five without a functioning computer at work. I'm betting 80/20 that I don't get it back until next week, and even then I'll have to get all my software tested and running properly. *sigh*

On the stock photography front, it's still slow but steady. Not much happening with snapvillage, I've uploaded photos and am waiting to see some sales. They haven't even updated their blog since August 2nd, so my guess is that they have many issues to work out. I'll keep you posted on that.

As for Alamy, well the upload is working and I'm waiting to get some uploads through QC. It's a long and slow process.

Shutterstock and IstockPhoto are doing well. That's a good thing!

Nautical Sunset












A calm Summer day quietly comes to an end. No red skies tonight...

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Face to Face












Creativity and expression seem to be human traits that can't be restrained. They find their way into everything we do, in one form or another.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Flyin












Day two, and tech support hasn't brought my computer back. How hard is it to install a hard drive and load software? If this was my personal computer, I'd have had this fixed yesterday. So much for productivity in the workplace!

Rural Flavor












Rural locations have a way of giving one a true sense of the season...

Monday, August 27, 2007

Like Walking on Water












This person looks like he is having fun. This is more than I can say for my day. My computer at work had a hard drive failure and it took six hours for the tech staff to bring me a loaner. Sorry about the rant, but six hours doesn't go very quickly when you are sitting in a cubical. Thank God I brought my MP3 player with me.

Changes












Summer is nearly gone. Funny, I hardly noticed it. With Autumn at the doorstep, Nature is sure to serve up a feast of colour.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Soaring












A little time with nature usually is all that is needed to raise my spirits. If concrete is how we tame nature, I'll take a little less concrete...

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Pelican Rock

















At dusk just outside of Pismo Beach there are some great spots like this, where it is more than likely that you'll be the only one there besides the marine birds.

Of course you'll have to wait for a day where there is a negative tide at about the same time as sunset, as most of the time you won't be able to get to these spots. They're underwater a great deal of the time.

I was lucky enough to be passing through the area on the day I got this shot. I like how it turned out. Too bad one of my stock agencies thinks this has NO Commercial value. I'm still waiting to see what the other agencies think...

Friday, August 24, 2007

Great Ball of Fire












Smoke from California Wildfires adds drama to what would otherwise be a dull sunrise. I was planning on getting some silhouette shots of this old pier and never expected this. I'm glad I made the effort to get up early and head out!

Revolution












Sometimes it's fun to go a little crazy and take the ordinary and bring out some of its potential.

A slight curve adjustment and Voilà!

Simple Pleasures












There's nothing like taking a few moments to enjoy the beauty of nature and to recharge the spirit. Funny how little time we spend doing this...

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Legs












We've all been wrapped up in our work from time to time...

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Petroglyphs

















Researchers are still unsure what the ancients were trying to communicate and are awaiting a team of experts to try and decipher this recently discovered petroglyph. Some experts think it could take years, others are unsure it can be done at all.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Classic Moves












The problem I'm having with images like this is that no one wants them. They are fun to put together, colorful, festive, and a break from the run of the mill.

So what are the issues?

Well, my stock agencies don't want them. If they are processed using a couple of filters in Photoshop as was the case with this image, they get rejected as being "over filtered". Without the filters I need a model release from every single person in the photograph. People I don't know and probably will never see again in my life, so there's not much of a chance of that happening.

What to do? I donno, but as long as I'm having fun - doesn't really mater...

Monday, August 20, 2007

Little Red Corvette












I'd love to just hop in and go for a road trip before the summer is completely over. This is the as close as I'm going to get to that happening....

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Forest Green












The Zaca Fire rages on and is moving into Ventura County now. The plan is to burn the fuel in its path towards it and with any luck it will put itself out. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and what the area looks like afterwards.

Here's what parts of it look like now.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Lose something?












Overcast days for me are a great time to head to the beach. Not only is the light even, but there are less people out and you just never know what you're going to find...

Friday, August 17, 2007

Urban Landscape

















A city has a lot to say... lend it your eyes and let it talk to you.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Line Up


I like images within images. I'm always looking for them. A car show is a great place to find them. There's lots of chrome and shinny paint jobs.

The trick is to find an angle that doesn't include yourself, unless of course that's what you're after.

Try different points of view. shoot close to the ground, or get real close to the car, or perhaps get up on a ladder and shoot down,

Be creative, you'll like the results.

One other thing I should mention. When you are at a car show, you'll need to be patient as there will be lots of people, including other photographers, who want to admire the vehicles.

On a side note regarding stock photography, I got my Alamy.com upload feature to work. I needed to install the latest version of java and change a couple of minor settings. This is great for me as it will speed up the submittal and review process, not to mention eliminate my postage costs. It was taking close to six weeks from the time I mailed in my stock images to the time they were available to be purchased. That in today's world is a long time.

Night Moves












I like colour, what can I say...

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Palms












There are things we see everyday that just don't stand out much. That is until you see them under the right lighting conditions.

Such is the case with these palm trees bathed in warm early morning light. They seem to glow and make for a very inviting image, which would not have been the case at noon.

We can't always be out with our cameras when the lighting is best, but making a little effort to do so has its rewards.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Dancin'












Low lighting conditions pose a challenge even when you do use a tripod. An option is to bump up your ISO, but then you end of with noise and grainy images. Noise filters help, but not always.

I'm still working out which ISO setting for different lighting conditions work best.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Wave skippin












Smoke adding drama to what would otherwise be an ordinary sunset, the beach provided a great place to emphasize the light as it reflected off the wet sand. The silhouette of the kid playing on the beach helps to complete this image. All in all, it was a good few minutes of shooting. I got to watch the sun call it a day and capture a dozen or so images.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Me and Fido Down by the Seaside












Yippy!!! I finished by big project and can now move on to other things. Like making images. I may even take in a summer sunset. Something that California gives freely.

And silhouettes by the sea are fun images too!

Friday, August 10, 2007

Sun Bathing












I've been processing a lot of images lately and while looking at them, something became apparent that I often take for granted. Light and subject matter need to work together.

Backgrounds, foregrounds, sidelight, shadows, dusk, etc.... What, when, where, and how these elements are used need to be considered in the time, place and context of what you're photographing, along with the light that is available at the time.

Practice, look at your results and the camera setting used to get those results. Decide which images you liked, if any, and how they were made, then practice some more.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Summer Sunset












Smoke and clouds can add a lot of drama to what would otherwise be a "yawn" boring sunset. Don't get me wrong, it's always a pleasure to have a quite moment and enjoy watching the setting sun. When you're photographing the same event try to find ways to make it a tad more than run of the mill.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Dancin' in the street












Callin' out around the world
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For dancin' in the streets

All we need is music, sweet music
There'll be music everywhere
There'll be swingin', swayin' and records playin'
And dancin' in the street, yeah

Youth may be wasted on the young, but not always...

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Gimme some water


Seems like the best way to put out a major fire is to let Mother Nature lend a helping hand.

Recent reports regarding the Zaca Fire indicate that the worse could be yet to come. The fire has the potential to head into the populated Montecito area.

It's been more than a month since the Zaca Fire has started, and even though the weather has been mild for most of the Summer, it has been difficult to contain.

Our prayers to the firefighters. Let's hope that nature continues to aid them with mild weather.


A little rain in August? Not impossible I suppose. Gimme some water...

Monday, August 6, 2007

Circular Motion












Spinning to the music, colours merging into each other, giving shape to the music. Some call it magic. Others Fiesta.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

La misma












The song and dance continued last night. And lots of colour. I was even treated to a song I haven't heard in ages.

La Misma oft sung by Vincente Fernandez that goes something like:

Con el alma herida por un mal cariño
Que sin condiciones le entregue mi amor
Llevo ya dos días en esta cantina
Dos días, encerrado tomando licor.

Un mariachi toca, yo sigo tomando
Y vuelvo a pedirles la misma canción
Esto que me pasa no es nada envidiable
Ni al peor enemigo se lo deseo yo.

Tóquenme mariachi otra vez la misma
Esa que me llega hasta el corazón
El abandonado, toquen la de nuevo
Tóquenme diez veces la misma canción.

Aquí esta su cuenta, me dice un mesero
Ya me debe mucho, pégueme señor,
El mariachi dice, ya estamos cansados
Y yo solo contesto, háganme un favor.

Pa´ variar un poco tóquenme la misma
Esa que me llega hasta el corazón,
El abandonado, tóquenla de nuevo
Tóquenme diez veces la misma canción.

Con el alma herida por un mal cariño
Que sin condiciones le entregue mi amor
Llevo ya dos días en esta cantina
Dos días, encerrado tomando licor.

Un mariachi toca, yo sigo tomando
Y vuelvo a pedirles la misma canción
Esto que me pasa no es nada envidiable
Ni al peor enemigo se lo deseo yo.

Tóquenme mariachi otra vez la misma
Esa que me llega hasta el corazón
El abandonado, toquen la de nuevo
Tóquenme diez veces la misma canción.

Aquí esta su cuenta, me dice un mesero
Ya me debe mucho, pégueme señor,
El mariachi dice, ya estamos cansados
Y yo solo contesto, háganme un favor.

Pa´ variar un poco tóquenme la misma
Esa que me llega hasta el corazón,
El abandonado, tóquenla de nuevo
Tóquenme diez veces la misma canción.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Time Lapse Abstraction












I've been playing with images and essentially combining slices of time. Photos taken seconds apart. This creates an abstract more about the movement than the people, about the dance. The technique isn't difficult. It's more a matter of finding the right images.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Summer Dance












Last night was very festive, and song and dance were everywhere. People set their troubles aside and lost themselves in the moment. No time. No Place. Just the Summer dance.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Dog's Day of Summer


This little dog decided to jump up on a tree stump and pose for his picture.

How could I say no... well, he wasn't posing for me, but rather for his owner.

Since I had a zoom lens.... why not?

Little things that you don't see everyday make great subject matter.

Something a little different, like the hair on this dog....

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Seeing Double


Today was a good day. It didn't really start out that way, as a serious scare posed quite a challenge. Prayer and Faith got me through it, and I'm very thankful. God truly blessed me and was watching over me. Thank you!

We are all blessed in big and small ways. Nothing to ever forget or take for granted.

Song and dance... All celebrations of life!