Just my Imagination

Just then it occurred to the group to return to the sea. It's as if something had been calling to them, leading them all along.

Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)

Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) ... Perhaps it's best... Like standing in the shadows with a broken heart.

Behind the Obstacles

Behind the Obstacles good fortune waits.
We need faith and strength to sustain us,
As we make out way towards the pearly gates.

Empty Road

I've been thinking a lot about why I like to take pictures of empty roads. I think the thing is that I don't see them as subjects devoid of life or animation, but rather as images filled with possibilities.

In an age that seems sorely lacking optimism, we seem to fail to look ahead and see the possibilities.

The road ahead could bring mishap or good fortune. No one knows, but isn't the journey really what's important?

And speaking of roads... I'll be on a road trip for a couple of days to help celebrate a 90th birthday.

See all y'all soon.

Beach Wave

A simple wave, something often taken for grant, yet so peaceful. A gift when needed...

Spotlight on Strobist

There is a great story on David Hobby and Strobist which ran in USA Today on April 22. 2008.

Congrats David!

Here's the link:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/2008-04-22-strobist-blog_N.htm

Sunset Photog

The sunset has the ability to get people to pull their cameras out and start snapping off pictures. I admit I'm guilty of this too! It's almost like a ritual along the beach, as if the picture taking sends the sun off to a night of rest.

Taking a walk

There are places along the coast that allow you to control the light just by using natural elements, such as the geology. By positioning yourself in the right location with your camera, you can use the direction of the light to your advantage and produce some stunning images.

Running on empty

The news reports are starting to trickle in and it doesn't look good for the State of California. Tax revenues are down as expected, which means a growing budget deficit. Stories are floating around and most of them indicate that the legislature wants to tax anything and everything, as long as it doesn't have to be approved by the voters.

As for the proposed State Park closures... still looks like they're going to happen.

Hold on to your wallets, it's going to be a bumpy budget ride!

Glass Perspective

My next project: Photograph a building when the light is balanced. So, this would be early in the morning, or around dusk. The trick is going to be to find an interesting enough building...

Lava Lamp

I decided to try to shoot something in the strobist fashion, basically lighting a light. It was a little tricky, but once I got it dialed in, it wasn't too bad. Turned out to be more of a matter of deciding the amount of detail I wanted to capture in black surface of the lamp. The lesson was not to over power the light coming out of the lava lamp. Sure, I need more work at balancing light, but it's starting to make more sense.

You never can tell

Where, when, why, and how.....

and does it even have a pulse?

Down by the water

I've been listening to P.J. Harvey, and well.....

Poppy Power

Orange sets the hills ablaze, no not another California wildfire, it's Spring and the poppies are showing off...

Misty Shores

Time of day is important when it comes to quality of light. A mist just before the sun sets does wonders to a photograph.

Red Windows

Passing through Taft California, we drove by this building. Well, isn't it just begging to be photographed? I thought so. I'm not sure we were there at the best time to day, where things looked the most flattering, but you make do with what you've got.

Sunset Sea

The less light, the longer you can set your exposure. This allows you to get some very different effects in photography, especially if there is any type of moving water. With a little practice you'll know which exposure settings you like best and what type of effect they will produce.

Wild Orange

Wildflowers are all around filling the landscape with colour. I thought I'd show this off a bit and took a bunch of shots filling the frame with a blast of orange.

On the roof

There's something mysterious about an object when you're not sure what it is...

Night Photography

If your a fan of night photography, I just ran across a fantastic site that you should check out called Darkness Darkness. I really think you'll love what you see there.

Camera RAW Update

John Nack has posted on his blog that there's a Camera RAW update now available, here's the link to his blog:

John Nack's Blog

Sublime Reflections

Downtown Los Angeles has changed a lot in the last 20 years. These changes may not be at first obvious to occasional or first time visitors, but most people familiar with the area would tell you it has.

From a photography point of view the area is filled with interesting architecture and glass canyons of sublime reflections of ever changing points of view that are fun to make images of.

Anyway you slice it

There's a magic to music that transcends barriers of language and culture. It has the ability to touch the soul directly regardless of musical genre.

This magic can take us to new places where we are simply lost in the moment. A moment without a place or time....

It's often a lifeline in the sea of madness that is everyday life.

If you have the ability to make music, it's truly a gift!

Fiesta

Street photography is a lot of fun, especially when there is a parade or some other event going on. It's also quite a challenge too! Timing and lighting is the trick to getting better results.

Snapvillage - Update

Looks like Snapvillage is doing something fun to get the word out about them, their services, and their site. I'm all for it. Here's what they've posted for their image contributors to participate in:

"We’re inviting you to create a bold (fake) ad using any SnapVillage image. Make up your own company, product or service and design a full page color ad for it.

Send it to us in JPEG or PDF format at contactus@snapvillage.com and we’ll send you a free SnapVillage t-shirt (be sure to include your mailing address and shirt size). If your ad stands out from the crowd, we may feature it on the blog or even contact you about using it for a real SnapVillage ad. Exercise your creative muscle and you might get some free publicity while you’re at it. Oh, and a cool t-shirt, too.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

- Team SnapVillage"

Idle Hands

with much to do, don't think I'll be back again once they set me free.

Camerapedia

For those of you interested in cameras, I ran into a fun website called Camerapedia.org which looks like it serves up plenty of information for the enthusiast.

Red Rush

I just can't imagine a world without bright vibrant color.

Carrizo Plain

Well, I made it out to the Carrizo Plain with some friends to chase down wildflowers.

The good thing was that there were wildflowers, but not in the abundance that I had hoped for. I think this is due to a combination of waiting just a bit too long and not going earlier, and not as much rainfall in the area as the rest of California.

There were few other people in the area, and Soda Lake was bone dry. It wasn't a bad trip, just different.

Sensible Shoes

F16 at 1/125 - those were the camera settings for this particular shot. Though not the settings that I would have normally used, they were the ones that worked best under the lighting that was being used and for the area I was working with.

The result was that I got a bit more DOF, but in this case it seems to work just fine. It really helped having a patient model to work with while we tried different lighting situations. On to the next Strobist endeavor....

IStockphoto

I'm going to post information regarding various microstock photography agencies in the form of links and such, as I run across it. These are the opinions of others (this is my disclaimer) so take the information for what it's worth (free).

http://www.themicros.com/istockphoto

Yellow Waves

There are oceans of wildflowers waiting to be chased down and photographed. With any luck, I should be able to do just that before the season passes and the landscape turns into California brown.

Bigger Bang

The Rolling Stones filmed two shows held at the Beacon Theatre during their bigger bang tour which is being released as the movie - Shine a Light.

I picked up the Shine a Light Soundtrack and gave it a listen, and it's magic.

I know many will think, sheesh another live Stones CD so what.... but give it a listen yourself and then decide. This release is filled with subtle surprises, sounds great, and showcases the boys at the top of their game.

I can't wait until the DVD goes on sale!

Snapvillage

I'm happy to see that Snapvillage is taking the marketing plunge and promoting itself and the content of us image providers. Now, let's see what comes of it. Good things I'm sure.

Simple Wave

I Like simple compositions and strive for them. I look for things that I think will resonate with a viewer. Like a wave rushing towards shore... a beach wouldn't be a beach without one.

Street Cat

Urban art can be amazing. The ability to turn a path of asphalt into a vivid street cat reminds us of the depth and breadth of creativity...