She's Green

As if time stood still...

Understanding Exposure

This is one of the most helpful photography books that I've ever read.  To get to most out of your camera, it's very important to understand Shutter Speed, F-Stops, and to some degree ISO settings.

That's all laid out in this book and then some.  Understanding the relationship between these settings will improve your photography.

Your camera is nothing more than a simple machine.  This book explains how that machine works, and how to use it.

It's that simple.

Double Big Boy

Those were different times...

Recovery?

I think it's obvious now that there was no economic recovery.

Sunset of your dreams

I've gotten to a point where dreams and plans are just a waste of time. More often than not, they only lead to heartbreak and disappointment and are better to be dispensed of.

They are distractions that get in the way of the tasks at hand.

Heading Back

There's another car show today... with any luck it will be overcast when I get there.

Update: Doesn't look I'll be making it out to the car show after all.

Run down

One thing we didn't get this Summer was any sign of real recovery. The economy is still in shambles, and it looks like it's taking another turn for the worse. Another fine mess we've gotten ourselves into.

Whatever makes you happy

Just using a little flash to fill in the shadows a bit. It helps in bringing out some of the details that would have been lost.

Wanna Ride?

The interiors of vintage automobiles are just as interesting as the exteriors, just not as easy to photograph. That's where using a flash came in handy at this year's car show, adding some much needed light to help capture the little details.

Colorful Dance

I've added a bit of video to give some context to what the Solstice Parade looks like and what it is I'm trying to capture with my DSLR. I know I need lots of help when it comes to making videos, and this isn't about that.

Strange Face

You're looking back at me, but I don't know who you are...

Ford

The car show was a lot more fun than I anticipated. First, I was happy to find that it was still foggy when I got there, which gave me some great light. Second, I ran into an old friend, giving me the opportunity to chat and get caught up on things.

There were lots of cars and the atmosphere was very relaxing. A great way to spend the day with a camera.

Heroes - Season 2

I was a little disappointed in the 2nd season of Heroes.  Not because of the acting, but because it was so short.  Turns out this was filmed during the writers' strike, so they had to cut the season down to eleven episodes.

This meant that the story-lines weren't as fully explored as they could have been, and there was a lot less content.

All of that detracted from an otherwise entertaining show.

Moving on to Season 3....

Horse Gear

It wasn't all that long ago that this would have been an everyday item, and for some it still is. It's enough to capture the imagination and fill it with stories from days gone by.

Time Passages

It's funny, but when I look at photos I took a long time ago, my reaction is often to think about what I'd do differently.

In this case I'd either take the phone line out via Photoshop, or just try and find a better angle to shoot this truck.

Composition and light... essential and important, always.

Solitude

Sometimes it's nice to get away and collect one's thoughts.

Heroes - Season One

Leave it to me to be late to the party.  When it comes to television, I don't pay too much attention to it.  I'd never heard of this show before, so I really didn't know what to expect.

It was a pleasant surprise to be sucked into this show from the first episode.  I wouldn't consider myself a sci-fi or comic book fan, but I found this show to be completely engaging.  So much so, that I spent a solid week watching all of season one.

I loved everything about this show.  The characters, the story, the actors, the sets, the premise, etc.

I highly recommend this to you sci-fi/comic book fans... but you've probably already seen the show.

I started in on season two last night, so I'll let you know what I think.

29

This was an interesting find on a trip up to the mountains. An old abandoned house that could fill the imagination with stories of days gone by.

Greed

We only have ourselves to blame for the mess we're in.  Our culture shifted towards making a fast buck, and worshiped greed.  Pure and simple.

Time to take a hard look in the mirror and get our priorities straight.  If we don't, we're doomed!

Flying Colors

I didn't get the opportunity to take as many photos as I had hoped this Summer. There were more distractions than I had anticipated, and a lot more fog. 

Home Sweet Home

Not all that long ago, I had some friends that lived up here... Times have changed so much that it's hard to recognize the world around me.

When you danced

onOne software has some really nice plugins for photoshop that produces some fun results.... like this frame.

Keeping you off my mind

Spending time with people you care about, and/or doing the things you love has a way of keeping things in perspective... and the troubles of the world at bay.

Modern Marvel

I'm doing two things with this post, the first being trying out the Amazon Associates blogging tools, and the second is sharing info on a technology product that is truly amazing.

The product is  the Roku HD-XR Player, here's the review I wrote about it:

This product is nothing short of a modern marvel. They aren't kidding when they say that this device only takes minutes to set-up.

I got tired of the cable channels and wanted something more in line with the 21st century, meaning something that could get content via the internet. Watching movies on a computer is ok, but I'd rather watch them on my television set, as that's why I bought the widescreen.

After doing a little research I decided on the Roku HD-XR as it fit perfectly with my existing network/TV. Five minutes after taking this device out of the box it was up and running.

It was very simple to add Netflix, Amazon Video, Pandora, and Flickr to the device. I'm truly impressed. I can only see this product getting better.

It's not often that you get a well thought out device that delivers on its promises. I've already recommended this the Roku Player to several co-workers.

If you're tired of the offerings on the movie channels, this is a device worth considering.

Technology is best when it works well, and this product does.

Got my eyes on you

Our cameras document the world around us...

All that glitters

When you approach things differently, you may be surprised at the results.

Living in the past

When it comes to stupidity, each day, California tries to out do itself . Our economy is in shambles. We are gutting our education system, and no the answer isn't to keep throwing money at the problem.

In a State that claims to be on the cutting edge of technology, we've certainly got our heads in the sand.

We need to modernize, and we need to do it NOW. Is that happening? No!

The unions have such a stranglehold on things, that it's nearly impossible to make changes or get things done.

Christopher Edley, Dean of the Law School at the University of California, Berkeley, is trying. Here's the link to the story.

I agree with his vision and support his efforts.

Let's hope people get behind this before it's too late.

Got to dance

The party's over, and the streets are empty once again....

Heavy Lifting

Fall is approaching quickly, which means an end to this reign of fog. The light should improve, giving me a chance to work on some sunrise shots.

Flowers and Shades

It was cold and overcast during the parade so I used my flash. Though I struggled with it, when it was working properly it made a world of difference in the results.

Remembering Summer

Summer used to be long hot days and crowded beaches. This year it's been cold and overcast nearly everyday since the end of May. It's nice not to have to suffer through the heat, but is a bit odd. I keep having to remind myself that it's now August.

Geotagging flickr

Change is good. The week flickr rolled out an improved interface, which I mostly like. A lot of routine tasks are much easier to perform now. What's not to like about that.

There is one thing which isn't working like it used to, and that is geotagging. I've been using an igot-U geotagging device which embeds GPS coordinates into my EXIF data.

This made mapping on flickr a snap. Just click add to map, click ok, and you were done.

It isn't working like this any longer. Though flickr sees where an images belongs on the map, you actually have to move the image a bit before it registers the location and allows you to say ok.

This seems to be a drawback, and something I hope gets fixed soon. The whole point of adding the GPS data to my images is to make mapping easier and more accurate.

I'm sure others have noticed this issue and pointed it out to flickr. Let's see how long it takes to get resolved

Red Cape

This year I thought I'd try something different, so rather than just setting my camera on a tripod and shoot at slower shutter speeds, I mixed things up.

Since I was shooting moving subjects in fading light a higher ISO was needed to allow me to keep the shutter speed at a higher rate.

I was concerned about too much noise, but that turned out to be less of an issue than expected.

The combination of higher ISO and faster shutter speed were such that I could hand hold my camera, giving me more flexibility than I would have had using my tripod (which I did have with me).

Had it been darker, I would not have had this option.

Joining the party

I like to go to the dress rehearsal of the Fiesta dancing at the Mission. It's not very crowded, meaning I have easy access to photograph the dancers.

The year a group of feral kids were having the time of their lives dancing in front of the stage, and sometimes just at the edge of it.

This presented me with an enjoyable challenge... It wasn't too difficult to shoot around them.

What can you do? Enjoy the show and go with the flow.

Getting into the spirit

It's that time of year again.... The Summer's almost over. It's the last chance to celebrate the season...

Low Tide Play

The nice thing about technology is that it opens up the world and allows one to create and share content like never before. The downside is that it doesn't always cooperate, today being one of those days. Most everything I'm used to doing, from blog updates, to uploading and mapping photos has required an extra bit of work and a lot more patience.

Makes me want to take the day off, and go out and shoot. *Sigh * - not able to do that....

Misty Garden Dreams

Red makes for a nice subject...

What a chill

It's been one of the coldest Summers I can remember.

Old Tower

It's funny how a landmark can bring back memories of better times...

Storm on the horizon

Oh, that I had wings like a dove...
I would fly away and be at rest.
I would wander far away...
I would lodge in the wilderness.
I would hasten to my place of refuge...
seeking shelter from the tempest.