Wish You Were Here

Sometimes it's just fun to just play around with Photoshop...

Under the Lights

Every year I debate with myself as to whether or not I should photograph the Fiesta Dancers. As you can see, I talked myself into it.

It's not that I don't like making images, it's working within a crowd of people and lugging the equipment needed around. But enough whining from me. As they say, if you wanna dance you've got to pay the piper.

This year I wanted to try and use my SB-800 flash unit if he situation would allow and it didn't. I don't think that was too much of a problem as the dance organizers used a different company to provide the stage lighting and there was plenty of it.

Into the Wind

A hazy day off the California Coast finds a lone sailboat off the point riding with the wind.

Fiesta Dancers

Well it's that time of year again.

Photographing the Fiesta Dancers is always a challenge, but fun. This year I'm planning of using some off camera flash. I've not quite worked out the details on how I'm going to do this. It all depends on proximity and the size of the crowds.

Live Bait

When using the reflective qualities of water as part of your composition keep in mind that during the morning hours there's typically no wind, this will mean less ripples and smoother more reflective surfaces.

Turn it up!

One of the last local music stores is calling it quits. I had read about it and heard a couple of rumors that they were blowing out their inventory at 99 cents a CD.

I admit I haven't set foot in the store for years (or any other music store for that matter)... but made it a point to go there out of a sense of nostalgia and to see if the rumors were true.... 99 cents a CD is a great deal.

I left the store without buying a thing. It's not really the fault of the store... they just can't compete with the internet and the rumors were just that, rumors. Sure they had some deals, but nothing I was interested in...

The stuff I'm interested in, is the stuff I can't buy from iTunes, Amazon, Yahoo Music, Rhapsody, etc. But that's what eBay's for....

I left the music store knowing that I'd probably never set foot in another one again. Was I sad? Not really, I remembered all the time and money I'd spent in music store... sure, there was a bit of nostalgia, but that passed and paled in comparison to how much more is available online.

Yeah, there will always be that album that never made it to CD (Phantom, Rocker, and Slick) - but I have that on vinyl and can digitize that myself and add it to my personal collection on my iPod and Zen Jukebox.

I guess the point is all things must pass, and from my point of view the music world is better for consumers.... you can find almost anything now.

Did I mention the the music store only had a handful of overpriced Blues CD's? It's no surprise really.

Let me just say thanks to all those music stores! You were great and have a special place in my heart. You played a big role in the lives of many, and for that, the world is grateful!

The Photographer

It's always nice to see other photographers out practicing their craft. This one was even using a tripod, so you knew she's serious about what she's doing.

Working with and around other photographers can be very rewarding, as often times they will notice things you may have not too much about or just didn't see. It's also a great way to pick up some tips and tricks.