Sorry I haven't been posting much. Heres a shot that I took during todays unexpected snow storm.Snow Birds
Sorry I haven't been posting much. Heres a shot that I took during todays unexpected snow storm.
View from my window
Heres the view from the backyard of the house I'm in right now. Click on the image to get a full view. Enjoy!
All of my equipment has been stolen.
Well dear viewers, it will be a little while before I get more images up. You see I recently moved up to the Seattle area from Central Oregon. The move went well, but it took 3 days for us to get moved up and (mostly) settled in. During the trip, we spent our first night at my parents house near Portland. That night I brought in my camera equipment into their house because I didn't want to leave it in the moving van overnight. Well, in the rush to get going the next morning I left my equipment at their house. No big deal right? I'll just get it in the next few weeks if I happen to go down there, or they come up to visit. Well, a guy I work with up here had to go back to Portland to pick up some equipment and I asked him if he would pick up my camera bag. Being the nice guy that he is he agreed to it and went ahead and picked up my stuff. Well, while he was in Portland he stopped to eat at Gustav's restaurant. Apparently somebody broke into his truck and stole not only all of his things but all of my camera equipment as well. So here I am now, trying to make a list of all the stuff I had in the bag so I can turn that list into insurance. I feel like I just got punched in the gut and although I'm sure that insurance will take care of this, I feel absolutely awful. Here's the rundown of what the thief (or thieves) got.
1 Canon Eos 20D camera with 18-55mm lens (complete kit): $1500.00
1 Canon EF 28-70mm f2.8 L lens: $850.00
1 Quantary 70-300mm Zoom: $169.95
1 Quantary 28-200mm Zoom: $250.00
1 Sekonic L-358 Exposure Meter: $260.00
1 Canon Speedlite 420 EX Flash: $229.95
1 Canon 550 EX II Flash: $160.00
1 Canon TC-80n3 Programmable Remote Controller: $140.00
1 Sto-Fen Omni Bounce Diffuser: $10.00
1 Tamrac 5248 Adventure 8 Photo Back Pack: $70.00
1 Scandisk Ultra II 2.0 GB Compact Flash card: $20.00
1 Scandisk Ultra II 1.0 GB Compact Flash card: I paid $105.00 for this in '05. Probably worth $10 now.
1 Best Buy 4 year warranty on camera (still in effect): $150.00
1 BP-CN511 Battery (an extra one in additon to the one that came with the kit): $35.99
1 62mm UV filter: $15.99
1 70mm Hoya 77mm filter: $52.00
1 55mm uv filter: $15.00
1 70mm Hoya Circular Polarizer: $70.00
1 55mm Circular Polarizer: $50.00
1 Lexar 512mb 16x CompactFlash Card: $25.00
Grand Total? $4178.43. I'm actually surprised at that number, but I have been adding a little bit every year to my camera bag, gradually trying to increase my kit. Now its all gone. Hopefully insurance will cover my loss completely, but we'll see. I'll keep you posted. More news to come.
To the person or persons that stole my equipment: What goes around comes around. A day will come when you lose something that means a lot to you. Karma is going to bite you in the ass.
1 Canon Eos 20D camera with 18-55mm lens (complete kit): $1500.00
1 Canon EF 28-70mm f2.8 L lens: $850.00
1 Quantary 70-300mm Zoom: $169.95
1 Quantary 28-200mm Zoom: $250.00
1 Sekonic L-358 Exposure Meter: $260.00
1 Canon Speedlite 420 EX Flash: $229.95
1 Canon 550 EX II Flash: $160.00
1 Canon TC-80n3 Programmable Remote Controller: $140.00
1 Sto-Fen Omni Bounce Diffuser: $10.00
1 Tamrac 5248 Adventure 8 Photo Back Pack: $70.00
1 Scandisk Ultra II 2.0 GB Compact Flash card: $20.00
1 Scandisk Ultra II 1.0 GB Compact Flash card: I paid $105.00 for this in '05. Probably worth $10 now.
1 Best Buy 4 year warranty on camera (still in effect): $150.00
1 BP-CN511 Battery (an extra one in additon to the one that came with the kit): $35.99
1 62mm UV filter: $15.99
1 70mm Hoya 77mm filter: $52.00
1 55mm uv filter: $15.00
1 70mm Hoya Circular Polarizer: $70.00
1 55mm Circular Polarizer: $50.00
1 Lexar 512mb 16x CompactFlash Card: $25.00
Grand Total? $4178.43. I'm actually surprised at that number, but I have been adding a little bit every year to my camera bag, gradually trying to increase my kit. Now its all gone. Hopefully insurance will cover my loss completely, but we'll see. I'll keep you posted. More news to come.
To the person or persons that stole my equipment: What goes around comes around. A day will come when you lose something that means a lot to you. Karma is going to bite you in the ass.
Dee Wright Observatory at night
The top image is a one minute exposure. The bottom image is a combination of 38 exposures. You can read more about Dee Wright Observatory HERE.
Black and White Experimentation - Weathered
More experimentation with extreme contrasts. Not sure if I like it or not, but the results are interesting!
Tower Theatre - Nighttime Downtown Bend
Tower Theatre
I took this image last night, and after I got home to process it, I noticed the blurriness around the main sign. I had just cleaned my camera sensor earlier in the day, so I was in a bit of a panic, thinking I had damaged it. So I grabbed my camera and started taking it apart and noticed a great big thumb print right on the front of my lens. Argh! Thats what I get for not cleaning my lenses before heading out.
I took this image last night, and after I got home to process it, I noticed the blurriness around the main sign. I had just cleaned my camera sensor earlier in the day, so I was in a bit of a panic, thinking I had damaged it. So I grabbed my camera and started taking it apart and noticed a great big thumb print right on the front of my lens. Argh! Thats what I get for not cleaning my lenses before heading out.
Damselfly
Heres a close up macro shot of a damselfly at Diamond Lake. I didn't actually set out to take macro images on this trip, but I had my cousin along with me and I wanted to demonstrate how to use a reversed lens as a cheap alternative to a more expensive macro lens. The shot was taken at dusk and the damselflys had settled down for the evening in the reeds surrounding the lake. I managed to find one and I set up my camera on its tripod. Preset my aperture, removed the lens from the camera, reversed it and remounted it using a reversing ring. Took a guess at my exposure time, and took the shot. I took several shots, and this is one of the better ones. I would have tried more shots, but we were getting chewed up by mosquitoes, and I was really trying to get a landscape shot of Mt. Thielsen anyways. The only thing I don't like about the image is that the eye is out of focus. I guess I should have tried for a tighter aperture. Stats: Canon 20D with reversed 18-55mm lens. ISO 400, 1/60th second shutter speed, flash used, tripod used. I think the aperture was at about f8 or f11, I can't remember.
Waterfalls along the Umqua River
Whitehorse waterfalls at the top and Watson waterfalls at the bottom.
Assembly Line
My son has this little lucite cube that has two different liquid mixtures in it. One liquid is heavier than the other and is colored as well. The colored liquid falls down these little ramps inside the cube and also spins a wheel encased within it as well. I finally realized that a close up macro shot would be pretty cool with this toy and here is the result! Enjoy.Midnight Lightning Near Bachelor and Broken Top
This image was taken late last night at the highway 20 viewpoint between Tumalo and Sisters.
Taken with a tripod mounted Canon 20D using a Canon 28-70mm F2.8L lens. ISO 400, 1 minute exposure @ F2.8. In all honesty I should have taken this photo at ISO 200 or even 100, but I wasn't getting any good bolt lightning, so I bumped the ISO to 400. Of course THATS when the bolt lightning starts up! The original image was totally flooded with too much light and would have been unusable. Fortunately I was shooting using RAW and I was able to tweak the highlights and brightness in Photoshop to bring the image back together. Also, I wish I had used a tighter aperture, but I didn't because I needed to get as much light as I could and also, I wasn't sure if it was necessary for this kind of shot. I just focused on infinity and opened up the shutter and hoped for the best! As it is, the ridgeline seems a little blurry to me, but its still an enjoyable shot overall.
Hey! Its my birthday! Trip down memory lane.
Wow, 37 today. Feels.....not all that different than 30. Holy cow, 3 more years closer to geezer like status. Seriously though, I was asked if I felt old. What exactly am I supposed to say to that? I do remember when I was in my 20's thinking that 37 was downright ancient. Hell, I'm at my prime! Nah, I don't feel old. And we won't talk about the little bit o' grey that was cropping up in my beard until I shaved it off.
Lets think back to the things I remember as a kid. Rotary phones, black and white television, typewriters, 12 television channels, the internet didn't exist, I saw the first Star Wars film in a movie theatre when I was 6. H.R. Puff n stuff (The Flute in that show was creepy.) Land of the Lost (Sleestacks!) My first home video console was "Pong" and it had like 2 or 3 settings to it. What else? I remember seeing the Pontiac Firebird at a carshow back in the '70's, the same style Burt Reynolds drove in "Smoky and the Bandit". Jimmy Carter. I remember thinking how awesome 8 track tapes were. I remember that the poster from 'Jaws' scared me as a kid, although I wouldn't see it until much, much later in life. Happy Days, the Muppet Show, Thats Incredible!, The Gong Show, Greatest American Hero, Mork and Mindy, Stretch Armstrong, Mattel Electronics Football, Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition, Star Wars toys, Wham-O magic window, Atari 2600 (Combat and Space Invaders blew my mind) The TI-994a, commodore 64, tape drives on computers, 5 1/4" floppy disks, The Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure. (AWESOME!), Big Wheels! (mine was crushed by a drunken neighbor parking his truck, I barely escaped, Damn you Mr. Glass!), Shag Carpet, polyester suits, ABBA, Blondie, (I had a crush on Deborah Harry!), Dynamite magazine, My Empire Strikes Back lunch box, The Brady Bunch (The Hawaiian Vacation episode was the best), Shazam (couldn't a superhero find a better ride than an old Winnebago? Seriously).
Good grief, I could go on and on, and I've barely even touched on anything during the 80's. I you've got a comment or a happy birthday wish, please leave one and I'll post it up!
Lets think back to the things I remember as a kid. Rotary phones, black and white television, typewriters, 12 television channels, the internet didn't exist, I saw the first Star Wars film in a movie theatre when I was 6. H.R. Puff n stuff (The Flute in that show was creepy.) Land of the Lost (Sleestacks!) My first home video console was "Pong" and it had like 2 or 3 settings to it. What else? I remember seeing the Pontiac Firebird at a carshow back in the '70's, the same style Burt Reynolds drove in "Smoky and the Bandit". Jimmy Carter. I remember thinking how awesome 8 track tapes were. I remember that the poster from 'Jaws' scared me as a kid, although I wouldn't see it until much, much later in life. Happy Days, the Muppet Show, Thats Incredible!, The Gong Show, Greatest American Hero, Mork and Mindy, Stretch Armstrong, Mattel Electronics Football, Dungeons and Dragons 1st edition, Star Wars toys, Wham-O magic window, Atari 2600 (Combat and Space Invaders blew my mind) The TI-994a, commodore 64, tape drives on computers, 5 1/4" floppy disks, The Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure. (AWESOME!), Big Wheels! (mine was crushed by a drunken neighbor parking his truck, I barely escaped, Damn you Mr. Glass!), Shag Carpet, polyester suits, ABBA, Blondie, (I had a crush on Deborah Harry!), Dynamite magazine, My Empire Strikes Back lunch box, The Brady Bunch (The Hawaiian Vacation episode was the best), Shazam (couldn't a superhero find a better ride than an old Winnebago? Seriously).
Good grief, I could go on and on, and I've barely even touched on anything during the 80's. I you've got a comment or a happy birthday wish, please leave one and I'll post it up!
Balloons Over Bend Night Glow
Another shot from tonights event. This was a particularly difficult shot to get, as I needed a long exposure and the damn balloon kept moving around in the wind. Finally I got a semi-decent shot. Out of about 20 shots, this was one of the better ones.
Fire Dancers at Balloons Over Bend Night Glow
I wish I had caught the name of the group doing the fire dance performance at the Les Schwab Amphitheater, but they were almost done with their performance by the time I arrived. Pretty cool stuff though! I wanted to capture the fluidity of their performance, so I left the shutter open for about 4 seconds for each exposure. Had I more time, I would have tried to use shorter exposure times, but I wasn't in a good position as it was to photograph them and they're performance ended right after I took these images. (NOTE: Just got an email from an anonymous viewer, the groups name is "FireFlyte" and they were excellent).
I for one, welcome our new robotic monkey overlords.
I just read this article (link). Talk about a surreal moment. Using electrodes planted in their brains, monkeys have been able to control a robotic arm with their thoughts to feed themselves. Obviously this technology has fantastic potential for people who have artificial limbs, but perhaps also there are applications for future telepresence applications. And if you need to, you can reference the inspiration for the title post here.
I hate this time of the year
Ugh, my head feels like its been underwater for the past month. Ears plugged up. Allergies have become the bane of my existence. Coughing fits so bad that it makes me gag. Unable to sleep without the help of cough medicine and then feeling sluggish the entire next day. I feel like I can't get a full breath. Lousy, lousy, lousy, lousy. Hopefully the pollen count will be down soon and I can breathe again. Ugh!
Another shot
I was going to crop most of the stem out of this shot but I really dug how the shadow in the background looked, so I kept it in. Enjoy!Same shot, different lighting.
As you can see different lighting can dramatically change an image.Which do you prefer?
Macro Work
I felt the need to practice some macro shots today.This shot was taken with my Canon 18-55mm efs lens on a reverse mount.
Exposure was 1/8th of a second at F22.
ISO 100. Shot in RAW format.
New Self Portrait
A new self-portrait, I used filters to create a gritty look, (yes I do wash my face) not sure how I like it. Took this photo at the end of a difficult day, I thought I might be able to capture how tired I felt.Crater Lake March 9th 2008
Click to view full sizeWent to Crater Lake today, this is a panoramic image that I shot, 15 feet higher than where I would usually shoot this during the summer. Thats right, there was about 15 feet of snow there. The new visitors center, the 3 story structure? Had snow up to the roof. I could've walked to the roof. Amazing. Also quite beautiful. More images to come.
CPR CLASS
Image taken with my Motorola Razor cell phone at the end of my CPR class tonight. ARGH! Wish I had my Canon with me. Still, I loved the surreal nature of the photo as well as the composition.
Last Years Fireworks at Pilot Butte
Composite image from 4 separate exposures. I worked out of a tutorial in the January/February issue of Photoshop User magazine. I was really pleased with the results!
Same Image, but different
I approached this image again, but this time I used the filter vertically instead of horizontally, I think it works a little better.Another Fake Tilt - Shift Image: Walt and Mickey at Disneyland
Another fun image using the techniques found at this site.Make sure you click on the image to get a better view!
Taste Pilots Grill - Disneyland California Adventure
Normally I try to stay away from photos of other peoples sculpture and artwork, but I just love the front of "Taste Pilots Grill" at Disneyland's California Adventure. Being a complete aviation geek, I was thrilled to see a life sized copy of Chuck Yeagers Bell X-1 aircraft that he broke the sound barrier in. All the details are there, from the "Glamorous Glennis" painted on the side of the plane (in honor of Mr. Yeager's wife), to the orange paint scheme and the rivets on the fuselage. Cool! I also love the way they have it bursting from the building and pointed to the wild blue yonder. I keep thinking about the vacation I took with my family there back in October and I got to say, it was the best vacation I've ever had. If you go to Disneyland I highly recommend going to check out California Adventure as well.
Steins Pillar near Prineville, Oregon
This is Steins Pillar near Prineville, Oregon. Named after the explorer Enoch Steen (pronounced 'stein'). The landmark was misspelled for so many years that the incorrect spelling actually became the official name. It surprises me how similar it is to Monkey Face at Smith Rock State Park. I used HDR technique for this image. We had arrived there fairly late in the day with the sun almost directly above and to the west of the pillar. I opted to take about a dozen exposures and combine them into one so that I may retain detail in the image.
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