Sunday, January 31, 2010
Snow Watch
Got slammed again with snow this weekend. Spent almost 10 hours in the car driving on Saturday thru some really terrible conditions. So this picture brought back memories from Vermont over New Years where we ran into the same scenario.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Paradise Lost
Coming near the end of pictures I want to post from the vacation, for the time being, so I can go back to posting other things. I have to give the idea of this photo to my friend Jason, since he was the one that pointed it out; I just happened to be the one with battery left in their camera.
The people on the dock and the clouds/sunset just remind me of film images and paintings of heaven and the Milton title was the first thing to come to mind. Also Grand Turk was the last stop on our trip, so I thought the title would be appropriate.
The people on the dock and the clouds/sunset just remind me of film images and paintings of heaven and the Milton title was the first thing to come to mind. Also Grand Turk was the last stop on our trip, so I thought the title would be appropriate.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Fallen Leaves
JD Salinger died today. Can't say his work changed my life or anything, but I did read "The Catcher in the Rye" in high school. I remember having to go thru all the literary references and wondering to myself whether it was even his true intention to express all the things that English teachers derived from his words. As I was reading stuff about him today, I came across this really great quote which makes me believe that maybe my english teachers were right all along...
"An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's."
Pic tonight is from a small street in San Juan, Puerto Rico (no wheat field picture, since I thought that would be too cliche).
"An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's."
Pic tonight is from a small street in San Juan, Puerto Rico (no wheat field picture, since I thought that would be too cliche).
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Chicken Run
Had a moment while walking thru St. Thomas where I actually felt like a real photographer.
We saw shirts hanging on a clothesline outside of some houses, and it was a must for a picture. So we spent some time walking thru the development shooting the buildings and the random objects strewn on the ground. I didn't really like how my pictures of the buildings turned out (though I am sure Jason's turned out great), but I did enjoy chasing after these chickens.
What made me feel like a true photographer was the fact that taking pictures was the goal of the day, and it was exhilarating to just walk around looking for interesting stuff to shoot in a completely new place. It was a really great experience for me, and one that I will remember fondly.
I did spruce up this picture a little by making it look a little "old timey" by playing with the exposure, contrast, recovery, etc. in Lightroom. Makes me think of some of the old farm pictures we had back home.
We saw shirts hanging on a clothesline outside of some houses, and it was a must for a picture. So we spent some time walking thru the development shooting the buildings and the random objects strewn on the ground. I didn't really like how my pictures of the buildings turned out (though I am sure Jason's turned out great), but I did enjoy chasing after these chickens.
What made me feel like a true photographer was the fact that taking pictures was the goal of the day, and it was exhilarating to just walk around looking for interesting stuff to shoot in a completely new place. It was a really great experience for me, and one that I will remember fondly.
I did spruce up this picture a little by making it look a little "old timey" by playing with the exposure, contrast, recovery, etc. in Lightroom. Makes me think of some of the old farm pictures we had back home.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Lacewing
When we landed in St. Thomas, I was expecting white sand covered beaches and blue water just like the Bahamas. Unfortunately, the harbor is an enormous tourist trap, and you need to walk or take a taxi in order to get away from the jewelry stores.
One good thing, though, was the Butterfly Farm located near the harbor. You get to walk inside an enormous cage with butterflies floating everywhere, making it a photographers dream. It was hard to capture some in flight, but when I found this one on a plant, it was nice enough to cooperate for long enough for me to get off a few shots.
One good thing, though, was the Butterfly Farm located near the harbor. You get to walk inside an enormous cage with butterflies floating everywhere, making it a photographers dream. It was hard to capture some in flight, but when I found this one on a plant, it was nice enough to cooperate for long enough for me to get off a few shots.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Like a Dream
Picture is from South Beach, Miami tonight. Really overcast/rainy day when we arrived, so didn't really get to enjoy the area as much, but a little Lightroom magic made it look a lot better than it was.
Traveling tip, if you are going to Miami to go on a cruise or traveling and don't want to carry your bags around when you are at the beach, just walk into one of the hotels on the main strip and ask to leave your bags at the desk. Its cheap and frees you up to just enjoy yourself. After shedding the bags, got some great shots of the birds, waves, chairs, umbrellas, and all other things beach. I softened this picture a lot, and I love how it makes it look more dreamy and surreal.
Traveling tip, if you are going to Miami to go on a cruise or traveling and don't want to carry your bags around when you are at the beach, just walk into one of the hotels on the main strip and ask to leave your bags at the desk. Its cheap and frees you up to just enjoy yourself. After shedding the bags, got some great shots of the birds, waves, chairs, umbrellas, and all other things beach. I softened this picture a lot, and I love how it makes it look more dreamy and surreal.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Party's Over
Exhausted from a day of travel, so quick post that says it all (returning from a trip is always hard).
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Paint Bucket
This post is truly more of a "how I saw it" vs. what it actually was. We went to Yellowstone National Park one random weekend this past summer as my buddy John was leaving Idaho, and neither of us had been there. We grabbed our buddy Martin and just drove on over. 6 hours latter, we got to a camp site, drank some beers and relaxed. The next day was filled with seeing the sites of Yellowstone, and dealing with the most dangerous animals there... Tourists.
But coming back to my original thought, we went to one of the areas, Fountain Paint Pots, which is a geothermal feature consisting of mud puddles boiling from the hot water underneath. What I loved about the place was really the name, as the mud it's self was just a plain gray color and not nearly as exciting as the name portrayed. So doing a little Photo magic, the image below is how I felt about the place more so than what I actually saw.
But coming back to my original thought, we went to one of the areas, Fountain Paint Pots, which is a geothermal feature consisting of mud puddles boiling from the hot water underneath. What I loved about the place was really the name, as the mud it's self was just a plain gray color and not nearly as exciting as the name portrayed. So doing a little Photo magic, the image below is how I felt about the place more so than what I actually saw.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Raindrops off 8th Street
Not sure why I picked this image tonight; because the weather has actually been pretty good lately, just cold and cloudy. But as I was flipping thru some pictures, this one just jumped out at me.
I am still working on capturing rain drops (haven't gotten the DOF or pre-focus down yet), and one day I will get it just right.
I am still working on capturing rain drops (haven't gotten the DOF or pre-focus down yet), and one day I will get it just right.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Foot prints
One of the more random sites in Idaho is the giant sand dunes south of Mountain Home. The Bruneau Sand Dunes are massive mountains of sand in the middle of no where. You drive up on them, and you can barely believe what you are seeing.
It was a must see for everyone that ever visited me in Boise, since it was close, and was a pretty cool random natural wonder. This shot was taken about a year ago. I created the foot prints in advance, but hey, you gotta fake it every once in a while to get the shot you want.
It was a must see for everyone that ever visited me in Boise, since it was close, and was a pretty cool random natural wonder. This shot was taken about a year ago. I created the foot prints in advance, but hey, you gotta fake it every once in a while to get the shot you want.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Light up the Night
Living in Philadelphia during college was definitely an experience. The food and places there have their own special "charm", that made for some great times. Both my brothers actually ended up living there a few years after me (I like to think I started the trend), so the good times just kept rolling.
I loved this view from the Spring Garden Street bridge between the Art Museum and Mantua over the Schukyll River. It actually took two years after moving away for me to actually capture it, and my younger brother being a good sport to tag along with me to keep me company.
I loved this view from the Spring Garden Street bridge between the Art Museum and Mantua over the Schukyll River. It actually took two years after moving away for me to actually capture it, and my younger brother being a good sport to tag along with me to keep me company.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Field Work
I bought a bird book from Fish and Game while I was in Boise, and I used it to find many random areas for pictures. Some good (the Sage Grouse Lek near Wilder), and some bad (one south of Ketchum with no birds at the end of a muddy road that I almost got stuck on).
On a random Saturday I headed over to one near Nyssa, looking for some Ring Neck Pheasants. I didn't get lucky with any, but I did get a shot of this little guy sitting on top of some nearby plow equipment.
On a random Saturday I headed over to one near Nyssa, looking for some Ring Neck Pheasants. I didn't get lucky with any, but I did get a shot of this little guy sitting on top of some nearby plow equipment.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
White on White
I broke 1000+ picture views this week on Flickr! Probably not a big deal for most, but I only started posting on there two months ago, so its a good feeling to know people like my work. But I digress...
Todays picture is from the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge outside of Ogden, Utah (near Salt Lake City). I went down there with my buddy Lee specifically to catch some glimpses of the large flocks of birds. Its no Bosque del Apache, but there were still tons of birds, and quite a few Trumpeter Swans specifcally. We got there hella early in the morning and got to see some Swans, Pelicans, and even a few random Mergansers. The ponds were still frozen with ice (it was only March), and the pictures of the swans on the ice flows are by far my favorite.
Todays picture is from the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge outside of Ogden, Utah (near Salt Lake City). I went down there with my buddy Lee specifically to catch some glimpses of the large flocks of birds. Its no Bosque del Apache, but there were still tons of birds, and quite a few Trumpeter Swans specifcally. We got there hella early in the morning and got to see some Swans, Pelicans, and even a few random Mergansers. The ponds were still frozen with ice (it was only March), and the pictures of the swans on the ice flows are by far my favorite.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Snail's Pace
One of my favorite places in the world is the Redwood National Forest in Humboldt County near Eureka, California. The area is just beautiful; the tall trees, wildlife, ocean views. Its just amazing in a way thats hard to even express in words. I have gone out twice, both over Memorial Weekend, when its still a little too cold/rainy for the large crowds.
Hiking along one of more popular trails I was surprised by the sheer amount of animals that could still be seen. There were Deer, Bald Eagles, Centipedes, Banana Slugs, and even snails (like the one below), right on the trail. I was really hoping to see some newts, since they are really rare, but I will just have to use it as an excuse to go back.
Hiking along one of more popular trails I was surprised by the sheer amount of animals that could still be seen. There were Deer, Bald Eagles, Centipedes, Banana Slugs, and even snails (like the one below), right on the trail. I was really hoping to see some newts, since they are really rare, but I will just have to use it as an excuse to go back.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Kiss to build a Dream on
Found this amazing book: "A Shadow Falls" while shopping for books with some gift cards from Christmas and fell instantly in love with the images. Nick Brandt's pictures are some of the best B&W pictures I have ever seen, let alone pictures of animals. I ordered a copy, but I'll have to wait until some copies are in stock.
In my feeble attempt to try to create something similar, I dug up some animal pics I had taken previously on a trip out to California. We had gone to the Santa Cruz pier, after touring around the Monterey Bay area, and there was a lower dock that was just packed, and I mean packed, with California Sea Lions. They were just laying around until the occasional loner would try to jump up on the dock, which would cause an up roar. I caught these two posed (more like sleeping) in a perfect kodak moment.
In my feeble attempt to try to create something similar, I dug up some animal pics I had taken previously on a trip out to California. We had gone to the Santa Cruz pier, after touring around the Monterey Bay area, and there was a lower dock that was just packed, and I mean packed, with California Sea Lions. They were just laying around until the occasional loner would try to jump up on the dock, which would cause an up roar. I caught these two posed (more like sleeping) in a perfect kodak moment.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Dust off
I didn't realize until yesterday, how much of a Macro kick I have been on lately (thanks for pointing it out Sam); but hey I am a sucker for pictures of stuff up close and personal. So I will continue this week with some animal pictures.
Back home in Maryland, we had a large garden/pond in our backyard in which my mom had planted a ton of cacti. Now how cactus plants managed to survive year in and year out in Maryland is beyond me, but they managed to come back with new yellow blossoms every year. Needless to say this attracted lots of insects, specifically bumblebees like the one below.
Back home in Maryland, we had a large garden/pond in our backyard in which my mom had planted a ton of cacti. Now how cactus plants managed to survive year in and year out in Maryland is beyond me, but they managed to come back with new yellow blossoms every year. Needless to say this attracted lots of insects, specifically bumblebees like the one below.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Moss Step
I finally got to editing and posting pictures from Christmas (the ski slopes in Vermont were calling my name on New Years), and I picked this picture because of some things I was thinking about while looking thru the other pictures I took down in Charlotte.
I have found that the statement of seeing things without your camera first to pre-visualize shots is definitely a must when you want to try to actually make an image, not just take a photograph. I battle this constantly, because I want to just shoot pictures, but then I go back and look thru them and I hate them. If, however, I sit and think about what things I want to take pictures of and get a image of a concept in my head first, the images turn out the way I want them to, regardless of whether I took 1 or 10.
The same goes with this picture, when I had been looking at images of urban decay thru out the week, and loved the idea of plants growing in building ruins. So I was shooting the moss on my relative's front steps, to try to create this vision, and I happened across these little growths coming out. I didn't quite get the DOF correct on this, but I still love the picture.
I have found that the statement of seeing things without your camera first to pre-visualize shots is definitely a must when you want to try to actually make an image, not just take a photograph. I battle this constantly, because I want to just shoot pictures, but then I go back and look thru them and I hate them. If, however, I sit and think about what things I want to take pictures of and get a image of a concept in my head first, the images turn out the way I want them to, regardless of whether I took 1 or 10.
The same goes with this picture, when I had been looking at images of urban decay thru out the week, and loved the idea of plants growing in building ruins. So I was shooting the moss on my relative's front steps, to try to create this vision, and I happened across these little growths coming out. I didn't quite get the DOF correct on this, but I still love the picture.
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