Sunday, April 30, 2006

Ears

Nikon D100

Taken in Sonoma on our weekend trip up there with some friends.

--Warren

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow,what a pair!Sometimes,the photo-eyes can see better and in greater details than our wonderful human eyes.Nice work.
PAT

Monday, May 1, 2006 at 6:29:00 AM PDT  
Blogger martin said...

Interesting photo. Nice light. I like the tight crop. Is it a pony?

Tuesday, May 2, 2006 at 4:36:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks for comments, Pat & Martin.

The ears belong to a large horse who came over to see me from behind the fence. Our rental house was next to some stables.

--Warren

Tuesday, May 2, 2006 at 5:55:00 PM PDT  

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Thursday, April 27, 2006

300 E. Lombard

300 E. Lombard - Baltimore, MarylandOn the way to work today, I passed by this view of 300 E. Lombard - I hadn't seen it from this side before and liked the pattern made by the curved facade of the building.

I made a number of photos of this building back in December. It stands out (to me, anyway) as a really good example of modern high-rise architecture among the otherwise mostly dull skyline of Baltimore.

1 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Nice set of repeating patterns. I wonder if the building's architect envisioned how it would look from this particular angle and lighting.

--Warren

Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 10:46:00 PM PDT  

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Don't Know How Lucky You Are, Boy...

Tovarisch Stoisha - Krasnaya ArmiyaOK, I couldn't resist after Eric mentioned May Day!

Here is a portrait of me when I was known as Comrade Stoisha, back in my Glorious Commie Camera days.

I'm going to try hard this weekend to mark the occassion of May Day by putting actual film into one of my actual film (Commie) cameras and talking some non-digital photos.

My plan is to use my little digital camera the way the pros used to use "Polaroid backs" in the old days - to set up and evaluation the shot, then take it using film.

BTW, that was my original thought on the way I'd be using our first digital camera, a Canon A40 2MP P&S model that we bought in Sep 2002. I used it that way for about 2 days, until I found that it actually made very good images on its own.

3 Comments:

Blogger SteveR said...

I forgot to add this link - an MP3 file to help get in the mood for May Day:

http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~makarov/temporary_url_20051216rpszw/anthem-sovietunion-1977.mp3

Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 6:18:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

That's a hilarious picture, comrade Steve. :)

I look forward to seeing the glorious pictue from your Commie camera! Which one will you be using, the Kiev 4?

We're leaving for a 2 night trip up to Sonoma with some friends (Eric will be there too).

We're coming back on Sunday, but then we're leaving again on Tuesday morning for an extended road trip. I won't have time to be online much, but I'll try to hook up occasionally, and maybe post something along the way.

--Warren

Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 8:27:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Comrade! Great photo! Man, you make me want to post my face on a Mao poster or something. "Communism sweeps the world", next on NPR.

Eric

Monday, May 1, 2006 at 1:40:00 PM PDT  

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Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Volvo Ocean Race Comes to Baltimore

Brazil Navy Ship Cisne Branco in Baltimore HarborThe first of several impressive sailing ships arrived in Baltimore yesterday, celebrating the Volvo Ocean Race.

This beauty is the Cisne Branco (White Swan), a ship of the Brazil Navy. At 253 feet (76 m) long and 154 feet (46.4 m) and fully rigged with 31 sails, it looks like something built in the 1800's. Actually, although it was inspired by the design of late-19th Century clipper ships, it was built just six years ago in Amsterdam.

Another photo from my Canon A620, which I make sure is in my backpack as I leave for work every morning.

2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Nice composition, and interesting comparison of old style ship vs. a modern building. One year, during Fleet Week in S.F, an international contingent of tall ships came to visit. This one may have been in port that day too.

--Warren

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 9:12:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Nice photo. Good composition. Interesting stuff, too.

Eric

Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 7:33:00 AM PDT  

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Trailside Portrait -- Andrew & Dad


Voigtlander Bessa R, Jupiter-8 50mm f2, Tri-X

Finally!!! I got my Nikon Coolscan LS-30 film scanner working again! I abandoned trying to use the NikonScan software and instead, purchased Vuescan which works beautifully. I have a ton of Tri-X shots that are waiting to be scanned and posted, and this is the first one of the bunch.

Gail and I went for a hike at Huddart Park in San Mateo, and we crossed paths on a wooded trail with this cute little boy and his father. I was shooting my Bessa rangefinder with my Russian 50mm f2 (Jupiter 8). As I mentioned before, I really like the characteristics of this lens.

--Warren

2 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

Great photo, man. The characteristics of the lens may be good, but it's not half as important as the user behind the lens. Good shot.

Eric

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 3:49:00 PM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

I like it! The way you got sort of a "V" shape of the two heads is great. The bokeh of that Glorious Commie Lens is very nice

-- SteveR

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 7:11:00 PM PDT  

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May Project Theme Decision Needed

April is almost over, we need to decide on some themes for the upcoming months.

Please let everyone know your choices.

The themes that are on currently in contention are:

- People at Work
- Decisive Moment
- Self Portrait
- Animals
- People in Love
- Joy vs. Sorrow
- Lines

Gail and I are going on vacation in May, so I may not be able to post anything until mid to late May, but I'll most certainly be shooting lots of pictures!

My choices are:

May -- People at Work
June -- Joy vs. Sorrow (this is a challenge, but should be fun)
July -- ???

--Warren

3 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

I vote for people at work since Mayday is, well, in May.

Even tho these are the proposed themes, no matter what theme we have, I know we are going to submit all kinds of pix. But then again, that's what makes this fun! I don't feel like I'm in a class. We feel free to submit pix we like and that makes this a great learning experience.

Eric

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 3:48:00 PM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

I vote with Comrade Eric, in recognition of May Day... Workers of the World, Unite!

Hey, who's coming with me to watch the big military parade in Red Square??

-- SteveR

Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 6:05:00 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My nominations are:
MAY--decisive moment
JUN--joy vs sorrow
JLY--lines
PAT

Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 4:41:00 AM PDT  

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Monday, April 24, 2006

Friendly Street Cat (Burlingame, CA)



Nikon D100, Tamron 24-135mm

This friendly, furry cat kept following me, wanting to get its belly rubbed.

--Warren

3 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

Warren - Looks like a very cool and tough cat. It seems to be saying, "Play with me or I'll clobber ya." It's probably a real pushover.

Ej

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 at 3:03:00 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

First,I must confess my ignorance about cats. However,this guy's eyes look rather vicious,hatred and evil to me. I don't think I even dare to stand in his way. The only nice thing I can say about him is the pair of white paws.
The photos are nicely captured too.
PAT

Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 4:50:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

now that you guys mentioned it, he does look mean, vicious, and evil in the pictures. But I guess looks can be deceiving because he was very nice and gentle (at least with me).

--Warren

Monday, May 1, 2006 at 9:13:00 PM PDT  

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Saturday, April 22, 2006

Views at a Railroad Stop


This image is of a mural at the railroad stop in Natick. I thought it was kind of fun and wanted to get a shot of it.


















I was waiting for my train to Boston (to catch a bus to NY) at the same stop when I snapped this image. I liked the shadows on the wall and the angles created by the shadows and structures. There were a bunch of regular commuters wondering what the heck I found interesting in the bridge.

Eric

4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Nice lines on the bridge shot. I'm really enjoying your travel shots! Thanks for posting them.

--WT

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 4:41:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Warren - Thx. I have some more that I'll be posting. Glad you enjoy them.

Ej

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 9:42:00 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, I agree that the shadows do transform the photo into one which is thoughtful,imaginative and refreshing. Good work!
PAT

Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 4:55:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Thank you, Pat.

Eric

Tuesday, May 2, 2006 at 3:41:00 PM PDT  

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The Atlantic Coast


This is a picture of the Atlantic off the coast of Rhode Island. It was a gorgeous day. The coast is so different from what we have here in CA but it's just as beautiful.

Eric

3 Comments:

Blogger Lea said...

It is my goal to someday make it out to the East coast! You are so lucky to have been!! Jeff Hutcheson's "Best of Canada" with John McQuarrie Photography has me totally looking forward to my journey to the Atlantic :) Great shots in the book!

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/books-978189467311/1894673115/Best+Of+Canada

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 9:42:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Lea - Thx! I didn't know who you were at first and then read Warren's comment. If you have any questions on the East Coast (New England), I'll see if I can help. I grew up outside of Boston.

Welcome and hope you continue to enjoy this site. It's a fun one!

Eric

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 10:45:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Lea said...

Well thank-you so much!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 8:00:00 PM PDT  

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Crocuses - Sure Signs of Spring in New England


While I was walking around my parents' neighborhood, I spied some crocuses popping out of the ground. These are great flowers that we don't have here in the San Francisco area. I was thinking of planting some in my yard, but I believe they require the cold as a part of their initial growth. Oh well, they are one of the treats I get to see when I go back East.

Eric

5 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

No kidding, I never see these at nurseries, let alone growing in the wild. Nice.

--WT

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 4:41:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Lea said...

I love flowers!

Nice pic :)

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 9:26:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

In case you guys didn't know, Lea has a link from her blog to our forum (http://colourpixie.blogspot.com/).

I told Lea that she should post comments here if she feels like it.

Thanks Lea!

--Warren

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 9:51:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Lea said...

Wow, you guys make me feel so welcome here :) Thanks!

Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 7:54:00 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

An amazing mix of nature's colors in just one "DNA". Nice catch!
PAT

Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 5:01:00 AM PDT  

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Friday, April 21, 2006

Springtime in Brooklyn



While visiting with my friend, Keith, in Brooklyn, we went to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I got a couple of shots of the Japanese Garden.













These trees were looking pretty nice to say the least. The flowers were so white, it seemed like they were glowing.

Eric

2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Nice ones!

FWIW, on the top picture, perhaps cropping out that sky on the upper right would make it just a little more dramatic.

I always try to get blossom shots every year, but I've rarely been successful.

--WT

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 4:53:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Warren - Thx. I will follow your suggestion & try messing with the photo. Appreciate the feedback.

Ej

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 9:43:00 PM PDT  

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Springtime in Rhode Island in the Day

Genie (my wife) and my friend, Kris, were checking out a shop in Warwick, RI and I stayed outside to enjoy the day. I took this shot outside the store.

Eric

0 Comments:

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Springtime in NY at Night


After a great dinner in NY's Chinatown with my aunt and my buddy, Keith Sera, and going to a jazz nightclub in Greenwich Village, Keith and I were walking around Manhattan and I took this image. I haven't the slightest idea where we were.

Eric

2 Comments:

Blogger SteveR said...

That building in the background is the Metropolitan Life Insurance Tower, built 1907-1909- it looks as if it's straight down the street or avenue from where you are. So you were somewhere along either 23rd Street or Madison Avenue. :-)

-- SteveR

Sunday, April 23, 2006 at 3:38:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Thank you, Steve. I was just following my friend and walking around aimlessly.

Sunday, April 23, 2006 at 3:46:00 PM PDT  

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Photo-Ops Walking To & From Work...

250 W. Pratt Street - Baltimore, MDBringing my little Canon A620 with me to work every day is getting to be a lot of fun now that I'm on an assignment in downtown Baltimore. I'm always swiveling my head, looking up and down everywhere as I go the 3/4 mile between the Light Rail station and the office.

Here's a photo of 250 W. Pratt Street, caddy-corner from where I get off of the Light Rail. This 24-floor building by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is one of the few really attractive modern structures among the Baltimore skyline.
World Trade Center Baltimore - Inner Harbor ReflectionOn the other hand, the building that's reflected in the water here is one that I never tire of making fun of - World Trade Center Baltimore. Unfortunately, WTCB, built in 1968, sits right on the edge of the Inner Harbor, so you can't ignore it and hope it will go away. It's a boring design that also has aged poorly, kind of a high-rise slum.

On the other hand, reflections of WTCB can be quite nice, especially if they are distorted - the distortions add interest to the otherwise yawn-provoking design.

Genuine Baltimore Orioles FansWhile I was waiting for the Light Rail to take me back home this afternoon, today's Orioles game was letting out from the ballpark at Camden Yards, right next to the rail stop. It was a nice opportunity for some street photography, and my best shot of the day was of these two very loyal Orioles fans. By the way, the Birds won today 9-4 over Cleveland.


Light Rail FisheyeThe last few shots of the day were "fisheye" images of the wide-angle mirror at the Light Rail stop. I had taken some of these last fall, but yesterday I noticed that the southbound track, the one I take going home, had a more interesting view.

In this image, you can see 250 W. Pratt Street on the left and the Bromo Tower on the right.

... and at bottom center, you can see your intrepid East Coast correspondent using a highly unorthodox camera-hold technique.

(It's hard to see in the photo, but the flip-out-and-swivel LCD on the Canon A620 allows me to hold the camera high over my head, level or even pointing downward, and still see exactly what I'm looking at on the LCD.)

6 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

Steve:

Great photos. I've never been to Baltimore before and I've wanted to check it out. Our East Coast correspondent gave me a more incentive for going. Baltimore looks cool.

Ej

Saturday, April 22, 2006 at 7:36:00 PM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

Thanks, Eric - you can stay with us if you come this way! Between Baltimore, Washington DC (only 40mi to south) and a bit in Annapolis, there's a lot to see.

-- SteveR

Sunday, April 23, 2006 at 6:03:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

First annual Friendly Photo Forum Convention will be held at Steve's house!!! (just kidding).

Nice reflection shots, Steve!

--WT

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 4:54:00 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

W.Pratt Street Building
Interesting modern structures
indeed. The facinating photo-
composition together with the
passing jet-plane do add life
and motion and a stepping-up-to
the-left attraction. Nice work!

World Trade Centre
The design may well be boring
but the reflection,so nicely
framed and recorded,is really
eye-catching.

Fisheye images
The picture was so thoughtfully
/skillfully framed and taken
eg the "modern" W.Pratt Street
building in full view,the action
at the Light Rail Stop,the
balanccing Bromo Tower on the
right,more action/motion of the
walking-lady in black,a full-
view of the Light Rail wiring
network and a live signature
as a perfect final touch, I
wonder how much time did you
spend standing there and
"creating" this really nice
piece of work? Well done!
PAT

Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 5:44:00 AM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"...First annual Friendly Photo Forum Convention will be held at Steve's house!!! ..."

OK, I'm up for it! :-)

Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 8:37:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Steve said...

Steve,

Simply brilliant! I love this shot. I never thought of using those mirrors for a shot.

Steve

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 at 10:32:00 PM PDT  

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Apr. Project -- American Blossoms

Nikon D100

So, has eveyone forgotten about this month's project?

I took this recently during a walk in Burlingame, CA.

--Warren

1 Comments:

Blogger Eric said...

I gave you pix of spring - kinda.

Friday, April 21, 2006 at 1:28:00 PM PDT  

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Monday, April 17, 2006

A Chinese Laundry


The Lee Family owned this laundry in Natick. Some of you may know my friend, Victor Lee, but it was a different Lee family. This was a real old time family and how they decided upon Natick in which to settle is beyond me. I never knew Mr. Lee for he died long before I was born, but I knew Mrs. Lee and she was a great person. When my grandmother came to the house (from Boston), Mrs. Lee either came by or we took my grandma to see Mrs. Lee. It was really neat to sit and listen to them talk. During the Lunar New Year, Mrs. Lee would also bring us all kinds of goodies, too. She's long gone now, and her daughter runs the laundry. This is a true bit of Americana. I never really thought much about it until this posting, but places such as this are what helped shape America.

4 Comments:

Blogger SteveR said...

Hi Eric - A really nice photo that shows the feel of the area. The way you got the "positive and negative" effect of the sign on the window and it's shadow on the curtain is *very cool*!!

-- SteveR

Friday, April 21, 2006 at 5:25:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Hi Steve:

Thx. I was hoping something would catch the feel of the place.

Eric

Saturday, April 22, 2006 at 7:34:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

The picture is nice, and thought provoking, and I also like the sign's shadow on the curtain. But the real cool thing is the personal story that went with the picture.

--WT

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 4:56:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Warren - Glad you liked the personal story. That's my favorite part, too. Lee Po was a really nice person.

Eric

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 at 3:01:00 PM PDT  

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Further Images of Small Town America

I wanted to show you guys the downtown area of Natick, MA. The area you see now is the commons in the middle of town. The monument in the middle was built as a memorial to the Civil War vets. Natick is about 20 miles west of Boston, next to Wellesley (but definitely not as rich). When I was growing up, it was a pretty small place with about 16,000 people. It still is small, but with the advent of the computer industry in the early 80's, the place grew. I now experience traffic jams. Imagine that.









This is another view of the commons in beautiful downtown Natick. In the background is a large Methodist church. I suppose I could've shot these photos in color, but shooting them in b&w gave it a more old-fashioned look.

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Sunday, April 16, 2006

One Way Frampton


I got a pic of this One Way sign in Wickford, RI. I thought it was kind of strange and a bit interesting. Historic New England at its best.

Eric

0 Comments:

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Time Travel


Genie and I went down to Providence, RI to see an old friend and the 3 of us took a trip to historic Wickford, RI. Wickford has a lot of colonial homes from the 1700's and they are in great condition. I would love to have one of those.

Eric

2 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Hi Eric,

These are very cool travel pictures. Keep them coming!

The color on this one reminds me of vintage, faded Ektachrome.

--Warren

Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 2:38:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

It does. I didn't mess with the colors either. This is what the houses looked like.

Eric

Monday, April 17, 2006 at 4:30:00 PM PDT  

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Saturday, April 15, 2006

The Charles River in South Natick

Just got back from my trip to Massachusetts and New York yesterday. It shows the part of town (Natick) I used to love to go to as a kid. On hot summer days, you could ride your bike down to the Charles and just sit by the river and read or just hang out. It was a great place where you could watch the birds, the ducks, and life just amble on by.

I've got some material for postings for the next couple of weeks. Hope you'll like them.

Later.

Eric

4 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Very peaceful feeling here, I would love to see more of this area, if you have them.

--WT

Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 2:39:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Thx and I will be posting more. Not going to post all of the pix at once. Gotta string'em out.

Eric

Sunday, April 16, 2006 at 9:19:00 PM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

Hi Eric - you captured a very pastoral scene here, and I enjoyed your reminscing about the place and its connection to your boyhood.

-- SteveR

Friday, April 21, 2006 at 5:23:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Eric said...

Steve - Thank you. I used to really like going down to the Charles River in South Natick. I used to be really quiet and not much traffic. The traffic has sure picked up, though.

Eric

Monday, April 24, 2006 at 2:23:00 PM PDT  

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Friday, April 14, 2006

There's Always Another Angle



Nikon D100, Nikkor 24mm f2.8

I couldn't resist posting another view from yesterday.

--Warren

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes,an unmistakable landmark scene,a forever pleasant view and what a well-composed photo!
PAT

Monday, April 17, 2006 at 7:52:00 AM PDT  

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Reflection



I took this shot last week on a walk on Clement Street. I've been a bit busy lately.

3 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Martin! We missed you!

What have you been up to?

That's a great spotlight effect you got there. Very creative!

--Warren

Friday, April 14, 2006 at 9:21:00 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

An interesting picture which offers plently of rooms for imagination and questions.
PAT

Monday, April 17, 2006 at 7:55:00 AM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

Hi Martin - great photo - I really like the lighter circle effect in the middle!

-- SteveR

Friday, April 21, 2006 at 5:21:00 PM PDT  

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Unusual Sight...Good Weather!

Nikon D100, Nikkor 24mm f2.8

Finally, a gorgeous Spring day in SF!

We had an unusually long rainy season this year, but hopefully we've turned the corner toward Spring now.

--Warren

3 Comments:

Blogger Benson said...

Gorgeous photo on a gorgeous day. It was such a relief to have a beautiful warm day after over a month of rain.

I like the lines of the bleacher seats leading right up to the main subject of the Golden Gate and the blue sky. Unforuntately, the building blocked part of the bridge. Would have been even better without the building.

Friday, April 14, 2006 at 10:00:00 AM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In terms of composition, eye-leading effects and shadow contrast, this is a gorgeous photo indeed. Good work!
PAT

Monday, April 17, 2006 at 8:02:00 AM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

Great foreground, great background - great use of the leading lines (or curves) from one to the other... I love it!

-- SteveR

Friday, April 21, 2006 at 5:22:00 PM PDT  

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Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Hester Street

Little Italy - Mulberry & Hester, NYC
Hester Street Playground - 'East' Chinatown, NYC

I posted these on my blog, and thought you'd like to see them here as well...

From the archive, some photos from an August 2004 visit to New York City. Like Marco Polo, I travelled from Little Italy to Chinatown, a wonderful, colorful journey.

Canon Digital Rebel. Photo of man sitting taken with the "kit" 18-55mm lens, and photo of boy on playground taken with Sigma 70-300 Marco II zoom.

Update: It just occurred to me that the gentleman sitting in the red chair is a dead ringer for former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir

2 Comments:

Blogger SteveR said...

I must really have Marco Polo on the brain.... that's 70-300 MACRO II zoom, not "Marco II" ;-)

-- SteveR

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 3:28:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Amazing, that guy DOES look like the Israeli PM! :)

I really like the colors and composition of the Chinatown shot. The yellow background emphasizes the opening that the boy is looking through, and nicely complements the rich green color of the wall. The colors and vertical stripes on the boy's shirt works well too. Good catch! Actually, you have almost the entire color spectrum represented here.

--Warren

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 2:10:00 PM PDT  

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Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Santa Cruz Street Candid -- Version 2

This version is actually my original crop of this shot. It includes more of the 2nd dog, as Pat suggested.



This is the version that I posted first. It has a closer crop that I thought emphasized the little girl better, and eliminated some of the background distractions.



It was a candid, fluid, grab-shot environment. There was not much time to compose.

Which one do you like better?

--Warren

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I seem to recall that I've spoken about the second (cropped) picture.To answer Warren's query,I kind of prefer the first photo simply because it has all three faces shown. Yes,the time-constrain was understandably fierce,but nonetheless the "joyful expression" of the child was so vividly captured.Nice shot!
PAT

Thursday, April 20, 2006 at 6:35:00 AM PDT  

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Monday, April 10, 2006

TPA



This was taken at the Tampa International Airport. I liked how the structure of the ceiling looked. Originally taken in color with the Canon A95 but converted to b&w.










revised 4/12/06:
Warren inspired me to improve on this picture so after he sent me his revision, I thought I would do the same. Here is another try of the same shot but more centered and symmetrical. Thanks Warren.



And, I thought I would also share the original with you here.

5 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Wow! Nicely seen, Benson.

The slight tilt/offset at the top of the picture is a little bothersome to the eye. This can be easily corrected (rotated) in Photoshop if you just cropped in a little. Then the image would be perfectaly asymmetrical.

Thanks for posting the pictures!

--Warren

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 11:55:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Benson said...

Thanks Warren. I had already rotated it in Photoshop but unfortunately, I did not take the picture very straight (trying to balance with a crutch while people all around me are rushing to and from their flights). I did not want to overcrop it at the expense of trying to straighten it out more. This seemed like a good compromise.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 2:14:00 PM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

Wow! I wish I had taken this one! :-)

Great photo, Benson.

-- SteveR

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 5:39:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Benson said...

Last night Warren emailed me with a more symmetrical cropping of my photo. Since he inspired me to do it, I have revised my photo to show the more symmetrical version. I have also posted the original, unedited version.

Thanks for your comment Steve.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 9:02:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

That's a dynamite shot, Benson. You have an eye for these things (I remember some of your previous posts). I think it would look great framed and hanging on a wall. Also, good call on the B&W conversion, it's much better than the color version.

--Warren

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 10:53:00 AM PDT  

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Sunshine Skyway Bridge


I was in the Tampa, Florida area a few weeks ago. On that trip I broke my foot so was not able to get around too well. Unfortunately, I could not take too many pictures. On our way to the airport, I sat in the front seat with my wife's Canon A95 P&S camera to try to catch anything that looked interesting. This was taken in a car going 60mph. I had to do some color correcting as taking it through the windshield gave it a bluish tone. I think this is the bridge design they hope to do for the San Francisco Bay bridge.

3 Comments:

Blogger Warren T. said...

Very nice capture (@60mph, no less!).

--WT

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 11:52:00 AM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

Wonderful composition, Benson - inlcuding how you got that dark car (SUV?) at just the right point. Excellent.

-- SteveR

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 5:38:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Benson said...

Composition of the bridge and roadway was really luck. I would not recommend doing this while driving but while sitting in the passenger seat, you can get some surprisingly good pictures. Of course, color correcting helped a lot because the windshield gave it a horrible blue tinge.

Color correcting technique very similar to what Steve had described on his blog a while back. I followed the instructions in the Photoshop CS Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby. Warren had an earlier edition that led me to get this one. Great book with a cookbook approach to whatever photo problem you are trying to correct. Highly recommended.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 9:12:00 AM PDT  

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Bowling Alley Abstract

I've always liked the "graphic" painted on the front of this otherwise semi-shabby bowling alley near my Mom's, and I've been wanting to try some "abstract" photos of it for a while. An overall picture of the scene is at top - not a beautiful sight as you can see. I'm not sure my "abstract" succeeds - what do you guys think?

Bowling Alley AbstractTaken withe Canon Digital Rebel and "kit" 18-55mm zoom lens. I gave it some "under" exposure compensation so as not to burn out the white-painted bricks in the bright sunlight. The sky was already a deep blue, but the exposure shift deepened it some more.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Very interesting composition...and very abstract. I kind of wonder what will it be if the blue line goes touching the very corner on the bottom right and the longest line goes all the way to the top...thereby giving it quite a pack of triangles and....well
PAT

Monday, April 10, 2006 at 8:20:00 AM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Steve,

I think it was a success! It's great as it is, but I agree with Pat regarding the slight tweaking of the cropping/composition. It might add a little something "extra" to the abstraction.

The white bricks were not burned out, but on the other hand, I think the other colors could benefit from some lightening. By doing so, you might bring out and emphasize the geometry a little more (it seems a bit dark to my eyes), and give the overall image a little more "pop".

I really like the combination of colors, and it even has the trademark SteveR splash of red :).

The geometry of this one reminds me of my building abstract from July 2005:

http://fpcf.blogspot.com/2005/07/building-abstract-2-downtown-sf-nikon.html

--Warren

Monday, April 10, 2006 at 12:27:00 PM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

Thanks Pat & Warren!

I'm not sure I understand Pat's cropping advice - can you try describing it again? ;-)

Also, I should be able to lighten up the middle tones using the Levels dialog in Photoshop - you're right- it does appear too dark.

-- SteveR

Monday, April 10, 2006 at 12:48:00 PM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

>>The geometry of this one reminds me of my building abstract from July 2005:<<

ah - not THAT was a masterpiece - I'm flattered that you would consider this one in the same ballpark - I this one, but I think your July 2005 abstract is "more better." ;-)

-- SteveR

Monday, April 10, 2006 at 12:49:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Steve,

I'll email my version to you so that you'll see what we mean...

--WT

Monday, April 10, 2006 at 12:59:00 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Steve, sorry for the belated reply. What I meant was to move the ceiling of the photo a little downward and touching the tip of the walls. Also, move the photo slightly to the right so that the white triangle is seen pointing more fully to the bottom right hand corner.The results--more triangles for...
PAT

Monday, April 17, 2006 at 8:20:00 AM PDT  

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Thursday, April 06, 2006

Rumination...

Obligatory Picture Post: Our 500SL in Front of our Favorite Hotel in Carmel, Canonet GIII QL17, Ilford XP2 Super

Not a very artsy picture, but I think it's a bit strange to have that vintage B&W look with a modern car. The picture was a bit underexposed, I think, which caused it to be a little grainy. Either that, or Walgreen's scanner botched up again. :) On this overnighter, our room was on the 2nd floor, just above the driver's side of the SL in this picture.

-----------------------------

Hi Gang,

We have a lull in the action. After the torrid activity prompted by Eric's, SteveR's, and my barrage of posts, things seem to have subsided for a while. Eric is on a trip back East to Natick, MA to visit with his parents. We've had record rainfall here in the San Francisco area that limits my camera time. Basically Eric, Steve, and I have carried this forum for the last couple of months. I really appreciate Benson taking time out of his busy schedule to post a comment now and then.

Having said that, only 3 out of 10 people responded to my rollcall that simply asks for you to take just a FEW minutes out of your busy schedules to check in. I understand that this kind of apathy is pretty much representative of similar Internet based, small, special interest groups. I'm just stating this to put it out there, I'm not implying anything else.

All the great activity here for the last few months generated a huge volume of daily notification emails, and unfortunately, resulted in many lurkers and casual observers dropping out of the email list. All the notification emails were beginning to clutter up their inboxes! So, there is only one non-contributing subscriber, and that person chooses not to post comments though he enjoys viewing the pictures.

I can't wait for the rains to end. It's supposed to be Spring, but it feels like the middle of winter! Maybe the sun's return will make everyone perk up again.

Because I've been concentrating on this forum, I've neglected my personal blog, and I think I need to carve out a little more time for posting to there, and maybe back off a little here.

Like I mentioned many times before, I am wondering if a little more exposure would benefit this forum. I am thinking about posting our forum onto photoblogs.org, but NOT exposing the forum to the internet search engines (at least directly). This way, it will still be a little more controlled. Some of you had mentioned early on that you like the private nature of this forum, but since you haven't participated much anyway, it doesn't really matter at this point. I welcome any other suggestions on how to manage our exposure to get some regular visitors (and hopefully get more commentary). After all, if not enough people (or nobody) sees our work, isn't it a wasted effort? Or do you still think that sharing among ourselves (the 3 to 4 active participants) is enough?

I want to put some ideas out there for the next few months' worth of Project Themes out there:

- People at Work
- Decisive Moment

Previous ideas:

- Wintry Weather (we're in Spring now, so this is probably out)
- Self Portrait
- Animals

Anyone else have something they want to try?


Happy Shooting!

--Warren

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I must say that I've been getting "comments" about my shrinking attention in recent weeks from my daughters, the VR6...and now the Forum. I just returned from yet another 6-days business trip to Bangkok. Life at the new office is simply nightmare.

I can't promise anything otherthan my continued moral support as well as my eager attempts whenever possible to viewing/saying about the works posted to the Forum.

As for Project Themes,my thoughts are:
-people in love
-joy vs sorrow
-lines
PAT

Monday, April 10, 2006 at 5:04:00 AM PDT  

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Mission Statue #2


Canonet GIII QL17, Ilford XP2 Super

Here's the same statue from another angle to give you an idea of what the surroundings looked like.

In this one, you can see how Mary watches over the graveyard from a corner of the Mission.

--Warren

3 Comments:

Blogger Benson said...

Let me try to beat Steve on this post. I like this picture better than the previous one. Overall the background and subject balance out better for a more pleasing result. Although after saying that, the black area immediately in front of the statue is distracting.

Thursday, April 6, 2006 at 3:51:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Thanks Benson. Yeah, now that you mentioned it, that black area DOES look kind of weird. It's funny how the mind's eye works. I didn't even notice it before :).

--WT

Thursday, April 6, 2006 at 4:01:00 PM PDT  
Blogger SteveR said...

Benson, you took the words right out of my mouth! ;-)

Warren, I appreciate that you are really "out there" and willing to expose yourself to our brickbats in the interest of benefiting all of us.

Having said that, your batting average of interesting and well-executed photos is excellent ;-)

-- SteveR

Friday, April 7, 2006 at 6:33:00 AM PDT  

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Mission Statue


Canonet GIII QL17, Ilford XP2 Super

This statue (of Mary, I believe) watches over the little graveyard at Mission Carmel. I tried a low-to-high angled shot here. I wanted to incorporate the skyward pointing roofline in tandem with Mary looking up (to heaven?).

It would have worked better, I think, if the background was not so cluttered, but that couldn't be helped. I tried to burn the bright background to darken it a bit, but then it made the image too flat, so I left it as is. I think the high contrast between the roof and the background is an integral part of the composition.

Do you think the busy, bright background detracts from the photo?

Do you think a different crop is possible, and still keep the concept? Personally, I'm not sure it's possible to retain the same feeling with a different crop. Perhaps reshooting with a shallower dept of field would help, or at a different time to get different lighting in the back.

What do you think?

--Warren

3 Comments:

Blogger SteveR said...

Hi Warren,

A very nice, interesting photo - but I do think the background on the right detracts from it.

You're on the right path in your thinking... a shallower depth of field would be the place to start, and also maybe different lighting.)

If all else fails, try masking off the rest of the photo and using Gaussian blur on the right side to simulate shallow DOF :-) :-) :-)

I really like the way the dark triangle of the overhang leads to the main subject, and the jusxtaposition of the rough stone wall and almost featureless dark triangle with the very refined surface of the statue.

-- SteveR

Thursday, April 6, 2006 at 2:30:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Warren T. said...

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your comments. This is an interesting exercise. I did try using Gaussian blur, but my initial attempt seemed unnatural in the context of the subject matter, so I abandoned it. I may try again when I have some time.

I may also try to crop a little more off the right side (to get rid of the two bright spots on the lower right), and a little off the top, but still retain enough of the dark triangle to get the lead-in effect.

I would LOVE to hear some other opinions on this.

--Warren

Thursday, April 6, 2006 at 3:01:00 PM PDT  
Blogger Benson said...

I hate to keep following Steve and saying that I agree but in this case again, I agree with Steve. Perhaps cropping it so the statue is featured more and less background is showing.

I have used Photoshop in blurring a background and using the Extract feature in CS makes it relatively easy. Create a new layer with only the background and just blur it. Extract allows you to create a rough outline of what you are trying to delineate then Photoshop does its magic to follow the detailed contours of your subject based on the rough outline. (I'm not sure if I'm explaining it properly but I hope you get the idea.) Then go ahead and blur or sharpen, dodge or burn, etc.

Thursday, April 6, 2006 at 3:47:00 PM PDT  

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Monday, April 03, 2006

April Project -- Fence Blossom



Nikon D100

Nothing fancy here, I just wanted to kick off the April Project theme.

Something old, something new, a fresh spring blossom peeking through and ancient, rusty chain link fence.

--Warren

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Sunday, April 02, 2006

Runaway Sign


Sony DSC-P72

I saw this while walking down a typically steep San Francisco hill on our way to brunch this morning.

--Warren

0 Comments:

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Saturday, April 01, 2006

Empty Plaza Bench



Nikon D100

Seen at the Japantown Peace Plaza.

--Warren

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

An interesting setup. I wonder however what it would impress on the viewers if the newspaper is removed? The lines and texture of the bench may create a different perspective. The guys from CSI would disagree of course.
PAT

Monday, April 10, 2006 at 5:13:00 AM PDT  

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