Learning As I Go

So this is all a learning process, right? Here are a few more shots from the pool party on Saturday. I really like the sequence. I had to crop which tells me I didn't get it right in the camera as I like to. But they were also action shots so I'm giving myself some slack. I also know to use a faster shutter speed next time. But overall, they're just plain fun I think.

As for the James Taylor concert, it was fantastic. He is such a talent. All the classics were played of course. And he included lots of cover tunes. We had a great time visiting with our friends, but the concert setting didn't allow enough time to sit and talk.

Special Delivery

Before I begin, we are fine. As some of you have heard, we had a little earthquake here today. It was one of the rolling types so it was kinda (dare I say it) fun. This was the first one I experienced while teaching. The kids did really great. When I told them to drop, they listened right away. For many of them, this was their first earthquake ever. Julianne had a fun experience with it too.

Ok, onto the post. It arrived today! I had been anxiously awaiting the print of the picture you see above. No no no, it's not one of my pictures. My blogging friend, Christy, posted this quite a while back and I loved it. Still do. She took the picture in Venice and edited it to look like a painting. Take a look at her work on her blog, Christy Thomas Photography. She just shot her first wedding and did an amazing job. I was honored to be Christy's first paying client. The print looks wonderful. Thanks Christy!

Julianne and I are hitting the town once again tonight. We are on our way to go see James Taylor at the Greek Theatre with some good friends of ours that we hardly see enough of. It should be a great show.

Kept on Ice

Here are some more images I've sat on for a while. These are from our trip to Alaska four years ago next week. Although it's not too hot here (only mid 90's) I thought I'd offer a few more cooling images.

Below is an iceberg that broke off from the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau

Below is the Hubbard Glacier. The sun shining through shows off the blue tones in the ice.

The following three images were taken in Saxman Totem Village in Skagway. I was teaching 3rd grade at the time and one of our stories was about building totem poles so this excursion was perfect!

Below are some of the colorful shops in Ketchikan

This lil guy was our token Alaskan Husky guide through Ketchikan.

If pizza is their specialty what does this say about their Mexican food? Although I couldn't pass up the shot, we gladly passed on the food!

We Interrupt This Summer...

...to bring you a taste of winter. These were taken with my very first digital camera on a trip to Lake Tahoe in January 2003. And to think this Olympus point n shoot cost as much as my dSLR body. Eeeeek! It had an amazing 3.1 megapixel sensor and I used a high capacity 128MB Smartmedia memory card! I can't believe how photography has changed in the last decade. I can also see how my photography has changed over the years. Three of the four images here needed to be cropped tonight as opposed to in camera composition which I try to attain these days. Anyhow, I hope these images are cooling to you in the midst of our hot (and humid for some of you) summer.

A Trio of Parties

Today was a long day. But a good day. We had three birthday parties to attend. First was a 12 year old's pool party. Then a 5 year old's flamingo themed party. And finally another party for my friend's son that turned 7. Lily did really well going from party to party. She had a great time entertaining everyone. She was quite playful and didn't want to leave. She even got her first taste ever of cotton candy.

Lying in Wait

I've been sitting on this image for a couple of years now. I took it out and edited it (color, grain, and contrast) and now I really like it. So I thought now was a good time to unleash it. Hope you like it.

We're off to see MercyMe and The David Crowder Band tonight. Wooo Hoooo!

Digging up the Past

Another trip through the archives led me to find these. About 2 years ago I went with some friends to join a group of photographers that gathered for monthly "field trips". It was my first such outing. I had a good time talking shop and learning learning learning. I still have so much to learn but am loving the ride. These were taken at the Getty museum in Los Angeles.

I've got lots going on right now so I'll probably keep pulling pictures from the archives for a little while.

Mustang

I have always loved Mustangs and I've always wanted a classic 65' or 66'. Of course the new ones aren't too bad either. A few years ago while vacationing in Austin, TX, Julianne surprised me by having a brand new convertible Mustang waiting for us at the rent-a-car pick up at the airport. That was fun! I actually had a Mustang of my own many years back. I bought a brand new 1990 Mustang LX convertible that I owned for about 6 months before realizing I couldn't be a full time student and keep that car. So you can imagine my excitement while driving home from church a few years ago when I saw a Mustang car show going on at a park less than a mile from home. Here are a few images I managed to capture.

Dreaming

I'm in week 3 of the 4 week summer school session I'm teaching. I was noticeably frustrated by the behavior of several of the students today. As I reminded some of them to correct their attitude, I also gave myself the same advice. So now I'm here dreaming of being somewhere else. More specifically, my favorite vacation destination, Hawaii. Maui to be even more specific. Here is an image from the archives from our last visit back in 2005. Would you have ever guessed that this was taken in a shopping center parking lot?

This pretty picture is to make up for creeping some of you out yesterday. :)

Backyard Critters

Project Black came abruptly to an end. In last night's post I pondered out loud how much longer it would continue. Well we all got our answer not long after. While searching for black around my house I found myself chasing down a bumble bee along the vines on the side yard. I missed the bee but found these trappers instead. I was more than pleased that they held their positions as I got extremely close to capture their portraits.

More Birthday Black - Project Black #12

I didn't shoot a single picture today. At least not yet. So I'm glad I didn't post everything black from yesterday. Outside the race track, in the waiting area, were a couple of model stock cars that were screaming to be photographed. And it just so happened that this one was black. I'm all out of black for now so it's back to searching for more for tomorrow. I wonder how much longer this project will go?

Please visit Anna's site to see her Project Black posts as well as the links to all the other participants. There's some good stuff out there!

Links to all my Project Black posts:
1. My Black Eye 2. I'll Take Mine Black 3. You are a Child's Play Thing 4. Rubber Meets the Road 5. Sunset 6. Midnight Rider 7. Get a Grip 8. Hi Tech 9. Black Beauties 10. Shower Remnant 11. Birthday Bash 12. More Birthday Black

Birthday Bash - Project Black #11

Today I went out to celebrate a friend's birthday. We met at Claim Jumper for lunch (yummmm) and then headed off for go-cart racing. I had never done this before. Out of 8 racers on our track...well let's just say I'm not giving up teaching and photography to become a race car driver. Even when hit from behind and being forced to spin out, it was lots of fun. Happy Birthday, Phil!

I sure hope these pictures have enough black to qualify them for Project Black.

Please visit Anna's site to see her Project Black posts as well as the links to all the other participants. There's some good stuff out there!

Links to all my Project Black posts:
1. My Black Eye 2. I'll Take Mine Black 3. You are a Child's Play Thing 4. Rubber Meets the Road 5. Sunset 6. Midnight Rider 7. Get a Grip 8. Hi Tech 9. Black Beauties 10. Shower Remnant 11. Birthday Bash

Shower Remnant - Project Black #10 & Post # 200!

Julianne's baby shower was over a year ago. This paper lantern is still hanging on our patio overhang. I have no idea what it says. But it's written in black. Maybe it hung around so long just so it could be part of Project Black. After about 20 shots of it, changing exposure settings, composition, and angles, I settled on this one.

And by the way, many of you have commented on how well I crop. I try to do my composing in camera. I rarely crop afterwards. Yesterday's post of Lily's eyes was not cropped. That was SOOC (straight out of camera).

Please visit Anna's site to see her Project Black posts as well as the links to all the other participants. There's some good stuff out there!

Links to all my Project Black posts:
1. My Black Eye 2. I'll Take Mine Black 3. You are a Child's Play Thing 4. Rubber Meets the Road 5. Sunset 6. Midnight Rider 7. Get a Grip 8. Hi Tech 9. Black Beauties 10. Shower Remnant

"Papa"

For the second time I'm participating in Robin's (@ Pensieve) Friday's 40-or-less Photo Challenge. This time, no poetry attempt though. If you don't already know, Robin posts a picture (which you see below) and we are to respond with a caption, title, post, or poem. Today, just a post. And of course I had to add a few pictures of my own at the bottom.

The sculpture below is titled "Grandfather"

Lily didn't get to meet her grandfathers. She knows them both as "Papa" which she says everytime she points to their pictures. We'll do our best to teach her about the wonderful men they were...until they meet in heaven.

My Father

My Father-in-Law

Black Beauties - Project Black #9

It was only a matter of time before Lily made it to one of my Project Black posts. Only I thought it would be with one of her cute black outfits that Julianne picked out. The project isn't over yet so that may be coming. In the meantime, enjoy her gorgeous black beauties. (So maybe they're really a dark brown. Is that close enough?)

Please visit Anna's site to see her Project Black posts as well as the links to all the other participants. There's some good stuff out there!

Links to all my Project Black posts:
1. My Black Eye 2. I'll Take Mine Black 3. You are a Child's Play Thing 4. Rubber Meets the Road 5. Sunset 6. Midnight Rider 7. Get a Grip 8. Hi Tech 9. Black Beauties 10. Shower Remnant

Hi Tech - Project Black #8

Am I grasping at straws now or what? For this I didn't even go outside. I had to go as far as my pocket today. Here you see my new (a few months new) Blackberry Pearl. Far more than I need but I gotta say it's fun. Not that I get a slew of emails, but now all my spam gets forwarded to me where ever I am. And the internet on a phone? Who would have thought about this stuff 10 years ago? I took about a dozen shots that all looked like something that belonged in a T-Mobile ad. This last one, in which you can barely see it was my favorite. Perhaps I'll venture outside for my next Project Black post.


Please visit Anna's site to see her Project Black posts as well as the links to all the other participants. There's some good stuff out there!

Links to all my Project Black posts:
1. My Black Eye 2. I'll Take Mine Black 3. You are a Child's Play Thing 4. Rubber Meets the Road 5. Sunset 6. Midnight Rider 7. Get a Grip 8. Hi Tech 9. Black Beauties 10. Shower Remnant

Get a Grip - Project Black #7

Two of my preceding posts had me going from the backyard to the front yard in search of all things black. This picture takes place in between. This is the gate which separates the two. Even though I knew I was heading to the other side, I paused long enough to see the black in a sea of white.

Please visit Anna's site to see her Project Black posts as well as the links to all the other participants. There's some good stuff out there!

Links to all my Project Black posts:
1. My Black Eye 2. I'll Take Mine Black 3. You are a Child's Play Thing 4. Rubber Meets the Road 5. Sunset 6. Midnight Rider 7. Get a Grip 8. Hi Tech 9. Black Beauties 10. Shower Remnant

The Midnight Rider - Project Black #6

Saturday afternoon found us in West L.A. visiting my aunt for lunch. Pretty much all visits now are Lily viewing opportunities and have little to do with us anymore! Anyhow, driving back to my aunt's apartment, we saw this parked across the street. As the family was unloading into the apartment, I grabbed my gear and headed across the street. I thought it was just a very clean semi truck but it turned out to be far more. As I approached the massive vehicle, elegantly dressed men and women were gathering on the sidewalk. I noted the writing on the side of the massive black machine, The Midnight Rider. Turns out this the ultimate in limousine. I quickly grabbed about a dozen shots from the other side of the street and struck up a conversation with a guy in the neighborhood. He assumed I was with the limo crew and began asking me questions. As I had no answers our conversation shifted somehow to music. My new acquaintance would be heading to see The Who later that evening. When all was said and done, I had engaged in a nice conversation with a friendly neighbor and had my next Project Black shot in the bag. Not a bad outing. :)

Please visit Anna's site to see her Project Black posts as well as the links to all the other participants. There's some good stuff out there!

Links to all my Project Black posts:
1. My Black Eye 2. I'll Take Mine Black 3. You are a Child's Play Thing 4. Rubber Meets the Road 5. Sunset 6. Midnight Rider 7. Get a Grip 8. Hi Tech 9. Black Beauties 10. Shower Remnant