3. August 2010 by David.

Yesterday, Friedhelm, fellow photographer Mike and I went on a quest to photograph Olmstead Point, Bodie, CA and Mono Lake. Armed with three Canon cameras, 10 lenses, 20 gig of storage (plus spares) and three tripods we set out on our 17+ hour journey.

This was of course taken in Bodie, CA. This State Park is a wonderful Ghost Town. Well preserved in a state of ‘controlled decay’. It shows a slice of life after the town was abandoned. It has everything from coffins still sitting in the funeral home to a roulette table, dusty and slowly decaying in a gambling hall. This is one location where there truly are just too many photo opportunities for one day. Some of the buildings though ‘rustic’ on the outside are still used by park service members as places of residence.

I shot this photograph laying on the ground trying to hold my camera steady, using a relative short depth of field to give it depth.  I like the texture of the wood and metal and converted it to black and white to give it an older feel. Bodie is filled with artifacts, some still inside the building and many just lying around. It is a tribute to the Park Service and visitors that these relics of the past are still there. It makes for a long day but well worth the trip.

f8 at 1/15sec, 75mm, ISO125

Keep clicking

Dave

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29. June 2010 by David.

I spent some time at Mission San Juan Batista over the weekend.

It is a wonderful place and a great place for a photographer. I was drawn to this display of lit candles their soft glow and flickering light were very peaceful.  If you get a chance you should visit this wonderful historical sight. Another plus is it’s a lot cooler there than the valley.

1/4 sec at f5, 50mm, ISO 125, tripod mounted.

Keep clicking

Dave

Posted in California Coast, Still Life | Print | No Comments »

21. June 2010 by Friedhelm.

This image is a classical example of how limited even one of the best camera sensor is. This is what I saw when I looked at this lamp at the entrance of the Capitol in Sacramento, CA. The camera sensor recorded this image totally different. The lamp was totally blown out. I had to shoot too different exposed images and combine them to get this image. One was exposed for the lamp and one for background. It is your task as a photographer to learn to see how the camera sees. The beauty of it is that you can take a glimpse of your image on the back of your camera and get an instant look which was impossible in the “old days” with film.

Be creative with your image and enjoy your camera!

PS: I like to thank David for his creative images of the Capitol which inspired me to go there and photograph!

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20. June 2010 by David.

The old saying is “It’s better to be lucky than good”.

Friedhelm and I took a little stroll around his neighborhood. The wind was blowing pretty good, the light was low, and it was hard to get shots of flowers and the like. I was shooting at a higher f-stop to get more depth of field resulting in a longer shutter speed. I think I got lucky on this one. I like the ghost effect, while not planned I like how it turned out.

1/4sec at F16, 75mm with doubler, ISO320 tripod mounted

Keep clicking……………and back up your hard drive…………don’t ask!!

Dave

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30. May 2010 by David.

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start for Italians in Northern California to head to the woods in search of ‘fungi’, wild mushrooms.

I found a different kind of ‘fungi’ in my lawn. You don’t want to eat these toad stools, in fact on one hand I wish I hadn’t found it at all.

I used my telephoto lens set at 110mm with two extension tubes, 1 second at F11, ISO 125

Keep clicking

Dave

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9. May 2010 by David.

I took a quick trip to Yosemite yesterday. The waterfalls are beautiful, the river full and I’m going to share this:

When you first enter the park this old water spigot is there so you can refill your water bottles.  It took a couple of tries to get the water droplets and not my arm. Hope you enjoy and are having a wonderful Mothers Day!

Keep clicking

Dave

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7. April 2010 by David.

I think the title just about says it. This is the side of a well weathered old compressor and valve that’s been sitting outside for several years. I’ve looked at it for as many years and finally decided it might make an interesting photograph.

Keep Clicking

Dave

Posted in Place of work, Still Life | Print | No Comments »

14. March 2010 by David.

I’ve been looking at this subject for some time now. Wondering if it would be anything.

It’s simply an old Underwood typewriter in front of my livingroom window with the morning sun coming through. I like the simplicity and the lines that cut through the background and add texture to a otherwise plain surface. I decided to leave the highlights on the mini blinds to enhance the textural feeling.

Keep clicking

Dave

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27. February 2010 by David.

I recently bought a Canon 55-250mm lens and was just shooting around the house trying it out. My intention was to delete all the photographs but this one caught my eye.

There is actually an optical illusion here. The center panel just behind the knob is actually raised. Since the main light source is coming from the bottom the shadow is on the top of the panel and the highlight from the bottom. Even though I know this it takes me a while to see it correctly.

Hope you enjoy. F8@1/25sec, 135mm, ISO 200, converted to black and white.

Keep Clicking

Dave

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30. January 2010 by David.

Busy day at work so I had to do a little still life. One warning about doing this type of photograph… You have to like glitter because you’ll live with it for a while.

Keep clicking.

Dave

Posted in Still Life | Print | 1 Comment »