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Room ?, 6:45 AM, Stratosphere [Canon 5D]
Las Vegas, March 10, 2007
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From a few of weeks ago when I was in Las Vegas to give a presentation at PMA. I was awakened at dawn by some wonderful light coming in the window...and, of course, I had to get up and take some photos. This is actually a blend of two separate exposures taken to record a wider view of the room.
The chair on the bed? Seemed like the thing to do at the time.
Morning Window Light [Canon 10D]
March 24, 2004
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Every once in a while (sometimes once a week, sometimes not) I go through the archives to find a photo that was taken on the same date one, two, three or more years in the past. It's a good excuse to return to images that I may have forgotten.
This is one such image. Nothing spectacular, but pleasing in a homey kind of way. Most homes have moments like this, when the light at a particular time of day transforms a window into a work of art for a few short moments.Here's a similar image, taken at a friend's house in San Francisco.
This was taken in the early morning. Where we live there are tall pine trees and stately black oaks that filter and sometimes block the morning sun. This beautiful scene really did last only a few minutes before the sun ascended a bit higher in the sky and its rays were blocked by the forest.
120 Film, Waiting to be Cut and Sleeved
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Today's UPS delivery brought five rolls of developed Diana and ZeroImage pinhole film. It's always exciting when film comes back from the lab, especially since I wait to have mine processed until I have saved up for or five rolls.
Viewing the negs on the light table shows several cool shots that I look forward to working with. The frustrating thing is that I am so slammed with work at the moment that it'll be a few weeks before I have time to even think about having a significant scanning session.
Deer Creek [Canon 10D]
March 16, 2006
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Another from the "Anniversary Series"...where I look in the archives for photographs taken on the same day one, two, three (or more) years ago. I find that this is a good way to re-visit images that I have not yet worked on (and there are way too many of those!).
I stopped to take this one morning after dropping my daughter off at kindergarten. It was cold and raining lightly. Both the camera and I had to be dried off afterwards. We had had a lot of rain and snow in the previous couple of weeks, so Deer Creek, normally a sleepy little stream, was more rushing than usual. These are the foundations of the original one-lane bridge that has not been used for many years
The camera was on a tripod for this shot: 0.3 seconds at f/16, ISO 100. Photoshop CS2 was used to create the black and white conversion and hand painted split toning.
Holiday Motel, Las Vegas [Canon 5D]
March 8, 2007
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Another photographic homage to old Las Vegas motel signs.
For the technically curious: Hand held, 1/50th of a second at f/5, ISO 400
Somerset Motel, Las Vegas [Canon 5D]
March 10, 2007
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I was in Vegas for a couple of days last week to give a presentation at the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) convention and trade show. This was taken on my last day there when I decided to skip a taxi ride and walk from my hotel to the convention center. It was warm, but not too hot, and there was a comfortable breeze blowing.
Although the cab ride would have been faster (the walk took about 45 minutes), weather, time and distance permitting, I think that walking is always better. Not only for the health aspects of getting out and moving around, but also for the photographic opportunities you find that you would miss if you were in a car. This place was discovered on that walk: a 1950's era motel in the midst of the current mega hotels and casinos that populate the strip. This was actually located just off the strip on Convention Center Drive, but it was still an anachronism in its current surroundings.
Umbrella [Zero Image 6x9 Pinhole Camera]
February 2, 2007
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This exposure was approximately 4 seconds long. I closed the cover on the pinhole, lifted the tripod up and jumped out of the way just before the incoming surf reached my feet.
For another view from this session taken with a digital SLR, as well as the story behind the shoot, follow this link.
The Book of Secrets [Canon 5D]
February 18, 2007
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This is a single exposure, 8 seconds long. The only Photoshop work is tonal and contrast-oriented as well as some selective sepia toning.
I created the fluttering pages by using a very long and thin twig to gently move two of the pages back and forth during the 8-second exposure. I wore dark clothing so that I would not register in the image.
The book was published in 1818.
Blue Sled [Canon 5D]
February 22, 2007
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On one of the days it snowed in late February, my daughter's school was closed and we spent part of the day sledding in the backyard, building a snowman (actually, a snow girl), lobbing snow at each other and, for her, eating large quantities of snow.
Thaw [Canon 5D]
March 4, 2007
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