Friday, August 29, 2014

A lighthouse, Scripture and flowers

I've been swamped this week but, I want to keep this updated for anyone that actually follows. Enjoy and PLEASE SHARE!


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The Old Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego, CA.


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A Bible quotation from Isaiah 40:31 is juxtaposed in a deep blue sky next to a pair of Bald Eagles perched in a pine tree.


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A neat shot of a rock daisy bloom in Anza Borrego Desert Park in California.


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A neat shot of a California Poppy, the state flower, in Anza Borrego Desert Park in California.


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A neat shot of a teddy bear cactus blossom in Anza Borrego Desert Park in California.

Friday, August 22, 2014

And Loving It!

Photography can be frustratingly difficult or incredibly simple. It's all in what you want out of it. There's learning all about exposure, your camera and the technical details of your equipment. Then there's the question of what to take pictures of, how to compose it and how to get there then you have to wait for the right moment to capture the light the way you want it. Then if you shoot film, where to develop it, a darkroom and if you shoot digital, what to do with it when you get it off the card. Card you say?  Well, yes, the card that stores the image files on your camera. Then there's editing and your workflow. That's a lot to remember and even a whole load of stuff I haven't mentioned. When it all comes together, the results are gratifying and sometimes stunningly drop dead gorgeous.

Fortunately, there is help out there and, a great deal of free help available online. There are photo groups on facebook and twitter but, If you're new I'd steer clear of there, the trolls are alive and well. I learned a lot from Digital Photography School or DPS. I can highly recommend these folks to help you get the most out of this obsession. Especially if you participate in the forum. Don't be afraid to show off your work. It's a friendly community and full of some insanely talented photographers. I can also highly recommend Creative Live. While they have free live online classes on many subjects, a lot of these classes are about photography. You can even purchase the videos of the classes you want for later viewing. Both of these sources have helped along in my efforts to improve my craft. I'll leave you with this thought. With every thing you've learned already and even more yet to learn, it may seem daunting. Keep at it and you'll get the results you want eventually. As Maxwell Smart used to say after the Chief told him about all the dangers he would face on his assignment "And, Loving it!"

Today's installment is of several subjects and are presented below for your enjoyment.



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This is from the Old Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego, CA. It's an awesome Abstract of the lighthouse Fresnel lens. The whole reason lighthouses even exist!


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Known as Montezuma's Castle, this ancient cliff dwelling is located in Southern Arizona. The image is framed with a tree on the left. Notice the cool looking cirrus clouds in the sky.


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Another view of Montezuma's Castle. This ancient cliff dwelling is located in Southern Arizona. The image is framed with a tree on each side.


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This is a Bible verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:16- 18, on a beautiful long exposure of a stream with a log across it.


Photography Prints

A super neat almost alien-ish close-up of some very colorful lichen growing on the bark of an Alder Tree. The photo was captured in the Seven Oaks area of Southern California.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Fuzzy Flow with Lichen?

As strange as the title sounds, that's exactly what's on tap today. Some"silky, fuzzy, cotton candy" long exposures of a stream and a couple other worldly looking close-ups of lichen. Enjoy and please SHARE.



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This is a cool silky water image of the Santa Ana River in the Seven Oaks area of Southern California. Long exposure, gotta love it.


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Another in this series of silky water images. This one is a little more close up than the rest.


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I just really love shooting these images. This was during the winter, no snow but a cloudy day made for some great diffused sunlight.


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This is a super neat close-up of some very colorful lichen growing on the bark of an Alder Tree. The photo was captured in the Seven Oaks area of Southern California, one of my favorite haunts.


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Same type of lichen but, a different tree. The challenge here is focus and exposure control while shooting handheld at very close range. I like the results.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Inspiration in the Fall

As I continue through my older work on Fine Art America, I have come across many images with inspirational verses from the Bible. There are a few in today's entry plus some fuzzy water and a fall dogwood picture. Enjoy and Please SHARE!


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A friend in the local mountains has some dogwood trees in his yard. In the fall they turn a cool red color. I applied a linear burn to this photo to bring out some of the textures of the leaves.


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This image has a nice pocket watch in the upper left corner against a finished wood grain background with a quote from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. The image has a slight grunge vignette around it.


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A beautiful shot of a local stream in a long exposure to give that cotton candy look to the parts that are tumbling over and around rocks in the stream bed. The quote from Isaiah 43 verses 2 and 3 is placed in a perfect spot in the image.


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This is a cool silky water image of the Santa Ana River in the Seven Oaks area of Southern California. Taken by using a long exposure to blur out the water.


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Another really cool silky water image of the Santa Ana River in the Seven Oaks area of Southern California.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

A Close-up Fall

At this time of year I begin to wish for cooler weather and for fall to start. We've had really hot days this last week so, I find myself desiring cooler temperatures even more. Enjoy the selection of images for today and again, PLEASE share this with your friends and others that may enjoy pretty pictures.



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This from fall 2013. Shot in the local mountains here in Southern California. This macro or close-up was shot to examine the edge of these colorful holly leaves.


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This is another one from fall 2013. Shot in the local mountains here in Southern California. I really love the color of these maple leaves. The gradients from yellow to orange to red are just fantastic.


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Another fantastic shot from fall 2013. I really enjoyed this one with the sunlight back lighting the maple leaves. It made for some spectacular color.


Photography Prints

Another favorite from fall 2013. A simple composition of a single orange maple leaf. Sometimes you just can't beat simple.


Photography Prints

I really like how these back lit leaves standout against the blue of the sky. What makes it even more interesting is how the sun seems to be concentrated more in one area of the photo.