Dream Tomorrow, Live Today, Cherish Yesterday

Further Evidence of Spring

Canon 5D Mark II, 180mm F/3.5 Macro, f/6.3, 1/40, iso 200

Our California Golden Poppies are quite prevalent now. I have been travelling our state quite a bit and have seen them everywhere. There is a definite lack of sharpness in this image. Not on purpose, surely due to the low shutter speed (hey, I handheld it perfectly, it was the wind!).  My good friend Bob Cornelis enjoys making and viewing images which are not perfectly focused. So when I viewed this image, I thought rather than it is bad, due to a bit of blur, it's creative and a bit of a mystery to view.

Tomorrow I'll show you some poppies in a setting I have never seen before.

 

 

Food Friday

Canon 20D, 70-200 F/4.0, f/6.3, .4 sec, iso 200

Several years ago I got hired to do a food shoot. The primary assignment was the a shot of the owner/chef for a book. That went well, but I also got a lot of images of her food too. Fortunately the room had several windows and I was able to use natural light, my preference. Supposedly food shooting is quite difficult, but I seem to have a knack for it.

Note that this was before I had some of my current fancy lenses. Just goes to show you don't have to have them to do some nice work.

Betcha can't eat just one!

Still Whirlpool

When I came across this particular fallen tree I was taken with the texture and patterns, all courtesy of Mother Nature. You know I love tree trunks but often feel I can't create an image that evokes the same feeling I get in person. I feel this one conveys the sense of motion I saw in the wood. Kind of a whirlpool effect.

Wordless Wednesday - Fliers

On Wordless Wednesday, you tell the story.

(PS: processing inspired by the one and only Diane Varner.)

Topaz Tuesday - Wallhanger

 

Canon 1D Mk III, 180mm F/3.5 Macro, f/5.6, 1/1000, iso 200

My wife took up watercolor painting a few years ago. Unlike me, she has a lot of natural talent, so her work was quite nice right from the beginning. One of her classes has a critique session. Usually the instructor has several tips for each painting. On the occasion that nothing further is needed, she'll proclaim that painting "a wallhanger!"

And that is what I thought when I brought this image into Topaz Simplify and applied the water color preset. This amazing program took a nice but unremarkable image and turned it into, well, a wallhanger. Not being very familiar with Simplify, I did try several slider adjustments. I found them very intuitive and I dialed in just the look I wanted easily.

And right about now, with all this cold and dreary weather we have been having in California, this bright image on my wall would be just the ticket.  As always on Topaz Tuesday, click on the continue link to see the original, and even leave a comment if you like this one. Come on now, feed the blog!

 

Moody Monday

Panasonic GH2, 14-140mm, f/16, 1/4th, iso 160

I buy quite a few photographic books. I always figure if I get one good idea it's worth it. I'm not so sure about the current book I'm reading (so called "modern photography"). But I like the titles. The images are of people and the photographer titled them like "Susan and Wendy in the back of a car." Or "Easter picnic next to the river."

So for today's image, I'm going with "Three steers in the rain." Another of my images shot from a moving car. But this time I wasn't driving!

 

Happy Easter 2011

Happy Easter everyone. I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends.

Simple and Bold

Canon 5D Mark II, 85mm F/1.2, f/7.1, 1/5000, iso 400

Going for something different for me today. Something simple and bold. How is this working for you?

 

Walking

I walk the beach alone

Knowing each time it could be my last

I feel the warmth and power of life

Reaching into my being from the sand beneath me

Should today be my last

I am loved

I am complete

I am free

Journey to the Other Side

Panasonic GH2, 14-140mm, f/7.1, 1/125, iso 160

Kind of melancholy today but this one spoke to me.