D114: I Hate Sugar!

Or at least I hate the fact that I like sugar. I avoid sugar as much as humanly possible, and I generally refuse to buy anything candy related. I do well enough at avoiding it, but when I do partake I usually get sick.

Kind of a fitting punishment, don't ya think?

Well today was filled with things far more important than me taking pictures, so I decided to take a shot of "S'mores Delight". Its from a local popcorn shop here in town. They've been in business for about 7 years, and I stop in ever few months to say hi, and pick up some popcorn. Sure, I could get popcorn for way way cheaper at the grocery store, but that is not what my visits are about.

My visits are about supporting local business.

The internet has become a valuable tool in keeping many retail markets competitive. However, I feel that we are too quick to look to the internet to save a buck or two. You might have saved $2.23 on that new book you wanted, but what does it cost you in the long run? Local Mom & Pop operations are a dying breed, and that makes me a little sad. There is an intrinsic value to shopping at a store where they know your name year after year.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you should NEVER buy things online. I buy things online from time to time, especially when I can't find them locally. If I can't find a substantial discount online, along with some good service, I keep my dollars here in town.

That's just me.

Manual: Page 120 - Taking A Closer Look: Playback Zoom

Images:Luis VallecilloLuis is amazing with his lighting. That is one area that I am completely lacking on the equipment side.


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D113: Meet Me In St. Louis

My sister's boyfriend is the drama teacher at one of our local high schools, and this weekend was his big musical production. We decided to go support him, and had a great time in the process.

I'm a huge fan of supporting local arts, its the creative in me. In fact, that's probably why I'm also drawn to other creative types. Without artists, we would have no culture in the world. Where would we be without Van Gogh, Shakespeare, Ansel Adams and countless others?

The musical was actually really good, beyond anything that I would expect from high-school students. If you don't have plans on Monday night, go see their closing show!












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D112: Really?!

*DISCLAIMER* If you are easily offended, you may not want to read today's post. These are strictly my opinions, and mine alone.

Tonight I sit at my desk distracted by many things, including the content of today's image. While I was driving around town I saw a home with a confederate flag hung in the front window. I quickly rolled down the window, parked, set my exposure, shot, then drove off.

Typically I would have spent more time getting the shot right, but I didn't want to chance dealing w/ the owners of the home. Being a brown man makes me annoyed when I see things like this being displayed, but I also don't want to start a conflict where I am outnumbered.

Which brings me to tonight's question. Have you ever had personal experience with racism?

I have a few friends that tote around the cliche "I don't see color" when the topic of race comes up. I think that would be a wonderful world to live in. However, that is not the world we live in. Every friend that has said that to me has been Caucasian. A white kid growing up in a small white town is going to have few problems when it comes to discrimination.

I grew up as a brown kid, born to a mixed-race couple, in a small white town. I was being subjected to discrimination & racism before I could even understand what it was. Most kids that gave me problems had no idea that I was Hawaiian, so they simply chose whatever racial slur they could think of. By no means was this an everyday occurrence, but it was something that I grew up with.

As a young child I understood that some of my friends were darker than me, but most of my friends were lighter. I didn't realize that this actually signified ANYTHING, until other neighborhood kids informed me it did. I think we need to spend more time thinking about what behaviors we are passing on to our kids.

In my adult life, one particular experience stands out. I was fishing with two good friends on a river in northern Idaho, and we decided to take a lunch break at the only cafe for miles. As my two friends(both Caucasian) walked into the cafe, they were met with smiles and passing glances. When I walked in behind them, THE WORLD STOPPED SPINNING. I kid you not, the entire place went silent. I think the grill even stopped sizzling. My friends asked me if I wanted to leave, but I assured them that this was where we were eating lunch. Other than the occasional stare, we had a great lunch and continued our fishing trip.

I don't agree with racism.
I don't agree with stereotypes.
I do realize that they still exist.
I do hope for a day that they only exist in history books.

Your thoughts?

Manual: Page 153 - Custom Setting 22: Monitor Off

Images:Carmen Stansberry
I stumbled across Carmen's site this evening, and I was really blown away by some of her work. There is an image of a little girl sitting on some steps, and it is just awesome.


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D111: Cursed

I partly blame Gabrielle Geiselman. The rest of the blame rests on me for not breaking the rules today.

Gabrielle has talked about the funk you sometimes get in after you produce some really great images. Well every time I look at my image from day 109, I fall even more in love with it. I can't really explain what it is. It just works for me. It works so well that I'm having it printed on canvas.

Crazy, I know.

Anyways, I'm not really having a creative block, I'm just uninspired. While traveling home from a morning meeting out of town, I pulled over at a rest stop. This particular rest stop has some massive lava bluffs, so I wanted to try and get a nice landscape shot. I initially ignored the sign that said the trails were closed during the winter and headed up the trail. Then I came to a large gate that sternly read "TRAIL CLOSED". Super easy to walk around, but this would be a little hard to explain. You can't exactly miss seeing a huge gate across the trail.

Maybe I'll head up there one morning and sneak in for a sunrise shot!

Manual: Page 198 - Troubleshooting

Images:Jeremy Cowart
I never EVER get tired of looking at Jeremy's work, he is crazy talented. I'm truly inspired by so many of his images. It doesn't hurt that he's pretty much one of the most amazing human beings, either.


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D110: I Promised Myself I Wouldn't

Yeah, so about that. Tonight is a filler image fo sho. I got wrapped up in some charity work I do, and the day completely got away from me.

I've had this random bag of animal hair in my closet for years. I bought it for fly-tying, the kind of thing you do when you fly-fish. I used to fly-fish a lot, but I haven't done much of it in the last 2 1/2 years. Don't get me wrong, I love to fish; however, I have a hard time doing anything outside anymore without my camera strapped to my hand. Oh well.

I'm hitting the sack early tonight, in hopes of an earrrrrrly morning at the gym!

Manual: Page 196 - Caring For Your Camera And Battery

Images:Gabrielle Geiselman
I know that I just reviewed Gabrielle a month ago, but I listed to her interview with Ron Dawson today. For some reason I totally look at another photographer's work differently when I hear the back-story behind the images. It was fitting to look at her work again due to the fact that some friends of mine are putting together a band, and they want me to do the pics.


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D109: Momentum

Have you ever found yourself fighting an uphill battle? I'm sure we all have at one point or another. I have fought an ongoing battle for the past 10 years with no major successes. There are times when I am just positive that I am the reincarnation of Sisyphus.

Over the past six months I have managed to create somewhat of a perfect storm to aide in this battle. The load is lighter and I even feel like there is actually a crest to this hill. Was Sisyphus cursed, or did he just lack adequate support?

Manual: Page 188 - ISO Auto

Images:I looked at the work of a photographer whom I also listened to in an interview on my ipod today. I'm withholding his name because I wasn't a fan of his interview AT ALL. He came off as a little too old school, adamantly against the digital evolution of photography. While looking through his portfolio, I also found a few images that I REALLY didn't like. Now I am the first to admit that I have a lot of "crap" that I need to purge from my image collection; however, why would you include something so plain & uninspiring in your professional portfolio?

Overall he's excellent. I'm just saying.


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D108: Let It Melt Away

Stress, that is. This last weekend saw the passing of my grandfather, and the birthday of my mother. Growing up in Hawai'i, one of the skills in my grandfather's wheelhouse was that of a tour guide. I'd like to think that my mom is taking a turn at the helm, showing my grandfather "the ropes".

Luckily I have amazing family & friends to get through it all. I spent a portion of the weekend with a great friend that is an endless well of understanding and humor. Sometimes vino & zombies are just what the doctor ordered.

Today I decided to get out of town for a bit, in hopes of finding some hoar frost. The weather was not conducive to my desires, so I decided to take the scenic route home through the countryside. Whenever I saw a photo op I pulled off to the side of the road. No schedule. No time frame. No to-do list.

For me, there is something therapeutic about aimlessly driving the back-roads of our great nation. Singing along to the radio, thinking about problems, unwinding the stresses that life imposes on us.

While singing along to the radio today I was inspired. Have you ever heard a song that you've heard a million times before, but its as if you're listening to it for the first time? This happened to me today. I have an idea for a series of photos that is so exciting(to me) that I'm freaking out. It could take the better part of the next year, and that's all I'm going to share about it for now.

How do you unwind?

Manual: Page 103 - FV Lock

Images:Jerry Ghionis
Jerry does great work and I love his story. Just listened to his interview with Ron Dawson today.


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D107: There Are No Bad Days

A wise man once said "There are no bad days, just try missing one".

I try to live by this credo.

Every day that we wake up, we have the chance to make it a good day. Something can be learned from every situation, no matter how desperate it seems at the time.

Today is my mother's birthday, she would have been 53. I am sad that she is gone, but she lives on through everything she taught me. I feel like today is the beginning to a wonderful week, and it is all thanks to her.

Happy Birthday Mom!


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D106: The Secret

Years ago my Hawai'ian grandfather told me the secret to a happy & successful marriage.

"Yes Dear"

He passed away this morning. He gave me this watch years ago, and I will always treasure it. I have many great memories & stories of this man, but they must wait for another day.



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D105: Congestion

This is officially my 2nd cold of the winter. Not a good time.

I have to wake up in early tomorrow to prepare a feast for some great friends. Sourdough pancakes, fruit salad, etc. I can't wait!

Manual: Page 120 - Taking A Closer Look: Playback Zoom

Images:Trey Ratcliff
Trey is a master of HDR photography. His work is just incredible.


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D104: Unexpected

Lately, I have not done very well when it comes to seizing opportunities. I'm making a concerted effort to expect the unexpected.

Sleep deprivation has prevented me from preparing any more coherent sentences at this time.


Manual: Page 119 - Using The Multi Selector

Images:Will Jacks
Cool portrait images.


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D103: Sacrifice

As most of you know, today was Ash Wednesday. Lent is officially upon us, and I'm not looking forward to it.

I myself am not Catholic. However, my mother was & brother is, so I decided to support them & give something up for Lent.

I'm giving up red meat.

I may not survive.

Some of my friends give me the cliche "meat is murder" talk, to which I reply with the cliche "yes, tasty tasty murder". This has nothing to do with my reasoning for giving up those delicious animals. I am giving up red meat for the next 40 days for two reasons. First, it will be a very hard sacrifice, as I consume red meat almost every day. Second, I want to see if I notice any health benefits from this departure.

Either way I'm TOTALLY having a burger after Easter!

Manual: Page 92 - White Balance Bracketing

Images:Amina Moreau
Wow, Amina's work is quite inspiring. She has some very original wedding work, and he composition is awesome.


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D102: Awake

This semi-creepy photo is brought to you by insomnia, and the letter Q.

I cannot take ANY credit for the idea behind this image. I was up late last night(technically this morning) and starting thinking about Strobist's twitter avatar.

I cleaned it up a little in post, and there you go...

Manual: Page 118 - Viewing Multiple Images: Thumbnail Playback

Images:Ira Lippke
I listened to Ira's interview with Ron Dawson today, so I decided to go back & take a look at some more of his work. I specifically wanted to look at his autobiographical series entitled "lore: 1982-83". Pretty interesting stuff.


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D101: Ahhhhh...

Few things rival that which is a perfect beer. The right beer can totally change your attitude on an otherwise dismal day. It even serves as the perfect end to a long hot day.


Manual: Page 171 - Connecting To A Computer

Images:Michael James
Having seen a behind-the-scenes real estate shoot, I know how intricate they are in terms of lighting. Michael does a tremendous job.


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D100: Its Getting Deep Over Here...

Right after I snapped today's image I spotted some awesome hoar frost on a nearby bush. It was only about 20 feet from the road, so it seemed easy enough to get close.

Not quite.

As I stepped away from the road, I instantly sunk all the way up to my thighs. Lacking the proper gear on this trip, I was unable to make the 20 foot trip.

Perhaps tomorrow.

Manual: Page 1631 - Modifying the Print Order

Images:Mike Colon
I looked at some of Mike's work back in November, but I decided to revisit his sight today. I really like his lifestyle work.


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D99: Unseen

I find it very interesting that so much of our "historic" downtown goes unseen, simply because we don't look up.

Much of the iconic culture of the early days of our town can still be seen if you are looking for it. Many old buildings still have remnants of billboard advertisements that had been painted directly onto them.

Definitely an interesting idea for a summertime series.

Manual: Page 146 - Customer Setting 12: BKT Set

Images:Trevor Brucki
Trevor has some pretty cool wedding photography. It appears that he utilizes a few different Lightroom actions, but they only enhance his work. At the core, Trevor produces great images.


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D98: Finding A New Path

The end of the summer brought a startling conclusion; my photography was on a fast path to a dead end.

After 7 years I was stuck in a rut. I wasn't progressing and I had still not found a style that was my own. I was out of answers, and then it hit me.

I had to start over.

My first step was starting this project, in hopes of rebooting the creative parts of my brain. I also began a long journey of education and self-discovery.

I have learned more in the past 6 months than I did during the previous 7 years. I also feel that I finally have my "style" bouncing around in my head. Now I just need to translate that to the camera.

Manual: Page 187 - Accessory Shoe

Images:Thomas Hawk
Cool street photography.


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D97: The Blight

For the record, I hate power lines. I think they are a blight upon our cities. Imagine the pitch for power lines in today's world.

We have this new service that will change the world, and we want to bring in to every city in America. How do we plan on installing it, you say? Well, we're going to stick tall poles in the ground everywhere, and then string wires from them.

I don't see that concept passing in today's world.

However, I really like this picture. I'm not entirely sure why.

Manual: Page 100 - Using the Built-in Speedlight

Images:Lori Nordstrom
I really like Lori's senior images.


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D96: Some Things Never Change

I came down with some awful cold straight from hell back in December. It left me with a cough for almost 2 months. Needless to say, Its now been 3 months since I've been to the gym.

Today I made my return.

It was nice to be back. It was even nicer that nothing changes there. Ever since the ownership changed 4 years ago, the contents within those 4 walls have been static. It allows me to used my gym time as an anchor. No matter what is going on in the world, I know that "gym time" will always be "safe".

Its also where I listed to Ron Dawson's podcasts religiously.

Manual: Page 182 - Camera Settings

Images:Denis Reggie
I think Denis is one of those photographers that we'd all like to be like from time to time.


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D95: Sorry Tasra I Cheated :(

The day totally got away from me. Suddenly its midnight and I hadn't even picked up my camera.

This shot is from this past Sunday at the local ski hill. It was an AMAZING day, and I really wanted to share one of the images.

Please forgive me.


Manual: Page 186 - Optional Speedlights

Images:Joanna Tano
I love the expressions that Joanna catches during weddings.


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D94: Curtain Call

If you didn't get a chance to follow the complete saga, here ya go:
Introduction
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6

The stage is dark tonight. The Legolier murder has been solved, and all is well with the universe.

What did I learn this week? Well, I learned that sometimes less is more. I opted to focus on the characters instead of building custom backdrops, which was also a great time-saver. Shooting Legoliers(that's what I named their race) for a full week allowed me to just play, not worrying about finding a good location for the "image of the day". The series became more about the plot lines than perfecting the technical aspect.

With everything said & done, I'm glad I chose to do the series. I learned a few things about shooting with an infinity backdrop, and I was able to de-clutter my brain. I think from time to time, we all need something to clear our minds. I feel the creative juices starting to flow once more. Tomorrow I begin shooting in the real world again. I wonder what I will find?

Manual: Page 141 - Custom Setting 4: AF Assist
I first learned how to turn this feature off when I was trying to capture some candid shots in a crowd just after sunset. Having that little lamp light up every time you're focusing a shot was causing my subjects to pose for the camera, thus killing my intended shots.

Images:Gray Scott
Gray has some beautiful images from the fashion industry. They remind me that I know absolutely nothing about fashion! I am ok with that.


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D93: Mitch To The Rescue!

Mitch had been trying to call Walter with no response, and he was getting worried. Luckily his space-cruiser was outfitted with endless amounts of technology.

As he tapped into Walter's phone, Mitch realized Walter was in serious trouble.

Mitch snuck in while Hank was bragging about what he had done to Chester. Mitch quickly got the drop on Hank, and together they placed him into custody. Hank would be going away for a long time.

Having solved one of the worst murders in Montana's history, Mitch & Walter both received promotions. Mitch was now a space police chief, and Walter was the new police commissioner, replacing his retiring mentor.

Things seemed to be calming down. For now...

Manual: Page 181 - Technical Notes
Its Sunday, time for a cheat day!

Images:Joe Wigfall
Joe has some really cool shot of street photography in NYC.


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D92: Suspicions Confirmed

After running into a few dead-end leads, Walter couldn't stop thinking about the parcel delivery company. Something kept nagging at him, so he headed back to where his investigation 1st began.

Walter headed around to the loading bay to talk to Hank, the delivery supervisor he had met earlier in the week. The door was open, but everyone seemed to be at lunch. Walter poked around a little, and came across an open crate. It seemed to contain prescription meds.

What Walter didn't know was that someone WAS still in the building...





As it turns out, Hank was Chester's Montana connection, and also Chester's murderer. Hank got greedy and wanted a bigger cut of the profits, but Chester didn't want any part of that. Hank knocked Chester out, then took him into the mountains near the Canadian border. After dispatching Chester, Hank took the snowmobile and hid it near his cabin. Walter was the only one who knew the truth.

They were all alone...

Manual: Page 145 - Custom Setting 10: Exp Comp
I probably would have benefited from using the exposure compensation today at the ski resort. I'm headed back up in a few days and I think I'll try it then!

Images:Matt Mendelsohn
Wow. Just wow. Matt's "21 in 21" series is fantastic.


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D91: Misconceptions

Mitch finally caught up with the mystery men, after a short chase. He called in their ID's to have them checked out. They didn't speak any English, but their ID's listed them as Habib and Omar.

Eight years patrolling the galaxy left Mitch with a little paranoia. As it turned out, Habib and Omar were also no stranger to paranoia.

Habib and Omar had learned to be suspicious and fearful of authorities in their homeland. When they saw Mitch, running was more instinct than reaction. The fact that they didn't speak English wasn't helping get things straightened out. Luckily they had friends on the way.



Henry heard that his friends had been detained for questioning, and quickly located Mitch. Henry, along with Omar and Habib, were all archaeologists that had traveled to Cardston on a dig. Julie was an anthropologist serving as their translator.

As Henry smoothed things over with Mitch, Julie was arguing with Omar and Habib; likely scolding them for their behavior while visiting Canada.

This left Mitch with no leads on Chester's murderer. He could only hope that Walter was making better progress in Montana.

Manual: Page 164 - Comments
I've never really found a need for adding comments to photos in the field. Still, nice to know I have the option.

Images:Bill Frakes
Bill is a staff photographer for Sports Illustrated. He has worked all over the world and he has some pretty powerful images in his portfolio.


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D90: Informing the Wife

Being a space-cop, Mitch had jurisdiction in many different countries, including Canada. He took it upon himself to fly up to Cardston on his space-cruiser to notify Chester's wife of his untimely demise.

He found Chester's wife Becca at the local park, where she normally had lunch. When Mitch told her what happened, she broke down in tears, half in disbelief over what she'd just heard. It wasn't uncommon for Chester to be gone for a day or too on business, as he'd been taking on more responsibility in recent months.

As Mitch tried to calm the grieving widow down, he noticed two mysterious men nearby shaking hands. When the men saw Mitch, they quickly departed in opposite directions. Mitch gave Becca a ride to her sister's home, and then he set off to find these mysterious men.

Manual: Page 163 - Language
Ummm... yeah, I keep it on English.

Images:Drew Gardner
Drew is a tog in the UK, and has some stellar artistic work.


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D89: The Investigation Begins

Investigating the gruesome death of Chester led Walter to a business park in Montana. Chester's credit card had been used hours after his death at a local parcel delivery business. Walter was interviewing Hank, the delivery supervisor; and John, the store owner.

Both men fully cooperated with Walter and answered all of his questions. Walter was a little suspicious of Hank, as he seemed a little short-tempered in response to some of Walter's questions. Walter later learned that Hank was involved in a altercation with another officer, claiming that the officer had struck Hank for talking back during a routine traffic stop.

Unfortunately the store didn't have a security camera, so Walter was at a dead-end. He hoped that Mitch was having better luck up in Cardston.

Manual: Page 130 - Print Set
Never really had a reason to print directly from the camera. Plus I like to review everything in Lightroom first!

Images:Annie O'Neill
Annie has some awesome wedding & engagement work. I also like her "Studio on the Go" idea.


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D88: Murrrder At the Border

Chester was a good family man. He worked hard, paid his taxes, even went to church. Unfortunately, that just wasn't enough. It was getting harder to make ends meet, and his wife Emily was expecting their 5th child. In an effort to bring in a little extra cash, Chester had been smuggling cheap prescription meds into the United States.

Living in Cardston, Alberta, Chester was close to the Montana border, but checkpoint security had been increased since 9-11. He made his smuggling runs on a silenced snowmobile 34 miles to the west. As he crossed into Montana, Waterton Lakes National Park became Glacier National Park. His contact had a secluded cabin in Glacier which proved to be invaluable for their transactions.

This would be his last trip...


A local helicopter pilot spotted the body while he was flying tourists on a tour through Glacier. He immediately radioed for police assistance, and relayed his GPS coordinates.

As Mitch pulled up on his Space Cruiser 2000(also equipped for snow travel, strangely), Walter radioed the helicopter and told them to call off the search. Whoever had done this was long gone and they weren't going to find them today.

It appeared that the victim had been killed with a single, clean blow, only feet from the Canadian border. There was a single set of snowmobile tracks, and nothing else. How could this have happened?

Manual: Page 129 - Hide Image
This option may or may not have come in handy once or twice. :)

Images:John Cornforth
John's images are just breathtaking, plain & simple! Take some time to browse through his work. He recently had one of his humpback whale pictures make the cover of Alaska Airlines magazine.


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D87: The Players

Today is the beginning of my Lego series, so I decided to introduce everyone.

On the learning side, it will be good practice with custom white balances, lighting, framing, etc. I've already started developing some presets in Lightroom & Photoshop, so its great practice.

Rather than just do a series of images, I decided to take a more unconventional approach. Follow along to watch as the drama unfolds!

Manual: Page 123 - The Menu Guide
Another "cheat" day, but I'm starting to run out of pages. Getting closer to in-depth testing!

Images:Kia Bondurant
Wow. Looking through the amazing senior gallery, I realize how badly I want to take the plunge and open a studio space. Hopefully this summer will allow me to do that.


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