Garden Path

Garden Path
By 24thcentury on 29th January, 2007.

This natural archway is in Golden Gate Park. I used the burn tool in photoshop to bring out the shadows and give it a little more mood.

No Such Thing As A Straight Line

No Such Thing As A Straight Line
By 24thcentury on 28th January, 2007.

Another one from Napa. There were grape vines surrounding the pillars of the balcony and I couldn't get them to sit nicely in the frame. The effect isn't quite what I hoped for, but still interesting, I hope.

The Barren Heart of Winter

The Barren Heart of Winter
By 24thcentury on 25th January, 2007.

From a weekend trip to Napa Valley. I'm not sure about the crop, but I like the spindly branches against the sky with a little ground at the bottom.

Better Make Mine a Large

Better Make Mine a Large
By 24thcentury on 22nd January, 2007.

Morning sunlight, clear blue sky, small activity in the background, extreme angle, macro closeup, and off-centering combine in this shot. Posed, but impromptu.

Vertical

Vertical
By 24thcentury on 21st January, 2007.

From a walk through San Francisco. The splash of color and slats in this door grabbed my attention. I cropped it pretty close to accent the vertical lines.

A Tough Housing Market

A Tough Housing Market
By 24thcentury on 19th January, 2007.

Drove past this "for sale" sign on a street near my folks house. This was one of the few times I've stopped a car and gotten out to take a picture. Just too funny.

The sky was really flat, so I worked up the contrast a little in Photoshop while I was masking the phone number.

Desperate Times

Desperate Times
By 24thcentury on 17th January, 2007.

This still life invites you to fill in the story. While I don't normally stage shots, the old piggy bank I found while clearing out my bedroom was just asking for it.

This scene was lit with ordinary 60 watt difuse bulbs, but the whole thing has an orange cast from the wall color. I upped the saturation and adjusted the curves in photoshop to increase the contrast and moodiness.

Sweet, Savory, and Soused

Something Sweet
By 24thcentury on 13th January, 2007.


Pepporoncini Anyone?
By 24thcentury on 13th January, 2007.


New Years Drink Extravaganzo
By 24thcentury on 13th January, 2007.

In addition to Dick Clark's annual televised bash, D and I threw a little new year's eve party. Good food, good drink, good friends...what more could one hope for the next year?

And the food was good, including these chocolate-dipped stawberries (three varieties of chocolate), the cajun crab cream cheese-stuffed pepperoncinis, and the (stronger than it first appears) champagne punch.

Lighter Than Air

Lighter Than Air
By 24thcentury on 11th January, 2007.

Found this candle resting on a stainless steel table and enjoyed the reflection. In the photo, though, I also like what the colored background lights add. I used macro mode to create the shallow depth of field effect. I tried a variety of exposure times, but 1.3 seconds seemd to have the best balance of light and dark.

A Furry Present

A Furry Present
By 24thcentury on 11th January, 2007.

He didn't seem to mind having the bow stuck to his head, even appreciated the extra attention it brought.

Sixth Night

Sixth Night
By 24thcentury on 9th January, 2007.

Candles in the Hanukkah menorah. This was taken at 1/4 second without flash to capture the intensity of the flames. At that speed, though, I had to prop the camera on a book and use the timer.

That's a Wrap

That's a Wrap
By 24thcentury on 8th January, 2007.

A fairly straightforward holiday present macro shot. I was attracted by the color of the paper and the texture of the bow. I usually try to avoid flash on macro photos, but I like the severe light gradient that it produced in this one.

California Dreamin'

California Dreamin'
By 24thcentury on 7th January, 2007.

From a December trip to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. After some rain, the sky was uncommonly clear and crisp.



Curves and lines
By 24thcentury on 7th January, 2007.

2007

2007
By 24thcentury on 6th January, 2007.

Another year, another "Happy New Year!" hat photo.

Back to the postcards

After a few months' well deserved break, the pictures are starting again. There will likely be less exposition and less exotic locations (at least, if you're used to California), but sometimes, less is more...