More Asparagus

Another asparagus photo for you!

Asparagus

It's the season! I picked up these lovelies today at the farmer's market and couldn't help taking a few shots of them. Then I sauteed them with some butter and a sprinkle of curry powder, a dash of salt, and then a slight squeeze of lime. They were delicious!

Motorcycle

Vulture

I won't tell you what this fellow was eating when I saw him, because, trust me, you don't want to know. But he did pose very nicely for me a few times.

So much to do!

As you can tell, these seals are really stressed out. You should see their to-do lists!

Pastoral

Some meadow for you today, with a deer thrown in for good measure. I tried to take a closer shot, but he ran away pretty quickly.

Goat's Eye View

Went to a goat farm this weekend, and this one was eying me. I think it wanted a nibble at my camera strap.

California Coast

I was lucky enough to go for a drive along the coast today, this picture was one of the happy results.

Street Corner

I'm not sure what it is about this image, it doesn't fit my usual criteria of something I'd post, but something about it just speaks to me. So I thought I'd share it with you and see if it affects you similarly.

Number 43

I stepped outside tonight and took some pan shots of the traffic. I was pleased with the way this one turned out.

For my previous panning tutorial, click here. 

Monochrome . . . Thursday?

Can't even seem to follow my own rules properly, NOT to mention the rules of others (and let's please not mention those), but I have finally found an image I like in monochrome, though it may no longer be Monday. I took this at one of the piers here in San Francisco, on a rainy day when it would have been much wiser to stay indoors instead.

It tickled me to see these gulls staring off into the distance together. Their necks are so much more mobile than ours are, it's really incredible. 

Light

Light. As photographers, we search for it. We look at it, we study it, we analyze it, break it down. Attempt to control it.

Without light, there would be no photography. Not much of anything really (no life, no trees, no parks, no brownies or late afternoons or warm cups of tea). So, I'm grateful. Thanks, light!

Poppy

Yeah, I'm really falling behind on the monochromatic Mondays. But can you imagine this in black and white? Yes, it's pretty cool without color, but so much better with it!

I'm Sick!

Laid low by a dastardly virus, will resume regular programming tomorrow!

Bird of Paradise (and Gratuitous Bokeh tutorial)

In the middle of Downtown San Francisco! People love bokeh. On Flickr, there are entire groups dedicated to shooting wide open, or taking totally unfocused shots of lights at night. While I don't go as crazy for it, I get why they love it. It can be really special.

Recipe for a photo like this, should you be interested in making one:

Step 1 - Wait for dusk. The light still needs to be decent out, but to get the bokeh like I have here (circles of blue and white lights) it needs to be dark enough that people are turning on their headlights, and other lights, so that you have light in the background. If you wait until later in the evening, the background lights will be brighter, and you'll need to light the subject, or find something that's already lit, and you'll probably need to use a tripod. I'm lazy, so I like to shoot a little earlier.

Step 2 - Find your subject. In my case, it's this flower. Choose something that captures your interest.

Step 3 - Use a low aperture number (wide aperture). In this case, I'm at f/3.5 on my 50mm f/1.8 lens. (If you're not comfortable in manual, use the Aperture Priority mode on your camera, usually marked Av. It will figure out the correct shutter speed for you.) I tried various f stops, and I like this one the best for not completely blurring out the background, but also not distracting too much from my subject.

Step 4 - Compose. Leave some negative space for those lights in the background. No pretty light bokeh without lights in the background!

Step 5 - Focus.

Step 6 - Shoot!

Play around with it some. If anyone tries this, I'd love to see your results. And if you're a bokeh master, feel free to leave some tips in the comments!

Googly Eyes

Maybe not a fine art image today, but I spotted this little guy on the street and I felt compelled to take a picture and then share it with all of you. Apparently (I found out by zooming in on those little eyes), there's a website if you also feel compelled to anthropomorphize inanimate objects, called Googly Eye Cru. You can get a set of eyes plus a couple of pins (clothing?) for only $2. I think it's ingenious! Certainly made me take a second look at this fire hydrant, which I otherwise would just have walked right past.

Anyway, if anyone does pick up some Googly Eyes, please let me know how it works out for you, and where they end up.

Make a Wish!

Ranunculus

For a flower that is such a pain to type, these are really rather pretty. I mean, come on, when have you seen such a bevy of u's hanging out before?

There are words that have two u's, no problem. Like, for example, unique. Or unruly. But three? All in a row? It's like a bad Scrabble hand. But in Scrabble you'd inevitably be missing the C and never be able to put the word on the board. Perhaps you'd settle for nun, or ran, or sauna if you're creative (and had an extra a). I'm sympathetic. Scrabble can be frustrating.

But fortunately, you don't need to know their name to appreciate the tightly packed concentric petals of the ranunculus. Or their gorgeous colors. And you don't even need to have any nearby, because, fortunately for you, I took a photo. And here it is.

See you tomorrow!

Exit

I sometimes wish there was an easily accessible exit when Monday morning comes around. If I took BART to work, my wishes would be granted!

F Line

As you may or may not know, the F line trams go along Market Street and then along the wharves, stopping at such useful tourist destinations as Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. It is often filled with a mix of tourists and locals. At the other end of the line, they stop in the Castro.

In addition, the fleet of trains come from all over the world. You never know when you will step onto one that came from Milan, or from Zurich, not to mention many cities in the US. To see a full list of the trains, click here. They even have a blog about the F line and trains in San Francisco, it's pretty cute.

Oh, and if you celebrate it, Happy Easter!

Blue Rain

Another photo from rainy San Francisco at night. These are ATMs, but when I saw their unearthly glow, I just knew I had to take a picture.

Learn Photography

I don't know why I've never mentioned here that I have a Facebook group. Trying to keep things separate, I suppose. Anyway, there is no good reason to keep them separate, so I'm spilling the beans!

It's called Learn Photography. If you're on Facebook, you can search for it there, just type 'Learn Photography' into the search box. It's honestly a pretty great group, through no fault of my own. We have some amazing members (about 470 at the moment, and still growing), and it's a really positive atmosphere. Every week we have a contest based on a theme. This week's theme was shallow depth of field. Next week's theme is triangles. The themes are open to interpretation, and we have several wonderful administrators keeping an eye on things.

There are no prizes. The only thing you get (hopefully) is a little more photography knowledge. Winners do get their photos posted to our Learn Photography blog, so there's a small amount of glory and bragging rights to be had, but it's really not about the winning, it's about having a forum to put a photo into every week, and hopefully receive some helpful critiques.

The rules are simple. Post one photo to the group during the week, and then vote for your favorites on the weekend. The top three photos get posted to the blog.

It's a closed group, but we approve all requests, and we'd love to see you there! Come check us out!

(For those who are having trouble finding the group, try this link. I can't promise it'll work, but let me know.)

Rainy

I love the light at dusk when it rains. The reflected lights are beautiful.