sometimes there is color

A walk around the neighborhood

  

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Dear Sarah Connor

This is what the actual Terminator looks like!

Actually this is a robot sculpture created by Charlene's very talented roommate, Amber Von Felts. It was made from a Diana F+ camera for Gallery 86 in Ventura, CA. It was auctioned off at a charity auction where apparently Amber got to meet Elijah Wood. Perhaps it is more appropriate to say, "Dear Sarah Connor, This is what real hobbits look like!"

Fog Drenched Sunsets

The weather in Santa Barbara has been pretty weird all summer. The "may grays" and "june gloom," as they are called in these parts, lasted through july, august, september, and never seemed to go away. Then as "summer" crossed over to fall we began getting giant mounds of fog rolling in around sunset. This, of course, was all before our week long heat wave of 100 degree temps the last week of September. Now it's back and forth between rolling blankets of fog and mist and 80 degree temps. Which all makes for some dramatic and mysterious scenes. These are some seaside images I took during one of the fog drenched sunsets.

Rori's Artisinal Creamery

Recently I've started shooting for a local newspaper called, The Daily Sound. What I like most about it is the challenge of walking into a situation blind and having very little time to get images that are visually interesting. Well, that and all the different people you get to meet and glimpse into their lives for a short time. Really makes one feel sort of part of the community. Anyways, I digress, you never know what the lighting situation will be like when going on an assignment. Sometimes it takes a little (or a lot!) of working within the elements of an environment to learn what it will give you. Other times you get really lucky as was the case in Rori's ice cream laboratory. There was a ton of non-directional natural light pouring in. It was like having a giant soft box built-in, a lighting set up that would run into the $10,000+ range. And all, right there occurring naturally which meant no setting up or breaking down of equipment, just shoot and go! I suppose the other thing I like about shooting for the paper are the little perks. Rori sent me home with three pints of her ice cream, which is some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted. I suggest a two scoop combo of the Salted Caramel and Serious Dark Chocolate! Though the Lemon Curd is outta site too. You can visit to her web site here.

Just for the record, I think my favorite image is the one in B&W. I really like the ballet that is going on between Rori's movement in the foreground and the man mopping the floor in the background. It was one of the first shots I took, just a text shot checking the lighting and exposure. It wasn't until I looked at it later did I realize, hey that's pretty nice!

Product and Food too

Taking a break from the art photography I've been posting lately as well as taking a break from preparations for my new web site now under development, I thought I would leak a few product shots out unto the great blogosphere and see what happens! A couple of these images are from the most interesting product shoot I've done. They were for a company that sells products for plastic surgery. Needless to say, they had many interesting products that I never dreamed existed let alone that I'd be shooting one day. Anyways, the new web site is coming along and should be up shortly. I'm sure I will let you know as soon as it's done.

Bringing the Outside In Pt. 2- The Dark Side

In these shots I return more to recent themes. Same day, same objects, just changed the light. In the earlier shots the only light I used came from the living room windows which created a soft even lighting allowing the objects to stand on their own in a sort of quiet meditation. For the images in Pt.2 I used artificial lighting from an off camera flash. Here the lighting becomes a much more obvious, and some might consider obtrusive, element in the story telling and meaning of the photographs. There is more of a tortured struggle, or play, between the forms created in the lights and shadows. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other, just two different stories being told.