In a world of so many great photographers and writers, I am venturing into some unknown territories, leaving comfort zones, finally very willing to practice the art of seeing. By maintaining the practice of posting daily photos, I hope to continue learning about the possibilities that I trust are out there for the taking.
LR, you got me thinking about Pismo Beach again. So here are a few more shots from a couple of weeks ago.
Standing on the pier shooting with a 200mm lens, I filled a 16 gig card.
I watched this couple for quite awhile. They couldn't keep there hands off each other:-)
I was intrigued by the pillars under this pier. The repeating verticals, coupled with the vertical shadows, kept my attention until some kids starting running in front of my lens. I rarely shoot motion.
Stacy and Linda heading out into the desert last week to shoot 'til we drop.
Hope I get back there soon.
After the GSR meeting, around 6pm, I took myself outside in hopes of finding some blog photos. I still had a Honl Traveller 8 softbox attached to a Speedlight flash (and both attached with a 24 foot E-TTL cord) when I walked outside. I found the face on the eucalyptus tree I’d wanted to photograph the other day. I thought, “Why not see what the face looks like lit up by the flash.” I’d remembered reading that I should keep the light from flashes going in the same direction as the main/key light source. And since the sun was low in the west, I had to hold the off camera flash setup in my left hand but to the right of me while holding the camera in my right hand. It’s a good thing no one was around. I looked like a pretzel with the left arm out stretched and under my right hand and camera, trying to get the flash head to point back left to light the tree from the direction the sun was hitting the tree. You probably have no idea, nor any interest in reading this, but I needed to write it, with the hopes of gaining some clarity of shooting this scene in a different, saner, and more comfortable way.
This is the photo I went out to shoot.
Late afternoon shadows caught my attention. Shot at f16.
Walking back home more shadows and trees caught my attention in front of our home.
It’s been a long time since I’ve hiked (or exercised at all for that matter). Thank you Stacy and Mary Kay for making a date to hike.
I believe I’m back to regular exercise again.
Willing passing hiker took this shot of Mary Kay, Stacy and me this morning.
Up and out for a 6:30am Bump and Grind hike with Mary Kay. Home and out the door for a walk around the neighborhood with Ray. 7 miles today.
This photo was a lame attempt at shooting for this week’s online photo class assignment which is “Stripes”. I applied a filter to get the black and white look.
Posing for this week's class assignment, Stripes. (will not be submitting this photo for the class, but it's fun.)
I’m thinking I like my old compact camera – the Canon Powershot A650 more than the new Canon G11. I haven’t really spent time learning about the G11 but I’ve noticed more shutter lag than the Powershot. I also do not like a couple of other things:
1. The piggy backing dials are not easy to isolate and turn without sometimes turning the wrong dial. For someone with large fingers it would be really difficult.
2. This is probably my fault because of lack of understanding, but when I expose for the light sky, holding the shutter halfway down to re-frame the shot, the exposure changes to read the recomposed area.
3. The camera has a minimal right hand almost negligible nub hold, much smaller than what the Powershot A650 has, which makes it difficult to sustain a secure grip. The Canon G11 comes with a neck strap and I know why. I have almost dropped the camera many times. Not having a camera that I can quickly and securely hold is terrible for backpacking/hiking.
So, I think I’ll give Ray the G11 and continue using my tried and true Canon Powershot A650. I know the A650 so well too. I find it frustrating and time consuming using a new camera. I don’t like indecision. So now, I’m off the fence. I’m taking the Powershot A650 backpacking.
On my 6 am walk this morning, I found myself powerless over focusing on my shadow.
At 11:30am I picked up Be Hope at the Palm Springs airport (a current year PCT hiker who was getting back on the trail.) After lunch, after organizing and mailing off a Big Bear resupply box, and buying trail food and having a deli sandwich made (big enough to last for 2 dinners!), I drove Be Hope to the trailhead he had exited from when he had to go home and resume teaching his classes. Be Hope had started the PCT on March 11th. Personal matters will probably call him off the trail again, but hopefully not before reaching Kennedy Meadows.
Be Hope was filled with excitement. His excitement is contagious. I’d only met Be Hope a couple of months ago hiking into Warner Springs. I’d given him my card in case he needed help while on the trail nearby the Palm Springs area. Well, he called when he was ready and knew the date he wanted to get back on the trail. I offered to drive him back to the trailhead near the town of Anza.
He cached water on Hwy 74 and bought and left extra water for hikers where he got back on the trail at the Hiker’s Oasis in Anza.
He was going to carry food from Anza to Big Bear. I suggested he let me pick him up at the I-10 frwy to spend the night, shower, clean his clothes and pick up the remaining food for Big Bear he left here once he knew he had me for his own personal trail angel.
Ray met Be Hope and was very impressed with what a nice man he was. I agree.
Happy Hiking Be Hope. You sure do know how to enjoy yourself.
I’m thinking of trying this pack out. Tailwinds used it and loved it. It’s the Osprey Exos or something like that. I told Ray I wanted it and he said he’d buy it for me for our 19th wedding anniversary May 31st (Cupcake’s birthday!).
There were 369 hiker’s names listed so far for 2009.
Hiker’s Oasis still has about 5 – 7 2.5 gallon containers of water plus 4 or 5 more gallons Be Hope left.
The smile on Be Hope’s face made me smile. This man is happy to be back on the trail.
Be Hope is a trail name. It just dawned on me his trail name came from his real name…..Barney Hope.
I have too many hobbies/interests. I need a lot more hours in the day to maintain balance and moderation in all areas of my life.
Comments on some of my interests and how I’m doing in the area of self care:
-Food/eating has to head the list of interests. If I’m not eating good, I’m not a happy camper. I have been excellent in the area of eating to live, as opposed to living to eat. I’ve been planning, shopping and making good clean food for Ray and me for 175 days now. No sugar, no white flour, writing down and emailing the 3 daily meals and two snacks to Xochitl every day for the 175 consecutive days and I feel good. I’m afraid if I don’t send in my food, I’ll go back to my old ways of eating. I’ve been feeling in balance emotionally as the result of changing my food choices and my relationship with food.
-Exercise. Hmmm. I could always do more. I’ve been carrying my backpack a couple of times a week hiking about 2 hours. I walk around Mission Hills CC a couple of times a week. Certainly not enough exercise to get me ready for the July 17th backpack I’ll be doing. Oh, I’m also doing sit-ups nightly with the hope my stomach muscles will help strengthen my back.
-Photography. Not good here at all. I seem to have put practicing taking photos on hold. But I paid attention yesterday when I blogged that I hadn’t picked up a camera lately, so this morning I clicked off the shots below and other shots this morning while climbing up and down the hills on the golf course. The golf club workers, getting the traps and greens ready for the 8am shotgun, were laughing at me climbing up to the tops of a hills, turning around, descending them, only to hike up the same hills again. The goal is to hit all hills on the fairways.
-I subscribe and am monthly automatically deducted for the cost of online access to photo lessons and don’t even do the lessons.
-Golf. I’ve been going out with Ray a couple of times a week around 5pm where he helps me with my golf as we play about 5 – 7 holes. The weather has been really beautiful at that time. We’ve been lucky to have temperatures under 100 degrees lately.
I’m trying to get my old stiff back ready for our 4 day trip to Pebble Beach where we will use the two rounds of golf given to Ray by his sponsees a year and a half ago. Thank God I made and paid for the expensive golf room for two nights before the market crashed.
I do have a thing with taking photos of my shadow. Pretty place we live in isn’t it?
Five and a half days of dirt washed away in seconds. Aaaah. Cold but wonderful.
I couldn’t wait to finish our NM section hike at the exact point where my trail partners, Cookie and Paul, and I missed taking the creek to Snow Lake and hiked up the wrong creek the previous year. Long before I arrived at this spot I knew I’d strip down and get in the water at the confluence of Gilita Creek and the Snow Lake outlet/Gila River. I also knew I was going to ask Tailwinds to photograph me (once I was clean) holding up this year’s PCT Class of 2009 bandana.
At the end of each trail day after setting up my tent, I would spend the last half hour of light looking around for some camera playtime. I looked up and noticed my shadow (I can’t pass up taking a photo of my shadow) and knew I liked how my shadow looked on this tree.
p.s. Today was the day I could shower and get my sutures wet. Getting clean is such an attitude adjuster on AND off the trail. I’m over feeling sad about my face being cut on and feel hopeful my scar will be barely noticeable in the near future.
Ray probably thought he was safe going out for a walk at night with me. You see, during the day I usually stop and take way too many photos and Ray usually just walks on leaving me to whatever it is that has my attention.
Today it was near 100 here. We knew this morning we’d be doing our exercise after the sun went down.
The night was so balmy. The walk went by so fast. I was fascinated with shooting hand held photos of the night lighting when the shutter was open for a full minute. Trying to get an in focus shot was out of the question but I still was curious what the photos would look like. I had the ISO set to 800.
We’re walking on Inverness Drive and I’m shooting back across the 15th fairway lake to our home (the house with the palm tree growing out of it!). I used a 100% sepia photo filter in Photoshop to hide a tiny bit of the noise or excessive graininess.
Ray is already back home when I shot this photo of our street. Our home is at the end of this cul-de-sac. I actually sat down on the street pavement trying to get as much as I could of the lighted tall palm trees.
I entered our courtyard and began shooting the lit cactus. Almost ready to go inside, I noticed my shadow. I never pass up a shadow photo op. I even posed, turning my head to the right to get a good shadow outline of my profile, while I’m holding the camera out away from me with my left hand, trying to check to see if I’m actually framing myself properly in the LCD. I’m glad the neighbors can’t see into our courtyard. On more than one occasion I have been accused of self obsession. But the neighbors don’t need to see it. After I got this shot and I came out of my shooting blackout, I looked to see if Ray had been watching me. Nope. He was at work on his new Lenovo Thinkpad T500 probably shopping for, yes, another putter. ‘Cause you know, like a new camera will make me a better photographer, Ray is on a never ending search for the newest and bestest putter. Every day! Oh, Ray isn’t going to like that I wrote this. 
Look how long my pony tail is getting.
I’m feeling better today finally. I had to get out for a walk and Ray was up for it. I hadn’t been outside for two days except briefly when I stepped outside to watch Ray and his golfing buddies play their 3rd shots onto the 15th green around 11am. This is the best time of the year down here in the desert. I’d guess the temperature to be around 80, most snow birds haven’t arrived in town yet and it’s just balmy and quiet. Very relaxing…..Why I don’t go outside more, I don’t know. It was a heavenly 45 minute walk we had around Mission Hills Country Club.
I snapped off this shot during our stroll. Holding the Canon Powershot 650 steady was impossible but I like shadows and I wanted to remember this relaxing walk with Ray.
Tomorrow Ray and I drive in to the SFV. We’ll be staying over in the Marriott and returning home after our Thursday night meeting. Tomorrow night Jim H. is speaking at PG and a number of us are going to hear him.
This weekend and maybe early Thursday sometime, I want to spend time outside with my larger camera and tripod. I haven’t taken one practice photo since I left Half Moon Bay. I don’t want to stop the discipline of looking for and shooting photos.
While I’ve been sick I’ve not wasted this precious stay home time. I have been reading and learning some of the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 software I recently purchased. I’m in heaven trying to learn this way cool data base file management software. To be able to rate and keyword photos for easy retrieval once you pose a request of criteria will save me so much time trying to find photos. I only wish Cupcake were here with me. He learns so fast and I learn from him as he explains what he is learning. It takes me so long to understand something. But when I see someone working with the program and they watch and help me work with the program, I learn best. Where are you Cupcake? I think I need to find someone local who will come and teach me weekly. Wouldn’t that be great?
Another learning curve starts as Thursday Scottie will bring me my newly ordered Adobe Photoshop CS4 software that was just released this week. My Photoshop 7.0.1 is so old, old meaning behind in all the newest technology.