More Please

Too bad it us only Thursday gotta get up and make the doughnuts... and wake the fiancee.

Gyros, Funnel Cake, Beer, and Pig Racing

Must be the State Fair.
It was a great night for the fair. It rained earlier and that seemed to keep the crowds away. And it was a beautiful night to spend spinning on a ride that some guy with three teeth and some missing fingers put together.

Boat Drinks

Old school blender.

Anybody Home?

Nature will take over very quickly if you turn your back on it.

Morning Commute

A little abstract blur for the early morning drive.

Flowers For My Lady

I took these pictures pre-wedding but through the view finder I didn't find them very interesting. While I was getting what few pictures I did this past weekend off my camera I was reintroduced to them.

I tried putting the flash under the flowers to see what kind of effect I could get. I am not the best at flash photography but I am trying.

Flowers In The Ditch

I always I have my eyes open for a shot while walking the dog around our complex (since I have started this blog at least)
I saw these flowers in the ditch and thought they stood out and would make a good picture.

More From Saturday

Up on the hill enjoying Irish music (and some non Irish music) and Guinness. The Church Hill Irish Festival is a good excuse to drink in the street and people watch.

The High Life

After the festival we stopped by the Hill Cafe...
... it was packed.

Saturday Morning Done Right

This is the way to start a weekend; French Film Festival and cappuccino and breakfast at Can Can. Laura and I went to see the short films this morning, 8:30 am this morning with a 2:30 am night last night/this morning, and then went over to Can Can for some great food. Laura has had this planned for quite a while now.
The shorts are a good way to experience some good cinema without spending all day in a theater...
... after all we have an Irish festival to go to this afternoon.
I have to say our favorite this year was L’Incroyable Voyage de Margaux. It shows a family dealing with the death of a pet, very good take on the concept.

Then of course as is customary with us we went to the bar for a drink before we left.

Can Can is a beautiful restaurant with wonderful food. Give it a try if you have the chance.

Up close and delicious

Pineapple has to be one of my favorite things to eat. I could probably go through two cans in a sitting, although I never have. Gotta save some for later.

Colorful flowers grey skies.

I know I have missed a few posts over the days but I haven't been counting (I think Laura has been). But I am trying to make up for it now. Enjoy

Big Sky

Covered up by bigger clouds.

More Purple flowers

Since my readers, all two of you, like the last picture of the purple flowers with a faux tilt-shift focus I thought I would try another one.

If Jay Leno Was A Cat

He be would be this cat.

Chores

Visiting my parents always leads to chores and a free dinner, so no complaints from me. There is no need for either of them to get on a ladder so I am more than happy to so it.
It is strange/scary that a light bulb would burn out like this.

Long Day...

of wedding errands.

A Day Like Today

As nice as it was today finding a place to have a drink outside was mandatory.

Eating Dandelions By The Root

I heard a report on NPR on different cultures and common sayings. Where we say "pushing up daisies" the French say "eating dandelions by the root". That saying has stuck with me. I have wanted to make a painting with that saying in mind but photography is much more immediate.

Spring Colors

Windows Down

Two Birds, One Stone...

While I take the dog out for her exercise/bathroom break I get my blog post.

This tree has caught my eye lately; as anyone who has seen my previous posts can tell.

All these photos are from the same time just different compositions and different effects.

Sometimes I wonder if using PhotoShop or some other imaging program, in this case Vignette, ruins an image. But even Ansel Adams said a photo should be the image you see in your head not what is really there. Unfortunately I cannot remember the original quote... I believe it was in his book The Negative but I am not positive. So here are my interpretations of the real world. 

3/16/11

Spring is draws near with reminders off fall still around. The days are getting longer and warmer but the cold still sneaks in and fall leaves can still be found.

A Pint From A Friend

Thank you Hal for the pint and thank you Frank for your timing.

I Want Yesterday Back

Blue Skies...

... smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Beers on the patio

where the weather suits my clothes …

Getting Closer

Rainy Days

On The Fence

Is HDR just a fad?


I think everything has its place, even bevel and emboss... well except maybe the Papyrus font, but is it used as a crutch? It is like Black and White, it makes everything more artsy. But I have to admit I do like it sometimes.

These HDR images where made with Photoshop CS5. I had used CS4's HDR processing and did not care for the results. I think they have improved the process in CS5 but if you have the money a dedicated HDR program would be better.

Spring?

Flowers blooming and blue skies above, it sure looks like spring.

Sign, Sealed...

...and on their way to be delivered.

Pablo

Finally made it to the Pablo Picasso exhibit today. One of the things that I really liked was a series of photos taken of the process of Picasso’s Guernica. It shows his process of making Guernica and how figures appeared and disappeared over time and it is very interesting to see the process.


If you have a chance go see the exhibit.

Textures

Patterns

Put The Keys In The Box

The title is from the fact I always forget to put my keys in the "key box" we have hanging by the door and I end up running late to work because I can't find my keys.
The key chain is from a trip to Oregon, same one yesterdays vineyard photos are from. While walking around Portland we came across the Deschutes brewery in Portland and if course stopped in for a pint.
I think I heard somewhere that Oregon has the most breweries than any other state.

It Takes Time

Sometimes I take a picture and when I get home and put it up on my computer screen it just isn't what I am looking for. So sometimes I forget about them and stumble across them later. That is not what happened here. I know myself well enough that I know I change my mind so I take an image and make it my background image or throw it in a folder that I have set as my screen saver then over time the image grows on me or I see something in it I didn't see before. And that is what happened here. I can't take all the credit for coming up with this idea I actually saw it in a documentary about a photographer whose name escapes me right now. She would print her pictures and then hang them all over her apartment and see which ones she grew to like and which ones had to go.

I took these pictures almost a year ago on a trip to Oregon.  We were staying at a B&B in the Willamette Valley and this was the view from our room. Initially I didn't care for the images very much in color or black & white. The image with the fog burning off in the valley just comes up on my screen and I see something in it I hadn't seen before. I think I can do something with that. Then while browsing for that image I see this image with rows and rows of grape vines and the sticks they are tied to. I think this could work as a more abstract contrasty Ansel Adams inspired image. So after trying to get the blacks and whites as close as I could get them the way I saw them in my head I cropped it down to take the extra junk out of frame. And then I re-cropped to get some interested in the foreground (composition, composition... I know I took a class or two on that at some point).

 I hope I didn't see something in these images that wasn't there...