I was going through some pictures that I downloaded into iPhoto from one of my cameras and ran across this one. I don’t remember taking it, nor do I have any idea how I managed to get the fisheye effect. But there’s something about the composition and the action that captures my imagination. I do… Continue reading Back Yard Action
Category: Photography
Record-setting Snowfall in Midland
Almost a foot of snow, and there’s never a ski lift when you need one.
Bird’s Nest Troupe
I suspect that the red oak tree in our front yard will not emerge in full foliage next spring. It’s a multi-trunk tree, and one of the trunks has been devastated by some unknown assailant – borers, oak wilt, dengue fever, black plague, overexposure to Lady Gaga…who knows? We had it treated by a tree… Continue reading Bird’s Nest Troupe
Mocking Bird
I was driving past the south pond this morning and something caught my eye on the far bank. I pulled into the clubhouse parking lot, grabbed the camera (which, for once, actually had a charged battery) and set out across the grounds to get a closer look. Turned out to be this guy: It’s a… Continue reading Mocking Bird
The Art-Producing Instrument As Art
I have a fairly open mind when it comes to art, or, more specifically, what constitutes art. The human imagination is a wonderful and mysterious force, and when it’s imposed on physical materials in unexpected ways, it evokes a wide range of emotions and reactions from the beholder. Such as…what the…? I can’t recall how… Continue reading The Art-Producing Instrument As Art
The photographer’s equivalent of “Hey, watch this!”
Ever heard of the “Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK)”? If you have, I bow before your superior geekiness. I had never heard of it until I decided to research how I might be able to use my Canon PowerShot S95 to shoot in time-lapse mode. Out of the box, this otherwise highly competent point-and-shoot (P&S)… Continue reading The photographer’s equivalent of “Hey, watch this!”
Making a Stop Action Video
Note: After I posted this, I realized that what I’m referring to as a “stop action” video is more correctly called a “time lapse” video. Pardon my lazy usage of terminology; I’m still learning this newfangled moving pictures thang and I’m not yet convinced it’s not just a fad. I tested the stop action feature… Continue reading Making a Stop Action Video
Bicycling 22 miles in 11 minutes
The post title is a little provocative but not technically inaccurate. See, MLB gave me one of these for my birthday and I finally figured out how to work it well enough to wear it on our tandem ride today through north Midland this morning. While the actual footage of the 22 mile jaunt is… Continue reading Bicycling 22 miles in 11 minutes
Light Field Cameras: Another Segway?
Remember how the Segway was going to revolutionize our lives and rock our worlds? I guess the little teeter-scooter has done that, if your life revolves around leisurely touristy tours of certain major city downtown areas. Anyway, we’re now on the brink of yet another life-changing technological breakthrough, the Lytro™ light field camera and while the… Continue reading Light Field Cameras: Another Segway?
Throwing Green
I don’t know what category this goes in, but I picked “Art” because it’s the sort of thing that probably draws big bucks in a Manhattan gallery. Heck, for all I know it really is a piece of performance art: It wasn’t until I imported this photo – which, incidentally, was shot in the parking… Continue reading Throwing Green