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Archives for January and February, 2009.  See links below for other archives.

ARCHIVE 1: 01/2009 and 02/2009 

DAVID'S PERSONAL NEWS PAGE
and JOURNAL

  This page houses archived articles and entries from my journal starting in January of 2009.  Sorry, but I did not save pages before that. 

02/28/09 - Anza Borrego State Park

My friend Julie came into town to check out properties for an event for her company and we had a chance to blast out to the desert to check out the status of the flowers.  They were not in their prime quite yet -- probably another week -- but still there was some color worth the trip.

The Sand Verbena were really going strong near the Henderson Canyon and Highway intersection.  These interesting flowers are are actually a spray of small flowers among a bunch of other sprays.  Within each spray is a smaller more delicate flower.  They are really quite beautiful if you take the time to get up close to them and really see the detail.

The flowers in the desert remind me of the flowers in the tundra: delicate blossoms that seem so fragile yet somehow managing to grow and even flourish in the most extreme climate conditions. It shows the line from "Jurassic Park" is right: "Life will find a way!" 
 

 

 


Growing in amongst the verbena is a small yellow flower that has a eimple blossom like a daisy, primrose, or buttercup but I do not know the proper name.  The guide book showed blossoms fully open so did not really look like this.
 

These yellow flowers really seemed to be attractive to a  group of bees that were having an amazing time gathering pollen from the flowers.  It was like watching kids in a toy store that did not know which flower to go to next or whether just to stay and enjoy a single bud. 

The little bee in the shot below continually plowed a circle around the inner bud until its legs and face were coated in pollen.

While we were in the area we stumbled on a small herd of Mastodons

No, really. 

And one of them took a real liking to Julie and decided to protect her from the nasty old photographer.  I know you think I'm kidding... but here is the photo proof.

 

02/27/09 - San Diego.

I've added some interesting links in the links page and on the SDCC page for Depth of Field questions including a calculator for those who have the new lenses that do not have the Depth of Field scales on them.  Those are in the Photo Vendors section.  There is also a new link in the manufacturers section of the links page for a memory card recovery application sold by Calumet.  A Student of mine tried it and it recovered everything from an otherwise trashed card.

On the SDCC Page in the "Other Handout" section there is an EV-Lux-Exposure table.  If you have an old meter that reads LUX or you have seen the material on evaluating archivability of media based on museum standards of lighting which are based on LUX and wonder what that means in photographers' terms, this can answer those questions for you.

And, in an attempt to answer a student's question I've discovered an interesting potential issue with canon lenses and the newer digital bodies.  According to some very credible sources there is a problem with the precise location of the focal/image plane and the back focus of the lenses requiring a tweak by Canon to being things back into alignment.  A call to Canon's service center in Irvine denied everything but did mention they would be happy to "service" the equipment. Hmmm.  I honestly do not know the truth of it at this point but I am more inclined to believe my sources since it would not be the first time that a manufacturer denied a problem, fixed it in the background, and just wanted the issue to go away.  I do not have one of the newer bodies so do not know it if is even an issue.  Plus the problem, if it exists, only has an effect on autofocus which I almost never use.  But for those who do it would be worth doing some testing.

 

02/24/09 - San Diego.

Last night I shot a demo in the lighting class based on the assignment for a solid textured object.  They will do solid, shiny, and transparent products then start putting them together and finally taking the studio outside on location. 

For this shot I borrowed an old finger piano from my friend Linda and also an old tambourine that had been in her family for a long time.  When I set it up there was something missing from the composition so I borrowed Siobhan Ridgeway's necklace (she designs, handcrafts, and sells these in her studio).  The large round wooden beads perfectly complimented the round shapes of the other objects. 

I designed and shot it to simulate a cover shot for a niche magazine devoted to old, ethnic, and tribal musical instruments.  You can see the results including the camera original and a light plot HERE. This link opens a new window, so to return simply close the window.

 

02/21/2009 - San Diego: Human vision and megapixels, etc.

At a meeting the question of the comparative megapixel value of human vision was mentioned.  What struck me was that several "references" all had very different answers and all claimed to be scientifically valid and "correct."  Here is a web site that seems to give the appropriate footnotes and references to support their contention even though it flies in the face of much of the "common wisdom" I've heard over the years even about such things as the eye's focal length and resolution and our human "ISO."  Check it out by clicking here. This site also contains a great deal of lens/optical information.  As with all references from the web, be sure to also check out some of the other input to ultimately draw your own conclusions.  In many cases what appears to be clear contradictions stem from different premises or perspectives on the problem so your job is to sort out those issues and relate them to your own needs.  Here is an interesting discussion thread on the subject.

  

02/20/2009 - San Diego.

The presentation at the Sierra Club Photo Section went pretty well.  I had a good number of students there but even without them, the President told me it was a very good turnout.  The questions were really good ones which showed the group certainly had some background and expertise in photography generally and digital techniques specifically.  I had added a third example to the PowerPoint presentation of the sunset at Crescent City's Lighthouse taken on the trip with Lee Peterson and that one definitely caught their attention.

Today is a day of meetings.  In about an hour I will be at MOPA (Museum of Photographic Arts) for a special tour arranged for our faculty and then later we will have a faculty meeting to see how the new semester is going and whether there are issues we need to deal with.  I also need to load software onto the computers in the finishing room so we can use the printers there.  The school IT department once again left us worse off than when we started.  I do SO want them out of our lives.  I am not a Mac afficionado but we were able to get outsourced help for our Macs so I'm rethinking having a PC lab in the new building just so we can avoid dealing with the IT people.

It is a shame to go to MOPA in Balboa Park and not be able to do some shooting so I think I will toss a camera in the car "just in case."

 

02/19/2009 - San Diego.

Finally I got the handout on lens focal lengths and perspective done.  It is now ready for download on the SDCC page in several of the class sections.  Due to intermittent rain showers while I was trying to shoot it will eventually have the illustrations replaced, but it works for now and does illustrate the point I was trying to make. 

Tonight I give a presentation on HDRI shooting for the San Diego Sierra Clubs' photo group.  They are a lively group with some really good nature photographers in it including Ken Rockwell.  He definitely keeps me on my toes.  The Landscape class has been invited to come to the meeting too so perhaps there will be some additional familiar faces.

 

02/16/2009 - President's Day, SAN DIEGO.

Well, so what good is a 4-day weekend if the work backlog and then the weather keep you indoors?  I was determined to get out no matter what and since the first three days escaped me, this was to be it.  Of course it was gray, windy, and pouring.  How bad?  Well here is a shot taken from Harbor Island looking back toward the city skyline.  The rain is coming down so hard it is creating a diffusion filter in the air between camera and the freighter which is perhaps 1/8 mile away. (This is shot with a 150mm lens.) 

Those familiar with the area will note the chop on the bay which is not normal except in stormy weather. The city itself has almost disappeared in the fog.  I wanted to do some shooting for a handout on the effect of lens focal lengths on perspective and spatial relationships in a photo but there was no way to do it reasonably since the background was wiped out.  Oh well, school starts again tomorrow so maybe next weekend.

On Thursday night I give a presentation to the San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club's Photo group.  This presentation will be on HDRI so it should be fun.  Last year I gave them a presentation on doing Mosaics and it seemed to be well received so I was invited back this year.

 

02/11/2009 - SAN DIEGO. 

The trip with Lee (below) proved costly to me in an unexpected way.  My style of shooting had never before led me to use a long telephoto lens in my work.  Rarely did the studio require anything over 100mm equivalent lens and since I was not a bird or wildlife photographer the only time I had used longer lenses such as my 250mm Zeiss out in nature was to reduce frame size for mosaics.  My Macro is 180mm but that was to give me greater working distance since getting up and down is no longer all that easy for me and it tends to frighten wary creatures less.

But Lee used a 400mm during the trip and that started me looking for those types of shots -- something I had not done before.  So I went on a 3-week research project to find a lens in that range that would work for the type of shooting I do and serve my needs best.

The point is that shooting with other photographers is a wonderful way to expand your vision.  It forces you, if your mind is open, to see things through someone else's "eye" and equipment.  Sometimes although you can always learn something from it, it does not really make an immediate impact that will change or expand your visual options.  But sometimes it does and this was such a time.  My creative spirit is grateful to him for it.  My pocket book hates him with a passion.  In upcoming shoots we'll see if it was worth it.  The Landscape class has its two major field trips coming up soon. Those should be a good test.

For now I'm just anxious to go play with my new toy and learn to use it properly... but it has been raining every day there has been a chance to go give it a "test drive."  It is really frustrating.

 

01/19/2009 - SAN DIEGO.  -- PHOTO TRIP TO OREGON

Last week I accompanied professional photographer Lee Peterson, whoNDK in Redwoods by Lee Peterson is also a scientist, digital guru, friend and valued resource of mine, to photograph along the Southern Oregon and Northern California coastline including a quick sojourn into the famous California Coastal Redwoods, the world's tallest trees.  Even fallen down they are tall.  To the right is a shot Lee took of me at the root base of a fallen Giant... 

Funny how it felt like the trees were coming in on me but until I saw the photo I had no idea it was really happening. His fisheye lens pushes the perspective so that the root does not look all that large.  But if you take the link to my shots from this trip, on the intro page is a shot of Lee working in close to this root that will give you a better idea of how huge it really is.

Lee initiated the trip because the moon was making a rare close pass to the earth.  It was 15% bigger and 30% brighter than normal and created huge tidal movements along the coasts.  And of course there were the dinosaurs...

Lee shooting ferocious dinosaursDinosaurs?!?  Did he say, "Dinosaurs?"

Hey, would I kid you?  To prove it, here is a photo I took of the extremely courageous Lee working his way up close to the savage and ferocious creatures to get a good shot.  He is such a fearless perfectionist... a real inspiration to us all.

We have much in common but it did not occur to me until I saw these two photos together that we have similar tastes in photo safari apparel.  You can tell us apart easily though.  His hair is whiter... that is because he has some... mine is more skin colored.

Anyway, it was a fabulous trip although some of the late night and early morning shoots in the north were, to me, brutally cold due to the humidity and frequent winds we experienced early and late in the day.  The only downside was how short it was.  The good news is that it introduced me to a number of places I had never been before and most definitely want to return.  To see some of the selected images from the trip you could go to the gallery page and find the link for the 2009 oregon trip... or you can simply CLICK HERE.

Now it is time to get last minute stuff for school done and ready since we start the Spring Semester next week and have some mandatory meetings this week.  I would dearly love to say that I am ready... and in terms of materials I am.  But emotionally I need another week along the coast or in the Redwoods... 

                                            --NDK--


  Sunny's Column

Sunny has grown into quite a young lady cat and though it is embarrassing to admit, I fear I have allowed her to gain a bit more weight than she should so need to put her on a diet.  To say she will be put out at me is a classic understatement. I was clearly wrong about her being small, she has definitely become a fair sized cat.

She is not, unfortunately, a cuddly lap cat.  In fact her only time in my lap is to use it as a step on the way to my desktop.  She likes to be near me but at her own distance.  She likes being scratched and petted but only on her terms and when she has had enough she has no difficulty letting you know it is time to stop or else turn your arm into something that looks like it was run through a food processor.

Since getting back from my photo trip, which was the longest she has been in the care of someone else, she has stayed pretty close to me and often comes into the office to make sure I'm still there. She will greet me, I'll talk to her and then she will go on about her business.

She is clearly the most curious cat I've ever been around and is pretty fearless about sticking her nose into anything new.  Every day she seems to re-inventory the whole house and if anything is new or moved around will explore it thoroughly and note the proper location now.  Unlike Linda's Bengal, Sunny is not all that vocal.

She has taken to liking to be in the sink in my bathroom though she barely fits.  She especially likes to do this about the time I am getting ready to clean up and then is most put out when I want her to move.

 


 
       
       

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