Searching for photo op...yea, it is one of those days

Fall color is almost gone after two long weeks of downpour in the Pacific Northwest, autumn leaves are now scattered about the lawn. The weather has really played havoc this year and I wonder if that foretells what winter will bring. Fresh in mind was the huge flood that shut down the low lying section of I-5 in Washington state which caused me to delay my drive south to San Francisco for the project.

Nevertheless, I tried to stay positive, I am like a fish out of the water whenever I am not out doing photography....I said to myself there is always photo ops no matter what the weather holds. Looking at the photos below, perhaps all is not lost :)

"Autumn Song"
Canoes, ever so elegant. Perched on the water by the pier, you find them gently rocking away, creating perfect ripples with their every breath. Casting a soft shadow at sunset and again when the day breaks....It is a priceless solitude, wouldn't it be nice to take her out for a paddle........

"solitude"
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'Web Style Guide" - Looking for Ideas?

If you are a photography enthusiast thinking about building a better website, you might want to read Web Style Guideby Lynch and Horton. I finished reading the book (352 page long) in one afternoon last Saturday, it was that good! I have read a few web design/html books in the past (I am not a geek) and most of them left me more discouraged than ever. This book on the other hand explains what makes a good website and the different page elements and contents one could have to make a nice website, the trade offs, all in plain language, as well as the very important subject of SEO (search engine optimization). As an avid photographer, I found the chapters on Web Page Structure and Design, Graphics and Multimedia and the illustrations extremely useful. In addition, the book contains many great tips and design ideas. Having read this wonderful book, I am definitely better prepared now to start thinking about my new website.

Web Style Guide, 3rd edition: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites"by Patrick J Lynch and Sarah Horton

Editorial Reviews from Amazon

". . . a non-geeky Web-design primer-a rule-of-thumb guide that calmly introduces you to the issues involved in developing a Web site. . . . what you need to know about Web-site design in plain language, with understandable examples. . . . this . . . book is a gem."-Mary Creswell, Presentations (Mary Creswell Presentations )

"Just as many writers reserve a space on their book shelves for the thin but essential work of William Strunk and E.B. White, a similar space should be hallowed out for The Web Style Guide."-John Mello, HR Today (John Mello HR Today )

"This is one of the best design books that I''ve seen, catering specifically to information-oriented sites. . . . The Web would be an easier world to navigate if all Web designers read this book."-Deborah Lynne Wiley, Online (Deborah Lynne Wiley Online )

"[A]n excellent, practical handbook. . . . [T]he book can be unreservedly recommended."-Tom Wilson, Information Research (Tom Wilson Information Research )

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Bali on my mind.....

Wish I was more productive these past couple of weeks when essentially I have been in hiatus. Since returning from my 6 month stay in San Francisco, I desperately wanted to get some of my pet projects off the ground. I have not shot anything new for stock photography, wanted to see how things shake out with all the consolidation that is happening in the industry. Having said that I have seen increased downloads lately after a really tepid summer. I am saving every penny I made from stock photography as I have a lens I really want to get.

"Bali...you are in my mind"
Playing around with Photoshop CS2, I had set my sights on a print pattern in my head. My photo as the original image, working with earth tone, or was it tuscan red? It could be that the late summer weather in the Pacific Northwest this year has influenced my color selection, may be....I am a warm blooded soul, the warmth of a pretty summer day lifts my spirit. I enjoy sitting on the verandah, sipping iced tea, reading a book, enjoying the simple scenery aorund me, my mind wondering to a distant shore.

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I would start with a photo that has quite a few colors and proceeded to work in different filters layer by layer. This one came from a photo of a garden taken at Boston Harbor in Olympia this past weekend. I worked on the pattern until it jumped out at me, and I stopped. As it unfolded infront of my eyes, my mind was transported back to the magical island of Bali, women dressed in pretty Indonesian batik sarongs. Life is slow, often those who set foot never leave...it is true. The people are forever so hospitable, the scenery so idyllic befitting of a tropical paradise.

While you are thinking about Bali and plotting your next get away, you might want to pick up the following books:

Hush in the morning

My favorite photo subject - flowers

Hush in the morning......leaving for my destination early morning when the light is just breaking, the valley with a hint of beautiful soft light. I will arrive at my destination before most folks, except for some joggers and I am ready to have my stroll with nature. I walk, I stop, I hear the birds chirping, the mist in the air from the sprinklers. My favorite shot is always one with the dew drops still on the petal.To me photography is always about capturing the light


Red tulips - Tulip Festival, Ferry Building, San Francisco

This is a good reason why I am a morning person. It is the most beautiful hour of the day (and the second 30 minutes after sunset). Coffee in hand, I am so thoroughly happy, as I enjoy the view before me. This weekend morning routine never fails to wake up my senses (rather differently I might say from what one gets from a good cuppa of latte). It is so invigorating that without it I am not sure how I could be ready for Monday's grind. Walking, at time tip toeing not wanting to wake up the little critters whatever they may be around me, I feel as if I had walked into the garden of Givenchy, seeing a Monet painting in my mind. The song "Morning has broken" by Cat Stevens is ringing in my ears............


pink roses at a Malibu florist

Rhapsody in blue

The image below was a result of considerable post processing in Photoshop, starting with an original photo I took as the source image. I had adjusted the curves, saturation and hues and when I arrived at the image/art I wanted, I further cropped the image into 4 squares and increased the pixels in each of them resulting in a fluid glass like mosaic art. Out of the four in a series, below is my favorite creation. The image reminds me very much of the tiled bathroom in my old condo when I lived in Asia. I had gone to great length and had the bedroom painted deep blue. The bathroom was put through a complete remodel with a new tiled bath tub put in. The small square tiles were pretty ocean blue in color and they lined the entire bath tub which needed an additional water heater to fully fill it. The walls of the bathroom were laid with 12x12 inch blue tiles, so essentially when I walked into the bathroom from my bedroom, it was as if I had walked into a hideaway in the deep ocean. I would come home from work, put a music CD in the player (usually a Mozart Horn Concertos or a Barbara Streisand), turn the volume up, pour myself a nice glass of red wine, and decompress my brain.....while I relaxed in the bath tub. It was all so very soothing.....I am missing my old sweet pad already...

"Rhapsody in blue"
There has been an interesting and at times very passionate debate over the question of "when is photography considered fine art" in one of LinkedIn Group Forums. To follow the debate, click on this link. My first comment (#4 by JC) had stirred up a hornet's nest unbeknownst to me :( The very passionate debate only serves to re-inforce the notion that one's creative pursuit is indeed a very personal and intimate journey. In my opinion, there is really no clear line between the two genres. Ultimately it is in the eyes of the beholder, in that something special that connects the author and the audience that determines an image's worth to the beholder......