Light and Simple

Not sure why, but this lamp on a wall in Old Town, San Diego struck me as an interesting subject. I originally gave it a treatment that accentuated the texture of the stucco wall (see below), but decided to rather tone the texture down with a filter with more negative clarity.  The stucco texture is still there, but doesn't detract from the lamp, in my opinion.

Foilage and fungus

Textures from the forests of Costa Rica. When photographing in the lush forests in Costa Rica, one of the biggest challenges I found was isolate subjects and keep the composition clean.  Close ups seemed to be the answer. Once I made that mental switch, the forest floor became a target-rich environment.

Spinning

Long exposures at Magic Mountain.

Damas Mangroves

While in the Quepos/Manuel Antonio area of Costa Rica, we took a boat tour of the mangrove swamps. Between the monkey, bird, reptile, and anteater sightings, I found the imagery of the old, abandoned boats among the mangrove trees appealing. I'm not sure why. Perhaps they give a sense of levity as they exist between the trees and their reflections on the water and a sense of timelessness because of there weathered surfaces.

Arenal, Costa Rica

 

Back from a family vacation in Costa Rica.  Our first destination was the area of Arenal, with its prominent active volcano. We stayed at the Arenal Observatory Lodge, who's grounds and rooms offer breathtaking views of the nearly perfectly shaped cinder cone volcano. The grounds also have a vast network of well maintained hiking trails through lush vegetation, farmland, hanging bridges, streams and waterfalls. There is also a museum about the volcano on-site that houses a seismograph that you can monitor some of the many small eruptions that occasionally occur throughout the day. 

Bugs

 

 During a recent stroll along the Batiquitos Lagoon in Carlsbad, Ca with the family, I thought I'd try out my new camera's close up/macro ability on the many insects observed along the path.  For me, framing and focusing is difficult in this type of photography since I typically like to get the camera close (~2-5 inches) to the bugs, low to the ground, and sometimes shoot up at the subject.  In this position, I usually cannot see the LCD on the back of the camera or I am down on the ground in some contorted position.  This is where I really wish I had a tilt swivel LCD screen instead of the fixed one on the back of my S90. To get these shots, I rely on constant chimping and expect several out of focus and badly composed shots...but all you need is a couple of keepers to make it all worth while.

 

  Its easy to loose yourself in this bug's world.  By the time I finished taking pictures, I couldn't remember how much time had passed and my wife and son were nowhere in sight.  I headed back to the car and found them there waiting patiently for me to finish up.I guess I do this a lot when I bring a camera along... It's nice that they understand.

Back in the Saddle

After too many months of not posting and lackluster enthusiasm for photography, I decided its time to push aside a small chunk of my busy life to get back in the saddle.  It's not that I have neglected the craft; there are several photos that I've taken over the past few months that I'd love to share. I just need to get back to to the cycle of selecting,  sharing, learning from my current creations, and getting inspired to do more.  In fact, loosing my point-and-shoot on a recent trip gave me the opportunity to research and buy an new camera and has rekindled some enthusiasm for creating photographs.  This new toy is what I'll share first.

For a long time, I was content with my Panasonic Lumix FX-01 with its compact, poketable size and great image quality  (I think it was the Leica lens).  As Chase Jarvis' book title states, The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You and, I'll add, always takes better pictures than big DSLR you left at home.  Because of its size, my Lumix was frequently the best camera for those fleeting moments. You'll probably read this theme over and over again in my previous and future posts. It was also a great video camera for short clips. 

After misplacing it somewhere in Yosemite Valley (perhaps as a subconscious offering to the Ansel Adams altar), I needed a replacement. I considered the top of the line point and shoot offerings from Nikon (P6000), Canon (G11) and Panasonic (LX3), but found them to be too big to be truly pocketable.  I think I came closest to buying the G11 its tilt/swivel LCD and its multiple analog dial controls. Then I started looking at the Canon Powershot S90: Simple in design, definitely pocketable, great reviews in terms of image quality and low light performance, a very fast f/2.0 lens, and the ability to save RAW image files for the most versatility for post-processing. Of course, several months after deciding and buying the S90, all of the cameras mentioned above have been refreshed (P7000, G12, LX5, and S95).  I have no regrets, though.  As I learn more and more about how to handle the S90, I am more and more pleased with my decision. The image quality is quite good and the level of control over the image making variables is humbling. I'm sure it will take me a while to learn how to use this camera to its full potential...fun times!