categories: monochrome

categories: monochrome

categories: monochrome

categories: monochrome

categories: monochrome

categories: monochrome

A reworking of an image I took in Portland, OR in monochrome with punched up skies a little.

categories: monochrome

categories: monochrome, architecture

Mono version of my For Dinner still life picture. I guess it looks better in monochrome, it won 1st place at my photoclub monthly competition tonight.

categories: monochrome

categories: people

categories: people

Door in Beijing Hutong

categories: street

Amish country

categories: scenic

categories: creatures

categories: flora

Sandwiched with itself version of this image

categories: abstract

Shot with flash in front and below ball, with a cinefoil snoot.

categories: things

A Tulip.

categories: flora

The pods are coming to get me!

categories: macro

categories: monochrome, abstract, architecture

An old barn in Frostburg, MD.

categories: monochrome, scenic

Trying out the new Black & White adjustment layer in Photoshop CS3 beta. A little more control than the Channel Mixer. Here is the other one where I used the channel mixer.

categories: monochrome, scenic

A corn loving and friendly old man in a village outside of Beijing, China that invited me into his home to have a look around.

categories: monochrome, people, street

I saw this in the windshield of a van parked out on our street. I grabbed my camera and the owner was no in the car preparing to leave. Maybe that gives it some context, but I think it might have been better without the driver. I'm not sure what I think of it, but it did look interesting so I thought I would share.

categories: monochrome, abstract, street

We think this man was the administrator for the village we visited. He seemed official, and of course, was riding a bike.

categories: monochrome, people, street

Larger size is here

categories: monochrome, scenic

categories: monochrome, scenic

So many buildings look the same now. I liked how several buildings lined up into a mash of lines.

categories: monochrome, abstract, architecture

I think these guard lose some intimidation points by having cute baskets on their bicycles.

categories: monochrome, people, street

This might not be all that interesting of a photo, but I liked the blue bike contrasting with the red wall.

categories: street

Vegetables drying in a Beijing, China hutong.

categories: monochrome, street

While we were stuck in traffic, this guy was staring at me. People staring at me happens a lot in Beijing. I decided to wave back and this really make him laugh. He managed to get the bus window open so he could talk to me at about the same time traffic started moving.

categories: street

Some old men in a tour group resting at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The various tour groups of Chinese people seemed to all wear different colored hats.

categories: monochrome, people, street

categories: monochrome, people

A view of the wall of lighted wooden squares at the H.Q. Rtiz in Beijing, China.

categories: abstract, architecture

Great Falls, VA

categories: monochrome, scenic

categories: monochrome, people, street

meadowlark-triangles

categories: flora

construction-site

categories: monochrome

I ventured out to a construction site this morning. I thought these overlapping curves worked nicely here.

categories: abstract, architecture

reflections

categories: abstract

Last night it rained and I took the opportunity to play around with photographing reflections.

categories: abstract

reflections

categories: abstract

No one I show this picture to seems to like it very much. I like it. It seems to make a silly face, but also has nice lines and shapes. It is the side of a Public Storage building.

categories: architecture

Herrington-Harbor

categories: monochrome

Larger

categories: creatures, macro, monochrome

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

categories: monochrome

I've been trying to find a scene where I could get something through water droplets for a while. Theser are challenging to get in focus. The little bit of sun flare is part of the photograph and was not added. I think it provides a little sparkle to the phtoograph.

categories: flora, macro

DC

categories: monochrome

This is the original image from the right hand part of the diptych I posted the other day. I put this one on dpchallenge.com's "Single Light Source" theme challenge as their rules do not allow for using pixels from two images.

categories: people

Rose in front of a blue house

categories: flora

This scene reminded me of Super Mario Brothers.

categories: architecture

I shot this at f/4 on my 5D which can produce a bit of vingetting. I sort like the effect here so I did not correct it. Gives it a nice framing I thought. There is another version of this image where I put in a light pole for some pespective. I'm not sure yet which one I like best.

categories: architecture

Fountain in Portland, OR

categories: monochrome, street

Ladder at chinese garden in Portland, OR

categories: monochrome

Pottery maker from Portland Saturday Market. I had trouble exposing him and his hands in the same photo because his work light was so very bright. I thought I'd try putting the two photos together to tell a story of his art.

categories: monochrome, people

greenspring

categories: flora

This one reminds me of a sea creature. I really like how the appears to be a haze at the base of the tentacles. I converted this to monochrome in PS.

categories: flora, macro, monochrome

I've been trying to take to heart advice from Tony Sweet. Find a nice background then try to find something to photograph in front of it.

categories: flora

Two Exposures put together. One of the rear flower in focus and one of the front flower in focus.

categories: flora

Composition of two photos. First capture was at f/22. Second capture was at f/4 and slightly out of focus. Combined in photoshop. The f/22 image is also available.

categories: scenic

categories: macro, abstract

categories: macro

categories: macro

I took this one for a "Childrens Toy" themed competition on dpchallenge.com.

categories: monochrome

Photo I took for Texture challenge on dpchallenge.com.

categories: macro, abstract

categories: flora

Trying out the 180mm 3.5L macro lens. I think I put an extension tube on it to get larger than 1:1. Some times when I look at this it looks like an alien with slurpy things coming down from its face.

categories: macro, monochrome

Trying out my new Canon 180mm macro lens. .

categories: macro, abstract

It would probably help with naming photographs if I knew the names of the flowers I took pictures of. I think most of my flowers pictures will end up being called "purple flower #10" or similar. This system breaks down when i'm not sure if its pink or purple though. This one seems to be equal parts of both. :-) Pinky purple perhaps.

categories: macro, flora

Brookside Gardens

categories: macro

Trying something here for this week's challenge over at dpchallenge.com. This is a agapanthus flower (blue) that I've illuminted with a blue LED to give it some extra blueness. I used a white LED to illuminate the stamen so it would reveal some of the yellow color. Anything not blue shows up black under the blue LED.

categories: flora

I saw this branch and reflection while driving around Alviso, CA one morning. The little bird kept jumping from branch to branch. The bird is barely noticable, but I think it makes this photo for me.

categories: monochrome, scenic

Today a group of us from the photo club went to the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA to take some photos of artists doing their work. In February we ae having a competition with a theme of "Hands and Eyes" and our field trip planner thought this would be a good way to facilitate some photos for that. I can say I really wasn't in the mood to go today. I wanted to go some where and take photos, but taking pictures of strangers isn't something I am all the comfortable doing. My wife told me that I needed to make myself uncomfortable if I wanted to expand myself, so I decided I might as well go. I'm really glad I did because this place is fantastic. There are dozens of artists allworking in their little studios making and selling their artwork. I had intiially gone into this gentleman's jewelry shop to ask about having some earrings made. We talked a little while and then I left to go take some photos. As I walked around I kept thinking about this particular photo in my head. I knew that being a jeweler, he would have some of these magnifying goggles. I had the whole thing planned out in my head before I went back to ask to take his photo. This was pretty much a first for me. Normally I just take photos and try to be inspired while I am shooting. I don't normally get the creative juices going ahead of time and come up any sort of plan. I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

categories: people

I took many photos on our holiday trip to see our families, most of which didn't turn out to be worth sharing. My niece Taylor is very photogenic and cute as can be. I was doing a lot of indoor shots on this trip and tried doing some bounce flash. Unfortunately i think I had some settings wrong on the flash and many of them came out under exposed. Fortunately the Canon 5D seems to do really well with noise even at ISO 1600. However, when I corrected exposure in Adobe Camera RAW a lot of noise cropped up from the shadows. So, there is more noise in the photos than is probably acceptable. But anyway, I like her pose here and how sharp her eyes are.

categories: monochrome, people

categories: scenic

This is an office building near my house. I've always thought the architect must have played Q*Bert growing up.

categories: architecture

categories: monochrome, architecture

categories: macro

categories: creatures

From Chinese New Year Parade in D.C.

categories: street

categories: macro

I think Washington D.C. has one of the most attractive metro systems in the Unites States. Not only are the trains kept clean, the stations themselves seem well designed and attractive. This photograph is of the Clarendon Metro station. The view down the hall is unobstructed so you can get a good feel for the architecture of the place. One thing I just realized after uploading this photo was that I shot this at 1/10 second shutter hand held. I'm surprised it came out crisp at all considering how shakey my hands can be.

categories: monochrome, architecture

On a recent trip to NYC, passed by a pizza place with some tasty looking pizza in the window.

categories: street

On a trip to visit my parents in Louisiana I took some pictures of thte old paper mill in the town. Ths mill has long been closed and torn down, but there are some remnants of structures still left standing. No one I talked to knew what these towers were used for. I thought they looked interesting with the light of the setting sun.

categories: architecture, scenic

I really liked all the lines in this photo. The support wires for the bridge and the lines in the clouds.

categories: architecture, monochrome

This is the barn from the family farm where my dad grew up. I spent many hours playing around here when we should visit my grand parents. This photo reminds me of a something my Aunt Evelyn would have painted.

categories: scenic

categories: scenic

This photograph was taken at the Chinese New Year parade in Washington, DC. I saw this gentleman walking around the parade and was very intrigued. He had on a hat, brown trench coat, brown "killing gloves", and brown shoes. I kept thinking to myself, "This guy is not from our era, he is a time traveller!" Risking life and limb, I snapped this photo of him. I brought my camera to the parade to practice street photography, but did not expect to find a subject as interesting as this.

categories: people, street

After a hard day of playing, my nephew taking a rest on his basketball.

categories: people

Panda from the Washington DC National Zoo

categories: creatures