mad photographer

Drums!

2011-10-19T14:26:00.000-04:00

Thought I'd start getting back into the swing of things...

extreme close-up

2011-04-30T16:24:00.000-04:00

Lips are good.
That is all...

My, it has been a while...

2011-04-28T23:39:00.002-04:00

I guess I've neglected this blog for quite a while.
OK, let's start again.
Just an abstract shot of a building, taken through a window...

Salute!!!

2010-06-14T09:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Flag Day!!

for all veterans...

2009-11-11T14:32:00.001-05:00

...thank you for your service.

I'm baaaaaaack.....

2009-09-26T22:54:00.002-04:00

Another chandelier post.
Trying to ease back into this...

Obligatory Fall Post

2008-11-19T17:03:00.001-05:00

Saw 4

2008-10-25T18:21:00.002-04:00

For all of the Hzlloween slasher movies.

another fall day...

2008-10-14T22:27:00.001-04:00

...in paradise.

Taken on a tour thru central lower Michigan.

a face...

2008-10-08T22:47:00.002-04:00

... only a mother could love.

Well, & everyone else that sees him.

A new start

2008-09-09T19:12:00.001-04:00

let's start up again with a nice, safe flower pic.

Later, I'll get bolder...

obligatory spring flower

2008-04-07T20:42:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year again, ya know...

Timely post

2008-02-21T00:16:00.002-05:00

Just took this at 10:15PM EST from Grand Rapids, MI.

Fun!! I am such a geek...

since it's the 31st & all...

2007-12-31T22:43:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

christmas time is here...

2007-12-24T16:46:00.001-05:00

Another view of the Christmas Twig™. Yes, the same as last years. We'll probably never throw it out.

Look out, he's got a fork!

2007-11-13T23:55:00.000-05:00

More from the Cutlery Series™.

I found out by accident how closely I can focus a wide-angle lens.

Honoring their service

2007-11-11T11:10:00.001-05:00

Both from the Vietnam Memorial in Washington.

It is hard to focus when tears are in your eyes....

Just a leaf...

2007-11-01T22:56:00.001-04:00

Seeing as it's fall &c...

rosary...

2007-10-21T11:35:00.001-04:00

Even though I'm not Catholic, rosary beads are cool.

An example of "scanner art".

details...

2007-10-11T12:02:00.000-04:00

Just a detail shot of the chandelier pic below.

Actually an example of how good a shot can be these days, even from a cheap camera. I use a Panasonic FZ-1 digital as my "tourist camera". Very ancient as digital goes these days, it only has a 2MP sensor. However, it has a Zeiss 28-400 f/2.8 lens with motion control. This pic was taken hand-held in a very dim hall from about 40 ft. Amazing, to me anyway...

Cutlery one

2007-09-27T11:56:00.000-04:00

Post Number One from the famous Cutlery Series™.

Actually, I was just goofing around when I should have paying attention.

Again.

fall back...

2007-09-25T17:06:00.001-04:00

Seeing as it's fall & all that, here's some leaves...

School of squid?

2007-09-21T13:54:00.000-04:00

Nah.

Just a chandelier.

Looking at the ceiling again, when I should be paying attention...

Rocks.

2007-08-01T20:10:00.000-04:00

From a nice setting on the shore of "the far-flung Isles of Langerhans..."

(actually Lake Michigan)

1000 points to anyone who gets the Firesign Theater reference.

back again...

2007-07-26T18:54:00.000-04:00

Here's a bucolic rural setting. Soothing, eh?

Sorry!

2007-07-11T13:18:00.000-04:00

I didn't realize that it had been so long since my last post.

Anyhow, continuing from whre I was interrupted, here are some pipes, taken at one of the local churches.

rose bein' a rose...

2007-04-19T14:52:00.000-04:00

Haven't been posting much. Will try again later.

I'll ease back in with a flower picture.

Flowers & produce. Can't beat 'em...

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T12:57:00.000-04:00

"Today, Christians all around the world are celebrating the alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ".
-attributed to an anonymous newscaster, who promptly got fired.

Passover greetings as well, to our friends of the Hebrew persuasion...

a dishy post...

2007-04-01T12:04:00.000-04:00

Just showing how tuned-in I am to suggestions...

guitar..

2007-03-29T10:50:00.000-04:00

Sort of a people shot...

In Spring...

2007-03-26T14:06:00.000-04:00

...A Young Man's Fancy Turns To Thoughts Of...

Chrome.

cityscape

2007-03-24T10:15:00.000-04:00

This is an oldie. First B&W assignment in my first photography class. Essentially, "wander around & take a bunch of pictures".

I can do that.

If I remember correctly, I had a red filter on the lens, & probably used Ilford HP5.

watch the birdie

2007-03-23T00:50:00.000-04:00

This is my first bird photo. Shot yesterday.

When it lands on the bird feeder 20ft. outside the front window, whatcha gonna do?

I guess I'm not exactly a wildlife photographer...

Really spring

2007-03-21T13:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, since this is the first full day of spring, here's the first flower picture of the season...

spring!

2007-03-20T19:38:00.000-04:00

Well, officially, spring arrives tonight, March 21, at 00:07 UDT, which is about 25 minutes from now, in Michigan.

Soooo... let's dance!!

Slightly modified repost... Oldy but goody.

A late St. patrick's day post

2007-03-17T20:11:00.000-04:00

This is a close cousin to the Christmas Twig™.

Betcha didn't know that shamrocks came from trees!

more clouds

2007-03-15T00:42:00.000-04:00

Just some clouds...

I like clouds.

still life

2007-03-11T11:01:00.000-04:00

I seldom do still-life pictures. I've seen wonderful examples from others, but every time I set something up, my reaction is "OK, it's done, so what?".

However, this works.

curves

2007-03-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

trying another "people post"...

Abstraction is the new black.

2007-02-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

Cryptic title, huh?

I was lying on the bed in a motel room, staring at the ceiling. "Hmmmm... Cool pattern!

Click!

herb garden

2007-02-25T10:41:00.000-05:00

From the Huntington in Pasadena, CA.

new beginning

2007-02-20T15:58:00.000-05:00

Back from v-day hiatus.

Thought I'd start off with a redesign & a cheesy picture.

I have one tradition: all of my models have worn this silver cover-up skirt for a few pictures, usually at the end of the shoot, just for fun & amusement. Seems to work.

As for blog business, I'll put the custom features (links, counter, &c.) back as soon as I remember how I got them in the 1st place.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T00:06:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd change things around just for today. Think pink!

Larger version of my profile picture.

day is done...

2007-02-13T12:39:00.000-05:00

gone the sun...

etc., etc....

next to last

2007-02-12T13:14:00.000-05:00

almost done.

more...

2007-02-11T11:07:00.000-05:00

continuing...

going down

2007-02-05T07:55:00.000-05:00

the latest...

wait, there's more...

2007-02-04T20:19:00.000-05:00

continuing...

OK, a little more

2007-02-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

This is a bit more spectacular.

moving along...

2007-02-02T09:02:00.000-05:00

No. 2 in the sunset series.

Start of a series...

2007-02-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't done this before, but I'm going to do a series of posts, all from an wonderful evening at the beach at Grand Haven, MI.

Here we go: Sunset No. 1

Pond Scene

2007-01-26T18:51:00.000-05:00

Just because we're finally getting winter here in the upper Midwest, here's a scene from sunnier days...

No Center

2007-01-23T18:33:00.000-05:00

I was reading an account of a photo contest where the judge dismissed most of the entries because they had "no center of interest". Well, neither does this.

Pthbbbt!!

Legs

2007-01-21T14:41:00.000-05:00

OK, not the most creative title ever...

Just occurred to me that I haven't done a "people post" for a while.

So, here it is.

Outstanding...

2007-01-19T23:32:00.000-05:00

...in its field.

Sometimes I'm just too clever for my own good... hee hee...

Help, I'm a rock...

2007-01-17T16:30:00.000-05:00

I could try to make up some story about my "Zen training in Kyoto", but this is from the Japanese section of the Huntington Gardens in Los Angeles.

Stream View

2007-01-15T10:45:00.000-05:00

To counterbalance all the bad weather here in the Midwest, here's a more pleasant scene.

Wedding blues...

2007-01-12T16:29:00.000-05:00

I was attending a wedding (cousin of my wife's) & my attention wandered as it often does. View: straight overhead. Composed, shot, & promptly got an elbow in the ribs. "Pay attention!" Well, I was, sorta, but not to the wedding...

Hand of Truth

2007-01-05T18:09:00.000-05:00

From the statue of Sojourner Truth in Battle Creek, MI.

Powerful.

Appropriate Post

2007-01-03T15:25:00.000-05:00

In honor of Gerald Ford's recent passing & funeral, this is a shot of Washington National Cathedral I made several years ago.

Tech data: 2 sec. @ F/11 or so, Ilford HP-5 B&W developed in Rodinal. I actually quit keeping records on these details a few years ago, but I did then.

I

Happy New Year!

2006-12-29T18:38:00.000-05:00

The best for 2007!

Christmas House

2006-12-27T00:25:00.000-05:00

Overdecorated by my great-niece in her kindergarten class. I have been informed that there is indeed gingerbread underneath.

Bear in mind that at least half of the original candy had been eaten by the time I took this.
Too cute!

Christmas Twig

2006-12-25T20:39:00.000-05:00

We had a regular Christmas tree: green, artificial, lights, all that stuff. This is our real tree. My five-year-old great-niece "rescued" this twig, saving it from certain death. So we decorated it.

Kinda like Charlie Brown, eh?

Have a scintillating solstice!

2006-12-21T13:52:00.000-05:00

Just a seasonal image.

Be back soon!

More railroading...

2006-12-19T00:23:00.000-05:00

This almost looks like a negative print of the previous railroad pic. It was taken in the winter on infrared film. As I noted in the earlier post, the trees on the left were torn down & replaced with telephone poles. Bummer...

Look out below!

2006-12-16T16:46:00.000-05:00

The ceiling of the lobby of a local hotel. Was lying flat on my back, the camera resting on my face (no tripod). Got a bit of attention...

I been workin'...

2006-12-14T14:54:00.000-05:00

This is a somewhat failed attempt. What I wanted was a shot with the sun shining directly down the tracks towards the camera, but I was a few weeks late. Didn't research properly, ya see... Then, the next spring, they tore down all the trees on the left & put in telephone poles. Figures.

A Tree Grows in Michigan

2006-12-09T17:48:00.000-05:00

Saw this by the side of the road. Actually backed up to shoot it, not my normal practice.

All seriousness aside...

2006-12-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

This is from a trip to Montreal a few years ago. There was a salsa contest down by the river, & this couple was, um, interesting. Since I'm from Grand Rapids, MI, with its conservative reputation, this was definitely a "not in Kansas anymore" moment. I had only a few seconds to focus & shoot, & then the song stopped. Whew!

saved by the bell...

2006-12-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

Just to contradict the last post, this was a planned setup with studio lighting. I did say whoa, cool!, though.

Rock? Martian crater? Hmmm...

2006-12-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

One of my favorites. Just wandering around one sunny morning (not too early) after a rain at night. Looked down, said whoa, cool! Click!!

I was once asked about my "thought process for composition". This is it:

Whoa, cool! Click!

Rose is a rose? ...Part 2

2006-11-29T20:14:00.000-05:00

I fooled around with the image from the last post & decided that I liked it better like this.

Opinions? Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?...

Rose is a rose?

2006-11-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

Macro shot of a dried rose.

Fire! (in a crowded blog)

2006-11-23T23:33:00.000-05:00

Just a campfire... Held the shutter open for a second or so. Almost looks like lava, huh?

Farm cloud

2006-11-14T22:12:00.000-05:00

I was driving along and noticed this cloud formation. It was intriguing by itself, but I continued, looking for something to put it over. This was the result.

motorcycle abstraction

2006-11-12T16:34:00.000-05:00

the devil is in the details...

OK, back to normal, more or less

2006-11-05T12:04:00.000-05:00

Just a chair reflected in a black Formica table. For anyone interested, the background was a white wall with several jackets hanging on hooks, luckily in shadow, so I could burn it down to black.

...I cannot lie...

2006-10-29T14:02:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite photos, & one of my favorite subjects. Very callipygian.

"God gave women buttocks because sometimes they have to walk away from us. That way there's some consolation".
-Spider Robinson

For The Season

2006-10-25T10:36:00.000-04:00

Just a wall in the fall...

Sometimes I do glam...

2006-10-22T14:18:00.000-04:00

There is perhaps no sexier thing a women can wear. Man's shirt and heels. Nothin' else...

next time...

more sunsets

2006-10-19T16:40:00.000-04:00

I don't get up for sunrise pics too often, but I have a lot of sunset shots.

We were at a house in central Michigan & I glanced out the window. Gotta get this! Gorgeous "godbeams", from Galen Rowell's phrase.

More goodies next time...

Dancin' machine...

2006-09-29T16:03:00.000-04:00

This is from a fashion show I attended. I experimented by holding the shutter open for several seconds while shooting off a flash from another camera. There were flashes going off from the crowd in addition, making for a nice randomness. There were several keepers from the shoot, but this was the shot.

Bye for now.

tracks, fog, etc....

2006-08-31T16:17:00.000-04:00

This is a nice example of what happens when you look at the weather forecast. I happened to see the news one evening & it warned of high humidity & fog the next morning. I had scouted out a few locations that were promising. So I got up early the next morning, which took a great deal of effort on my part, & got to work. I shot about 3 rolls of film, with a lot of keepers. Been mining that shoot for a long time. Fog pictures are great.

Bye for now...

more stuff

2006-08-17T12:20:00.000-04:00

This is my dear friend Jen, done after her triumphant return fom India. The dress is one she brought back. Great texture.

next time...

I'm baaaack...

2006-08-07T20:09:00.000-04:00

This image was done old-school, by tone and tinting black&white paper. I was taking a class on hand-coloring. I had a blast.
On a more serious note, I've just pretty much recovered from surgery to make sure that my doctor had gotten all of a melanoma tumor on my forearm. It involved removal of a couple of lymph nodes, making a bigger hole in my forearm, and skin-grafts from my thigh to my forearm, to cover up the hole. Fun! All of the pathology reports are negative, which means I've dodged a bullet. Have any spots on your body checked by a doc, kids! This also means that I'm now officially a CANCER SURVIVOR. Jeeze, I hate that phrase. Anyone who's still alive at this moment is a survivor. If I had saved myself from a harrowing adventure out in the wilds by my own effort and resources, then I'd be proud of it. As it was, I finally got a spot on my arm (that several people had urged me to take care of) examined, and the medical profession took over from there. I had little to do with it.

Anyhow, back later...

this is not a lamp...

2006-07-10T19:33:00.000-04:00

...apologies to Magritte. Just a lamp in a corner. I've been told that this isn't easy to do. Worked for me.

next time...

2006-06-25T16:59:00.000-04:00

This is from the Vietnam Nurse's memorial in Washington, DC. I was lucky enough to be there right after it was dedicated. It's a short walk from the main Vietnam Memorial on the Mall.
Going to the Memorial is something of a gut-wrenching experience, for a variety of reasons, so I was fortunate to be able to focus my camera at all. Perhaps autofocus would have been appropriate.

Seeya...

ONWARD AND UPWARD

2006-06-22T14:02:00.000-04:00

this is a version of one of my best images. I just put a color screen on the B&W version and this came out.

Sunset, Grand Haven, MI
Straight from the digital camera, with a little arty Photoshopping.
Very little.

More good stuff later...

more bloggy goodness

2006-06-17T19:39:00.000-04:00

Now trying titles...
adding a few (blurry-but-artsy)pics:
The kid is my great-niece at her first dance recital,
the fiddler is Eileen Ivers.

bye for now..

2006-06-16T18:23:00.000-04:00

now for one more pic. Also, a test of the compose function in Blogger...
Ha!

Japanese Garden at the Huntington in LA.
A bit of Photoshopping...

2006-06-16T16:41:00.000-04:00

ok, now I'll try the add-a-photo thingie...
hey, it worked!!

She leaned over to adjust the skirt...
"Stay like that!"
Click!

2006-06-16T14:14:00.000-04:00

Yo, testing, testing...
This is the first post of the mad photographer's blog.
It's my first blog, be gentle...
I'm liable to talk about anything, post any picture, maybe even sing a song.
See ya soon.