katie is a cutie ...

multiple family portrait sitting today, here's a candid from the shoot. cropped, and processed with tiffen filter in photoshop for b&w and vignette

f/2.8 @ 200mm, 1/60sec-exposure, iso200, 0/6ev

comquats at a distance ...

recently in florida, outside my parents house they had a comquat tree in full bloom. cute little buggers aren't they ... standing about 30 feet away from the tree.

f/3.2 @ 200mm, 1/2500sec-exposure, iso200, 0/6ev

tired smiles ...

arjot, another friend's 13month old baby, she was quite tired for her photoshoot, but held up for some great shots. need to improve background/hair lighting, otherwise the lighting setup was nicely exposed. two studio lights at +3.5 stops plus hot-shoe mounted flash with gary fong diffuser. no photoshop correction.

f/3.2 @ 90mm, 1/60sec-exposure, iso200 0/6ev


f/3.2 @ 70mm, 1/60sec-exposure, iso200, 0/6ev

she's such a beautiful baby ...

katelyn, a close friend's daughter. very cute, very photogenic, a great subject to snap pictures of, although she did enjoy behind the screen as much as sitting in front of it. Very little processing, a bit of contrast, mild vignette if needed.

f/2.8 @ 18mm, 1/60sec-exposure, iso400, +4/3ev


f/2.8 @ 50mm, 1/60sec-exposure, iso400, +4/3ev


f/3.5 @ 40mm, 1/60sec-exposure, iso400, +4/3ev

nyc hotel view hdr's ...

here are a few hdr's i processed from last week's trip to nyc. there's definitely some sharpness missing in each photo, need to shoot at a bit higher f-stop. colors are terrific, these are all straight out of the camera into photomattix, no post processing required.

f/2.8 @ 18mm, 1sec-exposure, iso200, -1/3 :: 0 :: +1/3ev


f/2.8 @ 18mm, 1sec-exposure, iso200, -1/3 :: 0 :: +1/3ev


f/2.8 @ 18mm, 1sec-exposure, iso200, -1/3 :: 0 :: +1/3ev; sharper than the previous but mildly de-saturated in the buildings


most people ask, are these images artificial or rendered? no. it's just the beauty of hdr.

hotel room ...

had to go to nyc this week, have to process some hdr images, but here are two non-hdr's that i liked. second shot was in complete darkness at high iso's.

f/2.8 @ 18mm, 1/13sec-exposure, iso400, 0/6ev


f/2.8 @ 18mm 2/5sec-exposure, iso3200, 0/6ev

birthdays in the club ...

club shoot this past weekend, difficult lighting, but a lot of fun, gary fong diffusers on both cameras seemed to work great, fair amount of post processing required due to lighting but also adding vignettes.

pie is good ...

thanksgiving pie, apple cranberry, it's quite good ... not too sweet, not too tart, just the perfect mix.

- 6 granny smith apples
- 1 cup of sugar, split into four (1/4's)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 cup cranberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp apple jelly
- lemon zest
- 1 tbsp corn starch (and cold water)
- pie crust (make your own or buy some)

peel and cut apples, i prefer 8-slices per apple, lets apples hold their shape and not break down too much. place sliced apples into a mixing bowl, add in 1/4 cup sugar and mix. place apples into a colander and place colander over a bowl to let apples drain for 30 mins. do not discard the apple juices that drain.

while waiting for apples to drain, put cranberries, jelly, water, cinnamon (1 tsp), 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon zest into a saucepan. bring to a gentle bubble but do not let cranberries "pop" and break down, this should be no more than about 5 mins. turn off stove.

prepare a greased pie pan with pie crust. pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

once apples have drained for 30 mins, place back into mixing bowl, add in the other two parts of 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon (1/2 tbsp), corn starch/cold water mix, lemon juice and mix. add in cranberries using a slotted spoon, taking only the berries but not residual juices. combine. place apples into pie crust and top with other pie crust. cut slits into the top of the pie to let steam out.

take the drained apple juices and combine with the cranberry juices in the saucepan, set on medium high heat until mixture reduces down to a thin syrup, about 7-9 mins, do not let this overcook. remove from heat and brush this syrup onto the top of the pie.

place pie into oven, loosely covered with foil for 45 mins. remove foil from pie after 25 mins. watch pie to not burn crust.

melissa gibbs wedding ...

shot a wedding about 2.5 weeks ago, hectic, but she was a very flexible bride and just had a good time, which is how it should be.

too busy ...

... couple of catch up posts coming ...

tyler and andrew ...

had a chance to shoot a friend's twins this past weekend, what great kids they were to snap.

get out and vote cake ...

cake is good for voting.

f/1.8 @ 50mm, 1/250sec-exposure, iso400, 0/6ev, flash fired

label cloud ...

... no picture, i just wanted to post that i made the label cloud work. w00t w00t. now i don't have to stare at that long long label list anymore, this is much easier to use and read through (as well as reference as i'm tagging words in future posts).

... werd.

... in case anyone else wanted the code snip-it, you can find it here...

prosciutto mozzarella salad ...

threw a few things together for dinner tonight, one of which was this salad. fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, very thinly sliced prosciutto, romaine leaves, drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.

f/1.8 @ 50mm, 1/60sec-exposure, iso400, 0/6ev

peas, bacon, onions, savory goodness ...

i usually eat peas with just a bit of butter and i microwave them. saw this recently somewhere and thought it would be a great item to try. quite easy, fry up some bits of bacon, add in sliced onions and then a box of frozen or fresh peas.

f/2.8 @ 44m, 1/60sec-exposure, iso800, 0/6ev

roasted garlic tomatoes ...

i absolutely love tomatoes, i typically eat them raw, or as salsa, occasionally adding it to a recipe or making a red-sauce. adding a bit more flavor, i roasted tomatoes with a bit of garlic, olive oil and salt & pepper. very simple, yet very delicious.

f/4 @ 46mm, 1/20sec-exposure, iso500, 0/6ev

crispy potato galette ...

quite the simple recipe, can be used for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.

- 2 large yukon hold potatoes
- 1/2 cup light cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- salt & pepper

in a bake proof frying pan (or bake-ware you can skip the fry part), line the pan with one layer of the potatoes. sprinkle some salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. top with another layer of potatoes and repeat. complete with three layers. place on stove top and fry on medium heat for about 7-8 mins, this will set the galette. pour 1/3 cup light creme over top and add a bit more cheddar cheese. place into 375 oven for 15 mins.

f/2.8 @ 40mm, 1/80sec-exposure, iso800, 0/6ev

happy halloween ...

happy halloween folks!

tuesday play of the day no 17 ...

water color walking on the walls ...

- created (4) duplicate layers
- re-arranged/re-positioned layers
- applied water color filter
- stamped out the crack
- flattened

panda in a tin ...

co-worker made rice-crispy treats, except formed it into the shape of a panda. it's head for some reason ended up in a tin.

f/3.2 @ 46mm, 1/50sec-exposure, iso400, 0/6ev, flash fired

who doesn't love cheesy goodness ...

random post from recently. grilled cheese. perfect amount of cheese, bread, butter and a frying pan. who doesn't love grilled cheese?

f/3.2 @ 46mm, 1/50sec-exposure, iso800, 0/6ev