Project 365, Day 72. Last shot of the day....

The dirty hippies were gone from Manitou Springs today, so Emily and I were able to get down to Rainbow Falls, AKA: Graffiti Falls.

They must have had a recent community group come through and paint over the graffiti. Most of the rocks within arms reach were painted a horrible off pink color. You know, the color the hallway was painted in Junior High School. People have already started tagging over the paint.

I think they made it worse by painting it Junior High Pink, personally. They painted over the breast cancer awareness tag that said "Save the Ta-Tas!" next to a pink ribbon. That's a poignant message, in my opinion. I'm glad I got a shot of that last time I was here.

I shot a panorama. It didn't turn out. I shot some HDR stuff, it's not too bad. I did some long exposures with a filter to get silky water in the falls, looks great....

But this is the picture I liked best.



Everything is moving. The dog is running, I'm trying to pan as I shoot. Everything is blurred.

Except his face. His face is tack sharp and he's looking right at me. I dig it. Shot this as we were packing up to leave. Just goes to show you, you never know where your next shot will come from!

Be sure to click on the pic a couple of times to see it in a larger format.

Music tonight:
Anytime by Journey
Givin' The Dog A Bone by AC/DC
Gypsy Road by Cinderella
Two Steps Behind by Def Leppard
Eminence Front by The Who (a couple of times. I like that song.)


Until tomorrow...!

Project 365, Day 71. I Love It When A Plan Comes Together.

Emily and I sat down to watch the A-Team movie tonight.

It was awesome. Pure and simple kick ass.

It gave me an idea for a self-portrait. Something fairly complex.




I love it when a plan comes together.


Music tonight:
Bleeding Me by Metallica
Trampled Under Foot by Led Zeppelin
Money Talks by AC/DC

Until tomorrow...!

Project 365, Day 70. Illegal Libations...

I got a buddy who is a doctor. He gets a case of this stuff brought across the Neutral Zone every couple of months.

Strictly for medicinal purposes, of course.




Music tonight...
Have a Drink On Me by AC/DC
Eruption by Van Halen
Mas Tequila by Sammy Hagar
Rock & Roll All Night
Panama by Van Halen

Project 365, Day 69. Invasion!

Emily asked me this morning if I ever felt the need to top myself while working on this project.

Being the humble artist, I said...."Fuck yes!"

Yesterday's picture of the Attack of the Smoking Brian and Sera Clones was a great hit. How do you top that? Well, right now, I don't think I can.

I've had this idea to shoot some of my toys using a technique called forced perspective. That is basically having two subjects at different distances from the lens to create an apparent change in size. To make something big seem smaller and/or to make something small seem bigger.

The toy I've had one toy in mind. My Scopedog from Japan. (Cause those Japanese know how to make an awesome toy!) It's a huge mecha battle suit.





I wanted to give the appearance that a giant robotic battle armor is terrorizing my neighborhood. Sure, it's a crappy Photoshop job, the exposures don't match, the depth of field doesn't work too well, but it's the best I know how to do at the moment. I'm sure there is probably a better way to do this, it's just over my head right now.

My buddies Don and Jimbo ought to dig this shit out of this, though. Don lived in Japan for a long time and Jimbo has several of these toys. Dig it my brothers.

Much thanks to Doug, Puppy Wrangler, for helping get Sera in the shot. (It's kinda hard to see her, however.) I'm sure she'd run right up to the giant robot, wagging her tail, wanting to play.

You know how you can tell this is faked? Doug isn't out there with his camera snapping pictures of it!

Music for today:
Body Language by Queen
Don't Look Back by Boston
Turn The Page by Metallica
Hotel California by The Eagles
Mean Streets by Van Halen
Until It Sleeps by Metallica
Turn Up The Radio by Autograph
Welcome to the Machine by Pink Floyd
Forever Man by Eric Clapton
Who Wants To Live Forever by Queen
Armageddon It by Def Leppard
Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd
Rock The Casbah by The Clash
Radio Ga Ga by Queen
Rock & Roll All Night by Kiss
Who's Crying Now by Journey
Coming Back To Life by Pink Floyd
Little Dreamer by Van Halen
King of Pain by The Police
Have A Cigar by Pink Floyd
In & Out Of Love by Bon Jovi
Problems by Joe Walsh
Layla by Eric Clapton
Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones
Smokin' In The Boys Room by Motley Crue
Baby's On Fire by Sammy Hagar
Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton

Geez, that list is longer than yesterday. I thought this shot was going to be a lot easier too!

Until tomorrow...!

Project 365, Day 68, Self Portraits...Have a Cigar.

I'm not usually one for self portraits. I rather like taking pictures rather than being in them. (Though, I am a bit fond of the pictures my friends and family shoot of me shooting. Weird, huh?) Because of this, I tend not to do self portraits.

The picture where someone takes a picture of themselves in a mirror is so damned cliche. I just want to scream to those people: "Your camera has a fucking timer on it! Use it!"

The only reason I am shooting a self portrait today is because I have a great idea for a shot and I need the practice before I actually undertake the project.

Now...before you scream "Photoshopped!" at the top of you lungs, just thank whatever deity you pray to that I haven't learned how to clone myself. I figure THAT one out, I'm taking over the planet....just sayin'. Of course it's Photoshopped.

This confused the hell out of the dogs (mostly Sera), running back and forth to the camera and posing.



After looking at this picture (and shivering at the thought of multiple copies of me and my pooping pooch running around) you are probably wondering what I have in mind for the project I mentioned.

Ain't telling.

It's going include a special guest star and he's packing up for a trip, so it'll have to wait until he gets back.


As an aside....Sera started humping my leg in the last picture just before the timer went off. I got her off just in time. Wouldn't THAT have been an interesting shot?


Music for today:
Have A Cigar by The Foo Fighters
The Show Must Go On by Queen
Cathedral by Van Halen
Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd
Have A Cigar by Pink Floyd
Don't Forget About Me by Simple Minds
Kashmir by Led Zeppelin
Every Breath You Take by The Police
Panama by Van Halen
Big Gun by AC/DC
Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream
After Midnight by Eric Clapton
Hysteria by Def Leppard
Hold The Line by Toto
Getting In Tune by The Who
On The Turning Away by Pink Floyd
Life Goes On by Poison
Mr. Tinkertrain by Ozzy Osbourne
Love, Reign O'er Me by The Who
Great Gig In The Sky by Pink Floyd
Mama Kin by Aerosmith

Shit. That's a lot of music. I had this picture 90% done and guess what I noticed? NO shadows! I forgot to add the shadows. Shadows are a bitch.

Whew....Until tomorrow...!

Project 365, Day 67. Frost In The Back Yard.

The weather was lousy again today. Enough snow to be...irritating. Where is my spring blizzard? Why won't it snow in feet per hour rather than millimeters per day?

It was the kind of day that you want to say, screw it, I ain't goin' nowhere today! There was some nice frost on the trees out back, however.


One of my favorite photographers, Moose Peterson, says the back yard is the first place you should go to start making great images.

Who am I to argue with Moose? Be sure to click the picture once or twice to really see the frost there!

If you're interested to see what other shots I got today, be sure to click this link!

Music tonight...
Well, I sat down and did post processing on the pictures I liked as well as worked on the blog post, and listened to Queen the whole time. So, a whole lot of Queen!

Until tomorrow...!

Project 365, Day 66. Just lookin' around.

The weather was kinda crappy today. I didn't really feel like going out into the middle of nowhere for landscape shots. It didn't snow enough for me to go where I want to.

I decided to go take a look at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel today. I figured there would not be much in the way of outdoor shots due to the low cloud cover and fog. So, inside I went.



There was a very nice lady there that explained about each of the chapels that exist inside this building. I've lived here my whole life and I'd never been in there. She said she hears that a lot.

She also mentioned that I was free to take pictures inside. She told me how the stained glass widows change the light in the chapel based on the weather outside.

"The light will be different each time you are here." she said. As a photographer, I love that idea. Something new each time? Dig it.

It's quite an overwhelming site. That always sets me back a few steps. Too much to take in to plan a good shot. Plus my buddy, Jason, had recently been here shooting and I didn't want to copy what he'd just done.

I took a bunch of shots. I didn't like anything I shot today. This wasn't sharp, that wasn't straight, wrong setting this, wrong composition that, didn't follow through on the couple of good ideas I had. Just an off day.

Though...while listening to the last song on the list below, I found this image.



I like it. Be sure to click on both to see them in a larger format.

I plan on going back later this year when the weather is nicer and after I have wrapped my brain around what I saw today and have a few shots planned out.



Music for tonight:
Angel by Aerosmith
Super-Charger Heaven by White Zombie
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2
The Way I Feel by Robert Plant
In The Room by Sammy Hagar
Stand Up by David Lee Roth
Layla (Unplugged) by Eric Clapton
You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones


Until tomorrow.....!