What Would You Take?

This photo was taken tonight from the parking lot at the top of Pierce College. This is a very scary sight!

A friend of mine who lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, which was threatened last week by a fire, posted an email to our group asking "what would you take if you only had 10 minutes to get out of your home? If you had an hour?"

Interesting question. I can't honestly say that I would take much with me. I think I would take my computer, my software and a few photos if I only had 10 minutes. If I had an hour I would take a few clothes. Other than that, I think I would let everything else go. I think sometimes we get too attached to the "things" in our lives. I could certainly live with a lot fewer things in my life.

*note to whatever "powers that be" are listening - this is NOT an invitation to burn down or otherwise destroy my home or find some other way to take away my stuff*

Do we really need all the "stuff" we accumulate over our lifetimes? How many things do you have that you've never used/worn or only used/worn it once? I have several things I just HAD TO HAVE and I've never used it, or I've only used it once.

I can't imagine what it's like to stand there and watch (or watch on TV) your personal world disappear. I applaud those people who are interviewed after a disaster who say "we have our lives, that's the most important thing". My heart goes out to all those affected by these devastating fires and I salute all those who are putting their lives on the line to save other's lives and property.

Gumby & Pokey at The Beach

Wow, they have BIG seashells on this beach Gumby and Pokey found!

This was one of the set ups I tried with my fake beach that didn't work out. I was trying to make this look like the sea shore. There is water there at the bottom but it doesn't look like it. I probably should have put something blue or dark under the plastic to give it some color. But anyway, you can see what the basic set up was for the fake beach from this photo - folding table in the back yard, painter tarps and a couple of bags of sand box sand from Home Depot.

I believe this was the concept shot that started the whole beach idea. I wanted t shoot Gumby and Pokey at the beach, but didn't want to drive all the way down there to do it. I should play around with Photoshopping in a horizon and a shore line.

LA Arboretum

I love reflections (which reminds me I need to look for another reflections photo taken in downtown LA). If I remember correctly, the day I took this the pond was quite green, so getting this type of reflection of the sky and tree made it look better than it actually was at the time.

Interesting thing about cameras and the people who operate them - while it's true that the camera doesn't lie - it only records what is put in front of it - the camera operator, through lighting, selective framing and focusing can create an impression of a scene that is quite different from what is actually there. And this is all before it gets into Photoshop, where it can become anything at all! I guess the moral of this story is don't believe everything you see.

Candles In The Dark

I have an infinity mirror set up at home. It has posed a multitude of challenges trying to make good images. I originally set this up about 8? years ago when I was still shooting film - or I should say shooting film exclusively.

Challenges to this type of shooting:
Lighting - I don't have studio lights so I have to bring every lamp in the house to light the scene and still it's not enough. When I shot very slow to compensate for the light the color shift went very yellow or orange, which in this particular picture actually enhanced the look.

More lighting - I had to shoot at night to reduce the reflection in the front mirror (the two way mirror) and even then the spill over from the lighting on the objects between the mirrors caused a lot of reflection on the front mirror.

Space - this is set up on my dining room table. Not a lot of space to set up and move around.

I haven't really tried shooting this with a digital camera yet, mostly because I haven't had the time and because my dining room table is usually piled up with other projects. I really like the effects I can get with the mirrors and I have a lot of interesting ideas of playing with hiding things behind each other so they don't show in the primary face-on shot you see first so they become like little "Easter eggs" to find as you look more at what is in the photo.

If you're inspired to try something like this please let me know how it works out for you.

Family Jewels

I kid you not! This is called a Family Jewel tree. Never even heard of it until my friend Mike posted these photos on Facebook today. I got together with a few of my friends whom I haven't seen for several months and Mikey brought one of these seed pods for us to view "in the flesh" as they say. Needless to say it our conversations for a while were quite...um....interesting!

Nature makes the most unusual things! According to Mike this particular plant belongs to the milk weed family. These seed pods will, at some point, burst open and all the fluffy little seeds will fly out, looking for a place to settle and sprout.

Splashes of Color

Some at work got flowers today. I was inspired to take photos. I like getting close to things to see the fine detail. I think I'll try doing this image in pastels.

Jellyfish

I volunteer at the Ford Amphitheatre. On Saturday mornings they have family programs. Because it's an open air theater, they drape very large parachutes over the stage and audience areas to block some of the sun so the audience and performers are more comfortable.

When the wind blows the parachute undulates and the effect is like being in a tank with a large green jellyfish. It's quite mesmerizing.

Surprise!

I take photos of the used cars at work for the newspaper ads. I was waiting for the porter to remove one car from the point and bring up the next car ("the point" = nicely landscaped area to take photos of vehicles adjacent to the Galpin Used car lot). It was fairly early in the morning and as I was waiting I was looking at the condensation on the foliage looking for something interesting to shoot when I came across this little critter just hanging around on a leaf. It's amazing what you can find when you look around and take the time to look at details. If I hadn't been looking at the leaves so closely I wouldn't have even seen this.

Fond Memories

I ask you, is there anything better in the world than licking the beaters after you've just finished mixing up your favorite batch of (insert favorite baked goods here)? I remember my grandma making cakes, brownies, cookies and we always got to lick the beaters. That was the best ever (even better than eating the finished product)! If you grew up in a house where no one baked, you have my sympathy - you missed out on a wonderful memory.

If you have kids and you don't bake - learn how! Even if it's just mixing up the box mixes from the store (slice and bake cookies won't work - no beaters to lick). Baking from scratch, though, that's magic. And it's not as hard to do as you might think. More fun than watching TV or playing video games. You will create some wonderful memories if you let them help you cook - whatever you're making.

Some of my happiest memories are of helping my mom and her mother cook our meals and our treats. I learned to be a fairly good cook from both of them. Thanks mom! Thanks grandma!

Baklava

I know Snapple says it's "the best stuff on earth", but I have to respectfully say "NO WAY". The best stuff on earth is Baklava! I have been driving past the Baklava Factory near my home 2 or 3 times a week for years and I keep telling myself I've gotta go there. Well, today I finally went. See those three pieces up there? GONE!!!! Yummmmmm!

Family Portrait

I was told this was the grandmother taking care of the baby because the mother didn't know how or wasn't interested.

LA Arboretum

This was taken at the LA Arboretum. I was playing around with shooting moving water at a slow shutter speed to get that foggy, foamy effect. Didn't quite get there, but I like the results just the same.

Old Barn

I shot this on the long road somewhere between Lake Isabella and the Pacific Coast. It was a beautiful drive watching the vegetation change from mountain to desert and back again. That was another one of those nearly perfects days.

Illusions

This is a real photo of a place that doesn't exist. Well, it doesn't exist looking like this anyway. I played around with hand coloring a black and white photo of Vasquez Rocks, which, if you know anything about the place is nowhere near any body of water. It was a fun exercise in trying a new technique.

Pillar For One

This was taken several years ago at Santa Monica Pier (before the reconstruction). I got a lot of beautiful black and white shots that day. I like this one for it's solitary feel. I developed this one in the darkroom also.

Lost And Found And Lost And...

Squirrels in my brain again. Ideas and half formed thoughts flash and die in an instant, in an eon. Meaning of life stuff illuminated in a super nova and swallowed in a black hole. Brilliant ideas pop and flash and tantalize just out of reach of remembering. The knowing is there, it is ALWAYS there. It is ALL, always there but too often the key goes missing. The knowing is the river that runs through all of us, through all time and space and can only be seen obliquely. If you try to look at it directly it disappears. Illumination, revelation; there and just as quickly gone. Am I meant to know? Am I not? I think I am, but not yet. The time is not yet. This feels like dancing on the edge of madness. Dancing with purpose – not some mindless unconscious drive – no the dance has purpose and the dancer knows exactly where the edge is, where to step and no farther. It is a dance I have done again and again over endless lifetimes. I remember that much and I know it all has a purpose and a pattern and a key that keeps getting lost – or hidden. It’s right. I know it’s all right. The knowledge is there. It will always be there and when the time is right I will step back into the river and become part of it again and I will be at peace until the dance starts again.

Study In Contrast

This was an assignment I had to do when I was taking a photography class many years ago. One of the reasons we had to shoot eggs was because of the difficulty of the contrast. I actually developed this photo in the dark room. I used to like working in the dark room. I'd put on my headphones and listen to Tommy and The Wall and develop pictures to my heart's content.

The two colored eggs in the bowl are Pisanky (Ukranian dyed eggs) and yes, I did them myself. The one with flowers is scratched. The egg is dyed and the design is scratched into the color, revealing the egg shell underneath. I think that one was dyed black. The other was red, black and white and was done using a wax resist method.

Trappings Of A Life

These are some of the things in my life that have meaning. Sometimes they are entertainment, education, stress relief and some times they are things that trap me into a life I don't mean to be living. Sometimes I get caught up in working just to pay for my things, pay for this place to keep them that I actually have no time to enjoy them. Then I think I need newer things because the older things just can't keep up with the workload. But I manage. I just have to step back and remind myself that it's not about things. There is more to life than things. And the things I have now I can work with just fine. Maybe not as efficiently or as quickly as new things, but I can accomplish what I need or want to do with these current things all the same. It's all about patience, and enlightenment, and knowing that, for today, I have just what I need.

Shell

This is another photo from my "fake beach" shoot. I am always in awe of the precision and creativity of nature.

One Perfect Day

This photo is what happens when you play with the exposure controls in Photoshop.

I am having a day today that is just about as perfect as it gets! I went to a celebration in the park this morning in Huntington Beach. The weather was beautiful, just warm enough to be comfortable with a nice breeze. When that was over I pointed my car south on PCH and just kept driving. Then I turned around and drove back up the coast. So I've spent most of the day within sight of our beautiful pacific coast line with nothing but my thoughts for company. Sublime! Beautiful day, beautiful drive, inspiration and illumination! These are the days I live for.

Fruit & Cheese

Doesn't the cheese look like cut up pieces of marble? I thought this was so pretty on the table. This is herbed cheese (sage? I don't remember) and it was REALLY good. Not like eating marble at all!

I work at Galpin Motors and we had a party last Wednesday for the unveiling of the new Lee Iacocca 45th Silver Anniversary Mustang. Since I wasn't there as the "official" photographer I went around taking "art" pictures. Oh, I took some party pics too, but that wasn't my main objective. The food table was a picture taking paradise, as this shot proves. The fruits & cheese and the desserts were so beautiful (and yummy too!). The food and drink is always top drawer at Galpin parties.

You can tell I'm not a car gal, right? I mean, c'mon, we're having a party for a Living Legend of the automotive world to introduce a limited edition of one of the most iconic vehicles of all time and what am I shooting...the FOOD! LOL! I wasn't completely oblivious to the reason for the party, I did take photos of the car (which is absolutely beautiful), and the man of the hour. I'm posting them on my Facebook today along with the other "pretty" pictures I took.

Chess Pieces

Aren't these the most amazing chess pieces? What's even more amazing is that these are real people. This is a living chess board. You probably can't see it in this small photo, but the little Page just behind the queen has his eyes open and is looking at my camera.

If you've never been to the Pageant of The Masters in Laguna Beach you simply must go! They have been doing this show as part of the Laguna Festival of Arts and Sawdust Festival for decades. They take famous art pieces - posters, sculptures, statues and recreate them with living people. When they do posters or paintings they LOOK 2 dimensional on the stage but there are actually real people in the paintings or posters. They even show you how they set up the illusion so you can see for yourself how amazing the transformation is.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend their Media Night in 2001. I got to see the people getting into make up and costumes (almost everyone working on the show is a volunteer), got to go back stage and see the set pieces and watch them put the actors into the scene. It was simply amazing.

If you are a make up artist or painter (or know one) - this is an absolute must. The usual job of a makeup artist (and even a traditional painter) is to add depth and dimension to a person's face. In this case it's just the opposite - the people are painted to look very two dimensional.

Don't take my word for it - check it out at http://www.foapom.com The show runs for a few weeks in the summer (I think starting in July). If you want to go, keep an eye on the web site and buy your tickets early. They sell out fast!

(and no, I am not affiliated with them in any way - just a really fanatic fan!)

College Of The Canyons

This was a VERY cold, crisp Saturday morning with lots of those cute little white puffy clouds in the sky. I was going to school at College of the Canyons at the time and this is the field I pass getting to the parking lot. I have to tell you, it was difficult concentrating on my class that day when all I could think about was getting out to photograph these beautiful trees against this wonderful background of sky. I probably spent a good hour or so after class walking up and down the hills and around the trees just snapping away. Ah, good times!

Santa Monica Pier

How often do you see beach pictures taken at night? Not very often I'd imagine. Due to a series of unexpected events I ended up on Santa Monica Beach on Thanksgiving night a few years ago. This was one of the photos I took. It was fun watching the waves go in and out, trying to catch one at just the right time to reflect the colors and lights.

Home Made Bread

I like baking bread. Not with a bread maker, mind you, but with my hands. Not that I have anything against bread makers, I just like the process. It's very fulfilling. Been doing it since I was a teenager.

In agrarian cultures this would be the time of the year for the first of the grain harvests, so it seemed appropriate to make some fresh bread this weekend. It makes my home smell wonderful while it's baking.

My mother always said she wasn't good at making bread (although she is a very good cook) so she didn't make it and I don't remember her mother (also a very good cook) baking bread very often so I'm not sure where my love for it came from. Probably from watching too much "Little House On The Prairie" I guess. I've also dabbled in wheat weaving - which is why I happened to have some on hand to take this photo.

This Is A Tree

Computers sometimes do strange (and beautiful) things. Somehow, when this photo uploaded all the colors reversed (I like it!). This is another kaleidoscope photo of a tree branch. The original photo is looking up into the branches of what I think is a liquid amber tree across the street from my office. The leaves have turned their lovely fall orange and the sky was a crystal clear blue.
I love playing with this kaleidoscope process because I never know when the next turn of the image is going to produce something amazing. I can always find faces, animals, all kinds of images in these things.

I promised I'd make up for the lame picture yesterday. I hope you think I delivered on my promise!

End of a LONG day!

Ok, I said I'd put up a new photo every day. I never promised they would always be GOOD photos (and this isn't even a photo, but hey, at least I tried). I'll put up something spectacular tomorrow to make up for it, ok? Are we still friends? Oh, good. I was worried there for a minute.

What started out as a 2 hour errand this morning turned into an all day drive from L.A. to San Luis Obispo and back. And yes, that IS what I look like after driving for 10 hours!

What can I say? A friend was in a bind and needed a ride home and I had nothing going on today that couldn't wait until tomorrow so I drove her home. And it was a glorious day for a drive up our beautiful California coastline! Too bad neither of the cameras (very old point-and-shoot)I took today were of any use. One had a dead battery and the other has a broken zoom so I anything I shoot looks far, far away. Anyone out there just got a new digital SLR and have an old one lying around they don't need any more? I could sure use one.

Any way...one of the perks of this big adventure today, besides the feeling that I actually did something useful, was that I stopped at Anderson's Pea Soup in Buelton and not only had a bowl of their luscious pea soup for dinner (been eating that since I was a kid), I also picked up a bottle of their fabulous Pomegranate wine. I love all things pomegranate and this stuff is GOOD! But more about that tomorrow. YAWN!!! I'm going to bed now.