john's picture-a-day

Fading Away

2012-01-30T23:02:00.000-06:00

Hey, I'm back from my recent exile from blogdom...One of the things I did while I was off the net was dig around in some of my old stuff. I'm a natural born pack rat and I amaze myself, sometimes, with the stuff I hang onto. This is my old PALM PDA...it was a pretty cool item in it's day. You could store lots of information on it, plug it into your PC and transfer files...kind of the forerunner of the smartphone...'cept it didn't have a phone...or any internet connectivity or a camera or GPS or MP3 or any of the other things we take for granted today...it was a glorified address book/notebook...but for it's time, it was just too cool!

I had time to do a little playing around in Photoshop...reworked some of my old images with different techniques.

I even got out and shot a few pictures!

It's good to be back!

Is It Really?

2012-01-22T15:41:00.001-06:00

Is it really January 22nd? I went to the harbor for a short while this afternoon and when I got back, I noticed this new rose in Anita's garden.

From the harbor.

Well, it seems that I exceeded my data limits again so I will be scarce until after the 28th. See ya' in 'bout a week!

Lantana

2012-01-20T21:22:00.000-06:00

I took a short drive to the harbor today...The 12/24 was still on my camera and I didn't really feel like carrying the camera bag so I figured I'd probably find another "big sky" wide angle shot. As I was heading for the door, I saw my 500/8 Minolta lens sitting on my desk and made a spur of the moment decision to take it along. Lenses are like most other mechanical things...they need to be used every now and then just to keep the grease from getting hard and funky...(yes, your lens depends on grease to keep it working smoothly, without excessive wear). I didn't figure I'd find anything to shoot with the 500 but I figured I'd take a couple of shots with it,,,just to keep things moving smoothly. I went up on the high side of the harbor and spotted this lantana and...had nothing to shoot it with...12/24...too short and wide...500...too long! Oh well, I went ahead and took a few shots with the 500. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow with a macro or a 35 or something. Moral of the story? I guess there are two...(1) be prepared and (2) Do the best you can with what you've got.

The Beginning...

2012-01-18T18:47:00.000-06:00

The beginning of what? The beginning of the end. This remote came out of one of the rent houses. The tenant left it there, along with a truckload of other assorted junk, when I had to evict him a little over a month ago. So, why does it symbolize the end? When I was a kid, out in west Texas, we didn't need a remote...we only got one station and it was far away...we all had an antenna mounted on a tall pole beside the house and if we'd had a little wind since we last watched our one channel, we had to go outside and turn the pole so the antenna would be in the right position to pull in the best signal. At our house, that was usually a three person operation...one to turn the pole, one to stand in front of the TV and carefully assess the quality of the signal and a third, crucial, member of the crew to stick their head out the window and relay instructions to the turner of the pole. It was a family group...working, in harmony, toward a common goal. Now, one person, with a remote control, can accomplish that task without even getting their butt out of their chair...remote control is the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it!

No Sun Today

2012-01-17T15:27:00.000-06:00

A tug...pushing another tug on a very cloudy, dark and overcast day.

Sigma 8-16

More Progress

2012-01-16T17:23:00.000-06:00

This is the site of the old Coastal Door Shop at the harbor. They built and repaired doors for shrimping rigs. They've been out of business for quite a while and the city council leased the property to a company that sells and repairs pumps for the offshore oil industry. The paper said the new outfit would employ 30-40 people. It's sad to see all the old fishing businesses go but I'm glad, at least, that not ALL the business at the harbor is going to be tourist related. The best thing about tourists? ...they eventually go home!

Any Color Will Do...

2012-01-15T21:33:00.000-06:00

As long as it's BLACK...or WHITE!

Sometimes, when I don't get out for my photo-therapy, I run amok in Photoshop!

From The Ditch

2012-01-14T18:59:00.000-06:00

I got out of the house this afternoon...made a quick trip to the grocery store for a few items and picked these little beauties out of the ditch on the way home.

Sony A900-Sigma 70/2.8 macro

January Skies

2012-01-12T16:09:00.001-06:00

I got out and about today and got to spend a couple of hours in the sunshine...well, there were lots of clouds but that only made it interesting.

Jan asked me, the other day, why I hadn't posted any shots of the behemoth lately...to be honest, since they got it built and open for business, I've kind of lost interest in it but here's a shot just to let everyone know that it's still there.

And a wider view...

As you can see, I kinda got into the panorama mode today. I love the format but I don't do many of them. I think to be appreciated, they need to be printed and hung on the wall somewhere. I think that viewing them on the computer screen just doesn't do them justice. There's a restaurant in town called "The Bakery Cafe"...they've done a lot of remodeling in the last few years but they used to have a lot of photos hanging on their walls. One of those photos was of a group of shrimp trawlers tied up at the dock...they were backed into the dock, side by side and you were looking at them head on. It was a panorama and the print occupied a large section of the wall. It was a favorite of mine and was a real pleasure to behold...gone but not forgotten.

Black & White...In Living Color

2012-01-11T23:40:00.000-06:00

I touched on filters for black and white photography in a prior post and since I've been talking about B&W, I figured I might as well touch base again. These colored glass filters are pretty essential to good black and white photography. Basically, they alter how much light of a certain color can pass through the lens and reach the film. Simply put, they make their complimentary colors darker on the print while making their own color lighter...a red filter makes reds lighter and blues and greens darker and so on, very useful in getting the most out of a scene. I could probably write a couple of pages on this process but, You get the picture. There are also some neutral density filters here, in a stack...they're for controlling overall brightness and come in different degrees of light and dark.

2012-01-11T04:59:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess Blogger got it together or...somebody did...so I'm back. It's not daylight yet so I'll consider this to be yesterday's post. Can't go wrong with roses!

Sigma 70/2.8 macro with ring flash

What's Up?

2012-01-10T22:47:00.000-06:00

Well, I don't know what the deal is but I can't post a photo tonight...the site just won't let me upload, so I guess I'll try again later. Hasta la taco, y'all...

Shell Game

2012-01-09T16:27:00.000-06:00

Sigma 15-30D

Camera Shop Girl...8-11-2005

2012-01-08T17:43:00.001-06:00

From one of my few forays into street/candid/ambush photography. I can't remember if she was checking her "do" or just holding her hair up 'cause it was the middle of August in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D/Minolta 24/105.

B & W...pt. 2...With A Little Color

2012-01-07T23:14:00.000-06:00

As promised in yesterday's post, another black and white photo. I got a little carried away in my comments yesterday so I'll keep it short tonight. I'll just say that black and white with a digital camera is a little different than shooting film...as I'm sure you all know, you basically have two options; you can set the camera to black and white or you can just shoot in color mode and convert to black and white in your editing program. I much prefer the second option 'cause I think it gives me a better set of tools to try to get the shot that I want...your mileage may vary!

Here's a color shot from the same set up...hard for me to say which I like better. Anita brought this rose home from work today and it's gorgeous. Man, it's a long time till Spring!

Both shots with the Sigma 70/2.8 macro

First Love...

2012-01-06T16:50:00.001-06:00

My first love, photographically speaking, was black and white. When I first started in photography, color wasn't nearly as pervasive as it is today...I've thought about it and I can't remember my dad ever shooting with color film. He was my first influence...not just in photography, of course, but in most aspects of my life. My first photographer heroes were all known for their black and white work and many of them thought color was just a detraction from the art. Color is beautiful, glorious, true to life and has a vibrancy about it. Black and white?...well, black and white is art! Black and white is all about luminance, contrast and tonality...color is all about color. With the advent of digital photography, b&w is not so popular anymore but, truth be known, digital can open up new methods to continue the pursuit of the medium. In the old days, you had three opportunities for making the decisions that would define the image...exposure of the film, development of the film and printing. The old rule of thumb was expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights and print...well the printing stage was more or less the fine tuning of the process. Basically, the same rules apply today, especially the part about exposing for the shadows. You should always be careful not to underexpose the shadows. Once those details are gone, they're gone...forever. The highlights, though, are a different story...if they're a bit over-exposed, most of those details can be brought back in development...just don't get carried away, there ARE limits.. I could go on and on about this but I'll have mercy and shut up. I think I'll concentrate on black and white for a few days just to see what I can do...another old rule of thumb that still holds true: If you're a good black and white photographer, you'll be a good color photographer...almost by default...but the inverse is not necessarily true!

Eagle...NOLA

2012-01-05T22:50:00.000-06:00

Been a while since I posted a tug boat so here's the Eagle...from NOLA...that's New Orleans, Louisiana, for the uninitiated.

Going...Going...

2012-01-04T18:38:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in my post of a few days ago, the sunflowers are getting scarce so I went back to the harbor today and took a few more shots.

Sigma 50/1.4

OK...One More...

2012-01-03T15:43:00.000-06:00

One more trip down Memory Lane with the cameras and, I promise, I'll stop. This is my Nikon FM and it's another "Oldie But Goodie".

Old Friends

2012-01-02T17:11:00.000-06:00

We can never have too many friends as we make our way through this perilous life. New friends are exciting and offer the challenges of getting to know all about them...casual friends are cool, they are good company and don't require too much commitment...the best friends, though, are old friends...they stay with you through life's ups and downs and when the hard knocks come your way, it's the old friends that stick with you and help you get through. These two old Pentax cameras have been treasured friends for many years. The black bodied Spotmatic (actually a Spotmatic II) was bought in Hong Kong in 1971, while I was on an extended tour of southeast Asia. That's over 40 years ago and this old friend has never let me down...it's been through some hard knocks of it's own but it still works great...like the Timex guy used to say; "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking"! The "ME Super" came along later but it's been with me long enough to be an old friend too! The Spotmatic was the first camera I ever owned that had a built in light meter, which I thought was surely the end-all of camera development. Everything else about her was manual control though and if the battery went dead, all you lost was that fancy meter...you could just keep on shootin'! These old friends have a permanent place in my collection...and (especially the Spotmatic) in my heart...

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T20:05:00.000-06:00

...to all my intemperate friends.

The Year Ends

2011-12-31T23:10:00.000-06:00

On A Sour Note.

Wishing you all a happy, prosperous, safe and healthy new year. I hope the next 365 brings joy to us all!

Correction

2011-12-30T23:02:00.000-06:00

I guess I'm losing my memory (or my mind) in my old age. In the previous entry I stated that the Rollei produced a 4.5 x 4.5 negative...I was wrong, it's really a 6 x 6 centimeter frame...duh!

Rollei

2011-12-30T18:40:00.000-06:00

I debated on whether to take a photo and post a shot today...or not! I decided to go ahead and shoot SOMETHING. This is my dad's Rolleicord, made in Germany in the fifties, it was a pretty excellent camera in it's time. Rollei has a long, and well deserved reputation for building fine cameras. This one, the Rolleicord was not the top of the line, by any means, but it was a pretty cool piece of equipment. It featured automated film advance which was rare and it was all done mechanically...there were no batteries so everything was mechanical. There was no light meter so you either used an external meter or guesstimated, relying on experience and the handy little chart on the back plate. Using 120 or 220 roll film, it made a 4.5 x 4.5 centimeter negative or transparency (for slides) and had a red tinted window on the bottom so you could tell how many shots you had left on the roll. The bottom lens was for taking the picture and the top one was for focus...the view, through the focusing lens was reflected upwards, by a mirror, onto a screen made of ground glass. your view of the subject was the same size as the negative. Seems pretty primitive when compared to the modern cameras of today but...in it's time...it was hot stuff!

Gimpster

2011-12-29T13:52:00.001-06:00

Several times, I've posted on this blog about my boy, Gimpster. I've shown you a few photos and told you a little about the difficulties of his early days. Gimpster was born with some pretty severe health and development problems...his own mother shunned him and left him to die. I became his surrogate mother and hand fed him and cleaned him up just like a mother would...I don't know, there was just something about him that wouldn't allow me to give up on him. It paid off big time and he became a wonderful companion. Here's a picture of him as a pup, in Sept of 05...he was about six months old in this shot and bearing few signs that he'd had so many problems at birth. Gimpster passed away last night as we slept, leaving a huge hole in my heart...he had shown no signs of illness or distress...just here and happy one day and gone the next. I guess his heart just gave out. We buried him this morning out in the back yard, where he'll be in good company. Some folks say there are no dogs in heaven...I say heaven is full of dogs...and damned few humans. I look forward to meeting him at the gates...I know he'll be there, he was always a faithful and loving companion. I won't be worth a damn for a few days but I'll make it...Gimpster wouldn't have it any other way. RIP old friend.....

A Few From The Harbor

2011-12-28T01:14:00.000-06:00

One thing hasn't changed at the harbor yet...You can still see birds, bugs, butterflies and flowers. There's not really much in the flower department, they're just about gone for the year...but there are a few still hanging on.

Where there are flowers, there are bugs and the odd, beaten up butterfly.

Sunflowers are few and far between but the operative word is few...there are a few.

Blue sky too!

Little green Lady Bugs

Not a sunflower but a green bug just the same.

All shots were with the Sony 70-200/2.8 ssm today...we're supposed to have great weather for the rest of the week...hope I can make it out again.

See Ya In A Few Days

2011-12-26T11:38:00.000-06:00

I won't be posting until after the 28th of the month. Seems that my "unlimited" data plan from Sprint has limits after all and, apparently I have limited out the "unlimited" portion of my plan...These cell and IP hucksters need a good thrashing! My billing period starts over on the 28th of this month so I guess I'll stay off the net till then. Hope everyone had a GREAT Christmas!!

May Your Days Be Merry...And BRIGHT!

2011-12-24T19:15:00.000-06:00

Brightest thing I could find for the occasion.

I had the idea to shoot a light bulb the other day...got out the glass cleaner and polished it up real purty...then, tonight when I actually shot it, I didn't even wipe the dust off of it...DUH...Merry Christmas....

Grass

2011-12-23T22:24:00.000-06:00

Just grass...on a cold, cloudy, windy day at the harbor.

Dos Dias Mas...

2011-12-22T19:04:00.000-06:00

Dos Dias Mas...two days more...then it's Christmas once more. I went to the harbor this afternoon to shoot the Christmas tree but lo and behold, it wasn't there. The city must be feeling the financial crunch! I figured, since I was there, I'd go ahead and shoot the carving of Christ that covers the front of the Memorial Tower...I know that I said I was going to give the Lensbaby a rest but this seemed like a good subject for it.

Republica Dominicana

2011-12-21T21:48:00.000-06:00

Could it be that Santa came early?...that he brought me a bundle of Dominican cigars?...could be but Santa was dressed in brown and was driving a truck of the same color! This is another lensbaby shot ...I may give the LB a rest for a few days...I feel the need for speed!

By The Way...

2011-12-20T17:04:00.000-06:00

My mystery post of a few days ago had some good guesses. Wendy got it, it was the window track on the door of a chevy pickup truck.

Lensbaby...Part Two

2011-12-20T16:56:00.000-06:00

Another Lensbaby shot...this one is tilted down and to the left so the red boat is in focus. It was a very GRAY day today so the shot reflects that...hey, it's Winter!

Lensbaby...Baby!

2011-12-19T22:36:00.000-06:00

A short time ago, while I was doing my indoor alphabet challenge, I posted a picture of my Lensbaby. As I explained in the post, it's a selective focus lens that I hardly ever use anymore (because of my poor eyesight) but just handling it and taking a few shots of it sort of rekindled my interest. I shot this simple little scene to give you the idea of what it does...not a very interesting shot but it shows how the lens can give you an area of sharp focus and blur the rest of the frame. I think I'll devote a few days to this old friend and see if I can come up with anything more interesting!

'Tis The Season

2011-12-18T14:56:00.000-06:00

Winter is upon us and even the sunflowers are giving up. Thought I'd catch a few ...while I can!

Cinderella...Texas Style

2011-12-17T23:24:00.000-06:00

Glass boot, lone star...Don't Mess With Texas! All we need are the carriage horses that at the stroke of midnight, turn into armadillos!

What Is It?

2011-12-16T18:57:00.000-06:00

This little slice of reality is unaltered...it's just the way I shot it...so...what is it?

Z Is For...

2011-12-15T19:37:00.000-06:00

Z is for ZIPPO!

When I remember back to my navy days, seems like everybody carried a ZIPPO lighter...even the guys who didn't smoke. The ZIPPOS were great because you could light them in the wind...a very handy quality when you are at sea! When I was stationed in Pensacola, one of the guys in the barracks was from Bradford, Pennsylvania and his mom worked at the Zippo factory. Every couple of months, she would send us a box of lighters...Thanks again to Brian's mom, that was such a cool thing to do!

Well, my alphabet is complete...what to do, what to do?...

Y Is For...

2011-12-14T22:33:00.000-06:00

Y is for YO-YO...from the land of YO. It's not just any ol' YO-YO, it's a Spongebob Squarepants YO-YO and it's wacky! The shaft between the two circles is off center so it wobbles and does crazy stuff...it's an eccentric Spongebob YO-YO!

Well, one more entry and another alphabet challenge will be in the books...Hmm, Z...that's a toughie!

X Is For...

2011-12-13T22:54:00.000-06:00

X is for SFX!

SFX is a really cool black and white film that's made in England. It has extended sensitivity on the red end of the spectrum of light...this means you can achieve the effects of infrared photography without going through the hassle of using regular infrared film. Infrared is notorious for the difficulties it presents. From loading the film into the camera (which must be done in total darkness) to figuring exposure (harder than Chinese 'rithmetic), darkness again for unloading the camera and developing the film...making the print...it can be a daunting task. SFX gives the infrared effect without most of that trouble...but...you have to use a very dark red filter on your lens in order to see those effects...the darker the filter, the stronger the effect. IR photos are pretty cool and certainly dramatic...skies are darkened and foliage is rendered as brilliant white...people are too!

W Is For...

2011-12-12T22:49:00.000-06:00

W is for WORCESTERSHIRE sauce!

I like it...but it's one of those things that everybody seems to pronounce differently. I'm not sure which version is correct so I generally just try to avoid mentioning it in public...is that the coward's way out? I shouldn't divulge this on a public forum but it's one of the ingredients in my "secret" B-B-Q sauce...

V Is For...

2011-12-11T18:45:00.000-06:00

V is for VANILLA!

Good stuff...Others might like fancier, more exotic flavors but vanilla is my favorite for ice cream, shakes...etc!

U Is For...

2011-12-10T18:29:00.000-06:00

U is for UV filters!

Back in the day, UV filters were an important part of the photographers arsenal...not so much anymore. Unlike the human eye, most of the older films were sensitive to the full spectrum of light. Ultra violet light could cause the film to fog so the UV filter was used to attenuate these frequencies. Modern films and digital sensors aren't as susceptible to this effect so UV protection isn't the priority it used to be. UV filters can still be used to protect the front element of the lens but be careful in choosing one...the uncoated variety can cause glare. Most modern filters have coatings to prevent that but not all of them...so, let the buyer beware.

T Is For

2011-12-09T23:32:00.000-06:00

T is for TMAX and TRI-X!

These are my favorite black and white films. TMAX 100 is very fine grained and needs a lot of light...400 is a good all-around film for most conditions and 3200 is FAST! It's used for shooting in the (almost) dark. TRI-X is my all time favorite...contrasty with a lot of edge, TRI-X excells at many things...a long time favorite of newspaper photographers and other photojournalists, TRI-X had the reputation of getting the shot, no matter how bad the conditions. TRI-X has been around for close to 70 years and it's still the film that all other black and white films are compared to. It set the standard "way back when" and it's still the king of the jungle! The digital age has pushed these films into the background but they're still in production...and still going strong!

S Is For...

2011-12-08T22:58:00.000-06:00

S is for SONY!

There is no more Minolta camera division...so I guess I'm a Sony guy now! There's still a lot of Minolta DNA in these cameras so I guess it's not all bad.

R Is For...

2011-12-07T23:21:00.000-06:00

R is for REFLEX!

This is from my 500mm reflex lens...reflex, in this context, is just another name for a mirror lens. I've had this old Minolta lens for quite a few years. Sony continued the manufacture of this lens after the Minolta take over but they discontinued it's production earlier this year...BUMMER...many manufacturers build reflex lenses but the Minolta/Sony was in a class of it's own. It was the only mirror lens to feature automatic focus. That was a pretty impressive bit of engineering!

Q Is For...

2011-12-06T22:52:00.000-06:00

Q is for Salsa Con QUESO...Yum!

To quote Forrest Gump: "That's all I have to say about that".

P Is For...

2011-12-05T18:48:00.000-06:00

P is for PEAK!

This is a Peak focussing enlarger from back in my film days. When you make a print using an enlarger, focus is, of course, critical. This is a 10X enlarger and it lets you focus down to the grain of the film...ah, those good old days!

O Is For...

2011-12-04T17:49:00.000-06:00

O is for Olives!

Are you getting the idea that I'm getting desperate for subject matter? Two days in a row shooting canned goods? I'm not really desperate, I just naturally gravitate to food...

N Is For...

2011-12-03T17:13:00.000-06:00

N is for NOODLE!

Hey, Andy Warhol made a kazillion bucks from his image of a can of Campbell's Soup...what will you give for this one? The bidding is open!

M Is For...

2011-12-02T16:10:00.000-06:00

M is for MINOLTA!

My one true love?

This tiny little logo resides on the side of my 500/8 reflex.

L Is For...

2011-12-01T19:37:00.000-06:00

L is for LENSBABY!

First of all, I beg forgiveness for posting yet another picture of a dusty subject...pressed for time and got in a hurry. The lensbaby is a selective focus lens. I've had it for a long time but seldom use it anymore. The lens element is mounted on a bellows...only the center of the lens produces sharp, focused images...that "sweet spot" can be placed in various parts of the frame by moving the bellows up, down, from side to side or by a combination of those movements. The size of the sweet spot can be changed by changing the aperture discs. wide open, only a small portion of the image is in focus but at f22, most of the frame is sharp. It's a lens that offers a lot of options and some great effects...but it's all manual control and my poor vision limits what I can do with it...darn it!

K Is For...

2011-11-30T16:39:00.000-06:00

K is for KNIFE!

I'm glad I grew up in a time when it wasn't a sign of criminal intent to have a knife in your pocket. I got my first one when I was about six years old...my maternal grandparents gave it to me as a holiday gift. It had a picture of the Lone Ranger on one side and a silver bullet on the other...I still have it...still have my trusty Boy Scout knife too. There's nothing quite as handy as a sharp pocket knife. I still carry one every day and find a use for it almost every day. I've had to turn around and go back to the truck to stash my knife on more than one occasion when I've forgotten about the no "weapons" rule in many public buildings. Ah...the good old days!

J Is For...

2011-11-29T15:48:00.000-06:00

J is for JELLY beans!

I had to shoot this one very quickly...'cause my supply of subject matter diminished at an alarming rate.

I Is For...

2011-11-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

I is for ITTY bitty. I placed the thimble beside the cup as a size reference...now, is it an itty bitty cup or is it the most humongous thimble in captivity?

H Is For...

2011-11-27T19:34:00.001-06:00

H is for HICKORY HANDLED HAMMER from HART tool Company.

G Is For...

2011-11-26T16:33:00.001-06:00

G is for GARFIELD and a GIRAFFE on black GLASS.

Shooting small subjects on black glass can give you some interesting reflections but you have to clean the glass often during the shooting process (at least in dusty south Texas) because every speck of dust will show in the photo. Some people use plexiglass or acrylic but plastics scratch so easily and those tiny scratches look huge in the finished photo, so I like to use plain ol' window glass...paint the back side with a couple of coats of flat black spray paint and...Voila!...you're in bizness.

As you can see, there is some dust on the glass in this photo...I could tell you that I left it there to illustrate my point but the truth is my vision is getting so bad, it just slipped past me..............

F Is For...

2011-11-25T15:52:00.000-06:00

F is for FLOWER.

This is probably the last rose we'll have for the year. It was a pretty good year for the roses...we were in one of the worst dry spells in recent history but the roses were watered every day...sometimes twice.

E Is For...

2011-11-24T14:38:00.000-06:00

E is for EXTRA!

I must confess that I've never investigated the concept of virgin olive oil....much less the idea of being EXTRA virgin. Oh well, I suppose such things are far too deep for an old guy like me. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with plenty of good things to eat and the company of those that you love.

D Is For...

2011-11-23T16:03:00.002-06:00

D is for DEUCES in a Jack DANIEL'S DECK!

C Is For...

2011-11-22T17:53:00.001-06:00

C is for camera, of course. What else could C possibly be for on a photography site?

This is a Sony A580. It's wearing my Sony 70-200/2.8 G ssm...probably my best lens, it's an old Minolta design that Sony made a few cosmetic changes to when they took Minolta over a few years back. Minolta made some great lenses and a few of them, like this one, are still in production under the Sony name. I posted about dust control yesterday and now I post a picture in which the inside of the lens hood appears to be covered with dust...it's not, the inside of the hood is lined with black felt to cut the possibility of reflections. The angle of the light just makes it look dusty!

B Is For...

2011-11-21T18:06:00.000-06:00

B is for Blue handled Blush Brush and Blower! My little corner of South Texas gulf coast is pretty hard on photo equipment. If the salt, humidity and ultra violet don't get you, the incessant wind (and the dust that it brings) surely will. These two items have a permanent place in my camera bag, they're indispensable for getting that dust out of places it doesn't belong. A quick browse of any photo catalog or shop will show you the ubiquitous blower brush but I find those things worthless at best and downright harmful at worst. The little blower is too small to do any good and I've never seen one that didn't have hard, coarse bristles. Glass coatings on modern lenses are fragile, their thickness is measured in microns...once scratched, they are a source of all manner of problems. I guard the front elements of my lenses like they were gold...never touch them with my bare hands, never touch them with a lens cloth except as a last resort and then only with a little lubrication from a good quality optical solution...they're too expensive to deserve any lesser treatment. I find the two items pictured above to be very effective on loose dust...the blower usually does the trick but sometimes I have to resort to a few light strokes with the soft brush...your mileage may vary.

A Is For

2011-11-20T01:46:00.000-06:00

A is for addition!

Sigma 50/1.4

OK, here we go! I'm going to try to keep this up on a daily basis unless I get stumped (which is likely) or I am interrupted by unforeseen circumstances. I plan to post only one picture a day on the alphabet theme, unlike last time when I went nuts! If I get the chance to get out and about, I may post images in addition to the challenge shots. Hope it will be fun and that we all enjoy it...I think it will be a bit more difficult than the last one.

Give Me Liberty...

2011-11-19T19:49:00.000-06:00

Against my better judgement, I visited the harbor today. As I've said before, it's become depressing to me...just to see what's happening down there. I've covered that subject pretty thoroughly so I won't get off on another rant ...oh well. While I was there, I got to shoot this trawler at Aransas Marine Ways...getting fixed up for next season.

Sigma 18-250

Since I don't get out much anymore, I've decided to start another challenge, just to keep me in the game. I'm going to do another alphabet challenge but this one will be limited to indoor subjects...nothing that can't be placed on a table top. Some of them will be shot in my light box and some just on the open table. If anyone wants to participate, you're more than welcome!

Exodus

2011-11-13T00:38:00.000-06:00

Konica-Minolta 28-75/2.8

Sweet Annie

2011-11-11T16:59:00.001-06:00

The young girls may be pretty to look at but it's the older ones that hold your heart. Annie is 13 and she's been holding mine for a long time!

Sigma 105/2.8 macro

Norther At Sunset

2011-11-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

Despite yesterday's lament about the demise of Conn Brown Harbor's appeal to me as a source of photographic subjects, the area still has it's photogenic appeal. This photo is from a few years back...I was on the road, between Aransas Pass and the ferry landing when one of our strong Northern fronts passed through, just as the sun was going down. I pulled off the road and grabbed this shot. Ingleside point is in the distance and you can see the cranes at the Gulf Marine yard.

Back In The Day

2011-11-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

A common sight that's not so common in Aransas Pass anymore. I haven't been to the harbor much lately, not only because I just don't get out much these days but it's become depressing to me. Things are changing too quickly for me and I guess I'm just not ready for the change. The demise of a heritage is painful, especially for an old geezer like me. The behemoth is open for business, the old rusty roofed buildings at the shipyard have been demolished, many of the piers and docks have been torn down and the boats...well, there aren't many boats left. Maybe we'll see more when the next season kicks off but they're pretty sparse right now. I don't think there's even a net shop operating anymore...guess there's not much left for me down there...except for the birds and the ICW. PROGRESS...all depends on perspective, I suppose. Guess it's time for me to find a new hangout! This shot is from 2005...back in the day!

Halloween Approaches

2011-10-25T23:56:00.000-05:00

A scene from the Dracula estate in Transyvania? Can you hear the howl of the wolves? Well, really it's a windswept oak on the seawall at Conn Brown harbor but it looks pretty spooky for a halloween scene! Trick or Treat!

Repetition?

2011-10-17T01:17:00.000-05:00

The roses are almost gone for the year so I'll risk being repetitive and post another from the flower garden. (actually from the dining room table...with a Coke bottle for a bud vase!)

Sigma 70mm-2.8 macro with ring flash.

A Rose, By Any Other Name...

2011-10-06T16:16:00.000-05:00

Dirty background and crappy light, the roses are still gorgeous!

Tattered and Torn

2011-10-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

A little worse for wear but still flying proudly!

Chica At Rest

2011-09-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

I actually took a photo ...today!

Tha' Moon!

2011-09-09T12:19:00.000-05:00

I'm Back

2011-09-04T18:19:00.000-05:00

Refugees

2011-07-29T21:23:00.000-05:00

Several boats were in the harbor today, sheltering from Tropical Storm ~~Dud~~ Don.

Scat Cat

2011-07-28T18:28:00.000-05:00

Tropical storm "Don" is headed in our direction and due to make landfall late Friday night or Early Saturday morning so, if you don't see a post from me, I'll be waiting for the electricity and /or Internet to be restored. The Scat Cat, a party boat from Port Aransas, was tied up in front of the diesel shop this afternoon...not sure if they're having work done or just came over to ride out the storm.

Fresh Paint

2011-07-27T23:55:00.000-05:00

The army has a large depot in Corpus Christi...it's actually located on the navy base there...go figure. This depot is in the business of repairing, refurbishing and maintaining army helicopters. When an aircraft reaches the end of it's service life, often they wind up, for a while, at the depot to be stripped of anything useful. This old Huey airframe was donated to the local VFW for display purposes. As long as I can remember, this old bird had the Viet Nam era non reflective green paint, a pretty ugly finish even when it was new. I guess the boys at the VFW decided it was time to spruce the old chopper up a bit so they painted it up in the desert camo style...looks pretty good...but I kinda miss the green. It reminded me of my misspent youth...

Bow Art

2011-07-26T21:52:00.000-05:00

Like the military planes of World War Two had "Nose Art", many of the gulf trawlers have "Bow Art".

Some seem to ask for Divine Guidance.

Others are more in line with the task at hand.

Laundry Day

2011-07-25T21:09:00.000-05:00

Wash 'em up and hang 'em out to dry.

Quite a few boats coming and going still

We need some rain...the grass is burning up.

Gene Simmons of KISS made a surprise visit to the harbor today!

New Blog

2011-07-25T00:29:00.000-05:00

Several of us have talked about having a place where we can all participate in themes and challenges so I'm getting started on that. Check it out at http://themesandchallenges.blogspot.com.

South Texas Snow

2011-07-24T18:41:00.000-05:00

The snow is on the ground in South Texas...in July! It won't be here long, the pickers are already working...the gins and compresses too.

Pickers eye view...first one to the end of the row gets a big drink of water. I remember my mothers tales of picking cotton. This was back in the late 1920's and early 30's when it was all done by hand and the whole family picked. The boys went to the fields early in the morning, then the girls joined them after they had done the house chores. They worked all day, the girls going home to get supper done while the boys stayed and picked...tough work...I don't know if my mom loved my dad more for the good man that he was or because he rescued her from that cotton patch.

Brush country oasis.

More Gulf Boats

2011-07-23T20:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry that my blog has been sort of one dimensional for the past few days but I've really been enjoying the big gulf trawlers. I don't get to see them much anymore and, I guess, when something you love only comes around 2 or 3 times a year, you just can't get enough of them. I also know that a lot of the photos are a little overcooked in their development but sometimes I just get a little carried away in posting things that are a little different from strict reality...There's an old saying that tells us we should look with our eyes but see with our hearts. I guess, for now anyhow, this is how my tired old heart sees the harbor...and a few other things...not the way they are but the way I would like them to be...the way I see them and feel them in my heart.

Catherine, Daniella And Tommy

2011-07-22T19:31:00.000-05:00

And still, the iron workers are hanging more steel.

Sigma 18-250

The Old And The New

2011-07-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

I like the "OLD" much better.

Gulf Boats

2011-07-20T22:14:00.000-05:00

A few more big gulf trawlers are trickling in

Across the bridge for Egret and Ibis

And all the while, the Behemoth continues to grow!

Happiness Is

2011-07-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

Happiness is a Summer day, a ball and a wet dog at Conn Brown Harbor!

and seeing a few gulf trawlers while you're there.

Daniella R...

2011-07-17T19:47:00.000-05:00

Didn't get out for photos today because I spent all afternoon taking care of the Rattle...new plugs, wires, cap and rotor...also a new PCV valve and air filter...Rattle should be good to go! Anyhow, here's a shot from a couple of days ago...the trawler Daniella R, from Brownsville, TX tied up at the harbor with some dilapidated docks in the foreground.

Purpose

2011-07-16T17:31:00.000-05:00

I've posted a shot of this old boat on this blog before. It's one of a vanishing breed down at the harbor. The docks used to be filled with abandoned boats, given up on for one reason or another but most of those are gone now. This one remains and I can't say why...maybe someone still claims ownership and pays lease money to keep her tied up here...just unable to give up on a dream...who knows? I've always loved the look of this boat...she was always easy to look at! Most bay shrimp boats are pretty primitive looking, built of plywood and built for function with little concern for appearance. This boat was different...built with more attention to a pleasing aesthetic...the rounded front of the wheelhouse, the pleasing proportions and the sweeping, sensuous lines of the hull...she was a beautiful girl in her day. I've always been intrigued by the name too...Provider...what a wonderful thing to be a provider, to be able to give those we love the things that they need. That's a value to build a life on and when you can no longer do that...what good are you?...You have no purpose...

Sigma 18-250

The Road

2011-07-15T23:17:00.000-05:00

Life is like one big road trip...sometimes it's smooth and level. You can just cruise and enjoy the sights.

Other times, if you don't keep your mind in the middle, you can wind up down the slippery slope!

Meanwhile, The Behemoth continues to grow.

Rokinon 8mm fish-eye

Capt. Jack

2011-07-14T21:22:00.000-05:00

I didn't have a lot of free time today...I've taken on a couple of new projects in my little job and was pretty busy. I did make it down to the harbor to see Capt. Jack. Gulf shrimp season is about to kick off and I'm looking forward to seeing a few boats come and go.

Behold The Behemoth

2011-07-13T22:56:00.000-05:00

They're building a dry stack boat storage facility at the harbor. This is the state of construction on the 6th of this month.

This is what the project looked like this afternoon...they've put up a lot of steel this week. This is the first project in the harbor development plan that has gotten off the ground. It's been touted as a wonderful thing and many folks hold great expectations that it will bring a lot of revenue into the city's coffers. Progress?...I suppose so if progress is measured in strictly fiscal terms. But if you measure progress by more aesthetic values, this would seem to be a big step backwards to me. The city is trying to promote tourism and I guess lots of people will avail themselves of the convenient storage for their weekend toys. If you want to attract visitors to the area, why would you put something like this in the only area within the town proper that has any unique appeal? This thing is going to be butt ugly and will spoil any coastal charm and character that the harbor might have. It may not be the biggest eyesore that the town has ever seen but it'll be darned close...just sayin'.

City Of Freeport

2011-07-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

Free of the constraints of the alphabet challenge, I was back at my old haunt...Conn Brown Harbor. This towboat, "The City Of Freeport" was pushing along under a BIG sky!

"Miss Frankie" was pushing along too.

And a nice little bouquet for the table...I couldn't resist and had to shoot it with the Sigma 70/2.8 macro

the boats were with the Sigma 18-250

Z Is For...

2011-07-11T22:51:00.000-05:00

Z is for the ZONE

Z is for ZELLA...you've seen her before

Z is for ZIPPER...on my trusty old camera bag

Z is for ZEISS...a German manufacturer of fine optical equipment

Z is for ZOOM

Z is for ZIPLOC

Z is for ZERO

Well, my alphabet challenge is finished. I guess I could consider it a success...and a failure. It was a success because I did, in fact, find at least one picture for each letter of the alphabet but a failure because it didn't do what I intended to do. I thought the challenge would spur a little creativity in me but it didn't. I spent a lot of time on it but almost all of that time was spent looking for the letters and not trying to take creative photographs that had any merit...as photographs. There were a few pretty good photos but mostly they were just quick snapshots. Oh well...on to other things. For those of you that faithfully followed along, thanks for your support...that was invaluable!!

Y Is For... Pt. II

2011-07-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

Y is for YAHOO

Y is for YARD Machine

Y is for Rockport YACHT Basin

Y is for YUCCA

Y is for YACHT Club

Y is for YELLOW

I was going to post a picture of a piece of chocolate cake and say Y was for YUMMY but appetite overtook restraint and I ate my subject before I could shoot it.

I suppose I should apologize for yesterdays post...there was no confusion about whose turn it was to use the truck this afternoon...the fuel gauge was pegged out on empty so I KNEW it was my turn!

Y Is For...

2011-07-09T18:01:00.000-05:00

Y is for tomorrow...maybe. Translation: ~~Due to a scheduling conflict, I won't be posting pictures this evening.~~...Translation: ~~Before I said I DO some 37 years ago, I thought I might be able to~~ ...Translation: ~~Before I sank into the abyss of marriage~~...Translation: Silly me, I thought it was my turn to use the truck this evening.

X Is For

2011-07-08T19:59:00.000-05:00

X is for X-ing

X is for X-RAY

X is for X

W Is For...

2011-07-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

W is for WHATABURGER

W is for WINDOWS

W is for WHEELER Ave

W is for WALLY WORLD

W is for WATER TOWER

The way my day shook out today, I only had about 20 minutes for photography so "W" kind of got the short end of the stick...maybe "X" will get a little more attention tomorrow!

V Is For...

2011-07-06T22:44:00.000-05:00

V is for VALLARTA...here we go again

V is for VALERO

V is for VALVE

V is for VALSPAR

V is for VOLTS...1.5 to be exact

V is for VICE

V is for VISE...not to be confused with the vice above. I'm a guy with vices and vises...seems like I am getting more in the control of one and don't have much use for the other anymore. Oh well, life marches on.

U Is For...

2011-07-05T22:19:00.000-05:00

U is for ULTRA...2X ultra...must be some powerful stuff.

U is for UNLOCKED

U is for USB Hub

U is for USED UP...I started to post another self-portrait with this caption but I figured you hadn't fully recovered from the last one I put up here.

U is for UNFOCUSED...we all get a little unfocused from time to time and that's the mode I've been operating in for the past few days. There are lots of reasons for us to occasionally lose our focus, I suppose.When I lose mine, it's usually because my head and heart lose the tenuous degree of balance that they have with each other. My head bombards me with facts and logic and my heart buries me in beautiful dreams of the way things SHOULD be...it's a delicate balance and sometimes conflicts arise. I guess it says a lot about my character (or lack thereof) that my heart always comes out on top!