I'm now selling my photos!!!

I now host galleries of my favorite photos @ www.lloydshell.zenfolio.com Feel free to surf over there to see photo's that may have drifted into the darkest reaches of the archives here on Blogspot.

I also have begun selling my photographs when requested, I can handle most sizes and finishes either locally or via my on-line printing service.

Thanks for looking!

Lloyd
lloydshell@gmail.com

Monday, February 14, 2011

Lunchtime Blitz: Downtown!

I love the opportunity to have people listen to me, whether they have a choice or not really doesn't matter that much. So when I was asked to assist with two training sessions at one of our sister hospitals downtown I jumped at the opportunity. I was even more excited to find out that this involved a longer than usual lunch break between classes. I had taken my camera with my SMC K 35mm f3.5 lens with me, mainly because this is my smallest and lightest lens, and was ready to have some fun.

As always click on the photo for a larger version, I will try to describe why each of the many photos was included, this time, just to sharpen my own impressions.

The State Capitol: I really liked the sky more than anything else, but having the mountains showing in the background really added to the shot.

WW I Memorial: I have never been a big user of Memory Grove, however taking the opportunity to walk through was enjoyable, I loved the carving and details on this monument. This first shot captured the light as I first saw it and really gives me the textures I wanted.

The curves of these next two please me, I tried to choose between them and couldn't, so you get both.


I tried to get the flag blowing but the wind was not cooperating. I like the starkness of the marble and faded flag against the deep blue sky. I did a fairly heavy perspective correction for this shot, but the sharpness held pretty well.

My title for this shot is "Bent", I loved the colors and contrasts in this shot, and the perspective of the fence running off into the distance pleased me as well.

This stone faced chappie bewitched me for a moment, I really wondered what he could be thinking. The texture and the light gave depth to his face, and the pigeon spikes added just the right touch of ridiculous.

I don't revisit a lot of settings besides Temples, but I have been wondering if this guys stuff would still be there, and it was, though less neat than the last time. I keep being intrigued by the unknown backstory.

To me "Plum" has always been a mark of good, a plum assignment was a really good one, you get the drift. Well Plum Alley was part of the old Chinatown that has now been dozed under and built on, and is now just an alley. I think I have too many elements going on, but that is downtown to me. the dilapidated Eat-A-Burger behind with the concrete block parking garage, the plane in the sky, the beat on Do-Not-Enter sign. They all combine to give the shot texture.

The last time I wandered downtown I found a garbage can behind bars, now I find a garbage truck. I just get intrigued that folks have to lock up an area with a garbage truck.... who is gonna steal it? Really?

Hummingbirds of bronze.... I like that... easier to photograph than the other kinds for sure. I just loved the color and strangeness of seeing this. Really not sure why this part is underlining... GRRRR!

I called this "The Snake Pit", I was really hoping that the wire was not live, and didn't get close, I really liked the swirling of the wires and the sharp edged cut. Like life, messy and not ending where you expect it.

What a delicious bright yellow contrast to the more decrepit background, and yet the lean tells a story, I liked having it lean out of the frame, breaking a rule but creating tension.

This Rat's Nest of wires was really kind of scary to look at. Found myself wondering if some drunken electrician managed to finish it before he electrocuted himself.

Heading back to Memory Grove and the long steep hill back up, Despite the beautiful sun there were none of these benches that were in use. It felt kind of lonely, that is what I liked here, the loneliness of these devices sitting unused.

Memorial Chapel: I am sure this looks better in spring when everything is a brilliant green. I felt it was more meditative in late winter with the dormancy of the environment reflecting the dormancy of death, yet with the knowing of the renewal of life to come, to meditate upon.

You got two of these, simply because I liked this composition as well.

Hope you enjoyed my lunchtime walk.

A day in the life of a Mountain

Every morning last week I watched the snow blowing off the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains to the East of the Valley and have been regretting not having my camera with telephoto lens attached. So one day I rememberd to grab it as I went out the door. I ended up shooting morning lunchtime and evening from the grounds of the building where I work. These are the three I liked. (as always click the photo for a larger view.)

Storm Mountain: Blowing snow.

Storm Mountain: Clouds at noon.

Lone Peak: Last light.


Sunday, February 6, 2011

Raphsody in Blue

Just something I have wanted to play with... Kinda like it!!!!!


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

20 Minutes of Monochrome Downtown (With just a splash of color)

I have a thought that goes through my head on occasion (usually when I missed a shot because I didn't have a camera with me) that I ought to carry my camera with me more often. So I try, especially when I am going to places that are more likely than the average area in suburbia to present photographic opportunities. You have seen this in earlier posts where I have carried my camera with me to my occasional (PRN) employment downtown. Yesterday was no exception to this desire, and I chose my SMC K 50mm F1.4 vintage manual focus lens as my carry lens. It is a bit long for real easy snap shooting, and needs more studied compositions especially when shooting at f2.0 to 2.8 which is my usual practice with this lens. I am more likely to carry my 35mm f3.5 in the future, or something wider, but more likely than not whatever I carry will be Old, Manual Focus, and a lot smaller than my zooms. This is part of why I love Pentax, small primes. This lens (Pentax DA 21 f3.2 Limited) is my #2 on my lens buying list, and really calls to me. Give me a couple of years and I may be able to save enough to buy it. (Anybody wanna donate?)

OK, on to the fun part the photographs. These shots were all taken in a 20 minute span, with my Pentax K200d, and the above mentioned lens. It makes a pretty compact setup and it very nice handling and fairly lightweight.

I don't know why this caught me eye, but it did, wish I had had my polarizer along... I call this one "Headless Beauty".

The next several shots are all of the same bike, it was sitting in front of the same vintage thrift shop as the mannequin. All shots of the bike were shot in B&W in camera, and only slightly adjusted in Photoshop for exposure and contrast.

Not sure I would want to ride this puppy.







I was now in move mode, I had 25 minutes to get to the bus stop from the Train stop, and had used a bit of time surveying the bike. This was in a back alley I cut through, originally shot it in B&W but went back to the RAW and brought it forward in Color, simply because I missed the rust on the frame.

I wasn't sure why this level of security was needed for this trash container, but I had to admire it.

I shot this from chest level on a split second decision to take it. I almost deleted it, but liked the sense of motion.

This girl caught my eye as I walked past, she was busily primping and working on her hair in the reflection of the Pawn Store window, I didn't get he focus on, but caught the action.

I chose to go back and bring this out in Color as a contrast to the B&W, there is just such a juxtaposition of color and casual unusualness to the scene that I couldn't help myself.

I thought this made a nice end to the series, I am not sure how this stayed here all day, or however long it was there. The tidiness of the made bed in the doorway of a closed/boarded up shop made me stop in my tracks and stare. I really wished for a wider lens to show the people waiting for the bus with this at their backs.

Hope you enjoyed the display of 20 minutes of my photography life, I don't know when I have gotten so many shots I liked in as short of a time period before.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

On a clear day I can see downtown.

Been wanting to shoot this area for awhile. This is up on a ridge above my hometown. You can see all the way to downtown 25 miles away. A slightly different cropped version of this is my wallpaper right now!


Saturday, January 22, 2011

Takes The Cake....

Had a large painting project in my home so I haven't been doing much photography, but as I went through my memory card I found this from a family outing to celebrate two of my daughters birthday's. this was taken @ f2.8, 1/10 second exposure at ISO 100 with my old manual focus 24mm f2.8. The White Balance was a little tricky and required some fiddling in the RAW editor, I was very pleased with this shot. I love the concept of food photography, it combines several favorite things of mine. Being constructively occupied, making things that smell and taste good, and eating said goodies. This one I didn't make, Olive Garden did. Still tasted pretty good tho!


Tuesday, January 11, 2011

More Fisheye Fun!!

I haven't had a lot of time to play with this lens since I got it, one trip to the state capitol principally, so I decided to take it with me on my Commute to my Extra Job downtown. This is the job that allows me to even dream of having enough money to buy lenses etc....

I have come to the tentative conclusion that there are really two uses for a fisheye. 1) to simply get it all in and make it look different in the process. Call it "Distort and Conquer" if you will, but the simply different perspective allows for some crazy ways to get different elements in a shot and make them look strange. 2) to isolate a smaller detail in the midst of a larger setting. This is like getting really close to a flower and then letting everything else fall back into the background and look smaller than it is in reality. So manipulating the viewpoint of the lens to accentuate some things and diminish others.

Here are a few more quick shots, most were in some part premeditated prior to starting the day. As in: I wanted to get something like this and looked for the opportunity to get it.

As always click on the photo for a larger version.

I deliberately panned this following the train. I would like to go for lower ISO and longer shutter speed the next time and see how well I can follow the aim point. As it is I still like the feeling of movement of the train, and the disorientation of being up that early around fast moving things.

This is a mild redux of a prior shot but completely different. Wildly different field of view than a 35mm lens.

I love the symmetry of architectural support structures, but often find myself disappointed in photographing them, yet another thing to master. In some ways I like the ability of this lens to change what I see into something new.

I spend a lot of time looking at this when I travel to this job. The parking on the University campus is just atrocious, and after awhile they start to track your license plate and get onto the fact that you are there regularly. They then out a flyer on your car asking you to tell them who you are visiting and or what clinic you have been going to. The parking folks are notorious for being.... persnickity about not paying them, some kind of a power trip thing I guess.

One of the things I love/hate about the urban slot canyons you get in a city, is the strips of sky that you have to look up to see. I generally prefer to have sky framed by Navajo Sandstone... but sometimes I like the city slots too. This is one shot I wanted to try for since I got this lens.

I liked the reflections of the clouds on this building, but wasn't able to really show them. Probably should have gone across the street and tried there too. One of the toughest things about this lens is getting it square to something when you need to. I had to straighten this a bit as the lens was rotated a little. Looked square in the viewfinder....

So far I regard this lens as a cheap gem. It is sharp, has really good Chromatic Aberration control, and is easy to use. I can set the focus at anywhere from 3ft to infinity and have most of the frame in focus. The only time I need to play with it is when I get close. Which I should have done in my stairwell shot. At closest focus and f5.6 or f8 you can have nearly infinite Depth of Focus, though the further away stuff will not be critically sharp. Loving it!

Thanks for looking in!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Grabbing Sunrises....

I have a penchant for looking at things for a long time before realizing that there is a photo opportunity there. I have been driving (or riding) past this Cemetery for almost 6 years as part of my daily commute. I have always been struck by the incongruity of an anti aircraft gun in the middle of it. I had passing thoughts that I really should stop some day and look closer at it, but never thought (what is WRONG with me?) to take a picture of it.

Well I was driving in last week and with the developing sunrise (a scarce thing recently) looking better each moment I had the spark of inspiration to drop in and grab a quick shot or two. Really quick as I was not in a situation where I had a lot of time. Here is what I got, hope I remember to visit it again sometime.

The Sentinel

Aim

Still aiming, hopefully never to be used again.


Friday, December 31, 2010

Last Light of 2010

Not much to say really. The aribtrary sectioning of our lives has decreed that this particular section has ended to be never again. As it closes it is traditional to reflect on the past increment, and look forward to the next. I have had a FANTASTIC year of photography, and have taken many memorable images, and more importantly I have taken them in even better and more memorable company. Friends I salute you! Slainte!

My last two landscape shots of 2010, taken at the lake by my home. 6 degrees F.



Happy New Year!

Peace.

Lloyd

Monday, December 27, 2010

Fading Afternoon Light

Days of gloom, punctuated with only minor breaks of light, weighing down on my soul, light precious light blooms on the mountain. Above the mundane glory.


Sunday, December 26, 2010

3 From Today

Been mostly too busy to shoot the last couple of days. Grabbed this one because I HAD too! Haven't seen much blue sky recently and was not about to miss this chance!

Rokinon 8mm
Went to a party for my 18 year old Nephew at my sisters. The cat "Eddie" tends to make a good subject, he lies in front of the fireplace and seldom moves unless my 5 year old gets after him. He definitely has the Regal Air of a cat. Both of these with the Pentax 35mm f2.4 @ f2.4

He got progressively more sleepy it seemed, then he ran away not too long after this shot.