Of Sunflowers and Sunsets.....

Went for a ride the other day after the kids went off to school. Along my route there are LOTS of sunflowers, happily this day there was little wind and they were not swaying much. (This makes things MUCH easier!) So I hopped off and quickly shot a couple. Only one that I really liked though, but I did like it enough to try to get it really right. BTW I seldom revisit a shot once processed. Unless I botch it the first time.

This was my first attempt.

This my second that I like just a little bit better.

At the end of the day, my kids and I took a free ride on the new Light Rail line, and then hustled to the east side of the lake to shoot the sunset. These shots were stitched together from a bunch of shots. Like them though.

15 shots in Landscape Orientation.

22 shots in Portrait Orientation.

My Dad's Camera: Voigtlander Vito II

Seeing as some of my online photography buddies have been playing with film, I thought it might be fun to go WAY retro and play with a film camera. This guy was manufactured in the '50's, folds and makes you guess the distance, because you do NOT look through the lens. You also have to use a handheld light meter to set your exposure. This is NOT an action shooting camera.

One of the meters I have to use, my brother found it for me.

Uncased and unfolded. I wish somebody made a digital camera that folded like this. APS-C or Full Frame Sensor, 35mm equivalent Field of View. Simple and easy.

The Tri-X I put in, kinda messed myself up with 400 speed, daylight doesn't work so well, I can't set the highest shutter speed so I can't effectively shoot in broad daylight.

Looking forward to shooting with this camera, just need to find the right opportunities to do so.

Buggies.

This guy/gal was hanging around our back porch last weekend. Ugly little bugger ain't 'e?

M 50mm f4 Macro, with reflected and diffused flash.

Thistles.... nothing fancy or spectacular....

They were WAY too prickly to get too close to.

Both with the K 28mm f3.5

Downtown.....

I love the varied texture of downtown, old and new next door, funky architecture. Energy everywhere. Anyway, because I love those things about it, I like to photograph it. So I take my camera when I can. This time with my K 28mm f3.5 lens, it is a very sharp old manual focus lens, that I find just a bit too short focal length wise. Still doesn't mean I don't like it though!

The New Library. I loved the curve of the building against the pattern of the clouds.

Can't put my finger on it but something with the pattern of the light on the sidewalk and the texture of the building drew me in.

This drainpipe drew me down the alley and off the street, to a little corner of color that I never knew existed.

Kobe...

Old Three Eye....

In color at the request of Al.

Tangle me Elmo.

"Containers"

Last look.

I really enjoyed shooting this lens again, it is a bit of a tweener for me, but it can be a useful focal length, it is the equivalent of 43mm on Film. The actual "Normal" for that format.

Night Magic

After a recent date to a Mary Kay activity that my wife invited me to, being a spouse of a Mary Kay consultant does have some privileges beyond good facial care, we decided to drop by the lake near our home to take advantage of the full moon. I have always loved playing with my camera to reveal things that the eye cannot see. This was a night for that.

Northshore.

Double Bridge

Back Light.

The Dock. This was my favorite, the strong lines of the dock jutting out, providing a counterpoint to the smooth water and the moon.

A few shots from Temple Square

I had the opportunity to go downtown with my lovely bride and have lunch on our anniversary. I am very unable to not take pictures when it is a beautiful day. So I did.

I have been wanting to get this angle when the fountain was running for a long time, but my timing has been less than perfect....

This shot needed a LOT of correction, it was shot through glass, and the color cast was pathetically green. I think it got it right though.

An 8 shot panorama of the lobby of the old Hotel Utah/Now Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Really should have done a double row and got more of it in.

Love the chandelier. Love.

The Opportunity Afforded by Carrying a Camera Constantly

I have been intrigued by the Pancake lenses that Pentax makes for a long time. Even before I bought Pentax. DSLR's are bulky by their nature, flange to sensor distance, LCD screen behind the sensor array. They have to be a certain thickness due to the optical demands of their lens mounts. The only way to decrease the bulk is to make the part of the lens that sticks out smaller. Witness the Pentax Limited pancake lenses. Not being able to afford them at all, I have made do with some fun older Manual Focus lenses. My smallest being the K 35mm f3.5, which is really quite small. It is the next to the left hand one in this shot.

Anyway, I have started carrying my K200d and 35mm in my backpack during my commute to work on my bike. Which afforded me this opportunity.

While nothing spectacular, I was glad to have the opportunity to get the shot. No camera no photo.... ya know?

Special Requests...

My daughter has been wanting some photos for a "Magazine" that they have been wanting to make. So I took the opportunity to let them take some. Here is our church that is right across the street.

Here are some Orange Sticks from our adventure at the Sweet's Candy Factory.

I took this, Sunset on the way home from my folks. Nothing incredible but a nice scene!

Balloons.... Gotta love balloons!!!!

On another day of our "Staycation" we went south to the Provo Balloon Festival that is part of the Provo Freedom Fest. We got there a little late for the pre-dawn inflation and balloons lit from the inside. But we still got there in time to see some fun balloons in the air.

I was particularly excited to see Darth Vader in the sky, a little freaked but excited! Who thought of making one of those? I like the piggy bank too, but we have seen that one before.

There is something deeply enjoyable for me, to look up at a balloon from below. Don't know what it is, but I just get this peacefully excited feeling when I look up at them. Probably due to imagining myself up there. I have never been up in a Hot Air Balloon, but would love to one day! (Bucket List!!! Along with floating from Flaming Gorge to Lake Powell in a raft.)

One High... One Low...

There was not a lot of wind, these guys decided to just set 'er down where they could. In the middle of football practice....

The Coca Cola balloon is supposed to be the largest in the world, and it is HUGE!!!!! They did not fly it just inflated it! sigh.......

They did invite me into the basket while they blew more hot air in. Kinda hot there, but a fun perspective!

Ah.... I LOVE balloons!

Hill Air Force Base Museum

As part of a family "Staycation" we went to Hill AFB to see the aviation museum. I have been wanting to go back for a long time. Haven't been there in years.

I greatly enjoyed the interior and exterior displays, photographically they were not as amenable to good photos inside as they were outside.

Still, part of photography is being in the moment for me and I did enjoy making some memories of the place.

B-25 Mitchell, with (I think) a T-38 trainer above it.

B-25 from the balcony. It was a larger plane than I thought it was!

B-17 Flying Fortress, with a P-51 Mustang under the wing. This duo had a large part in the victory of the allied forces in WW-II

Love the split tail of the B-25.

Sikorsky Helicopter, BIG one too. Amazing that these things can fly they are so big!

F-86 Sabre (I think) with a replica of the signpost from M*A*S*H, all part of the Korean War legacy. I found myself constantly surprised at the diminutive size of the early fighter jets.

Moving outdoors, we exited to some interesting clouds, which initially made me think I was going to NOT get any good shots due to the flat lighting. I think I did OK.

B1B Lancer

B-29 Superfortress

B-52 Stratofortress

All in all an enjoyable outing!

LLoyd

Sunday @ the Airport and Lake

Took my kids to the Salt Lake International Airport to watch some planes come in, they thought it was pretty cool. This was my favorite shot from some casual shooting from the Golf Course Parking Lot.

We then headed west out towards Saltair, catching the sun just at it was dipping behind the mountain.

It was a glorious sunset and a fun memory with my kids. Think I may do it again sometime!