Black and White

Sometimes I get the time to go back and look at and/or manipulate photos. I kinda thought this would look a little better in Black and White. Kudos to my wife who actually took this shot!

Lens Lust

Found an excuse to go to a local camera shop (Inkley's, a Ritz affiliate) that stocks Pentax equipment. Wanted to pick up a step-up adapter, which is a thingy that allows you to put filters on a lens that are larger than the threads on the front of that lens. Saves you having to buy too many filters. Just buy one large enough for your largest lens then buy adapters to put it on all the smaller lenses.

Anyway, while there I looked at two wide angle lenses, the Pentax DA 10-17 fisheye, and the Sigma 10-20. I have lusted after the Sigma for awhile and I wanted to look at them both. They are both unique lenses and not really comparable despite the similiarity of their focal length. Here is what I thought, in no particular order:

Pentax DA 10-17 F3.5-4.5 Fisheye:

What a wild point of view! This lens focal length is equivalent to 15-26mm in film camera terms. The widest I had for my Canon was 20mm. And this lens is fisheye too which really creates a uniquely distorted field of view. It could be a fun lens to play with perspective. The feel is pretty good, not as heavy as I expected but heavier and more solid than the DA 18-55 "Kit" zoom. The zoom ring is light to turn and not particularly damped.

Sigma 10-20mm F4-5.6:

What a BIG Solid chunk of lens. This thing is huge, and being an EX lens (Sigmas designation for "Pro" glass) this thing just feels well put together. Did I mention it was huge? It is really large in diameter... it feels......good! The zoom is MUCH more tight and takes more effort to move but it feels like if I bump it accidentally, it will stay put. This lens will definitely stay on my lust list. It will have to wait for lots of other things, but one day it will be bought and I think I will take some magnificent pictures with it.

Mother Natures Fireworks

Was going to try to shoot some Fireworks in South Jordan tonight, ended up in a bad position for that, but Mother Nature gave me something else to shoot instead.

By the side of the trail

Just liked the shadow on the leaf, the sunlight slanting through the trees was just fabulous that day!

Goin on a Hike

Went on a hike with a youth group from my church as part of their "Girls Camp" I was "Tail End Charlie" on the way back making sure nobody got left behind. I tended to lag a bit and take some shots of empty trails (My Favorite kind!) Nothing spectacular but I like the feeling of being up in the mountains.

Thoughtful question posed at DPReview.com

This test will only take one minute and only has one question, but it's a very important one. By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally. The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous. Please scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.

THE SITUATION: You are in Florida, USA. There is chaos all around you caused by a cyclone, with severe flooding. This is a flood of biblical proportions.
You are a photo-journalist working for a major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless. You're trying to shoot career-making photos.
There are houses and people swirling around you, some disappearing into the water.Nature is unleashing all of its destructive fury.

THE TEST: Suddenly, you see a man in the water.
He is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer... Somehow, the man looks familiar...You suddenly realize who it is... It's George Bush! You notice that the raging waters are about to take him under forever. You have two options: 1. You can save his life; or
2. You can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the country's most powerful men!

THE QUESTION: Here's the question, and please give an honest answer...

Would you select high contrast colour film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

Update: 8-2-08

I had a link to the thread, but it is now deleted from the server, stupid moderators, it had a LOT to do with photography! ;0}

'Nother Early Morning Shot just a little later

This is the top of the steeple of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple just a short distance from my home. The golden dude is the Angel Moroni, yeah, the one who delivered the golden plates to Joseph Smith.

I just loved the colors, yes I played with things a tiny bit, not much. Sue me!

Playing at sunrise

Greetings! I got up early today because there is a sight I see everyday on my ride to work. As I ride along side Oquirrh Lake it is usually right at sunrise, and for the last several weeks I have been treated to nice sunrises AND on the other side of the valley the ruddy early morning light glowing on the pile of overburden dumped by Kennecott at the Bingham Canyon Mine. The worlds largest open pit mine. Despite the enviromental issues it is really kinda pretty. I don't think I captured it very well, partially because I was wanting to do a lens test to compare the lens I borrowed from my Bro. Phil (The DA 18-55) and the SMC-Pentax 28mm f3.5, and the SMC-Pentax 50mm f 1.4 as far as color/sharpenss etc... I will post pictures here, but I haven't done any crops to show the differences if any they will have to come later.

Look what I saw today walking in the Avenues

Sprinklers, backlighting, trespassing. What more could you want?

Playing at Temple Square

Went to a Training Class at LDS hospital this morning, stopped at Temple Square downtown to wander around with almost nobody else there. Was hoping for a nice sunrise for color, but nope it was overcast. Liked these a lot.

This was with the DA18-55 This was with the 135mm K-Mount
And this with the 28mm f3.5 K-Mount, this has been rotated due to being a reflection in the reflecting pond. This is also why I WANT a Sigma 10-20 one day.
This with the 135mm K-Mount

Upper Provo River Falls

My High Altitude Visitor, how stupid am I?

When I got to the top of Mt. Baldy I sat down to eat some jerky and Ritz crackers. (A well deserved break.) I suddenly heard a noise and looked up, lo and behold here was a friend to visit me. I slowly grabbed my camera and opened my back pack to take out my 135mm, then I realized I LEFT it in the TRUCK, because I didn't think I would need it, and didn't want to carry the weight....... said some bad words and started shooting with the kit lens zoomed fully out to 55mm. He got close enough to get these:

More Views From the TOP!!

This is looking back at the trail I went UP, near the top. It runs along the ridge in front and then drops down the back side... gently for awhile.

Flora at 11913ft elevation

40 deg 41.349 N
110 deg 54.191 W

Views from the top of Mount Baldy

This is the view from close to and at the top! Love to see the world from up there.

This is why the call it "Mirror" Lake

Old Family Fishing Hole

I went up to the Uinta Mountains for a "day off" and to play with my new camera, these are some pictures of the fishing area that was "ours" growing up. We would get up really early to make sure we got there, and fish all day, or until we limited out. I have a lot of fun memories of this place.

Little Swimmers, taken with 135mm f2.5

I still LOVE the clarity and sharpness of this lens, this was taken at ISO 200, f 8 and 1/750.

I think my kids have brain damage!

Had the following conversation with the twins today, I have had similar ones MANY times before.

 

Twins: Dad, Watcha doin?

 

Me: I'm not sure, what do you think I am doing?

 

Twins: Making a cake!!!!

 

Me: If you knew that why did you ask?

 

Twins: (Shrug) I dunno.

 

Me: AAARRRGGGHHHH.........sigh.............

 

Do children really get joy out of asking questions they already know the answer to? Is it a cry for attention? Are they really that dumb? Did their mom drink too much Black Cherry IBC when she was pregnant? Do they simply have no other way to start a conversation? I doubt that last, my kids can have a conversation with a doorknob, telling it about their day in detail, and then lecturing it about what they are going to do next. I often find that I am forced to tell my kids to stop planning my life for me in their constant stream of verbal thought. I almost wonder if they cannot think without doing it aloud.

 

Have you ever noticed it is possible to go into a fast food restaurant, order a meal for each child and none for yourself and still come out having had a reasonable meal? It is amazing what the call of the play structure can do to the appetite of the average child. Of course the quality of the playstructure and the number of children playing on it at any given time can also be factors. If it is dirty and there are a zillion kids on it, you ain't gettin no leftovers, I can tell ya that!

 

Have you also noticed that the more emphatically you ask your kids to do something, the slower they are to do it? If you regress to the stage of crying in the corner sucking your thumb because you can't get any co-operation you can actually see your kids moving backwards in time, seriously, NOTHING will be happening, or even worse they will be doing whatever the (Bleep) they want to, and this because they know it will keep you in that corner, fetal position locked in forever. How much does it cost to send your kid to one of those British boarding schools, grey buildings, grey clothes, grey food and out of your hair? I'm not talking Hogwarts here.

 

How did I end up here? Why did you let me get off track like that? Humph! Some blog reader you are, can't keep me on topic at all. Sad that. Now what was I going to say originally?????????

Pentax SMC 135mm f2.5 K Mount

Not a fantastic pic, but I loved the sharpness and shallow depth of field.

Getting Ready to Face the Day....

Sitting in front of my computer at work, waiting for patients to finish breakfast so I can try to see them before they leave. Oatmeal still cooling down, we have a nifty thingy from In-Sink-Erator that puts out 180deg hot water on command, works great for oatmeal, hot cocoa etc... but it does make it kinda hot tho.

Pretty tired, stayed up late to take the kids to watch fireworks, but in a more unusual spot than most people would, or so we thought. There is a road that runs right next to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple (Still being built) that is right on top of the bluff and the view is quite spectacular. We were able to see 6-7 shows, from a long way away, and best of all for my 2 oldest girls we were so far away there were no loud noises. I would have loved to be lying on my back as close to the show as I could get with a superwideangle lens on a tripod. But I took Fireworks pics last week, what can I do that is new? sigh....

Anyway, better go do something productive.

Last Fireworks

I really enjoyed taking the pictures, I hope you have enjoyed looking at them. I really won't know if the exposure was quite right until I see them on a better monitor, but I hope they look good for ya!

More More More Fireworks