Sunset in Sonoma

I took this while standing poolside at my mother's house. Another picture that sat on my hard drive for a while and I'm just now posting. I'm posting this for someone who recently told me that they like sepia toned pictures.

Canon 600D, ISO 100, 55mm, f/8.0, 1/160 sec.

They call me the workin' man. I guess that's what I am.

I took this picture about a year ago and it got lost in my filing system. I remember it now and I hated the two idjits on the right that got into my view. That is Trey Ratcliff lining up his shot. Sorry for the tilted angle. Had I rotated and cropped it, I would have cut off his legs. This was before I bought a level for my camera. I really need to go back there and take more pictures. Who wants to go on a little photo walk to the beach with me?


Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/11, 27mm, 1/250 sec.

Long Time, No See

OK, so it's been six months since I posted. Lazy me. Really I've had other things to focus on, work, car, Jip, etc.

So I have jump started my photography again by installing new firmware blah blah blah (Insert geeky mumbo jumbo here) So essentially what I did was do something to improve the quality of the HDR images. Well, I can't be sure of that just yet, but I've been assured that it will improve my HDR shots so why don't we give it a try.

Quick and dirty of it. New firmware lets me take 9 shot HDR instead of the standard 3 shot HDR that my old firmware allowed. I won't get into the details, but it's pretty nifty, although the GUI isn't as pretty.

So First we start with the 9 shot. Tone Mapped and here it is. Got some Chromatic Aberrations, and it's got some blurry spots.

Next we try the 3 shot standard which is how the camera came. 0, -2, +2 standard. Same processing settings as the 9 shot.

OK, so, as I see it, the 9 shot gives better detail, pulls more detail out of the shadows, however it tends to get blurry if there is even a slight wind or ANYTHING moves. Lot's of ghosting which means more time to process into a great shot. Next we will try something a little different to get this new firmware to make itself worth the hassle of installing. HDR 0, -3, +3 maybe? not sure, or maybe just 5 shot instead of 9.

Let me know what you think of the 9 shot? Kind of a mess I think.

Yet Another Death Valley Landscape

I'm starting to get bored posting my pictures from Death Valley. My car has not been working for the last month, so getting out to take pictures has been impossible. Here is another shot from Death Valley.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/9.0, 29mm, 1/200 sec
http://jdabbeyiii.blogspot.com/

Where have you gone mon ami?

Where have you gone mon ami? 

Is your old worn out Beat ghost

Haunting those back roads

And those desolate Cascade peaks. 

-Another Dead Poet

This was a rainy day in Death Valley. This was the road of welcome that we received. My old friend the open road can make even a rainy day a long enjoyed adventure for other friends to share. With each obstacle that was placed in our way, the adventure endures. Listen to me wax all poetic and such. Found this in my buffer directory forgotten and waiting to be rediscovered.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/9.0, 30mm, 1/200 sec

Sunset on a diamond.

I stopped by the beach at the end of Diamond street in Laguna Beach last night. It was sunny with blue skies at home so I drove down to Laguna Beach hoping to get a nice sunset and what do I find? Grey. Lots of Grey. I was just about to give up and all of the sudden I see the clouds starting to part and color starting to come in. So I stood there for a good 15 minutes waiting for enough color and sky to get a good picture.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/4, 23mm, 1/200 sec.

The Lone Flip Flop

So This is another picture form Thousand Steps Beach. The flip flop in the bottom left corner washed up on shore. I thought that this was a great setting for the picture, but I've been having problems processing it. It never came out just right.

Canon 600D, ISO-1000, f/4.5, 18mm, 1/30 sec
http://jdabbeyiii.blogspot.com/

Under the Pier Downtown....

Under the Santa Monica Pier. I took this on my photowalk. I've processed this image time and time again. I finally got a semi decent image and now I am posting it. I just noticed that I have posted this picture already. Oh well, nobody has noticed yet so maybe I should keep my yap shut.

Canon 600D, ISO-320, f/5.6, 53mm, 1/15 sec

Every drop in the ocean counts.

This was a fun picture to take. It was one of the first ones I took at Thousand Steps a couple weeks ago when I went. I was still warm from the drive over there, the sun was still out and my feet had not been engulfed in a wave from not looking where I was standing. I'm not complaining, it just seemed like this picture came to me too easily. But if I count in the rest of the time I spent at that beach that evening, it was a lot of work to end up with this picture. I guess it matters which direction you come from it.

Canon 600D, ISO-640, f/5.6, 35mm, 1/50 sec

Backseat Driving

The view from the back of a car in the junkyard behind Scotty's Castle. As you saw in the truck pictures when I first started this post, there was a collection of old rusted cars behind Scotty's Castle. I really hope that they never remove those rusted out cars. They are fun for people to enjoy who go off the beaten track. Of course there were signs every 30 feet or so telling us to stay on the road which of course we had to disobey on principle alone.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/5.7, 40mm, 1/100 sec

My First Lighthouse

I've always like the idea of lighthouses. Maybe I romanticize them, but they seem like such unique ways to live. I went over to Point Fermin to get pictures of Sunken city, but as I said in my last post, there was a cop posted right next to the only way I know to get through the fence. Instead of drawing attention to myself, I decided to walk around the park and take some pictures. This is the lighthouse there and it's my kind of Lighthouse. A home with just a light atop it. Let me know of any other great lighthouses in california, my goal is to take pictures of all of them.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/5.6, 18mm, 1/125 sec.

A view from a parking lot.

So we came out of Mosaic Canyon and were coming back to the car. This was taken from the parking lot at mosaic canyon. Even from a parking lot, the views in Death Valley are amazing. Actually I took this while the guys had a beer break, because finishing a hike means you get to celebrate with a beer. I can't see any issues with that logic.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/4.5, 29mm, 1/800 sec.

Sunset at the Pier

OK, I know that I have said it before, but this time I mean it. This is my last image from the Photowalk. I couldn't turn down another sunset shot though. So Today is my last picture form the Photowalk. I'm afraid I posted my images too quickly and I'm starting to run out. I guess that I need to go take more. You might notice a crazy ISO below, that is me playing around with shutter priority instead of aperture priority. Only image that turned out with shutter over aperture priority. You will also notice my new signature.

Canon 600D, ISO-160, f/4.5, 28mm, 1/200 sec

Photographic Amnesia

So I was looking at this image and I remember working on the raw file for it and processing it, however I do not remember taking it. I have complete amnesia regarding this image. I have no idea where it was in Death Valley. From the time-stamp on it, I know roughly where we were, but I don't remember taking the picture. I assume that this will happen more often the more pictures I take, but there were so many beautiful nature shots in Death Valley that I can't remember one specific point. So here is yet another Death valley shot. I am taking more pictures so I will diversify.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/4.5, 28mm, 1/800 sec.

Pacific Wheel

I know that I said that I would not post any more pictures of the pier, but this is of the Pacific Wheel on the Santa Monica Pier. I do wish that people would show some manners and not walk in front of a camera when people are taking pictures. I swear... Some people's children..

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/7.1, 20mm, 1/30 sec

This Pier is getting tiring, why don't I post other things?

OK, so I promise this is the last picture of the Pier that I will post. I just really liked the colors in this one. I pushed the detail and saturation as high as I could go without making it look like crap. I think that this is going to be the last picture from the PhotoWalk last month. I am going to be travelling around orange county this weekend looking for pictures. I may even hit up sunken city with my nephew and chica to get some pics there. Hej, that's a great idea. I think that I will actually do that.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/4.5, 18mm, 1/25 sec.

Hot and Dry! Hot and Dry!

Last time I checked, deserts are supposed to be hot and dry. Our first day was rainy and it snowed not far up in elevation from us. We did move down the mountain the second night, but we also spent the evenings in the cars the second night because it was too windy to get a fire started to stay warm. It finally settled down, and that is when I snapped this picture of one of the mountains in the park. I was an amazing view but the wind was furious from the perch where I took this so I was only able to get one picture. Next time I am hoping for better weather, but the trade off is if I go when it's warmer, it will be over 100 degrees. Well, great picture none the less.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/4.5, 18mm, 1/800 sec.

Don't run backwards here naked at midnight

So this is at the edge of the Devil's Cornfield. I'm actually looking away from the cornfield and only getting a few of the desert wildlife that gives this area it's name. And although it's not like a regular cornfield, I wouldn't run through this one naked either. There isn't much to say about this picture, there were damn cars and tourists blocking my other shots so I had to take one looking away from the cornfield. I'm not upset though, I love how it came out. The mix of clouds, mountains, and distant desert work for me. I've also included another style of signature that I am thinking of. I stole this style from Lucky Bastard since he is moving onto a new style. I like it because it leaves my photo untouched.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/4.5, 30mm, 1/1600 sec.

Chemical weathering and hydrothermal alteration

So the cause of all of the colors on the rock at Artist Drive is Chemical Weathering and hydrothermal alteration. Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. I've also made a little change to this image. A friend of mine recommended that I make myself a watermark/signature. I'm playing around with a few ideas, one of which is the one in this image. It's my family crest with JDA III 2012 © underneath. I's still working on it, but feedback = awesome. I did my best to make it unassuming, and I'm not even sure that I want to compromise my picture with anything. Maybe I can do a bottom border like Lucky does. We shall see.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/9, 33mm, 1/250 sec.

Chip off a slab and make me a kitchen counter

So during our Death Valley trip, we visited the mosaic canyon. Without giving you a full geological history, the walls of the canyon are marble. Now the lower part of the canyon is very tight, only a foot wide foot path at some points. This is higher up in the canyon where we decided to hike. There was a sign that said that the first part of the canyon was 1.4 mile in. So we obviously went there, but the sign at the parking lot said that 2 miles up there was more to see. We hiked the two miles and it was not as awesome as the first 1/4 mile. It was awe inspiring though. I took a number of pictures there, but I will only be posting a few.

Canon 600D, ISO-100, f/5.6, 50mm, 1/320sec.