Improbably Fresh

I spotted this photo on a walk today. I had not expected to find any photos I'd want to take, but I brought the camera anyway. What caught my eye was really the juxtaposition of three or more messages. An empty package of Vivarin was stuffed inside an empty pack of Camels that is declaring "Improbably Fresh!" on the package. Just next to this abandoned nested double is the word LOVES carved into the wooden bench, but upside down in orientation to the wording on the pack. I should add that on the side of the pack, not in view of this photo, are the words "Please Don't Litter."

I picked up the pack almost expecting a third element might be contained within, with perhaps another message. I imagined several possibilities: an empty syringe, crack vial, viagra sample packet, condom rapper? No, just the Vivarin.

I was also struck by the imagery on the reverse side of the pack. A camel is seen standing amidst a swirling blue form that appears to be coming from inside some sort of temple. I presume this is the "Capsule Institute" mentioned below. I tried to enter said institute online as suggested on the pack. I wondered what I might learn there. When I saw that I would have to sign in with my email cooler heads prevailed.

Sadly or perhaps encouragingly on the Camel website gateway I visited an image of a camel was pictured to the side with the words "Break Free."

Clam

I constrained the histogram in itunes and found that it seemed to make the shot look grainier and more saturated.
K10 35mm f2.0

Cone

Spotted while beach combing at low tide in front of the Hotel Del Coronado.
K10 35mm f2.0

Sprite

In flight photo, altered in iphoto to overexpose it.
Pentax K10 with 35mm f2.0

Broken Gourd

I liked the look of this broken gourd or perhaps pumpkin at the farm we visited today. The shell was dried and brittle and the tissue surrounding the seeds resembled a luffa. The saturation has been turned up significantly to make the luffa stuff look more orange. I like the patterns of the dead vines surrounding the gourd. They are organic, but clearly dead, a memory of the growth of last season. The gourd smashed in the center is the fruit of last season now broken, but presenting the seeds for new growth. Taken with the K10 and FA77.

Flameingo

This is a crop of a photo taken with the new FA77. I really have been impressed with it's color rendition.

Alien Encounter

Kelp

Sunset Clouds

Moon and Clouds

With this longer focus lens (105mm) I couldn't frame the clouds and moon together in the center of the viewfinder, so I opted to put both on either end, and I kind of liked the result despite not having the sharpest photo I might like.

Weeds in and out of focus

I liked the look of this shot in the viewfinder since I was confused about whether it was the weed nearest me or farthest from me that was in focus. It turned out I was focused on the one farthest from me with this longer focal length manual focus lens (105mm.)

Ghost in the Livingroom: Flashgun Self Portrait

Here is a fun experiment with my new Vivitar flash gun, and a 30 second exposure at f22 in my darkened livingroom.

Half Web

I noticed this 'hanger on' today in our neighbors yard right near some nice flowers and with beautiful, and fleeting afternoon light. The lens I've been toting around lately has been a Pentax A 50mm. I had it stopped down to f4 which I thought would give me decent depth of field, however, I forgot that at such a close distance (between 10 and 20 cm in this case) the depth of field is very slim - measured in hundredths of a cm in this case. So the effect is that only a portion of the web is in focus, and it almost appears to disappear on the left of the photo. To me it looked like a half web. I increased the shadows, and contrast in processing to accentuate the effect.

Drops on Crocus

Moonshot

In honor of the Apollo missions, 40 years later.

Leaf in Stream

Blue Moon Flare

I'm in a bit of a blue rut as you might have noticed. This one was taken from my airplane seat while my son was napping. It is the moon. I wanted to capture the beautiful blue color of the sky and the lighter clouds below, but of course had to compromise by having the moon be so bright that it looks like the sun. The flare was caused I believe by the airplane window material, and there is an interesting reflection below on the clouds that I decided not to photo shop out. It took me about 10 shots to get this one with the star shaped flare that I liked. Taken with the Pentax K10D and FA 50mm f1.7 set at f 2.0 I believe.

Triple Blue Tail

This was a multiple exposure with the same set up as the following photo. I initially tried the multiple exposure mode thinking I might get more dynamic range, then I thought about taking shots of the wing which looked to me like a sharks tail.

Blue Crown

Pentax K-10 with the FA35mm at f2.0 and 1/1000s This is a photo of sunlight passing through water as seen in the Passages of the Deep section of the Oregon Aquarium.

Night of the Undead Pumpkin!

Turning my winter compost today unearthed this ghastly sight! A partially mummified jack-o-lantern from last Oct 31.