2010, Day 151 - Community effort

Today's post is one based on a request from a friend who wanted to see the bokeh of a particular lens. What is bokeh? It is the term for the quality of the out-of-focus part of the image. In some lenses the out-of-focus areas have a smooth transition between colors and shades of a color and others have more defined or abrupt change. This effect can't be measured and is a totally subjective quality. There, now you know more about photography.

To achieve my goal I took a series of pictures are a community garden. They are meant to illustrate the bokeh of the lens but I tried to keep it interesting as well. It looks like the raspberries are already starting to ripen!

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f2.8, 1/1250 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f2.8, 1/640 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f2.8, 1/160 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f2.8, 1/100 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f2.8, 1/320 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f2.8, 1/500 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f2.8, 1/800 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 150 - Tripod update

As many of my regular readers know a very special greyhound, Darby by name, had a leg amputated to stop the spread of cancer. That was three weeks ago and today I did a little pup-sitting while his family was otherwise indisposed. It was so good to see him, he has healed very nicely and his coat is growing back in where he was shaved for surgery. His mobility has improved and he can even descend an entire flight of stairs on his own! Unfortunately he's got two suckers that happily carry him up the stairs so he has no motivation to learn when he's got a human elevator ;) I even got a happy greeting when I came in the door and Darby braved the insane antics of his hyperactive brother Parker to see me. It took some wrangling to keep Parker's exuberance away from Darby until he burned off enough energy to be safe again. Below is a portrait of the man himself and a few pictures of flowers in the garden.

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/200 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/40 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f8, 1/125 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/125 sec @ 200 ISO

2010, Day 149 - Backyard mystery

When I moved into my house almost six years ago the backyard was in a state of ruination. The previous owner had a dog that she left alone outside for hours at a time and the result was a huge muddy mess with a lilac in one corner of the otherwise barren space. A year later I spent the spring and summer planting and now it is a lovely garden filled predominantly with native plants. Of course I can't remember everything that was planted and this is one of those plants. It's got an interesting form but what it is remains a mystery to me. It could be something I bought from a school fundraiser as I don't think it is a native but if you know please fill me in...

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f11, 1/80 sec @ 100 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f11, 1/80 sec @ 100 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f11, 1/80 sec @ 100 ISO

2010, Day 148 - Farm market and nostalgia

I made my weekly trip out to Sauvie Island to pick up produce. My regular trip usually takes me to Kruger's Farm Market where they bring in produce from around the Pacific Northwest in addition to selling what they grow on their own farm. There are significant savings so it's worth the trip and that way I can feed my dog seasonal produce as a supplement to their normal diet. My boys are good omnivores :)

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f1.8, 1/6400 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f1.8, 1/160 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f1.8, 1/50 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f2, 1/640 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f3.2, 1/60 sec @ 400 ISO

And now for a little nostalgia. Three years ago I brought a big beautiful blonde home, he was very shy and I worried he would never feel comfortable but over a period of months he began to seek out attention and now he's my sweet cuddly guy. Yup, I'm talking about Stubbs! He was just shy of his 4th birthday and had been adopted out into a home that couldn't handle how timid he was so I gave in and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. At the time he had edema in his hind legs from a fall he had taken in his previous home and a big weeping patch on his back from a bad reaction to a bath he had. Below are some pictures I took of him while he was still waiting in the adoption kennel. Stubbs is the handsome guy with the green muzzle :)

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 200/f2.8L

200mm, f4, 1/2500 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 200/f2.8L

200mm, f4, 1/1600 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 200/f2.8L

200mm, f4, 1/2500 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 147 - Last Thursday

As a follow up to last week's entry about the Alberta Arts neighborhood I returned today for their Last Thursday event. While the Pearl has First Thursday when galleries stay open late and new exhibitions are featured Alberta Arts has their own event. It's a lot more earthy and a lot more fun with tons of burgeoning artists trying to get their start from painters to potters to textiles there is really something of interest for everyone and the crowds are quite colorful. If you're in Portland for the last Thursday of the month I highly recommend checking it out, it's worth it for the people watching alone!

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

30mm, f4, 1/125 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

32mm, f4, 1/200 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

51mm, f4, 1/125 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

24mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f28L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/200 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

60mm, f5.6, 1/160 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/200 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 24-70/f2.8L

70mm, f4, 1/60 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 146 - Purple spike of flowery death

I have no idea what these flowers are, they are popping up all over the place in clumps. They look like they would attract bees but they aren't very fragrant which suggests that their appearance may be deceiving. And for fun, a picture of Hubert...

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f22, 1/125 sec @ 200

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f22, 1/125 sec @ 200

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f11, 1/100 sec @ 200

2010, Day 145 - Columbine

My columbine are defective. Some have these nifty swallow tails like those below but the columbine growing in my yard have none. Granted, they are a stunning shade of deep blue but they would be all the better if they had tails. I always wanted a monkey tail...

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f29, 1/125 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f29, 1/125 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f16, 1/125 sec @ 200 ISO

2010, Day 144 - Yard buddies

During the gaps in the rain I decided to explore the yard for friends with exoskeletons. I was hoping to find a ladybug because I've been seeing them around recently but no such luck. What I did find was a number of wet mason bees trying to dry off and a few spiders in the vinca. Oh well, at least I have swarms of bees and armies of arachnids to protect the house, lord knows the dogs are pretty useless at that task...

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5, 1/250 sec @ 400 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5, 1/100 sec @ 400 ISO

2010, Day 143 - Stubbs in the nude

More rain today so we had a lazy Sunday and the pups got naked time. Life without a collar is very liberating and they love neck rubs without stupid prudish collars in the way. Normally Stubbs is afraid of his own shadow so I literally carried my camera around with me all afternoon to get a few pictures of him unawares.

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f1.4, 1/50 sec @ 1600 ISO

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 50/f1.4

50mm, f1.4, 1/50 sec @ 1600 ISO

2010, Day 142 - Chillin' like Snoop

This morning I went out to Oregon Greyhound Adoption's kennel to walk the dogs. They get out for exercise, play and potty many times a day but Saturdays are when the volunteers take them out for walks and you can feel their excitement.

Below is Snoop, the kennel's longest resident. He's a sweet gentle boy but he doesn't like to be left alone so he needs a family where there is someone around pretty much all the time. Otherwise he's canine perfection and he gave me a great idea so when I finished at the kennel I went home, had lunch and lounged around for most of the afternoon!

Canon 1D Mark III, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II

70mm, f4, 1/2500 sec @ 500 ISO

2010, Day 141 - Little blue pills

These little blue pills keep my puppy going. He's hypothyroid which means that his thyroid is under-productive so he gets a couple of these tiny pills every day. I love my Bubba!

Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f32, 1/125 sec @ 200 ISO

2010, Day 140 - Local food

Now that the weather is trying to improve there are farmers markets popping up all over town. In fact I think that there is only one or two days a week that you can't find a farmers market which makes it exceptionally easy to eat locally grown food. Today was the Buckman Farmers Market which is only ten blocks from my house. It is a relatively small market but well attended and it still have the requisite live music, fresh produce, locally raised meats, neighborhood bakeries and confectioners, and plants. I was able to purchase a nice bowl of soup for dinner, yellow lentils and rice from Zuppa.

Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/60 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/60 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/160 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f5.6, 1/60 sec @ 200 ISO

Canon 1Ds Mark III, Canon 100/f2.8L IS

100mm, f6.3, 1/60 sec @ 200 ISO