2011, Day 090 - Pura Taman Saraswati

This it Pura Taman Saraswati, the Ubud Water Palace. Not only is it stunningly beautiful but there are dance performances held here on a regular basis. In fact some of the pictures-to-come are from one of those performances. Fond memories of good company, a nice meal and beautiful surroundings make me want to book a flight right now.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
35mm, f2.8, 1/250 sec @ 100 ISO

2011, Day 089 - Heavenly

This is the last time I return to the Kecak dance, I am ready to move on to other parts of my adventures in Bali but today I wanted to try something different.

How many blogs do you follow? I'm a blog junkie and currently I follow almost eighty blogs. Some are updated multiple times a day and others just once or twice a month but each is different and there is so much knowledge being given away.

One of the blogs that I've been following included an article about the use of black and white processing in the age of digital cameras. It is so easy to become tantalized by bright colorful images that I often find myself lowering the saturation just to be contrary but I do not often convert completely to black and white with the notable exception of portraiture. Well, this article included and interesting example that I have attempted apply here. I wanted to highlight the female dancer so I have increased the contrast around her while lightening her and simultaneously increasing the exposure in the rest of the image. It is finished with a little extra vignetting.

What are your thoughts on the result? Do you like it? Is it too much? How does it make you feel? I want your feedback!


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS
125mm, f2.8, 1/250 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 088 - Spring hatch

One sure sign of spring is the reemergence of insects, the flys are starting to make their presence know and I am hoping that foretells sunshine and warmth to come.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f8, 1/250 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 087 - Sinister gaze

More from the Kecak dance at Uluwatu. Balinese dance is so expressive, exaggerated facial expressions and very controlled movement of the hands and arms, it is an experience that can be difficult to convey in images but I think this does a good job at illustrating the bold look of Balinese performance.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS
145mm, f2.8, 1/320 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 086 - Holy friend

Happy birthday Laura! My baby sister is 24 years old today which is shocking, so to celebrate I made her a new friend :) I raise a Voodoo Donut to your health and happiness!


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
68mm, f22, 1/250 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 085 - Fuchsia

I'm sick of the rain, I admit it. Most of the year I don't mind it but it is in the spring that most of us here in the Pacific Northwest who vehemently deny that we are bothered by the copious percipitation finally admit that there can be too much of a good thing. That said, the rain is what makes it so lush here and the profusion of flowers and their sweet scent serves as a great reminder why even long winter isn't quite so bad.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/200 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 084 - Buds

Spring seems to have fled for the moment but the flowers are still budding and trying to fight winter's persistent grip.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/160 sec @ 400

2011, Day 083 - Monochromatic

I love these magnolias, yes, the traditional southern magnolias are pretty too but they lack the delicacy of their star type siblings. This photo is of the tree in my yard and in the early spring there is really nothing more spectacular than the riot of blooms on this tree. On an average day I walk past ten or more times and it never fails to make me smile.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/160 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 082 - Painted blossom

We had a little more sunshine today and although it disappeared behind dark clouds this afternoon you have to take advantage of the moment and enjoy the season.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f8, 1/400 sec @ 250 ISO

2011, Day 081 - Spring sun

It was our first pseudo-sunny day of spring so what better way to celebrate than to take pictures of the floral bounty?


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f8, 1/320 sec @ 250 ISO

2011, Day 080 - Blessing

This is just prior to the Kecak dance at Uluwatu Temple. The performance area is being blessed before the dancers take the stage.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS
148mm, f2.8, 1/1000 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 079 - Slippery when wet

Still not back to 100% but there was whippet racing today and I'm tired of being house-bound like an invalid (plus I am feeling much better). The weather wasn't bad, no rain until the end of the second program which is when I made my exit but the ground was still slippery as Mack illustrated below.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f5.0, 1/1250 sec @ 500 ISO

2011, Day 078 - Snacking

Hehe, monkey! One of the Balinese primates with a stolen treat.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS
200mm, f2.8, 1/250 sec @ 100 ISO

2011, Day 077 - Endurance

Despite the rain the blossoms are still tenaciously holding on to the branches.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 076 - Octagonal light

BORT! I finally got around to playing with my new battery powered flash and Hubert was kind enough to be my model. He's a silly little monkey, it took a while for him to settle down so I could get a good picture.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
51mm, f11, 1/100 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 075 - Puddle

Finally, I've made it to the photos from Bali to reprocess. I took this on an early morning walk, the city was almost totally deserted and the dogs were pretty much running the place.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
40mm, f2.8, 1/1000 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 074 - Flesh

Still obscenely sick so more trolling through photos past. This was taken at one of Hong Kong's night markets and I like how, to my eyes, it looks exotic but clearly the woman on the right is going through her life as usual and this is just one aspect of an ordinary existence in the bustling metropolis.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
70mm, f2.8, 1/400 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 073 - Morning harbor

Back to Hong Kong and revisiting/reprocessing some of my favorite photos from my trip to Asia in 2009. This is a view looking from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon in the early morning. The vignetting is straight out of the camera but I like the effect.


Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 17-40/f4L
17mm, f4, 1/2000 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 072 - Face of Evil

Yes, this is what evil looks like, an alien zombie baby. His poisonous secretions have caused me great affliction - fever, chills, a throat rotten away, a brain addled and fountains of rubies falling from the nasal passage. This vicious little creature has tried to murder me, I will have my revenge through avuncular fabrications.


Canon 1D Mark IV, 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
16mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 400 ISO


In fairness, this is a more accurate likeness of my nephew.
Canon 1D Mark IV, 24-70/f2.8L
46mm, f2.8, 1/125 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 071 - Tease

Spring should be making its presence felt but we're still in the thrall of winter.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
70mm, f4, 1/250 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 070 - Expectation

I love the look of expectation on the dog's face. She kept scooting closer and closer with the hope of affection while I took her picture.


Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
70mm, f4, 1/640 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 069 - Planning

My sister Stacey is getting married this summer and I have been asked to take their wedding photos. I don't really care for weddings, it seems like a lot of trouble for a single day, but I would rather be taking pictures than be a guest.

When I was in California last week I got to tour the wedding venue and took some pictures so I could create a storyboard. This is one taken in the contemporary wing of the Crocker Art Museum. Yes, my drawing of the bride is rather crude and slightly demented, like something from the Blair Witch wedding, but I think it is funny.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II
35mm, f2.8, 1/8000 sec @ 800 ISO

2011, Day 068 - Messy

I met up with one of my clients this morning, despite carrying the plague, at OHSU where he works. After finishing our business I took the sky tram from the hill down tot he south waterfront and saw the I-5 interchange with I-405, the section that gets horribly backed up at commute time, looking peaceful and uncongested on this overcast and rainy day.


Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/250 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 067 - Camelias

Ugh, I've was struck down with a mysterious illness today and as a result there has been a delay in this posting. As winter draws to a close in the Pacific Northwest we are teased with nice weather followed by foul wet weather. Generally the rain isn't a problem for me but these late winter storms dump water at such a phenomenal rate that you are soaked through in less than a block.

Anywho, one of the treasures discovered in a break in the weather was a camelia in full bloom.


Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/80 sec @ 200 ISO


Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/3200 sec @ 200 ISO


Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/200 sec @ 200 ISO

2011, Day 066 - Angry legumes

How about another concert shot? I have so many that I still haven't finished processing them but great progress has been made. This shot is of one of the guitarists in The Mean Jeans. By the end all three were drenched in sweat, looks like quite the workout, maybe they should have Guitar Hero stations at the gym...


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
142mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 2500 ISO

2011, Day 065 - Troubadour

Another trip to Tonic Lounge to catch up with my friends Sean and Garner and to enjoy some of the local music scene. The place was packed and first up was Hey Lover who whipped the crowd into a frenzy.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
70mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 3200 ISO

2011, Day 064 - Nightlife

A little preview of what's to come. I've had a little computer revamping going on which has really slowed down my ability to process photos with my normal alacrity.


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
135mm, f2.8, 1/1600 sec @ 4000 ISO

2011, Day 063 - Floral perv

It has been pouring rain on and off all day making it a rather miserable day for taking pictures. But tomorrow brings new adventure!

In the meantime, here is a picture of the reproductive parts of a crocus. Perv...


Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/100 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 062 - Hanging

Another photo from Hippo Hardware, thousands of square feet of architectural salvage and this is the second floor and is crammed with lighting.

Canon 1Ds Mark II, Canon 24/f1.4L Mark II

24mm, f1.4, 1/500 sec @ 400 ISO

2011, Day 061 - Dancing shoes

Yesterday I was in California just long enough to scout out the venue for my sister Stacey's upcoming wedding and to celebrate my nephew's first birthday. This is the place, the ballroom of the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 16-35/f2.8L Mark II

16mm, f2.8, 1/80 sec @ 800 ISO

2011, Day 060 - Old roots

Today was my nephew Onion's first birthday and I got to be a part of the celebration! He's getting juicy, lots of drool although fortunately no snot yet, but that means that I am irresistible to him. Happy birthday little allium!


Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 24-70/f2.8L
24mm, f2.8, 1/160 sec @ 800 ISO