Scottsdale

Dawn and I meandered around and about Old Town Scottsdale today. Lots to look at, and, of course, shoot.

Here's just a detail from a statue that I liked.

finger pointing wednesday

Lots of good stuff around the cyberspace of photography recently, and here are some of my favorites...

• Detailed tips on improving a bad contract by the ASMP
• If signed in, Google offers a wiki-esque ability to promote, demote and comment on search results
• Check out the Orbis ring flash adaptor (like Ray flash, but with apparent universal fit)
• Polaroid fan? Well the film is going the way of the dinosaur, but this clever app. for the Mac can give you back your instant pix (look) fix.
• Heard about Yousendit? Makes easy work of transmitting large files, even directly from several programs such as Photoshop and Aperture. FTP-based and FREE!
• The folks at ProPhotoLife put together a nice gift guide of Five photo gifts under $50 . I would add the fancy spy tube that I mentioned in a previous post (although it is $50, and tax, shipping, etc. might drive it over the limit....)
• A nice little diatribe on Why Photographers Should Study Design . I couldn't agree more. And a fun, super light incredibly basic intro might be the childrens book, "A Book About Design" by Mark Gonyea. Check it out!

Chandler (AZ, not Bing)

Dawn and I went exploring a bit yesterday and stumbled upon a very nice park and environmental center in Chandler, AZ. The whole place looked pretty new. There is a nice hill with a manmade waterfall that is very artfully constructed.

more finger pointing

Terrific recent stuff from around cyberspace...

• Article on "clamshell" lighting
• super secret spy lens that I just gotta have!
• Share and Learn Contest for 2 week camera/lens combo rental
• Great deal on a Nikon D200....
  1 generation off, but still a terrific camera
• Adorama's "Sharpen to Show -- Not to Kill"
• LIFE Magazine archive online here...

a studious chap

This dignified gentleman caught my eye in the bookstore last week. He looks very contented in his reading, his sweater, and his overstuffed leather chair. Sounds good to me!

finger pointing friday

Today I point you toward reviews, articles, news, and blog posts that caught my eye recently.

• A review of the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 that is my shortlist choice substitute for the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS lens that I really want.
• I've been a fan of Prem Mukherjee's (of Arising Images in MI) work for some time now. Now I see that he is speaking at Imaging USA here in Phoenix Jan. 11-13. I'm going to have to try to make his presentation.
• RED has announced two amazing sounding (and amazingly high priced) high-resolution digital motion and still cameras, Scarlet and Epic. If they were affordable, it sounds like they would blow everybody else right out of the water!
• A nice little guide to capturing motion in your pics.
• David Ziser comments on a trend toward shooting and burning.
• Turn your images into custom made fabric, then turn that into something else!
• The megapixel myth and why maybe I should just be happy with my 40D!
• Terrific article introducing using high-speed synch for full daylight shoots. Very valuable to those of us in the Phoenix area!

Hope these make for some interesting reading for you!

down to earth music

I didn't actually hear this fellow play at all. He must have been taking a break when we wandered past in Tempe today. But I trust that he is very talented.

still with the balloons!

Ok, I'm almost done with balloons. I promise! But what is more colorful, fun, and full of whimsy than a bunch of hot-air balloons?!?!

Balloons in Anthem

spin to win

On Halloween, Dawn and I had the honor of participating in the Queen Creek Trunk or Treat for the chillins. It gave the kids a safe place to show off their costumes and go get candy. It also provided a nice way for some locals businesses to say hello to the community.

This lady sells cosmetics and had a wonderfully fun display including the spin-to-win wheel. They were right next to us. A lot of folks got very excited about spinning the wheel.

I love lamp

Lamps. That's right. Lamps. Streetlamps to be specific. Just something I ran across in downtown Tempe. Might have been along the rail line.

I like the look of it. What do you think?

I love lamp. BTW, have you seen Anchorman? Lowbrow to be sure, but I bet you laugh. And "I love lamp" is right up there.