L'heure Bleue

- Twilight is the time between between sunset and dusk. Sunlight scattered in the upper atmosphere illuminates the lower atmosphere, and the surface of the Earth is neither completely lit nor completely dark. Owing to the unusual quality of the ambient light at this time, twilight has long been popular with photographers and painters, who refer to it as the "blue hour", after the French expression l'heure bleue. Canon 7D, 1/30 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 1600.

La Fourchette

- This picture is a take off on a very famous photograph by André Kertész one of my favorite masters of the art of light. Certainly not up to the master's standards but OK for a Droid X camera phone and thirty people in a tiny restaurant watching. We had a great diner tonight at Voilà with our friends Susan and Duane. French cooking was appropriate since Kertész made his famous photo in Paris in 1928. Cindy gets an assist for holding the folk in place just outside of the frame. Droid X, 1/15 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, converted to black & white in Lightroom 3.

Rearview Sunset

- Always check your mirrors! Canon G11, 1/200 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200.

Curb Service

- Another photo from Norfolk Virginia's landmark drive-in still featuring curb service. This is Doumar's, home of first ice cream cone machine at twilight with the Norfolk Coca Cola bottling plant in the background. They say things go better with Coke but in the case of Doumar's a fresh made Limeade is called for. Canon G11, 1/40 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400.

Salt 'n' Pepper

- Literally. Canon G11, 1/10 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, in macro mode, converted to B&W in Lightroom 3.

Cold Light

- I was trying for a photo that captures a cold and wet January day. Canon G11, 1/500 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200 converted to black and white in Lightroom 3.

Sunset Silhouette

- Winter trees silhouetted by the setting sun. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 800, 50mm prime lens.

Couple in Arms

- This is a new 5 ton, 36-foot tall stainless steel sculpture entitled "Couple in Arms" by Maryland artist Rodney Carroll. It is located in Norfolk Virginia near the intersection of Ballentine and Virginia Beach Boulevards and is a part of the Broad Creek Linear Park. The setting sun cast a nice warm glow necessitating a need for me to stop and make a photo on my way home from work today. Canon G11, 1/200 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

At the Car Wash

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Took both cars to the Freedom Wash today to get the road salt and grime off. Had to take some pictures while being conveyored through the wash. This is the spot free rinse on the wind shield. Is it just me or do you see an dancer in this photo as well?
Talkin' about the car wash, girl, come on, ya'll and sing it for me, oooh, oooh, oooh.
Now that song is stuck in your head too. From 1976 by Rose Royce. Canon G11, 1/800 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Hats & Scarfs

- It was a cold day in Williamsburg Virginia today, high of 27F and a projected low of 18F. These colorful hats and scarfs were on display at an outdoor kiosk at the Prime Outlets just west of Williamsburg. It was a brutal day to be selling anything outside. Canon 7D, 1/400sec @ f/4.5, ISO 200, 50mm prime lens.

Ol' Blue Eyes

- Well he's not that old actually. This is Sherlock our eight month old Tonkinese cat. Yes he is named after the famous fictional detective because of his insatiable curiosity. He goes by many names around our house, Lock, Lockmeister, Lockinator, Trouble with a capital "T" and assorted other names when his curiosity is out of control. All that said he is a great cat and never sees a stranger. Canon 40D, 160th @ f/2.8, ISO 400, 100mm lens.

An apple a day . . .

- keeps the doctor away, or so the old saying goes. Apples are an amazing fruit and the offer numerous benefits in one pretty and great tasting little package. Don't believe me - check this article citing 9 reasons why an apples a day is good for your health and thus helps keep the doctor away. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 100mm macro lens. Photographed in a light tent with illumination provided from three directions. Above was a constant LED video light, to each side were remote triggered flashes set at 1/16th power.

Full Moon Rising

- Noticed a great full moon rising tonight on my drive home from work. By the time I got home the clouds had moved in but I was able to catch the bright moon through openings in the cloud cover. Canon 7D, 6/10 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 200, 200mm focal length mounted on a tripod.

An Analog Apple

- Before there was Steve Jobs and Apple, Inc. with its iPods, iPhones and iPads there was Apple Records a label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. This is a photo of side one of The Beatles album Abbey Road released in 1969. This is my original album purchased in 1970. I still have quite a few of our old vinyl albums from the 70's and 80's. Vinyl was effectively replaced by digital music first by Compact Discs and later by digital downloads. There is still a debate about the superiority of analog recordings over digital but I'm sure I don't want to go back. I prefer having my music completely portable. If the 5000+ songs on my iPod were still on vinyl, I'd need a truck to haul them around and could never park in the sun. Canon 40D, 1/60 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

New Calvary & MLK, Jr.

- Forty-five years ago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Norfolk Virginia to preach at his friend Rev. Milton Reid's installation as pastor of New Calvary Baptist Church. Milton Reid who passed away last month was a well known early Virginia civil rights activist. Dr. King was scheduled to return to preach again at New Calvary Baptist in early April 1968 but postponed the visit to go to Memphis to support the sanitation workers strike where he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. New Calvary Baptist is located at the corner of Calvert St. and Virginia Beach Blvd. in Norfolk Virginia. In the background of this photo can be seen historic First Calvary Baptist Church, just to the left out of the frame is the historic Attucks Theater. Canon G11, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, converted to B&W in Adobe Lightroom 3.Several years ago I listened to the audio version of The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1998), ed. Clayborne Carson. I highly recommend this version read by LeVar Burton in a Grammy Award winning performance which also contains recordings of many speeches and famous oratory of Dr. King. A must listen for anyone who is a student of leadership.

Terrapin's

- It's Virginia Beach Restaurant Week so we dined out tonight with our good friends Susan and Duane at Terrapin Restaurant on Holly Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Always great food and drink and the atmosphere is special. This photo shows the paper lanterns over the bar with the open kitchen in the background. I was facing away from the scene but a wall of mirrors gives every seat at the table a great view. The appetizer and main course were wonderful but you can't go to Terrapin's and not have desert. I had the double chocolate brownie toffee mousse with vanilla toasted marshmallow malt ice cream. Check out this presentation. Canon G11, 1/25 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800.

Reflected Sunset

- Glorious sunset this evening reflected in the chrome exterior of the No Frill Grill at Hilltop in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Canon G11, 1/800 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 400.

The Line Up

The line up first thing in the morning at the Hampton Roads Transit gas shop on Monticello Ave. in Norfolk, Virginia. The combination of the early morning sunlight streaming in and the garage's high pressure sodium lights make this a unique scene at the end of my morning commute to work each day. Canon G11, 1/25 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400.

Mechanical

- These are some of the mechanical systems in the overhead spaces at HRT's new Norfolk Bus Garage. The new facility will be completed soon and bus operations will move in by May. The new building is designed to be LEED Silver certified and we may even get a Gold rating, finger's are crossed. This building replaced a 100 year old facility that originally served trolley cars before being converted to a bus garage in the 1940's. Another 50+ years of public transit service will come from this new building. See some more photos from my walk through today here. Canon G11, 1/5 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800.

Resist Temptation

- Temptation is everywhere. This vending machine is luring you in with bright colors and promises of fat and lots of sodium. One way to resist, make a picture rather than cave in. Canon G11, 1/40 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400.

Impossible

- The Impossible Project is an effort by former Polaroid employees who had a passion and believed the Impossible dream - to bring back Polariod instant film. In a former Polaroid factory in Enschede, Netherlands they have bringing back to us a variety of great old and new instant films for our beloved Polaroids. This is a closeup of my 1970's vintage SX-70 camera, IMHO one of slickest cameras ever made. It's cool stainless steel folding case and leather accents are a work of art. I'm sure the blog will feature some Polaroid photos soon. Canon 40D, 1/15 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, lighting from the Cowboy Studio LED light panel.

Get to the Point

The classic wooden pencil and the old school house mechanical pencil sharpener get to point while carrying a modern day marketing message. I know, shameless self promotion of the company I work for; well somebody's got to do it. Canon 40D, 1/160 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens. This picture certainly shows the use of shallow depth of field.

Between Courses

- Dinner out tonight at eat an american bistro in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We are awaiting the main course after appetizers of Oyster Rockefeller and Wasabi Encrusted Oysters and the first bottle of Brown Estate 2009 Zinfandel. My main course was clams and mussels others had Rockfish. All in all, quite a nice dinner out. Canon G11, 1/15 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800.

Pixel Play

- We went to Daniel Rozin's Contrast exhibit at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk Virginia today. This is my wife's image reflected in the piece entitled Brushed Steel Mirror. There are 721 steel discs each sanded to create a directional pattern on the surface. As you approach the art work a video camera captures your image, digitizes it, and then each disc is rotated to achieve the proper brightness to reproduce a likeness in the brushed steel. This is one of several "mirrors" in the exhibit that runs through July in the Frank Photography Galleries. As geek photographer and lover of modern art, this exhibit pushed all of my buttons. Canon G11, 1/160 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1600.

Why Not?

- We had dinner tonight at our favorite local pizza place, Ynot Pizza on Providence Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Our pizza of choice is always the 18 inch hand tossed with red sauce, spinach, feta cheese and tomatoes. Extremely satisfying! Canon G11, 1/80 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800.

LEDs

- An array of LEDs makes up the latest addition to my photo lighting tools. So I thought it appropriate it to feature it in a photo before putting it to work in creating more photos. Canon 40D, 1/4000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Descending

- Our office building in Norfolk Virginia used to have some pretty dingy stairwells. Well last summer they got a fresh paint job, steps and all. So dingy is the last word the comes to mind now. Canon G11, 1/100 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800.

RGB

- The RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. Color computer displays are built using this approach. In this super macro close up of my computer monitor you can clearly see the red, green and blue pixels side by side as they make up the color image. When enlarged this much its hard to tell what the display is actually showing. Anyone care to make a guess? Canon 40D, 1/13 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 65mm macro lens.

Phillips

- Henry F. Phillips commercialized the crosshead self-centering screw design that today bears his name. The Philips screw was first introduced by GM on its 1936 Cadillac assembly line and rapidly sweep through the U.S. auto industry. Today it is still the most popular screw design in use. This is a 4X macro photo of a very small precision Pozi Drive #0 Phillips bit. Notice the wear and grain in the stainless steel. Canon 40D, 1.3 sec @ f/16, ISO 800, 65mm MP-E macro lens.

Water Glass

- Filling a water glass with illumination provided only by the water dispenser's LED light. Canon 40D, 1/8 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens, remote shutter release.

Tree Twig Font

- How do you like my new tree twig font? Got the one's down, now only 35 more characters to go. Happy New Year. Canon 40D, 1/1000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100, 100mm macro.