Jump in, the water's wine

Jump in, the water's wine, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This photo conveys California's amazing weather better that any other image I have ever made. This was taken in early October, the sun was so warm and the cobalt sky was completely devoid of clouds.

Kathy and I were on our second Hearst Castle tour of the day and when we climbed the steps that led to the extraordinary Neptune pool, I was once again overwhelmed by the grandeur and beauty of this place. I reflected on how wonderfully situated it is on the "enchanted hillside". Architect Julia Morgan once said she drew inspiration from the pools she saw in Mediterranean villas and Roman baths while studying in Europe.

Two curved colonnades and an ancient Roman temple set the stage for the beautiful mythological statues carved by Charles Cassou.

Holding 345,000 gallons of spring water, this is one of the largest and most expensive pools built for a private residence in the world.

Make mine a '39

Make mine a '39, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I saw several 1939 Chevy's at the 2009 Uptown Whittier Car Show but I think this was one of the nicest. Only HDR seems to be able to reveal the high gloss reflectivity of the paint on these customized cars. If you look just to the left of the license plate you can clearly see my rolling backpack, tripod and me taking the photos used to create this composite image.

Glory Days

Glory Days, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I was a little shocked to see the condition of this seemingly famous experimental aircraft. It was rotting away in the boneyard at the Chino Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, CA. It turns out this is just a television prop. It was built and used for a show called Quantum Leap in 1989. The actual X-2 became the first aircraft to fly higher than 100,000 feet with pilot Iven C. Kincheloe at the controls. It was lost after becoming the first aircraft to fly in excess of Mach 3. The pilot Milburn G. "Mel" Apt was killed and the test program was ended.

One Nine Five Nine - Impala

One Nine Five Six - Impala, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Ok so why can't modern car manufacturers make anything even approaching the coolness of a car like this? Kathy was going to the Ruby's car show and asked if I wanted to go. Well now, any chance to hang out with my beautiful wife is great and if we can take photos of cool cars too it's a win, win. I last photographed this 1959 Impala at the Uptown Whittier Car Show about a year ago. I reintroduced myself to the owner who was nice enough to move the car to a more open space so I could get better pictures. I took a lot of shots which I will post in the weeks to come.

A Game of Cat and Mouse

A Game of Cat and Mouse, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Friends and co-workers Tom and Geri (not to be confused with the cat and mouse characters that inspired the ultra-violent Itchy and Scratchy cartoons) and I decided to bring our cameras and tripods to work and walk over to Pasadena's California Mediterranean style City Hall during our lunch hour. As planned we took a few HDR sequences. The weather was partly sunny with a strong overcast building as the lunch hour progressed. By the time we were walking back to work we could feel rain drops beginning to fall. I never mind cloud cover when I shoot HDR images. Clouds act as a big soft box and look very interesting in tone mapped images. The building was completed in 1927 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lowdown on the A4 Skyhawk

Lowdown on the A4 Skyhawk, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I had been walking around the USS Midway for about an hour with my camera and tripod shooting HDR sequences here and there. I wasn't really liking the photos I was making though. Looked ok I guess but nothing special. Then I realized that it was my viewpoint that was off. When photographing a car, I almost always collapse my tripod and get a low angle shot. This makes the car look more powerful and the viewpoint is interesting because we rarely look at cars from 3" above the pavement. Why should it be any different for aircraft? The fun part was watching the other Midway visitors puzzling over why I way laying down on the abrasive flight deck peering through my camera.

I got a rocket in my pocket

I got a rocket in my pocket, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Light-weight, low slung and fast. What more could you want? OK maybe power brakes and steering, and air conditioning. Whatever. Still way cool.

Wide Angle View of the City by the Bay

Wide Angle View of the City by the Bay, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This was a cool guerrilla photo shoot. I was staying at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency and had found a platform on the 17th floor just adjacent to the emergency stairway. There was a concrete wall with a 9" wide gap in it that allowed me to put my camera and lens through it. This is what I saw.

Back in Black on Acid

Back in Black on Acid, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Ok I have no idea what make or model this car is. All I know is it was massive and low slung. I would guess in an accident it would tear up any Honda or Toyota and suffer very little damage. Just look at that bumper! I should mention that while I was busy taking this shot, Kathy was getting some awesome shots of a Thunderbird that had pulled in when I wasn't looking. You can actually see me taking this shot in her photo (look on the right) here

Under one roof

Under one roof, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

San Franciso's Crocker Galleria has an amazing glass atrium that stretches the full length of the building. I was thrown out of the shopping center by the tripod police (security) just after taking these shots. I'm glad I had already eaten lunch before breaking out my camera gear.