Pair of Eights

Pair of Eights, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

So this is Bob's Big Boy Broiler back lot. There was a car show that was sponsored by a Corvette car club so I didn't really expect to see this beauty sitting here. Even though the sky was almost completely covered by clouds, this Olds 88's paint job was still stunningly beautiful, reflecting everything that surrrounded it. I spoke to the owner who was cool and I sent Kathy over to give him her card. She took a much better shot of this car and you can see it on her website here.

Anyone Out There?

Anyone Out There?, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

My personal blog, www.bigpixelpushing.com is now over a year old. I want to thank all of you who visit and enjoy my photography. Having a blog has been real commitment in both time and effort. When I first started Big Pixel Pushing, I typically posted a new image every few days.

I began to wonder if I could manage to post one image per day, everyday without fail. Weekends and holidays included. Sounds easy I know. But keep in mind, there are quite a few steps involved in posting what is hopefully an interesting and compelling image. First I have to take a lot of images or image sequences if I intend to make an HDR. Next I have to sift through all these images to find one I think would make a good post. I then have to process the image sequence. This consists of making an HDR merge, tone mapping, post processing, watermarking, posting and finally writing a description.

A few months ago I decided to try. So for almost 100 days in a row, I processed and posted a single image each day. Now I know that I can do it. It can be done. However, this diligence left very little time for anything else in my life and therefore is not sustainable.

I decided to take a break from photography and posting. I got a handful of questioning emails. A few were concerned (thanks), but more were pissed which was interesting and unexpected. While the site gets a good amount of traffic, (in August there were 48,080 page views and 18,953 unique visitors) it gets almost no comments.

I love blogs and read several everyday. I comment on blog postings when I think I have something relevant to say.

You would think with several hundred people visiting this site each day that someone would share an opinion, link, comment, critique, technique, event, or just say hi.

So this seems to be a very one sided arrangement. I post, you view. Ok by me but in the future I’ll be posting when the mood strikes and time allows.

Thanks for reading,

Greg
greg.jones.design@gmail.com

Jet Age Indian Head

Jet Age Indian Head, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Now this was interesting. A 1950's era Pontiac with a hood ornament that was shaped like a very stylized jet aircraft with a semi-transparent Indian head nose. The light from the sunset was illuminating it which was cool.

Learning to Fly

Learning to Fly, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I shot this in August of 2009 when I was just learning how to shoot HDR. I wasn't sure of my workflow then but I knew I loved the results.

Purely Ornamental

Purely Ornamental, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Lensbaby macro shot of this cool hood ornament I found in the back lot at the Bob's Big Boy Broiler car show. Very often the show is so busy that a lot of cool cars end up parking out back.

Let it Burn

Let it Burn, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Here's another view of this slammed caddy. I have included an inset of the fifth of ten exposures that I took to create this HDR image. This is good way to compare what typical photography methods would capture when faced with a scene that has such a wide range of light. As you can see, the inset photo is lacking both shadow and highlight detail. Also I can tell you from personal experience that the inset image does not represent the scene as my eyes remember it.

Our eyes are amazing devices and much more suited to capturing both light and detail than any camera regardless of price. I get a lot of emails from people who hate HDR photography for various reasons. While I respect the opinions of others, I personally feel that this process is very empowering and allows me to capture the scene the way I saw it and even take it further if I choose to do so. What do you think?

Exothermic Reaction

Exothermic Reaction, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I didn't catch the make or model of this car but I don't think this is the original paint! Often car owners remove all manufacturer logos and model name plates. This makes it tough for uninformed people like me. I think this is very cool whatever it is.

Look at that Cadillac

Look at that Cadillac, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I was walking around the Ruby's car show and had 2 people tell me that there was a wicked red, slammed caddy off by itself and not crowded on either side by other cars. This is highly desirable when taking photos with a wide angle lens. By the time I found the car, the sun was going down and the sky was pretty spectacular. When I am faced with a scene like this, where the sky is super bright and I am essentially shooting right into the sun, I am so glad I shoot using the high dynamic range method of photography. Only HDR can pull off a shot like this!

The stars only come out at night

The stars only come out at night, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Another pretty sunset at the Bob's Big Boy Broiler in Downey. With the weather gettting warmer, the Wednesday night car show is getting busier. Parking was very hard to come by but the selection of cars to shoot was great. This night I forgot my tripod mounting plate so I was limited to using my monopod and just shooting 3 shot HDR's while the light held out. I did boost my ISO as it got darker but that introduces a lot of noise into my images.

La Bandida

La Bandida, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Kathy, Manny and I all met up at the Bob's Big Boy Broiler for the weekly Wednesday night car show. La Bandida was there too.