A couple of times each day the sun will break out of its padded cell and shine upon us Floridians. I can feel the warm rays on the back of my neck now. But then the warmth is gone replaced by the hot muggy air. There have been a couple of evenings with just jewel like sunsets. Amazing colors and a fantastic texture, something words can not describe. It’s nice to have spring around but I’d like to see the sun some more.

They have just announced that Yahoo! has acquired Flickr.

First off, congratulations to the creators, programmers, and initial supporters. It’s a big deal to be recognized in this way.

I see this move as being very beneficial to all of the Flickr users— especially the free accounts (a.k.a. me). Yes, I’m not a die hard fan, in fact I need to get around to taking pictures more often. There are, though, two things I see improving quite rapidly. Bandwidth limits should be increased. Uploads will be faster. These are just improvements I’m assuming Yahoo! would be able to manage easily.

Any features or improvements you see happening? Whats your take on the acquisition?

This poor dog has to go through “dress up” sessions.

It’s one thing if it was a joke. Ha ha.

It’s another if I see this dog with the “dew” being walked out in public.

Only on flickr

Update

That would make for a cool wallpaper. — kartooner

To meet demand I have decided to supply Rain, Rain, Rain for those
that would like to have it as their desktop wallpaper. It is available for download
at 1024px X 768px (96.7 kb). Other resolution may be created in the future
— What resolution are you using?

Care to take a dip in an alpine lake? I don’t think so. At 6,500 feet above Lake Tahoe, the surface temperature only reaches 65°F at the peak of the summer season (and the surface is only the top couple of feet).

Pine trees in the Tahoe, California area are havens for this great looking moss. I’m no botanist, but I did learn that this particular pine tree is called the Ponderosa Pine. We don’t have these gigantic pines in Florida; therefore, my interest in these “new trees”. This tree was in Sugar Pine Point State Park, just south of Tahoma, California.

On a recent trip to Tahoe, I was able to capture some of the best pictures I have ever taken. I will be sharing more in the future.

Ansel Adams: The Modern Eye

The man born Ansel Adams, February 1902, in San Francisco, California, revolutionized photography. Before Adams’ time, photography was considered merely a form of journalism, telling a story through a captured image. His work in both commercial and non-commercial art changed the way people think of photography today. Now a timeless piece of art, Adams’ work preserves the face of the American landscape for all to see today. Thus, Ansel Adams is a supreme example of a highly accomplished artist as well as an influential personality in many facets of culture.

In the first half of the 20th century, the technology behind photography was relatively undeveloped and most Americans seldom used cameras, at least with out a professional photographer who, most likely, was not extremely skilled in using the photographic device. Ansel Adams started on his photographic journey when he was 14 and received a Kodak Box Brownie camera from his father, before a trip to Yosemite, in Northern California. The Kodak Box Brownie camera was a simple and economical camera that was more of a novelty item than functional equipment, but it may have been the spark for young Ansel’s love of photography. His artistic abilities were already shown through his ability as a pianist. Adams taught himself to play the piano and read music, and later, in his teens, decided it would be advantageous to become a concert pianist. The piano brought substance, discipline, and structure to his life, which would later benefit him in ways he may never have dreamed imaginable. Early in his childhood, Adams found a solstice in nature, and spent many hours hiking “across the golden gate”, in his young adulthood. Nature, specifically the Sierra Nevada, captured the heart of Ansel Adams. Therefore, in accordance with his love for the High Sierra, he joined the Sierra Club in 1919, which, later on in life, proves to be a smart move for his photographic career.

Adams’ first published photographs were in the Sierra Clubs own bulletin, and that’s where his amateurish photos began to evolve. After having a couple of small private exhibitions through the club. Adams began to realize that he could make enough through photography as his life long career, rather than performing as a concert pianist, which proved lackluster in relation to his lifestyle. Photography for Ansel was liberation from the problems he faced. For the next 50 years of his life, Adams spent his time divided between San Francisco and Yosemite. These first pictures seemed to be just snapshots to his critical eye, not appearing to capture the feeling Adams remembered at the time of exposure. He set out to learn the photographic process-including how to develop and print negatives, and experimenting with different approaches. One late summer morning Adams was hiking along a mountain ridge in the Sierra, and he viewed a silver light reflecting off the wet grass that captured his attention. From that point on, he was most attentive to the light around him, and dedicated his life to capturing the light that he saw that early summer morning. Later, in his late twenties, Ansel Adams was hiking up a to an enormous granite wall formation with his wife to take some pictures for one of his learning exercises. On his last available exposure, he decided to try to utilize a filter that would make the sky appear darker than it actually was so he could express the grandeur of this cliff. In executing this thought process, Adams discovered his ability in pre-visualization of the captured image, which he would become a master of. That day he found that he finally was capable to produce an image that looks near enough to how it feels being on location in person. However, in 1930 Ansel Adams was not even recognized as a professional photographer.

By the 1940’s Adams’ work was being recognized as a serious professional by his colleagues, and he had the career to back his reputation up. During this time Adams was compelled to spend much of his time working as a commercial photographer. He had prominent clients such as The National Park Service, Kodak, Zeiss, IBM, AT&T and Life, Fortune and Arizona Highways Magazine. Adams, although busy in his commercial pursuits, found commercial work was very restraining to his precious creative work. Therefore, he dedicated more time to his cause of saving Americas preserved wilderness from being destroyed forever. Adams and his colleagues are recognized as one of the foremost groups working to preserve the American landscape.

When Adams died in 1984, he may have never fully realized the scope of his contribution to society. Besides being a nature evangelist, Ansel Adams captured the grand wonders of the earth on film so that those that may never get to see the landscapes in person can appreciate the wondrous land we live upon. His original works are currently extremely popular and, most likely, will remain so for centuries. Ansel Adams is one of the most influential artist and photographer in modern history and he has affected a vast portion of culture with his work.

I also recently added Ten Years of My Life to my frequent reads list. There you can find a picture a day. It will last ten years. Go figure.

Well, needless to say, the model was a bit stiff.

The shoot was out of studio, and the temperature was around 59 degrees with a 15 mph wind. The sun was setting, leaving the photographer just a few moments in the golden hour. Well, as time passed, the experimenting became macro photography (and I love how well the S400 performs in macro mode).

Then it all broke loose.

From one second to the next, the model went from cooperative to “get the heck out of my face”. Well that was just before I got the last shot at a great picture. Even though the model was a little rough skinned, it turned out quite well, except for the bite marks on my knuckle.