Entry 14: Oceanside Beach

What did I say?  Oh yeah, I was going to feature woman from now on.  As much as I would love to do that, I just take too many photos of other things.  I have to put them somewhere.  Ok, this is a photography blog.  The beach at Oceanside, CA is where I took these photos.  There are women in the photos too so I guess I’m still sticking to the “females” plan.  I won’t bore you with a lot of jibber jabber about this, that and the other on each photo.  I was just killing time before I picked up my kids and listening to my dad talk to me on the phone while I did it.  I won’t jump into the world of TMI and tell what my dad was talking to me about either.  However, since I’m gabbing, how about that situation in Egypt?  That place can’t be any fun right now.  I’ve never been there – been to the Middle East but not there.  The Lee Greenwood song is playing in my head now.  I heard someone on the news talking about how they have a lot of inflation there in Egypt but wages are staying the same.  That reminded me of my “Warehouse Story”.  Back in 1986, I left a job with the once thriving now extinct retailer, Mervyn’s, where I worked at one of their distribution centers (warehouse).  When I left, I made $11.95 an hour.  This is in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area, again in 1986.  I left the job for the Army.  In 2005, I was preparing to leave the Army and took a night job at a K-Mart distribution centers (warehouse) in the Atlanta metro.  I was supposed to be a warehouseman, like when I worked at Mervyn’s, but was offered a better paying position working for Loss Prevention.  They paid me $12.00 per hour.  Wow - 20 years later and the warehouse job is still paying $12.00 per hour.  Oh wait; it’s less because that was the Loss Prevention pay.  Lee Greenwood is still playing in my head and I definitely don’t want to move to Egypt but that whole pay situation is just wrong.  I don’t know about where you live but the price of gas has gone up a lot more than that wage over the last 20 years.  So has the price of milk, rent, a car, going to the movies, rice, need I continue.  It is sobering.  Let me get to work on income generation.  But before I go, Oceanside, California:

003, The pier at Oceanside.  Ok, I have to write something about the shot.  I used my EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 lens with a focal length of 80.0 mm.  The picture style was set to standard.  I used the same lens and picture style on all of the shots.

010, Looking south along the beach with the focal length at 80.0 mm. 

011, This one the focal length is set to 300.0 mm so I could zoom in on the guy with the camera.  I like photographing other photographers.

016, This one the focal length is also set to 300.0 mm so I could zoom in on the “chicks” in bikinis.  I told you there were females in the photos.

027, I was looking north along the coast with this shot.  Those dwellings behind the trees must be expensive to be located in such an area where you garner such a magnificent view of the ocean.  I don’t think they pay that rent or mortgage with warehouse pay.  I took the shot with a focal length of 80.0 mm

067, The last shot I took as I was making my way back to the parking lot.  Remember, I had to go get my kids.  This is looking south again.  The focal length was also at 80.0 mm for this shot.  I’m going to have to try shooting with the focal length in the middle just for giggles.

Well, that’s Oceanside, CA.  I have some photos of Santa Monica too.  I’ll have to get those up here sometime.  Oh, an idea has come upon me!  The blogging about the female form – I should just start a new blog about that and leave this one to everything else.  Now there’s an idea.  If only I could squeeze in the time, oh well.  Oh, wait!  Thank you, Anita, for commenting on my postings.  And I would love to work abroad (again but this time for someone else besides my Uncle Sam) except not in Egypt.  I’ll just drag my kids along.  Now I just have to find who is hiring and for what.  Yeah, and where.  Ok, I am in need of sleep.  Good night.

Entry 13: The Female Form

It’s so depressing! Aaahhhh! Unemployment. The official (according to the BLS) unemployment numbers are nine something percent. The reality is that it’s probably around 20 something. You can read about it, it’s all over the web. But this is a photography blog. I only bring that up because I’m one of those unemployed people. The type that’s actively seeking employment. I have been underemployed, a full time student and “not actively seeking” (because I had a hustle that was working for a while). When you’re in that group, you’re not counted as “officially” unemployed. Hell, this blog is a go at another “hustle” – you see that Google ad over there on the right? It’s not there by accident. We all have to eat and I have babies to feed too. I’d sit here and tell you the entire crazy story of how I got from “A” to “B” and the fantastic journey in-between but I don’t have the time and I doubt that you would read it. But this is a photography blog and I’m writing at a fever pitch to finish this post so I can run out and try another “idea” I have for getting some work. In times like these, there are no ideas that are too farfetched. Nevertheless, back to my photography and that Google ad sitting over there. I believe I need to narrow my focus. If this is going to work, I need to concentrate my firepower at a specific target. That’s the Army in me talking but it makes since. So, this is a photography blog, it will be a photography blog about the photographs of women – my favorite subject. Yeah I know; still too broad a focus but we’ll get there. And I have to run, remember? Therefore, I thought I show you a photo of my girlfriend to begin this photographic journey into the realm of my new “niche”.

So, is she hot or what? Fine as wine and just my kind of girl is what she is. She’s always looking good – hair, makeup, and her large sign are always right on time. What? She’s not real? Wait a minute, that’s not my girlfriend. That’s a girl I know from…

Ok, I need to change the subtitle line thing too to reflect where this blog is headed. Women, females, ladies, etc. that’s what I’m going to use this for. Granted, I won’t really be able to live the salaciously hedonistic lifestyle of a Hugh Hefner (I’m broke, remember) but this will be fun. And I take photos of women all of the time anyway. I told you, ladies are my favorite subjects to photograph.

Entry 12: 10 Photographs

Ok, where was I?  Oh yeah, this is a photography blog – not a _____ blog.  You can fill in the blank with whatever comes to mind.  I just finished an article on examiner, “Food and Thyme the Art Show”.  A bunch more folks were present at this event than before.  However, the art on display was just as impressive as the previous art show there.  Go peek at that examiner article to see some of the photos of the artwork.  Photos here?  No, I’ll put up some of those photos here on another blog.  This time I’m going to show you something different.  But before I forget (plug time), don’t miss the art show coming up at the Bordello Bar, 900 east 1^st Street, Los Angeles, Wednesday (tomorrow), Jan. 19, beginning at 9:00 p.m.  The event is titled “Wicked Wednesday”.  It’s being put on by my buddy Kendra Cryan of Liquid City and will feature art and ‘80s music.  And if you come out to the event (and let me know when you see me), I’ll do a mini photo shoot of you in the Bordello – very sexy, very wild side kind of place – the kind of place Anne Rice would love to hang out at (I think – I don’t know her actually).  Of course I’ll give you a copy of the photos, silly!  Ok, this entry is about 10 photographs.  Nothing in particular really, just some things I have shot that I think look cool for one reason or another.  Here they are:

LA City Hall from an Angle, shot on Oct 27, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

A Telephone, shot on Jan 9, 2011, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

Bird of Paradise, shot on Jan 4, 2011 Canon PowerShot A540, with built in flash.

Some Rocks, shot on Sep 22, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

The Way, shot on Oct 27, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

White Rose in the Sun, shot on Oct 11, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, pictures style was landscaper, no flash.

Metal Flower, shot on Jan 9, 2011, Canon Rebel XS, monochrome, no flash.

Off of Sierra Ave, shot on Oct 11, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, my own defined picture style, no flash.

Sunset on Foothill, shot on Sep 20, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, picture style standard, no flash.

Purple on Green, shot on July 14, 2010, Canon Rebel XS, picture style standard, no flash.

Wow, I did it.  Less talk and more photos.  I know, sometimes people would like to know a little more about the shot and so on.  My apologies to those folks.  Make a comment or email with your questions if you have any and I’ll answer them.  Too easy.  Have to get back on the phone right now though.  See you tomorrow night.

Oh, thank you DeanO for following my blog.  You know I’m a lascivious liberal though.  Just the same, thanks!

Entry 11: 2nd Street Cigars and Gallery

This is a photography blog.  I need to keep reminding myself before I run off on some obscure tangent about this, that and the other thing.  Ok, back on November 17, 2010 I found myself in LA’s Art District again at the 2^nd Street Cigars and Gallery for another art show put on my friend Kendra Cryan.  This was a cool art show and really laid back.  That doesn’t do a lot for sales but it was a nice experience nonetheless.  I want to frame some of my photos and put them in one or two of Kendra’s shows but that cost money.  I am a bit short on cash at the moment (that means that I need a job and I have been looking for one daily – for months – hint, hint).  Still, I had a lot of fun and got a few shots off while I was at it.  I put a few shots up on my examiner page – about 16 or so (ok, I haven’t written that story yet but will shortly after this one).  These photos I didn’t use so I thought I put them up here.  I should put some up on my Facebook and MySpace too.  Yeah.  And my Photobucket page too.  Yeah…

Ok, we’ll do that later.  I took this shot just inside the door.  This is a nice place.  I don’t smoke cigars (anymore – did years ago in the Army) so I did not experience their wares but the place is basically a cigar bar that host art shows.  Those items on the shelf unit are humidifiers and other cigar paraphernalia.  The art on the wall was part of the show.  I didn’t get all of the names of the artist but was taken by the painting/drawings on the right side of this photo.  The work is by Milla Zeltzer and its four pieces with the white background.  They are renderings of not quite Rubenesque women but with abundant amounts of hips and thighs.  Just the way I like ‘em.

This photo has some nice paintings in it (I think the one on the left is a painting also but I’m not sure) but the one in the center really caught my attention.  “Man Eater” is the painting's title and Carlos Nieto III painted it.  The beautiful girl in the painting is kneeling on corpse of dead men.  Wicked.  The other artist names got away from me.  I have to do better.

This was just a shot of the cigar bar, minus the flash.  The first photo I shot with one of my crazy user settings and it looks like I didn’t use a flash but I did.  That’s good stuff when you want that look but need a flash to reduce the ‘virtual volume’ effect.  I didn’t need to do that with the first shot though because nothing was moving.  I couldn’t tell you why I did it.  I shot the “Man Eater” with my flash (my trusty Speedlite 430EX) but shot this one without the flash.  Cool shot because you get minimum camera notice because there is no flash.  Which is critical for the subsequent shots more so than the initial shot.  Lots of art on the walls too.

I took the next shot from the staircase.  That’s how I’m so high up.  I’m looking back to the front of the store.  The four-featured paintings are by two different artists.  The skull painting is by an artist unknown to me.  Oh well.  The other three are by Melissa Leslie-Quinones.  They gave me that California wine country feel.  On the other hand, it could even be the wine region of Tuscany but I’ve never been there.  Come to think of it, I’ve never been to the California wine country either.  Need to add that to my bucket list.

This is another shot facing outside from the middle of the store.  This one is ground level and captures a lot of art on the other wall.  It also captured Kendra without her knowledge.  It’s almost a reflex – if a woman is in the viewfinder, my finger is apt to fire the shutter. 

This last shot is from the street looking into the 2^nd Street Cigars and Gallery.  Obviously, no flash.  Just as obvious, another woman practically dead center in the frame.  If you look further towards the right, you can see a portion of the steps I mentioned earlier.  I know, that was very important for me to point out.  Anyways, check out the examiner story for a more formal approach and a few more photos.