A Quick Look at My Motion Project

The Motion Project is another ongoing project I plan on working on for some time.  What I was doing yesterday with this image creation was trying to make interesting compositions on the fly.  I was using my 6D Mark II on shutter priority (Tv) making the aperture set to auto.  I had also set my ISO to auto as well.  I normally set my ISO to 100 for this Motion Project but I was experimenting with the ISO.  Nonetheless, for this image, the ISO went to 100 and the aperture went to F/8.  My predetermined shutter speed was 1/640 second (my proven shutter speed for this project).  Also, my focal length was 200mm and my exposure bias was -1 step.  That exposure bias is a favorite of mine for everything I photograph, really.  And in that instant, I created this image.  Of course, there is my postproduction secret sauce that brings about this final rendering.  So, as you can see, this really wasn’t outside of my comfort zone, but it was a little experimentation with the ISO being set to auto.  I’m a little obsessed with control when I create images but I’m starting to loosen up, a little – a very little.

(Designation, Motion Project 40452 – not named at this time.)

Why I Wanted a New Camera

On Christmas, 2019, Jane (my wife and so much more) gave me a dream gift: a Canon EOS 6D Mark II camera.  It was my very first full frame DSLR.  And I have taken thousands of frames with it since then.  Yes, it was the only thing on my wish list (no secret there) and it cost a hunk of change (we are not monetarily wealthy) but I have imagined myself with one ever since I first heard about it in 2017.  Why did I want one so bad, the full frame sensor of course!  What it replaced was my Canon Rebel T3i which I had for five years at the time.  Its age wasn’t the issue, its APS-C sensor was.  I wanted that full frame sensor with a passion.  But has it changed my life?  Not really.  I really like the camera though because of a lot of features it has – not just the full frame sensor.  But I haven’t really taken advantage of most of those cool new features.  I think I’m going to change that though.  I think I’m going to leave my comfort zone and try some of these cool new things.  Stay tuned.

Oh, what do you think of my cool vignetting?

Oh, oh!!  If you like my posts, please add your email to my follow gang so you’ll get a message when I post again. 

(Designation, Motion Project 32960 – not named at this time)

Art Work

So I changed my website a little bit.  I want to give a go at moving my art work into something that can sustain itself.  It’s kind of like letting the art do the work.  That was silly but you know what I mean.  I will be updating it with more current work and getting back to competing too – I’m referring to art contest.  We’ll see how this turns out but in the meantime the link is to the revamped website.

Kauai the Garden Island, 3 of 3

Here are the last of my “artistic” shots.  These photos were taken from the north to the south of the island.  Enjoy.

 I shot these from the tour bus as we drove by what use to be plantation workers homes.

 Waimea Canyon

 You can’t help to want to stay here.

 Wailua River

 I have to go back some day

Fire on Cajon Pass

On Saturday, August 17, I was approaching the pass on my way home to Victorville from Corona and could not figure out why I-15 was so heavy with traffic on a late Saturday afternoon.  I soon found out.  But I think I was in the twilight zone because the first weird thing was the temperature reading.

Not what the temp really was.

This was the first reason for the traffic.

Then the first fire.

Then the second fire.

Good thing I got through when I did.

A View of Iraq – Inside the gate at Al Asad in January 2004

Ok, I’m not done with showing some photos from Iraq.  Here are just a few shots of us after we got through the gate at Al Asad.  If you go back a couple of entries, you will see that I left off at arriving at the gate.  We were waiting for “rooms”, if you will – what temporary space we would occupy for the night before we were back on the road again heading for Rifle Base.  The theater commander had long since ordered a stop to night convoys ever since the IEDs had started in the latter half of 2003.  Oh, the armored cavalry regiment that was our final destination was the 3^rd ACR – the name Rifle Base should have told me that (nickname “Brave Rifles”) but it’s been a while and I was never a part of that storied unit.  At this time, I was a part of the 11^th Signal Brigade in the 86^th Signal Battalion.  Which I have recently learned are no longer based out of Fort Huachuca, AZ.  They are now located at Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, respectively.  That blew my mind to learn that but that is another story.  Let us get back to Iraq.  My lieutenant (LT) and I were on this mission not only because the team we were recovering was a part of our platoon but because we were very familiar with where the various bases and outpost were in country at the time.  We had escorted quite a few convoys throughout the theater since being there.  Me even more so since I had been in the theater for 11 months by that time.  It had become my secondary mission there.  Rolling out the gate was always a serious matter.  A lot of soldiers and marines were blown up on those Iraqi roads.  So this mission, because it was very close to our last there in Iraq was a bit vexing because crap seems to always catch you just before you get the hell out of Dodge.  But that’s ancient history.  Have a look at the pictures and let me know what you think if you can.  Enjoy.

On our drive through Al Asad base.

 Another gate.

 My LT was walking back to his vehicle.  He was in the lead HMMWV, it is tan and just behind the larger truck with the shelter on it.  There are three green HMMWVs between us – the escorted from the 3^rd Sig Bde.

 PFC Jackson and SPC Hall.

 A box of bottled water – you did not go anywhere without any.

The muzzle of my M16A2.  While we were out of the gate, it stayed resting across my chess with the pistol grip just to the right of my center mass – locked and loaded.  The barrel would be sticking out the window to my immediate left.  That was how I drove.  And I always drove if the mission permitted it.  Good times.

A View of Iraq – On the Road to Al Asad in January 2004

School, as in post-secondary education, is an incredible undertaking.  And it takes a lot of your time.  Especially when you have so many other things to do outside of it.  Well, this is one of the things I really like doing though there is little time to do it: My photography blog.  Another thing I really love doing is making pictures.  Here are a few that I took when I was in the Army in Iraq back in 2004.  This was done while moving, mind you – and before any formal education regarding photography.  The post production I did a week ago though.  But as a side bar, we are having an art and music festival at that very same school this coming Friday and I’ll be showing off prints that you might not otherwise see.  For details, click here.

We were on the road to recover one of my platoon’s teams that was supporting an armored cavalry regiment (I forget which one) at Rifle Base.  We were bringing a relief team from the 3^rd Signal Brigade.  We being the escort we were providing for the 3^rd’s TACSAT team that would relieve our TACSAT team.  This was day one of a five day mission – first stop, Al Asad.  My lieutenant (the platoon leader) and a few other soldiers were in the lead vehicle and we, (me being the platoon sergeant) I with three other soldiers, were in the trail vehicle.  I drove and snapped “no look” pictures (yes, like a no look pass in basketball) as we provided rear security.  If they look like I was composing these shots while looking through the view finder it is only because I had been taking pictures like this for almost a year by this time.  I had gotten pretty good with no look drive by photography.  There are a bunch of other details that I am sure you do not need to know in order to look at the photos so I will spare you.  Otherwise, this is a small piece of what Iraq looked like in January 2004.  Enjoy.

Gas Prices

Gas prices on June 16, 2011, in Fontana, CA, on Foothill Blvd – old route 66.  I was out and about with my PowerShot S5 IS and captured this for posterity sake.  Just thinking about the price of fuel is enough to make your head explode.  Don’t think so?  Have a look.