Get the Point?

801 Tower on Figueroa, Downtown LA

I thought this was the outside of a nightclub in Downtown LA, but it seems to be a cool courtyard outside of a building that could be an apartment or an office building.

Little Devils

Alpine Village January 2012 - Shot with Canon Rebel XT, Canon 50mm f1.8,  Fujicolor Superia 400

I'm not sure what is the point of these guys but they look like they would make some interesting decorations. I wouldn't want to wake up to one of these guys on the table next to my bed though. Talk about Nightmares!!

Do the Brew!

Orange County Brew Fest - Irvine Lake, May  2012

This beerfest is always an interesting event. Unfortunately it's starting to get littered with hipsters and drunks. These events are for several beer companies to get together and introduce their beer to the public. They give you a meager 8oz plastic cup at the entrance for you to hold your beer. Now the point of this event is to try the beer and not drink it all. Unfortunately nobody knows that rule and the drunks come out of the woodwork.

Beerfests that I would recommend are

Noble Ale Works Anniversary in February
Bootleggers Brewery Anniversary in April
Brew Ha Ha in September
Brew Ho Ho in December

Another great one I went to was the airshow at the Riverside Airport. Packinghouse Brew Co held an event at their brewery, right across the street, where you could watch the airshow for free.

Enjoy your beer. Cheers!

Bit the Dust

I might have posted this shot before, but oh well. I took this picture mid repair. Well, it was more like no repair because I had just found out that the shutter was permanently frozen and wouldn't go anymore. These old Yashica Mat cameras are some of the most inexpensive and easiest cameras to learn with. I love how the viewfinder shows everything flipped backwards.

Did He Save the Cheerleader?

Arco Plaza, Downtown LA - Shot with Canon 10D, Canon 50mm f1.8, ISO 400,1/640 @ f7.1

You might recognize this sculpture from Season 1 of Heroes. I'd been looking for it for a few years now and it turns out that I've walked past it several times. It's right across the street from the LA Public Library on 6th st and around the corner from the First Interstate building (The tallest building in the city). It has a couple of "it looks like" the main ones I think it looks like are a strand of DNA and the Cobra logo from GI Joe. 

Around the Bend

San Gabriel River Trail, Azusa January 2012 - Shot with Canon Rebel XT, Canon 50mm f1.8,  Fujicolor Superia 400

These mountain roads are very fun to drive. Just watch your speed around the corners. There are a couple of interesting dams up here as well as the bridge to nowhere.

Fractured Tree or Fractured Existence?

Sorry for the delay this week. I was on a travelling delay. I have a boatload of shots I took on my travels that I'll be showing pretty soon. Hope you all are having a good week thus far.

Tom

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Garden on the back of the concert hall - Shot with Canon 10D, Canon 50mm f1.8, ISO 400,1/1250 @ f9

I shot this on my last visit to the concert hall after I ditched a convention because it was a real snoozer. There was a couple getting their wedding pictures done here. Was very interesting to watch for the few minutes that I did.

I always go back to the same places to see if I can find anything new or creative to shoot. If you think you have nothing to shoot or you live in a boring area, I'll tell you that you're wrong. I keep going back to places like this because it forces me to think out of the box and to push myself to see something I might have missed before. Pushing the limits in these ways flourish creativity.

In Time for the Matinee

Pantages, West Hollywood, January 2012, YashicaMat EM, 80mm f3.5, Fujifilm Neopan ISO 100

Don't Get Lost

Griffith Park, Trail above the old zoo - Shot with Canon 10D, Canon 50mm f1.8, ISO 400,1/125 @ f 6

Thick as Pea Soup

Down the street from Disneyland, New Years Eve 2011 - Shot with Canon Rebel XT, Canon 50mm f1.8,  Fujicolor Superia 400

Flying V

Noble Ale Works 2 year Anniversary, Feb 2013 - Shot with Canon 10D, Canon 50mm f1.8, ISO 400,1/1250 @ f 9

Lets go to the Movies

Historic Fox Theater, Downtown Fullerton, January 2012, YashicaMat 124G, 80mm f3.5, Fujifilm Neopan ISO 100

This local theater is in the process of being restored. I shot this around the time construction was underway. Unfortunately, these two murals of iconic movie posters have since been removed. I hope they hire a local artist to recreate them. Such a tragedy.

Is It Gonna Make It! NOOOOOOO!

Kilarneys Riverside, October 2012, HTC One V Cellphone Camera


This was at my buddy Angel's surprise birthday party at the always excellent Killarney's in Downtown Riverside. If you are a craft beer fanatic, as I am, this place has the Best! Also check out La Bodega across the street since there isn't a Bevmo or Total Wine and More in the area.

North or South?

In front of Mission San Miguel - Shot with Canon 10D, Canon 50mm f1.8, ISO 400,1/200 @ f 22

Get Your Goat On

Mountain Goat Enclosure, LA Zoo Fall 2011. Canon Rebel XT, 50mm f1.8 lens, Ilford HP5+ ISO 400

It feels pretty weird when I look at some of my older pictures, such as this one. I can't believe it's been almost two years since I made this picture. I feel like it was just last fall! Is that what getting older is supposed to feel like?

Now That's a Bridge!

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Dec 2012, Lubitel 2, 75mm f4.5, Ilford HP5+ 400 ISO + yellow Holga Filter

HTC One V Cellphone Camera via Instagram

Today's post is the only digital/analog comparison I've attempted thus far. I wasn't really trying to do it, but I just happened to shoot the same scene with both cameras. While I do like the coloring in the bottom one, I'll only be framing the one on top. It'll be in a REALLY big frame too.

Which one do you like out of the two?

Awards Sold Here!

Dolby Theater (formerly the Kodak Theater), Hollywood, Feb 2012, Lubitel 2, 75mm f4.5, Ilford HP5+ 400 ISO

On the Steps of the World

At the top of Bunker Hill overlooking LA Public Library, May 2013 - Shot with Canon 10D, Canon 50mm f1.8, ISO 400,1/1250 @ f 10

A couple weeks back, I went to a photography convention at the convention center in LA. I ended up leaving it because it was a snoozer and there wasn't anything there that interested me. So I walked down Figueroa until I got to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and then went down Grand before cutting over to Hope st until it ended here at the steps of Bunker Hill. This shot was a stitched shot/pano shot that was made from a total of 29 shots. Thanks go out to Susie for giving me the idea to do stitched shots.

I Found the Real Farmville

Farmland adjecent to Mission Soledad - Soledad, CA, December 2012, Lubitel 2, 75mm f4.5, Ilford HP5+ 400 ISO, Yellow Filter

Mission Soledad is smack dab in the middle of a huge farming area. I took this shot using a yellow filter to darken the sky and to make the clouds stand out a bit. Unfortunately, it looks like my thumb was trying to make itself seen in the bottom right corner. It's not too fun going to a place that has a dirt and rock parking lot just after a good rain. At the entrance there was a big mud pit that looked like I would get stuck unless I sped through it fast. Thankfully, I didn't get stuck.

A Pleasant Afternoon at the Theater

Sebastiani Theater, Sonoma, July 2012, Lubitel 2, 75mm f4.5, Ilford HP5+ 400 ISO

This was at the very end of the historic El Camino Real. This was about a block away from the last mission which was off to the left here. I love seeing these old towns that have the look of being around before the 50's. Very cool area to check out if you visit the town.