Balancing Act
These rocks defy modern day physics. I couldn’t believe that these rocks at Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Northern Arizona stay upright. But I figured I better help!
I Recently Dined At USA’s Best Restaurant!
Copper Top BBQ is the best restaurant in the USA as voted by Yelp in 2015. It’s not the best I’ve ever been to but the food is pretty good. It’s a walk-up joint with five picnic tables and a few bales of hay to sit on. Copper Top is located in Big Pine, California and I passed it as I was exiting Death Valley National Park last week. It has great views of the Sierras but I had to eat in my car in the back lot. I had the Tri-Tip Sandwich($10). Very delicious and layered with about 3 inches of meat. The tri-tip wasn’t quite as tender as I would expect for the best. I’d give it an 8 out of 10. Spago’s is the best eatery I’ve been to.
What’s the best restaurant you’ve dined at?
The secret charcoal is now revealed!
The signage was curious
Why Did The Turkey Cross The Road?
To get to the other side?
Maybe
So I wouldn’t run it over and have it for Thanksgiving?
Yes!
I actually shot, eh photographed, this Wild Turkey the other day at Zion NP through my windshield.
The Photographer’s Cookbook- And You Can Participate!
I’m in search of recipes for producing dramatic photos. This cookbook provides the key ingredients needed to maximize your chances at capturing that 5-star image. This cookbook is a work in progress. Recipes will be added on a regular basis. And you Word Press bloggers can participate!!! All I need is a cup of creativity and a tablespoon of humor on your part to be included. Supply me with your key ingredients, directions, a sample photo for your recipe. You will then do a guest post on my blog and vice versa.
For example:
Producing Star Trail Photographs:
Ingredients
1 Digital Camera
1 Cloudless and Moonless Night Away from City Light
1 Shutter Release
1 Tripod
1 Ball Head
1 Headlamp
and 2 tablespoons of patience
Directions
Set up camera on tripod, Use headlamp to properly position the camera for the shot and to read camera settings. Set ISO to its highest for a test shot. The test shot will tell you if you’re pointing the camera in the right direction. Then set your f-stop to its lowest number(i.e.. 4.0), and bake at ISO 400 for 40 minutes or until done! You should also enable the long exposure noise reduction feature in your camera and have the camera mode set to BULB
You can also write how you processed the image in Photoshop etc. I’ve looked back at a bunch of my photos and have seen possibilities. It may not involve the camera settings so much but what you had to do to get the shot. Like freezing your butt off waiting for that full moon to rise. But put it into the form of a recipe and try to keep it short and fun. Who wants to go first?
Surf’s Up! The only things missing were a surfboard, an ocean and Spicoli’s van!
I was able to secure a permit for The Wave at Coyote Buttes North! I showed up last Friday at the BLM office in Kanab, Utah to enter the dreaded lottery. During winter months when the BLM office is closed on weekends, they conduct the lottery on Friday for Saturday, Sunday and Monday permits This is the BEST TIME of the year to get a permit. If anyone is interested in going to The Wave, let me know and I’ll try to score one for you during these winter months. I plan to go back a few more times as I continously find more exotic things to shoot out there. All the permits for Saturday, Sunday and most of Monday were selected until they finally picked my number 15. A group of six jumped up and down and screamed when their number was picked for Sunday. It turns out this was their 3rd day in a row of trying and they were justly rewarded for their patience. I ended taking about 1,000 exposures so I will present the images in 4 posts. This post is an introduction and shows images of me surfing even though I was about 500 miles from the nearest ocean.
Do NOT attempt to reproduce this permit!
Teepees on the trail out to The Wave
Natural art seen along the trail
More abstract art.
Approaching The Wave along with its twisted hoodoos and various teepees.
Getting closer
Hang ten!
Shooting the curl
The only things missing were a surfboard, an ocean and Spicoli’s van!
Photo OfThe Week- Life Imitates Art
This real jockey seems reluctant to be posing next to the lawn jockey.
Photo Of The Week- A tale or tail of the squirrel.
This Western Gray Squirrel really wanted his picture taken. And to get my interest, it crept pretty close towards me and in an instant, flashed its big bushy tail. So became the tale of the tail.
The Dawn2Dawn Interview With Homer Simpson
HOMER SIMPSON IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS MONTHS DAWN2DAWN PHOTOGRAPHY INTERVIEW. HOMER HAS FOUND TIME FROM HIS BUSY SCHEDULE TO BECOME QUITE AN ESTABLISHED PHOTOGRAPHER.
D2D- Homer, when did you decide to take up photography?
HOMER- I think it was the day I noticed Flanders next door taking photos of his perfect family. There was no way he was going to get away with that!
D2D- I saw one of your photographs where Flanders was very angry for you taking his picture. Did you apologize?
HOMER- I never apologize, I’m sorry, but that’s the way I am.
D2D- Homer, what is your favorite subject to photograph?
HOMER- It’s also my favorite subject to drink, Duffs Beer! Do you have any of that beer that has candy in it? You know, Skittlebrau?
D2D- How do you cram all this new photography knowledge into that small brain of yours?
HOMER- Whenever I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out. I remember that time I went to those Duff Brewery classes and I forgot how to drive?
D2D- Do you photograph Marge often?
HOMER- Yes, and I need a very ,very wide angle lens for that head of hair she has.
D2D- But you’d still rather photograph a beer?
HOMER-A woman is like a beer. They look good, they smell good and you’d step over your own mother just to get one.
D2D- What else do you photograph?
HOMER- Donuts. Is there anything they can’t do?
D2D- Have you taken a bad photo?
HOMER- Everybody makes mistakes. That’s why they put erasers on pencils.
D2D- Do you like to get out in nature and photograph wildlife?
HOMER- No not really. My favorite type of wildlife is on a plate! Porkchops and bacon, my two favorite animals.
D2D- So, if you lose your job, do you think you can make a living in photography?
HOMER- I can also make money by selling one of my livers. I can get by with just one.
D2D- So Homer, do you think Bart might take up photography?
HOMER- Children are our future unless we stop them now.
D2D- How do you manage your time with work, family and photography?
HOMER- Yes. It’s not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, work, photography but somehow I managed to fit in eight hours of TV a day.
D2D- With your new hobby, is this affecting your family life?
HOMER- Marriage is like a coffin and each kid is like another nail.
D2D- What advice do you give to your kids when they have difficulty learning a new hobby?
HOMER- Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.
D2D- Do you plan to volunteer some of your photos to charities?
HOMER- Volunteering is for suckers. Did you know that volunteers don’t even get paid for the stuff they do?
D2D- I’ll bet you love to photograph the innocent and cheerful faces of children.
HOMER- When I look at the smiles on all the children’s faces, I just know they’re about to jab me with something.
D2D- So Homer with your new love for photography, do you still like your job at the factory?
HOMER- I don’t like my job but you go in every day and do it really half-assed. That’s the American way.
D2D- So Homer. What motivates you to get out and shoot?
HOMER- I have a great new motivation technique, it is donuts, and the possibility of more donuts.
