My photo students and I are learning about "Blending Options" in Photoshop so I'm experimenting. These beautiful, smooth stones were part of the landscape at the Japanese Garden on the campus of Cal State in Long Beach, CA.
While visiting the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California, I found this bust of Nixon, apparently looking approvingly at a series of US flags. He seems satisfied. And he's been bronzed.
While visiting California recently, I wandered over to a cemetery near my aunt's house. It was a cemetery unlike anything in my home state - large mausoleums with drawers for the remains of loved ones. And there were no above-ground tomb stones.The most striking feature was the landscape and trees, most of which were kinds I didn't recognize. I'm guessing this tree, which is framed by the colored class walls of mausoleum vestibule, is older than the cemetery. Is is a banyan tree? I don't know.
Just in case some of you are lounging in tropical climes and were missing the experience of a South Dakota winter, this may help. This is one of the west doors at Watertown High School a month ago on a day that wasn't exactly a "Chamber of Commerce" day.The good news is that most of that snow is gone now, though we did experience a mini-blizzard earlier this week. Years ago our state tourism department used "Be glad you live in South Dakota" as their slogan. But they dropped it for some reason.But, still, I do like South Dakota. I just don't like winter. Anywhere.
I'm not sure if a pattern can be abstract, but from 30,000 feet this new housing development somewhere close to Denver seems unreal and a bit abstract too me.iPhone 4
This is no devil - but it is a threatening looking jaguar, which is appropriate for a Jaguar automobile, as seen on my recent trip to California.I appreciate designers who put details in places that one would normally not look - in this case in the center of each chrome wheel. Dogs and mechanics would see this close up. And maybe a random photographer like me, whose camera compels him to see things that would otherwise be ignored.(Originally posted here with Instagram.)iPhone 4
These are all photos taken with my iPhone and then manipulated with Instagram. I then put four of the photos together using another app called Diptic. What I am learning is the role that iPhone and iPad apps can play in photography and also in photo manipulation. There's a lot to learn!Incidentally, how about going to one of my student's photo blogs? Holly is an excellent photographer would appreciate your stopping by: Holly's Blog
This photo was taken with my iPhone somewhere in southern South Dakota on I-29. It is grungy because the iPhone isn't all that good in low light, but it's made even grungier by an app called Instagram.
These aren't carp, of course. They're koi, the prettier cousins of carp. This photo originally appeared on my companion web experiment, scottshephard.posterous.com.Want to watch a very short video filmed, edited and posted with my iPhone? Click here.
I'm experimenting with an iPhone app called Instagram and a companion web site called Posterous. Here's a linkThe Things I See
In light of current events in Japan, I went back to my collection of photos. I hadn't really looked closely at this one before but I like it because the place conveys the kind of beauty and peace I found in many locations while visiting Japan. The images of destruction in Japan are wrenching. We might find comfort in the beauty of the Japanese landscape and character, but where do the Japanese go? Memory and photos will hardly suffice in the days and weeks to come.
Yes, I'd like to be at a sea side restaurant on the Greek island of Mykonos enjoying a double shot of espresso, the moist ocean breeze and a great view of the famous windmills. You can join me. There's plenty of room at my table.