While in Bago, we checked out a performance by a group of dancers who are purportedly able to channel some of the 37 spirits (Nats) commonly worshiped in Burma. The all-male dancers (Nat Kataws) impersonate these spirits and dance to a small, but unbelievably loud orchestra. Believers watch intently and often pin money on the…
Author: thedude
On the Road to Yangon
There was much to see on the leisurely return trip from Kyaikhityo, (The Golden Rock). Here are a few of our favorites.
Mother and Daughter
Back in Ingabo once again, a proud mother escorts her daughter – considered one of the most beautiful girls in the village – to the initiation ceremony. I think it’s worth pointing out that this image was not staged – it was shot as it happened. Photo opportunities like this come at you constantly in…
Safely Home
We survived the rest of our amazing trip and the 26 hour flight home, and we’re exhausted. Now comes the hard part – sorting through 4,539 images and getting the best of them up on the site. We are delighted to hear that many of you are waiting for more pictures, and I promise to…
Ingabo Village
On today’s return trip from the Golden Rock, we made a few stops. The last of our stops was in Ingabo Village where we happened upon the initiation rite for this 12 year old boy. Tomorrow he heads off to the monastery to do a stint as a monk, where he will begin a regimen…
Bago Market and the Golden Rock
I thought this might happen at some point on this trip, but it’s happening sooner than I expected. I already have way more pictures that I’d like to share than I can possibly post from here. Trying to edit my images down to a few favorites is not easy. I’m averaging 400 or so shots…
Yangon, Shwedagon
The capital city bustles with activity, even early on a Saturday morning. It seems every one of Yangon’s six million inhabitants has something to sell. Unfortunately, we saw many more sellers than buyers. Jim was amused by the Burmese version of outdoor cafes with their tiny chairs and tables. No, neither of us had the…
Greetings from Myanmar!
Our trip to Burma took 23 hours. The first 19 were made less than perfect due to three children who proved beyond a doubt that it is indeed possible to scream non-stop for almost an entire day. Despite the best efforts of a dozen extremely kind Singapore Girls, there was no stopping the screams. By…
Xenophon Kids
More pictures from this inspirational event here.
Affymetrix Rolls Out New Web Site!
The official launch date is Monday, but lucky readers of thedude.com can take a look at the new site deign now. It’s a huge improvement over the old site, both aesthetically and performance-wise. I’m very proud to have been a part of this effort. Yay!
iTunes Genius Is… Well… Genius!
iTunes is one of the main reasons I have not switched to a Mac. I really do not like it. All I want is a simple music player, and iTunes definitely does not fit into that category. And iTunes has some of the worst UI design flaws ever. (Don’t even get me started.) Well, the…
So, Does This Mean I’m a Complete Nerd?
I don’t think so. I can think of a whole bunch of people who would totally love Item Number One on this year’s wish list.
Mark Lands in the Bay Area
Welcome! You certainly picked a gorgeous day to fly in to Oakland.
Highly Motivated People
My Achiever wife and a couple neighbors got up very early this morning to participate in the KFOG Bridge-to-Bridge Run (OK – walk). I don’t know how they do it. I wish I had a fraction of that energy! While Jack and I were just too busy to squeeze in a 7K walk, we did…
Affymetrix Rebranding Campaign
Get the Flash Player to see this movie. After focus groups revealed that my company’s current corporate image reminded them of a “dull forty-something white male”, they decided it was time to make a change. So, Affymetrix hired a design team to help freshen our brand. I think the new branding looks great! This is…
Holey Christ
Here’s a sneek peek inside Oakland’s Cathedral of Christ the Light. Although the 190 million dollar addition to the Lake Merrit skyline will not be open to the public until 2:00 PM this afternoon, I was able to sneak in yesterday and shoot a quick panorama. After scratching my head about the outside of the…
Running Vista and Loving It
Like many of you, I have been putting off upgrading to Vista for years due to its less-than-stellar reputation. Well, my ancient Windows XP install was seriously busted, so I finally took the plunge, and guess what. I love it. I was able to get everything I absolutely need up and running in about three…
But, I’m the MAN!
I thought I’d share the thoughtful birthday card I received from my ever-lovin’ wife this year. I think it’s hilarious. Kelly always finds the best cards. Her secret? The card racks at the car wash. Who knew?
Pano of the Day, 2000
Shot on the roof on May 7, 2000. Boy, a lot has changed since then. Rendered with AutoPano Pro – this pano never looked so good.
Magic Camera + ImageMagick
We’ve been spending a lot of time with our neighbors Jack Tres and Olive lately. That’s a good thing. I shot this picture at Flora on Thursday night. The light was provided by a single candle on the table in front of Tres. I used my old manual-focus f1.4 Nikkor wide open, at 1/15th of…
A New Feature on thedude.com
Embedded streaming video! Get the Flash Player to see this movie. I found an inexpensive MOV to FLV converter which produces pretty decent results. The files are much smaller that the source Quicktime files, and still have much of the quality – even at large sizes. This means I can now stream video like…
We Had This Idea for a Shot
Olive said she wanted a shot of her jumping in the air, and I had in mind what I thought was a cool way to frame the shot. Olive braved frigid temperatures at sunset tonight, but the wind and the light conspired against us. And though none of the pictures turned out exactly as I…
My Fun, Photogenic Friends and Neighbors
Need I say more?
Conservatory of Flowers
Yes, you’ve seen this location before on this web site. But not 30,000 pixels wide. The HDView plugin makes this previously unimaginable feat entirely possible. Be sure you have the HDView plugin installed, (Sorry, no Mac version yet) then check it out!
Best Pano Viewer Yet!
When I first used this plugin over at xRez, I was completely blown away. HDView is a must-have plugin! Get it now! Then, click on this link to get a taste of what’s to come. Amazing!!! So much to be excited about!
GigaPan Browser Embedded in a Blog Post!
It turns out it’s easy to embed a GigaPan Panorama on a web page. Hopefully, this will get more of you to check it out. Be sure to drag the the zoom slider on the left. Or, double-click on a region to zoom in on it. Looks like I have a white-balance problem in this…
Gravatar – Globally Recognized Avatar
It would be very cool if all of you got your very own Gravatar. Then, when you leave a comment on thedude.com or any other site that supports Gravatars, we’ll all get to see your smiling face! Or your cat’s face or your bird’s butt or anything else that says something about who you are….
More Smart Fun
The shots taken by the professional photographer were finally posted today. I hate to say it, but I’m not sure that he made the most of the terrific photo-op. In addition to some tighter shots, I would certainly have made at least a couple panoramic shots of the event and stitched them together. This would…
25 Years Ago…
thedude and Steve out on a shoot on a clear day in October, 1983. I don’t remember where we got the 4 x 5 camera, but I know Steve got some great results with it. Got more scans, Steve?
Meet My New Business Partner
When I shot this, I accidentally had the lens open to f1.4. The resulting haziness and shallow depth of focus looks pretty cool. I’m going to have to use this effect again!