Bottle Number Two

Modeling this bottle was a great learning experience. I used several cool tools and features to create it. The etched glass on the front of the bottle is a displacement map made by simply assigning a simple image with an alpha channel to the material and sticking it to the front of the bottle. I…

Cinema4D vs. Studio Photography

Inspired by a recent post on Grant’s site, in which he alludes to the many challenges of product photography, I decided to create a challenge for myself. I wanted to see what level of photorealism I could achieve with the Cinema4D Physical Renderer and a few simple 3D objects by recreating Grant’s product shots. To…

Fatty Boy

aka Kozmo. Grant took this amazingly detailed shot with his new Canon Rebel SL1 and 40mm pancake lens. Sharpalicious!!

Kelly Likes This One Best

She thinks this is my most natural smile, and I agree, but I thought the glass of Ketel One might be a bit too much for my about.me page, so I chose a shot with a camera – naturally! Many, many thanks to the awesome Steve Fossum for the fantastic shots. I did not think…

Paradise Valley

Julie shot this panorama with her iPhone. She was, “Driving north from Yellowstone WY toward Livingston MT – looking east.” Beautiful!!

James Was Here

OK – I’ve been feeling kinda bad. My pal Jim visited for a week, and, despite great conversation, great weather and meals at places like Haven, Sea Salt and of course Chop Bar, I took a grand total of one photograph. With a cheap-ass point-and-click. I guess it could have been worse – I could…

Wisconsin Winter Weather Woes

Access to one of the most important destinations in Burlington, Wisconsin has been hindered by a four foot snow drift. My forecast is that thirsty residents will grab their shovels and clear a path to their beloved watering hole by beer-thirty.

This Week at Yosemite

Pals Andrew and Jeri just sent this breathtaking shot of the Yosemite Valley. Here’s another of Bridal Veil Falls. And here’s a great one of Jeri and the kids under a big-ass tree. Wow. So flippin’ beautiful! I guess Kelly and thedude need to take a road trip soon!

Fall Colors in Wisconsin

Thanks, Dave for sending this shot of Lori & Pat’s tree. What’s that then, a maple? Is this tree in Lyons, Wisconsin? Who are Lori and Pat?

Cherubs with Face Paint

Andrew caught this fantastic shot of Sophie and Ursula on their first visit to Disneyland. thedude and Kellster like the shot so much that we made a magnet out of it and hung it on our refrigerator. That’s saying quite a lot, because like at least nine other people on planet Earth, thedude also hates…

Laughing Dogs

Once in a while a friend sends a photo that amazes me. Dave was practicing with his new camera, and managed to capture this cool image of googly-eyed puppies going crazy in the Wisconsin snow. Dave, I’d say this picture proves that some pet-owners do look just like their pets! 🙂

Stone Circles – Beauty and Mystery

Andrew took these awesome panoramic shots on a recent vacation trip. The arrangement on the left is the Ring o’ Brodgar, the Stone Circle at Castlerigg is on the right. I don’t know much about how the circles came to be, but then, neither does anyone else.

Fun (But Dangerous) New Neighbors

Today we discovered that we have not one, but TWO wineries within stumbling distance of our loft. Both JC Cellars and Dashe Cellars recently opened tasting rooms less than three blocks away. What a great addition to our neighborhood. This is the kind of urban development we can support! Tasting is free, and the rich,…

Steaks on the Grill

Chris and Ben hosted another fabulous shindig at their home in the Oakland Hills. No Thai food this time, though. Instead, we had good ol’ steak and corn-on-the-cob. Yum! These images were all shot by Grant with his amazing Canon 5D. This dang camera produces absolutely the best color and simply amazing sharpness. I own…

Another Point of View

As you know, thedude was not the only person with a camera on the Philippines trip. Here are a few of my favorite shots by Grant Goya – in no particular order. Grant shoots with a Canon 5D. I think his camera outperforms my Nikon D2X in almost every category. Dammit!

A Couple of Great Shots From Wisconsin

It’s not that I have a soft spot for cute kids in leaf piles. It’s just that this is the sort of picture parents tend to e-mail to their victims friends. In fact, some of these images are pretty good – like this one. This adorable shot of Leah was taken by her Dad, Jeff…

Waikiki Panorama

Another gorgeous panorama by my good friend Grant. I’m posting this at a rather high resolution so that you can see just what a nice image this is. The shots were taken with a Canon 20D and stitched with PhotoVista.

City Lights Panorama

You know I love panoramic photography. Here’s a fine example shot my by friend Grant after San Francisco’s Fourth of July celebration from Treasure Island. Thanks Grant – nice shot!

Milwaukee’s Architectural Gem

I guess you all know that I’m from Wisconsin. Unfortunately, I haven’t been back to my home state since March – mainly ‘cuz I don’t travel in my new job. However, this year marks thirty years since I said goodbye to Burlington High School, and I have decided that I’m going to fly back for…

Singapore Panorama

I’m on a roll with the panoramic shots. I think they look pretty cool on my pages. My friend Bruce shot this from his hotel balcony while on a visit to Singapore.

More than a Pretty Picture

When my good friend Steve Wynd shot this, it was merely a spectacular night time shot of the New York skyline and some of mankind’s greatest engineering achievements…

World’s Third Highest Mountain

Not all of the pictures on this site were shot by me. This gorgeous panorama was taken by my friend Jim Davidson during a trek through northern India. Maybe I can get Jim to share a few thoughts about this – by far the best shot of Kanchenjunga I have ever seen.