My latest scanning project keeps turning up gems. I am so glad I shot this panorama of Wolstenholme Fjord — purportedly the only place on earth where three active glaciers join together. If I could have anticipated today’s technology, I might have made a much more detailed shot than this one – consisting of just…
Images
We See DC
Kelly brings good weather wherever she goes, and this time it was to our the nation’s capitol. We enjoyed sunny skies and temps in the mid-70’s during our short visit to Baltimore and Washington DC. The hotel in Baltimore was very nice — great view, comfortable bed. Parking in DC was easy, the food was…
A Pattern Emerges
I’ve always been drawn to symmetry in my images, but when you view a few of them in a group, the effect can be ridonculous! Or maybe not. What do you think? This is the barracks I lived in from September, 1985 until March, 1987. It must be summer, because my pals are firing up…
Oakland Zoo Lights
One of the most charming events we’ve seen this holiday season is the Oakland ZooLights. Periodically, the tens of thousands of Christmas lights are set to music in a dazzling light show. Fun for kids and bah-humbuggers alike!
Gualala
I love barter. In trade for some web work, I get days at this fabulous house. This works out great for everyone involved, but the biggest beneficiary is definitely me. Its on trips like this that I am reminded how great my friends are and that I have the most wonderful wife in the world….
Blustery Day on the Bay
With temperatures on the bay hovering around 50 degrees, it might not have been an ideal day for a Hornblower Cruise. Nevertheless, the mighty IT team braved the elements and posed for the obligatory group shot.
The Club at Pebble Beach
Kelly, Kerry and Matt take in the view.
IT Picnic, 2009
It’s my duty to shoot the IT group at our annual picnic. I’m quite pleased with this one. I had planned to PhotoShop myself into the scene, but no matter how I try, I always come out looking like a cardboard cutout. Next year I’ll bring a tripod. 🙂
Beach Party? Not!
The buzz surrounding last night’s party was all about 200 tons of sand, five swimming pools and “swimwear encouraged”. Hm. Sounds like an indoor beach party, right? Well, the event resembled a beach about as much as I resemble Brad Pitt. Oh – there was sand scattered about the 250,000 square foot industrial space, but…
Fifty Big Ones
Congratulations, Mike and Myrna! To me, the coolest thing about this reunion is that Kelly’s aunt and uncle were able to round up all of the bridesmaids and groomsmen from their wedding – fifty years ago. Amazing. Mike and Myrna have this spectacular view from their remote ranch north of tiny Friant, California.
Balloon Festival
The November full moon is cause for celebration in Taunggyi, Myanmar. The Hot Air Balloon Festival must be seen to be believed. It was a wild and wonderful way to end our trip. As beautiful as they are, still images can not adequately capture the cacophony of light and sound. Have a look at the…
Hot Day, Cool Stuff
With temperatures more than twenty degrees above the average for this day, thedude decided to take the smartie to NASA’s 2009 Exploration and Sustainability Exposition, where we saw some pretty cool stuff, including a car I’d love to own. Well, OK just the car is just a brochure at this point, but it’s still a…
Two More Kakku Panoramas
Well, it’s been five months since we returned from Burma, and I’m still looking at the pictures pretty much every day. Luckily, I like looking at pretty pictures of things and places I’ve seen. No matter how good (or bad) you think these images are, they definitely look even better to me, and hopefully, Kelly…
Kakku and Pa-O People
On the morning of our twelfth day in Burma, our guide told us we would be taking a three and a half hour drive to Kakku. This is the amount of time required to drive 26 miles on Burma’s horrible roads. Our rough ride took us to yet another truly amazing site – more than…
Shwe Inn Thein
I can not believe that it’s almost March, and I’m still posting images from our November trip to Burma! These were taken on a lovely hill above the five day market in Indein. The 800 temples are in various states of disrepair, but a few have been meticulously restored.
Farewell Mandalay, Hello Heho
As we say goodbye to Mandalay, we begin what will be our best days in Burma.
Mya Thein Tan
I swear that I saw this lovely temple referred to as the “whipped cream temple” somewhere. You can see why. This was one of my favorite temples. Nearby, we stopped to have a look at the Massive Mingun Bell. Weighing in at 90 tons, it is the world’s largest cast bronze bell.
Mingun in the Morning
On the morning of our ninth day in Burma, we took another slow boat ride up the Irrawaddy. This time, our destination was the huge, unfinished Mingun Pahtodawgyi. If it had been finished, it would have easily been the largest pagoda in Burma – nearly 500 feet tall! In its ruined state, it’s merely the…
Syun Oo Pone Nya Shin Temple
This beautiful temple is on Sagaing Hill, has a great view of the Irrawaddy River and a fantastic tile floor. We loved the colors and the geometric patterns. The shot was made by stitching eight images together. The view encompasses a bit more than 180 degrees.
Bagan, Myanmar – Take III
While Kelly indulged in yet another spa treatment, Tum and I went back to the temples to shoot some more. We weren’t alone. A hundred or more people came to watch the sunset. Later, we arrived back at the Thiripytsaya just in time to see this.
Bagan Panorama
I did not do nearly as much of this sort of thing as I had hoped to. I had grand plans about producing some of the highest resolution images of Burma in existence. Well, the blistering pace of our trip made it impossible to stand in one spot long enough to create any Gigapan’s at…
Ancient Bagan – Take One
We raced to the ruins by horse cart, but arrived at the best viewpoint two minutes after the light had faded. I immediately made plans to return under better lighting conditions, and continued snapping anyway. There’s plenty to shoot. If nothing else, there are always children. There are more adorable children in Burma than there…
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…
Another Weapon in My Image Arsenal
I love panoramic photography. Now, I can’t afford one of these very expensive panoramic cameras, so I’ve been creating “poor man’s pano’s” for years by stitching images together – sometimes manually and sometimes with the aid of software. Well, achieving perfect results is becoming a lot easier these days, thanks to a couple of break-through…
The Mighty Affymetrix IT Team
I made a group shot at our IT picnic last week. I often do not get to be in group shots, as I’m stuck behind the camera. I really wanted to be a part of this one, so I asked my boss to shoot a picture of me after I shot the group, and I…
Smoke on the Water
Most of you are probably aware of the fact that there are currently 1,400 wildfires burning in the Golden State. It’s hard to believe there could be so many. Although the closest fire is many miles from here, we have been blanketed in thick smoke for weeks. This shot was taken in daylight – 7:06…
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.
No – This *Really* Sucks
Our car was stolen out of our garage today. We’re trying to convince ourselves that it doesn’t matter. It’s just a car – we’ll get another one. Of course, it’s not that easy. We really liked this car a lot. It’s been reliable and fun for 7 years, and we kept it in immaculate condition….
My Never-Ending Scanning Project
A few years ago, my best man Steve and I split the cost of a Nikon film scanner. I figured I’d spend a few days scanning the best of the thousands of slides and negatives I have scattered around. Well, this little project has grown into a monster. I’ve been scanning on and off for…
San Francisco in Ruins
Awesome, scary panoramic image shot from a balloon in 1906.