Around Town with Paisley

4 December 2011 - A Day in the Life, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

While working on my 365 project, there were days when photography started to feel like work. It's a challenge taking a photo per day. On some days, work and other commitments left little time for photography. I would start to feel pressure to take a picture. I would take a picture because I "had to" take one.

Over time, I learned to keep it fun. I would sometimes go for a walk on Saturday mornings, before the family woke up. On the walk, I would enjoy the surroundings and snap photos as photos presented themselves. I didn't "look" for a photo. I wasn't concerned about creating a masterpiece on that specific day. I just enjoyed the walk and enjoyed capturing photos of the things around me.

Now that I'm done with my project, I don't ever feel the pressure to take photos. I take pictures because I want to. I still take my solo walks around the neighborhood with my camera. Well, technically, the walks nowadays aren't solo, because Paisley joins me.

Here are a few photos from my walk a few weeks ago. The photo above is where Mohr Avenue crosses the Iron Horse Trail. I liked the way the arrows were pointing to the leaf on the ground and how the shadows from the foliage helped frame the leaf.

Below are the little pumpkins in our front yard. I shot them previously at night, lit by the light coming through our kitchen windows. When I left the house for my walk, I noticed how the afternoon light hit the pumpkins and decided they deserved another shot, this time from a lower perspective.


This is Paisley. Whenever I take her for a walk, a jog, or a hike, the exercise always seems to stimulate a bowl movement. Okay, that was TMI. Anyway, as I was walking her on the Iron Horse Trail, she needed to go. I picked it up with a plastic bag and then noticed the low angle sunlight on her face....so I decided to snap her picture.


The late afternoon sun always brings out the textures in the terrain. As I walked along Kolln Avenue, I came across the "Pacific Telephone" on the sidewalk and just found it interesting. I got down on my hands and knees and shot this with a shallow depth of field. Paisley patiently waited for me....although she kept getting her shadow in the frame, so I had to get her to scoot back a bit.

The Year was 2004

Middle Velma Lake, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

I was going through my photo archives the other day and came across some scanned film photos from 2004. Most of my photos back then were shot with my Minolta SLR, an Olympus point and shoot, and a Nikon point and shoot, all film cameras.

I used to always carry a camera on my backpacking trips. It was a constant struggle deciding between the creative control of an SLR or the low size and weight of a point and shoot. Regardless of which camera I carried, it was always a treasured part of my gear.

I also carried my camera on family camping trips and outings. I loved snapping photos of the kids, capturing all of the special moments.

Looking back at these photos from 2004, I realized one thing. I sure sucked as a photographer....horrible compositions, crooked horizons, incorrect exposures, etc. Although I'm somewhat embarrassed now, looking back at those photos, I am glad I took them. The backpacking photos brought back wonderful memories of the views, my companions, and the experiences. The photos of the kids reminded me about how cute and little they were back then.

The photos may not have been the best, but I cherish them nonetheless. It was fun looking through them. I'll have to dig through my box of photos and revive the memories from the last twenty years.

Here are a few more photos from 2004:

Dude with a Camera

Portraits, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

When it comes to photography, I enjoy my time outdoors. My camera has always accompanied me on my backpacking trips, capturing the beautiful landscapes and the people out there admiring it with me. Does that make me a nature photographer? I don't know. I don't always carry a tripod with me, because my pack is heavy enough, and this frequently prevents me from capturing the wonderful light at the beginning and end of each day. And...my camera doesn't have the high pixel counts, required to capture every detail in the landscape.

I don't consider myself a sports photographer, but I do take lots of pictures at my son's basketball games, his track meets, and my daughter's softball games. However, my camera doesn't have a high frame/second speed, a large buffer, or great high ISO performance.

I don't consider myself a portrait photographer either, but I do take pictures of the family for Christmas cards. However, I don't have the fancy flashes, triggers, reflectors, or light stands, and quite honestly, I have little desire to use it.

So, I shoot nature, but I'm not a nature photographer, I shoot sports, but I'm not a sports photographer, and I shoot portraits, but I'm not a portrait photographer. I obviously take lots of pictures, but what exactly am I?

I don't specialize in any one area and my gear isn't optimized for any one genre. I don't consider myself an expert in any specific area of photography, but I have a camera and I enjoy capturing life's experiences with it.

I think I'm just a dude with a camera...

Battle for Eighth

Alone in the Gym, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

The Amador Dons JV basketball team played the Newark Memorial High School Cougars today. There were a number of older women in the stands, on the prowl for some young men, but I didn't pay attention to them because I had to shoot the basketball game.

It was a tough battle for eighth place, but the Dons pulled it out...forcing their opponent to settle for seventh place.

The Crusades

Rejection, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

After a big loss yesterday in the first round of the Newark Tournament, the Amador Dons returned to Newark Memorial High School for round two. Today they played Saint Joseph. Their opponent played fast and aggressive, causing several Dons turnovers. After four quarters of play, the Dons lost by ten points. It was another disappointing loss to a talented Catholic team.

This is starting to feel like the Crusades, doesn't it?

The Amador Valley JV team returns to Newark tomorrow for their final game of the tournament. If we lose to another Catholic team, I'm going to nail a copy Martin Luther's 95 Theses on the front door of the gym! Just kidding, of course....

Here are more photos from today's game.

Newark Tournament

Screen, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

The Amador Valley High School Junior Varsity basketball team is participating in the Newark Tournament this week at the Newark Memorial High School. The games are scheduled through Saturday. I'm not much of a sports photographer, but with all of the kids' sports, I may morph into one someday.

The Dons played Bellarmine College Preparatory today. I'm not sure what it is about these Catholic schools, but they sure are athletic. It was a close game for about a quarter and then they pulled away, with the Dons helping out with a number of turnovers.

The Newark gym is a wonderful venue for a tournament. Because of the size of the gym, I shot my Nikon 70-200mm exclusively today. I'm starting to feel a little more comfortable shooting it. With a bit more practice, I'm confident I'll get better with it.

Here are a few shots from today's game.

Amador Basketball Classic

Dodge Ball, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

Amador Valley High School sponsors the Amador Basketball Classic (AKA, ABC Tournament). This year is the 51st annual tournament. It takes a lot of dedicated volunteers to put on a tournament like this. I don't understand basketball enough to be a timekeeper, shot clock operator, or scorekeeper. I'm also not qualified for the hard jobs, like snack bar operator or door ticket puncher, so I decided to volunteer to take pictures.

Today, Amador played Irvington High School. The Dons played a great all-around game and dominated, winning by a large margin.

I shot the first half primarily with the bazooka....the massive 70-200mm f/2.8. I definitely like the reach it gives me. It's really the only way to capture the guards in action. However, guards are pretty boring...all they do is dribble and shoot. All of the action is down low, at the baseline and under the basket. I switched to the 50mm f/1.8 for the second half and captured more of the interesting stuff. I love the beating and banging that occurs under the basket.

I think my strategy moving forward will be to shoot the games with both lenses. The 50mm will allow me to capture the great action and the bazooka will ensure I don't neglect the poor guards.

Here are a few more shots from today's game.

Day of Infamy

276/367 - USMC Aircraft, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

It's lunch time on a Wednesday and I'm sitting here, wishing I was a plumber. Of course, that would mean I would need to gain 30 pounds and wear baggy jeans low on my hips, exposing my butt crack. Not too appealing...

Perhaps I should have been a Kamikaze pilot. Well, on second thought, that would make today my last day of work....unless I called in sick.

Okay, enough random ramblings for today. I need to get back to work...

El Dorado Tournament Champions

El Dorado Tournament Champions (JV), a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

The Amador Valley High School Junior Varsity basketball team participated in the Gold Dust Tournament in Placerville, California this past week. The Dons won comfortably on Thursday and Friday, and earned a spot in Saturday night's championship game against Colfax High School.

Last night's championship game was close for three quarters, but the Dons were able to build a lead in the fourth quarter. Their opponent closed the gap in the final minutes with a challenging press defense, but Amador held on for the win and the championship trophy.

This game marked the maiden voyage for my new (used) Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. I shot last year's basketball season almost exclusively with a Nikon 50mm f/1.8. While I felt somewhat limited by the lack of reach in the 50mm, I adapted my shot approach to the strengths of the lens and focused on capturing the action up-close from the baseline. The 50mm is small, light, and quick-focusing, which allowed me to react quickly to the action.

The 70-200mm f/2.8 is very different...it's a beast, measuring eight inches long and weighing over three pounds. It does not react quickly to up-close action...too much inertia and too slow to auto-focus. I need to adjust my shooting approach to take advantage of its strengths, specifically its longer reach.

The f/2.8 maximum aperture is also slower than the 50mm f/1.8. I am borrowing my brother's Nikon D90 camera for the season. This will allow me to shoot at higher ISO, off-setting the slower lens.


Here are a few shots from the championship game.

Ready for Another Holiday

20 November 2011 - A Day in the Life, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

Thanksgiving came and went, but the leftovers stuck around! I think I've eaten enough turkey for a year. I'm starting to understand how the cavemen felt after they brought down a big, hairy mammoth. After a month of eating mammoth burgers, mammoth steaks, mammoth meatballs, mammoth soup, braised mammoth, etc. they must have been sick of mammoth. Maybe that's why man invented the fishing rod...he wanted to eat some fish instead.

I had a nice, relaxing four day break from the daily grind called work. Watched a lot of football...and USC demolishing UCLA. The Trojans drove another UCLA coach to the unemployment line....poor guy.

Now, all I can think about is my next holiday. Christmas can't arrive quickly enough....

About the photo: here's a picture of me on this past weekend. My brother came over and force fed me a fair amount of sake on Saturday night....that's what I looked like in the morning.