Paisley got a bath today. Well, technically it was a shower in the front yard with a garden hose. We don’t normally wash our dogs in the middle of winter, but then again, our dogs don’t normally poop in their kennels at night. Kami volunteered (sort of) to help me wash Paisley. She and I worked together and it was done in no time. Kami washed Paisley’s head, while I washed….err, Paisley’s other side. Let’s just say Kami got the cuter side. Now, I love Golden Retrievers, but I don’t like pulling “stuff” out of their long fur and feathering. Fortunately, it was a warmer than normal winter day and we were able to wash her without suffering from hypothermia.
Kevin wasn’t so willing and was volun-told to wash out the kennel. He did a nice job cleaning it out. As a reward, we had pizza for dinner tonight. Fried chicken would have been great…but we didn’t want a “finger licking good” meal, if you know what I mean.
So, today was a “crappy” day. In fact, it down right “stunk.” On the positive side, I got to spend some quality time with the kids and dog.
Here are a few quick pictures of Kami drying Paisley with a towel and hair dryer.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Paisley's Bath
Friday, January 6, 2012
Amador at Granada
The Amador Valley Dons visited Granada High School in Livermore today. The Junior Varsity team played a hard game, but came up short. There were too many turnovers and a lot of missed shots. It appears Granada installed a lid on the Amador basket.
It's tough being a parent and a photographer at these games. As a parent, I want to watch and enjoy the game. But as a photographer, I'm looking through my viewfinder, trying to anticipate the next play. I'm usually oblivious to everything going on, frequently not knowing who's winning or even when my own son is on the court.
Today, I spent the last few minutes of the first half sitting in the bleachers, relaxing, and watching the game. Well, not really relaxing because these games are stressful! I think it's less stressful shooting pictures and not knowing what's going on in the game. If you like basketball, check out your local high school games. It's a lot more fun and exciting than the NBA...
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
AVHS @ De La Salle
Amador Valley visited De La Salle today. They battled hard, but the Spartan's press was too much and De La Salle pulled away in the second half.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year
It's the end of another year. The new year seems to arrive more quickly each year. Hope everyone has a great and prosperous 2012!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Dons Fall to the Wildcats
The Amador Valley JV basketball team played Dougherty Valley in the quarterfinals today. The Dons struggled with turnovers and missed shots, ultimately falling to the Wildcats of Dougherty Valley.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Dougherty Valley JV Tournament
The Amador Valley High School JV Basketball team is participating in the Dougherty Valley JV Tournament at Dougherty Valley High School. They played Heritage High School in the first round today and won convincingly. Tomorrow, they play the host team, Doughterty Valley, in the quarterfinals.
The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is starting to feel a bit more comfortable mounted on the front of my camera. I am slowly figuring out different angles and perspectives for shooting the game with this lens.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S
I have two cameras, my Nikon D80 and my Nikon FM2. Both cameras have their places in my photography tool bag. To quote Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from the movie Full Metal Jacket, "This is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for fighting, and this is for fun."
The D80 is for fighting. I shoot the D80 digital SLR when I "have to" shoot it. It's the tool of choice for sports or when I must get the shot. The LCD screen offers instant feedback and confirmation that I got the shot.
The FM2 is for fun. I shoot the FM2 manual focus film camera for pure photography pleasure. I just enjoy shooting it. The manual focus and manual exposure forces me to slow down, think about the composition and camera settings, and allows me to really enjoy the experience.
My primary lens on the FM2 has been a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-D auto-focus lens. It's a great lens, but it's a cheap, plastic lens, with a rough manual focus feel. It was clearly built for auto-focus bodies. After nine months of using it on my FM2, I decided it was time to get a proper manual focus lens.
I left Santa some double chocolate brownies and a note reminding him about how nice I was in 2011, and he rewarded me with a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 AI-S lens. KEH offered free 2-day shipping over the holidays and a great price on a used lens, so how could he refuse?
The manual focus 50mm is a solid, metal lens, with a buttery smooth focusing ring, and fast f/1.4 maximum aperture...and it's made in Japan, like all of Nikon's professional gear. I expect this to become my tool of choice for the majority of my photography work moving forward.
Here are a few shots from the new (used) 50mm f/1.4 AI-S lens.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Twenty Years of Photography
Growing up, I occasionally took pictures, primarily with a Kodak Instamatic and similar automatic cameras of that era. My interest in photography grew when I was in college, when I borrowed my roommate’s Minolta X-700. In 1992, I decided it was time to purchase my first SLR camera, a Minolta 7000i with 35-105mm lens. My primary purpose for the camera was to document my experiences, including travel, family, backpacking, and life’s other special events. I have fond memories of photographing castles on the Rhine River in Germany, people on the beaches in Australia, the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains on backpacking trips, and the kids roasting marshmallows on camping trips.
My Minolta 7000i experienced a failure along the way and I took it to the local Wolf Camera store for repair, but the camera parts were no longer available. The camera couldn’t be repaired and they generously replaced it with a refurbished Minolta XTsi. I shot the XTsi for years, but I just didn’t have the same attachment to it as my original 7000i. It joined me on backpacking trips and family camping trips nonetheless.
In June 2008, my lovely, beautiful, intelligent, charming, and generous wife surprised me with a Nikon D80 for Father’s Day (and I’m not just saying that because Christmas is coming up). The D80 reinvigorated my interest in photography. It took a while for me to learn the nuances of digital capture, but over the course of time, I eventually figured it out through discussions with other photographers and lots of research on the Internet. In March 2010, I started a 365 project, which in retrospect was a significant inflection point for my photography. I believe shooting every day is the single, most effective way to accelerate the learning process. Furthermore, digital capture provides instant feedback, which also accelerates the learning process. One can experiment with different camera settings and see the impacts immediately. While I’m not an expert, I feel my photography skills improved significantly as a result of the project.
Upon the completion of my 365, I thought I would try to create works of art in 2011. I thought I would take my camera into the mountains and capture sweeping landscapes and dramatic sunsets. I thought about a macro lens to capture intimate close-ups of nature. No, as it turns out, that isn’t me and that isn’t what I did. Instead, I used my camera to document life’s experiences. I shot my son’s high school basketball games and track meets, my daughter’s softball games and hula performances, my niece’s birthday party, my snowshoe and backpacking trips, and other family activities. I did exactly as I have done since 1992….just better.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a great 2012!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Fujifilm Pro 400H Film
Since purchasing my Nikon FM2 manual focus camera about nine months ago, it has quickly become my tool of choice. I've been shooting film predominantly since the acquisition, with Ilford XP2 Super 400 or Kodak BW400CN black and white film.
My plan all along was to shoot B&W on film and color in digital (via my Nikon D80). However, I enjoyed my FM2 so much, I decided to try some color film in it. After much research, I selected Fujifilm Pro 400H color negative film. The local camera shop didn't carry any professional color negative films, so I ordered a few rolls through Adorama.
I just developed my first roll of 36 exposures and I am pleased with the results. I love how the film renders skin tones. I also love the relatively low contrast and saturation. I plan on more experimentation with this film and I anticipate the FM2 becoming my primary day-to-day camera, with the Nikon D80 digital SLR focused primarily on sports photography.
Here are a few samples from my first roll. Additional photos were taken on my walk around town with Paisley.
