bearer of the nephylim

Football warm ups

2007-09-14T22:12:00.001-07:00

warm up 25%
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Working with the telephoto lens before the game tonight. I was on top of the press box shooting between 200 - 300mm.

diffused glow 2 50%

2007-09-14T11:09:00.001-07:00

diffused glow 2 50%
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Testing out some different styles of shooting portrait photography. Using a higher exposure and a higher ISO, in this case 1600 creates a unique grainy, soft exposure. I added a diffused glow effect to the image for added emphasis.

red painted water feet

2007-08-28T17:07:00.001-07:00

red painted water feet
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Ian at the beach

2007-08-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

Ian at the beach
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Jewelry photography gig

2007-07-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

The client was very specific about how the products were to be layed out and she even supplied the props (vase, paper, etc). I took a few with a black background and some more plain backgrounds to try to make the colors 'pop' more. I had a lot of difficulty getting the lighting just right. Natural lighting ended up being the best option as others were tending to cast either a bluish hue or were eiter washing out the colors or reflecting too much. There was a real problem with shadowing with the earings on the ribbon pictures and the vase had some challenges due to the depth of field issue. If one earing was in focus, the other often was not. The macro setting offered the best close up shots, but the narrow depth of field was a problem as I stated earlier plus it was triggering the flash, which, of course, was washing out and reflecting highly.

Necessary purchases:
Macro Lens
Wide angle lens
telephoto lens
external flash
remote shutter release

that will definately set me up a bit better for anything I should need to ever shoot. I really want the telephoto first, but after looking at Steve's pictures, I'm wondering if I should pick up a wide angle first.

Ian and Piglet

2007-07-24T09:03:00.001-07:00

Ian and Piglet
Originally uploaded by Dushenka10.

Another picture taken by my mom "dushenka10" on Flickr.

Why the long face?

2007-07-24T09:01:00.001-07:00

Why the long face?
Originally uploaded by Dushenka10.

Picture of Ian and a Horse at the Oliver Kelley Farm. Picture taken by my mom. Follow the link under the picture to see more of her photography.

flowers slide show

2007-07-15T17:09:00.001-07:00

Picture of the Day 7-15-07

2007-07-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

Taken at Goose Lake Farm and Winery

Every time a defrocked pedophile priest gets murdered in prison an angel gets his wings

2007-07-06T22:46:00.000-07:00

Fox 9 outta Boston reports:
Video of Prison Guards Responding to Inmate Killing Pedophile Priest Appears on Internet

Here's a little insight into the Priest and the killer:

"Geoghan, 68, was serving a nine- to 10-year sentence for groping a 10-year-old boy, but had been accused of molesting as many as 150 boys. His case helped spark the clergy sex abuse scandal worldwide after church personnel records released under court order revealed that the Boston Archdiocese transferred Geoghan from parish to parish even after allegations of abuse surfaced.

Druce claimed he was chosen by God to kill pedophiles and unsuccessfully used an insanity defense at his trial.

In August 2005, the Herald obtained a video that showed Druce re-enacting the slaying in which he strangled Geoghan with a pair of socks. Druce then climbed on his cot and jumped off repeatedly to show how he crushed convicted molester's body."

And for your enjoyment, some bonus material!

leaves and rain

2007-07-04T10:51:00.001-07:00

leaves and rain
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

camp fire

2007-07-04T10:50:00.001-07:00

camp fire
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

darkness

2007-07-04T10:49:00.001-07:00

darkness
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Lake Superior at Night

Wet Daisy

2007-07-04T10:47:00.001-07:00

IMG_7193
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Jay Cooke State Park

Gooseberry Falls

2007-07-04T10:36:00.001-07:00

IMG_7023
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Picture of the Day 7-4-07

2007-07-04T10:35:00.001-07:00

night waterfall
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Gooseberry Falls at night

Shiny Cars on Parade

2007-06-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

The Dam

2007-06-24T21:23:00.000-07:00

Sunset on the Solstice

2007-06-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

picture of the day 6-23-07

2007-06-24T21:18:00.001-07:00

picture of the day 6-21-07

2007-06-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

From sunrise, suns...

Pandora

2007-06-14T08:27:00.001-07:00

Pandora
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Crime scene

2007-06-14T08:25:00.001-07:00

Crime scene
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Aleister Crowley Boleskine House

2007-06-06T16:16:00.001-07:00

This video is awesome. It has a little of everything from the Gnostic Mass, to Kenneth Anger's "Lucifer Rising", Jimmy Page, The Beetles, Rolling Stones...You name it, it's there. I especially like the cheesey horror flick sound track. I'm a firm believer that shitty Casio keyboards and angelic singing should NEVER be allowed to be scored for any production - even one on Youtube!

And for the perfunctory nature photos...

2007-05-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Naked limbs

Picture of the Day 5-31-07

2007-05-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite of a series of portraits I took of Ian.

I used a spotlight effect on this photo to draw his face a bit out of the shadows. I like the way it makes the tree behind him look like plastic.

Picture of the Day 5-17-07

2007-05-17T15:42:00.001-07:00

LIVE! In the RAW

2007-05-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

Although I sincerely doubt W.A.S.P. was thinking about RAW photo images when they named their tour LIVE! In the RAW, it nonetheless is my new motto. At least for the time being anyways.

I broke one of the first cardinal rules to professional photography - I forgot the check ALL of my settings before beginning my shoot. My WB was still set to the custom setting from inside the control room at the studio so needless to say, very blue, indeed. It was pretty much slightly different than Tunsten, but not at all apropriate for full sun shooting. Now, to my advantage, the camera was also still set to RAW, so I was able to correct the WB on those images shot before I changed to settings.

Now what I truly loved about the RAW pictures was that when I went to adjust the WB, I first just selected the "proper" WB setting of Sunny and the white house I had shot looked yellowish. Next the Auto setting, and it was yellow, Flourescent - green. So I went back to "as shot" and played around with the warmth setting and I was able to get a perfect white.

Now that I have a 2 gig card, I plan on shooting in RAW. I really just enjoy having more compensation options.

On a different topic, I took a lot of pix of the falls using a slow shutter speed, but there was still some additional object blur in most of them, even with the use of a monopod. I think for shots like this a tripod is almost certainly a MUST.

Stone Arch Bridge

2007-05-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

Minnehaha Falls

2007-05-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures I took of the falls yesterday.

A Gaggle of Elvi

2007-05-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

It was one of those, "damn I wish I had brought my camera with me" occations. I was wondering around the Mall of America, and although I usually do bring my camera with me wherever I go, I didn't want to carry it around the mall, so I left it at home, only to discover that there was an Elvis impersonator contest taking place. There were Elvis of all shapes, sizes, colors and eras. A Mexican Elvi, several Hawaiian Elvi, young and cute Elvi, fat, old and sporting jumpsuits Elvi. The best I could do was take a picture with my cell, which, isn't the greatest quality and is hard to operate outside the plain point and shoot setting, but I was at least able to get a shot off.

Tree blossom buds all macrofied

2007-05-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day 5-8-07

2007-05-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

The camera has arrived and it's kickin ass!

2007-05-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

After the initial irritation over the CF card, I got the camera up and running. Damn does it take awesome pictures! Of course, set on the largest setting with my current undersized 256MB CF card, I only get about 50 pictures - tops. I'll need to get a couple new cards. This card I had for the camera I was using 2 cameras ago, which only had 3.2 megapixels so I was able to get about 300 or so images out of that. Now with 10.1 megapixels it really eats it up fast! I have 2 512MB cards for the S2IS but they are a smaller size. That sucks. I'm so happy happy happy happy happy!!!!

Picture of the Day 5-1-07

2007-05-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day 4-30-07 number 2

2007-04-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

Fun With Photoshop

2007-04-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day 4-30-07

2007-04-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

DxO trial period almost up

2007-04-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

With only 7 days left of my trial version of DxO Optics Pro 4.2 and DxO FilmPack I have to decide what I really think about these products. In my limited time, I have come to love DxO FilmPack and will definately want to purchase that program, I am not as sure of DxO Optics Pro. While I do like the batch edit option, sometimes it's the individual attention to a picture that makes it spectacular. It didn't seem to adjust any differently than I was able to adjust the same pictures in Photoshop CS2 with the very big exception to the contrast and saturation settings with DxO - they really can make a picture pop. Although I don't doubt CS2's ability to do this very same thing, the simplicity of DxO is it's ultimate appeal, and also what makes me somewhat reserved about it as well. I think DxO may be a bit limited in what it can do, but I can always use CS2 for those special situations. I like how DxO FilmPack loads into CS2 for easy accessing. That is awesome, and I love some of the B&W settings - they remind me a lot of how my photos looked when I was processing my own B&W negs and pics in photography 1 and 2 in high school.
I'll probably have to do a bit more research into Optics Pro to determine if I can live without it. At the very least, it may be a ways down the road before it's purchased. Although the new camera may make the need for that program more intense. We shall have to see.

So, talk to me about RAW images. How does this work? How huge are the files? Is there even much of a need to accurately compose the shot if it can all be redone in post production?

Help me Obi Wan Kenobi...you're my only hope...

A couple of pictures of a mushroom

2007-04-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

This mushroom is growing on a log in our wood pile.

This picture shows the detail of the mushroom.

Picture of the Day 4-23-07

2007-04-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

I love the spring when all the flowers and trees start to flower. These buds just emerged yesterday and are still very young. They were macro shot and then magnified in Photoshop to show detail.

Top 10 "For Dummies" books that should never have been written. Ever.

2007-04-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

10. Physics for Dummies - Because it's just fundametally wrong
9. Witchcraft and Wicca for Dummies - Nothing good can come from this
8. Cosmetic Surgery for Dummies - This one is just an oxymoron
7. Investing for Dummies - CA-CHING
6. Beekeeping for Dummies - um. I'm speechless
5. Forensics for Dummies - For the idiot criminal guaranteed to get busted
4. Dating for Dummies - The prequel to "Sex for Dummies"
3. Sex for Dummies - If you need this book you're never getting laid anyways, and therefore don't need the book!
2. Genetics for Dummies - Yup; your kids will be stupid too.

And my All time favorite:
1. Islam for Dummies - "A fatua on the author! Infidels!"

priestess aglow

2007-04-21T20:16:00.001-07:00

priestess neon glow
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

the guardians of the dead

2007-04-21T18:26:00.000-07:00

duck on the the bank

2007-04-21T07:28:00.001-07:00

duck on the the bank
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Second picture of the day for 4-20-07

learning all about exposures!

2007-04-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

After the suggestions I received in my previous entry "photographic issues" I decided to do a bit more research into exposure settings. I was at the library picking up the "premiere pro 2 bible" and looked around for some digital photography books. I found a great one about landscape photography, which is primarily what I do. The book is pretty basic and I knew a lot of what they were teaching but it is set up mostly as a tips and tricks book which was perfect for me. So yesterday I went out to the Mpls chain of lakes and took some pictures at lakes Calhoun and Harriet. I deliberately went during the high midday sun because I wanted to see if I could take the crappy lighting conditions of that time of day coupled with the water and all the glare issues with that time of day and see if I could take pictures that were perfectly balanced...at least ones that weren't overexposed or signigicantly underexposed. The overall result was stunning. Although I had a couple of areas of overexposure here and there, overall the pictures were well balanced and needed little Photoshopping. I don't think I will ever be able to survive without a histogram on my camera ever again. That was extremely useful to me yesterday. I think I may enter these two duck pictures in the National Camera Exchange spring photo contest.

Picture of the Day 4-20-2007

2007-04-21T07:14:00.001-07:00

after a nice bath
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Out at Lake Harriet

Camera prowling

2007-04-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'm seriously thinking about getting this camera - it's a Canon Digital SLR EOS Rebel XTi.

Now, I get that this is a pro line digital, and it's super expensive...we'll be paying it off forever, but it seems like the logical choice, considering I'm getting much more serious about my photography and starting to feel some restrictions with my powershot S2IS which is still a pro line camera but the lenses are fixed. I can add 1 wide angle, 1 teleconverter and 1 close up lens to the S2IS and that's all, whereas the XTi can use any of the EF or EF-S lenses, so I have many more possibilities. BUT, there's always a big "but", the lenses are really expensive. Right off the bat I'd need a macro lens and of course have no idea where to start - there are several different macro lenses in this series. Which is the primary concern with this camera - I am a little intimidated by it. The Powershot, although I can override the auto settings and fine tune in where needed, it is a powershot and therefore user friendly. The SLRs are intimidating. I might want to take a class to learn how to really use it. Although, I would wager that all Canon cameras run similarly and therefore knowing how to use my current camera ought to give me at least a little advantage. Not to mention I have had formal photography training...it's just that it was a long time ago and it was 35mm not digital and there is a lot more different between the 2 platforms than you might think.

photographic issues

2007-04-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have been having some trouble with over exposure in many of my pictures. Where much of the picture is fine, there are usually a lot of hot spots within it, usually the sky or as seen in the b&w grave marker picture, the bunnies are over exposed. I really need to get a better handle on setting the aperture. Ugh. It's been a long time since I've taken a photography class. Perhaps I should take another one as a refresher course. Anyone have any suggestions or help?

Picture of the Day 4-14-2007

2007-04-14T06:59:00.001-07:00

loss of innocence
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

These markers are placed under the highway bridge, along the shore of the Rum River. The smaller marker says, "Bless your little soul"' and there are 2 stuffed animals, a pair of children's sunglasses and a small toy car at the base.

Picture of the Day 4-13-07

2007-04-13T15:11:00.001-07:00

bandit cropped
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Damn, I'm full.

2007-04-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day 4-11-07

2007-04-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

Photo chosen for photographic excellence photo pool

2007-04-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

The photo titled Rum River was chosen to be showcased on a Flickr group called National Geographic - by italian people. No one is allowed to post to this group unless a moderator sees your picture on another group requests that it be uploaded. I've never had this happen before. I guess you don't have to be Italian to get invited.

Wade

2007-04-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

fun with photo toys

2007-04-10T10:04:00.001-07:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Picture of the Day

2007-04-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

I downloaded a trial version of DxO Optical Pro to try it out based on the recommendation from tvsteve. I can see some things about it that I may like, but over all, on my first opinion, is that I can adjust the images as good or better than the program can. The benefit would be in the batch fix option, but sometimes automatic level adjustment isn't the best adjustment. That's the negatives, but for positives, I found that some of the softening techniques and film grains were fun. I'll have to explore the program much more in depth, and see what she can really do.

This is the original picture before I applied any adjustments or filters.

Here it's been run through DxO. Interesting.

This one was also "fixed" in DxO. I can see some improvements.

Let thy light chrystalize itself...

2007-04-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

High altar of the Gnostic Mass.

clear blue skies

2007-04-09T13:31:00.003-07:00

clear blue skies
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

This picture reminds me of a Pink Floyd album.

rum river

2007-04-09T13:31:00.001-07:00

rum river
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

I love taking nature photagraphy. This shot was taken just as the sun was beginning to set over the Rum River. The colors were amazing...making the drab dregs of winter come alive.

mother nature's crown

2007-04-09T13:30:00.001-07:00

mother nature's crown
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

After warm weather melted all the ice, the rivers rose. Then the temperatures dropped back into freezing and these ice shelves were left behind. Gotta love spring in MN.

sunset

2007-04-09T13:26:00.003-07:00

sunset
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Star filter at it's finest.

star light star bright

2007-04-09T13:26:00.001-07:00

star light star bright
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

The sun almost fully set over a small pond in Ramsey.

we're Canadian, eh.

2007-04-09T13:25:00.001-07:00

we're Canadian, eh.
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

I love this shot. They were just hanging out on a small island at sunset in a small lake in Ramsey. They were making quite a lot of noise too.

An interesting idea

2007-04-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is posting one picture a day on his blog. I think that's a great idea. It keeps you not only thinking about photography all day but it forces you to look at everything as a potential photograph. I am always finding great stuff to photograph when I don't have my camera on me. So, taking some inspiration from Steve, http://tvsteve.blogspot.com/, I will now be bringing my camera with me everywhere and attempting to post at least 1 picture a day.

food and exercise

2007-03-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

I finally think I've got the what to eat and how to exercise most effectively down. Switching to the "Core" plan I think was a good idea. I don't feel like I'm obsessing about food as much now since I don't have to calculate the points and journal everything I eat. It's a much better system - now that I think I've got it down. As far as exercise goes, I'm going to try to balance cardio with resistance training. I figure going to the Y every other day, doing an hour of resistance training one day, cardio the next. This will give my body time to recooperate after the resistance training while still staying physically active.

Now if I could just get my house in order and on a locked schedule of chores, cleaning and meals I'd be a perfectly happy virgo.

I want to lose 20 more pounds before NOTOCON.

ode to joy

2007-03-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

ode to joy
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Ariana's first big concert was on Monday. It was a cluster concert with both middle schools and Anoka high school. Anoka's chamber orchestra was amazing. It was really interesting to see (and hear) how much these kids (the 6th graders) have improved over the year. It's also nice to see that she has some natural talent for the violin and has an interest in playing music.

I'm back in black

2007-03-28T06:48:00.000-07:00

I've deleted my livejournal account. Tired of all the politics, not really reading it anyways. So I'll be posting my pictures on my Flickr account and my blogging on this one.

willie eyre rubber arms

2006-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

willie eyre rubber arms
Originally uploaded by serpentflame156.

Had a blast at the Twins game last night, even though they lost. I posted a bunch of pictures that I took at the game on my flickr site (follow the links below the image). Shooting sports with my still camera isn't much different than the video camera. Our seats were on the 3rd base line and we had a great view of the game.

mona lisa gets knocked up

2006-09-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Now, I'm as interested in art and hold a strong sense of art appreciation as the next person, but really, who gives a fuck whether or not Mona Lisa was pregnant? This article on MSNBC gives possible evidence to support this theory. But it begs the question, "Do we really need to know the back story on her?" I always thought it was her mystery that intregued us all so much. Now, if we're all so fired up to study the people behind the DiVinci canvas, let's decide once and for all if the depiction of the last supper is showing a very gay David or Mary Magdeline. That is much more interesting than whether or not Mona Lisa was knocked up.

services for chin loss

2006-09-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

I have several items of I.D. such as my driver's license, gym card, Costco etc. I think that every time you lose a chin you should be allowed to get the pictures for these cards re-taken without cost. I'm actually embarrassed to take out some of those cards anymore!

Italian thief loses his cell phone at the crime scene...

2006-09-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

In this story on Reuters, validation for the theory that criminals have no vital organs above the neck. Duh.

Dualing banjos

2006-09-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

1 ounce of BEAVER is equal to 1 point on the Weight Watchers plan. Good to know if I'm ever hungry and lost in the Appalachians.