Sunday, October 31, 2010: All Hallow's Eve

Saturday, October 30, 2010: Sharon's Dia De Los Muertos Raclette

This was my very first raclette. The brunch turned out wonderful! Erin went all out with the altar, place settings and food. I wish I had gotten more photos. I wanted more candid photos of people, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way. I really need to get over this shyness and make some up close and personal magic happen.

Bacon Gouda
Mas Queso...
The Altar & Offerings

Tuesday, October 26, 2010: Self-Portraits

Wednesday, October 20, 2010: Commercialization of Religion

Tuesday, October 19, 2010: Girl with Parasol

I love this shot. I love that she turned right when she did, and I was able to get the shot before she even noticed I had a camera. Timeless.

No cropping done here either. Now, if only I had the guts to go up to her and ask for portraits!

Monday, October 18, 2010: Balboa Park

@ the Sculpture Court Cafe. This sculpture reminds me of the one on the corner of Dean Keeton and Speedway in front of the engineering buildings. I wonder if this is the same artist? Looks like it.
Couples leaving a wedding in the park

Men in white... Can you name this sport?
I like this picture. It shows the pros and cons of living in California. On one hand you have the beautiful palm lined sidewalk and on the other you have a homeless person resting in the grass. Unfortunately, it is very common to see scenes like this.

Sunday, October 17, 2010: SD Metro

America's Finest city

Cortez Hill
Caged flowers
Irish Pub

Saturday, October 16, 2010: PB Pier in Macro

Baby star fish? In macro.
Shallow depth of field
Shallow depth of field here too
Creatures in macro

Friday, October 15, 2010: Flowers in Macro

Update

1. I need a new camera. I am looking into this.

2. I love the response I am getting from this blog. I never imagined it would turn into this. Thanks to everyone that reads and comments!

3. I will be visiting the Museum of Photographic Arts to write 500 words for an entry in the San Diego Fine Arts Society's ArtPulse: mobile app! This is huge for me :D

4. Also, I recently wrote to the World Beat Center and Outside the Lens to offer any volunteer photojournalism skills. I hope to work with both orgs if possible.

Thursday, October 14, 2010: Surf Action

I took these shots in Solana Beach. I need a better lens to get a sharper shot to catch the action I crave, but for now I am pleased with my work. These are my first surf action shots in CA. I loved them so much I had to do some post production, so here are some before and afters.

Before

The beach was very grey on this particular day so color boost was a must.

After Before
After

Before
After

Wednesday, October 13, 2010: Silver Strand

These photos were taken at Silver Strand beach. I love how quiet this beach is and I tried to capture that feeling in the photos.

The range of color in this shot is amazing.
I am proud of how well this exposure came out with all the reflection here.
Despite the camera lens being knocked out of place, I like effect it can add to shots. Here I used it to frame in a simple shot, and the composition turned out much more interesting.
Solitude

I love the detail despite the harsh reflection here.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010: PB Pier

I chose to post this shot because I really liked my use of shallow depth of focus. I love the effect it gives to the background and how it adds to the intensity of the foreground.
An adorable pair...
I am really proud of how I now know my camera well enough to correctly expose the reflection on the water. To do this with an SLR you would likely use a filter. I have a DSLR so I just have to adjust the setting for beach/snow shots.
Again good exposure despite dark silhouettes and the intense light of the setting sun.
I like how I was able to catch the motion of the waves and frame in the shot with the pier. This photo was NOT cropped. Just good composition ;D
Same technique used here as in the water shots. Sand reflects a lot of light, so correct exposure is important.

Monday, October 11, 2010: Little Italy Revisited

I used to live in Little Italy. It is a wonderfully picturesque neighborhood, the perfect place to find strangers to chat up in coffee/gelato shops. And the food is always wonderful.

These photos were taken on a recent trip to Influx in Little Italy.

El Jardin Secreto Flowers for Sale