The Brick

The Argus C3 Rangefinder, produced from 1939 to 1966, was dubbed "the brick" by photographers due to its size, shape, and weight. I came across an Argus C3 in an antique shop a couple of years ago and, knowing nothing about it, had to have it. I had no idea if it worked, nor did I care. I paid $15 and thought it would look great sitting on a shelf.

My "brick" has been sitting on display in my parents' home on an antique tripod that belonged to my great-grandfather since I bought it (at the time I was living overseas and didn't need the extra weight in my suitcase). This past Christmas I was fortunate to spend around three weeks with my parents and one of the things I did while I was there was give this little camera some TLC, but first I took pictures - lots of pictures using my mom's awesome macro lens. I've dubbed this series "The Argus Rangefinder Collection" and I love how they turned out!

The Argus Rangefinder Collection

What do you think?

Prints, artist-signed notecards, and more are available on my website at http://www.angelaandrieux.com/argus.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 29

My Fuzzy Buddy

Today I am thankful for:

• Pumpkin - my fuzzy shadow and faithful companion
• A new photography client
• A priority adjustment - with Les' impending deployment we've been forced to focus on what really matters and make the most of the time we have together. While I am unhappy about the looming separation I love that we have pulled together and are making every moment count.

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving - Day 2

Positive. Patience. Perseverance.

These are three things I had to keep in mind last night when I was out shooting. On a whim I decided to try and capture the downtown San Diego skyline in evening light. Circumstances weren't on my side, though. There was a massive tanker blocking my view of downtown and a huge bank of fog rolling in behind me, taking the sun with it.

By keeping a positive attitude, being patient (looking around for other subjects), and persevering (not giving up and going home) I found something really cool! Did you know that San Diego has a creepy old abandoned river boat?

How cool is that? It is out on the east end of Shelter Island in case you want to go looking for it. It is pretty heavily fenced off with plentiful "no trespassing" signs which makes photographing it challenging, but definitely worth the effort.


Today I am thankful for:

• Photography and the lessons it teaches me

Critters!

One of the most unique (and unexpectedly enjoyable) photo shoot workshops I attended at the California Photo Festival was the Critters! class with Jennifer Wu and Dennis Sheridan's Critters. In general I'm not a fan of creepy crawly things but I had a blast photographing lizards and frogs! I kept my distance from the spiders and scorpions, though.

Here are a few of my favorites - I loved capturing each critter's personality and the detail in their eyes. It was fascinating!

This guy was my buddy - his eyes followed me around the room. Aren't his colors & details awesome?

Ornate Horned Frog

Sonoran Desert Toad

These frogs were hilarious - so Kermit!

Aren't they fun?!

I was fortunate to be able to borrow a 60mm Macro lens for this shoot. I learned that I'm not really afraid of lizards and frogs. For many of these shots I was in their faces - literally inches away from them. I surprised myself!

Initially I wasn't keen on going to this shoot - between the creepy crawly's and not having a macro lens I didn't think I'd have much fun, but between borrowing a lens and getting to interact with the lizards & froggies, I had a blast!

Finally, don't forget that Thirty Days of Thanksgiving starts in two short days! Get ready to count your blessings!

Learning more about HDR

One of the things I learned the most about at the California Photo Festival was HDR (I talked a bit about HDR in this post last year).  I took classes from Rick Sammon and Hal Schmitt on the subject and came away with new (to me) ideas and techniques for improving my photos. Here are a few that really made a difference for me:

• Bracketing at -2, 0, +2 isn't usually adequate
• Manually bracket to get the right amount of frames for the given scene
• Watch the histogram so that the darkest shot isn't clipping any highlights and the brightest shot isn't clipping any shadows
• Photomatix Pro is what the pros use to process their HDR shots - and the technology has come a long way!

These photographs were taken at Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards. Their old rusty truck was just begging to be an HDR subject! The first photo is also my Photo of the Week (hosted by Jessica Rogers Photo).

HDR is so much fun! I'm really enjoying making more realistic looking images, although the painterly style is fun too, with the right subject. With this old truck I tried to strike a balance between real and surreal and I like the effect. What do you think?

By the way, Kelsey See Canyon has great wine! Their Black Box Zin was my favorite and their apple cider blends are unique.

Finally - don't forget that Thirty Days of Thanksgiving starts on November 1, 2011! I'd love if you'd join me in this challenge.  Click here for more info on how to participate.

Cayucos at Sunset

My first photo shoot during the California Photo Festival was at the Cayucos Pier at sunset with Juan Pons and Rob Sheppard.  I already shared one of my photos from this shoot last week, but I have a few more that I love and thought you might like to see.

Cayucos Pier with the Morro Rock in the distance

Cayucos Pier with the Morro Bay Smoke Stacks in the distance

I had more fun the darker it got - the colors intensified, the silhouettes became more defined, and the slower shutter speeds allowed for a lovely smooth water effect. I could have stayed well past dark, but I had a dinner to get to with Rick Sammon. Shooting with pros, dining with pros, I learned so much and had a blast!

Limitless

Digital photography presents limitless options in creating art. When I shoot a photo I often have a vision of what I want for the final image.  However, as I move through my post-processing workflow my vision evolves. Sometimes I end up with two, three, or even more versions of a single photo.

This is where I find myself this morning - with two versions of the same photo from my Horses on the Beach shoot at the California Photo Festival. I would like to know what you, my readers, think.

Color or Black & White?

Which do you prefer & why? Cast you vote in the comments or on Facebook!

Worldwide Photo Walk 2011

Last weekend I participated in Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk! I had a blast and hope to be a part of this event every year.  Last year I led a walk in Sicily. Although I would have had fun leading a walk this year my schedule was too erratic to commit as a leader, but I'm glad I still got to participate!

The walk I attended this year was held in Balboa Park, one of my favorite places in San Diego to shoot. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring and even found a few things I had missed in the past!  It is such an amazing park!

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the Photo Walk:

This one is my favorite!

I love the colors & reflections!

Missing Tiles - The inside of a fountain that has seen better days

I love this shot, too! The metalwork, rust, texture :)

Just for fun! Looking up at a lamp on the side of a building

If you are interested in participating in the Worldwide Photo Walk please visit http://www.worldwidephotowalk.com. You don't have to be a pro - just dust off your camera and pull out your walking shoes and be prepared to meet all sorts of interesting people!