Kicking '09 to the curb

2009 sucked, there's no getting past it. So in the tradition of the human animal thinking that round numbers and arbitrary dates on the calendar are suffused with importance, I'm taking this opportunity to navel-gaze just a bit and kick the bad crap in the ass. And in the process I hope to kick-start something better and move forward with it. So I went down to Sunset Cliffs for the last sundown of the year and saw some cool stuff that I thought I'd share, by way of saying here's to a better new year for all of us. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read my thoughts or look at my photos over the past year (even if you were brought here because I had the phrase "secret Canon 7D Accessories" in a post - that one's still getting so many hits it's the #1 result in Google, who friggin' knew?). I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2010.
A guy was jumping for photos at the cliffs as the sun set.

Coming in from the last session of the year. And this was the last frame I made this year (unless I take some photos before midnight - always a possibility!) Drive safe, kids.

The 18 Percent Solution

There aren't a lot of T-shirts with photo geek designs on them that I'd wear in public. I've seen a lot and few are any good. Among the biggest offenders are the "Been there, shot that," "Will take pictures for food" or "Size matters" (beneath a graphic of a camera with a telephoto lens) shirts. Then there's the ever-popular graphic of a point-and-shoot on the chest, with camera straps pointing up toward the shirt's shoulders. See? I have a CAMERA. And I wear it AROUND MY NECK. And apparently it's made of CLOTH AND INK.

So I was very pleasantly surprised to get this gift: a T-shirt with a (possibly) neutral 18% gray card on it.

Gray cards are used a couple ways in photography. When you're out shooting, you can take a meter reading off the gray card to determine your exposure. This is especially helpful if the scene is predominantly dark or light, either of which may fool your camera's built-in exposure meter. An 18% gray card will (ideally) accurately reflect the light falling on the subject and not be fooled. The other primary use for a gray card is in post-processing. During the shoot, you take a photo of the gray card itself. That way, once you're doing your digital processing in Photoshop, Lightroom or whatever, you just tell the application that the card is a neutral gray and it corrects the white balance for the photo, a series of photos or the entire take.

I have a neutral 18% gray lens cloth in my bag. Sometimes I'll throw it out into a scene or hold it up to have that neutral reference for color correction later. Or now I can shoot my shirt. Because this I will wear in public.

Hammer time! 'Tis the mochi season.

Remember when I told you about mochi? Well, it's that time of year again. Time to steam a few tons of sticky rice, pound it into gelatinous submission and roll it into tasty little gut-bombs.











And violá, mochi. That should keep us well starched for a few weeks.

A bad day (shooting ) surfing is better than etc., etc., etc.

Maybe it didn't live up to its huge hype, but the first NW swell of the winter hit San Diego this week. Which means heading out to shoot some surfing. The following are from Sunset Cliffs.

Novel graphic

University of Minnesota associate professor PZ Morris crafted this epic flow chart showing arguments on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate.
Click to embiggen.
The data for the chart was compiled from Facebook quotes in June 2009. And yes, I know Britney's name is misspelled. Maybe that'll be fixed in v1.4? I don't know, but it's a small complaint as compared to the overall coolness.

PZ's got some great content on his blog, check it out.

Great Moments in Online Journalism, yet another in a series

One sure way to put your holiday lights on the map is to string them up above Barack Obama when he delivers a major policy speech at West Point. Thank you East Valley Tribune for the holiday themed design.