Posts Tagged ‘Photography’
Slow Fishing
A few weeks ago I took BabyGirl up to Lake Isabella for a Father/Daughter Camping and Fishing weekend with some friends from school. We camped along the shores of the Kern River and participated in the annual Lake Isabella Fishing Derby. Despite our best efforts, the fish just weren’t biting in our little corner of the lake. Although BabyGirl did get one fish almost ashore before it shook free. The only good part of a slow fishing day is that there’s plenty of time to shoot photos!
To view the entire gallery, use the password, “Isabella”.
Desert VW
A few months ago I was introduced to the night photography of Troy Paiva. He has spent years photographing old cars, airplanes, and abandoned building across the American Southwest. What makes each photograph come alive is the use of light painting. I was struck with the beauty and power of his work and decided to try out some of his techniques.
I travelled to Ocotillo Wells on a moonlit night, where I knew that my brother-in-law had an old VW van on his property. I set up my Nikon D300s for ISO 200, f/16, in bulb mode. Using a remote trigger, I opened the shutter for approximately 2 minutes. During this time I walked into the frame, opened the passenger door and manually fired my red-gelled SB-600 5 times throughout the van’s interior. I then shined an LED flashlight on each headlight for a three-count. Finally, I painted the driver’s side of the van with the flashlight to eliminate a shadow that was being thrown by a nearby RV.
The light over the horizon was not caused by a recent sunset (it was 10:30pm). That is light pollution from Borrego Springs and Palm Springs behind that.
Photo: “Who Can Restrain Pleiades or Know the Laws of the Heavenlies?”
Lately I’ve been inspired by the night photography of Troy Paiva, David Petty, and others. It’s amazing the effects that you can get with a long exposure and some simple lighting. This photo is a simple long exposure (30 seconds), using the ambient light from a nearby building to light the cross. And yes, for you fans of late 80′s, early 90′s prog rock, the title is from the King’s X song, “Pleiades”, from the Gretchen Goes to Nebraska album.
I’ll be sharing more more night photos here on johnwkillinger.com as I continue to explore the possibilities. I plan to shoot in the desert a few times this winter and spring and can’t wait to see the results.
Photo Gallery: San Clemente Military Family Outreach Variety Show 2010
Once again this year I had the privilege of photographing the San Clemente Military Family Outreach Benefit. SCMFO is a local charity that provides support for military families (primarily Marines from Camp Pendleton). The Variety Show this year featured music and comedy and the proceeds went toward the purchase of 1200 Thanksgiving turkeys.
New Photo: Welcome to Dana Point!
One of the things that I love about night photography is the ability to add a sense of motion and excitement to what is by all accounts, a still medium. The solid, motionless bridge stands in contrast to the flurry of cars as they literally streak by, leaving nothing more than the trails made by their headlights or tail lights to mark that they were ever even there. This was accomplished by placing the camera on a tripod and opening the shutter for 4 seconds (at f/11).
Attack of the Flying Dolphins!
OK, that title might be just a bit of a stretch, but today we did see a rather rare sight. I took the family whale watching on Dana Wharf Sportfishing’s OCean Adventures Catamaran this afternoon. Though we didn’t see any whales, we were treated to quite a sight: one or two dolphins leaping clear out of the water to the tune of 5-6 feet! I spoke to the captain who confirmed that this is not an everyday occurrence. The whole trip was a delightful experience, even more so because this is the first time BabyGirl had been on a boat outside the harbor. During the course of the two-hour cruise we located two pods of Common Dolphins less than a mile offshore. The first was off the coast of San Clemente, around Hermosa. The second was off the coast of Dana Point, just north of the Ritz. Here are some pictures from my SmugMug gallery of the day’s events:
Happy Birthday BabyGirl!
BabyGirl celebrated her birthday at the beach. It was too breezy to light the candles, but we went through with the singing and “blowing out the candles” anyway. Thanks to all the friends and family who made it a fantastic party!
Photo Tip: Shooting Fireworks–Know from Whence the Wind Blows
There are a lot of great posts out there that discuss the tips and tricks of shooting fireworks shows, especially around July 4. Most discuss aperture, shutter and ISO settings (I prefer F/11, 4 seconds, ISO 250). These are all great, but one point can be easily overlooked, as I discovered to my dismay this past Independence Day: wind direction.
In an effort to enjoy the day personally (in contrast to obsessing over the perfect shot all day), I chose my shooting location based on convenience: both to its proximity to the party I attended earlier in the evening, and to my desire to not fight traffic and the throngs of people who would be gathered near the launch site itself. I “compensated” for this convenience by making sure that my camera settings were dialed in before arriving, and bringing lenses of various size and focal lengths. There was just one problem…
Photo: It’s No Fun Being Sick
BabyGirl wasn’t feeling very well today, so she curled up in Daddy’s chair in her pj’s and bathrobe and spent the day flipping channels between Nickelodean, The Disney Channel, and the Dirty Jobs marathon on Discovery. There’s nothing worse than to watch your sweet baby not feeling well.
Photo Gallery: Downtown Los Angeles
My wife and I took a photo walk through downtown L.A. this weekend. OK, we took a stroll and I took pictures. But there were photos and walking involved. We walked from our hotel to the Central Public Library, up through Bunker Hill, stopped by the Disney Concert Hall, had lunch at the MOCA, rode the Angels Flight funicular to Grand Central Market, and back again.
St. Andrew’s Choir Photo Published in SC Times
I was contracted to shoot some publicity photos for the choir at St. Andrew’s by-the-Sea United Methodist Church in San Clemente, CA. The photo was published in March 25-31 edition of the San Clemente Times on page 8:
Photo Gallery: St. Andrew’s Choir
St. Andrew’s by-the-Sea United Methodist Church is gearing up for their annual Good Friday Service and asked me to take some promotional shots of the choir.
Photo Gallery: YMCA Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
Photos from the Palisades Elementary YMCA’s Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser. This event raised money for the YMCA scholarship program, allowing children whose families have hit hard times to still participate in after-school, sports, and camping programs.
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Photo Gallery: Studio Session
My daughter requested to be my first studio model. Here are the results, with a special appearance by Squirelly Nuts.
Photo: Aliens Among Us
These things are just so different, so alien to what we think of as living creatures. It’s almost as if they really are from another planet.
Ribbon of Light Featured in Orange County Register
The Orange County Register recently interviewed me for a column that features photos from local photographers. They featured “Ribbon of Light” which is an early nightshot of San Clemente and Dana Point. Here is the link to the article:
http://www.ocregister.com/news/photo-226959-san-shot.html
You can view a larger version of “Ribbon of Light” on Flickr using the following link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jkdigitalservices/138601708/
Photo Gallery: Rocky Acres – New Year’s 2010
Photos from New Year’s weekend at Rocky Acres, the family compound in Ocotillo Wells, CA.
Tips for Photographing Christmas Lights
Strobist has an excellent post with tips for taking pictures of Christmas Lights. ‘Tis the season, and I’ll be putting these tips into practice:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/12/how-to-photograph-christmas-lights.html
