Photoessayist

We've Moved!

2009-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

We have gone to Word Press. We did this for a couple of reasons. More control. We can install the blog software at our web hosting service. So now it is part of the web site, www.photoessaysit.com.

The URL www.photoessayist.net will now go directly to the new location, www.photoessayist.com/blog.

Happy Accidents

2009-07-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the happy accident makes for the good photograph. You may not like the above photo but this photographer does. Heck you may not like most of what a photographer does but that's life.

This photo was taken while I was waiting for the fireworks to begin. I ended up moving to a different location for the fireworks. There was a lamp post just to the right and it was effecting the photo. I think I should have stayed. All these people really makes the photo interesting. The fireworks would have been above the fellow in the center. So you would have had the fireworks and with time exposures from 1 second to 2 seconds there would have been all those blured people in the foreground.

With the lamp light (unseen to the right) and with the fireworks of varying light values I would have had some interesting photos.

Oh well there is always next year. Only problem is California. It's broke. They are giving out IOUs. No money. That effects every level of government in the state. Here in Laguna Beach they may have NO fireworks next year.

Kodak Took My Kodachrome Away

2009-06-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well it's almost over. Kodak announced that it will retire KODACHROME Film, concluding its 74-year run. By the end of the year stocks of Kodachrome will be depleted. Dwayne’s Photo, in Parsons, Kan., still processes Kodachrome film. The lab has agreed to continue through 2010, Kodak said.

Sunday In Orange, CA

2009-06-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Chapman University Inc.

2009-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Film At 11

2009-05-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Contax G1, Planar f2/45mm, Fujichrome Sensia 200. Speed and f/stop unknown. Location: Rockpile Beach Picnic Grounds at Heisler Park, Laguna Beach, California. May 18, 2009.

The Three Amigos

2009-05-01T07:34:00.000-07:00

From left: Lee Goldberg, Tod Goldberg and Bill Rabkin. All good fellows. They were signing books at the LA Times Festival of Books in the Mystery Bookstore booth. May they prosper.

Kiss Me Stupid

2009-05-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

They always call these things accidents. Are they really accidents or just plain old stupidity?

This accident happend on the 405 Saturday and I was maybe a mile behind it. As we came to a stop on the freeway the emergency crews were getting on the freeway heading to the scene.

There is so few highway patrols cars out on the freeway that it has become a free-for-all. Especially when traffic is light. Speeders weaving in-and-out of lanes with constant near misses.

This time they didn't miss. Not pictured was another car in REALLY bad shape.

This For You 'Burn Notice' Fans

2009-04-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

You crashed my main web site when you went to the blog to see the photo of Tod Goldberg, author of the tie-in books for Burn Notice, and Matt Nix, the creator of Burn Notice.

So I have created a seperate post with this single picture. Maybe this will keep my web site, photoessayist.com, from crashing.

Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books

2009-04-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

We lost the big store booth this year. No Borders or Barnes and Noble. That space was taken by the LA Times Pavilion which was out in nowhere's land in past years. Did we miss the big stores presence? No. The great assortment of writers were still there and just as approachable as ever. Sunday morning James Ellroy was at the Mystery Bookstore signing. A long line of his fans snaked down the center court. Royce Hall was closed to the festival. It was reported that the school wanted to much money. Budget crunch for the school and the La Times. Strangely we didn't miss it's use. The smaller panels were always more informative and entertaining anyway.

One thing that didn't change was those dreadfull Janss Steps. Any plans I made were based on minimizing climbing up or down those steps.

Ended up buying half a dozen books. One was Walker Evans CUBA. The book was discounted 75% off list price at the Getty booth. I paid $6.87. For the other five books the total was $70.

Here's a small group of photos from both days at the festival.

God those steps again!

Big crowds.

The lawn that borders the Janss Steps is always a good place to relax and read that just purchased book. Good place for photos too. The photo from yesterday of the young boy was also taken on this lawn.

These two young ladies were taking snap-shots of what they entered on the What Are You Reading wall. Ding? Shout.

James Ellroy greeting his many fans at the Mystery Bookstore booth.

The lady in the very short skirt just may be the woman that Tod Goldberg encountered while signing books at Mysterious Galaxy booth. There is a link below to Tod's account of the festival and the mystery of the short skirt.

Tod Goldberg with the creator of the popular TV show Burn Notice, Matt Nix. Tod is the author of the Burn Notice tie-in books. His ~~first~~ second Burn Notice book is The End Game. Down in the right corner is Bill Rabkin who has worked with Tod's brother, Lee Goldberg, and I guess still does. Bill writes the Psych tie-in books. His first Psych book was: Mind Over Magic. He has two more in the works. He has also written for that show. Hey I didn't notice that Mr Rabkin was trying to sneak into the picture. It's OK.

Bill Rabkin, Tod Goldberg and Tod's brother Lee Goldberg were all at the Mystery Bookstore booth signing books and just about anything else that was put in front of them.

Here's Tods's take on the festival. He does a MUCH better job of describing the weekend.

And here is Lee Goldberg's take on the festival.

Giada De Laurentiis at the Culinary Stage. It was very crowded. OK? I didn't have a Stinking Badge so what you see is it. Well not entirely. I did get a partial of Giada. Maybe later I'll post it.

That's it for this year.

LA Times Festival of Books -- Day Two

2009-04-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's over. 364 days until the next one.

I think this picture tells it all. Will post more tomorrow. I'm tired.

Saw a lot. Listened to a few excellent panels. Spent a lot. Can't wait until next year so I can do it all over again.

LA Times Festival of Books -- Day One

2009-04-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

Panel Subject was Humor and Race. I can tell you there was plently of humor during this panel's discussions. Great way to end the first day of the festival. From left: Tod Goldberg, panel moderator, Lalo Alcaraz, and Larry Wilmore. Missing from the photo is Christian Lander.

Earth Day Not, Trash Day Everyday!

2009-04-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

I think for some it's f**k Earth Day and do it every day.

PS: We did pick up the trash after taking the photo. And the trash was as seen in the photo. No rearranging was done.

Today Is E A R T H D A Y

2009-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Another Example Of Rich Man Poor Man Inequity

2009-04-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

As a photographer donating your work doesn't get the same respect from the IRS as an owner of a piece of art. Read more here.

LA Times Book Festival April 25 and 26

2009-04-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Get all the info on the LA Times Book Festival at their web site. Tickets will be available online at Ticketmaster on April 19, 2009.

I Can't Wait.

Is Film Dead?

2009-03-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

Maybe not. Brian is a film student, from Chicago, who was in Laguna Beach for spring break with a couple of friends. One of his friends, not pictured, was using an instant camera. Fuji still makes the instant film. Brian wasn't using any form of digital. His camera is a real live motion picture film camera. It uses Super 16 format film. Super 16 is 16mm film with the sprockets eliminated on one side enabling wide format versus 16mm's square format.

Brian stated he was going up to LA on Sunday to have his film processed. The problem with film is not it's availability but getting it processed. Still photographers have this problem. Sure you can go to some quickie processor but you DO get what you pay for.

I was spending $12 per 36 exposure roll of Fujichrome. I took the film into an Irvine, CA film processor, who is one of the best around, and could get a 2 hour turnaround if needed. I was dropping off and picking up film almost everyday. The drive was one hour total and gasoline was and still is expensive.

Scanning the film into digital formal was another time consuming chore. Yes it got to be a chore because I really wanted to be out doing photography.

I finally concluded that it was getting to expensive to stay with film and I went with digital. Never looked back.

The process of going to a digital camera was made easier because I had already been using everything else associated with digital photography.

When all is said and done I love the freedom that digital gives you. I can carry my photo-lab, my laptop computer, everywhere I go if need be. Take a time sensitive photo and 10 minutes later it's on the web. That requirement hasn't been needed often but I'm still prepared for emergencies.

There's only one problem I do miss working in the darkroom and making black and white prints. It's still magic for me to see the picture slowly show when the print is in the developer. Magic.

There is no magic to digital.

Most Interesting Bookstores Of The World

2009-03-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

This link combines two of my favorite activities: Photography and bookstores. Check it out. You will not be disappointed.

You Stay, I'll See You Back At The Hotel

2009-03-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Some would call it a curse. I say it's a good curse, a very good curse. Here's what David Burnett had to say about the good curse. It's soooo true.

In the digital photography age, we sometimes forget that great pictures are usually made by hard working, dedicated photographers who already see the world with a vision far apart from the rest of society. There is no question that few things are more tedious than for a non-photographer (you could insert "wife" or "daughter" here) to walk around any ole place with someone who can't help looking at the scene around them as if it were a photo op arranged by God and to be discovered on that stroll. We stop, we squint as we try and compose, we halt for a second to see if the light is right, if the shadow falls in the grooviest place. It's not exactly a simple meander, but one accented by all kinds of stops and starts, and often punctuated by "you can stay if you want, I'll see you back at the hotel."

David and his wife, Iris, have a blog called: We're Just Sayin. No photos - yet - but we do enjoy the conversations. Check it out for yourself.

David's quote is from this posting.

So You Want To Be A Professional Photographer

2009-03-21T22:19:00.000-07:00

Be prepared to suffer.

Be prepared to spend years learning your craft.

Be prepared to hear "NO."

John Camp writting at The Online Photographer saids it very well.

Be prepared.

Good Morning

2009-02-08T08:05:00.001-08:00

An OOPS For Epson

2009-01-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Epson sent an e-mail about a clearence sale. Clicked on the link and got garbage.

So I tried going to epson.com and once I selected USA up popped this error message.

IM Communication Error
error code = 200

Go figure. Epson isn't some small time outfit so what's up? You think they would test this stuff unless the entire site has been hit.

Latest News: The Epson site is now undergoing maintenance. I wonder why?

Where Is The Rest Of Her?

2008-12-19T16:12:00.000-08:00

More of that woman-made stuff that shows up on our beaches after a storm.

So where is the rest of the hot babe that was wearing these glasses?

Is It Art Or Just A Tennis Ball On The Beach?

2008-12-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

I've either been a wanta' be photographer, an amateur photographer, or a professional photographer all my life. From first breath. I mention this because I have also never considered photography an art. Some do and that's fine. I don't. That being said I have made some photographs that explain or show nothing of value and therefore I call it art.

So is the tennis ball on the beach nothing of value, therefore art, or is it part of a photoessay showing man-made objects where they don't belong? You and I will have to wait to see what develops.

Now you have to ask yourself: "Was this post necessary?" Probably not.

Post Note

2008-12-15T07:13:00.000-08:00

The Inn With A View

2008-11-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

Since the movie 'The Bucket List' I've though about what I would put on my list. One would be a night at the Madonna Inn. Ever since I was at Cal Poly in the 60's I've wanted to stay at least one night at this Inn.

As you can see from the photo above there were some great views at the Inn. I believe this ranch was part of the Madonna family properties.

Every room is different. My is called the The Traveler's Yacht. It could be called the Red Door. This was one crazy room and it was a delight to stay two nights in it.

Why was the room so crazy? Take a look for yourselves.

LIFE Goes To Google

2008-11-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

LIFE Photo Archive Available On Google Image Search. This should be big news. Is it? I think it is. See for yourself.

The link to the Google anouncement at their offical blog: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/life-photo-archive-available-on-google.html

Or just go directly to the archive.

The link to the photos: http://images.google.com/hosted/life

Here's a tip from Google's blog: Add "source:life" to any Google image search and search only the LIFE photo archive.

An example: wwii source:life

In the end this is all about money. You have the option of purchasing a digital print of the photo.

A Quote I Like To Live By But Probably Fail At Some Level

2008-11-08T11:53:00.000-08:00

Chance favors the prepared mind.

Trestles Beach

2008-10-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

The battle continues. Not in Iraq. Not in Washington DC. No the battle continues over a tollway going through another park. This isn't the first time a highway has encroached a park. It's against California state law but they do it anyway.

They did it to Griffith Park in LA.

They did it to Buena Vista Park in Burbank.

Now they want to do it in San Onofre State Park.

Trestles Beach is within San Onofre State Park. It's in danger. No it is doomed. If McCain wins it is lost forever.

Dana Point Marina

2008-10-25T09:25:00.001-07:00

Dana Point marina. This south county make-work project of the 70s ruined one of the great surfer spots in southern California for both board and body surfers.

I have poor balance because of an inner ear infection when I was in grade school but I could still body surf. Two or three weekends in the summer we would cruise down from Newport Beach and spend a very long day surfing at Dana Point. This was back in the early 60s so my memory is not all that clear but I believe where I'm standing in the first photo we, both board and body surfers, would catch a wave. They lasted forever, especially for body surfers like myself. I loved it. Unlike the Newport Beach wedge the waves here were manageable and safe.

It's all gone now never to return.

Now they are in the process of destorying the last remnant of the past as they plaster the bluff you see in the background of the first picture with over-priced homes for the rich. What a waste.

San Juan Capistrano Library

2008-10-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

Interesting library. I was living in SJC when they selected this design and built it. Looks nice from the outside but once you get inside you realize that it is a very small building. I mean like a shoe box. The entrace alone feels like a cave.

The entire section for adults could fit in the garage of most of the big homes in the city. And yet the children's section feels larger and very comfortable though I think the adult section is larger. Go figure.

The reason this library got built in the first place was because of who designed it. The architect was Michael Graves. I really believe they selected his design because it was a Michael Graves.

You really have to visit the library if you ever get down to south Orange County, California. In the case of this library I believe preception conquered reality.

Grand Prize Winner Uses Amateur DSLR

2008-09-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

That's right an amateur DSLR camera took the best of show at the LA Times photo contest. The camera of choice is the Nikon D40X. Anytime I see an article about this camera they call it an entry level DSLR or amateur camera. Only problem with this argument is it just ain't true. No camera is an entry level or professional camera. Only the person USING any camera can be called amateur or pro. And now with NO one making any real money as a photographer it's hard to tell who is the amateur or pro except by the quality of the work produced. Funny thing this really has been the only way period.

Fatter and Fatter and Fattter and . . .

2008-09-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

Digital cameras are getting bigger and fatter with every new model. Nikon's new D700 weights 995 g (2.19 lbs,) Sony's new alpha 900 weights 895 g (1.97 lbs) and Canon's just released 50D comes in at 822 g (1.8 lbs.) That's the body only. Now add a lens to each of these over-weight giants and on average you add another lb to the system. So that would be 2.5 lbs to 3.2 lbs of brick around your neck.

Note: Nikon D700 weight is without the battery. At 2+ pounds what difference will a battery make?

When I was young (24) and serving in the Marines in Vietnam I carried two Nikon F with a 28mm and 35mm lenes. The camera straps were those narrow things that had the habit of cutting off blood to the brain. I know -- What brain? I would wear a towel around my neck to protect myself from those nasty straps.

Today I carry one camera with a 18mm to 70mm lens. The camera is a Nikon D40X. This system comes in at 936 g (2.1 lbs.) When I'm out with the camera it could be several hours with it hanging from my neck. You can't be ready to take photos if you have the camera over your shoulder or worse in the bag. It's always around the neck with the camera on and the zoom set to 26mm. Worse case I can just point and shoot. Also a good camera strap helps. The one supplied with the camera works just fine.

This systems big advantage is it's weight. If I was using one of these new fatties I just couldn't work the way I do. Walking around looking for opportunities.

Driving around in the car and then stopping when you see a photo opportunity is not an option. Tripods -- never happen. I do keep a tripod and a step ladder in the trunk of the car but they are rarely used. I will say that the step ladder is a great tool. All photographers should get one. Many times I have had to get photos from over construction fences and that old step ladder saved the day.

The replacement for the Nikon D40X is the D60. The D60 (495g) with battery (51g) and 16mm - 85mm lens (485g) comes to 1031 g or 2.27 lbs. Fatter and fatter.

When I was in Vietnam I was young and full of pep. Now I'm 64 and full of shit.

Good Thing He's Young

2008-08-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

He was photographing a couple standing in front of the Laguna Beach Lifeguard Tower. It's a landmark here in Laguna and many couples have their picture taken in front or rear I guess. I have assisted many couples in taking a picture of them using their camera. I haven't tried his technique yet but maybe we will. Though it would take me a while to get into that position and even longer to get out of it.

Sitemeter Says The Problem Is OUR Fault

2008-08-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the reasons Sitemeter gave for the crash of their code:

1 - IE Users viewing pages - There was a problem with users who placed their SiteMeter tracking code outside of their HTML Body Tag. Because of the changes we made this created a failure for visitors viewing sites using Internet Explorer 7.
This is horse shit. On my blogs AND my web site the code is ENTIRELY inside the body tags (or was.) So if they believe this then they are saying that we caused our own headaches. To hell with you Sitemeter. Stop blaming others for your failures.

Your biggest failure was installing new code and then walking away not knowing if the code would work or not. It didn't and it took you 12 to 18 hours to fix it. Shame on you.

Here's the page where they stick it to the users of their code.

When you go to this page you will notice that they turned comments OFF. They know no one is happy with them right now or like me agree with the cause of the failure.

Update: August 5, 2008. Sitemeter has removed the above statement at their blog and replaced it with a more detailed explanation of their crash. It's honest and factual. It doesn't blame the users but themselves. I love to say it: I told you so!

Sitemeter Crashes Web Pages

2008-08-01T19:31:00.001-07:00

If you use Sitemeter to keep track of your visitors it may be crashing your site. I use Windows XP with the absolute latest updates and Internet Explorer. Sometime this afternoon (August 1, 2008) any web page that had Sitemeter would crash. Be aware. I can't say what the cause is and I can't get to the Sitemeter web site because it's pages also crash. Is it Sitemeter? Is it Internet Explorer? Is it Windows XP? I have no idea. So far only one web site that uses Sitemeter will load into my web browser and that is the digitaljournalist.org site. Why they don't crash and every other Sitemeter site does is the big question.

City Daily Photo

2008-08-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

The web site City Daily Photo has a monthly theme and this month it is metal. Well nothing says metal in southern California like the auto. Many owners take great pride in their metal and customize them. Then there are those owners who really believe that the road is theirs and theirs alone. The photo above shows what happens when two such owners meet in space and time. CRUNCH. Customize junk metal.

Combine Old Wth The New To Capture The Very Small

2008-07-20T18:22:00.001-07:00

This fellow is only one inch in wing span (approx). I used my Nikon D40X with a manual Nikkor Micro 55mm lens to capture him. Set camera on manual and adjusted aperture and speed until I got the result you see. He was on a glass pane in our front door with the late afternoon sun back lighting him. The glass was dirty and I wasn't trying for anything great but I wanted to see how well the old and new worked together. The focus was the hard part. I slowed the speed down so to use a high aperture but I still had difficulty keeping him in focus. Below is a photo of the creature resting on the pane of glass.

Big Cameras With Big Lenses Require Big Photographers

2008-07-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

We Love The Fireworks

2008-07-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

No Picture Taking. Phooy! Click, Click.

2008-06-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Can't take photos in the Broad Building. What nonsense. What's Mr. Broad's motive?

This no picture taking has gotten out of hand. Every show that comes to the LACMA is off limits to photography. How are they going to stop it? You have a cellphone with a built-in camera? Click, click. A small digital point-and-shot? Click, click. Even with a digital SLR it's just point and shot. Camera does the rest. Click, click. I can have the camera hanging from my shoulder. Click, click.

Instead of banning photography embrace it. Have a contest for the best photo of an art showing. See what kind of photos you get of people interacting with the art. You just may learn something. Click, click.

Great Park Ballon

2008-05-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

Went over to the still under construction Orange County Great Park to ride the ballon. It's tethered to a 400' cable it but still allows for great views of the park and surrounding area.

The park is on what once was a USMC air station, El Toro. The park has been years in planning and it doesn't look it. It's a dump. They've let all the existing structures go to hell and haven't really done anything other than a storage lot for RVs. The base housing east of the station has been replaced with new housing but that doesn't do anything for the park either.

The ballon ride was officially closed due to construction surrounding the ride. They were giving rides to invited guests only, mostly employees of the city of Irvine. For me that meant no ride but the ride officals let me go up anyway. Big thanks to them.

The construction that caused the closure of the ride was for the 27.5-acre Preview Park. The park has been under construction for years and all they've got to show for it is a preview park that's also still under construction.

Check here for more photos I took of the ballon: http://www.lagunabeat.com/2008/05/up-up-and-away-almost.html

Los Angeles Times/Goldberg Festival Of Books

2008-04-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Goldbergs were everywhere. The rumor is that there are maybe a hundred more Goldberg writers and artists. All related somehow. Only four were represented at the festival. We believe the LA Times put a limit to the number of Goldbergs that could participate. Otherwise God knows how many would have been at the festival.

The sisters: Linda Woods (Left in the picture). She's the artist. Could be the only Goldberg artist. Karen Dinino is the writer. They were signing their books - JOURNAL REVOLUTION and Visual Chronicles: The No-Fear Guide to Creating Art Journals. Their blog is here.

If you can't tell which picture is of the sisters then as Tod would say "You are a . . . " Sorry the word has been copyrighted by Tod and only he has the use of it. If you are confused don't worry we all are. Read on to discover the location of the real Tod.

The brothers: Tod Goldberg (Left in the picture.) Tod is a writer and a teacher. I think it's best that you experience Tod rather then me trying to describe his work. Check Tod out over here. If you're reading this a year after the event then go directly to Tod's account of the 2008 Festival of Books.

Tod's brother, Lee, is a screenwriter as well as writer of mysteries. Lee can be experienced at his blog.

Not only were Tod and Lee signing books but Tod participated in two panels. They (The LA Times) actually let Tod moderate one of the panels, Crime with an Edge. (Correction he moderated both panels.) Mad magazine couldn't have selected a more unfit person. Turns out he was very good. Tod does know his shit. He steps in it enough. That said if you could get past the FUCK word his comments were insightful and . . . oh forget it. It was an interesting panel because of Tod. The panel included: Christopher Goffard, Rob Roberge, and Mark Haskell Smith.

Note to the Goldbergs. You use Typepad and I still can't figure out how to sign-up and leave comments. I've decided that is probably a good thing.

Note to Tod: I'm glad you were busy at 10am on Saturday because I had Shelly Jackson all to myself. Unfortunately she doesn't like tall, blond, blue eyed good looking types. She prefers short, tubby guys with hairy backs. I gave her your phone number.

It should be noted that UCLA is probably the ONLY location that can hold the book festival. It looks the part. No other location saids books like it. Please do not change the venue. I promise the Goldbergs will behave if you keep the book festival at UCLA. You can also ignore Tod Goldberg's demand that you install an escalator at the Janss Steps.

Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books - Three

2008-04-28T11:57:00.001-07:00

Saturday was way to hot. Sunday was just hot.

Plently of writers. They're all rock stars to us.

From the top:

Lisa Lutz.
Mary Lou Henner.
Robert Crais.
T. Jefferson Parker.
Michael Connelly.
Joe Wambaugh.

There were many, many more writers. For book lovers, and we count ourselves as one, this is as good as it gets. This is the second book festival for us. We missed the first eleven. Can't wait for number 14.

Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books - Two

2008-04-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday was way to hot. Sunday was just hot.

Plently of writers. They're all rock stars to us.

Plently of book publishers. There is something for everyone.

To many crazies handing out you name it.

Except for Disneyland I've never seen so many families. Could be the price of admission - $0.00. This is good. Very good.

Far to many signs declaring "Absolutely no photography." Boring.

$5.00 lemonade. The stuff probably had plently of sugar. In which case you just got more thirsty and wanted more lemonade. What a racket.

Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books - One

2008-04-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books

2008-04-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

The crowds at the festival were large. LA loves their books. For two days in April writers are rock stars.

Just as the book lovers showed up the sun and heat made an appearance. It stayed hot all day Saturday and should make a repeat Sunday. Water was needed and plently was abailable at $4.oo a bottle.

Samy's Camera NO More!

2008-04-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

I purchased a camera from Samy's Camera last August. When I purchased the camera I was given a card that allowed me to get 300 free prints.

I used it once last December for 125 prints. It worked OK. Then today I went in to get 122 prints made and was informed you could only get 25 prints in a month. In short they changed the rules. Just like the credit card companies.

The card is good for one year. That means I could go once a month starting today and get a max of 125 prints because I have only until August.

Screw Samy's Camera. Never again. No mater how desperate I am I will never use Samy's Camera.

Must Visit Blog - Good Photos

2008-03-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is not my first attempt at recommending a Photoblog but it is the first time I have done it with a posting.

The blog is View From The Tundra. The photographer, name unknown, lives in Minneapolis. And he states that Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Twin Cities, are two of the most under-rated cities in the US. I agree but does he have to broadcast this statement of fact. It's getting way to crowded. Expecially the burbs.

Like me he doesn't give a bunch a techie info just good photos. The reason I'm letting everyone know this at this time is the photo he posted of the St. Paul Cathedral. Take a look for yourself. Sunset over Cathedral of St Paul

Whale Of A Wall

2008-03-03T16:15:00.000-08:00

This post is our unoffical contribution to the Picture of the Day monthly theme photo. This month it's Mural or Graffiti.

The current whale mural is the third version at this site. The first whale mural was painted onto the white wall below the current whale wall. That first version was the first whale mural that Wyland did.

A few years later Wyland (He uses his last name only.) reversed the painting with the whales pointing toward the sea. Then the owner of the lower wall, for whatever reason, painted over the second version.

Wyland, just prior to the lower wall being painted white, had purchased the building that the current wall mural is on. The owner of the lower wall wanted the same building and may have painted over the whale to get even with Wyland. Whatever.

Wyland, after remodeling the building, created the current mural. It's made up of hundreds of porcelain tiles. Each tile is hand painted by Wyland.

The photo is made up of three images. We used Elements 6 Photomerge Panarama utility to create a single image. You can click the image to see a larger version.

You Wish

2008-03-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

We think they ran out of the number 3.

It's The Photographer Not The Camera

2008-03-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

Some photographers believe they need the most expensive cameras in order to do good work. This photographer demonstrates that this isn't the case. He's using a Canon G9 PowerShot to take time-lapsed photos of a parade in Laguna Beach. He hopes to make a short and quick film showing the entire parade going by in a flash.

But Mom It's Just A Big Toy Why Can't I Play On It?

2008-02-21T07:32:00.000-08:00

No Place To Eat Near LACMA

2008-02-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

There was only one location where we could get something to eat that was near LACMA and that was a small diner that specialized in hot dogs. Why are there so few good resturants near LACMA? Like none.

This place has been closed for quite a while. Why?

Laguna Beach

2008-02-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

This spot is just north of Main beach. The tide pools are just to the right. It was an overcast, wet, and windy day. This picture gives me the feeling that nothing good will happen here. In reality when people walk this spot they're usually on there way to Rock Pile beach and rarely notice what they're passing. Also at high tide this is all getting hit from the surf. We think if it had been a sunny day we wouldn't have notice this scene.

This Post Needs A Title

2008-02-20T14:32:00.000-08:00

This bible was found on the sidewalk. We didn't touch it. But we did photograph it.

Can you help us with a title?

The Street Lamps Plaza

2008-02-17T13:50:00.000-08:00

My only question is why is there a wall seperating the BP Grand Entrance from the main campus of the museum?

The Elevator To Nowhere

2008-02-17T06:51:00.000-08:00

If you are a LA Times reader then you may have read the story in last thursday's Guide edition of artist Barbara Kruger's reaction to the art at the new Broad building. Ms Kruger is the artist that created the image you see behind the glass elevator that's directly opposite the entrance to the Broad building. Did you try the glass elevator? Did it go anywhere? If it did you where one of the lucky ones.

On the very same day the article was appearing in the Guide section we were visiting the new Broad building. After viewing the art on the third floor we got on the glass elevator. Then we waited. The elevator doors closed. Then we waited. The elevator doors opened. Then we waited. Problem: To many people in the elevator. Once the problem was revealed several of us got off. Then several more got on not knowing of the elevators problem. Elevator doors close. Those inside waited. Nothing. We left and used the outside stairs. We have no idea how many times the elevator doors opened and closed before it was happy with the load but it did finally make it to second floor.

Never saw Ms Kruger's art work that's behind the glass elevator and extends the entire three floors of the building. Maybe next time.

The photo shows the entrance to the third floor of the Broad building. The glass elevator is on the left.

BP Grand Entrance

2008-02-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

Does LACMA want to make this the center of the museum replacing the upper level piazza? I hope not. It makes a good entrance but we prefer the old and grander piazza, the LA Times Central Court, that joins the main buildings of the museum.

The island state of Venice has it's entrance at the boat docks but the center and heart of Venice is St. Marks Square. We feel the same way about the BP Grand Entrance. It makes a good entrance from the underground parking and from Wilshire Blvd but it's not the center of the museum.

The museum calls the two ends of the BP Grand Entrance the North and South Plaza. We want to divide the BP Entrance into three parts: The Street Lamps Plaza, the Concourse, and the Fire Truck Plaza.

From this BP Grand Entrance visitors can travel to any of the museum's buildings. Be it the Broad building that's completed or through the Ahmanson to the LA Times Central Court and the center of the museum. In later posts we will discuss what's needed in the LA Times Square to make it a more inviting center for the museum.

The photos show the Fire Truck Plaza with it's Fire Truck and also the entrance elevator from the below ground garage.

This Is To You Mr Serra. Maybe Next Time

2008-02-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

The Ahmanson Is Open!

2008-02-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

The big plus with the opening of the Broad Building was the reopening of the Ahmanson building in January. Why is the Ahmanson a building and the Broad a museum? Ego? You think?

With the reopening of the Ahmanson the entire first floor is dedicated to modern art. Real art. Name an artist from the 20th century and you'll probably see an example of their work. It took us longer to visit the entire first floor of the Ahmanson than it did for all the Broad building.

I agree you should visit the Broad building once. When you're through then head over to the Admanson for a real treat. I promise you'll enjoy the tour.

So all this 20th century art at the Admanson why no photography? Oh, you of little faith. It's there you just didn't look in the alcove. This little, bitty gallery is the first place we visit. Last year we saw our first Bressons there. Only a few but worth it.

The photography department does put on shows during the year but no real gallery rooms to show the permanent works. Why? The Getty on the hill has half of one building for photography and they haven't reached the 18th century yet. Only kidding. The Photography department said it will be another 2 years before they have their own space. By then still photography will be dead.

Mixed Feelings For LACMA Additions

2008-02-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

The new Broad building is fine especially the upper floor with the mutted sky lights. The rooms are large and well lit. Even with large crowds moving about the rooms the art was still accessable. The problem is the art on the second floor. Except for the Cindy Sherman works, which fills one large room, the remainder is boring.

Then we come to the first floor. Two large steel sculptures by Richard Serra fill the entire floor. That's from floor to ceiling. The result is very little light gets into the work. The postcard they hand out at the entrance to the Broad has a picture of one of the sculptures. Keep the card. It's the best view you're ever going to get of the work.

Overall the new additions are a plus. The outdoor art is terrific. The lamps, balloons, and the fire truck are fun pieces. To bad the kids can't play on the fire truck. The minus is the covered concourse of the BP Entrance. For an open space it's awfull dark and closed in.

I think the BP Entrance will really shine at night. We look forward to returning a dusk to capture the lamps in all their glory.

We will report more in later posts. For now here are the same two views that we showed in our previous post.

Going To Visit The New LACMA Thursday

2008-02-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

Visiting the new Broad building on Thursday, Valintine's Day. Here's what it looked like back in September '07. I have some earlier ones but they're on film and I just don't feel like searching for them. Considering I get maybe two visitors a week I don't think they'll be missed.

I'm not that interested in what's inside the building as how the Broad fits with the rest of the museum. I'll hold my judgement until I see the entire remodel. Isn't that what you're suppose to do?

Does Yahoo Search Do Blogger Better Than Google?

2008-02-06T08:21:00.000-08:00

I have been observing something interesting over the past few weeks. Yahoo does a better job of finding Blogger sites than Google search. The best way to show this is by example.

We have a second blog on Blogger called Laguna Beat. This blog centers around Laguna Beach and observations of this photographer. Last December I started putting images up on the Picasa web site which is a Google site for storing and showing off your images. I guess it's another Flickr. Anyway I have a post at the Laguna Beat blog that explaines where the images are located and which ones you want to download depending on the dimensions of your monitor. The title of the post is Screensaver/Desktop Background. I also use the Tags: Desktop Background, Laguna Beach, and Screensaver.

Now here's where it gets interesting. Do two web searches. One at Yahoo and the other at Google. Use the seach phrase backgrounds desktop starbucks. Laguna Beat will show up on the first page of the Yahoo search and nowhere on the Google search. Why? We have no idea. Laguna Beat is a Blogger site which everyone knows is Google not Yahoo. Yet Yahoo will see the tags we used and other words that match the search criteria. Starbucks was mentioned in a couple of Laguna Beat posts and there is a tag Starbucks listed. Yahoo web search finds this tag Google doesn't.

In all the referrals from a Yahoo web search we find that our use of tags was the difference in a high search result. We have yet to see tags used by Google to find anything.

Now for the weird. Do an image search at both sites. Yahoo finds no Laguna Beat pages and Google image search will - maybe if you go deep enough into the search results.

Referrals from Google are usually the result of the searcher doing a image search and going to the 10th or greater page in the results.

Adsense Makes No Sense

Adsense is another Google something. This week we received a card in the mail with a PIN number for our Adsense account. They instructed you to go to your account and input the PIN. We go to Adsense and put in our username and password and the response is there is no Adsense account under that username. Really? We get their e-mail newsletter and now the card with the PIN number but there is no account. We send a scripted help request to Adsense and they send an e-mail instructing us to do EXACTLY what we were doing in the first place. So we just said no and removed Adsense from our blogs. Can't be bothered with this shit.

The Bright Spot With Blogger

Does all this weirdness with Goggle products mean we will give up on Blogger? No. It's free and relatively easy to use. Not that easy but what is? Remember no matter what product you use they're all desgned by geeky programers and not by people experienced in useability. I mean look at the the edit window we use to create a post at Blogger. It's TINY. But it's free.

One other advantage to Blogger is the ability to have your own name in the URL. An example is Laguna Beat. If you look at the URL address in your browser it saids http://www.lagunabeat.com/ and not lagunabeat.blogspot.com. The blogspot address will still work but it's cool seeing your own URL in the address.

Oh My It's Worse Than We Thought

Update: February 9, 2008

We didn't know that Google had a blog search that was a seperate search engine. So we decided to test it. We did a search for Laguna Beach. Now you would think that a blog (LagunaBeat) that had Laguna in it's URL name, that used the tag Laguna Beach in every posting, and used the alternate text Laguna Beach with every photo posted would get at least one hit. Well I'm here to tell you it got ZERO hits. Nothing. Nada. ZIP.

Will someone, who can get through to the pin-heads at google, please have them explain this weirdness to me.

Alive And Well In Laguna Beach

2008-02-02T13:45:00.000-08:00

Insert Here

2008-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

This was one of those temporary walls they set up at construction sites. The access was fine except one little thing. The water hydrant was 6 feet from the access hole. A long reach even for a fireman.

Concrete Dust Everywhere - Camera Too

2008-01-30T13:58:00.000-08:00

This photo was for another blog we publish, Laguna Beat. Liked it so much I posted it here. A fellow behind the one laying concrete blocks was cutting a block with a power saw. Result was crecrete dust. Wind was blowing dust at the worker and the photographer. I could of gotten out of the way but the picture was to good to pass up.

Enough With The Rain Already

2008-01-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

You know when you've had enough rain when the flowers want to stay dry.

One to Ten Thousand

2008-01-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

I have now taken over 10,000 digitals images with my Nikon D40X. For someone who has been taking pictures for 50+ years this is weird. In the 60's a busy day for me might have been 4 or 5 rolls of 35mm-36exposure Tri-X film. The day wasn't over by a long shot. Back to the photolab to process the film, make contact sheets and then try to decide what if anything should be printed. With digital it's shoot and back to the computer, where-ever it may be, and load the images into the computer and then decide what gets put up on the blog. If it takes 1 hour in the digital world it probably took 8 hours in the analog world.

Do I want to go back? No. But I do miss black-and-white photography. I still have my 35mm cameras but no darkroom. If and when I can set up another darkroom and Tri-X is still sold then I will get back to b&w photography. But it will never again be my primary source for photos, that duty has been taken over by the digital camera.

The camera, a Nikon D40X, with a 18-70mm zoom was purchased the day photo one was taken, August 16, 2007. The camera was cleaned by Nikon once. This was required because of user stupidy. I have had absolutly no problems other than keeping the photo-cell clean and that was operator error. Since the camera was cleaned on December 1, 2007, I have had only one spec of dust and that was removed and since then nothing.

I do have one big grip with Nikon and you can read about it here.

Below is number one, the Laguna Beach lifeguard tower, and number ten thousand, the tide-pools flooded at high tide. The hardest part of taking both pictures was keeping the horizon level. Both photographs are complete and unedited. No cropping.

If you want to view my old analog camera work then visit http://www.photoessayist.com/. I'm especially proud of the work I did in Vietnam while serving with the Marines.

The New Look Of Main Street America?

2008-01-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

The New Santa Ana

2008-01-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

This is the corner of 4th and Main in Santa Ana. It's a rather pedestrain photo (pun intended.) I took the photo to show the Main St street sign and the old clock tower in the background. But there is something else going on in this photo. It's not obvious but it is unusual. No trash.

Look. You see any trash on the street or sidewlk? This could be Main St Disneyland, not a real street let alone downtown Santa Ana.

I lived in Santa Ana for 10 years and worked in the area for 20 years and nowhere would you see a street corner this spotless.

This is a changed city and we're going to do more photography of this town in the future.

Bowling Green With A Billion Dollar View

2008-01-18T15:51:00.000-08:00

What with the dollar collasping a billion dollars really isn't out of line. The green is in Laguna Beach's Heisler Park. The park's western border is the Pacific Ocean.

Laguna Beach Icon

2008-01-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

Laguna Beach's Main beach is one of the great beaches anywhere. The lifeguard tower pictured has come to represent Laguna Beach. We call it the Icon. It wasn't always a lifeguard tower. It started life as the office of the gas station across the street from Main beach.

Laguna Beach Fixer Upper Only 2 Million Plus

2008-01-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

This is the main house. The garage with an apartment above is behind the photographer. The problem any new owner will have is that they will have to work with the existing foot print and gut the interior completly. Looking around it is hard to believe that any part of this structure is worth saving. One problem many of these old houses have is with the foundation. Add in the slow approval process in Laguna Beach and you could be looking at a 5 year timeline.

4th Street, Santa Ana

2008-01-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

Very bright light. Contrast to much for the camera.

This photo was taken on 4th Street one block north of Main St. 4th and Main is the epicenter of life in this city. Saturday and Sunday this is one very busy place. Need to go back.

What's With City Daily Photoblog?

2008-01-15T08:43:00.000-08:00

I signed up to be part of the City Daily Photoblog and apparently I don't qualify. Just because I live in Laguna Beach, post a photo from Minneapolis and chose Southern California as my city does this disqualify me?

I just dislike constraints.

Going into Santa Ana, CA today. Don't know if I'll bring back an acceptable photo - that is acceptable to me - but we'll see.

Sound Off: Nikon Digital Eats Batteries

2008-01-14T20:48:00.001-08:00

I've had a great time using my Nikon D40X. Except. It. Eats. Batteries. Let me explain.

Whenever I transfer my photos in the camera to the computer I connect via USB port and wammo it's done. Now you must turn off the camera immediately. If you don't then Nikon will eat your battery.

Twice now I have forgotten to turn off the camera and the battery completely drained itself with the help of Nikon of course. These fancy new types of batteries cannot be completely discharged because if they are they will never get a charge again. $30 dollars up in smoke. Twice = $60. I don't like to use profanity in my writing but I'm pissed. At. Nikon.

They have an option in their camera setup for automatic shut-off. But not for low battery charge. They disable mirror lock-up if the battery is low. This means they can measure battery charge. They even show you battery charge on the info screen. But they don't have an option for shutting down the camera when the battery is low. Why not Nikon?

Nikon can easily add the option to shut down the camera on low battery to it's menu. It could even give you the option of beeping on low battery.

This request is not an option for Nikon. Just make the fix. Like. Right. Now.

Nikon please contact Photoessayist for the name and address where you can send the check for $60.

View From The Guthrie

2008-01-14T07:29:00.000-08:00

Our favorite state is Minnesota. We visit as often as possible and the last time we were there we took in a walk along the Mississippi river in Minneapolis. Ending our walk at the new Guthrie Theater. Even though it was a Sunday all visitors were welcome to go up to the observation deck on the third floor. That's the famous cantilevered bridge.

The photo below is from the deck looking through one of it's view ports. A few facts about the photo. It's not digital but Fujichrome 200. The camera was a Contax G1 with the standard 45mm lens. No tricks were performed with Photoshop or any other graphics program.

If you're ever in Minnesota visit the Guthrie. It's a fun building.

LACMA Reflects L.A. - Good and Bad

2008-01-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

After I posted yesterday's picture I looked at the rest of the photos I took that day. Looking at the first photo I realized the obivious - that there were several styles of archecture at LACMA. Even the railings in the first photo are of three styles. First is the concrete railing of the orginial Ahmanson building. Then there is the short section of concrete block(?) followed by a moden steel railing. Additionally there is four different outer skins of the two buildings. How L.A. is that?

The Pavilion for Japanese Art is classic L.A. archecture. It refuses to blend with the rest of the family but stands alone and proud. How L.A. is that?

Finally the pavilion that's suppose to unite the various pieces of LACMA. Now with the addition of the Broad Comtemperary Art Museum this pavilion will be regulated to has been. Uniting the orginial museum campus with the new buildings will be the BP Grand Entrance (Not shown.) Does this mean there will be two competing entrances? I think like most grand ideas from large egos the public will decide in the end. Now how L.A. is that?

In short LACMA is L.A. - constantly evolving, changing, and adapting to new needs and ideas. So L.A.

Note: I plan to get up to LACMA sometime this month and will post photos of the new entrance.

LACMA

2008-01-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken in the Hammer building just before the exit of The 60s and 70s Art of Southern California. Just after taking the photo a guard came up to me to inform me I couldn't take photos of the art. The problem at LACMA is that some galleries photos are allowed and in others they aren't. That's OK but nothing is posted so how do you know?

I only had the Nikon D40X for 3 weeks then and everything was set on auto except exposure. I have always preferred aperture priority.

I have the advantage of being able to visit the museums of southern California during the week when visitors are few. I especially like to visit the LACMA. Unlike the Getty it has a restaurant that is open when the museum is open. The Getty restaurant has weird hours. I guess they reflect the Getty's themselves. Plus when you visit the LACMA you can go to the Farmer's Market. Still a great place.

The Surf At Laguna Beach

2008-01-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

A lot of photo blogs like to give you the details in great detail. Me I'll give you the camera, Nikon D40X; and the lens, Nikkor 18mm-70mm F3.5-4.5 G AF-S DX. 95% of my photos are shot between 18mm and 24mm. I use aperture priority using to the highest possible f-stop while trying to stay above 1/125 sec.

The idea for this photo was to catch the Santa Anas blowing the water off the waves. I have others over at lagunabeat.com. Check out the screensavers while you're there.

I'm Still Here

2008-01-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

I haven't abandoned this blog. I have been working on another blog - http://www.lagunabeat.com/.

I have been slow at upgrading this blog - I admit it. I want to make a complete remodel and have been putting it off because of the work required. The style of the new photoessayist.net will be similar to lagunabeat.com. This requires an almost complete rebuild. This new look will allow for larger photos to be posted. This is a photo blog after all and having visitors click a photo to view a larger image is not friendly.

Once the remodel is complete my prime discussion will be my experience at going digital. I have been using 35mm cameras of some sort since 1957. That's 50 years! You can see that work at http://www.photoessayist.com/. Now I'm been converted to digital. There have been some bumps along the way but on the whole I love it. I have had my DSLR since August 16, 2007. I use it every day and I get restless when I'm not out taking photographs.

So stayed tuned.

John S. Krill - Photographer (Yea I like that.)

PS: I was reading a past issue of Time magazine while waiting in the dentist office (Don't know which is more painful - reading Time or the dentist.) The issue was about America and Americans. One of the many lists was one rating jobs and how happy people were at their job. Photographers were rated less than 50 out of 100. I don't know who the photographers were but if they were that UNhappy why do they bother. I love photography. I could photograph a toilet and enjoy it. I mean waitresses like their jobs more than us photographers. Something is not right here.

We Are Remodeling - Back Soon

2007-12-05T20:01:00.000-08:00

We are doing a re-design. We currently host another blog - www.lagunabeat.com. Check it out. That's right we are going WIDE. after all this is a blog about photos so why not show them properly. I personally dislike this idea of viewing those small pictures and having to click the picture to see a bigger version and then finding out the bigger version is at a site like Flicker and it takes forever for the picture to download because they also put 500 additional items on the page. Boring stuff. Will not happen here. Our photos will be hosted from our own web site - photoessayist.com.

So check back another time to view our progress.

John Krill - Editor, Writer, and most important - Photographer.