Happy New Year!

Has everyone got there copy of the Mayan Calendar yet? It's going to be 2012 VERY Soon!

TRAVEL WITH THE BLUE DOG

Continuing east on Sheridan from Movie Row, the sidewalk will bring you to the bus station. Another landmark building in the Art Deco style.

Kansas City was the destination shown on the marquis located in the upper part of the windshield.

This bus was announced to leave in five minutes. Noticed that there was not alot of passengers.

Greyhound Bus Lines operates from this terminal. Not so many years ago this was a very busy place, with buses coming and going every few minutes transporting passengers from one coast to the other and all places in between. I wonder how long this mode of transportation will survive? I would hate to see this old familiar structure go by the wayside!

Kickin' Along the Sidewalks

part 3 



HOLLYWOOD CONECTION

These art deco styled buildings were the distribution point for films from the movie studios in Hollywood. If you had a movie theater in Oklahoma, your films came from the Movie District.

All the studios had a building with their name on it. MGM, Universal, Paramont and all the others proudly hawked their films from this block of  structures.

This jewel is across the street. Saved by an entrepenuer who recognized the beauty and significance of one of OKC's early buildings.

In the middle of recieving a new paint job to bring it back to its original color, is this fine art deco gem!

Kickn' Along the Sidewalks

Explore The West Coast!

Yellowstone Lake

Mono Lake

The Feeding Ground!

No bread this time, just minnows.

Red flowers

Couldn't help but notice that I had several pictures of red flowers from this most recent trip to Hawaii... Don't know any of their names but they sure are pretty to look at.

KICKIN" ALONG THE SIDEWALKS

DEVON TOWER

In need of fresh pics and also a want to be outside capturing scenes which this picture taker is not used to taking, took the bold step and ventured to the streets of Oklahoma City! Sidewalk photography is a new venue for him!

MOVIE DISTRICT

In my new series of Kickin' Along the Sidewalks I hope to bring you a view of everyday views and those scenes that most of the people drive by and never notice.

MOVIE DISTRICT

The only way is to hit the sidewalks and start clicking!

BUS STATION

People going and people coming!

LUNCH IS SERVED

We will catch lunch with the construction workers!

THE ARTS DISTRICT

Visiting the arts district will be a real treat!

Nothing like a warm winter day to get the body up and moving! I have been giving thought for some time about this photography adventure. All of the Pics in this series will have no editing, processing, frames, (just our blogger format) . or anything other than what was composed by the snapshooter himself. My choice is to have these pics pure and taken for just what they are. What I saw!

This was a  most enjoyable day! If you have the Winter Blahs, get out on your sidewalks, and Snap a few shots!

Kickin' Along The Sidewalks, will begin tomorrow, get your kickers on, we got a few miles to cover!

  

Virginia City, NV.

These are old photos from 8 years ago that we visited Lake Tahoe with my first DSLR camera D70.  There are some great history in this little town, I could not remember how's this little town started.  So therefore, I copy, and pasted the article below from Nevada.com for more details.

Project History: 

Established upon discovery of the famed Comstock Lode in 1861, Virginia City quickly grew to become the richest mining boomtown in the world. Like many mining towns, Virginia City was impossibly sited on the steep slopes of Mt. Davidson in Nevada's Washoe Mountains. The twisting roads to nearby Reno and Carson City are still spectacular trips through time and some of Nevada's most breathtaking country.

The wealth of Virginia City spread far in the late 1860s and 70s. More than $400 million in high-grade silver was mined during the 20-year boom that put Virginia City on the map, and helped make Nevada a state. The wealth of the Comstock Lode also built San Francisco, and provided a needed boost to the Union effort in the Civil War. During this period, Mark Twain also began his fabled writing career here more than 140 years ago, reporting for the Territorial Enterprise.

At its peak, Virginia City was a rollicking town of nearly 30,000 residents. There were visiting celebrities, Piper's Opera House, opium dens, competing fire companies, fraternal organizations, at least five police precincts, a thriving red-light district, and the first Miner's Union in the U.S. The International Hotel was six stories high and boasted the West's first elevator, called a "rising room.

After decades of hard times and decay in the mid-1900s, today's Virginia City is remarkably preserved. The wooden sidewalks and lively storefronts along 'C' Street giving a good glimpse into the past. Opulent casinos and saloons like the Delta and Bucket of Blood still draw patrons to a truly authentic taste of Old West history. Within walking distance of 'C' Street are fine old churches, lavish Victorian mansions, old mine structures and score of nineteenth century homes.

The city, with the surrounding Comstock Historic District, encompasses the Comstock mines, and the towns of Gold Hill and Silver City where it all began. The entire area is now a National Landmark and is easy to reach, just 23 miles southeast of Reno and 23 miles northeast of Carson City.

Wild Wild West!

This is an old picture from last the summer that went to Utah, I have done some layers in CS5 to convert this photo to antiques looks.

Since, we are approaching 2012, I hope we could see some photos posted in this blog from our new members.

Happy New Year Everyone.

More fun in the sun!

Right under Diamond Head is a favorite place for the sailboard crowd. Captured both of these images with the Sigma 120-400 at 400mm hand held.

Working for the shot

I took this photo about three years ago on top of a mountain just outside of Phoenix, AZ. It took me about an hour and a half to get to the top of the mountain and I will be the first to admit that I wasn't climbing the mountain to get this picture.

I'm not sure I understand why anybody climbs a mountain for fun!

STAR of WONDER

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas

A very Merry Christmas to all, I trust this special day finds everyone with friends and family!

Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)

It is said

that a picture is worth a thousand words... I suspect you could could write a whole novel around this picture!

Found these two items just as you see them while walking through the Ala Waia Yacht Harbor.

Back Off!

Apparently I was getting too close for his comfort so he was giving me "the look!"

I'm still having to dig through the old photos because I haven't had time to get out and do any shooting. Christmas shoppers have kept me busy so hopefully after this weekend I will have a little free time every week to get out and do some shooting.

Random wedding photographer...

While wandering around Magic Island Park (near Waikiki) my wife and I came across a number of "just married" couples getting there photographs taken by some very seriously equipped photographers. All very professional to be sure!

At one point we came to this couple on one side of the path we were on and the photographer on the other side. My wife and I waited for a few moments while the photographer took a few more pictures after which we were welcomed to walk through the shoot. On our way through I motioned to the newlyweds that I would like to take their picture, they were delighted and posed nicely for this photo.

How's that for a "Shot of opportunity" LOL!

Famous Hawaiian

Recognize this guy? This is actor Taylor Wily who plays the lovable bad guy "Kamekona" on the new Hawaii Five-O series.

FIRST DAY OF WINTER

Also known as " The Winter Solstice ". I have two calenders, one calling the 21st the day, with the other naming the 22nd the official day. Either way winter is upon us! We have not seen our first snow yet but I'm sure one will reach us in due time.

This has always been a Special Day for me as the 21st of December was my Mother's Birthday and my first grandchild, Heather, was born on this day also!

Back to the future!

The top picture it was straight out from the camera, and I just want to take you back 76 years from now!

Paint a Subject With torchlight.

Since is cold, and wet outside.  I have decided to stay indoor to do a little project that I want to share with you. This project took me about 10-15 min. to shoot, and $3.50 for the apples.
Equipment: Nikon D3 with 24-70mm f/2.8.

1. The first thing you need to do is to set up your camera securely on a tripod.  For this shot, I need my camera to point directly down, which was easy with the Manfrotto, as the center column can be horizontally with ease. Set manual exposure mode, and aperture of f/8 or f/11 for optimum sharpness and a starting exposure time of between four and eight seconds.

2. Compose the image using the viewfinder and focus on the subject.  Once you've focused, switch the lens from AF to manual focus, because when you switch off the room lights, you camera won't be able to focus in the dark.  So long as you don't zoom the lens or move the camera(or subject), the image should stay correctly focused.

3. Switch off the room light and get into position.  Press the shutter button and move the torch in random directions and angles to paint your subject with light.

4. By changing the angles from which you light the subject, and the amount of time you spend lighting different areas, you'll be able to produce very different results.  Experiment with fast random torch movements or more controlled paths of light.  You'll also find that a normal torch "Maglite" gives a warm, orange cast, while an LED torch gives a brighter and whiter effect, so try both!


Thanks for reading, and Good Luck!

Gecko

The elusive "Green Flash"

"Ever gazed upon the green flash, Master Gibbs?"
"I reckon I've seen my fair share. Happens on rare occasion; the last glimpse of sunset, a green flash shoots up into the sky. Some go their whole lives without ever seeing it. Some claim to have seen it who ain't. And some say—"
"It signals when a soul comes back to this world, from the dead!"

(Excerpt from "Pirates of the Caribbean")

So here it is... The elusive green flash just at sunset! Other than being cropped and resized for the internet this picture is as shot. What a rare and special treat to have seen this and a complete bonus to have captured it with the camera!

Setting Sun

A favorite thing to do at the end of the day while visiting the Islands is to go down to the shore and watch the sun set (with the camera along just in case...).

This is about 25% of a much larger picture shot handheld at 400mm (Sorry Q didn't bring the tripod to Hawaii).

JUST HANGING OUT

A couple of weeks ago, before all the leaves were gone, spotted this funny looking guy taking a nap on the moon! Guess a little rest before the big night is not a bad idea!