![<span id="date">_03/23/10_</span> <span id="title">Unfurling</span>
Not sure what plant this is, but it's very cycad-like and was near other cycads, so let's call it a cycad. The part I photographed looks more like a fern, though. Ideas? It bugs me when cool plants aren't labeled. Oh well.
In color, the background was pretty distracting, so I went B&W and added a sepia-ish tone. I also did some work with curves, vignettes and the adjustment brush to get the background more to my liking.
Did you hear about the Lightroom 3 beta? I'm not trying it out yet but I looked at the new features, it's going to be great!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#497693330_WLdVT">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-5hH5zTk/3/8fa644c7/L/2010-03-23%20Unfurling-L.jpg)
_03/23/10_ Unfurling Not sure what plant this is, but it's very cycad-like and was near other cycads, so let's call it a cycad. The part I photographed looks more like a fern, though. Ideas? It bugs me when cool plants aren't labeled. Oh well. In color, the background was pretty distracting, so I went B&W and added a sepia-ish tone. I also did some work with curves, vignettes and the adjustment brush to get the background more to my liking. Did you hear about the Lightroom 3 beta? I'm not trying it out yet but I looked at the new features, it's going to be great! [last year]
![<span id="date">_03/25/10_</span> <span id="title">Abstract Wisteria</span>
There's a yard down the alley with wisteria flowers that look like they're pouring over the fence. I took a quick shot with my phone but it wasn't remarkable, so I threw it into Photoshop and played around. I like this final look, it doesn't really resemble flowers anymore.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#499112342_gnMWr">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-9V3MJ8Z/3/6bbb972b/Ti/2010-03-25%20Abstract%20Wisteria-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/24/10_</span> <span id="title">Red Flower</span>
Cool red flower in the botanical gardens. It's growing along the fence, so I was actually out on the street when I took the shot, not in the gardens. It's nice when beauty spills out into the world.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#498505887_WqkPR">[last year]</a> <em>this one's purple...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-nDpV6Ld/3/8a83f655/Ti/2010-03-24%20Red%20Flower-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/23/10_</span> <span id="title">Unfurling</span>
Not sure what plant this is, but it's very cycad-like and was near other cycads, so let's call it a cycad. The part I photographed looks more like a fern, though. Ideas? It bugs me when cool plants aren't labeled. Oh well.
In color, the background was pretty distracting, so I went B&W and added a sepia-ish tone. I also did some work with curves, vignettes and the adjustment brush to get the background more to my liking.
Did you hear about the Lightroom 3 beta? I'm not trying it out yet but I looked at the new features, it's going to be great!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#497693330_WLdVT">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-5hH5zTk/3/8fa644c7/Ti/2010-03-23%20Unfurling-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/22/10_</span> <span id="title">Ice and Water</span>
Happy <a href="http://www.worldwaterday.org/">World Water Day</a>! Actually it's not happy at all - the day exists mostly to raise awareness about the millions of people around the world don't have access to clean water. It's certainly something most of us take for granted, especially in places like Los Angeles.
I really wanted to get a shot of water in all 3 states, but I couldn't get steam. Once I got the pan hot enough, the ice slid straight to the edge. I even tried multiple pans but had the same problem, so I settled on only the solid and liquid states. I used a snoot on my flash and lit it from behind and to the right.
And yes, I suppose I wasted a small amount of clean water for this photo. Sorry :(
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#496990093_8pXN5">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-ccnSQRm/3/0265916e/Ti/2010-03-22%20Ice%20and%20Water-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/21/10_</span> <span id="title">Runner in Motion</span>
Today I checked out the <a href="http://www.lamarathon.com/">LA Marathon</a> - it has a new route that finishes next to the Santa Monica pier after passing dozens of LA landmarks. I got this shot at mile 26.
I experimented with a lot of shots, such as focusing on shoes, faces, panning with the subject, and purposeful motion blur. I like this shot because I find the different blurs very interesting (from panning the camera and his body moving). I desaturated most of the background to make the runner stand out, and added a bit of contrast and clarity.
I have some more decent shots, I'll try and post them later.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#496210936_hKC8g">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-QhmbmdV/3/092df878/Ti/2010-03-21%20Runner%20in%20Motion-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/20/10_</span> <span id="title">Spring Wishes</span>
Happy first day of Spring!
Today I had a photo shoot at Stoner Park in West LA. As you can see here, there were cherry trees in bloom, as well as dandelions. I had a great time doing the shoot! You can see a few more pics on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/jawsnap-photography/329311657571">Facebook page</a>.
This girl is not new to SmugMug - her mom has her own daily photo project! Check her photos out at <a href="http://youandmeworld.smugmug.com/Other/oneaday">youandmeworld.smugmug.com/Other/oneaday</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#495418439_9gE6y">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-GqXgrrp/4/c909b461/Ti/2010-03-20%20Spring%20Wishes-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/19/10_</span> <span id="title">Bee on Sage</span>
After work today I rode out to the ocean along San Vicente Blvd, including miles 22-25 of the <a href="http://www.lamarathon.com/">LA Marathon</a>, which is happening on Sunday. I got this bee-on-flower shot of a sage bush on top of the bluffs in Santa Monica. I did a lot of editing in Lightroom, including desaturating the greens and yellows a bit, and adding some vignetting.
Also, thanks to everyone who told me what your first digital camera was in <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#813725173_aYojs">yesterday's photo</a>!
Have a great weekend!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#494899560_2fU6z">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-WLpZP2Q/3/32b5255d/Ti/2010-03-19%20Bee%20on%20Sage-Ti.jpg)
![<span>_03/18/10_</span> <span>Colored Floppies</span>
Traveling back to 1999? Have I got a camera for you!
At work we're collecting e-waste to get rid of - anything electronic or computer-related that is no longer useful. Among other things, it includes a Fujifilm MX-2700 (released in 1999) and about 4 million floppy disks (I chose the pretty ones). The camera has to be plugged into the AC adapter because the battery no longer holds a charge. I maxed out the quality settings on this 2.3 MP camera and each image took about 6 seconds to write to the 128 MB SmartMedia card. Looking through some reviews online, it sounds like it was pretty revolutionary in it's day. It's embarrassing that it was considered a pocket camera, though.
Ah, appreciating the all-too-recent past...
<span style="font-weight:bold;">UPDATE: Fotomom may have started something here! Tell me about your first digital camera in the comments!</span>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#494367762_pMKxJ">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-7rkKsZd/4/41a38fb9/Ti/2010-03-18%20Colored%20Floppies-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/17/10_</span> <span id="title">Heat Wave</span>
OK, so 80 degrees Fahrenheit isn't exactly a heat wave, but that's the temperature <em>inside</em> our house, which is a little much. Luckily it's supposed to cool down tomorrow.
This is a close up shot of our clock that includes a thermometer and humidity sensor. You may have already figured out that the long red, long black and short black lines are the second, minute and hour hands of the clock.
Also, <span style="color:green;">Happy Saint Patrick's Day</span>!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#493791981_JQ4Lr">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-ddbVj8M/3/28effa05/Ti/2010-03-17%20Eighty%20Degrees-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/16/10_</span> <span id="title">Spoon Drops</span>
I experimented with capturing drops tonight - it's pretty hard! I need to read up on how to do it, I think. This is the best I could do before I ran out of time tonight. It's actually vinegar being dropped into a spoon full of oil... which is sitting in water.
I'd definitely like to play with this more, but I need more stuff - like an eye dropper. Any other suggestions?
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#493102493_ivbjc">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-25N7X6r/3/87044035/Ti/2010-03-16%20Spoon%20Drop-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/15/10_</span> <span id="title">Fennel Heart</span>
It really looks like a heart, no? Shortly after this shot was taken this fennel was chopped up, tossed in olive oil, roasted and mixed with rice. Very tasty.
I took a <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/8246339_SpVpq#811432439_i249D">setup photo</a> if you want to see another makeshift kitchen studio :)
Also, happy birthday Mark!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#492342740_jmpuR">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-W6wGvh4/3/8c8747eb/Ti/2010-03-15%20Fennel%20Heart-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/14/10_</span> <span id="title">Mountain Licorice</span>
The licorice long gone, this can now holds little notebooks for people to document their accomplishment of making it to the peak. I definitely earned this photo. A fly stands guard and the colored stuff in the plastic bag appeared to be prayer flags.
I'm not sure what peak this is because it wasn't on the map. Instead of carefully following directions, we went up a fire trail that went along the ridge on the East side of Temescal Canyon. It was not meant for people like us to hike - it was built so that hotshot crews could get around when the canyon inevitably catches fire and they need to go fight it. It followed the contour of the ridge, regardless of how steep it was. Near the end, we were climbing more than hiking. But we made it! And now we have a good story.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#491651903_S4bTs">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-pZk7pJQ/4/427083ed/Ti/2010-03-14%20Mountain%20Licorice-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/13/10_</span> <span id="title">Tony</span>
This is Tony, one of 3 friends that my wife and I had dinner with tonight. We went to a place called Rosalind's in Little Ethiopia. That's right, Los Angeles has a Little Ethiopia. It's the block just South of Olympic along Fairfax, which are both major streets in LA. About half a dozen restaurants and some other stores with an Ethiopian focus are found here.
Dinner was delicious. I took photos of everyone around the table, and this was my favorite. Did some editing in LR, mostly to counteract the effects of ISO 1600.
Also, the time change is on Sunday! Don't forget to change the time on your cameras!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#490965078_UvJHQ">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-7J5JVxd/3/6be009f3/Ti/2010-03-13%20Tony-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/12/10_</span> <span id="title">Grand Power</span>
This shot is a close up of a pair of Lemaire Fabi binoculars. A quick search turned up lots of antique sites with people selling similar ones, but nothing about the company. Based on the ones for sale, these are about 100 years old, so that's pretty cool. My grandfather had them at his house, but no one knew anything about them. A little mystery is nice sometimes...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#490338670_UoSJE">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-DKzgvB6/3/fe2c1104/Ti/2010-03-12%20Grand%20Power-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/11/10_</span> <span id="title">Star Projector</span>
Today I got to see a planetarium show, which was fun! I don't know the last time I did that, maybe middle school? Here's a quick and dirty shot of the projector with the dome's curved lines providing the background.
I'm planning to go back - they do <a href="http://www.astro.ucla.edu/planetarium/">public shows</a> every Wednesday followed by telescope viewing. Yay space!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#489753586_Tvz4K">[last year]</a> <em>reminds me I should visit the poppy reserve this year...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-VPCSg6G/4/5bf09cc0/Ti/2010-03-11%20Star%20Projector-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/10/10_</span> <span id="title">Leaf Light</span>
This plant has caught my eye many times before - it's near my bus stop, and the afternoon light makes it look pretty cool. Until today, I'd never had my camera with me.
Thanks for the huge response on <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#806735825_4s2Cc">yesterday's photo</a>! I truly appreciate all the comments :)
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#489165549_YhTFL">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-XRLVBQh/3/b8564bde/Ti/2010-03-10%20Leaf%20Light-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/09/10_</span> <span id="title">Pre Pesto</span>
A tasty food shot for you today. This one is going on iStockphoto for sure.
Tonight I made homemade pesto without a food processor. I won't be doing that again for a long time... It turned out great but it was just too much work for too little return. Here you can see all the raw ingredients before they got chopped up.
Check out my needlessly complicated <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Utility/Setups/8246339_SpVpq#806731493_3NDkG">setup photo</a>!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#488518488_pi4kY">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-PB6w7Fz/3/8b2e1dd0/Ti/2010-03-09%20Pre%20Pesto-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/08/10_</span> <span id="title">Drum Man</span>
I didn't notice the figure painted on the drum until I started photographing it. Looks kind of like the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Alive-Live-EP-Pearl-Jam/dp/B000007QS9/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268109565&sr=8-3">Pearl Jam</a> stick figure, no?
Anyways, this is a drum we have at our house - it's fun. I set my aperture to f/1.4 to get the super-shallow depth of field so the blue man was in focus and the rear drum was fuzzy. I used a black cloth for the background and bounced my flash off the ceiling. I did some pretty extreme editing in Lightroom, but I think it still looks pretty organic. The main adjustments were moving the blacks slider way up and the vibrance way down to counteract the contrast.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#487701776_44mHE">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-t65fjqW/3/52414c78/Ti/2010-03-08%20Blue%20Painted%20Drum-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/07/10_</span> <span id="title">IronBruin Bicyclist</span>
This morning I stopped by the <a href="http://www.ironbruin.com/">IronBruin triathalon</a> that occus on the UCLA campus - 3 of my coworkers made up a relay team. Sadly, I didn't see any of them. But, I did see and photograph quite a few other triathletes.
I used this opportunity to practice my panning technique - I tried to follow bicyclists at this intersection as they made a turn. It's hard, I definitely need more practice. Out of about 80 shots, only a handful turned out sharp enough to not be throw-aways. This was my favorite out of those, which was taken at 1/80 second. Most of the other ones I did were at 1/50 second which seems to be too slow, at least at my current skill level. I'll have to find more things to practice on...
I also did edit the shot a bit to further soften the background, in addition to the motion blur from panning.
And for the record, I have no idea who rider #431 is :)
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#487076091_YReJs">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-rjM8R2w/3/2501a060/Ti/2010-03-07%20IronBruin%20Bicyclist-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_03/06/10_</span> <span id="title">Orange Flower</span>
Got this shot along the 3rd Street Promenade before I grabbed some food at the farmer's market this morning. It had just rained, so there were lovely drops on all the flowers. Added some vignetting and contrast in Lightroom.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#486417983_J4w8d">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-kRnPfHv/3/7e1d5eaf/Ti/2010-03-06%20Orange%20Flower-Ti.jpg)
Sundaresh Ramanathan
on March 28, 2010this is a great close up shot. love the tones. nicely done.
Jo
on March 27, 2010interesting shot, love the details and the fact that you caught it before it unfurled
219352dedmanshootn
on March 26, 2010perfect!
Ayumi Pantell
on March 25, 2010NIce shot. Did you ever find out what it was? I looked at it and thought it was warabi which I guess is a braken fern. If it's warabi, my dad use to take us out to collect them cause you can boil them up and eat them.
Deborah Irene Glessner
on March 25, 2010my impression was fern too
This is a neat image, and like it in sepia/ b&w
great focus and detail
SchmidtHouse
on March 24, 2010Very nice composition.
The Curious Camel aka gail
on March 24, 2010very nice
RuSu
on March 24, 2010Lovely shot. You did a great job in PP. Very effective.
WildeLifePhotography
on March 24, 2010I like your choice of pp. It really shows the details well.
dakotacowboy
on March 24, 2010nicely captured