![<span id="date">_09/23/10_</span> <span id="title">Preying Ants</span>
Sorry for the morbid photo, I wasn't feeling super creative today. It's interesting though, to see one of the most badass insects getting devoured by tons of tiny ones. Quantity > quality, perhaps?
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#659065972_VyCDB">[last year]</a> <em>one of my favorite iPhone 3G shots...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-Ct4pvZw/2/a6a8fe2f/L/2010-09-23%20Preying%20Ants-L.jpg)
_09/23/10_ Preying Ants Sorry for the morbid photo, I wasn't feeling super creative today. It's interesting though, to see one of the most badass insects getting devoured by tons of tiny ones. Quantity > quality, perhaps? [last year] one of my favorite iPhone 3G shots...
![<span id="date">_10/11/10_</span> <span id="title">Ghostly Figure</span>
For the past few weeks, if not months, our internet has been... sucky. We pay for 10 mbps download speed but were only getting 1.5 and it often dropped out. The cable guy came and replaced our modem and most of the wiring, and now we're getting over 30 - Sweetness!
In honor of this great achievement, I photographed the happily blinking LEDs on the front of the modem and router. I experimented a lot with zooming and rotating the camera while physically moving closer. I got a lot of neat swirly patterns, this being the most interesting. I saw a happy face and now I can't un-see it.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#677733607_65734">[last year]</a> <em>repetitive...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-5v4FJNg/2/404d0831/Ti/2010-10-11%20Ghostly%20Figure-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/10/10_</span> <span id="title">Vernon</span>
The city/town of Vernon, Southeast of downtown Los Angeles, is mostly warehouses. Looks lovely, no? Well at least it was a clear day so I could get this decent shot. I shot in RAW, at f/9 and added clarity and contrast in Lightroom to make it look as good as possible from the airplane.
I was flying back from Tucson, where we attended my wife's 10 year reunion. Highlights included El Charro, Golf 'n Stuff and a <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#1042381121_z4dwh">photo shoot</a>. Of course, the photo shoot was unrelated to the reunion :)
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#677611736_SUgYp">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-sPG58Xm/2/dab6a119/Ti/2010-10-10%20Vernon-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/09/10_</span> <span id="title">Eva and Amy</span>
Eva has made a <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#884884373_Qgc9N">previous appearance</a> in my One/Day Project, back when I was in Tucson for my 10 year reunion. I was back again today for my wife's 10 year reunion, and I did a photo shoot with Eva's parents, grandmother and great-grandmother. Four generations! Very cool.
It was a lot of fun, and this is my favorite photo of the bunch. I was torn between color and B&W at first, but this version really grew on me. Now I just need to go through the rest of them...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#675645712_HfDQh">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-RVVj3Tt/2/da4b7c9d/Ti/2010-10-09%20Eva%20and%20Amy-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/08/10_</span> <span id="title">Lot C</span>
The view from our favorite LAX parking lot at dusk. Pretty much a desperation shot...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#674696832_obKXz">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-JHHBfFL/2/2ccf7c9f/Ti/smugshot_7503855-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/07/10_</span> <span id="title">Red Dragon</span>
Turns out the sushi place nearby has free delivery! My favorite is this red dragon roll, which made its first appearance in the daily photos on <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#899023424_iPyQf">6/12/10</a>. It's basically a California roll topped with tuna and fried garlic. Mmm...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#673757676_YCKek">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-rK2JtHV/2/95e45175/Ti/2010-10-07%20Red%20Dragon-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/06/10_</span> <span id="title">Moody Sunset</span>
After record-breaking downpour during the day, I was excited to get some sort of "clearing storm" photo. I headed to the beach at sunset, but sadly it wasn't a good sunset. This is the best I got - I used a slow shutter speed to smooth out the waves a little. Adding a ton of vignetting and raising the black levels gave it this look.
In other news, I posted a gallery of <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Animals/SanDiegoZoo2010/">San Diego Zoo photos</a>. Check 'em out!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#672931565_sRYok">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-BFBDhT5/2/73790e7b/Ti/2010-10-06%20Beach%20Sunset-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/05/10_</span> <span id="title">Orb Weaver</span>
Other than a slight crop and some dust spot removal, this is straight from the camera.
I had to mail my rented Sigma 150-500mm lens back to LensProToGo today, but before I did I headed to the botanical gardens to get some shots. This shot is significant because at 500mm, I was able to really control the out-of-focus background. The upper black is simply an area of the gardens that was in the shade, and the lower green is grass that was in the open. The overcast skies helped, although it did force me to shoot at ISO 1600.
In other news, I'm finally caught up - my last 3 daily photos were posted late because I was away from my computer for a bit. Did you miss them? Check them out, I quite like them.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#671803657_jG2fp">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-zpCt9Ck/2/a4a7eeae/Ti/2010-10-05%20Orb%20Weaver%20Spider-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/04/10_</span> <span id="title">Penny</span>
My idea for this shot was to set the four common U.S. coins on edge and next to each other in order of decreasing size, but at different distances so that when zoomed in, they all appeared to be the same relative size. I was going to use focus stacking so that they'd all be in focus, even though the distance from the dime to the quarter was at least 1 ft (30 cm). Well... that didn't quite work out, so I went with this shot instead.
Did what I wrote make any sense? If not, check out the <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/8246339_SpVpq#1035645946_eGn2x">setup photo</a>, it might help.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#670399721_MotVG">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-7r3stdb/3/4e910894/Ti/2010-10-04%20Penny-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/03/10_</span> <span id="title">Bungeeing Birdman</span>
Today we made a quick trip to Sea World before an afternoon wedding. Congrats Tim and Crystal!
This shot is from the new dolphin show called Blue Horizons - it was under construction when we were here the <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#833936366_b5W5Y">first time</a> of our 2-day pass. In addition to the dolphins and pilot whales, they had all sorts of performers dressed up like birds. There were divers, and aerialist, and two of these guys on bungee cords. It was pretty cool!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#669369090_r68z3">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-rHBNX5Q/3/073abd7e/Ti/2010-10-03%20Bungeeing%20Birdman-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/02/10_</span> <span id="title">Western Gorilla</span>
(<em>Gorilla gorilla gorilla</em>)
Today my wife and I visited the San Diego Zoo! She had never been and I hadn't been in at least 10 years, so it was great to make the trip.
As mentioned in my last few dailies, I rented a monster Sigma 150-500mm lens that allowed me to take shots like this - it was a blast! I got a lot of keepers, but this was my favorite. I just wish that twig wasn't there... :) The lens was quite a burden to carry from 9-5, but well worth it, I think. I was able to get amazing close-up details of the animals that would have been impossible otherwise.
I relied heavily on auto ISO because the lens is very slow at f/5-6.3. A lot of darker subjects pushed it to ISO 1600, but I figured that was the price to pay for non-blurry subjects. The lens is certainly not of the highest quality - even my sharpest shots have some aberration and softness even stopped down to f/9. Regardless, I had a great time and highly recommend renting a super telephoto for your next zoo trip!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Animals/SanDiegoZoo2010/">More Zoo Photos</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#668221536_G6uoU">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-HVdmX54/2/8d0b2b54/Ti/2010-10-02%20Western%20Gorilla-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_10/01/10_</span> <span id="title">Dapper Duck</span>
This afternoon I went to a nearby park to practice using the Sigma 150-500mm lens with a monopod. It's not quite as intuitive as I thought - I'm glad I practiced.
Tomorrow we'll be going to the San Diego Zoo! Hopefully I'll come away with some good shots. Stay tuned...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#667444779_LxNDq">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-FZtg42R/2/8c104f16/Ti/2010-10-01%20Duck-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/30/10_</span> <span id="title">Palm Silhouette</span>
Not the most creative shot here - just a palm tree against some sunset-lit clouds. I failed to take more then a few test shots with the Sigma 150-500mm today, but I'll try again tomorrow. I rented a monopod which I think will really be necessary to make it through a whole day of shooting the San Diego Zoo.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#666466295_6qgkV">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-n4CKrtC/2/972bad86/Ti/2010-09-30%20Palm%20Silhouette-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/29/10_</span> <span id="title">Swarm</span>
I got my <a href="http://www.sigmaphoto.com/shop/150-500mm-f5-63-apo-dg-os-hsm-sigma">Sigma 150-500mm</a> rental from <a href="http://www.lensprotogo.com">LensProToGo</a> today! I got it early to practice before I visit the San Diego Zoo this weekend. I must say - it is a beast. Each of the lenses I own can fit inside the Sigma's lens hood. On my DX-format Nikon D80, the effective range is 225-750mm.
I took it down to my usual proving grounds near the beach in Santa Monica and took shots at sunset, which was quite lovely. Just before sunset, what appears to be every single seagull in the city decided to fly around the pier. It was quite a sight, I almost missed it.
So how much zoom is 500mm? I was standing over 1.2 miles (1.9 km) away from the pier when I took this shot.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#665617477_nvZLw">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-3WkqBQx/2/38e4e1a7/Ti/2010-09-29%20Swarm-1-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/28/10_</span> <span id="title">Tassel</span>
Took the easy road today - a desperation shot of the tassel things that hang off of a... hanging... on our wall. I really don't know what else to call it.
In Lightroom, I maxed out the clarity, vibrance and saturation to get this look. It's interesting to see the colors that came from such a dull original.
Look for a very zoomed in photo tomorrow! I rented a Sigma 150-500mm lens from Lens Pro to Go for a Saturday trip to the San Diego Zoo. Stay tuned for those shots...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#664419858_2sq4p">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-t4F46KR/2/d3e6b252/Ti/2010-09-28%20Tassel-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/27/10_</span> <span id="title">Pile 'o Staples</span>
My wife and I are re-upholstering some chairs. They look great, but it sure is a lot of work. 4 down, 2 to go.
For this shot, I built up 6 sets of staples into a sort of spiral thing, and shot at f/1.4 so that the nearby staple gun was out of focus. The off-camera flash was on a tripod to the right and slightly elevated, as you can probably deduce from the shadows. I made some wild Warhol-esque versions in Photoshop, but decided that I'd rather stick closer to the photo that came out of the camera.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#663312404_LWhLP">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-Rjw7vKb/2/e514599a/Ti/2010-09-27%20Pile%20%27o%20Staples-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/26/10_</span> <span id="title">Luminous Passage</span>
From the <a href="http://glowsantamonica.org/">Glow</a> program:
<em>A porous "land bridge" from Bay Street boardwalk to the shore, this glowing structure is an exquisite transition from urban forms to the open space of the beach and the vast Pacific beyond.</em>
The installation was by Hadrian Predock and John Frane. For those too lazy to click on the link, <a href="http://glowsantamonica.org/">Glow</a> is an all-night art festival with 20 site-specific light-related installations near the Santa Monica Pier. It's supposed to happen every 2 years - this was only the 2nd one.
This shot represents a first for me - two daily photos within 4 hours of each other! <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#1022495347_x9nME">Yesterday's concert shot</a> was taken at 9:06 pm and this one was taken at 12:57 am. It was a very long day/night...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#663191087_ZrTcJ">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-WHX5wmf/2/c3823e24/Ti/2010-09-26%20Luminous%20Passage-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/25/10_</span> <span id="title">Muse</span>
What. A. Day.
<a href="http://healthebay.org/">Coastal Cleanup Day</a>, lunch at the <a href="http://www.santamonicaplace.com/">Santa Monica Place</a>, then drove downtown and visited the <a href="http://www.grammymuseum.org/">Grammy museum</a>, had dinner at <a href="http://www.lalive.com/eat/wolfgang">Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill</a> and then the main event - <a href="http://www.muse.mu/">Muse</a> at Staples Center!
The show was awesome, even though we were actually behind the stage. Matt Bellamy is such a great performer, it's ridiculous. I don't remember what song I took this during - possibly Hysteria. I took several shots while the lasers were going, but most of them also had large blown out areas from the larger spotlights - this one was the cleanest. I also like it because you can clearly (for a phone) see all 3 band members.
Oh, and that's not all we did! After the concert we went to <a href="http://glowsantamonica.org/">Glow</a> in Santa Monica - an all-night art festival! We didn't get there until after midnight though, so you'll have to check <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#1022967846_tNymo">tomorrow's daily</a> for more details.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#663106657_a7iSt">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-NQJVfZT/2/35ffb72e/Ti/2010-09-25%20Muse-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/24/10_</span> <span id="title">Lime</span>
Got some tasty Mexican food tonight, including the typical margarita and chips and salsa, all pictured here. Not the most exciting photo, but I liked it better than the only other photo I took today!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#660162519_F2vpm">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-rxq3Wfb/2/1cbf0df3/Ti/2010-09-24%20Lime-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/23/10_</span> <span id="title">Preying Ants</span>
Sorry for the morbid photo, I wasn't feeling super creative today. It's interesting though, to see one of the most badass insects getting devoured by tons of tiny ones. Quantity > quality, perhaps?
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#659065972_VyCDB">[last year]</a> <em>one of my favorite iPhone 3G shots...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-Ct4pvZw/2/a6a8fe2f/Ti/2010-09-23%20Preying%20Ants-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/22/10_</span> <span id="title">Under the Pier</span>
Happy Autumn! I took this shot about 80 minutes before the equinox. I headed to the Santa Monica Pier to get either a cool sunset or moonrise shot, since they were occurring near the same time and I heard all about how great the moon was going to look tonight.
As you may have noticed, this photo is neither the sun or the moon, but it's definitely the coolest looking shot I got from the outing.
In other news, I finished my <a href="http://blog.jawsnap.net/2010/09/photographing-fishies/">blog post on the Aquarium of the Pacific</a>, including all the fun things I learned about shooting in an aquarium.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#658278511_SLzmX">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-Bc5rzF8/2/f860305b/Ti/2010-09-22%20Under%20the%20Pier-Ti.jpg)