![<span id="date">_12/09/10_</span> <span id="title">Cage Reflection</span>
Today I had a meeting in the 'penthouse' of a building - it was a strange small room in the middle of the roof, with lots of HVAC stuff all around it. I took a few shots during a break, including this one that I liked because of the various lines.
In other news, I got a new camera today!!! But since I just got it, I won't be posting any daily photos with it quite yet. Stay tuned for more details tomorrow...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#736749656_8PdpN">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-G77rNf2/2/07b72cc0/L/2010-12-09%20Cage%20Reflection-L.jpg)
_12/09/10_ Cage Reflection Today I had a meeting in the 'penthouse' of a building - it was a strange small room in the middle of the roof, with lots of HVAC stuff all around it. I took a few shots during a break, including this one that I liked because of the various lines. In other news, I got a new camera today!!! But since I just got it, I won't be posting any daily photos with it quite yet. Stay tuned for more details tomorrow... [last year]
![<span id="date">_12/10/10_</span> <span id="title">Colorful Bench</span>
A bench at UCLA that sits under a bright red tree. It's one of the few trees on campus that dramatically changes color this time of year.
This was shot with my brand new Canon S95! I got it yesterday and shot everything I could today. I'll post a roundup on the blog. Overall it's pretty awesome. The image quality is great for a compact, and the level of control is really cool.
I've been wanting a new point and shoot for a long time - my previous model was an SD400 which served me well. Not counting iPhones, this is the first new camera I've gotten in over 3.5 years. I plan on using it primarily when the SLR would be a hassle, such as hiking or biking.
Full disclosure - I set the time wrong when I first turned on the camera, so this image's EXIF data says I took it yesterday at 9:59pm, when it was actually today at 9:59am.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#737692067_uaoNk">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-47QQhtr/2/b94d9cff/Ti/2010-12-10%20Colorful%20Bench-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/09/10_</span> <span id="title">Cage Reflection</span>
Today I had a meeting in the 'penthouse' of a building - it was a strange small room in the middle of the roof, with lots of HVAC stuff all around it. I took a few shots during a break, including this one that I liked because of the various lines.
In other news, I got a new camera today!!! But since I just got it, I won't be posting any daily photos with it quite yet. Stay tuned for more details tomorrow...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#736749656_8PdpN">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-G77rNf2/2/07b72cc0/Ti/2010-12-09%20Cage%20Reflection-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/08/10_</span> <span id="title">Curved Window</span>
I went for a walk around the neighborhood and came across this curved storefront. I like the variety of 'stuff' going on in this image, and I like the color effect. For you Lightroom 3 users, it's called Color Creative - Color CP 3.
Speaking of Lightroom, upgrades are out! Y'all should upgrade.
By the way, thanks for all the comments on my <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">Hawaii gallery</a>, I appreciate it!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#735941562_spJRN">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-2PL2VSx/2/7eb53ef6/Ti/2010-12-08%20Curved%20Window-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/07/10_</span> <span id="title">Pink Brick</span>
Today was sort of a single frame day. I did take another photo, but it was only for reference - I didn't want to remember the model number of a computer monitor I had to replace. This is the only 'real' photo I took - Royce Hall at UCLA just minutes before sunset. It's straight from the phone, except for a slight crop.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#735054896_Nk9M7">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-VVKnrKh/2/a9afd652/Ti/2010-12-07%20Pink%20Brick-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/06/10_</span> <span id="title">Color Splash</span>
This spectacular flower is a Torch Lily (<em>Kniphofia rooperi</em>). It's native to South Africa, like most of the cooler looking plants in landscaped areas around Southern California. I decided to go to the botanical gardens in the morning instead of my usual lunchtime walk because it had rained last night and most of the plants were still wet. It made for some nice photo conditions.
Except for a slight crop, this is straight from the camera.
I'm done captioning my <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">Hawaii photos</a>! If you haven't checked them out, now is the time :)
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#733706674_t5ngm">[last year]</a> <em>it's still vacant...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-Z39gJsL/2/a7582f4a/Ti/2010-12-06%20Color%20Splash-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/05/10_</span> <span id="title">Interlocking Carrots</span>
Desperation shot of some produce we got yesterday at the farmer's market. I simply set the yellow and purple carrots on the counter and arranged them in a line of alternating colors and direction. The lighting is an off-camera SB800 placed a few inches above and away from the line of carrots. I focused on one carrot and took the photo in portrait orientation, then rotated after.
The only time I left the house today was to pick up a fast food lunch, and even then I didn't get out of pajamas. It's lucky this photo happened at all :)
I did spend a fair amount of time geotagging and captioning my <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">Hawaii photos</a>, although I'm still less than halfway through captioning. You can map them all now, though! Just go to the gallery and hit the "Map This" button.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#732831619_ZGF2j">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-wTtLdKQ/2/a898fca6/Ti/2010-12-05%20Interlocking%20Carrots-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/04/10_</span> <span id="title">Tire Shadow</span>
Quick shot of a neat shadow outside the grocery store. I'm glad I stopped to take it - the bike and the sun were gone when we left the store.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#731917538_Sw7QF">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-HLDM6b5/2/1f811a82/Ti/2010-12-04%20Tire%20Shadow-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/03/10_</span> <span id="title">Pudgy Swirly Squirrel</span>
Not the greatest shot technically, but I couldn't resist photographing this squirrel. He's definitely in the running for the fattest squirrel I've ever seen. He's a little blurry because he was in motion, but the swirly tail turned out pretty neat.
In other news, my <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">Hawaii photos</a> are posted! I hope to have them all captioned and geotagged by the end of the weekend.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#731162467_GwVbN">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-rc8d8Cx/2/53a1acbc/Ti/2010-12-03%20Pudgy%20Swirly%20Squirrel-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/02/10_</span> <span id="title">Turtle Lei</span>
Another Hawaii-themed shot! This is the lei I was given by my cousin as we got off the plane (er, walked out of the terminal). They also gave us leis made of flowers that smelled wonderful, but didn't quite make it off the island - but don't worry, we didn't throw them away! This one is made of kukui nuts painted black with colored turtles.
To get the shot, I hung the lei from a light on our ceiling and pointed an off-camera flash at it while getting real close with my macro lens. Quick and easy.
By the way, my <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">Hawaii photos</a> are uploaded! There's still work that needs to be done, but you can at least see the photos now!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#730466910_RBzpA">[last year]</a> <em>I like this single-exposure shot...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-rFDZpBh/2/aa5355e1/Ti/2010-12-02%20Turtle%20Lei-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/01/10_</span> <span id="title">Afternoon Needles</span>
Kind of a desperation shot - I walked around at work and liked the way these pine needles were lit up in the late afternoon sunlight. This is not what I had in mind when I took the shot, but it turned out pretty cool with the multiple rays and all that jazz.
Happy December!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#729687822_SrfB9">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-jZsKC6F/2/67edc54e/Ti/2010-12-01%20Afternoon%20Needles-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/30/10_</span> <span id="title">Madagascar Ocotillo</span>
<em>(Alluaudia procera)</em>
A really cool plant in the botanical gardens. I've tried to shoot it before, but there's all sorts of difficulties - this is the best I could do with my phone. The thorns and leaves spiral up the plant and it looks really cool, but it's hard to get a good angle, especially without getting other nearby plants in the shot.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#728705064_c3czN">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-7Tm2NnJ/2/6f9f3928/Ti/2010-11-30%20Madagascar%20Ocotillo-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/29/10_</span> <span id="title">Laser Wine</span>
Today's photo was inspired by a laser pointer that I brought home from work. I wiggled the laser pointer around on the glass - mostly from overhead - for 30 seconds. At the end, my flash went off, which was placed to the right of the glass and used a snoot to direct the light and not light up the background. I changed the white balance in Lightroom to give a blueish hue to the glass, but otherwise it's been minimally edited.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#727257388_KzsjZ">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-gpZxKn9/2/9403a401/Ti/2010-11-29%20Laser%20Wine-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/28/10_</span> <span id="title">Turtle Head Die</span>
Despite American Airlines' best attempts to trigger a mental breakdown, we made it back home to LA after a fabulous week in Hawaii! We took a red eye and got into LAX around 5am. Shockingly, I've been wide awake most of the day.
Other than food we came back with very few souvenirs, but yesterday we stopped by a little art gallery and bought this ceramic die with various Hawaiian petroglyphs stamped on each side. My cousins gave us the cool wood turtle dish, and I felt like putting the two together would be a good photo. It's also a fitting post-trip photo, since one of the first things we saw in Hawaii were sea turtles hanging out on the beach.
In case you're curious, the other five petroglyphs represent a fish, running man, double canoe, spear man and rainbow figure.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">More Hawaii Photos!</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#727157004_zCqZJ">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-xjwMs3d/3/6ca0836c/Ti/2010-11-28%20Turtle%20Head%20Die-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/27/10_</span> <span id="title">Aloha Hawaii</span>
<em>Hawaii Day 8</em>
Last day! Sad to leave, happy we had such an amazing time!
This sunset was captured a bit North of the Kona airport. We spent most of the day driving there from Pahoa. We stopped at the Mauna Loa factory, Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo, and Akaka Falls, as well as numerous parking pullouts with breathtaking views.
Hope you've enjoyed my Hawaii iPhone dailies. Stay tuned for the SLR shots!
'Til next time...
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">More Hawaii Photos!</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#726981377_uCjUA">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-MxMtvrB/5/c55a1955/Ti/2010-11-27%20Hawaii%20Aloha%20Hawaii-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/26/10_</span> <span id="title">Lava</span>
<em>Hawaii Day 7</em>
Today was a relatively low key day for our 2 year anniversary. In the morning we went snorkeling at the Wai' Opae tide pools. I fell and scraped up my legs pretty bad, but otherwise it was awesome! Especially because we were able to walk there from our vacation rental.
Around sunset we took a lava boat tour (Dramamine is a must) to see the molten rock pouring into the ocean. It was... - wait for it - AMAZING! Steam was everywhere and the color of the lava was so vibrant. The raw power of the planet was just yards away from the boat. Incredible.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">More Hawaii Photos!</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#726898929_uRiQf">[last year]</a> <em>also stunning...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-7zL8C7T/3/a80e9278/Ti/2010-11-26%20Hawaii%20Lava-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/25/10_</span> <span id="title">Cairn</span>
<em>Hawaii Day 6</em>
Happy Thanksgiving! Although not traditional and not with family, we had a delicious meal at a nearby place called Kaleo's. I highly recommend it if you're ever in the Pahoa area.
Earlier in the day we travelled back to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hiked the Kilauea Iki trail that takes you down into a frozen lava lake that was molten just 50 years ago during the 1959 eruption. It was pretty amazing to see and walk across.
For those who don't know, a cairn is a pile of stones that some nice person stacked up to mark a trail. Since many of the trails here are across flat lava, they come in handy.
We also explored the Thurston lava tube and checked out the steam vents before driving all the way to the Mauna Kea visitor's center to watch the sunset, which was awesome.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">More Hawaii Photos!</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#724196512_To5Ep">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-GVHBPrV/5/7505955c/Ti/2010-11-25%20Hawaii%20Cairn-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/24/10_</span> <span id="title">Lava Flow</span>
<em>Hawaii Day 5</em>
Today we went to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. What an amazing place! I am in awe.
We tool the Chain of Craters road all the way to the coast and had a great time climbing over the flow that covered the road just a few years ago. We also saw the petroglyphs near there, and hiked a few other spots, although it was raining pretty hard at some of the higher elevations.
This photo was just some random spot along the road... so crazy!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">More Hawaii Photos!</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#723328468_G2EBr">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-mzrZPS5/5/c906e436/Ti/2010-11-24%20Hawaii%20Lava%20Flow-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/23/10_</span> <span id="title">South Point</span>
<em>Hawaii Day 4</em>
After a delicious breakfast at Big City Grill, we left Oahu and flew to the Big Island. We rented a car and drove around the South side of the island to our vacation rental on Pahoa. At least I hope we did - we're still driving as I type this.
On the drive there we stopped at South Point where people were jumping off cliffs into clear blue water. This marks the Southernmost point of Hawaii and therefore the United States. We also stopped at the Punalu'u black sand beach, which was awesome and really confused my camera's metering system :)
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">More Hawaii Photos!</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#722372930_5DHSo">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-LHwVfQ4/5/984e310d/Ti/2010-11-23%20Hawaii%20South%20Point-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/22/10_</span> <span id="title">Pali Lookout</span>
<em>Hawaii Day 3</em>
Another great tour of Oa'hu today, including this panoramic view of Kaneohe from Pali Lookout. We also visited the Byodo-In temple, went to Waikiki for lunch, and visited the Aloha tower. We also ate plenty of manapuas, malasadas and Ted's chocolate haupia cream pie. Yum.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">More Hawaii Photos!</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#721360353_Khekn">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-6H7NzPd/3/e39893ac/Ti/2010-11-22%20Hawaii%20Pali%20Lookout-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_11/21/10_</span> <span id="title">USS Utah</span>
<em>Hawaii Day 2</em>
This is part of the USS Utah, one of the 3 ships sunk on 12/7/41 that was not put back into service. On the other side of Ford Island lies the USS Arizona.
We also visited some places on Hickam AFB - it's nice to be staying with military folks :)
In the evening we went a luau at Paradise Cove. Such fun!
This place is so beautiful!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Travel/Hawaii2010/14883306_hHp9Z">More Hawaii Photos!</a>
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#720254934_6QWge">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Daily/Year3/i-p8cwcVC/5/5497039b/Ti/2010-11-21%20Hawaii%20USS%20Utah-Ti.jpg)
paulbellinger
on December 16, 2010I really like this one. It goes to show that you can take great photos no matter where you are or what you're doing.
John Bennett
on December 10, 2010Surreal reflection!