Cycad
2009-09-18
Like yesterday, I didn't get the species of this plant, but it's some sort of Cycad, which are holdovers from dinosaur times. "Living fossils" came up on several search hits. At least I think that's what it is.
This is a close up of the cone-type thing, which on this plant is fuzzy and kind of looks like overlapping hands that have lots of fingers. I'd like to try reshooting with the SLR sometime, it's a cool subject.
Tomorrow we're going to Disneyland! I'd say it's a pretty sure thing my daily photo will be from there, stay tuned...
[ last year - http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/Year1/i-pQCmRBX ]
![<span id="date">_08/26/10_</span> <span id="title">Light Bulb and Shadow</span>
Taken with my phone while out on a late afternoon walk.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#631496431_imd4L">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-4XXw8kf/3/e9c14fc5/Ti/2010-08-26%20Light%20Bulb%20and%20Shadow-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_08/28/10_</span> <span id="title">Square Shadows</span>
For the geometry-challenged, I should point out that these shadows are actually <a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=triangle">triangles</a>, not <a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=square">squares</a>. They are framing squares for woodworking, of course, which temporarily live at our house while our bay window is rebuilt.
I set them on top of a glass wall that stops about 1.5 feet from the ceiling. I ended up setting them on a book to get an extra inch and make the point closer to the ceiling. My remote flash is on a tripod behind them, creating the shadows on the ceiling.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#633160445_iy8EE">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-vLtFTmD/3/f513ffe9/Ti/2010-08-28%20Square%20Shadowsd-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_07/31/10_</span> <span id="title">iPhones</span>
This photo was shot for <a href="http://blog.jawsnap.net/2010/07/the-amazing-iphone-camera-comparison/">a reason</a>. I just finished a rather in-depth <a href="http://blog.jawsnap.net/2010/07/the-amazing-iphone-camera-comparison/">blog post</a> on the difference between the latest 3 iPhone models, and this is the banner image for <a href="http://blog.jawsnap.net/2010/07/the-amazing-iphone-camera-comparison/">it</a>. Please <a href="http://blog.jawsnap.net/2010/07/the-amazing-iphone-camera-comparison/">check it out</a>! Tell your iPhone-toting friends!
For this photo, I set all 3 phones so they were hanging off the edge of my desk. I used a paperweight to make sure they didn't fall off or slide around. This photo is actually rotated 180 degrees so I could shoot without leaning way over the desk. I used an off-camera flash on the side of the phones. Even though I cleaned them, there were still a lot of tiny dust particles that lit up - I took care of them in Lightroom.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#607551326_c3Wqr">[last year]</a> <em>ah, to travel by train...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-CHBPv5V/3/40a9b8ec/Ti/_DSC1968-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/Other/Black-and-white/i-Ct4pvZw/2/a6a8fe2f/Ti/2010-09-23%20Preying%20Ants-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/21/10_</span> <span id="title">Angels</span>
These handmade angels were a joint effort - my grandmother created the angels and my grandfather made the star that all 33 angels hang from. They've lived at my parents house for quite a while now and are part of our Christmas tradition. I like this shot because the angel looks like he/she is beckoning to come join the swirling angel party.
I got this shot by putting my S95 in full manual mode with the flash on at f/8 and .6 seconds. I'm still learning how to use it, but I'm pretty impressed with the manual abilities of this camera.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#747141710_YyKAo">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-s8kwzMS/2/8fa9a0de/Ti/2010-12-21%20Angels-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_09/01/10_</span> <span id="title">Foggy Palms</span>
I took advantage of some super-foggy conditions this morning to take some photos. I'm not very experienced shooting in fog, so most of them are less than spectacular. I'm guessing a tripod and a long shutter speed would help. I do like this shot though - the palm tree is very... hairy.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#637052998_VQMdg">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-MKfRVCh/3/71e9162e/Ti/2010-09-01%20Foggy%20Palms-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/Other/Black-and-white/i-ccnSQRm/3/0265916e/Ti/2010-03-22%20Ice%20and%20Water-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_06/27/10_</span> <span id="title">Typing</span>
As you may have seen from <a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year3/11272102_ACXDJ#914606053_3Sv6K">yesterday</a>'s photo, my parents came to visit! It was a short visit but we had a good time. They brought me some things that belonged to my grandfather, including a Remington Standard typewriter. It's not super-old, but it is fully manual. For this photo, I used my macro lens and a simple on-camera bounce flash while pressing down some of the keys. It's such a mechanically complex piece of equipment - I'll certainly take some more photos of it in the future.
At the risk of making some of you feel extra old, I'm pretty sure I'd never used a typewriter until yesterday! If I have, I don't remember it. It's fun, though - the main thing that struck me is how much harder you have to press the keys compared to a computer keyboard.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#575803468_ZQi8P">[last year]</a> <em>rawr...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-FWVHVdr/3/5066a31f/Ti/2010-06-27%20Typewriter-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_04/14/10_</span> <span id="title">Study Time</span>
This photo was taken at the Rosenfeld Library at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Everything is super nice - huge glass windows, open floor plan, comfy seats, glass study rooms...
I liked having the high vantage point with the large window, and it helps ensure that no one is recognizable. I thought this scene had a nice balance to it.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#512790450_4Hmy2">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-fzrj4r9/3/dabf31e7/Ti/2010-04-14%20Study%20Time-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_12/15/10_</span> <span id="title">Condensation</span>
It rained today. Sort of. Not really - it was just really misty. After eating lunch in the very chilly botanical gardens I set out to find a photo of the day and focused on these plants that just seemed to attract water. The bush next to it had no water on it's leaves, but as you can see, this one had lots.
By the way, I shot this with my new Canon S95! Would you like to know more about my experiences with it? Super! I wrote a blog post - <a href="http://blog.jawsnap.net/2010/12/day-1-with-the-canon-s95/">Day 1 with the Canon S95</a>. Includes 36 lovely full-color photographs!
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#742193771_F3cZK">[last year]</a> <em>zooooom! ...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-TMzHDL9/3/34b59b49/Ti/2010-12-15%20Condensation-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">__02/04/11__</span> <span id="title">Backlit Spines</span>
Some prickly pear in the botanical gardens, some other cactus in the background. I found some other really great subjects today, but I was unhappy with how the S95 photos came out. I'm hoping to take my SLR and macro lens to work next week so I can try again.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#781269949_FE4ax">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-w2RnLgt/2/a2cbc5c6/Ti/2011-02-04%20Backlit%20Spines-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_05/27/10_</span> <span id="title">CAA Afternoon</span>
Tonight I saw a lecture at the Annenberg: David Griffin, the new executive editor for electronic publishing at National Geographic. He was formerly the photographic director, and he gave a great talk about the inner workings of the magazine, how the stories develop, and how photographers deal with the unexpected. Talks are on Thursday nights, 6:30-8pm and include a Q&A. Here's the <a href="http://www.annenbergspaceforphotography.org/events/iris_nights.asp">calendar</a>. Oh, and it's free of course.
In this photo, the Annenberg is up the stairs on the right and out of view. The incredibly opulent building I'm standing in houses the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Artists_Agency">CAA</a>. You know the money-grubbing, suit-wearing, short-tempered, over-caffeinated Hollywood agent stereotype? This is where they work.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/gallery/7157835_BfJPF#548225384_4mUk3">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-NwcQLTC/3/464a859d/Ti/2010-05-27%20CAA%20Afternoon-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_06/18/10_</span> <span id="title">B&W Rose</span>
My wife brought home some lovely flowers today that she got at work. Since I was sick for a 3rd (and hopefully final) day, I needed a shot of whatever I could get, so I chose this rose. I didn't find the original shot very interesting so I lowered the reds while raising the magentas to get some highlights on the tips of the petals.
To me, it looks like an electron microscope image.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#567952409_2Jxb4">[last year]</a> <em>I actually kind of miss house hunting...</em>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-HNTBzDw/3/644b5264/Ti/2010-06-18%20B%26W%20Rose-Ti.jpg)
![<span id="date">_07/20/10_</span> <span id="title">iBeams</span>
Recent construction along the 405, shot with my iPhone. Get it? iBeams instead of I-beams? Like it's an Apple product? Hilarious, I know!
I probably could have gotten a better composition, but I didn't stick around long because there were signs saying the sidewalk was closed. Of course, at 5pm no one was working, so the chances of getting crushed by a crane or giant steel bar were pretty slim.
<a href="http://www.jawsnap.net/Daily/year2/7157835_BfJPF#597248967_wqBSq">[last year]</a>](https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Black-and-white/i-72kHn6S/3/39e0c94b/Ti/2010-07-20%20I-Beams-Ti.jpg)
fotomom
on September 19, 2009What great texture. Neat plant.