D121 - Simple Walk

Two times a year for the past five years I have had the opportunity of capturing people who have come together to support and motivate each other. Friends, Family, acquaintances, and plenty of pups all come out to walk for the cause, to leave a mark on MS. It's nearly impossible to attend a MS Walk and not feel energized to do all that you can to get more people involved. Whether it's by volunteering your time or talents to help these events run  cost efficient or by sponsoring someone taking part in a walk. Every little bit helps to put leave a mark on MS.

Enjoy!

Ja mata, Beian

D120 - Jungle

Taking a break plan a lot of research and planning for a trip to the jungle, as Sara calls it. Really it's just a trail in Kent, but I'm not going to bust her bubble. In the jungle we picked flowers, walked the jungle, jerked back as little flying bugs constantly flew in our face, smacked mosquito off our arms, and climbed up and down countless stairs, it was a blast. In the process we came across some blue flowers, perfect for the photo of the day.

Enjoy

And one extra.

また明日

D119 - One More Alley

Found another alley that is perfect for a photo session in. It has plenty of brick work and lots of cool doorways, this place will be getting some attention soon.

Enjoy

Ja mata,
Brian

D118 - Apple up!

Just before calling it a night I had one more snack. Lots going on and getting ready for a shoot in the am, making this a quick post. Apple time!

Enjoy

Ja mata, Brian

D117 - Defenseless

Cutting your nails to me is like making yourself defenseless. It seems that every time I cut my nails I need them to do something like picking up coins, peeling off a sticker, or doing the caveman stomp. Not sure what the caveman stop has to do with the nails, but it is fun.

Enjoy

Ja mata Brian

D116 - Diamond time

So have you ever been to the jewelry store and seen those big Jewels in the display case next to the actual jewelry? Well Sara has had her eye on a big 'diamond' for months, and she finally got it a month back. She said it cost 'a lot of money'. Surprisingly, she enjoys looking through the diamond rather than looking at it. The reason being is that when she looks at Cleo, the dog that snores awake, about 8 Cleo's show up. Sara thinks it's the funniest thing ever Yay for jewels that make you smile.


Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian

D115 - Ugh!

"Ugh!" is caveman talk for: it's a picture of a toy. While there are plenty of Dinosaur photos on the blog, I wanted to get a few captures of the other side of 'back in the day' up. Cavemen rock, and I'm not just talking about the ones from Geico, pre-TV show, commercial. Favorite caveman movie hands down is Caveman with Ringo Star, you simply cannot beat 80's humor. It's too bad these neanderthal have horrible communication skills, they might have lasted longer. On the plus side of things, spelling bees had to be easy.

I will have to see what kind of trouble this Caveman can get into over the course of a few days.

Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian ---お誕生日おめでとう トニ-ちゃん---

D114 - Slides

Sometimes I really do miss shooting film. Maybe not the cost to develop and purchase it, but the end  results of shooting 35 mm to medium format and even Large format. I'm actually still in the market for a medium format camera, there is something about the crispness of the captures that I just enjoy. The below are some captures from this past summer shot on E6 [Slide film]. Since I don't have a light box, I used my laptop display and a white screen video on Youtube, not the same but it works.

Enjoy

Ja mata, Brian

D113 - Zoo Fun

Flamingos, Penguins, and Lion. Today was a fun day at the zoo, Sara has been talking about going there for the past few days. While it was slightly cold out, the animal were pretty active during the time of out visit. I have been told that if you wear green shirts to the zoo the animals react to you because that is the colors the worker wear when they feed or clean cages. Below are a few captures from the visit.

Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian

D112 - Flower Child

I really need to go shoot some more flower close ups, if nothing else Sara likes to pick out flowers at the store. Favorite flowers? Calla Lilly. What's yours?

Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian

D111 - Blue Guardians

Made a stop on the way home to capture the front of this church. Absolutely love the look of the front with the pillars, statues, and lights in the background. I would shoot a wedding here any day (hint hint).

Enjoy.

Ja Mata, Brian

D110 - Nepo | opeN

The bottom of a box of crayons, and yes there are 2 orange crayons...sometimes you need more than 1. The best part about the bottom of the box is all the little slivers of colors that collect there. Growing up I remember collecting these mini pieces and trying to create 'art', it never really worked out too well, but it was fun.

There are 1000 ways to do everyday things, explore some of the 999 other ways to experience it. Fair warning, some of the 999 ways just plain don't work.

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian

D108 - Fancy Brick

Oh Verizon, why must we be like this?  Today I receive a software update to my phone, nothing too fancy I would think.  After the update I get an error message and my phone is now a shiny thin brick. I run the brick over to Verizon, of course I look up a fix prior to making the run, to see if they can just flash the software and get me on my way. I can tell you it's not a good feeling when you pass someone your phone, explain the situation and the say 'Oh geez, another one, that is the forth one this week' and it's only Tuesday. In the end, they could not fix it and offer me to upgrade to the latest and greatest, I pass.

Once home, I re-Google the error, find a fix, flash the phone's software, and am back in business within 2 hours. I just love being able to go online and resolve an issue that looks pretty bleak in just a few hours and a little bit of reading. Sadly I'm back to factory defaults, but that is better than just having a brick  -Here is the link to the fix if you have a droid and it turns into a brick with the latest software update.

Enjoy

Ja mata, Brian

D107 - Best Medicine

So I haven't been feeling 100% for the past couple days since I am trying to shake a mean little stomach bug. While there are plenty of medicines that I can take to assist in getting me through this funk, I found the best ones this evening. My daughter Sara, she came over and asked if she could read me a story so I could feel better while in bed. Of course I said 'Yes'. Once she finished reading she let me know that if I dreamed about Dinosaurs I would be all better in the morning. I was already starting to feel better at that point. It's always interesting to see the world through the eyes of a child and get their take on solving a problem. Now how to bottle 'Dino Dreams' for mass consumption to cure all ailments.

Enjoy,

Ja mata, Brian

D106 - Ear buds

My normal headphones broke and I'm forced to user ear buds. While they serve their purpose I still have the hardest time keeping them in my ear in the least painful way. All this mean is that I will have to head out to the store this week and get a new pair. Funny, when I was younger I could put headphones through the ringer and they would last for months. These days they are easier to crack then an egg.

Enjoy,

Ja mata, Brian

D105 - CLE at night

Today was a busy shooting day. It started with the MS Walk Cleveland shoot at he Cleveland Browns Stadium followed by second shooting a wedding in the afternoon. At the end of the night, I was able to capture this scenic view of the city.

Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian

D104 Take a Leap

Well this is a leap year, why not take a big risk? Besides it's tough to win the game if you are standing in the bleachers.

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian

D103 - A good movie and...

You guessed it, popcorn. Whether at the cinema, on your phone, or at the house relaxing, it is the best way to make an evening fun. Plus there are so many flavors, including gourmet brands, which you would have to be crazy to not dig them. Especially The Chicago Mix from Garrett Popcorn. It's probably one of the first things I get when I'm in Chicago. With the weekend approaching I suggest grabbing a movie, a bowl of popcorn, and great night. Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian

D102 - Gear

As the season is starting to pickup with weddings and corporate events, much of my gear has been coming back from cleanings and calibrations with the manufacturers.  Love shooting with freshly cleaned gear, it is almost like shooting with new equipment. The only thing missing is the new camera smell.

Enjoy

Ja mata,
Brian
(and of course I fell asleep before hitting post last night. Awesome!)

D101 - Dream

夢 = dream. They are not just for when you sleep. Waiting for your dreams to fall into your lap bring about similar returns to playing the lottery. But chasing them actively, aligning yourself to be closer to them, and learning the skill needed will help tip the odds in your favor. That way, when 'the' opportunity knocks, you can answer and possibly accept.

Ok, 700+ more Japanese words to study.
Enjoy.

Ja Mata,
Brian

D100 - Triceratops

100 days in to this 365 and the first milestone is always the best. 266 more days to go and still so many things to capture. With Day 1 being a T-Rex capture, it seemed only fitting that Day 100 be the fossils of a Triceratops. The only question left is what to do for day 200. Whatever I shoot, it will be most likely Dino related. Off to study some Japanese, thinking of taking the proficiency test in July, because I just might need it.

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian

D99 - Branching Out

I feel old(er) saying this but 'Back in the film days' my first lessons were from books and VHS videos by John Shaw an incredible nature photographer. Much of the focus dealt with learning your gear by practicing and shooting. Shooting from different angles and heights while going through your different settings. For me, I spent a lot of time and money taking pictures of trees. Laying in the grass and looking up to take different crops of the branches coming from the trees, looking for patterns and design in the lines. Tonight I revisited those days.

Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian

D97 - Blade

Not really the sharpest sword but it makes for one great letter opener. I think Sara likes it more than I do and she always ask to open mail with it. Most of the mail gets mutilated when she opens it, then we play 'puzzle mail' to figure out what was sent. Enjoy

Ja mata, Brian

D96 - Return of the moon

Tonight, I was out looking to capture some images of the stars, but quickly learned that you cannot do this when the moon is shining bright. It doesn't matter where you go, dark fields, out of the way parking lots, or even in a dark field near a non-lit parking lot holding your coat up to block some of the light. All of this is for not if you do not have the right shooting equipment for stars, depending on what your are shooting of course. So when the moon is too bright, shoot it, and then share it.

Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian

D95 - Tubed Out

Today is tubing from the vacuum. I played around with shooting it straight on, from below, the side, from above and diagonals. I settled on shooting this from a high angle after curling the tube up for some depth.

Fun, On to the next day.
Enjoy

Ja mata,
Brian

D94 - Lines & Shadows

This is the outside panel to the door on the entertainment center. Captured from laying on the ground and shooting up. I have to open and angle the door to catch the light from the lamp to the camera left. This looking for different angles and shapes around the house is turning out to be a fun challenge.

Enjoy.

Ja mata,
Brian

D93 - Abstact Light

The last time around I captured an image for the same lamp from a different angle. This time I wanted a simpler, cleaner look. So a tight crop with lots of negative space for breathing room. The below image had inspired me to look for different angles and crops in more common household items. Sounds like the makings of a fun game called 'How can I make XX different? 'The Capture Games' resumed tomorrow.

Enjoy. 

Ja mata, Brian

D92 - Lemurs

While it was breakfast with the bunny at the Akron Zoo this mornings, but I took a moment to visit the Lemurs, they are Sara's new favorite animal. Since she didn't go with me to the zoo I decided to bring back a capture of a Lemur for her, she let me know this 'type' of Lemur was not the one she liked the most.  I guess better luck next time I guess.

Enjoy.

Ja mata, Brian Palmer