So another year has ended...

I hope no one I offended

It's time to get out of the hole

and reach up for a new goal

avoid the mess,

do not stress,

and drive towards success!

________________

I spent one hour

with the photoshop power..

OK Enough!

_____________

Count your blessings,

remember the people you love

Thanks

George N.Zenovich Courthouse

Fresno, Ca.

An artists reception was held at the new courthouse in Fresno

featuring 250 images from around the valley. The images are 20 by 30 framed

and are stunning! 6 of them are from my collection.

Thanks to Karen of Blue Moon Gallery and

Bob & Greg from Fotech Digital Imaging.

Senator Hillary Clinton makes Fresno appearance.

Senator and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton

stopped to campaign at Fresno High School this

morning. The senator touched upon health care

and how we should have choices for individual

health care. She had also mentioned if the war

is still going on...she will end it. The key word

for the rally was changes. There was a large crowd

on hand to show support for the democratic choice.

On Making a Music Video

Day one: Location confidential!

Setting up for stationary location shot.

The driving shots were done first.

Day two: At the Club.

Pictured above are Analyst and Vico, who will be in the

video. (Analyst wrote the song. It's actually

pretty good.) There was a lot of dancing that night.

Day three: Filming the finishing touches on it.
Vico and Analyst pictured above are actually working.

Travel notes: Don't let anybody tell you
about finishing on time. The job gets done when it
gets done! I actually got lost..twice on the
third night. The song is a cool, dancable rap song.

Also: Always carry jumper cables in your car...and

a flashlight. They come in handy just in case one

of the star car's battery goes dead. Everyone

worked hard to finish on time.

HD DVD vs. BLU-RAY

I have started a project where comparisons are noted in new DVD technology.

The field of DVD's is changing faster than you think. There is a higher quality

product available, actually two standards of higher quality.

The High definition DVD offers a noticable sharpness when

played on a High defintion system. But in seeing how Blu-Ray

plays on the improved system, there is no comparison!

The Blu-Ray offers incredible sharpness!

Price

The price of a high definition system is a little more than a normal one.

The Blu-Ray DVD machine, a good one, costs between $425 to $500.

Now you can go and make your own comparison.

Coming up:

New DVD releases in HD and Blu-Ray

San Fransisco Golden Gate Bridge

as photographed on Saturday, August 25th, 2007.

Historic View.

Travel notes:
There were too many people on the weekend.
The best time obviosly is during the week.
I couldn't get to the desired location(north end, looking
towards the City).
There will be a next time.
Car of choice: 2007 Toyota Corolla.
Music of choice included CCR, The Who, Jethro Tull,
Dave Matthews, Paul McCartney and Deep Purple.

Grank Funk guitarist Mark Farner

performed at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk

on Friday, August 24th, 2007.

The veteran rocker still had it as he

performed two shows at 6:30 and 8:30.

The set list included In Need, Mean Mistreater,

Some Kind of Wonderful, Inside Looking Out

and I'm Your Captain.

He will be coming to Fresno in April of 2008!

The Turntable as Art:

a color study in blue.

Boredom during summer, more classes around the corner.

Books read, movies seen, how many red bulls did I drink to get this image?

(again, in photoshop, tweak the image in curves and

experiment with the bule channel).

Choose your own idea and photograph it

on a white background.

Mitt Romney makes Fresno Stop!

Mitt Romney stopped in Fresno at

La Boulangerie to campaign

on the issues important to voters.

Mr. Romney before questions from the press.

It will be interesting to see how all the candidates
will fare in next years election. With so many places to go
and people to see, the process is much more
complicated than ten years ago.
(You got to give him credit for being a republican.)

The Camera as Art!

This is my 100th post!

There is nothing you can't do as an artist. You take a basic

photo, clean it up, and run a curves adjustment(in photoshop).

I have a favorite choice...but you can experiment

to your liking!

Graphic Illustration

I am thinking of including this as a greeting card, but

it needs a little more something.

Tell me what you think.

Feedback welcome!

National Geographic photographer in Fresno!

Bob Krist (above left) shared travel notes and stories

to a full room with about thirty people turned away!

He mentioned the common problems to solve when out

in the field: bad weather, time limitations, language and logistics, access and

overfamiliarity. He shared details of his travels and stunned us

with magnificant images from New York, The Carribean and Tuscany.

Mr. Krist has written several books and will soon have a new one out.

For more on travel photography, get "A Sense of Place" by Krist.

In Honor of the Fourth of July,

and our freedom...

This is a take on a Jasper Johns print. But of course I did it

my way. Take a moment to reflect how we got here to 2007.

Take a moment to read the Declaration of Independance.

Freedom isn't free. Brave individuals paid a price, or gave it 100 percent to

start a small nation, 13 colonies. They were diverse, yet they

all had the same idea. These individuals were tired of the status quo.

They nation grew, as did our zeal.

Here is another creative look at how two ideas can come together.

The 2007 Christian Music Awards

at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA

Pictured above: noteworthy photographers!

Artist Carmen commenting on the heat in Fresno

Masada with Marilyn Fernandez: true talent!

Ty Tribbett works the crowd.

This guy has so much energy! I was amazed.

He is the male artist of the year.

Martha Munizzi and Ty Tribbett

Ladies and Gentlemen!

The new Adobe Creative Suite 3 has arrived!

This has Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and a

whole lot more. There are also new features: An improved camera raw,

in Photoshop and live paint in Illustrator. There is even

Flash and Dreamweaver features.

This whole package naturally has tutorials explaining

all three program features, which makes for a great learning tool!

For those of you interested:

You can attend the Illustrator CS3 seminar in

San Francisco on Tuesday, May 22nd.

It is at the South San Francisco Conference Center.

This seminar includes Vectors, Brushes and Type, Layers,

Objects and Groups and Effects and Filters.

It is in depth.

Price: $99

Sponsered by NAPP.

Sunday fun at the Clovis Rodeo!

The Clovis Rodeo wrapped up on April 29, 2007.

Below is some of the action of this great event.

Bareback bronco event.

Calf wrestling.

Barrel racing.

The main event:

Bull riding

Just one more!

Photographers notes:

Yea, it was hot! I hung in there. This rodeo is not for wusses!

(To the cool woman from Gilroy, hope you get to see these.)

Timing and location are what makes the great shots.

The between the action times are great for capturing a

slice of life(behind the scenes).

Till next year.

The Clovis Rodeo 2007!

This collection of photographs show the process

of roping a calf. Giddyup!

Closing in.

Almost got him.


dismount of the horse.



Putting the calf on it's side.

Tying up the legs.

Done!

The Clovis Rodeo is on this weekend.

April 26th to the 29th.

You gotta try the tri-tip sandwitches!

Conservation Fair at Fresno State!

A team of energy experts(students actually) man one of the booths in

an effort to increase awareness of conserving energy on campus.

Some of the sponsers supporting the event.




Spin the Wheel.
The questions were geared toward energy
consumption and conservation in California.
Halftime, the Fresno State mascot gets involved.



What better way to enjoy the day with a pie eating contest.

In the news.

A warehouse owned by Zacky Farms caught fire in
South Fresno near downtown. The warehouse contained feed and grain.

No one was injured, the cause of the fire at this time is unknown.

The message is clear.

He has risen from death to life!

The ultimate sacrifice!

For us.

Happy Easter!

When you send a message that is worthwhile,

keep it simple, make it bold, go for impact.

Don't overdo it, or you lose effectiveness!

Magazine of the Month!

I said it before, and I say it now: Great how-to tips

on applying special effects to photos. There are product

and book reviews. This issue gives you a detailed look

into the new CS3 BETA version!

The Art of Photographing Clouds

These are cirrus clouds.

They are high wispy clouds and are made up entirely of ice crystals.

Late afternoon is often the best time

to photograph them.

Sky and Moon

A creation like this comes along once in a blue moon.

I changed the hue of the moon via photoshop and added

it a week later. The cloud shot has increased contrast, it's

cool how the top of the sky ended up so dark.

I saw a documentary on war photography the other day.

Photojournalist James Nachtwey was featured. I saw

powerful images in black and white. When

you're photographing people who are grieving for a

killed family member, the only way you are ever going to

get that chance is if you have gotten to know

the people and spend time with them.

They accept you.

Other images shown were people in shacks,

cooking and doing daily chores.

There are people in Indonesia

living right by railroad tracks.

This is news.

And those are real people.

Kindness and honesty go a long way.

____________________________

In photojournalism,

those who get shot are the ones on their

first assignment or...

those who have been at it so long they think

they're bulletproof!

-from the CNN documentary on

war photojournalism

Magazine of the Month.

The original National Geographic!

Boxing in Clovis

Boxing is a sport of discipline for the young and

the seasoned. It's a challenge to get

a great shot in a split second. Of all

the photos taken, this was the best shot.

Just one more:

Shadowboxing.

Women can get into this sport too!

On Photographing the Fashion Element.

I thought it would be fun to

photograph a fashion watch and

accent the face of the watch

with creative lighting. I

ended up making images of a whole bunch of things

and creating a new portfolio called:

Of steel and metal!

I've got to get a photo of a Tag Heuer watch next!

Magazine of the Month!

National Geographic Traveler is a great read. You will

also find tips on where to go.

Travel is an important part of life and it's a good way to destress!