Canon 60D Photography: Rocky Formation on the Sands

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ f/9.5
ISO: 160
Shutter Speed: 1/90





I was at the shore line and I saw this rocky formation coming out from the sand. Nothing exciting per se but I took a snap of it anyway. It reminds me of those craggy mountains with an old castle on the top..like in a movie or something. Or a broken stalagmites that you find in caves. So, yea..that's about it. Cya later on! Peace! :D

Canon 60D Photography: A Nice Purple Flower

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ 9.5
ISO: 160
Shutter Speed: 1/180







A picture of a purple flower I saw in some bushes. This is a cropped image. I applied slight color curves to it.

Canon 60D Photography: Dried Vegetables and Gourda Cheese

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Aperture Priority @ f/11
ISO: 640
Shutter Speed: 2 seconds.




Some dried vegetables with a "cheese wheel". I decided to use a larger aperture just for kicks (meaning the "pupil" of the lens was smaller). Anyway, not really the greatest snack but whatever. I'll get some real goodies tomorrow.  :)

Canon 60D Photography: Louisiana Hot Sauce!

Camera: Canon 60D
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
ISO: 160
Shutter Speed: 1/250








The top of a Louisiana Hot Sauce bottle. The remainder of the sauce obviously dried over. I like how the dried sauce starts out dark then becomes lighter in color. I thought it looked cool at the moment. Like a volcano lava or something.  Photographed against a white background.

Canon 50mm Depth of Field Test

I figured I'd make one of these. Nothing terribly special per se. Just a simple test of my 50mm f/1.8 lens. I did a simple DOF (depth of field) test. I found some art supplies and used them as the subjects. So yea.. =)

Canon 60D Photography: Homemade Pizza!

Hey! So, recently, I upgraded my lens. The 18-55mm standard kit has done well for many years now. I'm still keeping it. But I want a faster lens in my arsenal. So, I got the Canon 50mm f/1.8. I'm pleased with the results. I've been taking indoor low light photos lately and the kit lens just don't cut it. The shutter speeds are too slow (especially hand held exposures).

I decided to do a little test. The light source for these photos was a small hoodrange light above an oven/stove. (I color corrected the pics since a dull yellow cast was present).


Aperture Priority @ f/1.8
ISO: 640
Shutter Speed: 1/250








Aperture Priority @ f/8
ISO: 1250
Shutter Speed: 1/30








The shallow depth of field is quite obvious in the first photo. Even when looking at the pizza itself, certain parts of it are noticeably out of focus. The background where the baking sheet ends is blurred out at well.

The second photo was taken at a larger f stop giving a greater depth of field. The pizza is completely in focus and you can make out more of the baking sheet and crumbs in the rear. The shutter speeds I got were terrific. If I was using my 18-55mm kit lens, I would probably get a shutter speed reading of 0"3 or 1.5 seconds..not good for hand held photos.

So, yea..I'll defintely be looking for some good photo ops in the weeks to come. Good lens! (and good pizza too). :)

Canon 60D Photography: Closeup of a Pineapple

Lens: 18-55mm
Aperture Priority @ f/5
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 2 seconds











An up close photo of a rotting pineapple (cropped). It still kinda smelled nice though. Meh.. :\

Canon 60D Photography: White Ibis Bird

Taken with the standard kit lens 18-55mm.
Aperture priority mode used @ f/5.6
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 800








This is a White Ibis bird I saw on some electrical wiring. This is a cropped version of the original image.

11-12-2011 Edit: I forgot the letter "a" in the word katana when you look at the url watermark in the photo. I'll correct that shortly.

11-19-2011 Edit: Corrected version uploaded to this post.

Canon 60D Photography: Thorn Apples, Fort Myers, Florida

I believe these are thorn apples (correct me if I'm wrong).  Aperture priority. 18-55mm lens used. Taken in while I was in Fort Myers, Florida.

Canon 60D Photography: Celestial Seasonings Green Tea

Taken with the same ol' 18-55mm lens.

A picture of some tea I've been drinking lately. The tea smells quite good, almost candy-like. My only gripe is that the drink has a "dry" quality to it. Maybe it's just me. Other than that the taste is pretty good.

Canon 60D Photography: Laishley Park, Punta Gorda, FL

This is Laishley Park in Punta Gorda, Florida. Aperture priority used. Taken with 18-55mm standard kit zoom lens.

Inkscape Vector Art Illustration Time Lapse Face Portrait Speed Drawing: Akichuu

Finally it's here! My new time lapse vector speed drawing/art published for the Interwebs! This features a Youtuber by the screen name of Akichuu. This is a link to their channel: www.youtube.com/akichuu.

I believe I discovered her while searching for videos of Japan filmed using the Canon 7D. And from there, I randomly looked up Asian related videos and started clicking on related videos to the side of the video page. Long story short, I eventually found Akichuu's channel. I watched her videos and thought they were nice.

So, one day, I felt like making some vector art. I thought Akichuu would be an interesting subject for a vector portrait. I had originally tried vectoring a low resolution 360P screen capture from one of her videos. Yes, I know..you should only vector high resolution images. :x

I still took up the challenge. Obviously, at 360P video resolution, the details aren't as sharp. Also, she was some distance from the camera which didn't help at all. So it was difficult to get a good resemblance. However, I'm not going to give up on it. I'll complete that art piece just for my own satisfaction at some other time.

I had to choose another screen cap. I decided to vector a more recent clip she had done in 720P resolution. While there was poor lighting in the video making the overall image quality kinda "flat", it wasn't an obstacle. So, this is the final result. I'm pleased at how it came out. Tell me what ya think!

Canon 60D Photography: Baby Palm Tree

A baby palm tree in Fort Myers, Florida.  I can't recall any of the specs.  I'll update if I find them.

Canon 60D Photography: A View of Charlotte Harbor, Port Charlotte, Florida

A nice leafy view leading down to the water below.

Canon 60D Photography: Sea Shell Under the Sun, Fort Myers, Florida

A random sea shell I saw while at Fort Myers Beach, Fort Myers, Florida. This was shot under direct sun hence the harsh shadow.  I guess I could of used flash to add fill but I didn't cross my mind at that time.

Canon 60D Photography: Blue Beaked Heron Bird Wildlife Photo

This is a bird from the Heron family (don't know the specific name). I took this in the Port Charlotte, FL area. It kept flying away so this was the best shot I could get of it standing still. I only have a 18-55mm so I had to get somewhat close to get a decent picture (hence it eventually flying away).

Canon 60D Photography: A Red Yellow Flower

Picture of the day time! Standard 18-55mm lens used.

Canon 60D Photography: Fort Myers, Florida

Here's the picture for today. Once again, this is in the Lover's Key area in Fort Myers Beach, FL. This is a view of the beach area on the other side of the water(click pic to enlarge):
I'll post another pic tomorrow. See ya then. Peace!

Canon 60D Photography: A Work of Art. A Carved Wooden Dolphin

Hey! So, I've been enjoying using my Canon 60D. I've been taking mostly stills with it as opposed to video. During the filming of "Lover's Key", I took some stills. Anyway, here's my picture for the day. This was taken in Fort Myers Beach, FL at Lover's Key. As I was walking around, I looked in this bushy area and noticed something protruding out. It was a carved wooden dolphin. I thought that was cool. This is a pic of it (click picture to enlarge it):

I had the cam set to aperture priority. The sand and the building got blown out unfortuantely but I have other pictures with a better view of the sand and nearby areas.

I had a full view of this dolphin but I deleted it by accident. I'm going to see if I can recover it from my card or something.

So yea..I'm gonna go back to finding things to photograph. I'll do my best to post a picture as often as I can. I'll see you in a bit. Peace!

Canon 60D Lover's Key

Hey! This is my Canon 60D outdoor video. I was driving back from the Bonita Springs area and decided to film the Lover's Key Beach area which is in Fort Myers Beach, FL. As you can see, it's a nice place with beautiful sand and clean water.

An 18-55mm standard kit lens was used to film this.

It was a pretty bright and hot day. Clouds were scattered all over the lovely blue sky. At times, I was under direct sunlight. :( It was in the mid 90s if I remember correctly and there were no temperature warnings from the camera. Awesome!

So yea, enjoy the view. More videos and other stuff to come. Later!

Canon 60D DSLR Camera

Hey, people! I'll get straight to it. Recently, I bought the Canon 60D. I decided that it was time for an upgrade. This camera is terrific! I'm not doing a review or anything 'cause quite frankly..there's so many out there on the Net. You can do a search and read those.

Now, I know some folks are going to say, "You should of bought the 7D, man! It's way better!" Well, it certainly has more focus points, faster burst rate and two processors. However, I didn't feel it was necessary for my needs. Plus, I like to film when I get the chance. From what I've heard, the Canon 7D has overheating issues. I've done several video test shots and haven't had the temperature warning pop up with the 60D. :)

I'm still using the kit lens from my older camera (18-55mm). I'm still deciding what long range zoom lens I should get. A 70-300mm perhaps? Heh, I dunno. I'll probably end up getting a 18-200mm. We'll see.

Anyway, I have a video right now I'm working on. I'll post it on Youtube later on today. See ya then. Peace!

Sunset Over the Village (Punta Gorda)

Hi! Been a while. Not much going on. Just still playing with my cam, doing art and what not. Anyway, i wanted to post this vid. It's the sun setting over The Village (from the last TM700 film ). It's not even a minute long but I thought the sun looked very cool here. Such a lovely color and all. :) Anyway, just thought I'd share it with you. Later!

Inkscape Vector Art Speed Time Lapse Illustration: Drakkar Noir Cologne

Hey! So, the "appetizer" (hold you over) vector art I promised is here. I wanted to do something simple. I decided to vector a cologne I've worn for a while. It was a pretty easy vector to make. I used Inkscape 0.48 to make this. You can download that program here: inkscape vector program

Like I said, it was fairly simple to do. It was the reflection of light on the bottle that took a bit of work to put together. I did my best to make the highlights soft and seamless with the rest of the bottle. I did this by applying Gaussian blur and gradients handles to the highlights. But yeah..this is the video.

The photograph used in this speed vector was taken by me with the Canon 60D. Drakkar is copyright Parfums Guy Laroche (just in case anyone's nit picky or whateva).

So, yeah..I'll talk to you in a couple. Ciao!

Panasonic TM700 1080P The Village (Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda)

Hey! Here's another outdoor video I did with the Panasonic TM700. This is somewhat a continuation of my other video in the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area. After crossing the bridge, on the other side when you make a right, there's this area called the Fisherman's Village. I decided to film a few things. So here's the clip of what I shot. I left the camcorder on auto settings once more. Next video, I'm going to try my hand at manual settings.

Monday, Monday

Hey peeps. It's Monday. Anyway, a while back, I said that I would have a vector piece up. Unfortunately, I'm in a situation where I keep looking at the art piece and I say to myself, "Man, this isn't quite right. This needs to be tweaked", or "I need to add a little more of this...", etc. However, I do have another vector art piece that I'll be releasing hopefully this week but more than likely next week. Call it an "appetizer" of sorts.

As for the main art, let's just say I'll finish it as soon as I can. I think it's best to leave it at that. Just wanted to say that much. I'll check in with ya'll later. I'm out! :)

Panasonic HDC TM700K 1080P The Bridge (Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda)

Hey! This is the new video I got ready. It was dusk when I took this. I was hoping to catch a sunset but I had just missed it. I decided to film anyway. Again, I left the camera settings on auto. I did mess with the Iris setting temporarily about halfway through the video though.

I do some more zooming in this clip. Zooming in on stuff is always fun. Being able to see things far off in the distance was entertaining to me.:) Also, I think I was a bit steadier at 700x zoom than the last time.

This was filmed at Charlotte Harbor in the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area.

Naturally, you can't hear the cooling fan in the camcorder. There's so many cars passing by in the background to cover up the sound as well as some wind.

And..that's pretty much it! I have a couple of other videos of this area coming. Until then.. laters!!

New Video Coming Soon

Hey guys. Not much going on. I'm getting another video put together. Should be out by next week. I'm gonna see what I can get for dinner. See ya soon. Peace.

Panasonic HDC TM700K 1080P Cape Coral Outdoor Test Sequel

This is the sequel to my previous outdoor test video. It's not as long as the other video. Auto settings for the cam were used again. I was able to catch an eagle in flight while filming. I wasn't terribly good at panning the camera to keep up with the bird. But hey, at least I saw one. :)

Anyway, Cya in a bit. Later!

Panasonic HDC TM700K 1080P Cape Coral Outdoor Test

Hey! What's goin on? I've finally finished editing my first outdoor test video using the Panasonic TM700. Sorry for the delay as things have been busy. I decided to go to a park to test things out. So, I chose one at random and headed out for the Rotary Park in Cape Coral, FL.

If I remember correctly, this was the Dry Bones Trail. Anyway, I think the video shows it all. The camera settings were on auto. It sure was bright outside that day as you could probably tell. So bright that some areas got blown out/clipped. Guess I'll have to invest in a filter of some sort in the future.

Thankfully, it wasn't too hot. There was a constant breeze blowing by. You'll be able to hear plenty of air in the video. :D The wind canceller in the camera was on but winds were still quite strong. But hey, it helped cool things off! :) Anyway, this is part 1. Part 2 is coming soon. See ya in a bit. :D

Outdoor Video

Hey! So, not much going on. I'm having a nice time with this cam (the TM700). I'm still learning how to work this cam in manual mode but I think the results are acceptable. I'm in the process of editing that clip. Hopefully I'll have that vid out today..but definitely this week I'll be posting.
Anyway, that's all for now. Peace!

Denny's Slam Burger Review

Hey, wassup? Not a whole lot going on here. Tell you one thing I did though. I usually cook myself something. Some rice and beans or fish. However, I wanted to eat out today. So, I went to Denny's nearby and got one of these Better Burgers. I haven't eaten at Denny's in years. I decided to get the Bacon Slam Burger as a takeout order. That's it's right below (and no..that pic doesn't count as a photographic masterpiece). :D













I get back home and my mouth was watering already. There's a slight dent at the side of the bun but overall, it wasn't severely squashed or anything. I got right to eating. Now this is great stuff! I got my trusty bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce. The burger is great on it's own but it's just my habit to add a little hot sauce to everything. :)

The beef is very hearty. It was ever so slightly dry IMO..doesn't matter though since the cheese sauce adds moisture to the meat. The bacon strips were..bacony. Hash brown and an egg (scrambled) came as part of the sandwich. I'm telling you, I could barely finish it personally..meaning the burger, seasoned fries and then some pink lemonade. Very filling. One bite of dessert and that was it. I weighed a ton.

So, anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I recommend that burger for sure. I'm going to try other ones out one day. So yeah..hope you have a good day and good dinner! Peace!

Happy New Year 2011 and Weird Flavored Breath Mints!!!

Happy belated New Year! Yea, we made it and all that good stuff. Anyway, I'm still working on that vector art bit I mentioned in a previous post. I'm making a time lapse video out of it. I'll post it on youtube when it's done. It'll be good.

Anyway, I went out yesterday to do some stuff. I usually have a pack of gum or something like that in the dashboard of my car. I was down to one stick so I asked my peeps if they had a spare pack or what not. Someone gave me this pack of 7-11 Breath Mints.












So, I took them thinking, 'Great, that'll save one trip.' So, at one point, I decided to try one out. Man! Those mints tasted weird as heck. :S
I mean, the inside of the mint made my mouth feel cool and tingly like all mints do. But the smooth coating had a taste that was synthetic and just plain odd. I don't know if it was just that particular pack but I'm not trying those again. Remember,[disclaimer]this is only MY OPINION[/end of disclaimer]. If you see them at your 7-11, if you want to chance it, try them out. I'd like to see if I'm the only one who feels this way. :S
Anyway, I'll see you later on. Have a good one.