Note: I
do use Photoshop to color-correct and/or adjust lighting, but I rarely use it to
change what the image was supposed to be. Anyhow, without further adieu:
~~ Image comments above the thumbnail ~~
Image: Introducing: Me
Notes: Hi. My name is Brennen, and this is my
little collage of pictures I have taken. I currently
own and use an Olympus E-500 dSLR, two lenses,
a flash kit, and three memory cards. Nothing real
amazing, just a "starter kit" I purchased in 2006
to get the feel of things. Once my son reaches
the age of sports and playing outside I will upgrade
to a higher quality camera and more lenses. I don't
get too many opportunities to go out for the purpose
of taking pictures, but when I do I try to at least
get one or two that I call 'keepers'. I tend to throw
them through Photoshop to check the lighting and
whatnot, but as of late I usually have nothing to
fix, which is a good thing. In any case, this is one
of those single-token picture booths from Chuck-E-
Cheeze that my friend Steven and I went to. I
thought it was as good as any for introduction
considering this is the 'arts' section. Hahaha. I am
the one on the right, FYI.
_________________________________________
Image: Wingapede
Notes: This is one of the first pictures I ever
took with my camera. I was
just getting used
to the Manual settings, and I went outside my
house to see if anything was around to snap a
shot off at. I would say it was a fortunate test
run. Anyone think it looks just like the Wingapede
from Chrono Cross...?
_________________________________________
Image: The Road Home
Notes: Driving up to Glacier Point in Yosemite.
Sun was going down and I was in the bed of a
truck. I thought the lighting was cool. Didn't
quite come out right, but I still like it.
_________________________________________
Image: Mulan Skies
Notes: Something about this picture makes me
think about the movie
Mulan. Not sure what or
why. In any case, this was taken at about the
same time as 'The Road Home'. Came out much
better IMHO.
_________________________________________
Image: Neverland
Notes: Taken from on top of Glacier Point. Time
was probably about 6PM (Summer); lighting was
really good, but since I sucked back then it still
has a lot of white/grey balance issues.
_________________________________________
Image: Romance Log-view of Half Dome
Notes: A pretty amazing sunset that night. Once
upon a time I was really stoked about this picture.
Strange how technology makes you scoff at what
was once "High Quality". I still like the picture, but
I don't think it is a very good photo in general.
_________________________________________
Image: Wawooona!?
Notes: Ahh, the famous Wawona. Well, famous to
me anyways. This is one of the upper-class hotels
inside Yosemite National Park. The cool thing about
this shot (to me) is that I was sitting in the passen-
ger seat of my friends Civic while driving around this
bed at about 45mph. I knew the hotel was coming,
so I got myself nice and ready and snapped off the
shot just in time. It came out surprisingly good if
you consider the circumstances.
_________________________________________
Image: Signs of Change
Notes: My most recent visit to Yosemite was a in
October 2008 for a family memorial service for my
wife's Grandmother. This was the first time I had
ever been to Yosemite so late in Fall, so I was fairly
hyped to see the signs of change throughout the
national park. To my dismay most of the trees were
dead or a dull green color, there were fires here and
there, the waterfalls were all completely dried up, and
the meadows were gone. This was one of the only
trees I saw that showed a drastic sign of change. It
was so great a contrast you could have spotted it
from space. Outside of that though the trip was
surprisingly enjoyable; especially considering the
reason we went. God bless her.
_________________________________________
Image: Blue Dragonfly
Notes: Took a walk through a meadow. This little
guy was actually a good 10 feet away from me. I
had to use my telephoto lens to get him. I am still
surprised at the clarity considering I was using the
full zoom of a 150mm-300mm lens.
_________________________________________
Image: Steven's Blues
Notes: Just a basic macro-esque shot of one of
my friends playing the guitar. Hmm, if my memory
serves me right he was playing Dashboard Confes-
sional at the moment. Ha; time sure does fly.
_________________________________________
Image: Joshua Pan
Notes: Haha! This picture has some good memories
rolled into it. There is a park fairly close to my house
that more or less belongs to the snobby upper-class
gated community on the hill; my friends and I went
there to hang out and "picnic", but after a bit of a
gander through the park we found the sprinkler control
box under a steel plate. As you can see, we decided
to have a little water play-time.
Update: I added the
second picture I had of this particular moment in time.
Just a shrunken panorama I had taken of the two of
them playing some more. (Brad and Josh).
_________________________________________
Image: Ripped (Pun intended)
Notes: So you remember that time I went to the park
and played in the sprinklers? Well, that guy who was
trying to fly through the air eventually hit the floor. I
removed the other colors so you could see the damage
report. Not fair that he doesn't even work out and has
that intense six-pack though, huh? Coincidentally he is
a professional photographer, and I bought his first SLR
for him...the one I am using in this picture. (Josh).
_________________________________________
Image: Meet Bradley
Notes: Say hello to Brad. Brad is a typical guys-guy. He
likes trucks, grease, sweat, and women. Brad is more of a
'hands on' type of guy, so he tends to be a little dirty from
working on
something. On the bright side, he has a closet
nerd in him that loves video games, comics, anime, and the
occasional MMORPG. This particular photo was snapped off
at the same park, but before the sprinklers went off. We
decided Brad needed a bath and shoved him into the now-
empty water balloon tub. We thought it was funny that he
actually took some stuff and bathed in there, but I took the
shot because he actually looked naked in a park bathing. He
wasn't naked though. Fortunately.
_________________________________________
Image: Spider-Tracks
Notes: Nothing special about this image. No real story behind
it either. Essentially my friend Josh and I were driving to one of
the nearby cities (Fullerton) to get some food and hang out. We
thought the railroad tracks might have some good spots to take
pictures, but there turned out to be nothing worthwhile. This was
the only picture that I actually liked, and I liked it more for the
perspective and focus than the actual content.
_________________________________________
Image: Sentoumaru Statue
Notes: Another
nothing special picture. This was taken at
"Heritage Park" near my house. The park has a lot of historical
exhibits and information plaques so you can walk around and
stuff. My wife and I took my son there to take pictures, and
then walked around for a while. I got some great pictures of
my son, but this was the only picture that I took for the sake
of 'photography'. When I walked by it, I couldn't help but think
it looked strangely reminiscent of Sentoumaru. I know, looks
nothing like him, but some reason it caught my attention. I
took my time on the shot so that I could get the water droplets
beading just how I wanted. I think it came out decent.
_________________________________________
Image: Tree-Fish lurking in North Carolina
Notes: So a close friend of the family passed away a year
ago. God bless her. We went out to stay with her husband
for a week in North Carolina where they owned a beautiful
lakeside home. I took this early in the morning right after the
rain stopped. Beautiful. The image does not justify the view
that I was witnessing. When I saw the how much the tree
in the water looked like a fish, I just had to run up and grab
my camera and snap a shot.
_________________________________________
Image: Autumn Leaves
Notes: I love Autumn. I love leaves as well. This was just an
ordinary leaf on an ordinary tree, but I really love looking at the
veins. I doubt anyone other than myself will care much for this
photo. I like it though!
_________________________________________
Image: Endless
Notes: Another shot from North Carolina. We went trekking
through the nearby mountains on a trail to some waterfalls. I
felt like the road just kept stretching on ahead of us endlessly.
It was a cold morning -- my favorite -- and perfect for the type
of trees on that mountain. I hope to go back some day soon.
_________________________________________
Image: Dew Droplet Spyglass
Notes: Another post-rain photo snapped off in North Carolina.
I was having a hay-day looking through the huge droplets on the
leaves that morning because I am easily fascinated by optics. I
love how looking through the dewdrop flips the view upside down
and gives it a fish-eye look. Of course we all know that though.
Shut up Brennen, you are an idiot!
_________________________________________
Image: Carolina Queen
Notes: This is the last photo I took in North Carolina really worth
savoring. Took this right outside the Charlotte Airport while waiting
for our tram in the rain. It is a statue of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-
Strelitz, of whom the city of Charlotte is named after. I thought the
mist and lighting went well together. Unfortunately I did not have my
external flash yet.
_________________________________________
Image: Mozart~!!
Notes: This is my dog, Mozart. He is a Cairn Terrier. You know, Todo?
Wizard of Oz? No? Well, he is a cute little dog that has way too much
energy and no manners. He is deathly afraid of water but still thinks,
like many dogs his size, that he can take on the world. This was taken
in Yosemite, near the river, and he was pretty frightened. I, on the other
hand, was using my rope swing to do back-flips into the river. Man, I love
that place!
_________________________________________
Image: Speedy Touché
Notes: Hello there turtle! This
is was my turtle Touché.
He spent most of his time hiding underneath one of our bushes,
so seeing him out and about was rare. Personally, I think his
face faults are hilarious......huh? No, but seriously doesn't he
look like he wants me to drop dead? Well, ironically enough the
guy up and disappeared shortly after. My mom thinks he was
stolen. Who steals a turtle?!?
_________________________________________
Image: Birds Have Feelings Too!
Notes: Ok, I know. Pigeons!? Eww! But isn't it cute? They are
totally getting to 1st base on the bridge. If only her mother
knew the type of scandalous things she does when she thinks
nobody is looking! But seriously, I thought it was cute -- even
with the poop below them. Hey, who needs a toilet, right?
_________________________________________
Image: Meerkat Model 1
Notes: I swear these little guys were either born to be models
or are just narcissists that pose for everything because they
know how good they look. The just...
stood there while I took
pictures of them for ten minutes or so. Oh! Santa Barbara Zoo
by the way.
_________________________________________
Image: Meerkat Model 2
Notes: Same notes as above, except that I took this shot in
full color and not black an white. Since he was looking at me I
felt the color made it more personal. I don't think that makes
sense to anyone else be me though.
_________________________________________
Image: Colorful Feathered Romance
Notes: Again, at the Zoo. These two were pretty far away from
me and weren't being very still. I was determined though! After
about 10 or so shots I got this one. Not very satisfied, but at
least it is clear. I think they had an attitude problem. They were
giving me creepy looks. SHUT UP YOU STUPID BIRD! Anyone else
think of Brian Fellows when you see this guy? "That bird is a liar!"
_________________________________________
Image: Train Track Suzie
Notes: My wife and I used to spend a lot of time in Carpenteria,
CA. The train follows the ocean; to the left is a cliff and the Santa
Barbara coast. Beautiful area. Beautiful woman. I suppose "Hot" is
a better term for her in this shot though. Back when she still had
her lip pierced.
_________________________________________
Image: Life is Beautiful
Notes: This picture was taken when my son was only about two
months old. (Well, technically 6 months old adjusted). He wasn't
able to do much on his own, but he has love for mommy and the
most wonderful smile in the world. I chose black and white for
the image simply because I felt it capture the love in a much more
classic and beautiful way. Does that make sense...?
_________________________________________
Image: Bathtime: Sink Edition
Notes: Took this picture when my son was about 8 months old.
We were beginning to have difficulty bathing him in his baby tub,
so we thought we would try the sink since he can sit up easier.
He
loved it, but we kept having problems with him changing the
water temperature. Couldn't pass up the photo op though. I don't
think this is too personal of a picture, since it is a classic baby
moment.
_________________________________________
Image: "Happy I'm"
Notes: My wife was having a field day with my son (4 months old).
She decided to grab a pen and write "I'm Happy" on her hands so
they could dance in front of the mirror. I was laughing so hard when
I took the picture only to realize she put them on the wrong hands.
For some reason I am glad I overexposed the top portion of the image
with my flash. I adore this picture. I adore this boy.
_________________________________________
Image: Baby Salvador
Notes: Meet 'Baby Sal', a friend of the family. This was taken at his
first birthday party. The day itself was actually a "Debbie Downer"
kind of day, but this little boy sure looked cute in his suit. Boys being
boys he was continuously trying to touch the lens of my camera.
_________________________________________
Image: Bug Battle
Notes: Went for a hike in the mountains with my best friend. Well, it
was supposed to be a little fishing excursion, but there was little fish
to be caught. While walking near to water, I witnessed an intense battle
between four bugs; the lady bug was
not happy about it. The bugs were
like "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US~!!" while the Lady Bug was like
"FOR THE COLONY!!" Wait....what?
_________________________________________
Image: Ugly Bugly
Notes: So you know how people think Butterfly's are pretty? I don't. I
mean take a good close look at this guy. The word "Alien" comes to mind.
Anyways, I was hungry and had no food so I chased this guy for like 15
minutes and this was -- sadly -- the best shot I got of him. I named him
"Dodgy" because the stupid freak kept bouncing right before I clicked the
immortalize-me button
. (Urr; the take-a-picture button). By the end of
the day I had that punks soul inside my memory card.
_________________________________________
Image: Macro Psalms
Notes: Not a very good picture. Definitely not a very good macro shot. I
am only posting it because I liked the layout of the image. I liked how the
Bible was left partially open on the metal box it was on, a little portion of
the backpack showing, and the tagged wall in the background. I'm not
sure, but I think it might just be me. In any case, this was taken at the
same well as the two pictures following. See the notes on "Enter: Josh"
to know the back story -- if you can call it a 'story'.
_________________________________________
Image: Poor Flower
Notes: Another failure of a picture, really. I will admit that there was
something about the picture that I liked, but if you pick it apart you
can see that it is really not that high of quality, the petals are wilting,
and the lighting is not the best. I mean it isn't
bad, but I wouldn't go
submitting it into a contest or anything. I like this picture though. It
was one of the pictures taken on top of the hill my best friend and I
hiked. Amongst the "shrubberies" (Duhhhhnn~!!!) -- Monty Python
joke...sorry.
_________________________________________
Image: Enter: Josh
Notes: This is my best friend. He is a member of this forum. Sorry Josh! I
really liked this picture; though I doubt he does. In any case, this was
another one of those weekend excursions through the neighboring hills. We
hiked to the top of this particular hill near a Buddhist temple where a water
tower covered in spray-paint tagging resided. We had a Bible study upon
the hilltop and the snapped off a few pictures of the local shrubberies. I
love Josh. Not in
that kind of way. He is just an irreplaceable friend. ♥
_________________________________________
Image: 300 Steven's
Notes: Enter: Steven. This is my guitar playing friend from up above. Him
and I went for a hike through the nearby hills a few months back. Of course
he made sure he looked stylish even while hiking (face palm). I really liked
this picture at first because it was really high quality and I could pretty much
see the world through his glasses. (Pun?). Unfortunately I saved over the HQ
when I was playing with some scripts in Photoshop. //Sad. In any case, this
was still high enough quality for me to tamper with the colors; I think it came
out looking something reminiscent of the movie 300. Just with green colors
not red.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Continued in 2nd Post: Image Limit Reached!
Brennen's Miscellaneous Waste of Space: From Photography to Stickfigures
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Originally Posted by dinty
but im sure you know that
