Stingray

I came across this beautiful Corvette Stingray during a recent trip with the family (plus Alicia, the someday-going-to-be-family) to Grand Rivers, Kentucky. I love Corvettes of any year, but this style is my absolute favorite, so I really wanted to take a shot that emphasized what I liked most about the Stingray model. The front fenders and the awesome Stingray badge.

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-Technical Mumbo Jumbo-

Camera: Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT)
Lens: Canon 18-55mm
Filter(s): Kenko Circular Polarizing Filter
Shutter Speed: 1/60 of a second
F/number (aperture): f/5.6
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 31mm
Post: Processed RAW in CS2, minor saturation increase, border, sharpened using High Pass filter.

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Currently Listening To: A Perfect Circle - 3 Libras ("All Main Courses" Mix) - 2004

Thorns For Us

I'm not exactly sure why I named this shot "Thorns For Us" . I'm not really sure if I meant some deeper meaning behind it. Oh well, I like this shot for some reason.

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-Technical mumbo jumbo-

Camera: Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT)
Lens: Canon 18-55mm
Filter(s): Kenko Circular Polarizing Filter
Shutter Speed: 1/100 of a second
F/number (aperture): f/7.1
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 55mm
Post: Processed RAW in CS2, border, sharpened using High Pass filter, digital cross-processing using Curves layer at 60% opacity.

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Currently Listening To: Thrice - Red Sky - Vheissu - 2005

Six Months

I'm leaving (as usual) to go to Memphis soon. I'll be leaving tomorrow until Thursday night. Alicia and I will be celebrating our six months of being together! It's been the best six months of my life. She is one truly amazing woman. :-)

OH! And she actually agreed to go with me someday to a Nine Inch Nails concert! WOO! It would definately be seats and not the floor. Too much bumping and groping on the floor level. Anyway, just had to say that. Not that she even likes Nine Inch Nails, but there is no way she could go to a live NIN show and not say "that was cool." They had such awesome setlists in the Spring 2006 tour, I hate that I missed it. I mean, they opened some shows with Mr. Self Destruct! Sigh... So yeah. Even if she doesn't like NIN except for a few songs, she still likes Dragonforce. And that is awesome.
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Currently Listening To: Nobou Uematsu - Aeris' Theme (Piano) - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children [CD1] - 2005

A Midsummer Bloom

Naked Ladies in the heat of summer. I'm actually surprised they are doing so well. Must have been the recent rains. Either way around it, these are gorgeous flowers and great for photographing. I had accidentally left the exposure compensation on at -1.00 f/stop. Lucky for me, I was shooting RAW and could easily adjust the exposure two full stops in either direction. I should've known better, it was obviously displayed on the info screen. But oh well, still learning this camera. I think that this shot benefits a lot from the digital cross-processing. Makes for a good blend of some crazy colors. Even with the DC-P, the colors of the flower stayed fairly natural and true-to-life.
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-Technical mumbo jumbo-

Camera: Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT)
Lens: Canon 18-55mm
Filter(s): None
Shutter Speed: 1/320 of a second
F/number (aperture): f/8.0
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 55mm
Post: Processed RAW in CS2, minor saturation increase, digital cross-processing (faded to 70% opacity), border, sharpened using High Pass filter.

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Currently Listening To: goat - Metroid and Super Metroid - The Ice Beam Cometh - Dwelling of Duels/Rock-Out!!! - Jan 2005 Contest - 2005

Some People Think

This is a silly shot from down the road. I find it funny that the sign is there since the roads really aren't all that curvy, especially on this stretch. However, even though there is a curve way ahead, someone (somehow) goes completely off the road and into this sign. Irony?
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-Technical mumbo jumbo-

Camera: Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT)
Lens: Canon 18-55mm
Filter(s): Kenko Circular Polarizing Filter (love those blue skies!)
Shutter Speed: 1/125 of a second
F/number (aperture): f/6.3
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 18mm
Post: Processed RAW in CS2, minor saturation increase, soft vignetting added, border, sharpened using High Pass filter.

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Currently Listening To: Our Lady Peace - Boy - Healthy In Paranoid Times - 2005

An Example

Again with more digital painting. This is a simple before and after of a light painting I did of Jessica, Alicia's youngest sister. She's really cool, very funny, and extremely talented at drawing. Not to mention she's doing excellent at the 4H thing in Martin this year. So yeah, I reccomend clicking the picture to see the larger version of it. Thanks!
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Currently Listening To: Nobou Uematsu - J-E-N-O-V-A - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - 2005

Recent Paintings

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More paintings in Painter IX... I am definately buying a graphic tablet soon. Must.. paint.. MORE!
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Currently Listening To: Massive Attack - Sweet Is Good - Danny The Dog - 2004

Digital Painting

Before painting.

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After 10 minute speed paint in Corel Painter IX (with mouse obviously.. ugh). If it wasn't for the middle section being crazy jacked-up, I could've called some of the "mistakes" abstract. But this is my first and there will be more to come. I plan on doing a portrait later today.

By the way, I'd like to say sorry to Paige and Katie, I was wrong.
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Currently Listening To: Chevelle - The Red - Wonder What's Next - 2002

'Nuff Said

I'm back, had a great time!
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Currently Listening To: Ben Folds - Army - Ben Folds Live - 2002

This Camera RULES

Testing the macro ability of the stock 18-55 lens. Processed RAW in CS2.

It's definately taking some getting used to, and I won't be producing anything amazing yet, but this camera is everything and more than I expected. RAW format is amazing! Once the file is on the PC, I can adjust the exposure by 2 stops in either direction without loss, choose any of the camera's white balance settings, choose any of the B&W filter effects.. pretty much everything I can do prior to taking the image with the exception of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. The 2 GB card can hold about 600 full resolution JPEG's, and about 250 RAW files. And the speed is definately worth the extra bit of money, I can pop shot after shot after shot, it's crazy! More to come!

Testing the macro ability of the stock 18-55 lens. Processed RAW in CS2.

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Currently Listening To: Third Day - Blind - Wire - 2004

D DAY... 350D Day

Some pure pwnage from last night's Half-Life 2 : Deathmatch spree. In case you can't tell, that's me at the top of the list with nearly double the kills of the guy in second place. I was on a roll until my hand started cramping horribly after 5 or so different maps.
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My camera and gear is coming today!!! YAY! I can't wait.. oh my goodness it's so exciting! Finally, after years of hoping, I finally own a DSLR. Anyway!

On a different note, I made a mistake recently. A big one. On that hurt both me and Alicia. Unfourtunately, once I discuss it further with family and close friends, it will hurt them too. I'll have a blog up on it eventually. But after talking to Alicia again last night, I am happy to report that our relationship has survived this mistake. Just to make it known, this mistake does NOT involve me cheating or anything like that (and no, not sex). In fact, it's a mistake that is completely stupid and goes against all of my personal beliefs and rules. Makes me very sad.

But Alicia and I have survived this. She truly loves me, I have no doubt. I don't think she would be with me after this if she didn't. So now that I've got you all in suspense, I'm going to work.
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Currently Listening To: A.F.I. - The Leaving Song Pt. 2 - Sing the Sorrow - 2003

Stress

My camera and equipment is scheduled to arrive Thursday! At first I was excited, but now I'm just stressed about it. Why? Because it requires a signature, regardless of the fact that I signed and sent that "never sign" form. That REALLY irks me. I know it's expensive gear, but still, we've never had a problem. So now I've got to work that day, wondering if I'm going to come home to a note on the door telling me that the package I've been waiting years for is being held in Paducah! Gah, I'm so impatient.

I ended up changing the order slightly when the sales rep called me (at work, which is ok) to verify. He made the offer of adding $79 to make the 2GB memory card a highspeed card (which the Rebel XT's do take good advantage of). This is something that costs about $250+ by itself. I turned it down though since I really didn't need a speed card. But then he offered to "throw-in" (I hate that sales term) an extra Cannon battery for the same price. That $79 for an easy $300 worth of stuff. And yes, I made sure it was all brand new and quality items.. hehehe. It bumped the final price to $898, which I was able to safely spend.

So yeah, another fairly boring blog, but an update nonetheless. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, but honestly I don't even feel much like myself. I'm actually pretty upset with myself since my phone conversation with Alicia last night didn't go well at some points. Even though we're fine and by the end of it we were definately fine, I still hate the fact I was being so moody with her. But anyway, all is well and I just had to type that so I could move on and stop worrying about it! Now to work.
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Currently Listening To: Chevelle - Wonder What's Next - Wonder What's Next - 2002
Currently Reading: J.D. Salinger - The Catcher In The Rye (but I'm about to give it up.. ugh. Stupid language!)

Back!

First things first! Steven!! Thanks for helping mom while I was gone. The RMA is still going through, but hopefully Monday I'll order her another drive. Probably an 80GB. The reason (I'm sure you're wondering) why I got her a 160 GB is for some extra storage for me. She wouldn't mind.. hehe. But anyway, I'll just get myself an SATA drive. I can't belive how fast it is (hah, was) compared to mine.

Next thing I'm excited about, I'm leaving today (in about an hour) to see Alicia all day! Yaaay, I can't wait. I haven't seen her in almost three weeks.

And then the HUGE thing I'm excited about... I just spent $830. Canon Digital Rebel XT w/ 18-55 AF Lens, 2 GB memory card, camera case, lens cleaning kit, and a M42 mount adapter (so I can use my Yashica lenses). It'll be here probably by the end of the week. Oh, and I made sure none of it was refurbished. ;-)

Shooting full resolution RAW format is going to fill my HD fast though.. good thing memory is constantly getting cheaper.
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Currently Listening To: Lacuna Coil - Cold - In A Reverie - 1999
Currently Reading: J.D. Salinger - The Catcher In The Rye