The Avid Golfers

Shutter Speed = 1 sec, F-stop = 11, Focal Length = 6.5mm (opteka 6.5mm fisheye), ISO = 400, Handheld

This photo was taken 6-9-11 on the golf course we live on in Bixby, Oklahoma. It was about midnight and we were extremely bored and for some reason not tired. My brother Nick and our friend Travis Delamore got in their golf outfits and we took some shots. The lighting is pretty harsh but i think it adds a pretty cool effect. I also love how vibrant the colors are in contrast with the true black background. It's not an amazing photo but its still pretty cool.

Electric

Shutter Speed = 30 sec, F-stop = 5, Focal Length = 21mm (18-55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 400, Mini Tripod

This photo was taken on 6-23-11 on the banks of the Arkansas River in Bixby, Oklahoma. We were launching fireworks and wheelin when we noticed the lightning storm to the west of us. I got out the camera and the mini tripod from my backpack and set them on the roof of my friend Lee Crandall's truck and took this shot. I really like the yellowish orangish glow on the clouds from the Tulsa city lights. I also like the silhouette of the power tower. I feel like most pictures of lightning have a ton of negative space and the power tower fills that in nicely. It is way more hard to photograph lightning than i ever anticipated, especially since I left my tripod in California, so I am also super stoked that I actually got this clear of a shot. 

Double Backflip Sequence

Shutter Speed = 1/2500th sec, F-stop = 4, Focal Length = 70mm (sigma 70-300mm telephoto), ISO = 800, Handheld

This photo was taken 6-25-11 at Jack Creek in Booneville, Arkansas. It is a sequence of a double backflip thrown by my friend Lee Crandall. The rock is probably about 40 ft high. There is a little bit of color correction done but not much else. 

Oakland Temple

Shutter Speed = 1 sec, F-stop = 3.5, Focal Length = 18mm (18-55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 1600, Handheld

This photo was taken 10-7-09 and is of the Mormon Temple in Oakland, CA. There are many aspects about this photo that I find really cool. The detail in the riverbed and trees looks awesome and adds a lot of texture to the image. The temple itself is overexposed, but by doing that it has a seamless and flawless look, and it also gives it a really cool glow. The orange clouds in the sky also contrast really well with the true white of the temple.

Humphrey Bogart Recreation - Eric Hicks

Shutter Speed = 1/100th sec, F-stop = 4, Focal Length = 27mm (18-55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 1600, Handheld

This photo was taken 5-27-10 in San Jose, CA. It is a recreation of a photo of Humphrey Bogart for the movie "The Maltese Falcon". The subject is my senior year photo teacher Eric Hicks. He is an awesome man that taught me a lot of very helpful and useful things that I use on a daily basis. I love the intensity on his face and the very directional lighting. It gives it a very cool shadow, as well as amplifying the true blacks and true whites. It obviously isn't dead on with the original but it is pretty close, and it still is one of my favorite portraits.

Stare II

Shutter Speed = 15 sec, F-stop = 3.5, Focal Length = 6.5mm (opteka 6.5mm fisheye), ISO = 1600, Mini Tripod

This photo was taken 7-1-10 in San Jose, CA. It is the second version of the photo I posted last night, Stare. This one is not cropped, a lot more grainy, and the trees on the side are not lit, they are silhouetted. This photo shows alot more of the fine detail, such as the texture on the road and in the stonework of the staircase. It sort of has an HDR feel to it.

Stare

Shutter Speed = 15 sec, F-stop = 3.5, Focal Length = 6.5mm (opteka 6.5mm fisheye), ISO = 1600, Mini Tripod

This photo was taken 7-1-10 in San Jose, CA. The subject is my best friend Ian Guner, and the house is one of my really good friends, Michelle Habash's, neighbors. It was probably 11:30 at night after hot tubbing and swimming. I had never really payed attention to this house before but for some reson I noticed it that night and realized how cool and futuristic it looked. The only light I had at the time was a pocket flashlight from my truck so for the entire exposure i was waving it over Ian, the house, and the trees. I really like how everything looks really smooth and soft, yet sharp at the same time. I love the color the of the sky too. There are two versions of this photo. I will post the other version tomorrow.

Tiny Turtle

Shutter Speed = 1/1000th sec, F-stop = 10, Focal Length = 214mm (sigma 70-300mm telephoto), ISO = 1600, Handheld

This photo was taken 7-5-10 at Stoney Ford OHV park in Stoney Ford, CA. It was after a long day of riding and we were swimming in a river we were camped by. This little turtle swam past us so I grabbed the camera and did an impromptu macro shoot. I like it because the depth of field is so short, and the focal point is ridiculously sharp.

Abstract Spiral

Shutter Speed = 1/60th sec, F-stop = 5.6, Focal Length = 30mm (18-55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 1600, Handheld

This photo was taken 11-1-09 at my house in San Jose, CA. I love this photo for many different reasons. It is very interesting to look at and it will make any person wonder what the subject is. They are actually DVD cases stacked in a spiral. The backdrop is actually just a mat that I sleep on. The light is also the natural light coming from the window on the south side of the room. It also has true whites and true blacks, which are not as common as most people think. 

Grand Canyon

Shutter Speed = 1/250th sec, F-stop = 10, Focal Length = 18mm (18-55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 100, Handheld

This photo was taken 8-22-10 at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I like this photo because it has a little bit of an HDR effect in the clouds, and there are a lot of different colors in it. Its a pretty generic photo of the Grand Canyon but I still like it.

Capital Hill

Shutter Speed = 1 sec, F-stop = 5.6, Focal Length = 300mm (sigma 70-300mm telephoto), ISO = 200, Handheld

This photo was taken 9-23-10 in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is of the tower on top of the capital building. I like this photo because of how sharp the focus is, especially since it was a handheld shot. I also like the street in the background and how the street light create lines in the road.

Mangled Roots

Shutter Speed = 5 sec, F-stop = 3.5, Focal Length = 18mm (18-55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 400, Mini Tripod

This photo was taken 4-15-11 at Wildwood Park in Saratoga, CA. I like this photo for many reasons. The tree is in super sharp focus and lit by a white street lamp. The light coming through the trees and reflecting off the water is coming from an orange street lamp. The two different colors of light coming from opposite sides created a really cool look. I also like how the long exposure made the water flowing over the rocks looks so smooth when they are actually rough. 

Peeking Though

Shutter Speed = 1/250th sec, F-stop = 10, Focal Length = 18mm (18--55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 1600, Handheld

This photo was taken 9-7-09 during a hike through a random part of Mt. Uhmunum in San Jose, CA. I like this photo because of the way the sun comes through the trees in seemingly individual rays. I also like how there are small speckles of red and orange in hidden in all the green.

Count Your Blessings

Shutter Speed = 1.3sec, F-stop = 3.5, Focal Length = 18mm (18-55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 1600, Handheld

This photo was taken 5-4-10 off of Almaden Expressway and Mckean Rd. in San Jose, CA. It was just after my good friend Jared Sandoval flipped his truck. It is a 70's Chevy so it does not have seat belts. He was ejected from the vehicle and somehow ended up with just a couple bumps and bruises. I like this photo because it has very interesting lighting from passing cars, police lights, street lights, and the natural dark blue of the night sky. It also reminds me of the important things in my life, how quickly things can change, and how thankful I am that things didn't end worse that night.

Tiny Beauty

Shutter Speed = 1/1250th sec, F-stop = 13, Focal Length = 300mm (sigma 70-300mm telephoto), ISO = 1600, Handheld

This photo was taken 5-8-10 at Almaden Lake Park in San Jose, CA. Aubrielle Ramirez picked this small flower during a service project. I love the contrast and sharpness, and how it has a natural gradient in the background that didn't have to be photoshopped in. The thing I love the most about this photo is how it shows that even the smallest and most easily neglected things can still be beautiful.

The Mean Bull

Shutter Speed = 1/250th sec, F-stop = 4, Focal Length = 92mm (Sigma 70-300mm telephoto), ISO 6400, Handheld

This photo was taken 5-28-11 at a Will Rogers Stampede Rodeo in Claremore, Oklahoma. The bull pictured was deemed the mean one, as the sequence clearly shows. This is 2 photos stitched together (if you look closely you can probably see the stitch point). I am actually very pleased with how clear and not blurry the photos turned out. It was an extremely low light situation so I had to work everything I could to get pictures not completely blurry or dark. More from this event will come later.

Despair

Shutter Speed = 1/125th sec, F-stop = 8, Focal Length = 30mm (18-55mm canon kit lens), ISO = 1600, Handheld

This photo was taken 10-4-09 at the mouth of the Guadalupe tunnels in San Jose, CA. It was taken the same day as the photo from the previous post, and this is my second favorite of everything that was shot that day. It portrays a mood of despair and hopelessness. I love how much negative space there is in this photo. Typically it is a rule of thumb to not have a ton of negative space but for this particular photo, the negative space is what makes it interesting.

Lonely

Shutter Speed = 0.6 sec, F-stop = 3.5, Focal Length = 18mm (18-55 canon kit lens), ISO = 1600, Set Down On Ground

This photo was taken 10-4-09 in a drainage tunnel that runs under downtown San Jose, CA. The person pictured is Tony Russell. We were bored that day so we decided to go on a photography adventure. We found this tunnel downtown and started exploring it. We ended up taking several photos that all depict a mood of loneliness, since there wasn't really any other mood that could be portrayed by that tunnel. Out of all the photos, two really stood out to me and this is one of them.