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.