Notebook » Photography

The Exploration of Space

Mike — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:32:18 +0000

I’m a big giant nerd for space exploration, and have been since I was a young kid. Something about exploring the unknown of space, the size of the universe, and the processes that set it all in motion have left me in awe.

That’s probably a big reason why I enjoy science fiction so much (I always loved Star Trek, so try not to flog me too hard for that). The imagined exploration of space and encounters with elements of the unknown, including that of life beyond our planet, is enough to keep me watching for hours.

Couldn’t tell you why I have those nerdy tendencies, but there you go. Now on to other things…

Ok, ok, football, great sport. Takes a all men going 110%, toughing it out in the trenches, 3 yards and a cloud of dust, going to war, turning the ball over less, scoring more points, etc, etc.

50 Years of Space Exploration, Adam Crowe

Seriously though, take the opportunity to explore this wonderful illustration of mankind’s exploration of the space.

Beautiful Photography

Mike — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:10:46 +0000

I’m incredibly impressed by the photographic work of Alan Jaras. In many ways it exemplifies precisely the kind of style I enjoy most in abstract work (albeit most of what I’ve seen has been produced in Photoshop).

Out of the Blue, Reciprocity

What impresses me most, perhaps, is the technique used to produce these.

From one of the image descriptions:

For new viewers: These are light refraction patterns or ‘caustics’ formed by a white light beam passing through shaped and textured transparent forms. The pattern is captured directly on to 35mm film by removing the camera lens and putting the transparent object(s) in its place. Colours are introduced by placing complex coloured optical filters directly in the light beam.

The processed film is digitally scanned for uploading. Please note these are not computer generated images but a true analogue of the way light is refracted by the objects I create.

Iconic Photos

Mike — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:33:10 +0000

“Famous, Infamous and Iconic Photos.”

A lot of interesting material to browse here.

The Best Free Photos on the Web (Where to Find Them and What to Do With Them)

Mike — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:24:46 +0000

A pretty decent list of places to find some great public domain photography.

I Love This Dog

Mike — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:39:58 +0000

I have an unusual dog. Not unusual in her breed, she’s a pit bull and shepard mix, but unusual in that she has a bit of an anxiety issue. She doesn’t deal well with our absence, nor does she deal well with correction. I feel terrible every time I have to do it. But what can you do when she takes to chewing up anything she can get a hold of when we’re gone? On most days, she doesn’t do this, but in some cases I think she gets too worked up about us leaving the house.

When she’s not dealing with those issues she’s a hell of a dog. Loyal, goofy, and an all around great pet, Roxy is one of the best pets I’ve ever had. Too bad she likes my wife better than me, but what are you going to do when she’s the one who brought her home and stayed with her while I was at work? That and she’s timid around men. She didn’t trust me at first for that reason, I think, but now I’m just a regular part of the family. Strangers, on the other hand, are another story.

Can you stay mad at that face??? Come on? It’s pretty much impossible with her looking so darn cute. Well, at least I can’t stay mad.

Roxy, photographed by Michelle Mattner

In spite of some of the things she does to get you riled up, you can’t be mad at that face for too long. She’s just a great looking dog, and has a lovable disposition. She gets along with most people pretty well, unless they do something that makes her nervous once, then she’s timid around them until they build up some trust again.

Anyway, my wife is an excellent photographer, and takes plenty of photos of our animals, so thanks for this one.

Find Images on the ‘Net

Mike — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:51:40 +0000

A really great resource for finding royalty free, commercial, etc. photography on the internet.

My fave photography site so far is everystockphoto. Not too shabby, just shabby enough.

Photogenic drawing in the 1790′s?

Mike — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:57:07 +0000

It is highly probable that a photogenic drawing of a leaf, believed to have been created sometime in the late 1830′s was actually created much sooner.