Photography by John Corney

Storage Shed at the Standard Mill, Bodie State Historic Park

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:49:00 +0000

The Standard Mill in Bodie State Historic Park, CA, used to process the silver and gold ore from the Standard Mine. Although still mostly intact, this area is closed off to visitors of the park as being "hazardous".

See The Storage Shed in the Bodie slide show gallery

Bodie HDR Interpretation

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Sun, 25 May 2008 00:39:00 +0000

HDR (high dynamic range) imaging is a fun thing to play around with. You are meant to start with a set of photos of the same shot taken at different exposures, but I find that I get nice effects as in the photo to the left by just taking one photo, using Photoshop RAW processor to create two new copies of the image with a -2 and a +2 exposure value, and then using them and the original image as a set of three to process as an HDR image. You have to use software such as Photoshop or other software programs available for sale to combine the images into one. The highlights of the image are formed using the highlights in the underexposed image, the shadows are formed using the shadows in the overexposed image, and then blended with the correctly exposed image. The outcome is greater detail across the entire dynamic range: shadows, through midtones, to highlights.

In this photo the distant mountains and clouds give a great effect, almost like "sumi-e" or ink drawings.

This and other photos of Bodie can be viewed in the Bodie slideshow gallery or the static html Bodie gallery.

Sister of Perpetual Indulgence

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:47:00 +0000

In name, dress, and antics, the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" are the personification of "theatrical camp". But it's serious business: Wikipedia states that the San Francisco order has raised and distributed over $1million to charities over the years. The first nuns of the order stepped out into public on the streets of San Francisco on Easter Sunday 1979.

According to the website for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Sisters' mission statement states:

The Sisters devote [themselves] to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges, and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment. The Sisters believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty and use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit. The Sisters' state vows to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt while serving their respective communities.

My photo of the sister above was taken at this year's gay pride parade in Long Beach this past Sunday. See this Sister of Perpetual Indulgence in my People and Portraits gallery. And go here for a collection of photos from the 2008 Gay Pride Parade and festival in Long Beach.

Methodist Church Bodie Ghost Town

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Tue, 20 May 2008 03:23:00 +0000

The old Methodist church in Bodie is the only remaining church in the ghost town. It was built in 1882. The church was restored by E.J Clinton of San Francisco who held the final service here in 1932.

Since then the interior of the church has been badly vandalized, and the Ten Commandments painted on oilcloth which used to hang behind the pulpit has been stolen. So much for the 8th Commandment!

Slide show of photos of Bodie

Old Shell Oil Gas Pumps at Bodie Ghost Town

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Tue, 20 May 2008 02:56:00 +0000

These old Shell Oil gas pumps at Bodie stand out. It's not what you expect in a ghost town that had its heyday in the 1880s, but Bodie obviously limped along into the era of the automobile before the ghosts moved in. Because they are so "modern" they stand out and create a great juxtaposition against all the wood and brick.

Turned on by old gas pumps? Then also see this photo of an old "petrol" pump that I took on a trip to my hometown environs in New Zealand in 2007.

Bodie Ghost Town Slide Show

Bodie Ghost Town Photo Collection

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Sun, 18 May 2008 00:33:00 +0000

Bodie State Historic Park is a ghost town located to the east of Yosemite National Park. When the Tioga Highway is open, you can drive there from Yosemite east across the Tioga Pass to Lee Vining and then by going north about 20 mintues on Highway 395.

Bodie was named after Waterman S. Bodey (the spelling of the town is a corrupted spelling of his name), who discovered gold there in 1859. The heyday of the town was in the 1880s when around 10,000 people lived there.

The ghost town was designated a California state historic park in 1962, and is maintained in a state of "arrested decay".

The day we visited was perfect for a photography shoot. The light was bright and the sky was mostly clear but with some interesting clouds that add some great interest to the photos. I have to say that I didn't expect to get quite as much out of my visit there as I did: it was a fascinating place and a photographer's dream location.

Slideshow of photos from Bodie Ghost Town

Photo gallery from Bodie Ghost Town for dial-up visitors (smaller images)

Photos from Yosemite National Park

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Sat, 17 May 2008 23:07:00 +0000

I took literally hundreds of photos while in Yosemite, but I'm going to leave it at the 23 photos of Yosemite that I have posted to the galleries. (Dial-up optimized version of Yosemite photo gallery). I hope you enjoy the photos.

Next up will be a series of photos of Bodie Ghost Town on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada range from Yosemite. There are some cool shots coming up.

Daredevils at Glacier Point

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:46:00 +0000

At 3200 feet above the floor of the Yosemite Valley below, this is something I know I couldn't do, but these two daredevils climbed out to the edge of this granite rock overhanging the edge of Glacier Point. It made me wobbly at the knees just looking at them. Across the other side of the valley you can see Yosemite Falls, which at 2,425 ft are the 5th highest falls in the world.

See it in the Yosemite National Park Slideshow

Half-Dome at Sunset

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:14:00 +0000

This photo of Half-Dome was taken from Glacier Point as sunset approached. It is an HDR image from a bracket of 3 exposures spaced 2 exposure values apart.

The view of Half-Dome from Glacier Point is one of the most spectacular views I have seen in my life and is a "must see" and one of the most-highly recommended locations for photography in Yosemite in my opinion. Don't miss it if you are visiting Yosemite. Half-Dome rises nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley and 8,800 feet above sea level.

See this photo of Yosemite's Half-Dome in the Yosemite Photo Slideshow or in the Yosemite dial-up photo gallery.

Yosemite National Park Series

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:07:00 +0000

I spent the past weekend visiting Yosemite National Park and environs. Yosemite is famous in American photographic lore as being the place made famous by Ansel Adams, and the place that made Ansel Adams famous. I make no pretense at these photos being "after" any of Ansel Adams' photographs. But as I poked my lenses about Yosemite, I often felt the ghost of Ansel Adams, thinking and wondering about him hiking the valley with his heavy camera gear, and what effort he must have put in to capturing those images.

Here are the first few images from my recent trip.

Yosemite National Park Flash Photo Gallery

Smaller images can be viewed in this separate dial-up optimized gallery of photos of Yosemite

Lorikeet and Secretary Bird

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:48:00 +0000

A couple more birds just flew in from the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park. The lorikeet is a multicolored parrot from Australia that lives on nectar. At the enclosure at the park you can buy little cups of nectar and the fearless birds will land on your hand to partake. Which is all very convenient for taking a few photos.

The secretary bird attracts a crowd not because of his colors, which are not very spectacular at all, but because of his gawky shape and the feather quills that stick out from the back of his head. Many sites claim the bird gets its name from these quills and the white and black tunic-like coloring of the bird which is suggestive of a male secretary from bygone-days, but the posting for the secretary bird at the Wild Animal Park's website states that the name of the bird most likely comes from the Arabic saqr-et-tair, or “hunter bird.” Anyhow, the bird struts up and down his enclosure constantly looking for prey, and when he finds a bug or whatever it is he is interested in, he jumps up in the air and stomps on it. Quite entertaining actually!

See these and other birds in the Bird Photo Gallery

Pink-Backed Pelican

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:01:00 +0000

Don't you find pelicans a very fascinating bird? I don't know what it is about them particularly that makes them so compelling; perhaps it is that they look kind of comical, and the fact that they can even fly is a surprise in a way as they seem so out of proportion in every way. But on the wing they are so graceful. This is a pink-backed pelican which hails from Africa. I took this photo at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in San Diego County. You can read on their website about all the different kinds of pelicans at the San Diego Zoo and Park.

See this photo of a pink-backed pelican in the bird photo gallery.

Disney Concert Hall Photos Sought by AIA

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:31:00 +0000

I had some exciting news this week. I was contacted by the American Institute of Architects about using some of my photos of the Disney Concert Hall in downtown L.A. for a project they are doing at the moment called The Shape of America. The series of videos features famous landmark buildings of the United States. Hopefully my photos will end up in the Disney Concert Hall piece when it is done.

Walt Disney Concert Hall Photo Gallery

Anza-Borrego Wildflower Gallery

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Fri, 02 May 2008 04:36:00 +0000

Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflower Galleries Completed

Ok, that's it for the photo shoot from Anza-Borrego Desert. The collection contains forty-one photos in all covering wildflowers, yucca/agave, cacti, and a couple of the local insects I encountered on the day. Most of the photos were taken in Plum Canyon. You can view the galleries in either a "flash" slideshow or a static html gallery which has smaller images. Here are the links to the separate photo galleries:

Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers - Flash Gallery

Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflowers - html Gallery

I got some of these photos back from AdoramaPix today and they look pretty nice.

Online Photo Printing Recommendation

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:19:00 +0000

If you are a little more serious about your photographic prints these days like I am, you will want a photo printing company that is a cut above the rest. "The Rest" is a crowded group - it seems that everyone is trying to get you to use them for your online prints: Shutterfly, Snapfish, Flickr, Kodak, Costco, Target...and the list goes on.

When it comes to printing my photos, the very first thing I look for is a print service that prints from tiff files. If you're a serious photographer you won't want to be printing from jpeg files as this is a compressed file format that discards a lot of your image information. Remember that the jpeg file format was devleoped for displaying images on the web in the days of 8kb dialup modem days. Sure, its fine for your 7x5 snapshots, but when you want to go to the next level in both image quality and size, you will not be printing from jpeg files. So if you're using a service that only accepts jpeg files, move on, I say.

The next thing I look for is a print service that provides a good selection of quality archival papers. You want to be able to choose a paper type that compliments the photo you are printing. If it's an artsy image with colors that are "grungy", then you will want to print on a paper that has some texture and isn't too shiny. But if you have a colorful image that you want to pop, then you'll probably want to print it on something that has good reflective qualities.

Next, you want an online photo print service who has a user-friendly website for uploading and ordering your prints. And since you will be printing from tiff files, you will want a site that offers a reasonable amount of free storage space, and that will accept quite large files.

And last, but by no means least, you want a print service that offers exceptional service. Timely turnaround, and packaging that gets the prints to you in great shape.

Over the years I have tried several online photo printing services, and I am happy that about a year ago I found the equivalent of "Nirvana" in online photographic printing. And that's New York City's Adorama photo lab known as AdoramaPix. I use them all the time for my printing now and they are just exceptional in all the qualities I listed above.

They use Kodak papers exclusively and I recommend that you try the Kodak "metallic" paper for any prints that are colorful and which you want to really jump off the paper. I have almost all my prints done on the metallic paper. You'll be astounded by its glass-like sheen.

Use this link to the AdoramaPix website and place just one order and I'm sure you'll be hooked too. From time to time they have excellent sales too. And while you're there, be sure to check out all the great camera stuff at Adorama.com too.

Anza-Borrego Spring Wildflowers and Desertscapes

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:54:00 +0000

Hi There,

It's been a few days since you heard from me, but I have been busy developing more photos from my visit at the end of March to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County. I have placed them all in a separate photo gallery now devoted to this one field trip. And there are not just spring wildflowers anymore; there's a grasshopper too and a shot of the long shadows of the setting sun on the hillside to the west of Plum Canyon where I spent most of the day.

Follow this link to see a slideshow of the flowers and desert landscapes of Anza-Borrego. Note that if you press the F11 key on your keyboard which hides your browser toolbars, the sideshow will also automatically resize the images to even larger photos.

If you are "bandwidth-challenged" you might prefer this static gallery of photos from Anza-Borrego.

Western Rueppell's Vulture

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:39:00 +0000

I'm starting to worry here at the moment that you might be getting sick of photos of flowers, so I thought I'd shock you out of your "flower-daze" with this photo of a vulture. Yes, a vulture! This handsome guy is a Western Rueppell's Vulture, which I know for a fact because I had the good sense to also take a photo of the sign in front of his enclosure at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. These guys come from the northern two-thirds of Africa...so the sign says. (I'm not an ornithologist yet.)

If you're wondering how I got this photo looking like this, after adjusting for white balance and color in Photoshop, I then created some layers to help me darken the background, and I finished up by putting some "omni" lights in a couple of places that I wanted lightened up. Had to do all of this because the zoo wouldn't let me take him to the studio for a photo shoot.

See this Western Rueppell's Vulture in all his glory in the Birds Photo Gallery.

Emory Rock Daisy

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:50:00 +0000

Going out on a limb here today and making a bold claim that this is an Emory's Rock Daisy [Perityle emoryi] (See Emory Rock Daisy at Calflor.org).

The impression I have gotten several times when looking at these photos of tiny flowers against a background of small rocks is that I'm looking into an aqarium. The only thing missing is the water and some fish.

If you look carefully at these photos you will notice that once you get past the sunny yellow face in the center of the white petals you will notice how many other plants there are around the daisys. I cropped this photo in two different ways. In the first there are some tiny pink flowers to the lower left, and in the second one, there is some grass sticking up in the upper right corner. Unless you pay attention in the desert you miss a lot of stuff like this since it is all on a very small scale.

See the full-sized versions of these photos of Emory's Rock Daisy in the Desert Flower Photo Gallery.

Purple Wildfowers and Log

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:17:00 +0000

A dry log of wood provided an interesting backdrop for this composition of purple wildflowers. I took this series of photos in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park situated in San Diego county on March 22nd. The actual location is Plum Canyon. From the typical photos you see of spring wildflowers I went with the false impression of vast expanses of flowers, but most of the flowers are scattered and very tiny. These were probably mid-sized. I probably was confusing photos from coastal areas or vernal pools where there is more water. It is just a miracle how anything can grow in this environment and put on such a show albeit in miniature.

See the full-sized photo in the Desert Flowers slideshow.

Red and Yellow Desert Wildflower Colorburst

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:20:00 +0000

Here's a great burst of yellow and red from Anza-Borrego this past spring. Anyone who knows what these flowers are, I would appreciate it if you could please post a comment.

I recommend viewing the full-size photo in the Desert Flowers Gallery, but if you have a slow internet connection, I have posted this smaller image of this yellow and red wildflower colorburst in Anza-Borrego Desert.

Dormant Shrub in Anza Borrego Desert

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 06:18:00 +0000

Here are a couple of versions of a dormant shrub in Plum Canyon at Anza-Borrego State Park. Dead and dormant desert plants can make pretty interesting subjects for photos because of things like their starkness, their shapes, and the fact that the elements often exposes a lot of the grain in the wood.

This spindly shrub caught my attention among the wildflowers. I developed a couple of versions of the photo: one accentuates the yellows in the wood, while in the other I worked to develop a warm gray. I wonder which one you prefer?

View and compare them in the Plant Photo Gallery

(Dial-up optimized Plant Photo Gallery)

Grand Canyon - Remake of an Earlier Photo

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:56:00 +0000

This is a remake of a photo I took from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon which I have previously posted (Grand Canyon from the South Rim #1).

Taken back in May 2005 with my old Nikon Coolpix E8700 digital (not an SLR and shot as jpeg) I just spent some time developing the photo again from scratch in preparation for printing it for some friends who saw the previous version and liked it.

Actually, the previous photo does print up very nicely on Kodak metallic paper, but I'm pretty sure this one is going to look even better. I think this latest version is a good illustration of what I've learned over the last couple of years of intensive study of Photoshop. Now there's just a millioin more things to learn. You could even compare Photoshop to the Grand Canyon; it's deep and wide and you can spend a lifetime with it. But it's fun and when you get to see improvement like I feel I can see between this photo and the previous version you get to understand that it was worthwhile.

One scary thing, however, is that when I look back at how I developed photos a year or so ago I want to redo them all again, just like this one!

Compare the photos in my U.S. Landscapes Photo Gallery (Got a slow internet connection? Then use this dial-up optimized U.S. Lanscapes gallery).

Other posts featuring photos of the Grand Canyon National Park

Dry Yucca Flowerhead

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:18:00 +0000

I think the yucca and agave flower in May or June, but many of last years flower stalks still stand sentry in Anza-Borrego Desert. Although the blooms on this stalk are long gone, I really found them beautiful nonetheless.

See it in the Desert Flower Gallery (Dial-up desert flower gallery for slow internet connections)

Cholla Cactus - Anza-Borrego Desert

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:24:00 +0000

This very sculptural-looking cactus is alluringly beautiful and drops the ends of its branches onto the ground like little balls. But woe to anyone or anything that merely brushes even gently against it as its thorns are incredibly sharp and barbed. A gentle touch with the tip of the rubber toe on my shoe and the spines were a half-inch into the rubber and impossible to pull back out! Beware of these beauties if you visit Anza-Borrego desert.

This cactus plant is actually a Cholla Cactus. There are several varieties, but this one is Cylindropuntia bigelovii or the "Teddy Bear Cholla", so named because of it's fuzzy appearance. That cute fuzziness, however, is the mass of spines covering the plant. One of my friends knows this cactus as "the widowmaker"! You can read about this and other Cholla cacti at Wikipedia: Teddy-Bear Cholla. Or additionally at this Living Desert posting which describes clearly the perils of encountering this deceptively-looking teddy-bear.

Full-sized photos of this cactus can be seen in the Plants Photo Gallery (Dial-up Plants Photo Gallery)

Book Recommendation for Digital SLR Cameras

noreply@blogger.com (John Corney) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:29:00 +0000

An interesting coincidence happened this weekend: two friends recently upgraded to digital SLR cameras, and both of them asked for recommendations on resources or books for learning how to use the features of their new cameras.

My friend Chantal emailed me saying:

I wanted to ask you about photography... How did you learn? Do you have a good book to recommend? I'm reading through the camera's manual and while it tells me how to use the camera, I need to learn about all the technical terms and how to actually make the best use of my camera. I went to the lake by my house last weekend and took amazing pictures using the portrait, macro, landscape, etc. pre-setting, but didn't adjust anything manually. Check out the green on the duck picture I've attached!

Let me know... thanks! Chantal

With my other friend, Karen, we had been talking about photography classes online. They are out there, but they tend to be expensive. So when I got Chantal's email this morning it made me think back over the books I have bought the last few years, and which ones have helped me most. So here is the one book from which I learned the most about using a digital SLR camera: The Better Photo Guide to Digital Photography by Jim Miotke.

Obviously, I haven't read every book out there on digital SLR photogrpahy, so there may be others that are just as good or even better, but of all the books I have read, this one by far taught me the most about using the manual settings on a digital SLR camera: how to use aperture settings, how to get depth-of-field in photos, good advice on composition and light. So that's my recommendation, and since two people came up with the same question within a matter of days of each other, I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Good luck Karen and Chantal, and be warned: photography can become a horrible addiction best pursued by people willing to cut off all social ties with friends, family, and society! Just kidding...I think.