MORE DIDGE!

I had the pleasure of helping my buddy Jeremy work his Didgeridoo booth at a local Native American Flute festival this Sunday and I had an absolute blast. Jeremy makes amazing quality didgeridoos and we definitely had the loudest tent there. I was able to help him out AND play my didge pretty much all day, so it was a win win situation. I had the pleasure of meeting some fellow didge players, but I only had the time to take a few photographs.... The Native American Flute festival was an interesting place to say the least and I met many people from every possible walk of life. From a local groundskeeper to a Musk Ox caretaker from Alaska.. go figure... I also bought a few crafts from some outstanding local artists. One of which carves native designs into shells native to the areas of the designs he carves.. Truly outstanding artistry. The few pictures I do have are all of didgeridoo players that have a lot of character and were really fun to spend time with. Thanks to Jeremy and the others for a laid back Sunday!

It has been a week or so....

Well... Ike did exactly what people thought and wrecked my old home town. Power was JUST restored yesterday to my family's home in Kingwood and many of my friends are still without power 14 days after Ike hit. The worse hit areas are Galveston as many of you may have read, so I wish everyone good luck in dealing with Ike's BS. Boats aren't supposed to sail on the freeway!!!

Ike Aimed at Houston!!!!!

Update #2: Ike has taken a nearly direct path to my hometown with warnings of storm surges up to 25ft in Galveston!!! It is said that the unusual size of Ike is producing a much larger storm surge then a normal Cat 2 or Cat 3. It is supposed to make land fall in about 18 hours as either a high Cat 2 or a low Cat 3 with damage between the two being nearly identical. Above is a photo from Nasa's shuttle giving us an idea of the size of Ike. If you would like to see more absolutely amazing photos of hurricanes photographed from space click here.

I have spoken to my friends and family back home and they have all told me that my hometown, Kingwood, is overreacting and everyone is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I do wish I was there to photograph the madness, but I'm stuck here, so I'll keep posting updates with new photos and news. Check back!


Update: Most models have now predicted Ike aimed directly at my home town. I am a bit jealous as the pictures from Galveston are going to be amazing, but I am worried about my family and friends... Blessings to you all and stay safe!
It looks as though Ike is heading for my home town! I've lived in Florida for about 2 months now which I was told is a Hurricane broom and in this short time two have skipped right by Tampa and towards my Houston, my home town. I wish I was there to see this beast come in!

...Destined Evolution...

Could this be the much anticipated 5D replacement? If so, I am ready for a full frame camera body!!!

Click to see Canon's teaser

An Unexpected Subject

Hello again to the readers of thy blog... Thanks for checking back in to see what is going on this week!

I jumped in the car to meet Robert La Follette down at Honeymoon island again, but this time to catch some pictures of the surfers enjoying the waves from hurricane Gustav (best hurricane name ever). When I arrived it was raining a little, so I found Robert and his wife sitting under the covered bathroom area shooting surfer pics with his zooooooom lens. The three of us stayed under cover until it stopped raining and then relocated closer to the surf action. On our way over a VW van (I believe this type of VW van is called a Samba) caught my eye and shouted at me to have its picture taken. This old VW van is just PACKED with character that was begging for some HDR (High Dynamic Range) pictures to be taken. I walked over to the owner, David Gause, to ask permission to take photographs and he graciously agreed and even opened her up for some interior shots. I originally wished for some better light, but after editing these photos in HDR I fell in love with the stormy sky and rain drops which are such dramatic features to this series of photographs. It is hard to see the raindrops on the small pictures, but I will be adding some of these to my portfolio online, so check back again if you would like to see them full resolution. I have some more editing to do with them (for your photoshop readers I have to clone stamp out the cars, straighten etc...), but I wanted to get these up quickly for everyone to enjoy. I hope you like them and check back again soon!

Ibis!

A couple of days ago my cousin's family and I went to a local park here in Tampa to feed the Ibises! These little birds were by far the most interesting I have come across during my short time here in Tampa. They sound like Kazoos when they sound their calls! After doing my best to capture pictures of the Ibis a little squirrel decided to get in on some of the bread that was being thrown left and right. He was extremely friendly and would eat out of our hands, but was easily startled and only stayed for a few minutes. After our squirrel attack we went back to hanging with the Ibises as they would practically stampede us for the bread. All in all another amazing day in and around Florida.




When Squirrels Attack!

Didgeridoo!!!

Some of you might not know that I play the didgeridoo, or at least, I am trying to play it. Since I do not know many people in and around Florida I decided to Google "Didgeridoos in Florida" to see what result I would get. It turns out that Jeremy from Didgeridoo Revolution, a group that plays shows and puts on performances for schools, is a didgeridoo instructor about an hour from me. I gave Jeremy a call and he agreed to meet in Sarasota for a lesson! Jeremy is an amazing teacher and was nice enough to show me around Sarasota and fill me in on the best places to visit. After spending about an hour practicing and going over the basics Jeremy invited me to hang out and take pictures of a band he was practicing with that night. They were all super cool and invited me in and gave me dinner to boot! Thanks goes to all you guys and Jeremy for helping me get settled in my new home state.

Click here to see pictures from the evenings band practice

My first photography trip in Florida

As some of you may already know I have made a move to Tampa, Fl recently. I have been so busy with the move that I haven't had the chance to move around a little and take some photos, but an old friend of mine helped pull me from my photo lull. A mentor photographer of mine, Robertlafollette(.com), whom I have learned from on two photography workshops lives in Clearwater, so he offered to show me around Honeymoon Island which is one of his favorite spots. He was a huge help for me because in new areas I often find myself completely overwhelmed by my surroundings and I end up coming home without snapping a single photo. Robert helped me to focus and find some amazing areas to shoot.

Not only did Robert show me around the area, he gave me an introductory lesson in bird and wildlife photography as well as teaching me about the local wildlife. We happened upon an Oystercatcher which, according to Robert, isn't a sight often seen. The beach was busy so the little bird was easily startled, but Robert showed me how to walk out and around to get the shot and we ended up with some fantastic shots of the little bird.

After spending the late afternoon getting accustom to my beautiful surroundings Robert decided to go get setup for a sunset HDR shot. The shot came out pretty well, but I have to admit, at times photography is harder then I remember. I had my camera very low to the ground to get the sunset framed correctly so I had to lay down across sharp limestone and hold as still as possible while I took my shots. This left me a mosquito's dream, and as I vocalize my discomfort I hear a, "Welcome to nature photography!" I had forgotten that sometimes you have to do what is necessary even if you are a feast for every insect in 5sq miles.


(Click on the thumbnails for a larger photo)