Brian's Favs

 

Pick your tree. This is a macro shot (no shit, eh!) of the frost bitten needles of a pine tree of the kind I didn't even bother to check out what was, because if it was frost bitten, it means that I was out there, suffering (voluntarily) in my short, most likely crawling around on my knees as in many of the pictures below, or lying flat on my stomach in the grass.

I know. Just a few dead january leaves, but I love the colour of the leaves and the light in the shot.

If one didn't know any better, you'd almost think it's a studio shot and not an oudoor shot in minus too much.

Nobody would suspect a suffering photographer behind this picture, but trust me, he was there.

I have no royal clue what this is? I just liked getting up close to what is really a very skinny twig where you can see the frost and then I noticed this bright, yellow orange'ish little piece of...whatever it is with a "crew cut" of frost on top and that became my eureka moment of the morning.

Doesn't hurt that there is one (actually three) single straw of grass wimping around in support of the curled up dude, whatever he is.

Honestly, I'm not even sure what the hell his is? I just went out early one frosty morning to play with my macro lens. "Out" means to the backyard of the building where I live.  It was too cold to go anywhere else. And this guy was lying there, all frost bitten and ready for the taking. So down on the frosty ground I go, in my shorts and my arthritis ridden knees didn't like that, I soon found out, but the shot turned out nice, I think. Gotta suffer a bit for the art.

This one was actually a mishap, underscoring my below mentioned issues with my macro lens, though honestly, it's likely not a problem with the lens, but a problem with the guy behind the lenst.

But that's ok. I like the "from dust to dust" feel in this one and the focus in the centre. Blurred in top and bottom and a nice "bright spot" in the centre of the frame.

I'm not sure why I like this one, but at least the colours are pretty. 

Foreground is clear and in focus...kind of...and the background is nice and blurred, but I still not satisfied. I'm having some problems with my macro lens, bringing out a really sharp and crisp shot. But overall - not bad for an amateur.

One of my first macro shots. I just like the way you see common grass from a whole new perspective. It reminds me a little of an animated show I used to enjoy years ago. It was called "miniscule" and was about about seeing thing from a...well, grassroots perspective. I've had a lot of joy since then, with my macro lens and love to see things from a different perspective.

I call it "The Ghost Train": 1 second exposure of the SkyTrain slowly rolling into Olympic Village as an old lady slowly is moving towards the door in anticipation of them opening. She turns out to be the "ghost" you see on the right, as the slow rolling train appears to be "flying" by. Just love how it plays with your mind and that (playing with your mind) is what good photography is all about...to me.

Another one from the department of shutter speed: My beloved Thailand and in this one, I'm looking south from the Sai Yud SkyTrain station in Bangkok, as the cars are heading away from me below. A different take on the usual "tail lights" picture, as you can actually see the movement of the cars as they are weaving  in and out of obstacles and each other.

(Following picture is the same, but cars coming at you).

I chose this one over the typical "permanently stretched lights" 

because you can clearly see the movement of the individual cars.

I see no point in doing what everybody else is doing and I like the

pedistrian overpass in sharp focus.

I'm an honest guy. When you screw up terribly, just admit it and move on. Learn from your mistake.

Shooting out of the windows of an airplane enroute to Seoul at night. I got this one all wrong. But most mistakes can be turned into something useful if you have a bit of imagination and creativity.

Question marks or love heart, I don't know, but this "horrible mistake" just ended up on my "favs" list.

From the department of nature:

No, it's not a take on the old band "Earth, wind and fire"...but fire it is and I just love fire. There's something primal and evolutionary about it. Our survival as a species depended on it and as deadly and devastating as it can be, it can be equally beautiful and beneficial and "he who controls fire, controld life, survival and the future".

(Ok, you can bring out the marshmallows, now)

To me, words are unnecessary here.

Reflections in a pond. Ok, call it a lake if you want.

Taken in Minoru Park in Richmond, a five minute walk from where I live, on a day I had nothing better to do than "go to the park" (which means no soccer games on TV to watch).

Just always looking for new ways of serving "old news", which is really what this is.

It might just be spaghetti, but it's served untraditionally, upside down. Try that one and home and see what happens.

Oh yeah, Baby. It's all about the light. Tall-grass in Minoru park, afternoon.

Dat's right! She was so shot she steamed up my windows.

That's why I married her and almost immediately impregnated her.

That's now nearly 20 years ago and guess what? She's still as hot as she was when I first met her.

No bad jokes about being "wet".

This one was going home one night in the fall and waiting for the red light on Gilbert @ Granville in Richmond.

Knee-jerk reaction to an idea: "turn wipers off and shoot the blurred, coloured lights of traffice in the intersection".

It worked...I think. Didn't it?

I love those "rain on windshield" pictures.
Looks like the whole dam car is bubble wrapped.

The dance of the raindrops.

Don't we just all love a good, creepy spider?