Mike's Right Brain

Hayride

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:29:30 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:October 24, 2010 1:34 pm
Aperture/Shutter Speed:f3.5 1/3200
Focal Length: 24 mm
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We spent the day out at the Seedling Fruit Orchard in Michigan today, celebrating the end of the season with our good friends who own the Orchard. There were hayrides on the back of this old truck. The weather was absolutely beautiful; amazing for this time of year!

This is a subtle single-exposure HDR. Anytime a sky is striated like this I think an HDR is ideal.

On another note, the marathon video from my last post has been getting thousands of views. CNN iReport also picked it up! Check it out here, and please forward it to your friends! I'm trying to make it go viral...

Running Man

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:01:22 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:October 10, 2010 9:13 am
Aperture/Shutter Speed:f2.8 fisheye
Focal Length: 4 mm
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This photo was part of a sequence of more than 4000 shots I took with a 5MP camera mounted on my head as I ran the Chicago Marathon last Sunday. Was this a crazy thing to do? Yes. But the resulting time lapse video certainly ended up cool, so it was worth it. My neck still hurts, though.

The GoPro camera, my latest new gadget, was mounted on my head via a headstrap, in a waterproof plastic case that was bolted to the strap. It was an incredibly hot day to run a marathon, and I dumped a lot of water on my head to keep cool, so the waterproof case was definitely worth having.

Despite the heat and the fact that I wasn't feeling too well, the marathon still was a great experience, which I think is this particular race's strongest point. The city looked better than ever, and it is always good to get a chance to see a lot of it on foot.

Up In The Air

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:06:08 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:September 4, 2010 3:20 pm
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Another photo taken with the iPhone, this time a portrait of yours truly. This time looking out of a window in an office building eastward toward the skyline. My daughter actually had the idea for this shot and hit the exposure button. She said it reminded her of the movie poster for the movie "Up In The Air". Perhaps!

Silhouette Seattle

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 22:37:44 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:August 15, 2010 1:10 pm
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So I got a new camera. An iPhone4. Got rid of my Blackberry and everything. I swore I would never get an iPhone, but I must say that this has been life-changing for me in more ways than one. But first and foremost, the iPhone has an amazing camera and lens. Being able to carry a good camera with me wherever I go has really made it easy to capture some images I would never have been able to get before. I no longer need to say "durn I wish I had my camera here..." most of the time!

Anyway, here we are arriving at the airport in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. The kids were standing in front of a cool illuminated piece of wall art and I snapped this while waiting for our luggage.

Jump now!

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:02:14 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:July 1, 2010 4:03 pm
Aperture/Shutter Speed:f4 | 1/2000
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO: 200
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A posed shot? Yes of course. The boys were exhausted after a few hours at the beach yesterday, but with the last bit of energy they had they gave it their all. The sun started to turn orange behind me on the other side of the island and things started glowing, so of course I said "Oh the lighting is perfect now; stop playing so I can take this shot!" They are so used to me saying that by now...

Chasing the Doughnut

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:01:43 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:June 28, 2010 4:45 pm
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Focal Length: 180 mm
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Well, after several continued adventures, including another trip to China, I'm back! Here's a photo from Topsail Beach, North Carolina, our usual haunt. We were hanging out at a friend's oceanfront house on a beautiful afternoon, watching the kids hang out on this stretch of beach. My youngest here lost control of his inner tube and the brisk wind (about 30mph) took it away from him. He had to chase that thing about quarter mile before he caught it!

Elections on Jolo

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:16:47 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 29, 2010 11:45 am
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Focal Length: 100 mm
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Several people told us that it was not a good time to go to the Philippines because it was election time. Elections there take place every three years, and posters of the candidates are plastered absolutely everywhere. One thing is for sure... whomever is printing these posters (they all look like they were designed at the same place) is making a ton of money.

Arrival in Jolo Sulu

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:55:42 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 29, 2010 11:30 am
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A shot of downtown Jolo, Sulu as we were landing yesterday. People in the town were gathering for a rally for the upcoming provincial elections.

Zamboanga

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:44:03 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 28, 2010 12:30 pm
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Focal Length: 36 mm
ISO: 640
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We landed in Zamboanga on Sunday morning. I haven't had time to process a decent shot from Zamboanga yet, but I will after I have had time to look through them. We hung out at my aunt's house all day after we arrived, and lots of kids of numerous cousins came by to play. My kids had no problem relating to the fun and fitting right in, despite the language barrier. They also loved drinking soda out of these bottles.

Photo Submission

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:37:13 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 27, 2010 4:05 pm
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Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO: 200
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One more shot from my family near Xiamen. Here's my cousin-in-law reviewing the photos of them taken that day. A couple of minutes after this shot was taken, the whole clan was back there looking at the 3-inch viewscreen. I wish I had a small portable printer with me to instantly print a stack of photos to leave there with them instead of sending them later. Next time.

Four Brothers

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 10:06:08 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 27, 2010 2:10 pm
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Focal Length: 30 mm
ISO: 400
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Here's the front door to the house in the village. Four brothers in age order, left to right (my uncles), and their mother (my great aunt I suppose), who is nearly 90. The little one in red is the youngest in this particular clan of more than 40 cousins and second cousins that were there to greet us when we arrived. What an amazing day this was; it was so good to see them all again so soon. That's my mom on the right.

Xiamen Tea

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:55:00 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 27, 2010 2:34 pm
Aperture/Shutter Speed:f 5.6 | 1/60
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO:2000
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We traveled today to the hometown of my grandfather in a small village outside of Xiamen. I was here a couple of years ago, and it was fantastic to come back again, this time with my family. While this food-like shot does not show the wonderful people in this distant part of my family, it does symbolize our visits here. These are small sip cups of Xiamen tea, which tastes very different from tea I've had anywhere else in the U.S. or in China. The simple ceremony of it is calming and hypnotic: filling a small covered cup to the top with fresh tea leaves, dumping the first hot water out, stirring the leaves with the lid, and then pouring into the little cups on an ornamented drainboard. All the while having conversation around the table. The tea tastes very light and very fresh, and the little cups (that hold about 1/3 of a shot glass) make you have to repeat the process over and over. This little ceremony was repeated several times in the many houses we visited yesterday.

From The Peak

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:50:37 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 26, 2010 1:05 pm
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Here's a shot from the peak with my hands over my head, looking down over the rest of Gulangyu and the surrounding city of Xiamen. Not a lot of room up there!

Gulangyu Peak

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:46:41 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 26, 2010 12:52 pm
Aperture/Shutter Speed:f 9 | 1/800
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO: 400
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Here's a view of the peak on the rocks, the highest point on Gulangyu, as I am making my way up there with the family. I am horridly afraid of heights, so this was a challenge for me.

Gulangyu

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:00:37 -0600

]]> Capture Date/Time:March 26, 2010 12:33 pm
Aperture/Shutter Speed:f 5.6 | 1/1600
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO: 400
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We arrived in Xiamen, Fujian Province yesterday morning. The city is beautiful and the weather warm. We toured the resort island of Gulangyu, which is just off the coast of the bay here, a few minutes away by ferry. The island is also called "Piano Island" because of the numerous pianos that used to be owned by the various homeowners. Supposedly you could hear the pianos playing on the island from across the bay. This is my son modifying one of the many huge rock formations there.