Finally back...

Reno.jpg
Originally uploaded by Michael Walters

I have been on travel for some time including trips to Reno and Montana. I am sifting through numerous images and plan to have some posted by the end of the week.

Michael

Who am I kidding...

For those few faithful viewers, I apologize for the delay in the new site design that I have promised.  Once again the only excuse I have is severe lack of time.  I am continuing to work on it and will have it up soon.  Every time I think it is ready I get a different idea and mess things up.  Thanks for your patience.


On another note, I was picked up by iStock photo yesterday and will begin selling images through them very soon have posted a few images but not sure if I want to sell microstock yet.  I know there is a great deal of controversy out there concerning microstock agencies, but hey, the business model works for me.  I obviously don't have the time or energy to market and distribute my work on my own right now.  Therefore, I'm okay with someone taking care of that for me and giving them a substantial cut as a result.  The best analogy I have is that I can sell a single image one time for $300 after investing loads of time and energy in marketing the image, or I can sell the same image 300 times for $1 after taking two minutes to upload it.  Works for me.


I have added a slew of new lighting equipment to my arsenal and will hopefully soon have a good handle on artificial lighting.  I have always been a purist in regards to light and shot strictly natural light until recently.  I stumbled across a fantastic blog about lighting at Strobist and realized that learning artificial lighting, particularly off-camera flash, can only enhance my understanding of light and improve my "vision."  If you have ever had an interest in photography, I encourage you to take a look at Strobist.  You'll find months worth of articles and free lessons.  Incidentally, that is exactly the sort of thing I hope to develop through my website.  So much to do, so little time.  Life is grand!

Sundial Bridge

A prominent landmark here in Redding is the Sundial Bridge. The bridge is strictly for pedestrian foot traffic and crosses the Sacramento River. The deck is made of an aqua green colored opaque glass that gives a very unique appearance. The pylon is 217 feet tall and is a functioning sundial. The construction is environmentally friendly as the cables prevent the bridge from interfering with spawning salmon in the river below.

What the Duck...

If you like comic strips and understand the photographer's sense of humor then "What the Duck" is for you. Here is the latest:


As a side note, I am working on a site redesign and hope to have it up and running within the next week or so. I need to make the site more friendly for posting image galleries and articles.

A Self-Portrait...

Since this is where I spend a great deal of my time, I thought a self-portrait was in order. Any guesses on what this is?

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

Changing things up...

Once in awhile I find it useful to change things up a little. I have a new found respect for photographers that specialize in natural light and environmental portraiture. Unlike the type of work I prefer, outdoor and nature photography, with environmental portraiture the photographer has the option of moving the subject to a location where the light is better. If only I could move a mountain lake to a spot where the light was better.

A great quote...

“Learn to see, and then you'll know that there is no end to the new worlds of our vision.”

Carlos Castaneda

Just for fun...

I've always been fascinated by atmospheric and optical phenomenon. A while back I was on a hike and noticed this strange behavior in the contrails of a passing jet. If you look closely you can see the wavy lines of a contrail just before it evaporates. I would guess that this is caused by the wingtip vortices of the aircraft that created the contrail. If anyone has any other ideas, please drop me a line.