February 2010 Photograph of the Month “Puff Ball”

High Dynamic Range Image of Dandelion Puff Ball

High Dynamic Range Image of Dandelion Puff Ball

This month’s photograph is titled “Puff Ball.” I hope you like it.

I shot this image last year in a local park specifically for the February Photograph of the Month. I intended it to remind everyone of the warm, sunny days of summer hoping it would brighten your day and lift your spirits as the cold dark winter slowly passes.

This is a High Dynamic Range Photograph. I am very pleased with the way this technique brings out detail in both the brightest highlights and darkest shadows. It allows me to control the representation of my subjects with almost the same freedoms of a painter. I say “almost” because when I create an image I still have to work with what is actually before me; a painter has no such restriction.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Please call me if you have any need for photographs and I will do all I can to help you.

Thanks,
Dean

Permanent Link

Photograph of the Month January 2010 Dawn of a New Day

This month’s photograph is titled “Dawn of a New Day.” I hope you like it.

I found this tree while hiking with my wife in the Sunol Regional Wilderness Area. I saw the placement of the foreground elements, structure of the tree and the open meadow and knew it would be a good photograph.

To create this photograph I had to hike two and a half miles and down hill a thousand vertical feet in the dark. It took longer to reach the tree than I had planned and I was concerned I would loose the light. As I arrived these clouds, lit by the glow of the rising sun drifted through and made the shot. I had to set up my camera quickly to capture the moment and as I clicked the shutter I knew all my efforts were paying off.

You can view and download both the Wide Screen and the narrow Scree versions from my portfolio galleries or simply click on the image above and a full size image will open in the same widow.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. Please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Thanks and Have a Happy New Year,
Dean

ASID CA Pen IP Event Pictures Miele December 3 2009

Miele San Francisco Staff preparing Chocolate Bread Pudding at the 2009 ASID Holiday Event

Sierra Select hosted the ASID CA Peninsula the monthly meeting/event at their Miele showroom in San Francisco. This month the event was held in conjunction with ASID CA North, the San Francisco Chapter.

Sierra Select provided food and wine and gave interactive demonstrations of a few of their cook tops, stoves and ovens. Members from both chapters had the opportunity to cook Lamb Meatballs, Bacon wrapped Winter Squash, Chicken and Chocolate Bread Pudding. And those who did not attend this month, we thank you because that meant there was more chocolate for us.

We all had fun cooking and enjoying the hospitality of the management and staff of Sierra Select. The liberal quantities of good food and wine show they really know how to host a monthly meeting.

You can find photographs of the event in my portfolio gallery by following this link.

As always the photographs I shoot at the ASID events are available for ASID Members, Industry Partners and Staff as well as Press to download and use as needed at no charge. Photo credit is always appreciated.

Holiday Cooking Event at The Miele Showroom at Sierra Select in San Francisco

Today is the day of the “Deliciously Fun Holiday Event at the Miele Gallery at Sierra Select at 680 Eighth St. in San Francisco.

I’m looking forward to seeing the Miele line and the cooking “competition.”

I wonder if there will be any vegan food for the photographer this time?

Regardless it sounds like a fun evening and I’ll be on hand to photograph the events and the final culinary masterpieces.

I hope to see you there.

Dean

Photograph of the Month “Daisy”

This month’s photograph is titled “Daisy.” I shot this in a local park recently, I like it because it’s simple and sweet. I hope it brightens your day through the coming winter months.

You will notice there are two versions of the photograph. This is due to the recent industry wide adoption of the “wide screen” format for laptops and desktop computers, as well as high end cell phones. I realized that at least thirty-three percent  of the visitors to my site are using the wide screen format and wanted to ensure they had the option of enjoying the screen savers I work so hard to produce each month.

One version is for the wide screen and one version is for the “narrow” screen us geriatric cases are accustomed to. Select whichever fits your need, I will continue to produce both wide and narrow screen versions until the new format becomes universal. You can view and download both versions from my portfolio galleries as well.

The wide screen format has a long history in the movie industry, most of us have seen Panavision movies at one time or another. The computer industry has adopted the wide screen format because it is the defined format of HDTV and the motion picture industry has adopted the wide screen as a standard format for movies.

It also forces all of us to buy new computers lest we be seen as being out of date dinosaurs. If you have twenty minutes you might want to take a look at this video called “The Story of Stuff.” It’s really quite enlightening and aggravating but it’s well written, thoroughly researched and very well produced.

Oh, well… as with any computer technology what is available today really is much better than what was available last month. I just wish it wouldn’t cost quite so much.

All images in my “Photograph of the Month” series are sized and formatted as a screen saver or computer desktop wallpaper. You can click on the image to open in a new window or download; please, share it with your family and friends, with my compliments.

Dean

ASID Lunch & Learn at Emser Tile

Wednesday was the first meeting in the ASID CA Peninsula Lunch & Learn Series and of course I was on hand to photograph the event.You can view the photographs by following this link

The Lunch & Learn events are no cost to members so we get a nice snack and become better educated about the materials and supplies common to the spaces we work in.

Industry Partners provide lunchtime seminars to showcase new products, teach product specification and/or application techniques at their facilities.

Lunch is provided, and designers gain in-depth information about a particular product, service or showroom.

This first meeting was hosted by Emser Tile. The presentation was by Daybreak Stoneworks. We learned a bout the damage improper care can cause to stone tiles, counters and tables, we saw a demonstration of the refinishing process and how effective it can be even on severely damaged stone, and we learned abot the proper way to care for stone.

I am glad to know the best way to clean the stone because so often I need to throw a quick shine on stone for the photographs without causing damage. It is surprising how easy it is to damage stone and the cost of repairs is rather steep.

Lunch was provided – sandwiches, sodas, water and cookies… no Vegan fare though. Oh, well, It won’t hurt me to miss a meal or two every now and then.

Off to the Races

Shooting Lunch & Learn for ASID CA Peninsula today then it’s up to the city to shoot tables at Dining by Design in the Galleria at the SF Design Center.

Fun times ahead. Look for the Lunch & Learn shots tomorrow afternoon. The Dining by Design shots must await publication before I can show them.

ASID CA Peninsula Design Chronicles Fall 2009

I am very pleased and proud to find that the image I created for Joseph Hittinger of Joseph Hittinger Designs is featured on the cover of the fall issue of ASID CA Peninsula Design Chronicles.

ASID CA Peninsula Design Chronicles Fall 2009 Cover - Joseph Hittinger Designs

It really is a wonderful image and I can see why Joe won the Silver for Kitchens with it. And yes, this is an HDRI photograph.

The Bridge of Reality and the Spires of Night

The Bridge of Reality and the Spires of Night - B/W - HDRI - Mary Avenue Pedestrian Bridge - Cupertino, CA

This is a pedestrian bridge that crosses over I-280 at Mary Ave. in Cupertino, CA.

I was surprised and delighted to find such a marvelous example of engineering and design in this application. The spires and lighting are dramatic and inspiring. I have seen other images of this bridge on the web, but none of them have been of the bridge in it’s full glory at night.

It was great to get out and shoot something for no other purpose than to interpret it’s form and function from my own perspective, with no concern for a client or expectations from outside parties. It’s creating spectacular images like this, of grand and dramatic structures that are well designed in both form and function that caused me to fall in love with photography back in the 1980’s.

I do love my work and find it very fulfilling but this is simply fun.

My Calling

Passage to Another Reality - B/W HDRI

After spending the last few weeks focused on the CEU I gave to ASID CA Peninsula on the nuts & bolts of interior design photography I need to refocus on my true calling, which is crafting powerful images.

This is an image of the gallery outside the San Jose Museum of Art, and it is an HDRI photograph. I like it because of the strong geometry, the rhythm and repetition of the round forms in contrast to the right angles.