Thirteen Photos and a Thousand Words ( give or take )

Once upon a time I started a separate photo blog. Then came the brutal realization that keeping one blog going was tough enough so adding another one might not have been a great idea. I may streamline the plan for a while by simply posting photos there. With everything I have my fingers in right now I feel like one of those old Vaudeville acts. You know the one I'm talking about. Some guy has a bunch of plates spinning on a row of sticks. The act gets really interesting when the performer is running up and down the row trying to keep all the plates spinning. My fervent hope is that the plates don't all come crashing down on me before I take the time to prioritize better!

My pursuit of photography is getting much more serious. Not that the outcome is anything to write home about. However, I'm beginning to really understand how to work the exposure triangle to my advantage. Composition is something I know about on the surface but it hasn't become ingrained by any means, yet. There's still a long ways to go. Stuff like when to use spot metering versus center weighted, etc. The really good news is that I'm learning a lot. They say you learn from your mistakes, you know!

A trip over the mountain into Central Oregon was on the books a bit ago. For this post I just felt like sharing some photos and some comments.

One of the burdens I have to deal with is staying in fairly nice hotels. The favored place these days is the Riverhouse when staying in Bend. It's across the highway from the Hampton where Bobskoot and some of the gang stayed last year for our bloggers gathering.

This photo of the pool was taken with the G11. I also had the D7000 along. It's bad when when you take less clothing in order to carry two cameras. I finally figured out how to use the built-in ND filter. That, and a smaller aperature helped conquer the glare of the really bright sunshine.



The folks are kind enough to put me in a building in the back. It's very quiet and nice back there. Across the parking lot is a conference center.



The place looks ok during the day but looks a lot better at night, doesn't it? Who knew you could get cobalt blue skies with a camera after our eyes think it's all the way dark? A nice added touch is the light trails from passing vehicles.



After I played with a bunch of different shutter speeds and got a couple of shots I liked I moved the tripod off to the side but left the camera set up and on. It was nice to simply stand and enjoy the evening air. A very large Ford pickup drove into the parking lot towards me. Since the camera was already on and the remote shutter release cable was still in my hand, I quickly zoomed the lense to wide angle and pressed the button. Here's what the headlights of the truck looked like with a 30 second exposure. The photo itself isn't so great but it was fun to make.



Just on the edge of town is Pilot Butte. It's really just a big hill. The road winds around and around in ever decreasing circles towards the top. One evening I decided to ride up and try my hand at sunset photos. I find I'm not really drawn towards landscape photography although I do appreciate the wonders around us.

The small flat area at the top of the butte was surprisingly busy. There were the usual tourists, a group of guys making some kind of band / music video recording, and a wedding, of all things.

Here are the bride and groom. He seems more interested in his mobile communication device than he is in her.

The late evening light gave everything a kind of golden glow. It was pretty awesome, actually.

Somewhere around a dozen people attended the wedding. There was a woman in a black robe whom I presume was a Justice of the Peace or something. She performed the ceremony.

This couple were a part of the wedding party. The guy had a bottle of iced tea in his hand and was saluting everybody with it. I think it was ice tea, but who knows?



My tripod mounted camera was pointed to the West. The wedding was in the center of the flat spot, to my back. I quietly turned the camera around and took a few discrete shots. The girl noticed my camera and said something to the guy. He saluted me with the bottle. She looked a bit self conscious so I was considerate and turned the camera back around. It wasn't my intent to intrude uninvited on the wedding, after all. It was just a target of opportunity.

The photo is a bit washed out. Her face was in shadow since the camera was set on matrix metering. I had to put a lot of fill light on her face in Photoshop to bring it out. On the other hand, you have to see her face looking my direction to get the idea so it was necessary.



Here's the drummer checking everything out from his vantage point. The music wasn't connected to the wedding. The video crew was very considerate and stopped everything for the short wedding ceremony.



There were enough clouds hanging onto the mountains to mess with the sunset photography. I hope this guy had better luck than I did. None of mine turned out to be worth keeping.



One side effect of pursuing photography is that I've become really into light. Sometimes I feel like some hippy dude eating pine cones or something while expressing rapture at some new discovery.

"Man, have you ever, like, REALLY looked at the light?"

All jokes aside, it's amazing how much difference there is in light from season to season. For that matter, from hour to hour and even minute to minute. What looks like a fantastic picture can go away in a space as short as a couple of minutes.

Check out this photo taken of the river behind the hotel. It was taken very early in the morning as the sun just started to light the river. It's an okay photo but really lacks punch.



Compare it to a photo I took in late March from just a few feet to the right from where I was standing. The lighting comes from late afternoon sunshine with the sun lower towards the horizon. There's a huge difference in the "wow" factor, isn't there? I never appreciated the differences until I got serious about this picture making stuff.



I realized I had really tipped over the edge on the way home. This is back on the West side of the pass but we're still heading downhill. I passed this view and a convenient wide gravel spot on the side of the road without stopping. For the next six miles I wrestled with going back because the view kept getting more and more limited as I descended. Finally, knowing I would regret it if I didn't take the opportunity for a photo, I doubled back and pressed the shutter.

A polarizing filter added a bit more blue to the sky and brought out the dazzling white of the snow. The remarkable thing is that I actually did it on purpose. Maybe not really well, but kind of like an ape using a stick to pry ants out of a log, there was a purposeful act involved.



Of course, being parked beside the road, as well as actually standing in the road, one has to be on the lookout for traffic. Like this loaded log truck headed up hill.



Having finally figured out that a narrow aperature is another way to slow down the shutter speed, I left the aperature at f/16 which gave me a 1/10 second exposure. I thought it was a pretty cool effect.

It's becoming easier all the time to see the appeal that Steve Williams finds in riding a scooter. Making photos can easily become more addicting than riding. A thing I never thought I would ever find myself saying. Time to wrap this thing up. I have to shake it off and go for a fast ride!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Food Porn and Other Stuff.


There seems to be a thing with food porn, lately. Bobskoot appears to have been one of the original instigators. At first glance he seems to be merely a mild mannered scooter rider. It would appear there's a dark side hidden under that inscrutable grin. If we're honest, though, we can't say much. We've all been willing disciples. Some of us have even begged him for more.

One of the things I've noticed about a lot of the photos out there is a certain lack of creativity. I mean, there's a lot of variety in content but not much in approach. Real masters of the craft know that one of the keys to good boudoir food photography is seductive lighting. Show off your subject, certainly, but leave a little to the imagination, as well. In that spirit I've decided to share some of my own work. A person can't be on a motorcyle all the time, after all. Being balanced requires sometimes parking the bike and enjoying some of life's other pleasures. The setting for this post is a recent trip over the mountain range to Bend.

We begin with the light sources. You want seductive photos? Start with seductive lighting. This was located right over my head. Understated and pleasing to look at by itself.



The soft lighting is such a welcome contrast to the bright and garish world of the small bar. You can almost see the blur as sensory input comes rushing towards us. Shapes, colors, reflections, and glare threaten to overwhelm us. There's nothing sensuous about this setting. It's a very in-your-face experience best left to others.



Rest your soul by immersing yourself in the restful lighting and setting of our temporary studio. No need for defenses that shield us from the massive waves of sight and sound of the bar. Shields down, Scotty. Open yourself to the hint of delights to follow.



Notice the hint of reading glasses and a book in the lower left corner of the photo above. That sets the tone. Not everything is glaringly laid out for us in total blatant detail. No, one must open the book, to explore a bit at a time. See the glass of cold beer that is revealed to us under the soft lighting. This is obviously the reason the bike is parked safely at the hotel across the way.

There is enough information shown to clearly establish the enticing aspect of this lovely cold beverage. You see a hint of the richness of the brew as alluded to by the deep, dark, color. Yet, much is left to the imagination. How cold will it really be? What will it taste like? You see how properly done food porn entices you to want and to wonder?

Let your eyes move to the photo below. There is a hint of naughtiness without explicit detail.



Surely the presence of this exotic dish and two friends suggests a culinary threesome. Yet, there is no explicit detail. Will they, or won't they? Looking past the star will reveal the back of a blonde head. How does she fit in? Does she sense the tension building behind her? Will she politely ignore the goings on or become an observer? Will she even perhaps feel a longing to participate? Again, we are left to wonder and imagine the possibilities on our own. Rather than have the outcome dictated to us we are left to weave our own story as it suits us.



In the photo above we find the perspective has changed. Two of the players have closed the gap between them. They are so close but we don't know if they're actually touching or if the contact is simply implied. Now we're more up close and personal to the star. More is revealed to our eyes. Still, though, this view is far from showing us everything. We are now even more enticed and tempted. Our eyes tell us we yearn to experience the delight of consumption. Yet, we are still denied total knowledge. Perhaps we will even experience the frustration of unfulfilled desire.

If we are honest, though, we will agree that this is best. Always the image of "what might have been" will ultimately be more satisfying. Far better to ponder, imagine, and dream. How often has it been said that the wanting is often far better than the having? A true artist helps us to experience that.

Enough of that. Let us change subjects to a menu posted in the window of a steak house. Even observed through the glare of glass pounded by the late sunshine the prices of the steaks effectively deliver their shock. Perhaps the omission of the dollar signs before the prices was somehow meant to disguise the high price. I know little except that I won't be taking food porn pictures anytime soon.

As a parting note I wanted to share another window display.



There are many places to ride dirt bikes in Central Oregon. Apparently this is the latest offering from the Madonna line of chest protectors. I almost feel like I'm putting actual porn on the site but I somehow couldn't restrain myself. Worn on the street it would almost qualify as Hi-Viz!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

High Desert Hijinks

This is one of those posts where you'll get a break. There are a lot of photos and less words.

I'm working on the Step 2 competency post. In the meantime, I wanted to share some snapshots from a recent trip to Bend. There are motorcycles, sunshine, and snow.

The reason for the trip was to do some "train the trainer" work. Call it a workshop, if you will. During the course of teaching a class several instructors take turns stepping in. The idea is to have discussions among ourselves with the aim of lifting their teaching skills to the next level. There is one instructor who remains with the students for the entire class. This gives them some continuity.

Friday afternoon saw Katie and I headed over the Cascade mountain range. I briefly considered riding but the Oregon State Police said chains were required to get over the pass. This late in the year. So we drove. I know, what an excuse, but there you have it. Sure enough, there were a couple of patrol guys ensuring compliance. I hate chaining up but the packed snow and ice, along with a trooper's gaze forced me into it. Chaining up is a lot like throwing up when we're sick. We fight it and fight it. When we finally do give in, though, it feels so much better.

Our hotel was along the Deschutes River. Across the highway from where Bobskoot, Sonja, and Mr. and Mrs. Troubadour stayed during our first annual motobloggers convention. The temperatures during our event last summer were near a hundred degrees ( f ). This time it was barely above freezing. However, the sun was out and I spent some time playing with the camera.

Saturday morning found us in a parking lot. It's amazing, as an instructor, how a parking lot can so easily become your world for the weekend. I suppose the students feel the same way, too. A bare piece of pavement becomes a two-wheeled kingdom of sorts by adding some banners and bikes. Below are some of our crew. Actually, the man on the right was observing as part of his process of becoming an instructor himself. The poor guy probably got more information than he ever wanted to know!

The photo below is of Bill. He was the instructor that started with the students and was involved with every exercise.

Students practice their smooth stopping techniques under the watchful and encouraging eyes of Sean.

Getting directions for the next exercise. This is called "staging". It's really just a fancy word for two lines off the side of the range and out of the way.

Practicing the motor skills and actions involved in upshifting. Hey, life's no fun in first gear!

Waiting in line to practice the upshift, then downshift while stopping at the other end of the range.

Working on an introduction to cornering skills. You can see the air is slightly gray. What looks like fog is actually a fine sleet. At one point it blew in pretty heavily. The wind blew the sleet in from the west. Fortunately, we were looking east at the range so our backs were to it. I wish I had gotten the camera out to take a picture of us then. We all looked like snow monsters from the back. Totally covered in ice.

At the end of a cold day it was great to sit by the gas fireplace in the hotel lobby. A warm fire went well with some whiskey from the lounge!

This was the sight out of our patio door early Sunday morning. The hope was that the sun would melt the snow quickly. There were two problems with that. Firstly, the temperature stubbornly stayed below freezing. Secondly, clouds crashed the party. They arrived bearing the gift of more snow.

Weirdly enough, not all of the parking lot was the same temperature. Snow stuck to some spots and not others. Of course, we needed the whole lot to be free of snow. So we decided to delay a half hour and see what would happen.

After around 45 minutes the temperature came up a few degrees. Just enough to tip the scales in our favor. With the help of a couple of push brooms ( to create enough friction to melt the snow ) we got the lot cleared and the bikes underway.

I guess it IS possible to look intimidating on a GZ250!

We call the last exercise "Traffic interaction". Here the students deal with two way traffic, intersections, turning from a stop, and other situations they will encounter in the real world. For most of them, that can be as soon as the next day. It can look like chaos but the two instructors keep calm and watchful eyes on the scene. Accidents are extremely rare.

In the photo below you can see Sean calmly walking back towards staging at the end of the exercise. See, he's not shaking or quivering in the least!

It was finally time to wrap up the riding portion of the class. With the help of a nearby Subway sandwich shop we got to the classroom building and wrapped things up there. Blessed warmth!

Despite the cold and another snowy trip over the pass I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. Another group of riders was started on their two wheeled journey of discovery. I got to see both the joy that the students had as well as the dedication on the part of the instructors I worked with. I still feel lucky to be a part of it all.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Face to Face

There's always a bit of trepidation when meeting someone face to face when all you've had previously is an online relationship. Sounds like an internet dating situation doesn't it? Truth be told, the thought pattern is similar. Will we hit it off? Will they be disappointed when they meet me? Will I be disappointed? Bobskoot has called me a legend. What will he think when he finds the legend is actually an ordinary guy with a very worn 'Stich and scruffy riding boots? I experienced this situation several times last weekend. I'm very pleased to say that we strengthened the friendships in each case.

I had to be in Klamath Falls on Saturday. It's not real far, somewhere around 220 miles SE of where I live. Our motorcycle safety program has a system to do quality control checks around the state. That was the reason for this trip. Having some work related customers in K Falls, I went down a couple of days early. The plan was to leave for Bend on Saturday afternoon and meet up with the traveling bloggers.

This would be a good time, since we're talking about spreading the love, to say that I have officially fallen in love with Elvira. You've already seen here about her cornering prowess. The road I took between Oakridge and Klamath Falls is pretty much arrow straight. Long open stretches that are sometimes obstructed by big trucks and recreational vehicles. Being stuck behind these rolling roadblocks isn't much fun when it's 91 degrees outside. ( I was going to translate that into metric for Bobskoot who insists we have to use that system, but I fnd I don't really care )

There are a large number of drivers who are still wondering what that black and yellow blur was that blew around them. Probably a swarm of killer bees. Yeah, that's it. I'm not going to incriminate myself. You have to love that motor. 'Nuff said.

O.I.T. is one of the end users I call on when I'm in town. You know how it is. We take pictures of our bikes near identifying objects. Don't know if we're marking our territory or proving we were there. Either way, Elvira was parked where you see her. I hate mid-day sunshine as it washes out everything. The sun was behind me so the polarizing filter wouldn't help. I'm standing across the entry drive from the bike adjusting the exposure compensation. Along comes two absolutely gorgeous college age blondes in a cyan blue convertible.

They offer to take my photo with the bike. I decline the offer, telling them the bike is the important thing, anyway. Waving, the two goddesses drive away. Only later, as I'm once again on the road in the brain baking heat, does the thought occur to me.

I have totally wasted an opportunity to benefit from the attentions of these two young women. I can hear Riepe groaning and slapping his ample forehead. Yes, Jack, your reputation has spread literally from coast to coast. I know what you would have done, my friend. Animals would still be flocking to the oasis in the desert caused by your drooling tongue hanging out, too.

All I can say is that I'm lucky to have a girl like Katie. Why eat hamburger out when you can have steak at home? Again, 'nuff said on that.

Thursday afternoon I get a call from Mrs. Conch. We talk for a minute or two. Then she hands the phone to the man himself. I'm actually talking to the famous author of Key West Diary. Turns out we will both be staying in K Falls Friday night. On Friday a text message comes in that says they are running a bit behind schedule. We had planned to meet for supper but that won't work. I send a text back telling Conch that I prefer drinks only for the first date, anyway. You know, just in case it soon becomes obvious things aren't working. You're not trapped as long.

Mrs. Conch replies that they have a bottle of wine for our first date. Turns out that San Francisco traffic is horrible and they won't be in town until really late. Talk about covering miles in a day! So our meeting will have to wait until breakfast Saturday. I recommend the Black Bear Diner which is next to their motel. Now it's official. A real date with a real time and place.

We've arranged for 7 AM. I show up a bit early and back Elvira into a spot next to the front door. Across the way I spot this big bear of a man doing something in the back of somebody's car. There's a blonde dog with him. It looks like the man's stealing dog food from the car to feed his dog. I'm tempted to call the local police. Until my gaze moves down the man's legs which are bare below the hem of his shorts. I spot pink crocs. My God, I've just had my first look at Conchscooter and his faithful four legged sidekick, Cheyenne.

Much to her disappointment, Cheyenne is deposited into the backseat of the car. Conch's wife, Layne, joins us for breakfast. Conch may have a differing opinion, but we hit it off right away. Both of them possess lively minds. Layne is a Saint, while Conch has a bit more of the devil in him. Which he proved by trying to get a photo of me stuffing food in my mouth. Years of developing aggressive scanning skills on a motorcycle proved useful. I believe I saw and foiled his attempts. We'll see when he catches up his blog.

The portions at the diner are huge. Both Conch and Layne were served bisquits with their meals. Both of them decided to save them for later. If they had a flat tire on the road, the bisquits were quite large enough to be used as wheel chocks. I went a different route and ordered ham and eggs. According to Conch the ham was half a pig.



We parted after a few photos were taken. Below is a picture of my well worn riding boot with the famous pink crocs from Key West. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. We both had to move on to our next destinations. Mine to the motorcycle training range and Conch to a lunch meeting with Bobskoot. Don't know how that went. I just know they were both still alive afterwards.

My mission complete, I headed North to Bend. Another 135 miles of straight road in the 90 degree heat. Once more, I blessed Elvira's powerful and vigorous motor. As had been the case all week, it seemed hundreds of BMW riders were out on the roads. Their rally was in Redmond which is 18 miles North of Bend. Riders were either going to, coming from, or enjoying day rides.

Arriving in Bend, I checked into my motel room. I use this place often so the management knows me. I was given a big room which had a sofa and a kitchen. I'm not sure if the motel folks were being nice or not. Yes, it was a huge room. On the other hand, it was the room farthest away from the office.

Bobskoot and I exchanged text messages. Plans were up in the air for meeting. Finally, I got a text that said they had all decided to come to me.

First to arrive was Richard. We had all used the BMW Rally as the excuse to be in Bend. I think Richard is the only one who attended the rally. Next to arrive was Stacey and Stacey, along with Troubadour and Trobairitz. ( also known as Brad and Brandy ) As you can see, we had motorcycle parking in the shade in front of my room.


Bobskoot and Sonja showed up a bit later along with Bluekat ( aka Kari ) and Ron. Bluekat and Ron were staying at the same motel as me, so they parked over by their room. We offered Bobskoot and Sonja shaded parking with the rest of us. For some reason, Bob chose to park out in the sun. Perhaps his philosophy is the same as mine. A quick escape route open on the first date, just in case. Although, he is stripping his riding gear, so perhaps not so quick. Maybe he just likes restaurant dumpsters!




Once again, I took a photo of my scruffy riding boots beside a famous pair of crocs. These belong to Sonja.


What Stacey has now dubbed the 1st International Moto-Bloggers Convention was very unofficially called to order. I am delighted to have served as host. I have to say this was an extraordinarily nice gathering from my perspective. We were all just "us". Real people sprawled about the room telling stories and getting to know each other better. I had met Brad and Stacey ( Bolty ) before. The rest I was meeting in person for the first time.

I do have to issue a huge apology to Richard about these photos. Richard was sitting against the wall next to Brad, who is next to the kitchen entry. I didn't realize it until much later, but Richard is completely hidden from sight. I was simply taking a couple of quick snapshots and didn't check the camera review screen. I should have taken the time to make sure everyone was visible. Richard was certainly with us and was wearing red crocs. That made four pairs in the room.

Our meeting started a little after 5 PM. Time flew by as everyone kicked back and relaxed. Mention of supper was made several times. Everybody was so relaxed that nobody wanted to move. All of a sudden it was 8 PM. Stacey and Stacey decided they needed to leave for their night's lodging. Richard was headed to Corvallis. The rest of us decided on a restaurant close to the other hotel and departed for a late supper. It was 10:45 PM or so when I got back to my room. What a thoroughly wonderful time we had! I would rate our first gathering a smashing success.

The hotel parking lot was full of bikes. I counted 37. This is a very high ISO photo of the view from my room.

A plan had been made for the gang to meet for breakfast around 10ish ( heavy on the "ish" according to the Stacey's ) and ride back to the Valley together. Bob and Sonja were going to spend a few days on the Oregon Coast. For the rest, the Valley is home. I don't sleep much. 10 AM seemed really long to wait for. I have an old friend another 45 miles east whom I haven't seen in years. My plan was to go see him and the two of us would ride some more. I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but did want to see my friend.



Here's a Can Am taking up my parking spot. I had to scrounge for a space by some other bikes. This is 4:45 AM with a flash. The ride with my friend was great and I arrived home late Sunday night.



Here's a photo of a mountain at 6 AM in the morning sun. I'm so used to looking east towards the mountain that it seems totally weird to look west and see them.



My friend and I got an early start. We successfully avoided deer encounters three times that we know of. Seems deer in this part of the state get a kick out of crossing the road in front of passing motorcyclists.

I hope we have another bloggers convention ahead of us. This one was awesome. Next time we all have to go to Key West!

Miles and smiles,

Dan