And now, some color treatments.

Abusing Nik's Color Efex Pro this evening. ;)

As always, click the photos to enlarge:

Black & White Treatments

Still really enjoying Nik's Silver Efex Pro! I've been stuck inside for a while recovering from surgery and have been going through some photos, looking for some good candidates for B&W conversion and processing a handful.

Here are a few. As always, click for a better image:

The Magnificent Welles

So wonderful! I just re-watched this yesterday after not having seen it for a couple of years and I just can't recommend it enough. What an absolute tour de force of writing and acting!

For anyone who is a fan of Orson Welles, this is a definite must! It's an astounding one-man-show, written and acted by Marcus Wolland.

This is an incisive peek into the complex character of an iconoclastic genius, not fully understood or appreciated in his time. Set during the time of Welles' "The Magnificent Ambersons" and how the studio basically rejiggered and 'destroyed' the movie while he was out of the country.

I originally found my copy here on Amazon.

Return to Shadow

My album "Shadow" can be listened to online in its entirety absolutely free at this link.

A complete gearlist-per-track is available here if you're curious about the synths used.

Winter in North Bend - Mount Si

A beautiful winter tableau of Mt. Si shot with the Sony A7 and the Sony/Zeiss 24-70mm f/4.

YES! A local Leica store!

Finally, there's a Leica store in our area! Just opened in Bellevue Square Mall..at least until they get their own digs.

Finally the PNW has a local place to go for all-things-Leica. How jazzed am I? :)

Got to talk with the local rep today and I also had a look at the lust-worthy Leica 50mm Summicron Apo-chromatic lens. I'd trade my Summilux ASPH in a heartbeat! We're talking about love-at-first-sight here! ^_^

Leica Store, Bellevue
221 Bellevue Square
Bellevue, Washington

(425) 451-4060

Dead Stars

I keep seeing these memes about how all the stars we see in the night sky are dead.

 *****THIS IS WRONG*****

Most visible main sequence stars in the night sky are still burning strong with plenty of life left.

The light reaching us from stars so far away (and so long ago) that they *are* actually dead, is too dim to see with the naked eye.

...and remember there's *new* stars in those distant regions whose light hasn't even reached us yet.

Bro, do you even science? ;)

That time of year...

"It was the Yuletide, that men call Christmas, though they know in their hearts it is older than Bethlehem and Babylon, older than Memphis and Mankind."
— H.P. Lovecraft, 'The Festival'

More Leica T Black And White Shots...

Went for brunch at the Fall City Roadhouse for their excellent "Ugly Breakfast" and "Maker’s Mark Bacon Bourbon Fondue". YUM!
Snagged a few new pictures in between downpours. These were all shot with the Leica T with the Leica 35mm Summarit f/2.5 lens. Loving this combo for high-contrast black-and-white images!

Click to enlarge:

Driving In The Rain

A little B&W to capture the weather and the mood of the season. These were shot with the Leica 35mm Summarit f/2.5 on a Leica T body.

Click to enlarge:

The Big Island In September

Hawaii was absolutely lovely as always. These were all shot with a Sony A7 paired with the Zeiss 24-70mm zoom and the Zeiss 55mm prime.
I miss it already...maybe I'll retire there someday. A nice dream anyway. :)

As always, click through for bigger images.

Martian Surface Feature

Some fun textures for a rainy Thursday evening...

Beyond My Fingertips

I think maybe for a lot of people, the Universe ends at their fingertips.
...But that's so unknowingly selfish, so sadly lost.

They're hurt so they hurt others, they're damaged so they damage, no wonder it seems, for them, the whole world is against them. Obviously all this pain is coming from the outside...but there is *no outside* when the Universe ends at your fingertips.

Those people garner my deepest sympathy and pity...but they terrify me. I want to heal them all...but I'm world-weary of the damage they inflict.

Maybe it's time to go live in a tiny house in the woods...or an island...

Who's coming with? ^_^

Mt. Ranier Scenic Railway

A few shots taken on a Sunday jaunt courtesy of the Leica X2. Click to enbiggen...

High-Contrast Gas

I recently reworked some of my photos from Gasworks Park in Seattle for a bleached, high-contrast look. These were all shot with the Sigma DP 1 Merrill and edited with Nik Software's Color Efex Pro 4. Click for bigger versions:

Blistered Tarmac

As much fun as it was to visit family, it's nice to be home. Phoenix had temps exceeding 110 degrees while we were there and I just could not function.

A quick snap at the airport with the Leica X2: