Stained glass

Stained glass, originally uploaded by billselak.

I'm looking up at some stained glass here. The colors are neato.

Carrots from the garden

Carrots from the garden, originally uploaded by billselak.

Isabelle picked some carrots from her bountiful garden. They're good. And now she's officially a farmer.

Hollywood from above

Hollywood from above, originally uploaded by billselak.

We saw Harry Potter at the Mann Chinese. Since there was no line to wait it (it's been out too long), we hung around Hollywood & Highland and happened upon this.

Elephant macro

Elephant macro, originally uploaded by billselak.

Here's an old family heirloom--a small elephant. I tried to make it look gigantic. I suppose I could Photoshop myself in and be really small.

Angels in the Dugout

Angels in the Dugout, originally uploaded by billselak.

The Angels won this afternoon 7-6 vs A's. We had great seats (as illustrated by this shot). That's Guerrero, Napoli, and Wood. Cabrera is up to bat. I think this is the best shot of the set.

Spotlight

Spotlight, originally uploaded by billselak.

I found this music stand set up at my mom's work. It was REALLY dark. This is a handheld, .8 second shot. It's a bit shaky, but I held this still for almost a second (and if I set the camera on the ground, you couldn't see the shadow at all).

Gate

Gate, originally uploaded by billselak.

Please enjoy the rusty latch of my gate. It was a bit dark when I went out because I got sidetracked trying to fix my wireless router. So, I suppose this shot could've been punchier, but I waited until most of the daylight was gone. I still think it's a killer shot.

Rosewood

Rosewood, originally uploaded by billselak.

My fender P Bass, viewed from the 10th fret. I love how the rosewood neck came out in this shot. It's a beautiful guitar.

Walkway

Walkway, originally uploaded by billselak.

Driving down the 71.

My summer "vacation"

My summer "vacation".JPG, originally uploaded by billselak.

Teachers have 3 months off... yeah right! I'm teaching summer school. The Reptile Man came, and I had my pocket camera handy. (part of the monthly scavenger hunt.)

Hollywood parking

Hollywood parking, originally uploaded by billselak.

Bike lock, palm tree... I suppose they'd have to steal the palm tree if they wanted the bike.

Blue screen of death.JPG

Blue screen of death.JPG, originally uploaded by billselak.

During a teaching lesson today, I got the infamous blue screen of death. Long live Windows (except for not really at all)! That's my assistant, Geoff, sporting the sarcastic thumbs up. Reason #572 to buy an Apple.

Pool

Pool, originally uploaded by billselak.

Summer has arrived.

Jumping

Jumping, originally uploaded by billselak.

Isabelle the adventurer.

Condiments

Condiments, originally uploaded by billselak.

I wish they had more ketchup.

3CCD

3CCD, originally uploaded by billselak.

After 2 years, 1 month, 3 weeks, and 4 days, I finally started to edit our wedding video. Here's the camcorder, with the reflection of its monitor, the 2 hard drives, and my laptop.

Photo Booth Mosaic

Photo Booth Mosaic, originally uploaded by billselak.

Some self-portrait fun with Photo Booth. Mosaic courtesy of fd's Flickr Toys, of course. Thanks also to Isabelle's MacBoon.

Empty bed

Empty bed, originally uploaded by billselak.

This is part of the monthly scavenger hunt. I took some time working on subtle off-camera lighting. This might be a bit dark, but I like the color and DoF. Check it out Large On Black!

Scavenger Hunt x2

Scavenger Hunt x2, originally uploaded by billselak.

This may seem obscure, but in the Monthly Scavenger Hunt Group, you have to photograph 20 items each month. This gets "Q" and "Sugar". I like the macro vibe and the lighting (red reflection), so I think this shot stands on its own, anyway.

Slide Show

Slide Show, originally uploaded by billselak.

So, my new Playstation3 can now see my Powerbook and I can see photos on my tv now. The slideshow is awesome--it looks like someone is throwing pictures onto the tv. I took a bit too far (in Photoshop) and added some pics coming straight at me. Other than that, this is what the PS3 can do. I love it!

Danny polka dots

Danny polka dots, originally uploaded by billselak.

So, Danny got married on Saturday, and I photoshopped a polka dot tie on him today. Why, you ask!? Simple:
http://flickr.com/groups/monthlyhunt

Web of life

Web of life, originally uploaded by billselak.

"Man does not weave this web of life. He is merely a strand of it.
Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself."
-Chief Seattle (1786-1866)

Show me the ring

Show me the ring, originally uploaded by billselak.

Danny, the groom. btw, he got married 07/07/07, and this ring has 7 diamonds. You feelin' lucky? Are ya?

Dusty

Dusty, originally uploaded by billselak.

Still learning more about my new flash.

Best viewed large. Trust me! You've gotta check out the dust.

Strobists: SB-600 to the right, resting on the keys, triggered by on-camera Nikon D70s built-in flash.

Groom and best man

Groom and best man, originally uploaded by billselak.

Danny enjoying his last Thursday as a non-married guy. His best man is super. Good times.

The proposal

The proposal, originally uploaded by billselak.

1) Showing the ring to me
2) Showing the ring to her

Long exposure flashes

Long exposure flashes, originally uploaded by billselak.

Wayne and I had fun with my new SB-600 flash. This is two, eight second exposure in a completely dark room. I manually fired the flash four times (handheld, clearly). This is more fun than technically competent, I suppose.

Bass case

Bass case, originally uploaded by billselak.

Here's more work with my new flash. The flash is below the case, to the right. I wanted some back light, and I think it worked. It could be a huge print and look nice on a wall (I think). Strobist is a wonderful resource if you care about lighting btw.

Nikon Speedlight

Nikon Speedlight, originally uploaded by billselak.

Here's my new flash. I used it in Commander Mode, so this flash fired, even though it was not (obviously) attached. I like the lighting!

Thai Town

Thai Town, originally uploaded by billselak.

We stopped at an amazing Thai restaurant on our way to see Wicked. Here's a view from the parking lot.

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen

Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, originally uploaded by billselak.

We went to the Norton Simon museum yesterday to take some pictures for a friend. Isabelle thought I'd get in trouble for taking this, but the guard was busy talking to a cute girl. I like the highlights on this (purposefully) underexposed shot. I wanted a different take on this famous sculpture that's been photographed a lot..

Francis, meet my new flash

Francis, meet my new flash, originally uploaded by billselak.

Francis' wife Nicole asked me to take a nice picture of him. I was practicing using my new flash at the time.

Passing violins

Passing violins, originally uploaded by billselak.

There is a violin maker in downtown Claremont. I just picked up lunch and was walking down the alley when I saw this.

Industrial Fire

Industrial Fire, originally uploaded by billselak.

There was a huge fire at a plastic recycling plant. It completely shut down the 60 freeway at the 15. I was able to avoid the insane traffic as I drove along to 215 (on my way to the Angel game).

Inside the Union Pacific

Inside the Union Pacific, originally uploaded by billselak.

I was taking some shots of a train and the conductor invited me on board! I got to go inside the engine and take pictures (like this one). It was super cool. Thanks for the invite, Mr. Train Conductor.

My photography books

My photography books, originally uploaded by billselak.

Here is my personal book collection of photography.

Fake candle chandelier

Fake candle chandelier, originally uploaded by billselak.

on the ceiling at the church I played at.
best viewed large on black

Shadow dice

Shadow dice, originally uploaded by billselak.

I didn't win.

All you can drink?

All you can drink?, originally uploaded by billselak.

Are there really that many people asking? Does this sign really have to be there?

Strange empty freeway

Strange empty freeway, originally uploaded by billselak.

The 10 west is usually bumper to bumper traffic at 7pm. There was one car on the road. So weird. No accidents, no cars, nobody. I almost pulled off I was so weirded out. If you've been on the 10 before, you know.

Yay! Blog posting #200! Thanks.

This way to the beach

This way to the beach, originally uploaded by billselak.

Here's the free, fun way to get to the sand in Santa Monica.

Staircase silhouette

Staircase silhouette, originally uploaded by billselak.

The Old Schoolhouse in Claremont, currently being revonated. I guess that means that they'll be popular again (which is sad, because ghost towns are cool (if you haven't been to this place, it's not really a ghost town, it's just a bunch of lame shops and vacant buildings)).

Sunday Drive

Sunday Drive, originally uploaded by billselak.

Two guys enjoying Father's Day in a '65 Buick.

GQ Junior

GQ Junior, originally uploaded by billselak.

I see a future with this kid as a male model.

Checking out

Checking out, originally uploaded by billselak.

Barren classroom, no students;
End of the school year;
An empty room still remains.
(That's a haiku.)

Backyard Skunk

Backyard Skunk, originally uploaded by billselak.

Ten feet from my house, I heard him say, "You can call me Flower... if you'd like."
I wanted to get a close-up, but feared the spray.

Featured Fan

Featured Fan, originally uploaded by billselak.

Colleen visits my Photo-a-Day regularly, so I decided to feature her in today's Photo-a-Day. It's sorta like collecting cereal box tops for a prize, only better. So congratulations Colleen and have a good wedding on Saturday!

Garden of Radishes

Garden of Radishes, originally uploaded by billselak.

After a long wait of nothin' but dirt, there are now more radishes than you can imagine. Corn coming soon.

Slow Shutter Isa

Slow Shutter Isa, originally uploaded by billselak.

Happy birthday Isabelle. I took a picture of you for 1/3 second and zoomed out. No photoshop here, just the good ol' 18-200 lens.

Corner pocket

Corner pocket, originally uploaded by billselak.

Turns out I'm better at shooting pool balls than shooting pool balls.