tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44616988244791838672024-03-12T21:50:18.309-07:00Converging AnglesPhotography Centric discussion, motivation and sharingRick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-12057515521426576322010-07-12T16:49:00.000-07:002010-07-12T16:56:42.881-07:00A day at the racesHey there followers -<br /><br />I spent the day out at the race track last weekend and wanted to share what I saw... enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4785314477/" title="_MG_8517a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4785314477_7f59b9c53c_z.jpg" width="420" height="640" alt="_MG_8517a"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4785200869/" title="_MG_8370a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4785200869_50ae4118dd_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="_MG_8370a"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4785714414/" title="_MG_8351a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4785714414_7c6e469c5c_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="_MG_8351a"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4785681616/" title="_MG_8299a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4785681616_e7a82826d1.jpg" width="331" height="500" alt="_MG_8299a"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4784209814/" title="_MG_8256a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4784209814_9518090562_z.jpg" width="494" height="640" alt="_MG_8256a"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4777922571/" title="_MG_8813a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4777922571_47b71b9ff0_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="_MG_8813a"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4778529172/" title="_MG_8792a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4778529172_18d9aabe90_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="_MG_8792a"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4778513156/" title="_MG_8770a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/4778513156_a4948eab3e_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="_MG_8770a"></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4777878833/" title="_MG_8761a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4777878833_7a8472b144_z.jpg" width="427" height="640" alt="_MG_8761a"></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-65398981281143538892010-07-12T16:34:00.001-07:002010-07-12T16:47:43.944-07:00SnappAsh WeddinHey y'all - here's a few snapps from the Snapp's wedding a few weeks back. Enjoy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDupVZLb0gI/AAAAAAAAABE/HG1hcJhlpX8/s1600/_MG_7616a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDupVZLb0gI/AAAAAAAAABE/HG1hcJhlpX8/s400/_MG_7616a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493170355509645826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDupKDto9KI/AAAAAAAAAA8/m0N3gf35QJY/s1600/_MG_7602a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDupKDto9KI/AAAAAAAAAA8/m0N3gf35QJY/s400/_MG_7602a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493170160768971938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDupBkQ5fFI/AAAAAAAAAA0/UxJ_Dwj85Yk/s1600/_MG_7598a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDupBkQ5fFI/AAAAAAAAAA0/UxJ_Dwj85Yk/s400/_MG_7598a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493170014887967826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDuofXlzNRI/AAAAAAAAAAs/RQxgpZtrBIQ/s1600/_MG_7250a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 156px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDuofXlzNRI/AAAAAAAAAAs/RQxgpZtrBIQ/s400/_MG_7250a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493169427370423570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDuoW2M7SjI/AAAAAAAAAAk/ybYBL_ax1NY/s1600/_MG_7222a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 202px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDuoW2M7SjI/AAAAAAAAAAk/ybYBL_ax1NY/s400/_MG_7222a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493169280968772146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDunD1lcKsI/AAAAAAAAAAc/_9rXP4CkxUc/s1600/_MG_7164a.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/TDunD1lcKsI/AAAAAAAAAAc/_9rXP4CkxUc/s400/_MG_7164a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493167854874012354" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-7590980335827596142010-04-29T20:04:00.000-07:002010-04-29T20:15:40.244-07:00Christophersonsalon.com and Vanilla Bean CafeAs per normal, its been far too long since my last post (they all start out that way don't they?)<br /><br />Earlier this year I came to know Kelley through a mutual friend and I learned he was starting his own salon here in Tacoma. His space is inside the Vanilla Bean Cafe on St. Helens and after getting to know each other, we quickly decided to get to work on a project together.<br /><br />Kelly and his sister Tobe had purchased some advertising space and wanted a shot to use for the advertisement. We knew that we were going to be working with an open minded audience so we decided for an edgier look. We wanted to stand out and the goal was to leap off the page and look different than anything else in the magazine. We experimented with a few different things but in the end decided to go with the 'Cigarette Ad' as we came to call it.<br /><br />Over the course of our shoot, we tried a number of different looks and towards the end of the night I spotted a pack of smokes on the counter and said, 'experiment with this' <br /><br />Whats the lesson here? Even if you have a number of shots fully planed out in your mind and on paper, don't be afraid to deviate slightly and experiment. When you're in the middle of shooting and the creative mind is working at full speed, don't be afraid to try something different, it might just end up being your final image.<br /><br />Before long the shot was in the bag and we were putting Tobe's Cafe back to the way we found it. Its true, 90% of photography really is moving furniture. <br /><br />Here are a couple different shots from the night and what was eventually printed.<br /><br />Big thanks to Kelley, Tobe and especially my girlfriend Liz for helping direct the shoot.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4564194015/" title="IMG_3212a_SAMPLE by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3385/4564194015_26818fe79d_o.jpg" width="800" height="1200" alt="IMG_3212a_SAMPLE" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4564192333/" title="IMG_3212FsmallB by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4564192333_e79786a0f1_o.jpg" width="927" height="1200" alt="IMG_3212FsmallB" /></a><br /><br />Our second favorite shot, ultimately unused<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4564823442/" title="IMG_3203a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3591/4564823442_bab39cee70_o.jpg" width="773" height="1000" alt="IMG_3203a" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-88014917414329782292010-03-09T22:21:00.000-08:002010-03-10T14:45:06.354-08:00Mickaiayla - MM#463673Had an opportunity to work with Mickaiayla (model mayhem #463676) again last night and we had an awesome time together. Last summer we worked together on one of my first shoots and we had a great time straight away. It was more of the same this time around as I expected. Our time together went fast (as it always seems to), not helped by the good music we had filling the room.<br /><br />I experimented with a couple different shooting modes and struck gold. My 'keeper' ratio increased significantly so that was a big win. I also stumbled onto a new trick in CS3 while editing tonight that really helped me to maintain consistency without saving an action.<br /><br />All in all, a great shoot and I learned a ton that will serve me well in the future. <br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">My Flickr Stream</a><br /><br />__________________<br />COLOR TO START<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4421201759/" title="IMG_2806a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4421201759_bd814bc501_b.jpg" width="1024" height="668" alt="IMG_2806a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4421967258/" title="IMG_2431a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2684/4421967258_c45395b512_b.jpg" width="677" height="1024" alt="IMG_2431a" /></a><br /><br />BLACK AND WHITE<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4421950788/" title="IMG_2448a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4421950788_bb6b9a83d6_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="IMG_2448a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4421950812/" title="IMG_2460a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4421950812_a6dc6811f4_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="IMG_2460a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4421950854/" title="IMG_2463a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4421950854_743dcffab5_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="IMG_2463a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4421185199/" title="IMG_2479a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4421185199_bc1f6645ff_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_2479a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4421185243/" title="IMG_2484a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4421185243_bb6af9397d_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_2484a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4421950994/" title="IMG_2478a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4058/4421950994_be8025dab8_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_2478a" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-45598335242143755542010-03-07T22:49:00.001-08:002010-03-07T23:01:09.020-08:00Pt. Defiance Park - TacomaLiz and I took full advantage of our awesome weather and headed down to Pt. Defiance Park here in Tacoma on Saturday. Here's a bit of what I saw.<br /><br />Throughout our time at the park, I was teaching Liz to shoot in manual mode on my second camera body...she's going to be a fierce photog...more details on the shots below so have a scroll down and read!<br />_____________________<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4415716509/" title="IMG_2042a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2742/4415716509_d31759d35b_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="IMG_2042a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4416483566/" title="IMG_2073a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4416483566_94c5334dc9_b.jpg" width="1024" height="697" alt="IMG_2073a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4415716689/" title="IMG_2078a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4415716689_a1970c212f_b.jpg" width="1024" height="700" alt="IMG_2078a" /></a><br />A young family were trying to take some pics together but the father was having a hard time with his camera so Liz, eager to try on some of her new camera skillz, offered to take a few shots of them. I handed the father my card (so we can email him our shots) and then took a few quick shots myself.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4416483960/" title="IMG_2109a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4416483960_a18866b801_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="IMG_2109a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4416483880/" title="IMG_2104a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4416483880_462c16c1e4_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="IMG_2104a" /></a> <br />Taking pics of daffodils is so metal. Seriously. Ok not really. I hate taking pics of flowers but found myself doing it anyway...I dig sun flare too!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4415717163/" title="IMG_2161a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/4415717163_236d26a436_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_2161a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4416484154/" title="IMG_2164a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4416484154_091b88080f_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="IMG_2164a" /></a><br />Liz disappeared for a bit and I found her under a tree on a path making friends. <br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4415717401/" title="IMG_2227a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4415717401_84fc6152a4_b.jpg" width="790" height="1024" alt="IMG_2227a" /></a><br />Cliche' couples shot but whatevs - yes, her eyes are that blue. Srsly.Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-26676953704292396342010-02-24T21:01:00.000-08:002010-03-10T14:45:52.195-08:00Weekend ShotsSpent the weekend in Seattle - Here's some of what I saw<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">My Flickr Stream</a><br /><br />Seattle from Magnolia<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4385944641/" title="IMG_1532a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4385944641_e380a93eb9_b.jpg" width="728" height="1024" alt="IMG_1532a" /></a><br /><br />Magnolia Sunset<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4385799093/" title="IMG_1573a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4385799093_cceb320c34_b.jpg" width="1024" height="617" alt="IMG_1573a" /></a><br /><br />Magnolia Sunset part deux<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4385904981/" title="IMG_1665a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2684/4385904981_306e772dc6_b.jpg" width="1024" height="536" alt="IMG_1665a" /></a><br /><br />Why I was in Magnolia<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4385980947/" title="IMG_1870a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4385980947_65b7de2ba5_b.jpg" width="1024" height="720" alt="IMG_1870a" /></a><br /><br />Books I've not read<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4386776628/" title="IMG_1960a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4386776628_bef123aeef_b.jpg" width="668" height="1024" alt="IMG_1960a" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-12575189400857013322010-02-15T19:20:00.000-08:002010-02-15T21:01:41.404-08:00Project - F R I E N D SFirst - Background <br /><br />Last summer, I was in San Francisco and was able to see the Richard Avedon exhibit at the SF-MOMA. If you haven't seen it, it'll stop you in your tracks and you should keep an eye out to see if its coming to a city near you. The exhibit is comprised of the most amazing black and white portraits of essentially everyone who's played a significant part in 20th century. Writers, composers, artists, models, actors/actresses, politicians, musicians, heads of state...average Americans in their own back yard. I HIGHLY encourage you to spend a few minutes reviewing Avedon's work <a href="http://www.richardavedon.com/#mi=1&pt=0&pi=3&p=-1&at=-1">HERE</a>.<br /><br />Seeing his work, full size - I'm talking, the size of your front window - was hugely inspiring to me and got me thinking about how I would like to complete a project inspired by Avedon's work.<br /><br />I'm not proclaiming to be an original with my approach but I'm confident that I'll be able to accomplish, and create something special. The project is inspired by Avedon and it is not my intention to copy his work. This is about more than just taking pictures; its about getting to know you and capturing our conversation.<br /><br />So what is this about? How are you involved and how does this work? Whats the end result?<br /><br />This is about you and me and a couple hours together, a conversation that covers the good, the bad and everything in between...maybe a drink or two. I plan to record our conversation while we talk and I snap away. The goal here is to draw out emotion, capture it and learn a bit more about each other in the process. <br /><br />All you need to do is sit on a stool, and have a good time. <br /><br />Once I have all the content, it will be time to sort through the shots, edit them and select a choice line from our conversation to companion the selected photo. The goal here is to add a little more depth and meaning to the image.<br /><br />How will this be presented?<br />My vision is to ultimately create a book once I have everyone's photos. Each page will have a photo on one side, and the selected text on the other. Clean and simple. As the work evolves, I may elect to present the work in progress on my blog just to keep interested parties up to speed on the progress of the effort.<br /><br />I've done a proof of concept for the look and feel that I'm targeting. You can view that <a href="http://rickdonohue.blogspot.com/2010/01/teaser.html">HERE</a><br /><br />So who's interested? <br />Drop me a line, let me know you want to be a part of this project with me. I'll be reaching out to folks individually HOWEVER DON"T HESITATE TO RAISE YOUR HAND! This is about getting to know people better than I already do and creating something together. I'm happy to work with anybody - so don't sit and wait to hear from me if you're itching to be a part of this.<br /><br />We'll be in touch!<br /><br />rick.donohue@gmail.comRick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-79726509613451727212010-02-07T13:31:00.000-08:002010-03-10T14:46:19.949-08:00Re-thinking the old stuffI admit it - I've been a bit lazy and havn't been shooting nearly enough as of late but that hasn't stopped my desire to fiddle in photoshop. My good friend Carly posted an old shot of mine of she <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2852954468_3dcc1e7ef9_b.jpg">and her finance </a> on her Facebook page. I'd forgotten all about the evening we took those photos so I went back through the set and found tons of great shots that I'd forgotten about.<br /><br />Nick and Carly are a very dynamic couple, and its rare that there's a serious look on either of their faces at the same time and as you'd expect, I found many shots where Nick was being a goof ball and Carly was looking rather angelic. <br /><br />I came across this image and liked Carly's expression very much, but Nick had his finger up his nose (ok, not really). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/S29I6_36IQI/AAAAAAAAAAU/3L2EXdxGuLs/s1600-h/IMG_0013.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U2YTkayEb5g/S29I6_36IQI/AAAAAAAAAAU/3L2EXdxGuLs/s400/IMG_0013.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435643453675020546" /></a><br /><br /><br />Time then, for some work in Photoshop.<br /><br />Here's what I did -<br />I took the original, and cropped Nick out (sorry man). <br />I then copied it into a new document leaving me with a much smaller image than I wanted, more square than landscape. I widened the canvas and selected a strip of canvas with the marquee tool. I then used the free transform to stretch out the white wall on the left side of the image and finished with a little blending using a soft brush to deal with the artifacting that the Free transform left me with.<br /><br />From there, I moved onto cleaning up the rest of the image and making it a bit more presentable. You can see my various layers and layer masks on the right that I've used to complete the final image.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4338259463/" title="Carly by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2713/4338259463_00cdfb4695_b.jpg" width="1024" height="741" alt="Carly" /></a><br /><br />Here's a shot of the work flow:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4338259545/" title="carlyworkflow by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4338259545_0a34696f71_b.jpg" width="1024" height="560" alt="carlyworkflow" /></a><br /><br /><br />Generally, I was looking to add a little punch and sharpness to the image. It was taken on my old 30D, 28-135mm lens and my 580EX bounced off the ceiling. I needed to fiddle with the levels, and he hues a bit to offer a more accurate representation of Carly's skin. All in all, pretty basic on the editing front, nothing particularly crazy going on. I did learn a bit more about using layer masks, something that I've really not used to this point in my work flow process. <br /><br />I think the point here is that just because you don't like the WHOLE original image, it doesn't mean you can't take part of it, and make something out of it. I really think this is a weakness of mine that I really need to work on. Too often, I write off an image looking at the whole thing, rather than thinking in terms of what actually is pretty good about it, and then moving forward with that aspect of the image and creating something pretty good. <br /><br />Finally, I'd advocate for taking a second look through your old work - Too many times, I'll shoot, and disregard most of the work and only use a couple shots rather than thinking a bit more dynamically about what I captured.<br /><br />Thats all for now!<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">My Flickr Stream</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-75506468112617961302010-01-23T23:42:00.000-08:002010-03-10T14:46:50.279-08:00Beard Removal Project - TechnicalFor my more technical followers, here's the breakdown on the setup for my <a href="http://rickdonohue.blogspot.com/2010/01/mini-project-in-black-and-white.html">Mini Project in Black and White</a>.<br /><br />The setup and work flow is really fairly simple for this set/project. My main goal was to go for simplicity because I wanted each shot to look exactly the same as far as the post treatment/black and white conversions went.<br /><br />First, the camera/light setup:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299243341/" title="IMG_0588a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4299243341_5417241280.jpg" width="328" height="500" alt="IMG_0588a" /></a><br /><br />Look <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299243341/">here for some additional notes on the setup</a>:<br /> <br /><br />The flash was high just right of the camera; The flash tripod and the camera tripod were RIGHT next to each other. The flash was a 580EX at 1/8 +.7 power through a white shoot through 42in umbrella. White reflector below for fill. I had a large white roll of tag board behind me for the backdrop.<br /><br />Camera settings were...<br />Canon 5D<br />50mm 1.8<br />f/4.5<br />125th<br />ISO125<br />"Standard" in camera processing<br />shot in raw<br /><br />I dumped the shots into CS3 and the fiddled in the canon Raw editor, documenting my settings (secret! ha!) and then opened in CS3. I created an action with the look and feel I wanted and then applied it to all the shots for consistency.<br /><br />To create the grid, I opened a new blank canvas in CS3 with the required dimensions to leave a space between (1200x800 times 3 in each direction with an extra 200 pixels on either end totaling 3800x2600) the shots and then just copied each shot and pasted onto the blank canvas. I Merged the layers and did a final tweak on the levels for a little more punch.<br /><br />Here's the final -<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299944600/" title="Beard1 by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2753/4299944600_1cebf11b67_b.jpg" width="1024" height="701" alt="Beard1" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">My Flickr Stream</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-89382339970923670652010-01-23T22:46:00.000-08:002010-03-10T14:47:10.869-08:00Mini Project in Black and WhiteWell its been some time now since I offered a proper write up on my photography doings and this little project is more than enough reason, and its got a nice little story to go along...so here goes.<br /><br />I grew a beard. It itched. I was lazy and didn't feel like shaving it off and my girlfriend kinda liked the look so I kept it around despite a few odd looks and comments at the office. Time passed, moons came and went (ok well maybe just one) and so it was time to shave it off. <br /><br />I don't share many traits with elephants but a good memory is one of them (my friends may disagree with me on this) and I recalled my good friend Nick who after having been sick for a week and had a solid start on a beard, thought to shave it off in stages, taking cell phone pics along the way. I decided to steal his idea when the time came to shave of my beard and here's what we've got.<br /><br />I consulted my girlfriend on the idea and she was super excited to help. This mini project also would be a great chance to test out a lighting setup for another project 'Friends' that I'm about to start (more on that later). So we disassembled my apartment and got my 'studio' setup and Liz thought of some questions. She did an awesome job at asking me provoking questions and timing the shots getting some awesome expressions. I've never had so many 'keepers' in a single set of shots - huge thanks to Liz for this.<br /><br />We had a great time getting the shots and watching her reactions to my various states of facial hair was awesome (she apparently doesn't like goatee's - she about ran out of the room when she saw me with it).<br /><br />Today we finally had a bit of time to settle down and pick out the shots to use and I dumped them into photoshop and did the (rather simple) edits. I will make another post on the lighting setup and the work flow breakdown for this project in a separate post. <br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">My Flickr Stream</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299944600/" title="Beard1 by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2753/4299944600_1cebf11b67_b.jpg" width="1024" height="701" alt="Beard1" /></a><br />_____________________________<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299939402/" title="IMG_0414a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2682/4299939402_f76498ae35_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0414a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299191619/" title="IMG_0416a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4299191619_53e3aff9aa_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0416a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4286095375/" title="IMG_0439a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2727/4286095375_b80a62a236_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0439a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299939476/" title="IMG_0456a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/4299939476_feca97426a_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0456a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299191705/" title="IMG_0488a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2677/4299191705_9306cd8655_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0488a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299939538/" title="IMG_0490a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4299939538_9409950fbd_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0490a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299191745/" title="IMG_0536a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4299191745_709037d31a_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0536a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4299939594/" title="IMG_0584a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4044/4299939594_858f542310_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0584a" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-42354943825223380272010-01-18T17:48:00.000-08:002010-01-18T17:54:11.333-08:00TeaserI grew a beard in December and I've since shaved it off...however not before a little inspiration. I shaved it off in phases, taking a few pics of each phase and each look. Liz and I are working together (she's the photog this time) on putting it all together. This is just a little taste of what's coming.<br /><br />Also - This was also a test session for another up-coming project I'll be putting together - interviews with close friends with pics along the way. More on that later!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4286095375/" title="IMG_0439a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2727/4286095375_b80a62a236_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_0439a" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-5640580722724566942010-01-03T23:05:00.000-08:002010-01-03T23:07:37.125-08:00A few randomsA few randoms from the past few days -<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4243884242/" title="IMG_0181a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4243884242_83f86f7922_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_0181a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4244022036/" title="IMG_0105a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4244022036_e370271b95_b.jpg" width="1024" height="515" alt="IMG_0105a" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4243712862/" title="IMG_0157a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2690/4243712862_9572c63140_b.jpg" width="1024" height="672" alt="IMG_0157a" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-2024540546550301672009-12-12T15:17:00.000-08:002009-12-14T10:50:23.747-08:00A Study In Black and White Pt. IISo I've been trying to work on two specific aspects of my photography:<br /><br />1) Shooting more/Taking my camera everywhere<br />2) Getting good looking black and whites<br /><br />When I take my camera with me I take my 5D and my trusty 50mm 1.8 lens <a href="http://rickdonohue.blogspot.com/2009/06/most-important-lens.html">Read about The Most Important Lens here</a>. I figure if I mess up the lens, its only $90 bucks...wish I could say the same for my 5D...but if that gets broken or stolen, its the perfect excuse to go get a 5DMKII :) <br /><br />Most importantly, the setup is light and for the most part, people aren't intimidated by the small lens. Its the weirdest thing...people see a big lens on a camera and 1)ask questions 2)run from the field of view and 3) notice you (see #'s 1 and 2). These are all bad things when you're trying to get candid shots of whatever's going on around you. You don't want people to notice you and your big ass lens/camera because when they do, people get self conscious or they want to jack your gear.<br /><br />So I took my camera with me to get coffee with my buddy Tyler this morning. We got caught up and then made way for Guitar Center...what else do you do on a Saturday?<br /><br />Sure enough, Tyler started wailing away on one of the guitars and checking out some prospective amps...needless to say, the strings were smoking when he was done and all the other customers gave up and left the store knowing that they might as well give up having heard Tyler.<br /><br />Prime picture taking session-<br /><br />1) Dude is in his element and having a good time<br />2) Something is HAPPENING...there's the feeling of action and excitement <br />3) Cool backdrop that adds to the situation and help tell the story (when you see the wall of guitars, you know he's shopping around for a new axe)<br /><br />These things add up to help make the ordinary a little more interesting.<br /><br />A couple final notes -<br /><br />I've been experimenting with not looking through the viewfinder. I tend to prefer what I get when I guess on my composition. In this instance, I held the camera out with my left hand and roughly pointed it at Tyler and took the shot. I used the light meter just prior (I shoot manual mode) to get the exposure about right and then reached my arm out and snapped the pic. It gives me a cool imperfection and an angle that I couldn't have gotten without making a fool of myself and being noticed and in so doing, missed the shot.<br /><br />Finally, I dropped the shot into CS3 and used about 9 different layers to get this final product. Chanel Mixer/Dodge and Burn/Contrast/Liquefy/Exposure/Chanel Mixer2/Levels/Curves/Sharpen. Now I'm not saying this is the best method to getting killer black and whites...I know this still needs a lot of work but I figure it may help some of you. I spent a lot of time fiddling with the channel mixers and the levels/curves layers to get what I wanted. Here I was looking for a good balance of white and black (well duh - but seriously, looking for 'punch') and to minimize any 'muddiness' in the mid tones.<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4179342041/" title="IMG_0002asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4179342041_98aed5703e_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_0002asw" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-43687436396831182062009-12-08T22:14:00.001-08:002009-12-08T22:33:47.556-08:00Working on Black and WhitesI've been spending more and more time scouring flickr and my eyes keep landing on black and whites that really pop. So I've been trying to get my own black and whites to get closer in quality to those that really catch my eye on flickr.<br /><br />Queue carrying my camera with me more often... So I was driving to my grandparents and my camera was in the passenger seat...so I decided to get a couple self portraits while behind the wheel...dont try this at home. <br /><br />So this is what I got - I'm pretty happy with my black and white conversion. <br /><br />A few comments -<br /><br />I used the channel mixer to get to black and white, and spent a fair amount of time fiddling with the sliders finding a combination that I liked. I wanted to boost the general level of light without blowing out the detail in my face and keeping the blacks nice and dark.<br /><br />I used some vector masks for curves, levels and the channel mixer as well. I created a new layer for my eyes since they had become pretty dark and repeated the same process to the layer for my eyes and a little dodging for a touch more light. My right eye looks weird with the reflection and it being out of focus but I like the outcome with my left eye. <br /><br />I threw a high pass filter to add some kick to the detail/sharpness of the entire picture.<br /><br />As for the composition, I was just guessing, setting the camera on the dash... so on that front, I like what I got - Its not perfect which I think makes things more dramatic and interesting to look at. But I don't like how blown out the rear window is. It draws the eye away from the subject of the photo (your eye is generally drawn to the brightest spot in the photo) and my goal is to draw attention to the subject of image rather than the most boring part...more work to be done, more learning to be had. Next time.<br /><br />Shot on my 5D w/ 50mm 1.8 processed in Photoshop CS3<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4170538305/" title="IMG_9931a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/4170538305_0d7fbe61ee_b.jpg" width="1024" height="683" alt="IMG_9931a" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-48883442094202231112009-11-26T22:32:00.000-08:002009-11-26T22:42:12.186-08:00AP1 Honda S2000What started as one rather upset dude, has turned into a rather happy guy.<br /><br />Long story short, I was forced to do a little paint work on the hood of the car due to a leak in the garage and I decided to document the damage to my car in case I wasn't able to repair the damage. That led to about 20mins in the garage (post paint fix) snapping away.<br /><br />My building has many vacancies so the garage tends to be pretty empty so I took full advantage and really spent some time thinking about my subject and the details around it. <br /><br />I've taken pics of my car a million times but I always feel that when I'm shooting a car, I need to take some alone time with it and just drink in the details of the machine. Mind you this isn't a detail shot, I still like to consider all the different angles - all the shapes and curves of the body and find the perspective that is most flattering. This one works for me big time.<br /><br />Yes, I did spend a bit of time with this in photoshop and I'm pretty pleased with the result. Its got a pretty commercial feel to it which I like a lot. I was toying with some new tricks and am pleased with the outcome.<br /><br />Car is 100% stock.<br />OEM Front lip/OEM Rear Wing/Factory Hard Top<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4137919634/" title="IMG_9604asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2589/4137919634_f7a25e727d_o.jpg" width="1200" height="550" alt="IMG_9604asw" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-88088616185195675672009-11-22T21:46:00.000-08:002009-11-23T14:09:23.072-08:00The MarketI've been pretty absent lately - not been shooting much and really miss it. I can make some decent excuses though: I've been sick for a couple weeks, I've moved and the weather's been $hit...all excuses so I'm not happy with them or myself for not getting off my ass and shooting. Its weird, I can feel myself moving backwards, and by all measures, that bothers me. We all work hard at the various things we do in life, and it really makes me feel guilty whenever I have this feeling of regression. All is not lost however! ...I'm feeling the winds of motivation :)<br /><br />On Saturday, I spent the day with my girlfriend and we made our way to the market in Seattle to pick up a few things for dinner. I had brought my camera up for the weekend as we had a busy schedule with many friends so I lugged my camera bag with me.<br /><br />Although I wasn't able to get any solid time to shoot with my friends and work on my people work, I was able to take a few random snaps as we wandered around the market and enjoyed a little dry time between rain storms. <br /><br />Many of the shots taken during the day were from the hip, literally. It makes me want to start working on a whole set of 'street' work that is all shot without looking through the viewfinder and just guessing on composition. The results are pretty encouraging so far and will show up here in the future.<br /><br />A few words on the fist shot below -<br />I have a general interest in a photo journalistic style however I feel my skills in this department are VERY lacking and I feel this REALLY detracts from the wedding work that I do. This really bothers me and I feel an obligation to myself and clients to hone this skill. Cartier Bresson talked about "The Decisive Moment" and I think most would hold him as the master of capturing "The Decisive Moment," which is essentially the critical mass of a moment frozen in a moment in a photograph. I've felt myself really needing to work on this side of my shooting and feel like I'm on the right track with this first shot....the eyes of the man working the news stand. Note the people playing soccer in the intersection of 1st and Pike in the distance.<br /><br />Bresson if you don't know:<br /><a href="http://www.henricartierbresson.org/">Henri Cartier Bresson</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4126518562/" title="IMG_9569asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2489/4126518562_e3897c1a01_o.jpg" width="1200" height="800" alt="IMG_9569asw" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4126964766/" title="IMG_9526-2 by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2737/4126964766_303a727fc9_b.jpg" width="1024" height="637" alt="IMG_9526-2" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4127626138/" title="IMG_9540-1 by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2562/4127626138_96abdcec2c_b.jpg" width="661" height="1024" alt="IMG_9540-1" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4125749349/" title="IMG_9537asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2617/4125749349_9e14d5a2b4_o.jpg" width="673" height="964" alt="IMG_9537asw" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/4126518380/" title="IMG_9576asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2653/4126518380_ac84953c9f_o.jpg" width="776" height="1200" alt="IMG_9576asw" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-54069062112647201182009-10-06T22:31:00.000-07:002009-11-22T23:31:50.607-08:00TacomaThought I'd take a minute and post a few of my shots from around Tacoma. Enjoy -<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3555435829/" title="IMG_9838a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3578/3555435829_9aa8d4a3c0_b.jpg" width="683" height="1024" alt="IMG_9838a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/2391463156/" title="Untitled by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2260/2391463156_9feef746f1_b.jpg" width="695" height="1024" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3420554642/" title="Downtown Tacoma - From Convention Center by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3318/3420554642_413996e4ba_b.jpg" width="1024" height="734" alt="Downtown Tacoma - From Convention Center" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/2388915564/" title="Untitled by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/2388915564_d098ed06e0_b.jpg" width="1024" height="760" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3204670587/" title="WSHM by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/3204670587_52ecb4120a_b.jpg" width="728" height="1024" alt="WSHM" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3555434879/" title="IMG_9821a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3644/3555434879_ac2ef323e2_b.jpg" width="1024" height="678" alt="IMG_9821a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3357193915/" title="IMG_5254a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3357193915_98aa58fcb6_b.jpg" width="1024" height="525" alt="IMG_5254a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3126957261/" title="Thea's Landing - Thea Foss Waterway by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3118/3126957261_8c9a85d674_b.jpg" width="1024" height="661" alt="Thea's Landing - Thea Foss Waterway" /></a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-69353100557268007592009-10-05T22:20:00.000-07:002009-10-05T23:35:12.768-07:00Its been too long...but I've been a bit busyHey there -<br /><br />Its been far too long since my last post and I figure'd I should share a bit of what I've been up to lately...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3961218665/" title="IMG_8818a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2472/3961218665_281d881d5e.jpg" width="500" height="312" alt="IMG_8818a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3961999410/" title="IMG_8813a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/3961999410_769a86720b.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="IMG_8813a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3951895365/" title="IMG_1603-1 by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2549/3951895365_5ffd88ec6d.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_1603-1" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3925377704/" title="IMG_8097asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3445/3925377704_bcbac074b1.jpg" width="330" height="500" alt="IMG_8097asw" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3918960352/" title="IMG_8290asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/3918960352_c5577e0bd8.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="IMG_8290asw" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3849237747/" title="_MG_7480 by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2647/3849237747_074088fbdf.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="_MG_7480" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3887825431/" title="_MG_4776a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3887825431_2dc63749d5.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="_MG_4776a" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3849237737/" title="_MG_7355 by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/3849237737_7171f675ca.jpg" width="357" height="500" alt="_MG_7355" /></a><br /><br />____________________<br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-22234708165278860802009-08-24T16:20:00.000-07:002009-08-24T16:26:23.589-07:00The right song at the right timeMusic makes all the difference. In all my infrequent internet ramblings, I don't think I've stopped to talk about the importance of music. I think we all know that exposing music to children at a young age helps to develop their infant brains but that's not what I'm hear (ha!) to talk about. <br /><br />You're in the car...there's a stretch of open road in front of you despite the fact that you just got off work and its 5pm. Everyone is out, and so is the sun. Its Thursday and the excitement of knowing that tomorrow is Friday has you pretty amped (its the little things in life right?). Naturally your music playing device of choice is on random, cause, well why not on a nice afternoon like this? As the gap in traffic appears just before your favorite stretch of the drive home (the one with the sweeping corners and nowhere for "the man" to hide) THE BEST song comes on. It could be any song, but its your favorite song of the moment, or perhaps an old favorite that the "random man" inside your mp3 player dusted off. Suddenly, your perfect afternoon has just become somehow, more perfect. Oh the power of music, how it compels us. Without it, surely there would be no air guitar, and certainly no air drums. I'm pretty sure that back in the day, there was something called the "air harpsichord (not very rock and roll I admit)." Without music, how else could we embarrass ourselves? I digress... we're in such a good mood now that the odd look from the aging blond (look past the gray roots; she's a so-cal wannabe version of Cruella DeVille) in her Mercedes (its a bit too old, she's just pretending to have money) only makes us feel happier to be in this moment with this song....carry on with the air drums, shift gears, switch to air guitar as appropriate.<br /><br />So whats the point here? Music keeps us young. What song, or album for that matter, doesn't in some way define a period of our life or perhaps a fleeting moment? Our favorite songs then in some ways, are like familiar smells, drawing out a full buffet of memories and emotions.<br /><br />For me its hard to imagine not having music with me, especially when I'm out with my camera, or on the computer editing photos or, writing this entry for that matter. From where I sit, music is a critical part of the creative process. Queuing up the right album or favorite internet radio station, can set the mood and be a launch pad for great things.<br /><br />Recently I did a shoot with a friend of mine who at the time, I hardly knew...friend of a friend of a friend situation. We got on well in social gatherings but never had a one on one. We found ourselves on a hot summer afternoon in the studio sorting out a loose ended shoot to get her started modeling again. We were making our way reasonably well, picking through a suitcase of clothes and discussing friends, the weather...nothing substantial. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3796743671/" title="_MG_6671asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2441/3796743671_daa86a9aab.jpg" width="390" height="500" alt="_MG_6671asw" /></a><br /><br />She changed as I finished setting up the lights and we began to make our way through the first few shots. I could tell something was missing; something to make her feel more comfortable, more at home. I really wanted her personality to show through and I needed to connect a bit more with who she was and understand her person a bit differently. So I began to ask about music, and suggested we try a different station on Pandora. Queue my Old Skool Hip hop station and BAM! (think Emeril) things began to come alive. You can't not get excited when you hear Rapper's Delight; I'm talking the full version here, not the radio edit. Her eyes lit up and we were on our way, taking turns reciting each verse.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3756350144/" title="_MG_6747asw by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2536/3756350144_89b6210a74.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="_MG_6747asw" /></a><br /><br />Music levels the playing field and allows people to open up a bit more and be themselves, which is exactly what you want if you're trying to draw out the emotion and personality.<br /><br />The same goes for when I'm shooting alone or editing photos. With my headphones on, I can zone out and focus on looking at things from a different perspective and absorb the reality that is around me. Focus on the details that perhaps I've not noticed before...sit and stare at my subject and digest what is appealing about it to me and how I want to capture it. What else is around? How is it affecting the subject? Where is the light? Whats the STORY? All these things blend with the music to make the moment and define it through my lens.<br /><br />So if you don't already, take your music with you when you shoot, and when you're working with people and its appropriate, get the right music going. It makes all the difference in helping to set the mood and the tone while you're shooting.<br /><br />______________________________<br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-81936129886476483942009-08-18T21:58:00.000-07:002009-08-18T22:09:27.939-07:00Its August. Fall is here. Most people don’t know.Fall is my favorite season. Hands down. Without question. September specifically is the best month to live in Washington. Typically about the last week of August, I wake up and the light coming in my window is *JUST* slightly different. The blue of the sky has changed. The way the sun filters through the atmosphere is subtly different. Its one of those things that you keep to yourself thinking that you’re the only one who’s noticed. Stepping outside, despite that fact that its still a ‘Summer’ morning, I notice that the air smells a little different. Overnight the air has found a hint of the smell of leaves…leaves that have yet to fall from their branches. Gone are thoughts of afternoons at the lake or the 4th of July or barbecues on warm summer evenings with friends… <br /><br />I’m wrapped in my own thoughts of back to school, even now years away from late august water polo practices and pre reading for AP classes...coaching the swim team and the return to campus and college football. I also think of chilled top down drives through the mountains with the leaves turning; and just the right song on the radio…perhaps on repeat.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/2940045483/" title="Highway 410 - Washington - Chinook Pass 2 by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2940045483_583aff34d6.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Highway 410 - Washington - Chinook Pass 2" /></a><br /><br />Many of us think of the end of summer and view it as the end. Its really the beginning though isn’t it? Especially here in the northwest. It’s the beginning of our cycle of seasons, the long winter…I’m not one to moan about Seattle weather, it’s just the way it is here and I love it. I love it because it makes September the best month. It makes September worth loving. It forces you to stop and appreciate it before its gone again. You could say September is a final celebration in many ways.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3043111080/" title="Fallen by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3138/3043111080_d46782bd53.jpg" width="300" height="224" alt="Fallen" /></a><br /><br />I’m excited for it. Fall last year was epic. I suspect we’ll have a short fall this year so I’m going to enjoy it. It’s the only time of year where the light is the way it is, and as a photographer, light is everything. The light along with all the other thoughts of fall make it an awesome time to get out and shoot. Portraits especially. The season of weddings is winding down and fall rings of family. Portraits of family and friends in the dying glow of a Sunday afternoon in September only happens a few times a year. Be there and capture it with the people that matter most to you. Put off that back log of post work you need to be doing…you’ve got 6 months exactly like November to get caught up on that.<br /><br />______________________________<br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-19661559208665911202009-08-18T21:46:00.000-07:002009-08-18T21:52:01.526-07:00Photography is like a relationship.My relationship has been failing the past month or so for more than one reason I suspect. I'm sure you're expecting some of the same tired excuses...its the summer, things are busy, work, blah blah blah. But I realized something last night. I put my camera away. And by away, I mean I put it in its bag and put it in the corner of my den and just didn't look at it. Out of sight out of mind.<br /><br />Mini scooters are dangerous. Just because you don't need a motorcycle endorsement doesn't mean you can't hurt yourself. In the wake of high siding my friends scooter (Sorry AJ), and having done so on the eve of my 2 week vacation, I had to see if post shoulder injury, I could even lift my camera. Into my den I went and the familiar clink of the aluminum buckles as I gingerly (stiff shoulder and all) broke into my camera bag. Thankfully, I could lift the camera but wasn't able to hold it up for long without some pain.<br /><br />I realized something though. I love my camera. Love it! I just like holding it and looking at it and cleaning it and pointing it at things just for the sake of it. I had found an old friend again (chhhhhheeeeeezy) but I came to realize something else. I should have never put my camera away. Putting it in the case and in the corner was the worst thing in the world. I didn't see it sitting there...I didn't give my camera a thought until I was out and about thinking, "Damn I wish I had my camera." In the world of being a photographer, that’s an epic fail.<br /><br />Always keep your camera within reach. It’s wasted if it’s just sitting in your spare room or in the closet unused. How many craigslist ads have you read where the post reads something to the effect of "it’s been in the closet and I just can’t justify keeping it anymore."<br /><br />DO NOT BECOME THAT GUY<br /><br />From now on, my camera will be sitting in its bag, next to my computer where I spend too much of my time. It will be in my face and I’ll start fiddling with it for no reason (which happens to be the best reason). I can't tell you how many pictures of my keyboard and TV remote I’ve taken just experimenting with my camera because I was bored. The key here is daily interaction, no matter what the subject. Always learning and always looking at things in a new way.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3136774301/" title="My tools by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3243/3136774301_e4fb34a53c_m.jpg" width="240" height="163" alt="My tools" /></a><br /><br />So how is it that photography is like a relationship then? It’s rather simple. It’s like working out or anything else you do in your life. If you don’t constantly put effort into it, nurture it, talk to it, touch it, you won’t DO it. Simple as that. What if you came home at the end of the day and didn’t say hi to your wife or girlfriend? Didn’t give her a hug or kiss or even a second glance? How long would that last? Not long. I fear that I’d end up cheating….cheating on photography with… riding motorcycles and that only got me hurt! Lesson learned.<br /><br />Kiss your wife/girlfriend hello and then pick up your camera.<br /><br />_______________________________<br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-34892735734954428852009-06-27T16:34:00.000-07:002009-06-27T17:10:57.338-07:00Details. Post. Subtlety.When I was young, I spent many Saturday afternoons building model airplanes. I began with the SnapTite ones that took like 5 mins to put together but I quickly realized that these well, sucked. They looked like crap and didn't do justice to the aircraft it was intended to portray.<br /><br />So I sucked it up and started building the more complicated ones and spending more time on them and I learned one really important thing that bridges into most aspects of my life.<br /><br />DETAILS MATTER<br /><br />The little things add up BIG TIME! A little detail here, another one there. Suddenly things are beginning to look really nice. Same goes for anything really. It could be woodworking.<br /><br />...but you're not reading this because you're into woodworking, or building 1:48 scale Spitfire fighter planes.<br /><br />Details matter in all aspects of photography. Period.<br /><br />From the composition, (are any trees or buildings growing out of your subject's head?), the subject, the light, the location and the post processing all contribute to the final product. I think we can all agree that we don't like to look at way overdone Photoshop work. But as with every other aspect of the shot, the post work is CRITICAL.<br /><br />Now I'll not get into the debate about whether or not using Photoshop helps or hinders the foundations of photography because the reality is that nearly every image you've ever seen on a computer screen has been touched in Photoshop in some way.<br /><br />The key is to be subtle and pay attention to the details. While the spectrum of possibilities in Photoshop are nearly limitless they are within reach thanks to the countless tutorial sites out there. See an effect you like? Google it or youtube it and you'll find multiple different approaches to achieve what you're looking for.<br /><br />The key is to be subtle and look for every detail you can that detracts from the image. Stray hairs? bad white balance? Levels off? Minor blemishes? Dust spots? Dead pixels? An interesting trick I've picked up is to flip your image 180 deg and look at it upside down. You'll be amazed at what pops out at you that you may have not noticed before.<br /><br />What details did I miss in this edit?<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3665869183/" title="IMG_2738BBA by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3627/3665869183_51be756b70.jpg" alt="IMG_2738BBA" width="400" height="303" /></a><br /><br /><br />Personally, I think the intent is to correct any mistakes from your original shot (crooked much?) and then use the tools available to ADD to the appeal of the image. Remember, its about the details. ...the subtle details. Easy does it, don't overdo it, you don't want to appear (unless you really do) heavy handed and contrived because (in my opinion) that detracts from the appeal of the image. The last thing you want is someone to look at your image and say "I wish they didn't overdo it with the post, they had a nice image to begin with."<br /><br />SO - As with my model planes, its important to pay attention to the details and not just throw a quick coat of paint on it and call it good. The same applies in the post processing of your photos. Take the time and put the thought into the right amount editing that will allow your photo to stand out for the RIGHT reasons. Remember, we're looking for quality, not quantity...<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-14667660543600246082009-06-25T21:33:00.000-07:002009-06-25T22:23:22.392-07:00The most important lensI always hear the phrase "the most important camera is the one you have with you." I'm not here to dispute that in any way. This phrase has sold a whole pile of iPhones in the photography community I suspect. <br /><br />What I would like to discuss is, what is the most important lens for your SLR/Camera?<br /><br />I'll contend that the most important lens to have in your bag (edit) *ON YOUR BODY* is a 50mm prime lens.<br /><br />Most importantly its a fixed focal length. Without a zoom, you're forced to THINK (gasp) about your shot and move YOURSELF to achieve the composition you desire. I believe this is a fantastic passive creative mechanism. Anyone can stand in place with a zoom, machine gun and say "aren't I amazing?"<br /><br />When you are forced to stop and think about your shot, you're much more likely to get it right, and get it the way you want it rather than just ripping off 100 shots of the same thing and hoping for the best. For me, this alone is reason to have a 50mm or 35mm (well any fixed focal length for that matter) lens.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3661057371/" title="IMG_4567a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3398/3661057371_6c3c585613.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="IMG_4567a" /></a><br /><br /><br />Speed: My 50mm is a 1.8. That's almost an aperture the size of a sewer pipe...ok not really but its BIG. Sure you can get a 1.4 or even a 1.1 but those are 3-4x the price for a 1.4 and like 15x more money for the 1.1 With 1.8 you can shoot at shutter speeds in low light that are fast enough to stop motion without having to crank your ISO speed and loose quality.<br /><br />Image Quality: Like most things in life, lenses are a give and take between image quality and flexibility. You can have a wide focal range, say 18-200mm (Nikon has a great lens in this range) but the laws of physics and the need for a reasonable (whats that mean anyway?) price make it difficult for a wide focal range AND a super wide, constant aperture across the focal length at a price people will pay. With Nikon's 18-200mm lens, its F5.6 at the long end, thats DRASTICALLY less light than our little prime lens. At a fixed focal length, the construction of the lens is far more simple and provides much better image quality at the prescribed focal length. ...the compromise here is the lack of zoom. But in this instance I'm viewing that as a benefit as well :) <br /><br />Depth of field: At a very wide aperture you have a VERY narrow depth of field. This creates a great effect (bokeh they call it) where one thing is spot on focused while everything else fades further and further out of focus. The 'sweet spot' of the lens where it gives its best performance is also at a wider F/stop, again, allowing you to shoot faster shutter speeds.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3661833494/" title="IMG_4500a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2604/3661833494_a9e58e4cff.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="IMG_4500a" /></a><br /><br />Price: My 50mm 1.8 was less than $100 and is TACK sharp. What else do you want? (I'll argue sharper than the Canon 24-70 2.8...that's fixed focal lengths for you) Sure the AF is archaic, its a plastic mount, certainly doesn't have Image stabilization but that's not the point here ...is it? <br /><br />I would say without question that a fast prime lens is the best student/beginner lens. Not only is it cheap and sharp, but it really does feed the creativity and force you to put a little thought into your composition...something that will make a MASSIVE difference in your end result. <br /><br />If you are just starting out, or maybe have been shooting a while and have found yourself in a rut, pick up, or perhaps dust off your prime lens and really experiment with what you see through the viewfinder. Remember - YOU are the zoom!<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-6168485547198898682009-06-24T22:07:00.000-07:002009-06-25T22:07:22.304-07:00Living HistoryEver since I was young, I've been fascinated with history. I remember bringing home huge stacks of books home from the library on the subject. They always seemed to have had airplanes in them. Eventually I began to pay particular attention to WWII aviation. I was enthralled with it. So when given the opportunity to see what only existed in my mind as a grainy black and white photo in a smelly old library book, I jumped at the chance.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.collingsfoundation.org/menu.htm">Collings Foundation</a> maintains a living history museum of classic aircraft. Most are still flown and this iconic B-17 from WWII is no exception. Each year, the plane makes its way around the country stopping off at community airfields. For a few dollars, you can spend as long as you want with the bird. Touch it, smell it...draw it in. The fore and aft compartments are open and young and old are able to climb inside and experience it from the inside as well.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3658543463/" title="IMG_2835a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/3658543463_00d02a3d38.jpg" width="500" height="326" alt="IMG_2835a" /></a><br /><br />The B-17 is perhaps one of the most iconic and symbolic aircraft in American history. Over 12,000 were built and flown around the globe, most notably to the English countryside that served as a launch pad for the US's daytime bombing campaign against Nazi Germany during WWII. It was not uncommon in late 1943 and throughout 1944 for 1,000+ bomber raids to be sent across the Channel to bomb various targets across the European continent. <br /><br /><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2946341&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2946341&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/2946341">Collings Foundation B-17 "Nine O Nine"</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/sargent">Sargent</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br />Each aircraft holding 10 men, and no less than 13 .50 Caliber machine guns, the bombers had to defend themselves against the most advanced fighter aircraft Germany had to offer. Unpressurized and with ambient temperatures within the plane often less than -40F, crews defended themselves against the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109">Messerchmitts</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_190">Focke Wulf</a> fighters sent to defend Germany. It wasn't until the legendary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-51_Mustang">P-51 Mustang</a> that the bombers had the luxury of fighter support all the way to their targets.<br /><br />Its hard for me to wrap my brain around the reality that was the air war over Europe. <br /><br />Each year I make time to go and see one of the last flying examples of an iconic machine that in many ways defined America's involvement in WWII. Its not uncommon for former flight crew to arrive, now in their 80s, to say hello and perhaps goodbye to an old friend, one that saw them through the most trying time in their lives.<br /><br />In some ways this post dove tails with my previous one - how does photography blend in with your other passions in life? What do you love? What makes you stop and think? Can you capture that in a photo? Can you bring it to life?<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4461698824479183867.post-23008699569013301152009-06-18T18:49:00.000-07:002009-06-18T19:52:10.174-07:00Converging InterestsI have been delinquent this week in getting some meaningful content up, so I'll post a small shot in the arm. I wrote the piece a while back when I shot a historic racing event at the local Race track. The piece itself is more about the car than photography, but reading it again made me think a bit about how photography can bring you closer to other hobbies. I know a number of friends who have toyed with the idea of getting into photography but have said "I've already got too many hobbies." <br /><br />Photography can bring you closer to some of your favorite activities rather than take you away from them. For me, I'm an avid <a href="http://www.formula1.com">Formula One fan</a> and my love of photography and motor sport have found a fine marriage more than once.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3547824486/" title="IMG_9385a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3351/3547824486_8712631575.jpg" width="500" height="313" alt="IMG_9385a" /></a><br /><br />Whats the point here? Evaluate your interests and how they are connected or disconnected...how can you tie them together? Perhaps photography is a new venue into a past love? Miss those basketball games? Maybe start shooting for the local HS or College team, I guarantee you'll not get a better seat. Your daughter on the swim team? Break out your strobist kit and do the team portraits and save the team a bundle in portrait costs.<br /><br />What about music? I LLLLLLOOOOOVE my music, and I take time whenever I can to shoot a local show for some of my favorite local bands.<br /><br />How is photography a bridge for you?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a><br /><br />___________________<br />History came alive today in what might seem an odd place, Kent Washington, a strange place indeed for such a piece of automotive history.<br /><br />The 1971 Formula 1 season was dominated by the team founded by Ken Tyrrell and their chief driver, Sir Jackie Stewart. For me, all I can do is look at old footage, pictures and listen to the stories from nearly 40 years ago. Today however, I could feel the history storming down the front stretch at Pacific Raceways and get close enough to touch the gravel in the big slicks of Jackie Stewart's '71 Tyrrell Ford while it was parked in the pits.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3547015091/" title="IMG_9409a by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2449/3547015091_d173fac94f.jpg" width="500" height="287" alt="IMG_9409a" /></a><br /><br />Its an understatement to say the the Tyrrell-Ford team was successful in 1971. Powered by the Cosworth DFV engine, Jackie took this car to no less than 7 wins in the short 11 round season. Not only that, but he found himself on the podium for each of the 11 rounds amassing 62 driver points and contributing heavily to 73 constructor points. It was all competitor and second place constructor BRM could do to muster 36 points that year. It was a stellar season for a stellar car in what was the only Constructors title Tyrrell would secure.<br /><br />It was by chance today that I happened upon this living piece of history. Many would argue that this car should be stuffed away in a museum as its sister chassis is. It's fitting then that this one is on track at vintage racing events like the Sovren event held at Pacific Raceways in Kent Washington.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/3541880540/" title="IMG_8498b by RickDonohue, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2079/3541880540_11bcbb86c9.jpg" width="500" height="364" alt="IMG_8498b" /></a><br /><br />The days events were a prelude to the coming annual Sovren vintage race event held at the same location. Today was somewhat of a test and tune and as such, there wasn't much of a crowd. I arrived early in the afternoon not sure what I would find. Walking up I could hear what I later found out to be the famous Ford Cosworth DFV engine that powered many of the cars fielding the 1971 F1 season; Tyrrell, March, Lotus, Mclaren, Surtees, Brabham and a Swiss team Bellasi, all with a DFV powering their championship challenge.<br /><br />Nearing the fence line I spotted the blue and white streak, with that famous pot belly. Streaming down the main straight the gear changes were spot on leading me to imagine what it might have been like to see the same car charging through Parabolica at Monza, Eau Rouge in Spa Francorchamps or through St. Devote in Monaco. <br /><br />SIDEBAR - Eau Rouge<br /><embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=8346836491399508259&hl=en&fs=true" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed><br /><br />Stewart Famously won in Monaco that year and today, the same car lapped the field, albeit its closest competitor was an out matched CanAm car, in less than 20 minutes. For me it stole the show.<br /><br />Its amazing and special to see pieces of history such as this flying around the track at 10/10ths on a Sunday afternoon with hardly a fan in the stands. I'd like to imagine each lap was a quali lap at Monza or Silverstone. If you squint juuuuust right you can almost imagine it.<br /><br />Here's to my next run in with history -<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/rickdonohue/">Follow me on TWITTER</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/planeman01/">Flickr</a>Rick Donohuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12536562135168757581noreply@blogger.com0