A Day At the Getty

Real Flowers and Real Dew

A couple years ago I realized that garden flowers look better when they are covered in dew. Since we don't always have dew in SD, I usually carry a spray bottle with me when I visit my wife's garden.But on this day, I was wandering around my aunt's Southern California neighborhood looking for photo opportunities. And I found real flowers coated with real dew.

The Power of Advertising (iPhoneography)

Good photography? You be the judge. All I know is that I walked into a Carl's Jr. hamburger franchise in southern California one morning last week and was greeted by this happy saleswoman.The first thing I thought was, "Is this appropriate for a family restuarant?" The second thing I thought was "I need to take a photo." And today I am sharing my creative efforts with you. Enjoy.(Incidentally, I did not buy what she was selling.)

The Rusty Pelican (iPhoneography)

Lilly Pond

Sometimes an obvious post title jumps out at me. And other times, nothing strikes me. Such is the case today. "Lilly Pond" is pretty boring, isn't it?This photo, incidentally, is a departure from my normal style in that I rarely would photograph flowers in full sun. But waiting for shade wasn't an option. This pond is one of a couple at the Mission at San Juan Capistrano and I was there on a sunny southern California day at high noon. This isn't my favorite time of day to shoot any photo but actually, this brightly lit lilly came out OK. To get the selective focus, I set my camera on aperture priority, set the aperture to widest number (4.0) and then lowered the ISO. I let the camera set the shutter speed. Notice the bokeh in the background?

Labyrinth? (Getty Center, Los Angeles)

Even if the Getty Center, which sits above Los Angeles, California, didn't have great works of art, it would be worth visiting. The setting, the architecture and the landscape make this place a "must see" destination. It is photographically fascinating and I could have spent much more time there.This photo was taken with my iPhone and is heavily doctored by Instagram, but I like it. Perhaps when I have time, I'll post a photo of the same subject that I took with my "real" camera.If you are still reading, I want you to check out some photos I took with an iPhone app called Photosynth. I have posted a couple that I took at the Getty Center:The Van Gogh GalleryThe Big Metal Flower TreesGetty Center Entrance Hall (a true 360 shot)

Morning Joe

When visiting my aunt in California, one of my routines is to visit a nearby Peet's Coffee shop. At 6 am, it is a fairly quiet place and that's why I like it.

LA Skyline - From the Getty Center

This was originally published to my scottshephard.posterous.com account from Instagram, but I'm trying to cover a few missing days in this blog.

This was taken from the Getty Center, which I have concluded is one of my favorite "buildings" in the world. Of course, it's not a single building - it is a series of buildings, an amazing location and the landscape surrounded the buildings. And that's not to mention thevgreat art inside.

Japanese Garden

My photo students and I are learning about "Blending Options" in Photoshop so I'm experimenting. These beautiful, smooth stones were part of the landscape at the Japanese Garden on the campus of Cal State in Long Beach, CA.

Nixon's the One

While visiting the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California, I found this bust of Nixon, apparently looking approvingly at a series of US flags. He seems satisfied. And he's been bronzed.

The Old, Rugged Tree

While visiting California recently, I wandered over to a cemetery near my aunt's house. It was a cemetery unlike anything in my home state - large mausoleums with drawers for the remains of loved ones. And there were no above-ground tomb stones.The most striking feature was the landscape and trees, most of which were kinds I didn't recognize. I'm guessing this tree, which is framed by the colored class walls of mausoleum vestibule, is older than the cemetery. Is is a banyan tree? I don't know.

No Devil In These Details

This is no devil - but it is a threatening looking jaguar, which is appropriate for a Jaguar automobile, as seen on my recent trip to California.I appreciate designers who put details in places that one would normally not look - in this case in the center of each chrome wheel. Dogs and mechanics would see this close up. And maybe a random photographer like me, whose camera compels him to see things that would otherwise be ignored.(Originally posted here with Instagram.)iPhone 4