Salt Lake Temple All Summerized

Another good day for the cell phone pics today. I took a bunch of pictures and had a hard time deciding. This one had the more interesting feel.
The setting is the Summer setting on Vignette. It yields interesting results. I don't always love it but it worked well here. The Salt Lake Temple is so often photographed that it's hard to come up with anything new. This isn't but I liked the shot anyway.
I was delivering a bouquet and boutonniere for a wedding for Florilista Custom Floral Art.

Soft Rose

Lori was prepping for a wedding and had these big, beautiful roses. I took a bunch of images but this one stood out the most.
The newest update of Vignette for Android has the option to create your own combinations of effects then save them as favorites. It is incredible. I can't tell you how much fun this app is! This is my vintage-style Diana camera preset. It's nice and soft and classic. Vignette gets better and better every day. They work so hard on it.

Parking Lot Decor

The decorative shades on the sides of the parking lot at LDS Hospital. I thought the way the light came through was interesting.
Platinotype setting on Vignette.

Golf Shot Du Jour

Sam found himself about a foot away from this tree on his approach shot to the 9th green. His only possible shot was to chip the ball through the crux of the tree. This shot was taken after the hole because we just HAD to document the GREATEST GOLF SHOT OF ALL TIME!!! Okay, so maybe it's second, but it was a heck of a shot for a golfer of our limited capacities.

Photographically speaking, this is a difficult shot with  a cell camera. The focus point is far too small and left on it's own, Sam would most definitely have been out of focus--even with the huge depth of field that cell cameras have due to their minuscule sensor size. So I moved out from behind the tree, focused the camera on Sam, then moved back into place. (Most autofocus systems will focus on the closest item to the camera unless you direct it otherwise, and with cell cameras that's not really an option--with the possible exception of iPhone 4 and its touch focus. For those of you who have one, does that work well?)

Maybe to Play Air Supply?

Jukebox in Tooele, Utah.
First off, I wondered why it has lungs on it. (Hence, the title of the post.)
Secondly, it was broken. Oh it played just fine, you just couldn't change the CDs. So for my 3 plays I had a choice between Alanis Morissette's crappiest album, Billy Ray Cyrus' crappy album, (did he even HAVE another one?) The Moody Blues, something by Joni Mitchell, The Greatest Hits of the Righteous Brothers, a Brooks and Dunn album, Bad Company, 10 from 6, and a Garth Brooks album.
Any guesses as to what 3 I chose?

Rubber Ducky II - The Return

This is the second appearance of the HRD (Huge Rubber Ducky) on the blog.

Summer Swim With Sun

First off, the sun flare is natural. I just love this shot. It is so reminiscent of my childhood. It's been a good day.

Posted via Blogaway on my Android phone

Utah Holiday - Happy Pioneer Day!

It's TOUGH to capture fireworks with a phone camera! Sure, if there's a bunch of explosions at once at a professional show that's one thing but in the back yard when they're going off sporadically it's a tall order.
The 24th of July in Utah is a state holiday celebrating the the 1847 arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley.
We used it as an excuse to watch Empire Strikes Back along with the RiffTrax on the side of a house and set off illegal fireworks.
Good holiday.

Sardine-ish

I am a convert to United Airlines. I flew United out to Chicago and I had totally forgotten that there was a time when you could fly fairly comfortably. I used to enjoy flying and I couldn't figure out what had changed. That's it. There used to be leg room.
Seriously, I'm flying United from now on.

Chicago Library - Architecture

I love Chicago. You have to appreciate a city that puts so much effort into aethetics. I was there only briefly this week but you can almost pick out any building and it will offer a host of photography opportunities.
Shot with Vignette for Android on the Platinotype setting.

Oh, Hare!

Chicago. O'Hare is a beautiful, interesting airport.

Wow. Looking back on the last week or so, I've done a lot of black and white images. I think I'm looking for simplicity. I've always liked seeing the full tonal range across grays. I'm pretty content to keep shooting monochrome for a while, I think.

The Latest in Redneck Decor

Are you thinking, "Oh no, someone buried this poor deer in their flower bed?" If so, don't fret, it's just the latest in redneck home decor. Gone are the days of decorating your yard with pink flamingos and 1976 Pintos artfully displayed on concrete blocks, the new day of classy adornment has begun. You're nobody if it doesn't look like you tortured Bambi mafia-style and displayed his antlers as a warning to other uncooperative forest creatures. Think Tony Soprano in an orange vest.
Tres chic.

Sisters - Candid

Family dinner yielded this awesome image! I don't know what it is about it but I love it! It feels so authentic.

Going Green

My lovely wife, Lori, has a business called Florilista Custom Floral Art. She does custom wedding flowers and is amazing at it. We had several deliveries to make today and I made this image before dropping off the flowers at the Tracey Aviary.

Portrait of John

I'm so excited, I just can't hide it! I'm not going to lose control though, so I think you'll like that.
John is one of my best friends. He came over for lunch today and wanted to be the picture of the day. I was so happy to oblige him. Drop me a line if you'd like to be the picture of the day and we'll figure something out! It'd be fun.

Baled Out

Tooele County again. I love going out there because I know I'll be able to find a fun One-a-Day shot. I've driven past these hay bales many times and never stopped. One of the best results of this project is that it forces me to stop and shoot something that looks interesting. I enjoy life and find more interest in every day! I have gotten in the habit of stopping to smell the proverbial roses.
(And I've gotten a lot of images I wouldn't have gotten.)

BYU Bunker

Right in the middle of the BYU campus is this awesomely run-down corrugated metal bunker-like structure. Sweet.

One More Summer Together

These two cars seem to have been parked together in this field for a long time. I love that this shot looks like they're holding hands.

JK Was Here

Is it just me, or does Chegwidden Lane sound like something out of Harry Potter? I've thought that for the entire 7 years I've lived here and for the first time I went and took a photograph of the sign.
Or am I smoking something?

 Am I, In Fact, Smoking Something?

• 
  A. Yes, you're way off base.
• 
  B. No, I've read Harry Potter 17 times and this looks like Rowlling's work.
• 
  C. I'm going with C. I always go with C.
• 
  D. The street name IS Potter-esque but I suspect you're still insane.
• 
  Q: Who's this Potter of whom you speak? I live under a rock.

view results
Free vote poll

$

I just noticed this in the street on my way home from church. I wonder where my mind is?

Walking the Line

I love that kid. She's getting so big and was so proud of herself for walking about 10 feet on the curbing. I LOVE being a daddy!
Shot with Vignette for Android. They just keep updating it and making it better! I don't use much else anymore. They just added the ability to customize your own filters and save your favorites! (They pretty much read my mind.)

Vintage

This is a platinum-style image of a gate at Wadley Farms, a reception site in Lindon, Utah. It's an amazing place for a wedding so go check it out. We were there delivering some flowers for my lovely wife at Florilista Custom Floral Art and I grabbed this image.

Bark

Texture. Cool.

Celestial Theater

I was headed up to volunteer for my church at a youth camp and passed this theater in Heber, Utah. This image is all about the color. I loved how the sky blends seamlessly with the blue in the Avon Theater. Awesome.
Shot with Vignette and out the passenger side window while at a stop sign, no-lookie style.

Ambulance in the compound! Vintage M*A*S*H Truck

I will let you in on a little secret about me.  I love M*A*S*H*.  While driving today, I came across a fully restored vintage Korean War era medical ambulance and couldn't help myself.  This image is my favorite of my photographic triage.

Bee-ach!

I stopped by the Great Salt Lake on my way to Tooele and noticed that they had the beach open to visitors.  Back in the day, Saltair was quite the resort for swanky retreats and summer fun, so it's exciting to see it being refurbished and returning to its former glory...even if the water was so low that the beach was salt for miles.

Capitol 4th

Happy Independence Day, everyone! 

The Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. With the slight pink in the sky, the white of the building, and the blue shadows, the color scheme seemed to fit.
For another, even COOLER image of the Capitol building, slide on over here.

Light Stripes

Light. It's the only thing you need to make a cool photograph. You don't even need a camera, just a cell phone and a dream. Yup, living the dream.

Urban Chimneys

Chimneys, they're the new black.

Learning Patience

It was hard for me to use this image for today. That is exactly why I had to post it. Life is like that.
I spent the day with my Grandma. She fell a few weeks ago and broke her pelvis so she's been bedridden. At 100 years old we're not sure what the prognosis is for recovery. Her children have been giving her the round-the-clock attention she needs. I felt a great need to help. I have been very close to my grandma and I love spending time with her. Plus, I am so grateful that God has granted me the incredible blessing of having a job that allows me the flexibility to serve when others wouldn't be able to. I would be selfish if I didn't follow through when service opportunities are presented. So I spent the day feeding her, rubbing her back, fighting the 90 degree heat and chatting about life and death.
It was absolutely wonderful.
No mistake, it's hard seeing her body broken and failing, but her spirit is active, alive, and acute.
If you have any doubt about how important humility is in the grand scheme of things you needn't look further than old age. It is difficult to be prideful and haughty when someone must feed you and change you. No matter how independent you used to be (She still lives alone at 100) you have no choice but to allow others to serve you. I can only imagine how humbling that must be.
In trying to find something that would occupy her time I read her a talk from the LDS General Conference. It is a talk about the power of patience and not just making it to the end of a trial but enduring well with faith and joy. Every time I thought she'd fallen asleep she would stop me and ask me to repeat a phrase or she'd mention how profound a particular statement had been. I finished the talk with tears in my eyes as she pronounced that it must be that she still needs to learn patience and to endure with joy her current trials. That is why the Lord has not seen fit to take her. I suspect that it's because her loved ones need her continual example and the opportunities to serve her in order to develop virtue in ourselves.
The powerful thing about devoting yourself to other people is that you walk away empowered and uplifted.
This photo shows more than my dying Grandmother in an uncomfortable sleep. It reminds me that photographs can be a powerful reminder of grace and faith in trial. It reminds me that life moves forward whether I want it to or not. It is a symbol that love is more than enjoying someone's company when all is well, it means also being there to feed them carrot juice and tell them how much they mean to you.
I love you Grandma.