Having spent three weeks with us already, having gained two pounds and with daily average awake time increase from 3 hours to 3 hours 15 minutes, Maks is still very impatient with me when I'm putting my camera in his face (perhaps he doesn't like Nikon brand?). But since I'm home and since it is a nice day outside, he gave me good 15 minutes to take a few good shots. Thank you, son. I owe you a trip to the San Jose Sharks Game this fall.
Burger King is running a nice promotional related to the Simpsons Movie, and you can turn yourself into a Simpsons character with just a few clicks of a button. Here is the link.
Guess what? Yosemite also has a wildlife, and this good looking bear was walking around just a few yards away from a popular Mirror Lake trail. Instead of thinking, "what will I do if he charges at me", I quickly changed the lens, adjusted ISO, took a few shots, and only then I began to be a bit concerned for my life, as my friend reminded me he is still a bear.
On the right hand side of the fall you may see a person that may help you better appreciate the height of this water fall.
I spent a day in Yosemite yesterday with my friend Ryan. It's not an ideal time to be there as a photographer, since the sky is plain blue, the light is always harsh and there are too many tourists around, but I went there mainly to see it for myself for the first time and to just enjoy the nature. I've been to many places that are considered to be spectacular, but I must say that I've never seen a place of this kind of grandeur, balance and beauty. Yosemite is simply out of this world, and I look forward to my many trips back there in the future.
Besides seeing out of the world landscapes, waterfalls and greenery, it was one unforgettable experience to visit the Ansel Adams Gallery. Besides seeing few original prints of Ansel on display, we participated in the private viewing of at least 50 other prints made by Ansel that they do every afternoon in the Gallery. I can only say you have to see his art for yourself before you can truly appreciate why he's the most famous landscape photographer ever. He fully deserves that title and I can just say, "wow"!
If you're getting into digital photography, thinking of or just bought your first DSLR, before you start paying for classes and books, there are many podcasts available that can be really useful, and best of all, they are free. I've tried many available out there, and I found the following to be the most helpful -
1. Photowalkthrough.com - a great podcast on Photoshop/Lightroom and composition in photography. John Arnold explains not just what to do, but how to do it and why.
2. Photoshop User TV. Scott Kelby and his crew show tips and tricks of Photoshop and other Adobe products.
3. The Radian Vista - great site on technique, equipment and photography in general.
4. Tips From The Top Floor - anything related to digital photography.
5. The Candid Frame - interviews with the best photographers from around the world.
I listen/watch these regularly, and they are all available for free subscription via iTunes or other podcatchers. I'm off to Yosemite, but when I get back, I'll talk my favorite photo web-sites.
I get occasional emails from people who come across my photos asking me how I got into photography and what helps me learn, so here is a brief story of that.
One of the earliest memories I have is taking pictures with my dad and then developing them in a darkroom. In fact, perhaps the earliest memory I have is posing for a picture outside of our apartment in the winter with my dad and my brother after we got back from a fishing trip. But photography never developed much until this last winter when with free time on hand I decided to start taking more pictures with my P&S.
This didn’t last for too long as I quickly realized I needed a better camera. I could see the difference in the quality of photos I took with my Olympus 710 Stylus and those posted on Flickr that were taken with DSLRs. So after some research I decided to buy the Nikon D40. It turned out to be just what I needed, and this great new camera opened new horizons for me.
Along with that, based upon my recommendation from my friend Travis I signed up on Flickr. Looking at pictures and getting feedback wasn’t enough for me, so I ordered a bunch of books on photography and Photoshop CS2 from
Amazon.
For the next 4 months I would take a lot of pictures, post them online, get feedback and leave feedback. Two things were the most helpful to me. First, leaving feedback on the work of others. This allowed me to realize what I like about the work of others and what I dislike. This also helped me find those who also were generous with feedback, and I joined the community. Second, reading many photography books. I’ve never taken any photography classes, and though in the future I hope to attend workshops, right now is not the right time for me to do it, so books help me feed my desire to learn. I started reading about basic techniques, but gradually as I learned the basics, I came to appreciate books on the art, composition and light (you can see my recent reading list on the right side of my blog). Photography is much more about seeing than it is about technique. Of course, the more you learn about something, the more you realize how much more there is to learn.
I also get a lot of questions about what should be the first purchases when someone buys their first DSLR (questions almost always come from new owners of Nikon D40), and I will address that in my next post.
Grandpa Bob called and left a message on my phone today, voicing his disappointment with a lack of photos of Maks recently, so here it is. Bob - here are your two beautifuls!
It's hard to believe it's been only two weeks, as we already don't remember what's it like not have the Boy around.
Those of you who have followed my blog thus far will know that up to this point I posted mainly my photos, and my posts pretty much mirrored my
photostream on Flickr. I did it with the intent to help less technology savvy users to follow my photo work, as Flickr is not always very intuitive. However, after reading cover story on blogging in this Saturday's Wall Street Journal (link) I decided I can to do a bit more with my blog than just copy Flickr posts, and it is only fair considering my blog is starting to attract more traffic.
I will still continue to post my favorite photos I take, but I will also now write posts several times a week. The topic of my blog will remain the same - my photography hobby, and as I write, I will try to share my thoughts on photography, photo equipment, useful photo-websites I find, and what I am learning as I continue to develop this hobby of mine. As always, feel free to leave your responses to my posts, any suggestions or questions in the comments section, or you can always email me (see my profile for an email address).
So here is my TIP OF THE DAY - if you have not yet started to use RSS feed reader to follow your favorite blogs, I recommend you begin using one, as it may save you time. It is a simple program that works within your browser, and you can subscribe to the feed with one click of a button. Subscription will enable you to read through the posts within the reader so you don't have to jump from blog to blog in your browser. There are a lot of readers out there, and I use Google Reader. To subscribe to my blog, click here.
"San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth." -- William Saroyan
I spent a great evening in the City with my friend Ryan, his mom and his sister. Thank you, guys!
Please see it large.
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." -- Rachel Carson
From my trip to VA three months ago.
My highlight of the day is to come home and spend some time with Maks, especially when he's awake. This evening he was showing all kinds of emotions, which is amazing considering he's only a week old.
This was his reaction to me telling him about how Google stock have performed since their original IPO.
It was exactly a week ago that Maks was born. He still sleeps most of the day, but we like him anyway.
This pictures gives you a sense of his size, and he is still very little. He was born weighting 6lbs13oz, then went down to 6-5, but is now growing again and is now measuring at 7-1. His mom can now walk and carry him around too, so it's certainly more fun to be at home than back at the office.
Day 4: Max is growing. His skin is becoming more soft, he's staying awake for a little bit longer, and he is beginning to use his arms and legs just a little bit more natural. When he sleeps he also tends to look a lot like us, grown ups, in his positions.
Meanwhile, our home is no longer the same. He truly brought a piece of Heaven with him. I feel hesitant to turn any music or television on when he is around. He is simply so pure, so innocent - The Gift from God and a Child of God.
We are now finally out of the hospital. To my surprise, Max did not check his email or turned on the TV first thing as he came home, but decided to just relax until he discovers these things someday. I don't know what you're all up to, but what you see here is what Max is planning to do the rest of the weekend.
I am only spending few minutes at home where I have internet connection, as even Silicon Valley hospitals do not have internet connection in the rooms.
Max is doing well. He is learning to eat and to sleep, and has been really fun to hang out with thus far. When he's awake, in his own crying language he often asks me about photography, religion, sports and politics, so I teach him all these things already.
If any of the family or friends want a copy of this little poster I created for a print, please email me and I'll be happy to send you a copy without a black frame around it. Other pictures of him are found here.
Maksim Ivanovich Makarov was born to Ivan and Becca on July 3rd, at 614pm, through cesarean section. He measured 19.5 inches and weighted 7 pounds. He already declared to us his allegiance to FC Spartak and BYU Cougars and dad is excited to have another fan join these great fanbases.
Everybody is doing well. Fireworks throughout the USA will follow tonight!
Many more pictures will be posted shortly, of course.
