Day of the Dead

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One of the biggest street parties of the year in Morgan Hill is the Safe Halloween.  Thousands of costumed kids and parents stroll Monterey Road from Main to Dunne collecting candy from the downtown merchants.

Once the sky was completely dark, I attached a spectral filter to my camera lens to photograph the ghosts parading along the street.  Even though they can not be seen with the naked eye, the filter allows the shadowy energy of non-physical beings to register on the camera sensor.  The street was way more crowded than the costumed revelers realized.

 You can see more ghosts on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

Howl-O-Ween

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The dogs of Morgan Hill had their own 

Halloween party at Community Park.

 

Some dogs skipped the costume parade and just played 

like only dogs can.

 

Many more canine photos are posted on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

California Photo Festival

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Five Days of Nothin' but Photography

I met up with friends from the photography club in San Luis Obispo for a week of immersion in photography.  Each morning we had several choices, from Cayucos to Pismo, of where to shoot the sunrise, each led by a professional photographer/instructor.  After breakfast back at the hotel, we attended 3 or 4 classes during the day on whatever aspect of photography we found interesting.  We could choose from over a hundred that were offered.  Then with no time for dinner, we were out shooting the sunset, once again choosing from several locations.  The day usually ended with a late dinner.  Friends & photography: what could be better?

Horses on the Beach at Morro Rock. 

A thick cloud cover blocked the beautiful sunset.

Critters!

Dozens of critters were stationed around a room all shouting, 

"Look at me!  Take my picture."

See the cricket at the end of his long, sticky tongue?

 

 Sunrise at Pismo Pier

My first attempt at light painting

Models on the Beach

This was the most difficult shoot for me.

 Sunrise at Morro Bay Harbor

iPhoto (one of the classes I took) processed in HandyPhoto

As always, I have many more photos from this week

 posted on my Flickr page:http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

World Wide Photo Walk

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Scott Kelby, a Photoshop guru, organizes a one day event each year when photographers gather to walk about in cities all over the world, including Morgan Hill.  I arrived an hour before the official start time to take advantage of the early sunlight on the downtownscape, and then mingled with the other photographers at the Farmers' Market. 

You can see more photos from this day on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

Taste of Morgan Hill

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"Taste" is a street festival held in downtown Morgan Hill.  I had an appointment at noon, so I arrived early and strolled the street looking for color....

 This is my favorite.

And that appointment I mentioned was with 

Marty at El Toro Body Shop.

This may be my last tatoo.

Mirror Macro

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The September project for members of the Macro Focus Group (a sub group of the Morgan Hill Photography Club), was to photograph ordinary things found around the house.  I decided to place my ordinary things on a mirror.  The mirror and objects were set up on my dining table next to a window which provided a nice side light. 

The "clouds" in the reflection are from an overhead chandelier.

On this gold turtle magnifying glass, 

I used a small flashlight to add highlights.

I painted this amethyst crystal with a little extra light it make it glow.  I changed the color of the background (a bouquet of bamboo leaves hanging over the mirror) to better compliment the purple amethyst.  The same bamboo leaves provide the background for the last two photos also.

Can you tell which of these succulent blooms are real 

and which are reflections?

The highlights I added in post-processing (Lightroom) 

made the screwdriver look like it was floating.

I had fun with this project. 

From now on,  I'm going see how I can incorporate a 

mirror reflection in more photographs.

September Full Moon

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I was not going to photograph the full moon this month.  I was determined to stay home and kick the addiction.  And then 45 minutes before sunset/moonrise, when I saw that the sky was clear, I quickly grabbed my camera bag and drove to Almaden Lake Park in south San Jose.  

Some habits are difficult to kick.

 Maybe I won't photograph the moon in October.  

Maybe...

Classic British Cars

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Photographing cars is unusual for me.  Cars don't usually interest me whether I have a camera in hand or not. I went to the British Car Classic in downtown Morgan Hill with a specific list of photographs to find: Reflections, Details, Perspective, Shadows, Sunbursts & Faces.  With over 200 cars parked along Monterey Road, my list really helped keep me focused.  

Do you see me in this picture?

 Inside an MG

 Jaguar

This is my favorite photo of the day. 

 Rolls Royce

 This is the only whole car portrait I took (while sitting on the curb).

More photos from this shoot are on my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton