The San Francisco Meetup Group is planning a rendezvous on November 21, 2009 at 4:30pm. Meeting place Dolores Park 20th St., San Francisco, CA 94110.

Twilight Shootout & Meetup!

Xavier Lanier and I got to talking a bit after last months meetup,
he expressed his keen interest in helping to organize a Shootout and get a
chance to meet all the local photogs and introduce them to
Notebook.com as a resource. Xavier has been in touch with HP
and is very excited about their new laptop the HP Envy 15 – HP
and Intel have joined him in hosting our after party! Read More…

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, California, originally uploaded by Darvin Atkeson.

I checked the Pigeon Point SHP website and was not surprised at what I read. I am sorry to let everyone know that tonight’s 137th Annual Lighting of Pigeon Point Lighthouse has been Cancelled. Here is the website notice: California State Parks Piegon Point Light Station SHP. I am happy to say that the cancellation was not made by the U.S. Coast Guard for the deterioration of the light structure itself. last year I posted  saying that the U.S. Coast Guard was considering cancelling all further lightings until the proper repairs can be made. Read last years post here: http://fisheyestudio.net/2008/11/24-beams-of-light.html

I decided to call to the Lighthouse and speak to on of the docents or a State Park Ranger. However, this cancellation was due to the California State Budget cuts.  According the the nice lady I spoke to at the Pigeon PointLight Station. She informed me that the State Parks Department had realeased an offical press release that never made it to press. She was very sorry that the lighting had been canclled as so was I.

According to the news release they hope that the budget problems will be cleared up, so the State Parks can resume the annual light of the Light.

More information can be found here:

Lighthouse News: Pigeon Point Lighthouse Event Cancelled

Lighthouse News: No One Tells The Coast Guard

Exhibition begins at the Richard Avedon exhibit at SFMOMA

Today on Monday morning re-cap, I will tell you about the Richard Avedon exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. A few weeks ago I blogged and invite for anyone in the Bay Area to take a trip to SFMOMA and see the Richard Avedon exhibit.

On Saturday my wife and I spent the day in San Francisco, and we took some time to visit the SFMOMA. We were excited to see the Richard Avedon exhibition, since the exhibit will close at the end of November.

Let me just start with this. I expected the museum to be more crowded then it was. Also, since my wife and I are members we did not have wait in line for the exhibit we were let right in, (Membership has its privileges).

Richard Avedon was born in 1923. He passed at the age of 81 in 2004, was an American photographer. Richard Avedon had a great career that span many decades. His most famous work was done with models of the fashion world. He also shot celebrities, dignitaries and common Americas in his series called the “American West”.

My personal take on the exhibit was inspiring. I love photography, and in was struck by the simplicity of his work. Granted it may not have been simple by any means, however they white background used in most of his portraits was a trademark icon that he used throughout his career. His work showed me how to use a simple white background to make a perfect portrait.

When you walk up to the images you can see the detail from every pore to crease and scar. Some of the images we not very flattering to the subject, but that were what he was looking for the real person and not the made up face or image that usually come from a professional photo session.

An example that I can give you, is the photo he has in the exhibit of Marilyn Monroe. According to the 87 minute movie about Richard Avedon, he said he spent hours in the studio photography the actress. She posed, smiled, flirted for hours in front of the camera. However when it was all over, she was like a little girl quite and sitting alone in the edge of a couch. According to Avedon, he would never taken the picture without her permission in this vulnerable state.

Marilyn Monroe by Richard Avedon at SFMOMA

Like I mentioned before if you have the opportunity to see the Richard Avedon exhibition go and take in the career of this great master of the lens. It will inspire and awe everyone…

Richard Avedon Collection at SFMOMA

If you are in the San Francisco some time in the next month you may want to take some time and go to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art SFMOMA, and see the Richard Avedon show. The show began in July and will run until the end of November…

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will showcase an exhibit featuring the work of photography legend Richard Avedon. This event promises to be unforgettable as it is the only time that a U.S. museum will feature Avedon’s photography throughout his lifetime. The exhibit will include almost 200 photographs as well as a collection of vintage magazines. Continue Reading →

Ducks in a Row, originally uploaded by Kirk Howard.

Flight Test Nation – Is also know as the Edwards Air Force Base Air Show. Three years ago I my wife and I headed into the high desert to enjoy the Flight Test Nation 2006. It was a long day and the weather was warm. The Air Force handed out sunscreen and advised everyone to stay over hydrated.

This weekend was the Flight Test Nation 2009. This is the first year that they have had Flight Test Nation since 2006.

This year, Edwards celebrates the 50th anniversary of the X-15 and the heraldry of test legacy. You didn’t have to be on the ramp to hear the Edwards trademark opening sonic boom! At precisely 10 o’clock, Brigadier General “Chuck” Yeager and Major General Joe Engle sent a shock wave to the ground from 30,00 feet, high overhead! Where else does that happen?

One of the highlight of the Air Show was the new F-35 Air Show debut. The F-35 Lighting II is the newest fighter for the Air Force, Navy and Marines. The F-35 did a flyby display and static display.

Many more static and flight displays took place. One disappointment was that in 2006 the US. Air Force Demonstration Team Thunderbirds took to the sky at 3 PM. This year they didn’t have the Thunderbirds.

The image above was taken in 2006 after the Thunderbirds had finished they show and were returning back to the flight line. They were headed right at me when I snapped a few images. This image reminded me of Ducklings walking in a straight line… “Ducks In a Row”

If you are like me and love air shows, then you will love this air show. The AirVenture Air Show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is one of the premiere air shows in the United States. In this last years air show, they flew everything from Jet Fighters to Civilian Crop Dusters, C-17 Globemasters to the Air Bus a-380. They even had gyro copters.

The show in 2010 will be from July 26 thru August 1. This year I would like to try and make it back to Wisconsin for this Air Show.

If anyone has been to the EAA AirVenture air show, I would like to hear about it. You can post your remarks in the comment field below.

Here is a video I found from last years EAA AirVenture 2009 air show. This video was brought to you by slickhutto. Visit slickhutto at his YouTube page to see more of his amazing video footage of AirVenture 2009 part 2-4.

Kelby Training Live is offering a Adobe Photoshop CS4 Seminar in Sacramento, CA on Monday November 9, 2009. This should be a well informative trainging session taught by Ben Willmore. For more information got to Kelby Training Live.

Ben Willmore has personally helped over 30,000 design and photography professionals make the transition from blindly following step-by-step techniques, to “Aha! I finally GET Photoshop!” His breakthrough teaching style of “not-just-how-but-why” has made Ben the in-house instructor of choice for companies such as Mercedes Benz, Adobe Systems, America Online, and Fisher-Price. He’s a member of the Dream Team for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), a featured speaker at design and photography conferences in around the world, and writes for numerous digital imaging publications.

Ben Willmore is author of the award-winning, best-selling book, Adobe Photoshop Studio Techniques and co-author of another bestseller, How to Wow: Photoshop for Photography. His hit seminars, “Photoshop Mastery” and “Photoshop for Photographers”, have established Ben as one of America’s favorite Photoshop instructors. He has personally helped over 30,000 design and photography professionals make the transition from blindly following step-by-step techniques, to “Aha! I finally GET Photoshop!” His breakthrough teaching style of “not-just-how-but-why” has made Ben the in-house instructor of choice for companies such as Mercedes Benz, Adobe Systems, America Online, and Fisher-Price. He’s a member of the Dream Team for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), a featured speaker at design and photography conferences in around the world, and writes for numerous dig… read more »

Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 for Photographers Coming to Sacramento, CA | Monday, November 9, 2009 Join Ben Willmore as he shows you how to master your digital photography and apply the hottest and most cutting-edge Photoshop techniques to take your photography skills to a whole new level! You’ll learn extremely powerful Photoshop techniques such as adjustment essentials by exploring Photoshop CS4′s new adjustments and masks panels and see how they can solve even the most challenging adjustment issues. You’ll also learn how to control the viewer’s experience by directing your viewer’s eye through your photographs by adjusting tone, color, and sharpness. Learn how to produce images that would be impossible in a traditional darkroom, such as, how to slow down water without slow shutter speeds, reduce or eliminate environmental mist, changing background colors by filtering the subject’s light, creative light painting and streak photos with a difference, shooting techniques that ensure accurate color and skin tones, how to combine two less-than-ideal shots to produce an acceptable result, hand-held extreme panoramas that will blow your mind, a two-shot process for making flash look natural, simulating sunrise or sunset light, and much, much more! “The BEST! One of a kind, master teacher, focused, clear, incredible instructor! Ben’s off the charts!!! I’m amazed at how much I learned!” P. Toney, Attendee – view more testimonials with Ben Willmore Best-Selling Author, Photographer, and Instructor Register at www.kelbytraininglive.com today and secure your spot or call us at 1.800.201.7323.

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I just received an email form on of my local photography stores. Keeble & Shuchat Photography and Nikon has sent out a invitation for a unique opportunity to photograph Alcatraz Island and penitentiary during the evening and night.

The launch is an operational test to determine the weapon system’s reliability and accuracy.

The missile’s three unarmed re-entry vehicles are expected to travel approximately 4,190 miles, hitting a pre-determined target near the Kwajalein Atoll.

The 576th Flight Test Squadron, which will direct the missile launch, installed tracking, telemetry and command destruct systems on the missile to collect data and meet safety requirements. Maintenance and operations task force personnel from the 91at Missile Wing, Minot AFB, ND are conducting operational tasks leading up to launch.

Memorial Day Weekend at Livermore Airport gives you the ability to view history.

Vintage B17 and B24 bombers once again visit the Livermore airport. This year a P51 joins them. You can take pictures, walk through the bombers, and talk to the crew. Flights are also available for a $425 donation.