I belong to a strobist group here in Portland, and we were allowed access (during the day) to all the haunts.
For you non PDX types, the Scream at the beach is a huge haunted house set that takes up 5 retail locations in a mall in North Portland. Some examples are a mansion, complete with crypt, a mine, an urban zombie-scape, and others. This shot was made in the funhouse (from hell) and this attraction was right after you walk through a 24 foot "squeeze wall" and is in a black room. Nice, huh?
It was so dark in many of the areas, that some of us used flashlights to help our auto focus assist. It was too dark to manually focus. You'd think that cameras were made for use in the light or something.
So, we spent about 6 hours in the haunts, checking out the different scenes and figuring out how to make pretty girls with horrifying makeup look like they fit into the place. Can you say head lamp for finding gear? the best part was - what color is most photo equipment? - finding all of our equipment as we moved from one location to the next. A good number of people were at the mall as we went from haunt to haunt. Girls in make up, guys with bags and stands and cameras. Makeup was done by Matt Huntley.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
So, this is what happens when you retire
My parents retired a few years ago, had a house sale -opened the doors and put a price tag on everything in the house, including the house, bought a big truck and a fifth wheel trailer. They have been criss-crossing the country ever since with their 6 cats. I call them the crazy cat people, but that's beside the point.
They stopped by the Portland area to visit, so I took some time off to hang out with them. Here they are in their full glory as we sat on their "patio" and had some apple-tinis. During their cruise around the country, they have taken a truck load of pictures - friends, wildlife, road hazards, sites, etc. etc.
Now, my dad has picked up a Nikon D80 and shoots like there is no tomorrow. I think my explanation of apertures and shutter speeds deepened the fog of confusion as he is trying to learn to actually USE his camera and have some control of the quality of his photos.
Guess what we did for the couple of days they were here. That's right, drink beer and discuss how an aperture and shutter speed combination can be made to control the artistic side of photos, like depth of field and motion blur.
Some people say that parents are like tornados, the come around for a short time, mess things up, and leave after all the pieces have been scattered. Mine come around, we have some good food, good drink, good conversations and then they run off to continue their trip. This time, it's from Denali National Park, Alaska to somewhere in the deserts of Nevada. They were going to Texas, but decided that it wasn't such a good idea. Here's a couple of shots from while we were out on their first night at the Wall Street Pizza in Gresham, OR.
They stopped by the Portland area to visit, so I took some time off to hang out with them. Here they are in their full glory as we sat on their "patio" and had some apple-tinis. During their cruise around the country, they have taken a truck load of pictures - friends, wildlife, road hazards, sites, etc. etc.
Now, my dad has picked up a Nikon D80 and shoots like there is no tomorrow. I think my explanation of apertures and shutter speeds deepened the fog of confusion as he is trying to learn to actually USE his camera and have some control of the quality of his photos.
Guess what we did for the couple of days they were here. That's right, drink beer and discuss how an aperture and shutter speed combination can be made to control the artistic side of photos, like depth of field and motion blur.
Some people say that parents are like tornados, the come around for a short time, mess things up, and leave after all the pieces have been scattered. Mine come around, we have some good food, good drink, good conversations and then they run off to continue their trip. This time, it's from Denali National Park, Alaska to somewhere in the deserts of Nevada. They were going to Texas, but decided that it wasn't such a good idea. Here's a couple of shots from while we were out on their first night at the Wall Street Pizza in Gresham, OR.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Welcome to the Fall
Autumn used to be my favorite part of the year: colors of leaves, warm days with cool evenings, soup. MMMMMmmm, soup. Although it's not number one in my book of favorite seasons, it is in the top four - "participant" prize goes to Fall. Thanks for coming. Actually, it's not a bad season, but it means that the daylight hours get shorter and all that.
These are pictures from this week about the Fall evenings and the wonderful (relative term) things they bring. Notice that I put the rain first, then the clouds?
Both shots were done during the same night, actually within about 10 minutes of each other. Full Sail Pale Ale was the inspiration for both of these shots. mmmmm beer. Actually, my creative juices have been flowing again for personal projects and I am trying to expand my range and shoot with different styles.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Events in Stumptown
I have only been in downtown Portland after dark a few times, so had to squeeze this photo of the SAM station at the Pioneer Courthouse Square.
I had the opportunity to shoot some events for the Pioneer Courthouse Square. I shot the Italian Festival, Root Beer Floats, the Senior Prom, Flicks on Bricks, and a few other jobs for the group that runs the park.
Each job presented its own challenges, which was one of the reasons that I took these jobs on. Between the white umbrellas in the sun, uncooperative weather, large crowds of people, and the night shots, the events were a blast. Not just standard "walk around and shoot" type of work.
Here is one of the shots from the Ghostbusters night of Flicks on the Bricks. That job was awesome because I was able to watch a great movie while I did some of the work. I realized that seeing the movie in this venue was kind of like a hotdog at a Mariners game. The movie is great on its own, but it was that much better when watching it in downtown Portland with hundreds and hundreds of people. The party environment really made it a great experience. The park was packed with people by the time the movie started at dusk. It makes me wonder where all of these people parked.
I had the opportunity to shoot some events for the Pioneer Courthouse Square. I shot the Italian Festival, Root Beer Floats, the Senior Prom, Flicks on Bricks, and a few other jobs for the group that runs the park.
Each job presented its own challenges, which was one of the reasons that I took these jobs on. Between the white umbrellas in the sun, uncooperative weather, large crowds of people, and the night shots, the events were a blast. Not just standard "walk around and shoot" type of work.
Here is one of the shots from the Ghostbusters night of Flicks on the Bricks. That job was awesome because I was able to watch a great movie while I did some of the work. I realized that seeing the movie in this venue was kind of like a hotdog at a Mariners game. The movie is great on its own, but it was that much better when watching it in downtown Portland with hundreds and hundreds of people. The party environment really made it a great experience. The park was packed with people by the time the movie started at dusk. It makes me wonder where all of these people parked.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Busy Times....
I have an appointment set in my calendar every Thursday for updating my blog, and you can only hit the snooze in Outlook so many times.
I have been a little busy lately, so I'm not beating myself up over not posting for almost a month....again. I haven't had a day off in a couple of weeks now, except for the night that my wife decided that we should go camping in our Element. It would have been fine, if it weren't for the dog and over 100 degrees temperature. I ended up sleeping (yeah, right) on the ground outside so Neo could hang with me. Between sleeping limbs (forgot my pillow and slept on my arm), rain, and falling supplies (see note about rain), I didn't sleep more than about 2-3 hours that night and had a job in town on Sunday afternoon. I'm almost done whining.... I was SO glad to be home the next night. No sleep, pack up, go home, unpack, shower, shoot a job. Okay, I'm done.
I had the opportunity to shoot the India Festival in the Pioneer Courthouse Square, and it was WAY more popular than I expected. I didn't know there was that much Indian culture in the area. The park was overflowing with people for a while. I love events there. Seems like every time I work in the square, the day is overcast, which is great for photos. The bright colors and beautiful outfits made for some easy great photos. The spirit and energy of the event was great, and it was easy to wander around and take pictures of people. What a great park. The bricks are close to a middle grey, and good for metering off of when the events have bright white tents. For the schedule of remaining events at the square, you can check out http://PCSPDX.ORG
I am not posting any pictures tonight, as Yellow Tail and the Olympics are calling. I am not usually into sports, but I do love watching the olympics. I was up really late last night, and got to catch one of my favorites in the olympics - Bicycle Supercross. Those riders just amaze me.
I have been a little busy lately, so I'm not beating myself up over not posting for almost a month....again. I haven't had a day off in a couple of weeks now, except for the night that my wife decided that we should go camping in our Element. It would have been fine, if it weren't for the dog and over 100 degrees temperature. I ended up sleeping (yeah, right) on the ground outside so Neo could hang with me. Between sleeping limbs (forgot my pillow and slept on my arm), rain, and falling supplies (see note about rain), I didn't sleep more than about 2-3 hours that night and had a job in town on Sunday afternoon. I'm almost done whining.... I was SO glad to be home the next night. No sleep, pack up, go home, unpack, shower, shoot a job. Okay, I'm done.
I had the opportunity to shoot the India Festival in the Pioneer Courthouse Square, and it was WAY more popular than I expected. I didn't know there was that much Indian culture in the area. The park was overflowing with people for a while. I love events there. Seems like every time I work in the square, the day is overcast, which is great for photos. The bright colors and beautiful outfits made for some easy great photos. The spirit and energy of the event was great, and it was easy to wander around and take pictures of people. What a great park. The bricks are close to a middle grey, and good for metering off of when the events have bright white tents. For the schedule of remaining events at the square, you can check out http://PCSPDX.ORG
I am not posting any pictures tonight, as Yellow Tail and the Olympics are calling. I am not usually into sports, but I do love watching the olympics. I was up really late last night, and got to catch one of my favorites in the olympics - Bicycle Supercross. Those riders just amaze me.
Friday, July 25, 2008
New Website Started
Hooray! I worked out some issues I was having with my DreamWeaver, and finally got most of my website updated. I am never happy with the site, so it's never finished. I like the new look and hope you will too. Here's a screenshot of the new home page. In case you haven't checked it out, it's at http://ballyhoophotography.com and you should go there. Drop me a line if you have any thoughts on the new look. I want a clean, simple, yet elegant look to the site. I don't like when people have music start automatically, so don't expect that.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Finally, pictures posted
Okay, so about 3 weeks ago, I mentioned the shoot downtown. I had the opportunity to shoot the Pioneer Courthouse Square Festival of Flowers and had a blast despite the overcast day.
I did take advantage of the dry day, and rode my motorcycle into town. I found parking on the street on the second block on which I looked, which was sweet! This was during June, which is one of the more unpredictable weather months here in the great Northwest. If you are going to be outside for a spell in June, bring your umbrella, and sunglasses. I didn't take photos of the tomatoes that were on sale that day, as the plants themselves aren't that pretty until they start producing fruit. I'm not a hater, but when a tomato plant is surrounded by sunflowers and wildflowers, they just don't grab me by the lens.
I did take advantage of the dry day, and rode my motorcycle into town. I found parking on the street on the second block on which I looked, which was sweet! This was during June, which is one of the more unpredictable weather months here in the great Northwest. If you are going to be outside for a spell in June, bring your umbrella, and sunglasses. I didn't take photos of the tomatoes that were on sale that day, as the plants themselves aren't that pretty until they start producing fruit. I'm not a hater, but when a tomato plant is surrounded by sunflowers and wildflowers, they just don't grab me by the lens.
So, on to the pictures. Enjoy.
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