Like millions of others I love my iPhone. Between the sweet interface and the plethora of innovative apps I've fallen for it. For $2.99 I had low expectations for the Pano app's ability to create a quality panorama. The above image is a panorama straight out of the iPhone. Click on it for a larger resolution image. I'm impressed and looking forward to over using my latest toy. Panoramas of Taco Bell anyone?




Should you even find yourself attempting to describe optimism and pessimism might I suggest heading to the lake for a picnic on a windy day. Pessimism is my girlfriend and I trying to hold down our sandwiches let alone eat them without losing miscellaneous wrappers. Optimism was the opportunity to watch local kiteboarders enjoying the last bit of light.

HDR to the rescue

I spent nearly every free moment during summer of 2006 on Lake Hefner aboard a Nacra 5.2. She was a great boat considering her age, as old as me, and cost, less than my Canon 40D. There is something about being on a sailboat that makes everything seem better, even a Miller High Life.

Apparently I chose the most boring scene to use as practice for my first real attempt at HDR. I can only promise the view from a sailboat is much better.




I really like how this photo pops. It's a very standard, boring and thoroughly unexciting picture but I think it demonstrates the power of HDR. Stand by for original and exciting examples in the future.

The Most Difficult Model

Despite her low rate, typically a small dollop of peanut butter per ten minutes, I have found Dr. Samantha to be one of the most difficult subjects to photograph. She is impatient, inquisitive and chock full o' energy. However being an adorable Morkie puppy I often find myself willing to bear the minor headache in exchange for a striking photograph.

Were it not for the recent acquisition of my first chainsaw I would probably have a few nice, crisp new backgrounds. Alas, the allure of the powerful saw was too much and I spent most the weekend with my girlfriend clearing out brush from our decrepit backyard.

San Francisco

Armed with an 8GB memory card, tripod and a patient girlfriend, I was able to try out several new-to-me ideas. Long exposures of the Golden Gate Bridge proved to be a worthwhile endeavor nut the real value of a tripod was capturing a variety of photos of ourselves acting like complete tourists and having a blast despite the weather. Examples will follow after a brief run through Photoshop, because nothing makes a photo more memorable than Photoshopping in better weather.









The pleasant weather earlier in the trip and a love of wine compelled us to travel to Napa Valley. Unbeknownst to us, Zinfandels do not consist entirely of the white variety which, with reason, receive a bad rap from individuals whose diet is more robust than Chef Boyardee. Even though the grapes had already be harvested, the valley still presented itself as a sea of lush greenery, ancient vines and winding roads following the hilly landscape.


The nearby sushi restaurant presents an interesting subject, sandwiched among sky scraping hotels and store fronts of a somewhat uniform architecture. Dining there was vetoed due to the apparent lack of business, which cause suspicion over the quality of their raw fish. Many people walked past the small restaurant, good for my photograph but bad for business.

Lets just see what they have!

Soon after uttering that phrase I found myself exiting Circuit City with an open box Canon 40D. I have wanted one for some time. The small discount and instant gratification drew me in like those darn sirens of Greek mythology. At 6.3 frames per second the thing is a rocket although I still had to be on my toes to capture a lively puppy on a warm Saturday afternoon. My website appears to have gone live as of yesterday. I will try not to fill it entirely with pictures of a puppy loving life but that will not be easy. Check out www.rcmillerphotography.com for a few, I promise, photographs of the little girl in addition to a selection from a variety of interesting subjects.

Observing Chinese New Year

A local restaurant celebrated Chinese New Year today. Well I suppose many folks from the Pacific Rim celebrated the lunar new year. It was an unexpected surprise for myself and my lunch partners. While I often carry my camera to various events the recent acquisition of my first L lens has motivated me to tote my camera everywhere. This may be due to my love of the new lens or the attempt to justify its exorbitant cost.

New

I'm beginning to take photography more seriously than I have in the past so I'm starting this blog. Stay tuned for updates.