19. June 2013 · Comments Off on Exotics Car Show – Redmond · Categories: Photography · Tags: ,

I’ve been pretty bad over the last month or two and not posted that much on my blog.  I could tell you that I’ve been super busy at work (which is true) but the reality is I just needed a break.

Having said that the time eventually come around where I really missed going out with the camera and taking some pictures.  This is where I am now and I’m itching to go to the Olympic State Park for a day and see what I can shoot.  But that takes some organization so in the interim I hit Redmond for the Saturday Exotics Car show.

This week was “British Car Week” and there were loads of great cars to see.  To make things even better (or worse depending on your point of view) it was a brilliantly sunny day.  So while it was fun walking around in shorts taking pictures, I wasn’t alone!  Also really direct sunlight in the middle of the day doesn’t produce the most flattering pictures.

But I went for it anyway.

I really love the cars at these events but the people just get in the way.  I’m sure you know what I mean, I get all ready for that awesome shot, position myself at the right angle for a great composition, and some fat old dude and his wife walk in front of me and stop.  Very frustrating.

Anyway I took a LOAD of pictures of both Brit cars and others and decided to post my favorites here today.

In the British section they had everything from old Triumphs, Lotus, Minis, Jaguars, Aston Martins, Morgans, Bentleys and even a couple of McLarens.  They were really beautiful and if I had a spare couple of hundred thousand dollars I know what I’d spend it on.  (Actually that’s crap coz if had that much money lying around Lisa would grab it – but you know what I mean).

Hope you like the pictures.

31. December 2012 · Comments Off on Happy New Year – Home · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: , , , ,

Hi Everybody, can’t really believe we are actually here at the end of the year and that I managed to post a picture every day (well actually two pictures) – more on that in a minute.  But first let me tell you about today’s posting.

I wanted to finish on a nice picture that I captured today, but as usual family stuff got in the way (quite right too) and we went to the movies instead.  This was I guess a pity as it was a beautiful afternoon and would have been perfect for a nice landscape.  But such is life, no spectacular sunset today. After the movies we went out for dinner and when we got home it was dark.

Next I actually thought (for about 1 minute) about driving to Seattle and getting a great shot of the fireworks over the Space Needle at midnight, but by the time I would have posted the picture it would have been “tomorrow” and wouldn’t have officially counted.  So instead I made Lisa and Abi put on their coats and follow me into the garden.  I took the picture below and then we got out some sparklers and light painted “Happy New Year” in the air and I put that into the picture too.  I would have asked James to join us but it’s too much work to get him to participate in pictures – he’s far too cool.  So tonight just my special ladies, with a very big HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Seeley’s.  Hope you like my last image.

So, back to the picture a day thing.  Firstly WHAT WAS I THINKING!  I must have been totally mad, no matter what anyone tells you NEVER DO THIS yourself.  People will tell you that the best way to become a better photographer is to take lots of pictures.  This I firmly believe is true.  But you don’t have to post every day.  That said (now that this is over) I can say this year has been a blast.   I had some great moments capturing some pictures I really love, there was also panic and stress on those days I couldn’t think of what to shoot.  And then there was that one day in September when I was in Las Vegas trying to post from 11pm and my last submit was accepted on facebook at 12:05 (huge failure).  But I was really trying to post, the hotel just had crappy internet.  Plus this year was a leap year so I figured you get an extra day anyway so what the heck.

The Halo pictures was a really stupid thing to do.  I have no idea why I decided to do this and had more pain coming up with Halo pictures than anything else.  Family at home and people at work are totally sick of me asking what I should shoot, so they are all very exited that this is over as well.

Wanting to be really clear (just in case some people didn’t read my very first postings of the year), I didn’t necessarily take the shot on the day I posted the picture.  It started out that way but as I work for a living (yes I do Lisa), it’s very hard finding time to capture an image I really liked.  So after around 5 days I changed the resolutions (and the rules) stating that the picture had to be taken in 2012.  That said, many of my pictures were taken on the day or very near the day (nearly all the Halo pictures were on the day) and it was a huge undertaking.

So what now?  Do I carry on? (No bloody way) or stop? (Not completely).  I really love photography and want to still improve and continue to capture interesting pictures, I’m just not planing on posting every day.  As a result I’m going to post once a week (maybe more sometimes but I’m only committing to weekly).  This will allow me to shoot when I want, rather than when I have to.  It also takes the pressure off having to post daily.  Oh and definitely no more Halo pictures – those guys are no longer “with me”.

I really hope you liked the pictures, I like most but even I posted some that I now look at and go “nah”.

Finally, I should point out that I started my website (with all the serious and halo pictures) back on January 1st and have received over 55,000 visitors.  So thank you all for stopping by, keep coming back and I’ll keep adding new images.

The final demise of Master Chief was captured tonight, yes another fatality and it appears that Carter was behind it!  I have to say I won’t miss these guys, 366 pictures are 365 too many, what started out as a funny idea became a nightmare as the year rolled on.  Still we got through the year with a picture a day of our Halo hero’s.  Hope you enjoyed the images.

26. December 2012 · Comments Off on Acapulco Fresh – Redmond · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: , ,

It’s funny what you find when looking for something interesting to shoot.  I was walking around Redmond (the old part of town) and walked past this closed down restaurant called Acapulco Fresh.   What caught my eye was the fact that the place was falling apart and pretty dirty yet still had the word FRESH above the door, but clearly it wasn’t.

So I took the shot, got home and promptly forgot about it.  I found it today and thought it might make an interesting posting.  One of the reasons I went round the town in the first place was I wanted to see if I could find things to shoot near home (rather than make the assumption that to get great pictures you have to visit great places).  What I found out was that you can get pictures anywhere, you just have to look.

This was an interesting shot as I wanted the sign (obviously) in the composition but the sun was in the way.  So first I stood back and put the tree in the way.  This was OK but the tree in the image was totally in shadow, so I added a little bit of Sun to the right and that lit the tree and helped the image.  Not great but came out OK.

Have you ever tried to spin a yoyo that’s half your body size and weight? No, well apparently it’s pretty hard to do.

24. December 2012 · Comments Off on Santa – Redmond · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: ,

I guess I can’t let us get to Christmas Eve and not post a picture of Santa.  Now under normal situations I’d look to post a picture with Abi sitting on Santa’s lap or something, but she is far too sharp for that!  She hates Santa.  Don’t get me wrong, she love’s Christmas Day and loves her stocking full of gifts etc., but there is no way you will get her near Santa.

Her argument is (and I have to say this is a pretty good argument), that we spend all year telling her to keep away from strangers.  We tell her she shouldn’t accept gifts from them and definitely shouldn’t let them touch her.  Then, once a year, we take her to some old crusty dude and try to make her sit on his lap, give him a hug and ask for a gift.  If she’s lucky he will give her some candy and promise to break into her house and visit her when she’s asleep in bed at night (when the house is all locked up).  I guess when she puts it like this I wouldn’t go near him too.  So Abi actually crosses the road when we approach “Santa’s Grotto” – even that sounds bad thinking about it!

So I was passing Santa’s “house” (that sounds better) in Redmond and I asked him if I could take his picture.  He of course said yes (reluctantly) and stepped out of his child cuddling booth and posed for a picture.  As you can see here, he is very happy!  I showed Abi and was about to ask if she wanted to meet him but she just said “no way babe” and walked off!

Carter and Master Chief opened a box of Peppermint Bark this afternoon and got a hammer out and started breaking it up!

15. December 2012 · Comments Off on Tree Tony – Home · Categories: Image a Day · Tags: ,

I did go out today to take some pictures but it was pretty bad weather again.  It was actually snowing at home, but in Bellevue (where I decided to go) it was coming down pretty hard.  I drove around looking for something interesting to shoot but it was not nice, so I headed home all depressed.  Of course that means I’m going out again tomorrow.

But Lisa came up with the idea of shooting one of the Christmas trees.  She suggested I get a narrow depth of field shot of one light in focus with the others behind all blurry, but when I was setting up the camera I noticed some of the ornaments.  It appears that last year Lisa got some new ones, actually buying one of each of the family.  Now to be honest, I put the trees up and Lisa and the kids decorate them so I had no idea what the ornaments are.  So when I saw a little Tony, I had to shoot that.

I kind of took the picture Lisa suggested but with a different twist.  It’s a little more fun than a serious shot of the tree.

Carter was hanging on to joy today, not saying he’s depressed or anything, but he wasn’t letting go!