Photoblog

Lightning over Crater Lake

Thu, 8 Feb 2007 17:16:50 -0800

Crater Lake, 2005. On the way to Cannon Beach.

There was a great hailstorm and very dramatic weather just after this picture was made - and I shouted when I saw that I’d captured the lightning, scaring a few other people who were at the turnout - they thought I’d been hit!

Fog Light and Sea Salad

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:22:49 -0800

Made during the 2003 large format conference in Monterey. David Ashcraft in attendance.

San Francisco

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:19:25 -0800

Exposed 10/2001 from a friend’s deck on Potrero Hill?

You’ll notice Sony’s PS2 neon, a Gap billboard, and lots of buildings that either aren’t around anymore, or have changed significantly.

I left my heart 100 miles east of San Francisco, but my stomach stayed in the mission for the burritos.

Watch your step

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:13:56 -0800

Apparently, someone fell down cliff from right about where this picture was taken.

So...watch what you’re doing.

This was the first sheet of film I exposed with my Wisner Technical Field. Exposed 5/00 or therabouts, and still one of my favorites.

Prints available 8x9 to 32x36. E-mail me to order.

Christmas, 2006

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 15:15:26 -0800

Clockwise...

Patrice, Karen, Pat, Mom, Brooke, Aaron, Maw Maw, Dad.

And starring at each spot...lots of pork.

Gray Day

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:19:45 -0800

Charlie’s in a mood the same color as the leaden clouds that have been hanging over Baton Rouge for the past week.

We just put a collar on him for the first time, and I think he’s trying to look pitiful on purpose.

Going to Plaquemine

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:16:02 -0800

Took TT over to the west side of the river yesterday on the M/V Saint Charles. My godparents and cousins live there, and it’s always a good time.

Night-Blooming Cereus

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:12:48 -0800

This is a light painting of a tropical flower I photographed on July 4, 1999 in New Orleans.

Crown Graphic 4x5, T-Max 100 developed 1:9 in T-Max RS, scanned at 5000dpi on a Tango. And a Mag-Lite.

C-H-I-C-K-E-N

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 14:59:01 -0800

I pulled this giant rooster at random from the archives. Santa Cruz County Fair, 2002.

Did you know?
-Baton Rouge is the only major city in Louisiana without sidewalks.*

-West Coast Imaging is owned by a paranoid delusional who thinks dead Jews talk to him and tell him to lie about former employees when asked for references.***

*Not completely true - but people wonder why traffic here is so bad? With mixed residential and commercial/restaurants, Bluebonnet Blvd. is a prime candidate for some people pavement.

Recharging

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:26:25 -0800

We used a power inverter to run our coffee maker and battery recharger during the Isleton Crawfish Festival of 2004.

If you don’t have an inverter, they’re a must for the cost-conscious (can’t afford a hotel room) photographer. Be aware that the inverter will drain your car’s battery - if in doubt, start your engine to provide constant current and stay clear of rotating parts.

I’ve been trying to recharge, too. There’s not much to do or say about the job front in Baton Rouge. Apparently, the hiring strategy here is “Who You Know” and we don’t know many people.

Late last month, IEM made me an offer, and the day before I as to start, the rescinded it - for reasons that aren’t clear - and I won’t speculate in public. Their refusal to speak to me since is rather odd, and I noted with chagrin that they’re still looking for someone to fill the job over a month later.

Wonder how much that’s costing them?

Anyway, back to recharging.

Three Mile Beach

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 14:15:05 -0800

I made this large format picture about eight years ago. The northern boundary of Three Mile Beach in Santa Cruz county is shown, with some spectacular clearing storm clouds on the horizon.

This picture is one of my favorites - because Three Mile is one of my favorite places, and this really captures a lot of what makes it such a special place.

Three Mile is where I used to go to think, to photograph, to read, and even to do absolutely nothing. It’s also a good place to watch the occasional giant waves come in - the beach faces south-southwest, but when big storms come along the coastline can’t keep all the waves out. The cliffs where this picture was made shake when the waves hit - like standing on a bridge as a train goes over it.

Beausoleil

Fri, 8 Dec 2006 07:58:08 -0800

Many Broussards around Acadiana can trace their ancestry to Joseph Broussard dit "Beausoleil".

Beausoleil was the leader of the Acadian resistance to British deportation efforts beginning in 1755.
Joseph Broussard was eventually captured, but following his imprisonment, managed to lead 193 exiles to Louisiana before he died in 1765.

This engraving on the cypress endcap of a pew in St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Carencro, LA was purchased by my grandfather, William Joseph Broussard. All pews in St. Peters feature these beautifully carved end caps.

My grandmother’s family seal, that of King Richard the Lionhearted, is also carved into the endcap.

The original photograph was made on 4x5 inch T-Max 100, developed in dilute T-Max RS developer. The film was scanned on a Heidelberg Tango drum scanner.

Lichen and Cypress

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:15:32 -0800

Fall is upon us, and the swamp is low. Lichen is plentiful and multicolored on the Cypress bark.

Baton Rouge’s Wild Gem

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:14:37 -0800

Here’s a fern.

Fall Comes to the Swamp

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:02:13 -0800

Photographed in the swamp yesterday.

The root ball to the right is a tree weakened by drought and felled by high winds two weeks ago.

Gratuitous Pictures of Patrice

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 18:54:41 -0800

We joined the A6 walk on Third Street in Baton Rouge last week and had a really nice time. The walk showcased Baton Rouge’s revitalized downtown, especially Third Street, which is now sprouting new storefronts, bars, and restaurants.

Also of note near Third Street are the Shaw Center for the Performing Arts, the Old State Capitol, and the Downtown Hilton - which needs to have an old municipal pole removed from in front.

The Hilton has an excellent, if crowded, bar. Service is above-par for Baton Rouge, as are the drink prices.

My oil sucker project

Sun, 5 Nov 2006 14:02:17 -0800

I built this “oil sucker” vacuum chamber and pump from about $18.00 worth of parts:
An “Ozark trails” air mattress pump from Wal-Mart
A 5-gallon paint bucket and tight-fitting lid (or similar rigid, lidded plastic container, like a cat litter bucket)
A couple of hose fittings, and a few feet each of 1/4 and 3/4 I.D. tubing.

Use tygon or polyethelene tubing for heat resistance and pliability on the oilpan side. Use any clear nylon-reinforced 3/4” tubing for the suction pump side.

To change your oil using this method, first heat the oil by driving the car for 15-20 minutes. Then remove the dipstick and snake the 1/4 I.D. tube into the oilpan.

Next, connect the 3/4 hose to the “deflate” side of the air pump, and start sucking air out of the vacuum chamber, which will draw oil into the paint bucket vacuum chamber. When the oilpan is empty, wiggle the hose around to make sure you’ve hit to low point of the pan and try sucking more out.

Note that the pump side is mounted on the lid of the paint bucket vacuum chamber, so no oil ever contaminates the pump.

The unresolved part of this “mess less” oil change method is the trouble of getting the oil filter unscrewed and draining the oil from it; on the TT, I put a Ziploc freezer bag around the filter and factory oil cooler before unscrewing it to catch oil drips, then I invert the old filter in my oil recycling pan to drain as much old oil as possible. Of course, I then take the whole mess to AutoZone for recycling.

Mobil 1: $30.00 in, $0.00 going out. No more crush washers or dirty T-shirts. Consider a magnetic bolt for your oilpan to keep contaminants normally at the bottom of the oilpan out of circulation.

A Short Gloucester Movie

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:23:43 -0800

Watch and enjoy...10.4MB - Broadband only! Available for a limited time.

Gloucester’s Dining Room

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:39:28 -0800

Located in the addition, Gloucester’s dining room is a marvel of decor and finery. Not shown is the hand-painted ceiling medallion, finished in the European style, and the black Italian marble fireplace mantle and surround.

A weekend in the (really) old South

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:20:27 -0800

Patrice and I were invited to spend the weekend with my Godparents and a few other relatives at Gloucester Mansion, in Natchez, MS.

I’ll be posting a few updates as time goes by with more pictures of the interior and gardens of this beautiful home, built around 1796 and recently restored and maintained by Mr. and Mrs. John M. Deakle.

Dolly the Dog

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:21:10 -0700

Maw Maw’s little Rat Terrier.

Our first LSU Game

Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:17:52 -0700

My Godparents gave Patrice and I tickets to the LSU/Mississippi State game this year. It was quite a bit of fun to experience “Death Valley” and watch the visiting team get the fight kicked out of them by LSU.

Despite a 3rd-quarter rain and lightning delay, the game was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed tailgating with my relatives from Plaquemines most of all....

The Vomit Comet

Sat, 16 Sep 2006 04:02:32 -0700

This converted Boeing 707 was used by the Johnson Space Center in Houston to train astronauts. The jet climbed, then dove sharply - putting the folks on board in simulated zero-g for about thirty seconds.

Must have been a hell of a ride. Photo made at the Pima Air and Space museum in late August.

Crescent City Motors - Tulane Avenue

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:07:26 -0700

Tulane Ave. bisects uptown and mid-city New Orleans, roughly.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, this was one of my favorite places to visit in New Orleans. The city’s only Porsche/Audi/VW dealer, Crescent City stuck with these brands until the sales resurgence of the mid-1990s.

I sat in may cars I couldn’t afford and dropped off my old Audi 4000 more than once here, site of some of the worst flooding outside of the ninth ward. It looks to be a write-off at this point. Note the water level on the back fence.

Lampwork

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:28:07 -0700

Patrice making lampwork beads.

It’s finally cooled down enough here to make working with fire tolerable.