Well, the main page is my personal blog... nothing too important there really. I seem to ramble more than anything. LOL. but I've really got into photography over the last few years, and since moving to Vancouver, I've had a lot more to shoot. Generally I stick to landscapes, but something I've recently started to really get into is high dynamic range (HDR). most of you here would think about modern games or video cards when mentioning HDR, but it's a form of photography too. Basically you shoot the same image 3 or more times at different exposures, really dark to really bright, then using either Photoshop CS3 or Photomatix, you generate an HDR image from them all then tonemap it so you can save it as a jpeg showing the full dynamic range of shadows and highlights. if anyone else here is interested in the sounds of that, there are many many tutorials out there. just remember, Google is your friend.

My gallery - http://bloodflame.freehostia.com/?page_id=17

Let me know what you think!!

PS - I made a new sig too.

You have some fantastic images up. I like a lot of them. The HDR images are pretty cool too, and you're right. The first thing I thought of when I saw "HDR" was gaming. It makes me want a nice camera. What do you use for those pictures? Nice sig too! I also read your review on Doomsday, which I haven't seen yet. From the trailers I had been thinking it looked like a cross between the movies you mentioned. I guess I'll have to go see it now.

The gallery is a bit sluggish (or the server is it seems actually)
But nice pictures man!

SolarisGuru: thanks!! the pictures at the top of each category with the thicker black borders were shot using the Kodak Z712 IS, while the other images are a little older, and they were shot with either the Canon PowerShot A510 or Kodak EasyShare CX6200. I only had the Z712 for literally 3 weeks before i took it back to the store. there was nothing wrong with it at all, and i really like the images it took... but i wanted something even better! so as of now, i am saving up for a dSLR, most likely a Nikon D40 or D80. and for sure, get out and see Doomsday! the level of action and gore makes up for the little bit of cheese

and Sphere: thanks too! yeah, the server isn't exactly the most reliable - it gets slow quite often, or even goes offline occasionally. i've also noticed in IE, the Lightbox script seems to slow everything down on the page.

The first time I viewed it was in IE, and it lagged pretty bad. I switched to FF and it viewed fine. I've thought about getting a dSLR, but I couldn't decide between brands. That Kodak seems to take good pictures though.

i should try to figure out what the problem is with IE. i believe it's the Lightbox, but i can't be certain... and yeah, that IS-class Kodak was incredible, comparable to even the Canon S5 IS, and much cheaper at under $300 too! I only took it back because I felt the need for something even better. and as far as going dSLR, i believe Nikon is the way to go. I've compared all their entry level to advanced level bodies ($600-700 & $1100-1200 range - with an 18-55mm kit lens) from Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Kodak, Pentax, Sony and Olympus... and the Nikon always seemed to come out on top almost all around. personally I'd go for Olympus second, the major drawback being their use of 4/3 lenses. Canon seems pretty popular too, although I've had a bad experience with them in the past. but even Nikon's D40X head-to-head with the Canon Rebel XSi, Nikon still takes the cake. Nikon D80 vs. Canon 20D = same result. kit lenses are usually always crap, and most people recommend buying just the body, then a good lens, but the cost can easily add up quickly. Nikon's kit lens, once again, comes out on top. there's a lot of resources online if you're serious about making a decision. I'd recommend visiting dpreview.com for non-biased in-depth reviews on all dSLR models, and the chat rooms on DeviantArt have a lot of knowledgeable folks always willing to help.

New camera?
The Nikon D300 is fairly good, not too expensive

a little out of my price range though i'd really like a D3 if cost wasn't an issue!

Love your images. Ive always wanted to take some great shots but never got the time. Maybe Ill post some shots here of my two pups .

My two pups .

I'll second that and post my two lil buddies. Smokey and Chico. Im sure you can figure out which is which I got a nice camera for what I use it for, lol. Its a Canon Powershot A510. Im not sure how good that is compared to what you used for the awesome shots on your site though.

Click to view attachment

nice i love dogs! i miss my black lab - she lives with my step-dad on the other side of the country now.
he's in Nova Scotia, on the Atlantic coast, and I'm on the Pacific coast in British Columbia.



that camera isn't too bad, but be VERY careful with the lens. i had the exact one (see post #4), and the lens jammed up on me. It would've cost more for repairs than the camera is even worth! so after that, i didn't have a camera for the longest time.


the last camera I had, the Kodak Z712 IS, was really nice. I only took it back because I was planning on getting an SLR. there's too many expenses though, so saving up has been slow. i just got my income tax refund, so yesterday I decided to buy the Kodak Z812 IS. essentially it's the same camera, but with an extra megapixel, a few more added features (720p video!!), and a few minor fixes (ie, the grip is more comfortable, a dedicated spot on the knob for stitching, continuous focus when zooming in video, and a better lens cap). So the last couple days, I've really been enjoying my new toy!

here's a shot I took yesterday:
Click to view attachment

damnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. that pic looks fake its so real! Nice camera indeedy. The flash on my A510 is by far the best I had ever seen w/o attachment flash, so I can just imagine what that new one you got can do. Mine seems older than dirt, thinking when I bought it.

heh, thanks. your camera is actually capable of the same thing (knowing from experience). basically what you want to do is, go to aperture priority (A on the knob), and make the aperture the largest number you can (f/8 for example), turn on macro mode, and get right up close to the flower, focus it, and shoot pretty straight forward. the low aperture (higher numbers = lower) creates the depth of field, giving focus directly to the subject. a great technique if properly used.

i'm not too sure how well my flash works. i try to avoid using flash at all costs. i'd rather take a longer exposure to gather the natural light, but i know sometimes that just can't be done. today is only day 3 with the new camera, so i still haven't tested everything yet.