Chroma

New blog!

2008-04-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

I'm done with Blogger now, I finally got off my lazy ass and started on my website. The blog part is up now, and you can see it here: http://www.daniboynton.com/blog/

See you there!
Dani

Guitar

2008-04-24T01:11:00.001-07:00

Guitar II, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Another shot of the lovely Ashley...we had a lot of fun on Sunday. :)

Rock'n'Roll

2008-04-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Rock'n'Roll, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Sunglasses

2008-04-20T18:35:00.001-07:00

Sunglasses, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

The Antihero

2008-04-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Antihero, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Ali

2008-04-07T14:53:00.001-07:00

Ali 4, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Kris

2008-04-06T21:39:00.001-07:00

Kris 4, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Shadows

2008-04-05T16:25:00.001-07:00

More Shadows, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Another one from the Jill Tracy show. The theatre had the most dramatic lighting, I moved to the opposite side of the theatre in order to get this shot in the second half of the show. There was a similar blue shadow on the opposite wall, but unfortunately her head bent up onto the ceiling, so it was kind of odd.

Jill Tracy & Paul Mercer

2008-04-04T01:09:00.001-07:00

Jill & Paul, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Jill Tracy and Paul Mercer, performing at the new Intrepid Theatre. I love these two (who performed with drummer Randy Odell), Jill has an amazing voice, and Paul is the most incredible violinist I have had the pleasure of hearing live (twice now).

I lucked into shooting this, and man did I enjoy it. I got a chance to show Jill and Paul my photos on the back of the camera before leaving, and they were both excited about them. :)

Rebecca (in the Studio)

2008-03-30T00:21:00.001-07:00

Rebecca (in the Studio), originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Sandra

2008-03-28T19:28:00.001-07:00

Sandra, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Our second to last day of Fashion, unfortunately we were out in the rain and cold and I didn't get to explore some of my ideas. I like this one though, and I think the spot works with Sandra's casual clothes.

Charlotte @ Element

2008-03-25T23:23:00.001-07:00

Charlotte @ Element, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Here's one from our second shoot with Charlotte, she continues to be awesome. I'm not sure what my instructor will think of this shot though...it might be too much glamour, and not enough fashion for him.

Blacklight Bodypainting

2008-03-23T20:45:00.001-07:00

Blacklight Bodypainting 2, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

This was at Barcode on Wednesday night.

Rebecca

2008-03-23T01:55:00.001-07:00

Rebecca, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Meet the lovely Rebecca. She is pretty young for a model, but very talented. I really love her haircut...I wish I had bangs like hers...and well, a lot of other things like hers, too. :P (Holy legs Batman!)

Kelsey

2008-03-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

Kelsey, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Kelsey, another super model to work with! This one is kind of funny...I loved these shoes, so I had her put them on with the matching tank top...we were actually over in the gardens at Government House, shooting her in front of a gazebo with bubbles flying everywhere.

Along comes the Chevy Nova.

I see the owner pull in to the garden and hop out, pull out his point and shoot and start snapping pictures of his beautiful, just washed car. I look back at Kelsey, in her amazingly cute shoes and pencil skirt, excuse myself and dash over to the car. A quick chat with the owner, and a couple pics of the car solo to appease him, and voilà, the perfect backdrop for my model!

The best part is apparently the owner has several other cars he wouldn't mind lending to such a purpose...definitely made a new friend today.

Julie

2008-03-20T19:01:00.001-07:00

Julie, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Meet Julie, our latest talented model for fashion week. She's been working as a model for a year, and really knew her stuff. This is my favourite pic of the day.

Charlotte

2008-03-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

Charlotte - Five, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

This is Charlotte, one of the models we're working with for our Fashion course. I think she's my favourite so far of the ladies we've worked with, and she was a trooper. I had her on a vent blowing air straight up, vintage Marylin style. Want to see more? There's four more on my Flickr stream...

You Know You're a Graphic Designer, When...

2008-03-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

(Okay, non-photography post for once...)

You have bags under your eyes so big you’d have to check them in at Heathrow Airport

You watch the superbowl just for the commercials

You can spot bad typography from 100 yds away

You are pro-facebook because 95% of the myspace accounts burn your retinas

You can name more than 200 fonts in under five minutes

You are completely immune to subliminal advertising

You look upon a well-designed project with either: sympathy OR extreme jealousy

Your hand is permanently stuck in the shape of a mouse

You tell stories of exacto-knife inflicted wounds with grizzled sort of pride

You practically take caffeine intravenously

You have an appreciation for everything unique

You’ve been spending three days non-stop on a project and it still looks like shit. You find yourself overcome by Deathlust.

“You find your pulse increase at the sight of a lovely ligature, glasses steam up when an unusually elegant arm, leg, or tail comes in view, and a well-kerned paragraph is apt to make you break into a sweat with excitement.”

“You know you’re a Graphic Designer when… you buy a CD or DVD for the artwork, even if you have no idea what the actual music or film is like”.

(even worse, you don’t actually watch or listen to it, just stare at it for hours and hug it in adoration)

“You know you’re a Graphic Designer when… you look at the clock and see it’s about midnight and think ‘I’ll go to bed now’… and you actually go to bed about 2-3am”.

“You know you’re a Graphic Designer when… you need someone else to point out that you’re sitting in a room in front of the computer with all the lights off, and haven’t noticed”

“…when you know what “kerning” is and you really, really like it.”

“… when you wear two [ke] [rn] pins on your bag, and only you know what the mean. To others its probably a band of sorts..”

Forget the boy-wonder and the man of steel; your heroes have names like ‘Tibor Kalman’, ‘Stefan Sagmeister’, ‘Paul Rand’, and ‘Paula Scher’.

You don’t wear black to look cool, you wear it to hide the gauche.

You have a thing for chairs. You don’t know why.

You giggle whenever you use the colors F0CCED, EFF0FF and 44DDDD

You’re in the sun and you look around for a Drop Shadow to sit under.

You give your relatives a lecture about color spaces and profiles when you email them your vacation photos.

Seeing someone use Lens Flare or Comic Sans adversely affects your blood-pressure

You maintain a grid system for your refrigerator magnets.

You organize your CD collection according to the Pantone chart.

You sit at work for eight hours straight just looking at your monitor, waiting for a spark of inspiration that doesn’t come.

You’re up ’til 5am because you came up with the best idea ever while brushing your teeth.

The hottest dream you ever had was “Trace contour… Find Edges… Pinch… Extrude… Smudge Stick… Motion Blur…. Sprayed Strokes…”

You know Lorem Ipsum by heart. (I only know up to "amet". :/)

Your kid knows Lorem Ipsum by heart.

The preschool teacher complains your child won’t color inside or outside the lines – only indicate colors on a separate sheet.

Activating your entire font collection makes your computer crash

You deliberately butcher your perfectly cross browser compatible site in IE by placing a “Too Cool for IE” banner on it.

You prefer a Layer Style of 50% Opacity (or less) on your wife’s Satin.

You spend $200 on a font for your personal website because “it’s the only one where the lower-case g is just right…”

Looking at a menu make you go “hmmm, ITC Baskerville italic” rather than “mmmm, lunch!”

And when you finally order, you go for Layer Based Slices with Grain Texture…

You use words about fonts you dislike that other normal people reserve for fascist dictators and serial killers.

Apple+Z is the first thing that goes through your mind if you drop and break something.

You refer to colleagues as Strict, Transitional, Loose and the Future Unemployed.

You refer to your privates as “the Magic Wand”.

You know that rivers are more than just water.

Your best friends are all employees at the local print shop

The only people who seem to know what you do for a living are other Graphic Designers (ex: Graphic Design? What’s that? You’ll never be able to make a living being an artist!)

Kerning and leading on your shopping list actually matters to you, and you don’t see a problem with that.

Several South American economies suffer noticeably any time you try to give up coffee, or even cut your consumption of it by half.

You know that “bleeding” doesn’t hurt.

when your significant other/ friends have threatened to never speak to you again if you point out one more font to them.

when you know the difference between fuchsia, magenta, and maroon.

If you could go back in time you wouldn’t go back to see the rise and fall of civilizations, you’d go back in time to destroy comic sans and papyrus. (*raises her hand*)

You Know You’re a Graphic Designer When deciding on the right crop doesn’t involve a choice between corn or wheat.

You’ve considered naming your children things like ‘Kern’, ‘Pica’, ‘Bézier’, and ‘Serif’.

You can understand everything on this list.

Ganked from: http://www.maysuen.com/blog/

He's Got All His Ducks In A Row

2008-03-10T22:09:00.001-07:00

He's Got All His Ducks In A Row, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

This Victoria city worker feeds the mallards that hang out downtown between the legislature buildings and the hotels across the street, and herds his ducks along with him. This was pretty much a "Pied Piper" scene if I ever saw one, they all came marching when he whistled for them. There were another 20 or so out of the frame on the right, as well.

Just a quirky moment in downtown Victoria. :)

Sora in the Garden

2008-03-02T11:15:00.001-08:00

Sora in the Garden, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Another photo of Sora from the shoot we did in January, merged with a background from the Portland Japanese Gardens. Little something I was working on for Computer Imaging class. There was more to the image originally, but I really like this close crop best.

Siouxsie Inspired

2008-03-01T21:11:00.001-08:00

Siouxsie Inspired, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

We had to reproduce the work of a master photographer for Portraiture class, this is my version of Anton Corbijn's photo of Siouxsie Sioux. Corbijn is one of my personal favourite photographers. :)

Gaze

2008-02-24T22:57:00.001-08:00

Gaze, originally uploaded by Dani Boynton.

Another one, from the same shoot. :)

Devil in a Blue Dress

2008-02-23T13:44:00.001-08:00

Devil in a Blue Dress, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Another shoot with Kris, she was a great sport and sat outside in the cold in this awesome little dress for me to get a portraiture assignment done.

City Hall

2008-02-22T19:22:00.001-08:00

City Hall, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I just loved the dappled light here, reflected off of the buildings surrounding city hall.

Emerald

2008-02-20T09:38:00.001-08:00

Emerald, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

An Anna's Hummingbird hanging out in Ross Bay Cemetery on Sunday. I have other pictures from the day, but they're on Velvia and I haven't gotten it processed yet.

Refreshment

2008-02-18T23:49:00.000-08:00

Refreshment, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Another cross processed image, and I seem to have a thing for impromptu pub/cafe shots this past week.

Chinese New Year

2008-02-17T19:31:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Gung hay fat choy! (A tiny bit late.)

Jack the Ripper

2008-02-16T01:15:00.001-08:00

Jack the Ripper, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Fun with Naomi and Ian (one of my fellow WAP students) in the public library courtyard. :)

Sora

2008-02-15T14:40:00.001-08:00

Sora, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

EGL (elegant gothic lolita) studio shoot with Sora.

Kris

2008-02-14T18:24:00.001-08:00

Kris, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

This was my first shoot with Kris, there will definitely be more.

Sunglasses

2008-02-13T07:57:00.001-08:00

Sunglasses, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Taken over coffee with some fellow students yesterday.

K,C&E

2008-02-09T22:36:00.001-08:00

kce, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Playing around with some folks from GothVic in the studio last night.

Dusk

2008-02-07T00:40:00.001-08:00

Dusk, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Fujichrome Velvia
ISO 100
Shot on a Yashica 635

Street Lights

2008-02-05T21:42:00.001-08:00

Street Lights, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Fujichrome Velvia
ISO 100
Three separate exposures
Shot on a Yashica 635

The Rugby Pitch

2008-02-04T10:22:00.001-08:00

The Rugby Pitch, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

When I was digging through my photos from the Vikes & James Bay women's rugby game on Saturday, this one in particular caught my eye.

As far as my photojournalism assignment goes, this one would be at the bottom of the heap - out of focus faces and a sharp player with her back turned to the camera is pretty much everything my instructor doesn't want. However, with a bit of tweaking and grime, I think it conveys a lot about the sport in general, without the journalistic details.

Rentals

2008-02-03T11:35:00.001-08:00

Rentals, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Scooters lined up outside one of the many scooter rental businesses in Victoria. They were so bright, shiny and meticulously arranged that I had to stop and photograph them.

Vikes vs Velox

2008-01-27T12:30:00.001-08:00

Vikes vs Velox, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I have to confess, I know jack all about rugby. It was kinda fun to watch, but I didn't get many good pictures (shooting at night really blows, even with stadium lighting).

We Like the Moon

2008-01-22T23:38:00.001-08:00

We Like the Moon, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

A bit of a closer view than the last time I photographed the full moon. I wish I had had the telephoto extender for the lunar eclipse...

Crown Prince

2008-01-21T16:40:00.001-08:00

Crown Prince, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I have a thing for birds, lately. That is all.

'O Sole Mio

2008-01-20T17:47:00.001-08:00

'O Sole Mio, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Mew Gulls up at Jordan River. I took a bunch of pics of surfers too, but they weren't as interesting (sorry guys).

Photoshoot with Sora

2008-01-19T18:11:00.001-08:00

Sora, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

It makes a photographer's job much easier when they have fun friends who are willing to model and have wonderful wardrobes... :)

Back to the "Little Dudes"™

2008-01-15T14:09:00.001-08:00

Untitled, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Okay, so the failed eagle shot yesterday prompted a nice nature walk around Swan Lake this morning to find some more amenable targets. It's absolutely gorgeous outside today, so I definitely picked the right day for it. Now to find out where the eagles hang out on a day-today basis...

"Little Dudes" is a registered trademark of BPaul - Institute of Jurassic Technology. Used without permission.

So close...

2008-01-14T22:43:00.001-08:00

So close..., originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I wanted so badly to get this shot right, but this was the best I got. The weather was crappy, and the shot is so close (damned wing tips cut off!), but it gives me hope that I can catch these guys. So yeah, I've moved on from hummingbirds to eagles now. Is that an ambitious jump, or what?

Oh, and this isn't a crop...it's exactly as shot.

Halo

2007-12-24T23:44:00.001-08:00

Halo, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Merry Christmas, friends!

The Tunnel

2007-12-21T19:07:00.001-08:00

The Tunnel, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I went to Goldstream Park today to see the eagles dining on salmon, but I'm going to need a longer lens to get those high-fliers.

I've always loved the tunnel there, though, so I had to get this shot.

Salt Spring Island Chocolates

2007-12-12T01:18:00.001-08:00

Salt Spring Island Chocolates, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

My first studio product shot. :) This was super fun for me, and I am looking forward to a lot more studio work.

My friend Ille owns a chocolate factory and supplied me with the goods. And let me tell you, they are good.

Sever Always Seems Angry

2007-11-28T23:20:00.001-08:00

IMG_4072, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

He's a nice guy, he just yells a lot when he's on stage. ;)

Another one of the selection I liked from the show last Thursday. I'm really enjoying the live gig thing.

Tribal Machine

2007-11-24T20:28:00.001-08:00

Tribal Machine, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Here's one of my favourites from the Tribal Machine show on Thursday. Shot at ISO 3200 on my new 5D. :)

Fall

2007-10-28T09:35:00.001-07:00

Fall, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I hope you're all enjoying my favourite season. :) Oh, and Happy Hallowe'en!

Parked Out Back

2007-10-17T01:16:00.001-07:00

Parked Out Back, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I know, I know...few and far between, these days. I can't scan all my awesome film yet, but as soon as I can there should be more stuff up here.

Kodak Vigilant Six-20

2007-10-08T00:36:00.001-07:00

Kodak Vigilant Six-20, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I picked this up at Value Village on Friday for pretty cheap, seems to be in good working order, and the bellows are intact. The 1/50 shutter speed sticks on occasion, though...I'll probably have it looked at if I decide to try and wind myself some 620 film. (NB: 120 film just will not work in this camera if you find one for yourself...I ravaged a roll and cut off the excess plastic on the spool and it still didn't fit. Argh.)

For now, it's a really neat desk ornament. ;) I seem to be on my way to quite the little antique camera collection.

Nymph

2007-10-07T13:17:00.001-07:00

Nymph, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I love finding body forms in trees, sometimes they make for a better photo than the real thing ever could.

Paddle Boat

2007-09-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

Paddle Boat III, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

This was one of those times that I was glad I went back; I saw the boat earlier in the afternoon but was in a hurry, and I went back at 11pm to take some photos. The boat left about two hours later, carrying its load of American tourists back down the coast.

Passion

2007-09-25T17:17:00.001-07:00

Passion in B&W, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I like how black and white can boil things down to form and contrast. I actually shot this picture in colour, but I prefer this one for some reason. It doesn't need the colour to be beautiful.

What do you think?

The Spider & the Fly

2007-09-19T00:58:00.001-07:00

The Spider & the Fly, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

When I spotted this guy he was just playing the waiting game, sitting in the middle of his web. As soon as I pulled out the monopod, however, he dashed off to the side of his web. I had a momentary jolt of disappointment until I realized he wasn't going into hiding, but retrieving his latest meal.

I wish I had a garden of my own so I could just sit around and watch the smaller bits of nature on my own doorstep.

Traditional Tea

2007-09-18T13:46:00.001-07:00

Traditional Tea, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Some of the Portlanders (?) will recognize this shot, I forgot to post it with the rest of my Oregon photos.

This beautiful classical Chinese garden is smack in the middle of downtown Portland, but you can't tell from the teahouse. The rest of my shots had urban fragments in them, but this one stood out - I was somehow mystically transported to China while I enjoyed my tea.

Eight

2007-09-17T19:14:00.001-07:00

Eight, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I took a similar image on on slide film for an assignment, but I've taken to bringing the digital body with me as well, so I can post things more quickly on Flickr.

The guy using the practice green was glaring at me, sprawled out out on the ground at what was obviously his next target. Oh well. Those nuisance photographers, I tell ya...

Not as easy as it looks...

2007-09-16T10:50:00.001-07:00

Neo, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Have you ever tried getting an animal to pose for you? It's not easy. It's even harder when you add in distractions, like being outside. And if your dog is blind, it's even more fun. I was pretty happy to walk away from our little "portrait session" with one good picture.

Sever - Tribal Machine

2007-09-15T13:33:00.001-07:00

Sever - Hat, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

This is my good friend Sever, of the band Tribal Machine. I took a whack of photos at their show last night, and let me tell you, the lighting in there was BAD. Well, photographically speaking.

On the bright side, man did I ever get good at operating my camera in manual in the dark. I also have a new monopod that I don't think I will ever leave home without when I decide my tripod is too much of a hassle. I was able to manoeuvre through the crowd very easily, something a tripod would just never let you do.

I Has a Film SLR

2007-09-09T11:16:00.001-07:00

Canon EOS-1N, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

So, here's my most exciting new purchase, a film SLR body. Yes, boys and girls, I will be shooting film extensively for the next 4 months.

I love film, but after using just my digital camera since January, it really forces you to think about each photo, especially when your instructor wants to see the entire roll you just shot. The suspense is also killing me, I want to see how my first roll turned out!

Inner Eye

2007-09-07T21:08:00.001-07:00

Inner Eye, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

On my previous trip to the optometrist I asked him for these photos, but he mentioned there was a $15 charge. I just couldn't justify it at the time...but now I'm a photography student. How could I say no? At today's checkup I bought the photos.

What you're looking at is a photo taken with a Canon Digital Retinal camera of the insides of my eyes. The red wiggly lines are the blood vessels, the white spot is where the optic nerve joins the back of my eye and the dark spot is the macula.

Don't worry, I'm not dead.

2007-09-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

I am just incredibly busy.

School starts tomorrow, and I am going in to work to pick up my part-time assignments this afternoon. Oh, and I'm meeting with a realtor on Thursday, and I've been cleaning the condo and packing a few items, but I still have some more things to do. I need more boxes. Many boxes...

I will return soon!

Total Lunar Eclipse

2007-08-28T08:42:00.001-07:00

Total Lunar Eclipse, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

In a fit of what can only fairly be deemed as lunacy, I spent the hours of 2:00-4:00AM outside in the parking lot behind our building last night. Armed with a thermos of tea, a folding chair, a warm jacket, and my camera on its tripod I was definitely not the only one out keeping vigil.

One of the neighbours across the street was out with his binoculars watching the event and we chatted for a while before he took off to wander down to Beacon Hill Park. I also talked briefly with an enthused bar star and her boyfriend who was loudly telling him "Oh my GOD! Look at the moon! No, LOOK!" as she spotted me and saw what I was looking at.

Luckily the really crazy people, like the drugged up homeless dude who wanted to talk to me, didn't start appearing until I was done and safely at the door of the building with my key in the lock.

Night Light

2007-08-27T20:26:00.001-07:00

Night Light, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I found this light at Butchart Gardens on Friday, with the Portland and Australian visitors.

Laetiporus sulphureus

2007-08-27T17:33:00.001-07:00

Laetiporus sulphureus, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

This was a primary player in dinner on Saturday, and damn was it good.

We took our Portland guests up to China Beach and well, they took over from there. These fungis, more commonly known as Chicken of the Woods, were our biggest "crop" of the day. We found a bunch of trees just plastered with these giant sulfur shelves.

We took what we needed, leaving the mycelium on the tree so it could keep doing its thing. Apparently, these mushrooms will regrow whatever you cut off and keep coming back.

Oh yes, and dinner was a delicious sautéed mushroom, sausage and caramelized onion pizza, and I simply cannot tell you how satisfying it was, both in taste and in appreciation for the hunter-gatherer payoff at the end of the day.

The Garry Oak & The Moon

2007-08-22T23:52:00.000-07:00

The Garry Oak & The Moon, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

An old favourite of mine, as I didn't take any pictures today. (*gasp*)

Rainclouds

2007-08-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

Rainclouds, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

A late afternoon view from my manager's office.

Gold Dragon

2007-08-20T23:43:00.001-07:00

Gold Dragon, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Last one from dragon boat festival, well...probably. I love these dance costumes, though as in any two-part costume, it probably sucks to be the rear end.

Kimono

2007-08-19T20:42:00.001-07:00

Kimono, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I love kimonos, I think they are one of the most beautiful styles of dress ever created. These ladies were performing traditional Japanese dances at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival.

Awakening the Dragons

2007-08-18T20:46:00.001-07:00

Chinese Priests, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Chinese priests preparing to give thanks to the sea goddess for the dragon boat festival, and then painting in the eyes on the dragon boats to "awaken" them.

Buddha

2007-08-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

Buddha, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Buddha statue at the 2007 Victoria Dragon Boat Festival, where I am working for the weekend as a volunteer photographer. There will be more from the festival coming soon, or click the photo and see the others I've put on Flickr so far.

City Bird

2007-08-16T19:57:00.001-07:00

City Bird, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

My Buddy

2007-08-15T13:50:00.001-07:00

My Buddy, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Neo was incredibly patient with me for this one, I was bossing him around. I told him to go to sleep (which translates into him not just laying down, but putting his head on the ground) and then calling him loudly right before the shutter fired so he'd snap his eyes open. Don't worry, he got a cookie at the end.

As you can see, my little man has cataracts. He doesn't see much of anything these days, but he's a happy fellow anyways. We play fetch based on a hot-and-cold method of me changing the pitch of my voice to indicate whether he's close or not. He loves this game.

Millions of Insects

2007-08-14T20:22:00.001-07:00

Millions of Insects, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I couldn't resist this scene, taken outside behind the apartment building. There are literally millions of tiny bugs out there right now, going crazy over the middle of the road.

The setting sun provided perfect backlighting; if you looked the other direction down the street you would barely see any of them at all.

Zombie Night in Canada

2007-08-13T07:54:00.001-07:00

Zombie Night in Canada, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I thought the fisheye worked rather well here. (Plus it was fun to have the tourists wondering what the fuck I was up to.)

Brian's Poppies

2007-08-12T20:15:00.000-07:00

Brian's Poppies, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Taken on Saturday, at Brian's Tuvan party. I love poppy heads (they look lovely dried), and Brian said I could take some home, but I had completely forgotten by the end of the evening.

High Perch

2007-08-11T10:07:00.001-07:00

High Perch, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Maybe I should just turn this into a crow blog...

What can I say? I just like the little buggers.

Spiral

2007-08-05T01:20:00.001-07:00

Spiral, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I was up island on Wednesday and Thursday, assisting a couple of pro photographers with shooting our flagship resort. It was a really awesome experience.

Sure, I was the lackey -- but in between fetching props and holding up reflectors, I got to ask questions, and watch them work. Every question was answered, and I came home with a head full of information and ideas.

So yeah, this is the only picture I've posted all week because it's the only time I pulled out my camera up in Parksville. My mom (who lives about 5 minutes drive from the resort) came to keep me company on the beach during a 2-hour break while we waited for models and sun to all be in the right places. It was really nice to see her. :)

Azure

2007-07-28T13:38:00.001-07:00

Azure, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I spent about a half an hour photographing dragonflies this morning...this was the best of them. I couldn't find any lazily hanging out, so I was forced to track them, back and forth. It was good practice though, it's pretty tough to follow moving targets through a 200mm lens.

Night flight

2007-07-27T22:21:00.001-07:00

Night flight, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

So, learning shot...I like the effect, but I think I could have made this better by bumping the ISO up a bit and taking this with faster shutter speed. This would have caught the crows better, they're fairly blurry. Alternately, I could have put the uberlenz on the camera and walked back far enough to get this shot. I guess my next purchase will be an L wide angle. :P

There were probably at least a hundred crows at this spot on Dallas Road, circling in a maelstrom overhead, and my friend Erik and I were completely convinced we were going to be shat upon at any moment. We escaped unscathed, luckily.

PINK

2007-07-26T14:49:00.001-07:00

Car parts, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I'm not big on modern cars, but classics...huge draw for me. I saw this wonderfully cerise ton of metal sitting a block from my apartment on my way home for lunch, so I dashed in, grabbed the camera, and prayed it would still be there. Luckily for me it was. It looked newly washed, pristinely polished, and very well cared for...and now the girl who rides the more eco-friendly bus, wants a giant gas-guzzler of her own.

*le sigh*

Noisemaker

2007-07-25T13:18:00.001-07:00

Noisemaker, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Another photo from the überlenz. I am really really happy with this one, if you have a moment to spare, please click on the image and view it at a larger size to see the details of the crow.

I was across the two-lane street, and he was 35ish feet up practically screaming "Take my picture!", so I obliged. You can see the bird's eye very clearly in the photo. Damn. I mean DAMN! I can't believe what a massive step up this is over the Sigma 70-300 f4-5.6 I was using before.

I can't wait to get a 1.5x extender for this puppy...

*brain meltdown*

Beautiful Decay

2007-07-24T19:26:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Decay, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter U and the number 3.

I haven't stopped drooling yet.

Anton's Debut

2007-07-11T10:15:00.001-07:00

Anton's Debut, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I accidentally underexposed this one, but I liked the end result. He's looking very devious because he was (at this point) plotting to throw shit in my hair. :P

Pride Flag

2007-07-08T20:16:00.001-07:00

Pride Flag, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Have a great Pride Week, Victoria!

And check out my Victoria Pride Parade photos!

For the guy on the third floor...

2007-07-03T23:15:00.001-07:00

For the guy on the third floor..., originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

...as seen on the note board in my apartment building. We do so love our little passive-aggressive notes in this building.

Canada Day Fireworks

2007-07-02T17:59:00.001-07:00

Canada Day Fireworks, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I hope everyone had a great Canada Day, we had a good time with friends. I brought along all my gear and propped my tripod up on the roof of their building for the fireworks. This is one of the busier ones of the red and white finale.

(Oh and happy early Fourth of July to my American readers, too!)

Goth Girls

2007-06-20T11:27:00.001-07:00

Friends, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

A couple of my acquaintances from Gothvic. The visitors we encountered in Beacon Hill Park last weekend were pretty convinced there was a goth wedding reception going on (wedding dress, an equally stylish 'groom' not pictured here, other well-dressed blackclads, and an assload of food) probably all contributed to this.

Anyways, we had a lot of fun. We might even do it a second time this summer, which has never happened before.

Birthday Girl

2007-06-17T01:58:00.001-07:00

Birthday Girl, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Happy birthday to my lovely friend, Cherish.

This was taken at our annual Gothnic yesterday; there will be more photos from said event to come!

Faith and the Muse

2007-06-11T21:49:00.001-07:00

Faith and the Muse, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

This was the wonderful "acoustic" (it didn't really end up being acoustic...) set we saw at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Faith and the Muse were preceded by a duet of violin and cello; I am fairly sure the two were improvising for their final song and it was pretty impressive.

All the photos from the Mad Hatter's Tea Party were taken with my 50mm lens, as it's the only one I could fit in my purse. :-P

Non-Photographic Photography Post

2007-05-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

So, it's all settled -- I'm going to school in September for photography.

I'll be attending the Western Academy of Photography, here in beautiful Victoria, and I am really excited. I've talked with my boss, and it looks like I will be keeping whatever I can handle of my graphic design job, which is pretty well the perfect scenario. (The company is great, but I have to do this for me.)

So, wish me well, and watch my progress starting in September!

The Red Queen Gets Her Tea

2007-05-28T23:20:00.001-07:00

The Red Queen Gets Her Tea, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

This is from the Mad Hatter's Tea Party at Convergence 13. The tea party itself was a complete riot and included a Victorian fashion show, as well as an acoustic set by Faith and the Muse.

Lucky Cat & Lucky Stars II

2007-05-14T19:40:00.001-07:00

Lucky Cat & Lucky Stars II, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

I actually managed to elicit an "Oh neat!" from the boyfriend when I showed him this experiment. He's not into photography, and is subsequently rather hard to impress, so I was pretty pleased with his reaction. ;)

PS - No Photoshop here, it's all homemade special effects this time. (The BF orignally thought I was doing something Macguyver-esque, due to the weird pile of rough materials laid out in front of me; a cardboard cider box, exacto knife, tape and a bottle cap.)

Too Close to Home

2007-05-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

A plane crashed killing one Canadian and 8 French peacekeepers last week in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It makes me feel awful that I sometimes forget the dangers of the line of work that my dad and his wife are engaged in. That's her, the first visible pallbearer on the left. She has only been in Egypt for a month.

My deepest condolences go out to Cpl Chevalier's family, and also to those of the French soldiers.

I wouldn't normally post a photo I hadn't taken myself, but this one was particularly important for me to share.

Seagull Hunters

2007-05-10T23:28:00.001-07:00

Seagull Hunters, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Not an awesome shot, but it's about the best I came away with after watching these two trying to take out a young seagull. I'm not sure if they were actually trying to eat it, or just playing, but I'm assuming if they really wanted him, he would have been dinner.

Squirrelly Wrath

2007-05-10T01:04:00.001-07:00

Squirrelly Wrath, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

If you've never seen it before...
http://www.illwillpress.com

BC Legislature

2007-05-08T02:02:00.001-07:00

BC Legislature, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Viole(n)t Explosion

2007-05-06T23:57:00.001-07:00

Viole(n)t Explosion, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Another one from last weekend, because I loved the colour and it's been gray and gloomy all weekend...I wasn't really inspired to go out and take pictures.

Tulip Tree

2007-05-06T00:33:00.001-07:00

Tulip Tree, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

This one is actually from last weekend but I forgot to post it.

Green Light

2007-05-05T23:28:00.001-07:00

Green Light, originally uploaded by nocturnalmuse.

Shiny night time streets, after a late afternoon rain. I got some curious looks from people in their cars, but I'm starting to not care anymore.