You (Not Me)

Just playing with the macro lens again. Kinda grungy in there, isn't it?

Macro

Sure, macros are hard, but, macros of babies? Fuhgetaboutit.

The Tooth

There it is, peeking out. Second one just came out not too long after.

Teething

Can you tell? It took us a while to figure it out--he wasn't complaining, or anything, he was just making these funny faces.

Wing Wah's

Doesn't look like much, but, their Garlic Chicken is out of this world.

First Tooth

Kinda blurry, but, he doesn't really sit still.

Fine Art (Yellow)

Another interesting installation at the Great Mall. I wonder who created these? Behind the work, there must be a person, right?

Little Hands

Hold him and he feels big. But when he holds you, he seems so small.

Ducts

They're something so alluring about exposed ducting. So visceral.

Armadillo Willy's

They've got the best barbeque ribs, and, I bet he can hardly wait.

Chubby

Yeah, he's kinda on the big side.

My Precious

A nice quite moment with grandma.

Open Wide

Nope, doesn't want to show it.

Cropping

I see this scene every day, walking back to my car, but, somehow, I think, there's got to be a better picture in here somehow. As much as I hate it, I bet a good bit of cropping would do it, maybe it's just not meant for the 3:2 aspect ratio.

Checking Exposure

They think you don't know what you're doing, but really, what do they know?

*Click*

Sometimes, I really do wonder, what does it take to make a great photograph? I mean, anybody can just push the button. Of course, some of it is technique, and some of it is just being in the right place at the right time. But, how do you make a great picture out of the most mundane objects? I've seen it, so I know it's possible. The great pictures, though, seem so effortless. But, *stare* and *stare* and *stare*, and try as hard as you might, and, sometimes, it's almost impossible to get it to work. I mean, *click*, *click*, *click*, and you might get something good, but really, anybody could do that.

Going, Going, Gone

Nope, doesn't take to long to finish three larges.

Cicero's Pizza

One of the best pizzas around, if you like thin-crust. Their Baker's Pride just melts in your mouth, and all over your hand.

Cubicle Forest

Something about walking down the hallway, you get this feeling of walking along the edge of a dark forest.

Urban Waterfall

After I heard the shutter click, I didn't even have to peek, I knew I got it. Photography is nothing else other than realizing your vision--at least, that's one way I like to think of it. Some mould the picture to fit the image (I'm thinking Ansel Adams), whereas, I like to think of it as seeing something, visually isolating it, and then trying to capture it. Of course, the operative word is, trying.

*Pop* Art

Sometimes, a great image just pops out, you just have to reach out and take it.

Escher and Monet

For some reason, I've always wanted to take a picture of this staircase. Everyday, I walk here, climbing up and down three flights. It's interesting to see, day by day, how the soft light can play with the hard angles.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Saw this hanging in the window. Kinda made me think, although it might not be the greatest picture, it made an impression. If for nothing else, I grabbed this shot to remember that moment.

Pizza Hut

Usually, I can't stand Pizza Hut. They've got this thick, greasy, chewy pizza dough--seems more Chinese dim-sum, than Italian pie. But, go to this one in Santa Clara, and they've got the best all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. Yummy!

First Days

Julian's first [trial] day of school. Julian, he loved it. Grandma, man, she was pooped out.

Blue

This is what you get when you don't wash your car for a month. This is California, so, you don't get any rain (the so-called eco-carwash), but, being the "Bay Area", you do get some freaky dirt-patterns (this is the roof, but, it's pretty much the whole car). Something about parking in dusty garages, I think.

Rolling Over

Not the most impressive picture, perhaps, but, now Julian can roll over, in both directions--from his back to his belly, and from his belly to his back. Who would have thought that would be such an accomplishment? But, after four months of just laying there, well, it's something. Of course, this isn't a picture of that, because, it takes all hands just to keep him from rolling off his table. So, you get a picture of this.

The Juicer

A still life. Able to turn your most careful composition of fruit and vegetables into the most healthy--yet oddly offending--beverage. I'm especially appalled by the carrot and celery cocktail. But, mix Fuji apples, and some grapes--man, that's good.

Mega Bloks Shootout Soccer

Quite possibly the most important game of our generation. But, one you're almost guaranteed to have never seen before. A shame.

Red

Look around, and what do you see? Look up, and you might see this. I don't think this will be my shtick, but, if I had a tripod, maybe it'd be better (but then again, who wants to walk around with a tripod, taking pictures of celings?)

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

Another lunch at Black Angus. A six dollar prime rib is hard to pass up, and apparantly, everybody else thinks so, too. A Tuesday afternoon, not the most festive time of week, but, there were hoardes of people there, eagerly clutching coupons in their hands.

Behind the Gray Wall

These are the walls behind which we work. We toil away in anonymity, hoping for some future glory, but, resigned to the fact that we may never see the other side. Of course, that's why we have kids, right?

The Foot

Okay, so, I have to admit, I've been inspired (http://www.rion.nu/v5/archive/000530.php). But really, if a photograph is supposed to reflect a moment, this is a total sham. The Little Man is a study of controlled chaos, this scene of tranquility is a snapshot of mayhem. Who'da thought taking a picture of a foot would be so hard?

Push Ups

His most favorite position. Not quite crawling, but, once he got his head off the ground, he hasn't looked back.

Eating, Sleeping, and Shopping

He likes to eat (or at least, when he likes it, he eats a lot), and he likes to sleep (well, grudgingly, but, he does sleep quite a bit), and he likes to shop! Specifically, at the Great Mall. Odd, that.

Marlon Brando

Julian doing his best impression. Of course, it was better before, but, if nothing else, kids are fickle.

The Touch

He's just started reaching out to people. One would think that would be an instinctive thing or something. But really, when they come out, all they do is cry. Really.

The Decisive Moment

So, Henri Cartier-Bresson had his thing. He might not have liked Ansel Adams, which I think was a bit closed-minded, but, he did have his point. Of course, I'm not travelling the world, but still, things happen. You just have to capture them.

The Concrete River

Nature is where you find it. Sometimes it's where you least expect it.

Green

Sometimes, a landscape picture doesn't have to have much. Of course, sometimes, there's not much there, but, it's nice to look at, anyways.

The Homeless Guy

You see them in every city, a tragedy on so many levels. Is he really homeless--is he really even a veteran? What's worse, having to even mention it, or, that mentioning it makes it such a lucrative "profession"? Or so I've heard.

Two Girls, Waiting

Not sure who they are, or what they're waiting for. Somehow they remind me of flamingos.

The [Fat] Trap

Not just a candy machine, or, more precisely, a candy "trolley", to add that bit of "San Francisco pastiche". Ah, but, it's a candy dispensing machination surrounded by...um, large people. Not that there's anything wrong with that... In fact, at some point, my mouth was stuffed full with a Jawbreaker.

Footlocker [Dot Com]

Just another one of those random things they stick in the windows these days. Of course, now everything is "dot com"...

Shoes!

Shoes and more shoes. Nice effect with the new wide-angle lens. But, do you notice the vignetting? Yikes. Wide open, at f/3.5, but, does add a nice effect, too.

Also, just the sort of store that grandma would like.

Grandma, Buying Shoes

Grandma trying on the shoes that she will go on to buy. And, some point in the future, there will be a story which begins with, "These shoes are older that you..."

Julian's Bored

Shopping with grandma gets slow. I have to give him credit, though; he took it in quite well. At some point, he did get hungry, and there was some furious rolling of the stroller up-and-down the many aisles of shoes. He enjoyed that.

Lunch at the Great Mall

Julian enjoying a nice snack, at the Great Mall. He's even holding his bottle! Well, at least he likes to think so...

Vivien

Vivien, tired after a long day of taking care of her "boys".

Me, Myself, and Mr. Potato Head

Just a quick peek in the mirror. That's Mr. Potato Head, in the background.