New Site up now!

New Site up now!, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

The switch has been thrown and the new and improved MDSimages site is up and running. As with any new site, there will be a little bit of a rough period as I work out all the kinks! Feel free to let me know if you have any loading issues, size problems, etc. I would REALLY appreciate it :)

The new site is www.MDSimages.com.

Check it out!

Oh yeah....about the image....

I uploaded this one a little while ago, but it seemed most appropriate to post it again. I was luck enough to have 3 images chosen for an art exhibit at the Palm Beach Photographic Institutes Infocus Exhibit, and this was one of them. The show opens tomorrow and the hang is for about 2 months. Kinda cool to be a part of it. I look forward to meeting some of the other great artists tomorrow!

Back home - Sunset over West Palm Beach

Back home - Sunset over West Palm Beach, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

For some reason, those days that I choose to go on a hunt for the image seem to produce the least. I must have driven about 300 miles as I zig zagged back from the west coast of Florida. Just wasn't feeling the vibe ya know. Well, I guess it took gettting back to the places I know.

Stopped for the light

Stopped for the light, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I took this (and few more) on one of my cross state trips. Those are always kinda freaky (for the traffic behind me) when I'm creeping along Route 60 or sometimes alligator alley, and while on the constant lookout for subjects, color, and light. I seem to be drawn to those scenes like a mouse to the pied piper. I get that way with music too. I guess thats why I am heading across state in the AM to see a concert that I saw not just 2 nights ago in Miami.

I have been a fan of Jamie Cullum ever since I heard him a little more than a year ago. Just the right mix of upbeat melodic jazz and blues performed with a youthful pop delivery (alright, a music critic I am not.

In the meantime, enjoy the clip from one of Jamie's performances and I'll try to bring home a few cool images from the trip.....cool?

4th on Flagler - Fireworks 2010 - Vibrant green

4th on Flagler - Fireworks 2010 - Vibrant green, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

I left the apartment not even knowing if I was going to snap a frame at all. Those of you insanely dedicated photogs know that sometimes its not that easy to "get in the zone" when with those who don't travel with the excessive gear package. Sure, we are all photographers with our phones, point and shoots, and the like, but you know, some of us are just a bit too involved with the process if you know what I mean. So, knowing I was with my daughter, it was raining, and I didn't really know where I thought I should set up shop, I wasn't giving too much effort into the idea of capturing anything this evening. Sometimes its more about who you are with than what you are doing ya know?

As luck would have it though, I ran into a friend Aaron who also has a couple of girls himself. We decided to head down to a convenient building down on the end of Flagler and take advantage of the overhang. Well, so did a few others, but that was cool. With the little ones content to hang out with each other, I was able to setup the excessive gear and get to work. These shots, however, found this nut job inconveniently just outside of the dry viewing area. Keeping the lense clear of liquid was a constant challenge, but persisnance prevailed!

Here's a couple more that I liked a bit.





Quickly after arriving back at the apartment and looking out at the excessive traffic leaving the waterfront, I once again reminded myself of how great it is to live so close to these events! Happy 4th everyone!

Litli Geysir in Iceland - and a little tip for shooting fireworks tomorrow

Litli Geysir in Iceland - and a little tip for shooting fireworks tomorrow, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

Well, here we are.....the end of the week (alright, its actually Saturday) and the end of my HDR free post series. I end it, of course, with an HDR!

Funny, when I was stumbling around to get this shot, I kinda took a little double take at the spelling, till I remembered where I was. Nothing like traversing the countryside of Iceland whilst looking at a map with towns and roads with names like Vorsabaejarhjaleiga, Gegnisholapartur, and Ragnheioarstaoir. You think I'm kidding, check out this roadsign I had to figure out..... www.flickr.com/photos/mdsimages/4428835990/in/set-7215761...

So tomorrow, some of you in the states might be heading out with the rig in hopes of capturing that incredible fireworks image you always wanted to get. Well, as taken from Scott Kelbys post, here are a few tips:

1. Use a tripod - kind of given there, but just in case you were wondering.

2. A couple of lenses might be nice. A wide angle for establishing the location and a 200mm for some close up details.

3. Click it on over to manual. Trust me on this one.

4. Shutter speed to about 4 seconds.

5. Aperture to about f11.

6. Use a cable release.

This should give you nice sharpness with the aperture and a nice bit of light trail with the shutter speed. Try a few shots and if its over exposed, try speeding up the shutter speed to about 3 seconds.

Bracket a few, be safe, and enjoy your 4th!

Iceland - another lone church

Iceland - another lone church, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

The process.....login, upload, post an insightful bit of wordage, log off, crash for the evening. Tonights process? Login, post an image, ....... uuhhhh, writers block.....plan B (ramble on about nothing), log off, crash for the evening!

New changes to the site coming soon. I feel it might be an organic process though......we'll see how it goes! I will say this though, the images are going to be ALOT BIGGER :)

Iceland - lone church on the hill

Iceland - lone church on the hill, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

Having taken an HDR break here this week, I guess I'm gonna have to come out of the gate with a good one after this reprieve!

I tend to do this a bit while out on the hunt for images as well. Somedays, the focus is all about finding subjects with fine detail, lighting contrast, and colorful range to capture. The real magic to unfold much later in the digital darkroom. Other times, like in this image, its all about capturing the light with one frame. Of course, I say that now.....but I'm not really sure that it was one frame! I processed it a while ago. Hmmm, lets just pretend that it is :)

One more thing by the way.....naming images.....sometimes a challenge, as well demonstrated by this lame attempt.

Happy Friday everyone....and have a safe 4th of July weekend!

Icelandic Landscape

Icelandic Landscape, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

Continuing my journey this evening on a short break from the HDR routine, I present these few shots. Iceland is well known amongst the privileged few photographers that visit its splendor as a place of unique lighting. It can change on a dime thought so it helps to have a flexible attitude. On this overcast afternoon, the soft even light helped me paint the scene with a kind of lonely blue tone.

Iceland - a calm in the evening

Iceland - a calm in the evening, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu

In what I am going to call a little break from HDR and that intense desire to push back color, light, and detail into most every image I post, you will find me posting a few calm ones this week from my Iceland file - the forgotten few.

After last nights post, (see the blog for the video link), I read up a bit from the blog of Tim Ferriss (the author of the book called the Four Hour Work Week). It really kinda hit a cord with me. Vagabonding, wanderlust, directionless travel, bumbling about the planet, nomadic pursuit......whatever you like to call it.....there is a side of me that lives for that. I used to travel every summer in the off season just like that. Just get out and go! For anyone who has popped into this blog from time to time knows that and also knows that I get a bit stir crazy around this time of year. Its hot here in South Florida and the world is calling me, begging me to come out and play LOL!

A fisheye view in Singapore - The courtyard in Raffles

A fisheye view in Singapore - The courtyard in Raffles, originally uploaded by Photomike07 / MDSimages.com.

Wow, I think I finally have it! I spent what could be calculated by any sane and rational man as an eternity over the past few days searching for a new blog theme and layout for my new site and think I finally have it covered. Not sure when I will switch over for sure, but I'll let ya know. Seriously though.....I uploaded wordpress onto the server at least 3 times, had it freeze up, screwed up the permissions settings, had import challanges, couldn't see the images while experimenting with one of the cool themes I liked, you name it. There was one session is which I don't think that I left the chair from about 8PM till 4AM! Not sure if that can be labled as tenacity, dedication, or insanity!

All that being said, the real reason for my Dallas visit was not one of a creative visit, but more about additional education in my real estate investment ventures. My vision of the trip before I had left was to balance out the long and couped up days with evenings of exploration of the Dallas night scene and capture it thru the lense. Well, not so much LOL!

Anyway, I am pretty excited about the new possibilities for the blog now with a totally new look, format, and direction.....so stay tuned!

As far as this image, it was taken during one of those trips in which I DID allow myself to wander about a new a foreign city. Singapore, as is South Florida, is humid.....very humid. This shot was setup and exposed in a pretty cool hotel called Raffles right in the heart of the city. I don't like to overuse the "fisheye" effect, but this spot seemed like the perfect place to play with it!

One more thing....

I came across this video that another blog posted while catching up on my email this evening. Its a bit long, but cool if you are a fan of Tim Ferriss's book called the Four Hour Workweek. I had never seen him speak and was a bit surprised at how good he presented his message live too. Check it out!


Tim Ferriss keynote The Next Web Conference 2010 - Love the Haters from Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten on Vimeo.