I can remember as a child seeing ‘grown ups’ taking photos and I was always baffled that a person could be so engaged in recording something that they could see right in front of them. It took years for any sort of interest to cultivate within me. I was 17 before I got my first camera. A small, red, five megapixel point-and-shoot that I saved up for months to purchase. I can remember it got lost in the mail and took well over a month to get shipped to me, much to my frustration. I played around with that beast for years, never realizing how limiting it really was. Since then I have dabbled with a variety of cameras, both film and digital, but none have suited me better than my current Canon 550D. The 550D has allowed my photographic creativity to blossom and for that I am grateful.

I currently have 27,411 photos on my hard drive.  Last Sunday I took this picture. For the first time since I first picked up a camera, I finally feel that I have created something I deem  art.

I want to you take a moment to think about the angle required to get a photo like this. Rather steep. Perhaps 70°? More? I’m not sure. I shot this trekking in Peru in the Colca Canyon, which is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The paths going down the canyon were around a metre wide, and occasionally had straight drops over half a vertical kilometer. This shot was down one of those cliffs, and across a river. I wish I could convey the feeling of being perched on the side of this massive canyon, but it is entirely futile to attempt. It is an indescribable feeling you will only get if you have the luck to experience something like this for yourself. For your sake, I hope you all do.

If you attempted to check 390nm yesterday, you may have noticed you were redirected to a webpage explaining what SOPA is and why it is bad. 390nm lended it’s small help towards a cause undertaken by such giants as Wikipedia and Google. This cause is keeping the internet free of censorship in the form of opposing SOPA and PIPA. The fact that the United States senate is still attempting to pass such an Orwellian law, despite it going directly against the constitution, not to mention the pleas of nearly every expert in the field, is nothing short of deplorable. The bill has not yet passed, but nor has it been thrown out. All must stay vigilant, especially you Americans reading this. Write a letter to your congressman. Seriously.

In other news, this is the ugliest rooster I have ever seen in my entire life.

Although this photo may be thoroughly processed, I still rather dig it. Taken at a cafe in Bratislava, Slovakia this was one of my first experiences in a smoke-friendly restaurant. I always found the smell of tobacco to be slightly distracting from my meal.

Peru, you have the best fruit. Seriously.

By the chariot of Apollo, I have had some difficulty getting my photo organization software working. I finally have it back up and running and no longer will have to rely on posting mediocre photos that I had sitting around in various places online. No, now I can get back to good stuff. For example the delight below. This is the always lovely Heather Stevens, lit by the on camera (*gasp*) flash which I bounced off a nearby wall using a run-of-the-mill envelope. Likely one of my favorite pictures I’ve shot in the past while.

It is not my general style, but I occasionally enjoy taking shots that are just a little bit abstract.

I’ve been just terrible about posting lately. Between deleting my facebook and reformatting my computer, things have just been too hectic to remember to post. I’ll try to be better in the future. I promise.

D’AWWWWWW. Here’s my dog over Christmas! Note her ashamed expression at being forced to wear those ridiculous antlers.

Maybe it’s personal taste but this photo horrifies me.

The holiday season. Tis time for giving, spending time with family and seriously neglecting blogs. I know, I know. The fact that I haven’t posted in ten days must have been excruciating for all three of you who look at this site. I know that there is no way to make up for the horror I put you through so I’m going to make like America in regards to the current economic climate and pretend that I did nothing wrong. With that in mind, I’m going to just continue putting up photos as per the norm.

LOOK! Here’s a picture from a Christmas themed party a few weeks back! Jordan and Katey were trying to have a nice portrait together when BOOM, Rushav blasts into the frame. Good man.Oh, and here are some abstract Christmas lights.