Happy New Year!

As Max said, "Let the wild rumpus start!"

Happy New Year everyone!

Sunset

Can't believe I forgot to post this. I took this shot from my mother-in-law's deck late Christmas day.

What a nice gift.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@32mm)

f11

ISO 200

1/125 sec.

tripod mounted and wireless remote shutter release

Gargoyles

Since the first time I saw the Hotel Vancouver I've been infatuated with the grotesque guardians on the rooftop. I wrote a short story once (really not good) about a guy who was considering jumping off the Hotel Vancouver and before he jumped (or did he? I can't remember) he had a drawn out conversation with one of the gargoyles.

Maybe I'll give that one a second thought. We'll see.

Pentax K20D

Pentax M SMC 28mm lens

f8

ISO 100

1/50 sec.

ev +1

BW in PS

Tangle

Taken after shopping on Boxing Day.

Funny how my brain craves nature after the abominable task of consuming.

Also, this is a nice testament to the weather we had this Christmas season - yay sun!

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@18mm)

f11

ISO 100

1/80 sec.

Shoot for the moon

Pentax K20D

Sigma 70-210mm lens (@210mm)

f16

ISO 400

1/160 sec.

Skating alone

The best moments can be the ones when you are alone in a crowd.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@18mm)

f11

ISO 100

1/8 sec.

Merry Christmas!

I tried something a little different with this one. The panorama you see above is five different exposures.

I hope you all had a great day, and that Santa brought you just what you needed.

To wit...

My wit's diseased. I've no wit to express. To wit, I'm off school for less than a week and I'm already a twit - I've done little to nothing all day long and I'm at wit's end to come up with anything witty. I must keep my wits about me or I shall be called dimwitted.

Also, the mirror effect above is from the creek that runs through VanDusen Garden.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55 AL II lens (@18mm)

f11

ISO 100

8 sec.

Tripod mounted and wireless shutter release

Prizes for the first person who can name the play from which the line, "My wit's diseased" comes.

Festival of Lights

We visited the Festival of Lights last year after Vancouver had seen a record snowfall. It was miserable. The lights were amazing, but the trails were halved by the snowbanks and there were far too many people in too small a space.

Although the snow was nice, the experience yesterday was so much better: dry, cloudy, and reasonably warm.

Pentax K20D

Pentax 18-55mm AL II lens (@18mm)

f8

ISO 200

1.6 sec.

Tripod mounted, wireless shutter release

My Favorite Lane

We took the kids to VanDusen Gardens tonight for the festival of lights. They claim to have 1.4 million lights strung all around the garden. From the looks of things, I'm unwilling to argue that number, or count all of them to prove them right or wrong.

Also, I wish Candy Cane Lane were a real place. I'd buy a house there.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens

f4

ISO 100

1 sec.

tripod mounted and wireless shutter release

It's the most wonderful time of the...

...whoa!

We went "Christmas-light-looking" tonight with the kids and they have a different sense of taste in Christmas decorations than I do. Ben and Hannah thought these lights were "awesome."

I might have a different opinion.

Pentax K20D

Pentax M SMC 28mm lens

f2.8

ISO 1600

1/50 sec.

Foggy

is the word that describes my mind.

Pentax K20D

Pentax-M SMC 28mm

f2.8

ISO 100

1/200 sec.

Cookies...(say it to yourself like Cookie Monster would say it)

I decorated Christmas cookies with my wife and kids tonight. My masterpiece is the cookie man wearing the Christmas tree sweater in the foreground.

Maybe, secretly, I wish someone would buy me an ugly Christmas sweater with a tree on it.

Or maybe not.

Pentax K20D

Pentax M SMC 28mm lens

f2.8

ISO 400

1/ 13 sec.

Feed Mill

I went looking for fog. What I got was a feed mill. Not quite the same...

Pentax K20D

Tokina 28-70mm lens

f11

ISO 400

6 sec.

Morning mountains

When the sun rises over the mountains southeast of Chilliwack, this is the way it looks. There is almost no processing here - just a minor tweak in Levels.

Pentax K20D

Sigma 70-210mm lens

f8

ISO 100

1/400 sec.

EV compensation -1

Merry Christmas, deer...

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@18mm)

f3.5

ISO 800

1/80 sec.

Mannequin

I took a first year physical anthropology course once, and I don't remember studying a single skull that ever looked anything like this one.

I'll admit that the hairline is aerodynamic, but that nearly non-existent nose has got to be some detriment. Just blowing it must be a feat of physics mastery.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55 AL II lens (@26mm)

f4

ISO 800

1/250 sec.

Mary and Joseph

For whatever reason, call it the Christmas spirit, I get the feeling that I am looking at a modern-day Mary and Joseph, watching the Santa Claus parade with their newborn swaddled babe in the stroller.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@18mm)

f22

ISO 100

15 sec.

Sumas Trail

Taken almost a month ago. I'd nearly forgotten that we had a warm autumn this year.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@18mm)

f8

ISO 100

1/80 sec.

Sunrise on Baker

That little peak near the middle of the photo is Mt. Baker. I went out early on Saturday to catch the sunrise. This turned out rather abstract, like some kind of grade four experiment in silhouette.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@35mm)

f8

ISO 100

1/200 sec.

Wellington

I took the kids to the Santa Claus Parade in Chilliwack this last Saturday. I packed them up in parkas, toques and mitts, placed them in sleeping bags, set them down in camping chairs, and fed them a friend's hot chocolate. They were warm and cozy and thrilled at seeing Santa come through downtown Chilliwack.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@ 18mm)

f22

ISO 100

20 sec.

9:00 am

Hannah and I went out this morning looking for the sunrise, and by 9:00am I was hungry. While shooting on Chilliwack Mountain I thought I'd take a quick self-portrait. I hate being in front of the camera. I'd much rather hide behind it.

On the other hand, many of you have not seen the beard lately, or me ever, so here's the elusive Marc in his natural state - holding a camera.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@55mm)

f5.6

ISO 100

1/60 sec.

I am your father...

and I'm taking pictures of the bobblehead on my dashboard as I wait for you to come out of the school so we can go home.

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens

f5.6

ISO 800

1/60 sec.

Hoosiers...

Attended the T-Wolves senior boys basketball game last night.

I now feel more out of shape than usual.

Pentax K20D

Sigma 70-210mm lens

f4

ISO 2000

1/160 sec.

My boy

An unceasing creativity; a constant desire to play; a sensitive heart: these are the things that make up my Ben.

Pentax K20D

Tokina 28-70mm lens

f4

ISO 800

1/80 sec.

B&W in CS4 PS

Warm

Pentax K20D

Pentax DA 18-55mm AL II lens (@23mm)

f8

ISO 400

1/50 sec.