Monterey Bay Aquarium
April 25, 2009
On the last day of our vacation earlier this week we headed down to Cannery Row in Monterey Bay. Cannery Row is a very interesting place full of shops, restaurants and of course the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We got to the aquarium when it first opened and since it was a Monday we figured it wouldn’t be so busy. Well it happened to be “locals get in free” day so the place was actually packed. We have visited this aquarium before back in 2006 for our one year anniversary but back then we only had a little Canon point-and-shoot so we didn’t get any fantastic photos. This time I took the Mark II while Bryan used the XTi. I was debating which lens I would use for this occasion. I couldn’t really decide if I wanted the 24-105 F4L which would give me macro and zoom capabilities but would not allow me to really open up the aperture or the 50mm F1.8 which didn’t allow me to zoom or do macro but allowed for a more open aperture. Ultimately I chose to use both, I just put one lens on my camera and the other on Bryan’s and constantly switched off. I used the 24-105 F4L for mostly wide angle shots such as stuff we took outdoors or huge tanks. When the light was really low I just bumped up the ISO, I shot a lot at ISO 4000-5000 but there were moments when I as shooting up to 25,000 ISO. I tried to use the 50mm 1.8 the most in really low light situations however, there were times where it was too dark for the camera to figure out what I was trying to focus on so it wouldn’t take the photo. In that case I just switched my camera to video mode and took a movie. I love the Mark II.
Monterey Bay
Sea Otter
Jellyfish Tank
Sea Horse
Bryan and Jamie
Left: Jamie Right: Outer Bay
Left: Kelp Forest Right: Ocean's Edge
Jellyfish
Sea Horse
Photographics: Infrared
April 23, 2009
One of the more interesting assignments we were given this semester was to turn in an infrared assignment. This could be be done in one of three ways; shoot a roll of infrared film, shoot infrared digitally with various filters or create a infrared image in Photoshop. We opted not to shoot a roll of infrared film for a couple of reasons. One reason is that Bryan’s Canon A2E will not shoot infrared (more on that later). My old Pentax camera did have the ability to shoot infrared film however if you know anything about IR film you know that it is very sensitive. You have to load the film in the camera in complete darkness. Doing anything in complete darkness is not a skill I have, except for loading film onto a spool for development. I also played around in GIMP trying to create a IR image out of a regular color image, while the results were passable they just weren’t infraredy enough. I know infraredy is not a word neither was ginormous a few years ago. We chose to do the assignment digitally however our Mark II doesn’t have the ability to shoot infrared. The majority of Canon SLR’s can not because of a low pass filter that Canon installs in their camera’s to get sharper images. Canon Film SLR camera use an infrared light to see the notches in the film so it would fog infrared film. During the class lecture on infrared Lanoue mentioned that the Canon G9 had the capability to shoot in IR. This was great since my coworker happened to have a G9 that he let us borrow. We had to by an infrared filter for it but that was much less than if we would have had to buy the G9.
Photo by Jamie
Photo by Bryan
Photo by Jamie
Photo by Bryan
Picture of the Week 4-22-2009
April 22, 2009
This week’s photo is a shot that Bryan took at the Sea Otter Classic. The photo shows a Downhill competitor in mid-air speeding down the hill. I really like that Bryan caught the exact moment where the cyclist jumped. Also I love the leading lines, he did a great job on the composition. This is one of thousands of photos we took at the Sea Otter Classic so check back soon to see our gallery of photos of the entire event.
Photo Info: Taken with the 5D Mark II with 70-200mm F4L lens. ISO 400, F8 at 1/2000 of a second.
Sea Otter Classic: Day Four
April 20, 2009
We decided to make our final day at the Sea Otter Classic the most eventful. The weather in Monterey was just as warm and sunny as the day before. Maybe even warmer; our car thermometer read 91 degrees. Once again it was a perfect day to photograph, the sky was blue and cloudless. After having breakfast at the media center we hopped on the shuttle to the bottom of the Downhill course. While Bryan positioned himself about halfway up the course, I stood near the finish line. Luckily the course creators put a few jumps at the end so I got some nice photos of that. As with many of these dangerous mountain bike sports, there were a few people who fell. But these athletes are pretty tough so they all got right up. After the Downhill our fantastic shuttle driver Jen picked us up and brought us back to the media center. Jen and all the shuttles were a very appreciated service for us media folks. I can’t imagine walking to many of these courses.
We filled up on a huge taco lunch at the media center and then headed to the Cross Country course. We got to photograph the start of the men’s race and then we got on another shuttle to a see the women race. The coolest part of this shuttle ride is we actually got to drive on the famous corkscrew at Laguna Seca. It was awesome! Bryan then took another shuttle up to Skyline Road where another section of the course was while I went back to the start/finish line. We photographed there for the next hour and a half and called it a day.
One of the many great things about this trip is that we decided to stay an extra day. In an actual hotel room! With a bed and a shower! We used our extra day to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium so I will have even more photos to share!
For more of our Sea Otter Classic coverage check out Bryan’s race report at Amateur Endurance. You can also see more photos from Day 4 in the GALLERY.
Downhill photo by Bryan
Downhill photo by Bryan
Me and the Sea Otter
Downhill photo by Jamie
Downhill photo by Jamie
Downhill photo by Jamie
Downhill crash photo by Jamie
Cross Country photo by Bryan
Sea Otter Classic: Day Three
April 19, 2009
Upon waking up on the third day of the Sea Otter Classic I would say the two things I miss the most are a good nights sleep and showering. At least we have a campsite that has porta-potties and a hose, there are sites here that have neither of those things. It was really foggy yesterday morning but it soon burned away to a beautiful blue, cloudless sky. It also got unusually warm. From what I’ve heard is that it does not normally get into the 80’s in Monterey this time of year. This is probably why they chose to start the recreational bike tours at 9:30am because they figured that’s when it would warm up. Bryan had previously convinced me to sign up with him for the 10 mile recreational bike ride. I’m not sure why I agreed as I can’t even walk straight without falling over. I ended up chickening out at the last minute which allowed Bryan to instead go on the 20 mile tour. I waited at the expo until he got back and took a few photos of the women’s Circuit Race and some other random stuff. After four hours I was beginning to worry as Bryan has never done a mountain bike ride quite so long and in such warm weather. He returned, exhausted as expected but in good spirits. He had run out of water during the ride but luckily there were a few aid stations along the way which provided much needed nourishment. However, the last aid station ran out of water by the time he got there though so all he got was an orange. We decided to go back to camp after his ride so we didn’t really cover any events. The expo was insanely crowded so it was a lot harder to move around freely like we did on the previous days. That was another reason why we decided to head back early. We decided to sleep in the car last and although it was a lot warmer it still wasn’t as comfortable as a real bed.
Check out Bryan’s race coverage at Amateur Endurance. You can also see more photos of Day 3 in the GALLERY.
Men's Circuit Race going down the corkscrew
Bryan starting the 20 mile recreational tour
Women's Circuit race
Sea Otter Classic: Day Two
April 17, 2009
We started out our day at the Sea Otter Classic with breakfast at the media center and some blogging. After looking over the event schedule for the day we decided to walk over to the Dual Slalom course. The course is set up on a hill above the expo and looks like lots of fun to ride. While I stayed down towards the finish line of the course, Bryan walked all the way up the hill to where the real action was taking place. Dual Slalom participants ride on technical courses complete with sweeping turns, hills and jumps. Two riders race down the hill as fast as they can in hopes to qualify for the finals. These riders go super fast down this course which is pretty dangerous, we saw quite a few wipe outs but nothing serious.
Dual Slalom photo by Bryan
Dual Slalom photo by Bryan
Dual Slalom photo by Bryan
Dual Slalom photo by Bryan
Dual Slalom photo by Jamie
Dual Slalom photo by Jamie
Super D photo by Jamie
Super D photo by Jamie
Laguna Seca Recreation Area photo by Jamie
Sea Otter Classic: Day One
April 17, 2009
Yesterday was our first official day at the Sea Otter Classic. As I said in my previous blog we got here at 10am and quickly set up our tent at our campsite. At first I was a little disgruntled at the high winds at the event as it made it very cold outside. Then I found out we had to walk kind of far to get to the expo and the media center. However, my discontentment turned to joy after we picked up our packet for the recreational bike tour (more on that later). After getting our bib numbers for Saturday’s ride we were given a free goody bag. I’m still not exactly sure what’s in it but who cares, it’s free! My joy was taken to a whole new level when we walked up to the media center. I LOVE the media center. As I mentioned in my last blog we were privileged enough to work with Amateur Endurance for this event which helped us get media passes. Media passes are awesome! Once in the media center you are allowed free WiFi, free sandwiches and drinks, another goody bag, free parking close to the race track and free red vines. Is there anything better than free red vines? I want to live here. Anyway, of course the best thing about media passes are the access you get to the races. Bryan and I got to photograph right on the race track. This is huge deal for us since Laguna Seca is a historic raceway. Bryan was especially excited because he has raced on Laguna Seca before in numerous video games and has finally got to see it in real life.
The first thing we did after visiting the media center was go down to the expo. There are hundreds of vendors at Sea Otter and we got to see a lot of what they had to offer before the crowds arrived for the weekend. We also saw some big air stunts by the GT Bicycles team. We decided to go check out the Men’s Criterium Category 1/2 which is a road race on the track. We actually got to walk down to the garage area where the pits are. We were in awe at the whole thing. While Bryan used our telephoto lens to capture the cyclists as they came out of the final corner I walked to the hairpin turn just before that. I actually got to walk on the track, I don’t know why that makes me feel cool but it does. We ended up getting some awesome shots which we have posted below. Of course we were totally exhausted after everything. I was excited to get back to my tent for a good night’s sleep. I probably got a total of 3 hours between the hours of 8pm and 6am but it’s okay because I’m ready for another jam packed, exciting day at Sea Otter.
Check out Bryan’s event coverage at Amateur Endurance. You can also see photos from Day 1 in the GALLERY.
Photo by Bryan
Photo by Bryan
Photo by Bryan
Photo by Jamie
Photo by Jamie
Photo by Jamie
Photo by Bryan
Sea Otter Classic: We Have Arrived!
April 16, 2009
I am currently blogging to you on location from the Sea Otter Classic at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey. We arrived around 10 AM and have already been to our camp site and set up our tent. You heard that right we are camping here at the race track. Actually our campsite overlooks the race track. We are excited to let you know that we are working with Amateur Endurance for this event. We will be here for the next four days to cover a few of the races, the expo and everything in between. We expect to get really great shots because we were lucky enough to get media passes for all four days, a great perk to working with AE, that means access to spots that spectators don’t get. Keep checking back here for updates and also Amateur Endurance will be posting our race reports and general event coverage.
View from our campsite overlooking the track
Our campsite
Kayaking in Back Bay
April 13, 2009
This Easter Sunday Bryan and I participated in a kayak tour around Back Bay in Newport. I had found out about this guided kayak tour through the Irvine Ranch Wildlands website. We met our group and our tour guides Peter and Holly at the Newport Aquatic Center at 10am. Peter and Holly both volunteer for the Newport Bay Naturalists & Friends and are avid kayakers. They explained to us the history of Back Bay or Upper Newport Bay which existed because residents in the area took actions to save it from being developed by a high profile real estate company. The bay is home to many animals including an array of birds which Peter and Holly told us all about. We took about an hour to paddle halfway down the bay. It was very easy to paddle on the way out because we were going with the tide however, on the way back it was more difficult. Bryan used his mad paddling skills to get us back to shore pretty quickly. I helped with the paddling but I could never get my technique right and I really didn’t have that much arm strength to begin with. It was a beautiful clear day outside and perfect weather to kayak in. Our group consisted of two other couples along with Peter and Holly. The only thing I wasn’t anticipating was getting wet. Although we didn’t tip over, as I anticipated, the paddling motion allowed for water to splash into our kayak. I was pretty much soaked from the waist down when I got to shore. I am glad that I chose to bring my little SD550 camera along to capture some photos. Back Bay is really a beautiful place and I was lucky enough to get Holly to take a photo of us. This was our first time kayaking so as you might expect our arms are very sore but it was definitely worth the whole experience.
About to embark on my first kayak adventure. Can you see the fear?
Random kayaker with dog
Cliffs surrounding Back Bay
Bryan and me
Picture of the Week 4-8-2009
April 8, 2009
This past weekend Bryan and I had a class field trip originally set to be in Limestone Canyon. Those plans ended up falling through so professor LaNoue took us instead to nearby Silverado Canyon. Silverado Canyon is a popular place for hiking and mountain biking. LaNoue originally wanted us to go on a more level trail which Silverado is not. We only walked up for a little while before we decided to turn around. As far as scenery goes Silverado Canyon is bleak, there aren’t many wildflowers but you do get nice views of the canyon when you go up further on the trail. This week’s photo is one that Bryan took as we were going down the trail. A couple mountain bikers road by us on the way down which I have to say is pretty crazy since the trail has a lot of loose rocks. We ended up having a nice time photographing and got some exercise too.
Photo Info: Taken with our 5D Mark II at ISO 200, F8 and 1/800 of a second.