Atlas in the City

Atlas in the City, originally uploaded by Maltphoto.

Simply Love

San Francisco Bay Bridge

Untitled, originally uploaded by Maltphoto.

It's been a while since I've actually posted. I took this shot after the July 3rd Fireworks at the ballpark. You can see them in this fireworks set on flickr. I like this shot for the low clouds and the bright ball of light that is AT&T Park.

Napa Valley Mustard Festival 2009

I spent much of last week working on my photos for the Napa Valley Mustard Festival Photo Contest. It seems like no matter how much planning I do, I'm still doing a lot of it last minute. I spent Friday night mounting the photos that I had printed and picked up on Wednesday. I use a local shop called Sarber's to print my photos. They do a wonderful job, and typically I can pick up the prints the next day. Every single print was perfect this year.

Saturday morning was spent putting the frames and mats together, and filling out the paperwork. (Yet one more thing I could have done beforehand). Kelley and I drove up to Mumm around noon to drop off the photos and the paperwork and purchase our tickets for the Photo Finish the next Saturday. Then we headed back down the Silverado Trail for The Taste of Yountville.

I never really expect for anything to come of my entries. Winning something would be nice, but really, I think it's pretty cool that my photos get to hang on the walls of the Mumm gallery for a month afterward. I was thrilled then to receive the following email on Wednesday:

From: Amber McCann-Howlett
To: maltphoto@sbcglobal.net
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 2:51:11 PM
Subject: Napa Valley Mustard Festival Photography Contest


Congratulations Andre!

One of your photographs has been recognized by the judges! This means either first, second, third, honorable mention, or sub-category - we can't tell you which!

We will have a ticket to the Photo Finish for you at the door. The event begins at 7 pm, Saturday, March 28. We hope to see you there!

If you have already purchased a ticket - bring a friend!

If you need additional tickets, you can call 707-938-1133 or go online at mustardfestival.org and purchase them at $95 each. Tickets will be $125 at the door.

Congratulations again!

Best regards,

Amber McCann-Howlett
Summers-McCann, Inc. Public Relations

I had three entries, but I'm not sure which one was recognized. I'm hoping it's "Mile Marker 12", since it's my favorite, but I'll be happy no matter which one it is. Below are my three entries to the 2009 Napa Valley Mustard Festival Photo Contest. If you're going to the Photo Finish, please stop me and say hello! All of the contest photos will be on display and for sale at Mumm Napa Valley until May 1st. I highly recommend you stop by to view them, it's quite a site to see a gallery full of beautiful images of Napa in bloom!

2009 Challenge: 61/365 - Joy

2009 Challenge: 61/365 - Joy, originally uploaded by Maltphoto.

2009 PhotoChallenge - The First Month (or so)

I decided to participate in the 2009 Photochallenge , albeit a bit late. I tried to catch up, but I still haven't hit several of the first days. This years challenge is a bit different than Trevor and Jeremy have done in the past, requiring that one shoots everyday. Every day is a different theme, and we've already done some interesting stuff only a month into the project. Everything from Entropy (which was a challenge theme last year) to water, to texture. We've had weekly themes, including black and white, beverages, and colors. Not only is it rewarding to challenge yourself to come up with something new and innovative, but it's amazing to see everyone else's take on the same subject.

I decided to participate after reviewing my photography goals for this year. One of them was to shoot more, and this project has definitely got me shooting more. I've been shooting almost everyday, though recently I missed a couple days. Even though I've shot every day, I haven't necessarily posted every day, so I think I need to do a better job with that as the year goes on. The most interesting part of this project is the limited time frame in which to get your shot. I've tried very hard to shoot the day's theme on that day and it's certainly stretched the limits at times. Some of the topics are harder than others for me, and I'm sure each challenge is different for each person based on thier strengths and weaknesses as a photographer.

As an example, one of the toughest shoots for me was day 18 - Clouds. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and I spent most of the day trying to figure out how to do this. I thought about cotton balls, and other items that I could put together to represent clouds. Then I remembered a local store painted with a cloud pattern and the old car that sat outside. I never would have taken this photo had it not been for the challenge, and yet I think its one of my better ones.

So what has this challenge done for me? Simply: A Lot. It has me thinking out of the box most of the time. To me, if the challenge is something as mundane as, say "Flag". Why should I go out and take a picture of a flag on a flagpole? There's plenty of flags around where I work (Civic Center Plaza in SF), so that's a gimme. It's incredibly rewarding to come up with something different. In the case of flag, I decided to do some selective coloring, to do something different with the shot.

What's interesting is that about a month later, the challenge was "selective coloring". So now I had to find a different shot for the same process I had done earlier. I ended up with the following:

I've found that I'm leveraging things I've learned from previous challenges in the current ones. One of the earlier challenges was "Low Point of View". I've used that theme in a few of my shots for the challenge and more so for shots I'm not shooting for the challenge. I'm trying new things with the location and angle of the camera to make a shot more unique. I'm noticing things everyday and making a mental note of challenges they may be useful for in the future. I'm using my right brain a lot more on a daily basis, which is good since my profession requires 95% usage of the left brain. Overall, I've been trying my best to get my shots on time and posted. I've been using flash and impromptu studio setups for some shots. All of which is stuff I never would do, if I weren't shooting for the challenge. I'm eager to see how this translates over the course of 3 months, 6 months and a full year into my regular shooting.

I've got a set of all my Photochallenge images over on flickr, so please stop by to check them out. There's also the group photostream, which I linked to earlier to see everyone's submissions for the challenge.

Tender is the Night

Tender is the Night, originally uploaded by Maltphoto.

2009 Challenge: 27/365 - Texture

2009 Challenge: 27/365 - Texture, originally uploaded by Maltphoto.

Part of the 2009 Photochallenge. Today's theme was texture. This was much easier than I expected. Once you start looking for texture, you find it everyone. The trick was to get a fairly unique shot. This is one of the walls at the Montgomery Street BART Station. The light is from a stopped train, and you can see the reflection of the yellow safety strip and the trackway in the semicircles. I'll be posting more from today, but for now, this is my official entry for Day 27.

I can feel it in my bones

I can feel it in my bones, originally uploaded by Maltphoto.

2009 Challenge: 20/365 - Flag

2009 Challenge: 20/365 - Flag, originally uploaded by Maltphoto.

Part of the 2009 Photochallenge. Today's theme was flag. I had wanted to do something really creative for today's challenge. Unfortunately, despite the myriad of flags at the civic center, I had a photoblock and couldn't come up with anything terrifically inspired. So I did the next best thing. I used Lightroom to take a decent shot and make it a little different. I think this stands out much more than the original photo.

The process I used is documented here, courtesy of Kelley Ann Martin. In a nutshell I did this using the adjustment brush to desaturate the image, then erased the portion of the mask where I wanted the color to show. I finished this off in Photoshop Elements, using Noise Ninja to clean up the image a little and apply some final sharpening.

2009 Challenge: 18/365 - Clouds

2009 Challenge: 18/365 - Clouds, originally uploaded by Maltphoto.

There's not a cloud in the sky. Not even a wisp of one, so I spent most of the day thinking in the back of my mind how to do clouds without any clouds. I was thinking about how I could use cotton balls, but couldn't really come up with anything ingenious. Then I remembered the building and the car with the cloud pattern painted on them and voila! I wanted the car and the building in the same shot, but it was parked further away today, so that shot was not to be. I took a bunch of both, but think this one is the best. Some angles it's hard to tell that it's a cloud pattern, or it's hard to tell it's a car. I think this shot accomplishes both.

Friday Photo Links

I'm a little late to the game of this, as Jim published this list on Tuesday. But, he had outstanding participation and I'm still working my way through this list. So, without further ado, below are the links for the participants in Jim Goldsteins blog project of the best shots of 2008. There's some absolutely amazing photography to be found in these links, so I highly recommend checking these out.

1. "My Top 10 Favorite Photos of 2008" - Jim M. Goldstein


2. My Favorite Shots of the Year - View from the Little Red Tent by Edie Howe


3. 2008 Favorites - Photine by Laurie Ballesteros


4. My Nephew - Amit Goyal
   My nephew woke me up in the morning and was in a very chirpy mode when this was clicked


5. Another world (+Vorher/Nachher) - Visuelle Gedanken by Martin Wolf
   


6. Boy, Hanoi - The Sun Shines & The Igloo Melts by Jon Gresham


7. Best Photos from 2008 - Abraham Neben


8. Apocalyptic Capitalism - Sultana Sandwich by James Hill


9. Top 10 Photos of 2008, My first year in Wisconsin - Sierra Visions by Steven Bourelle


10. My Best Photos: 2008 - Shutter Photo by D Travis North
    This past year was a huge growth year for my digital photography skills which I feel is exhibited quite nicely in my photo favorites of 2008.


11. Best Photos From 2008 - G Dan Mitchell Photography


12. Protesting Prop 8 - Quan Photography by John Quan


13. Bir y?l böyle geçti... - Caglar.ca by Caglar Tukel
    Most of Photos taken during our traveling around Turkey and hiking around our hometown, Izmir.


14. My best shots of 2008 - Jonesblog by Bryan WIlliam Jones


15. Flamingo and Desert Landscape - pl?dys's photoblog by Mike Reys
    Both pictures are from one of the most beautiful places on earth: Chile's Atacama desert. The salt lakes there provide for some stunning colours and beautiful wildlife.


16. Suspended - Mark Groves Photography


17. My Favorite 10 Images from 2008 - IM Digital by Ivan Makarov


18. My Best Photo of 2008 - Matt Ward Photography
    This photo was taken in Oct at 7am after a cold night in Atlanta, GA.


19. Highlights of 2008 - Lori Jackson Photography
    In 2008, I picked up my camera again after a year long hiatus following pregnancy and my son's birth.


20. Favorites from 2008 - Adventures Through The Lens by Rebecca Jackrel


21. Top Ten Photos of 2008 - Chris Moore Photography


22. My Photo Record - Kriz Cpec Photo Blog


23. Best of 2008 - Catavino by Ryan Opaz


24. Looking Forward and Back - Graf Nature Photography by Mark Graf


25. Lloyd's Favorites of 2008 - L.D. Cross


26. My Favorite Photos from 2008 - Epic Edits by Brian Auer
    A selection of my favorite photos from 2008, broken down by each month and supplemented with a few thoughts.


27. Derryclare Lough - Focus Pocus by Albert MacSweeny
    My best photo of the year was when I was lucky enough to get a still lake in the usually turbulent west of Ireland


28. Best of 2008 - News and Views by Dave Wilson


29. Needle - Andel's Photoblog by Andel Früh
    This photo has been shot with the kit lens (18-55mm f/3.5-5.6) in retro position (front lens to the camera)


30. Year in Pictures - Marcin Retecki


31. 2008 Top Ten - Lois Elling


32. My Best Photos of 2008 - Out of My Mind by Steven L. Mullen
    These are travel and nature shots taken in Michigan, China, and locally.


33. One from 2008 - Hockley Photography by Aaron Hockley
    It's a photo taken at night, looking across a bridge towards another photographer also taking a picture of the same ferris wheel as I was.


34. 2008 in Pictures - Sawlani Photography by Hitesh Sawlani


35. My Top 10 Photos for 2008 - by Neil Creek Photography


36. Best of 2008 - The Quiet Picture by Minna Kinnunen
    My 10 favourites from 2008, everything from flower closeups to landscapes and starry nights!


37. Best of 2008 - by Stig Nygaard
    Just a quick little mixed selection of what I consider my best photos from 2008


38. My Top Ten Photos from 2008 - Korn on the Blog by Justin Korn
    Of the 1,800+ images I uploaded to Flickr this year, these are what I thought were my top 10.


39. Blog Project: "your Best Photos from 2008" - Jim's Photography by Jim Wheeler


40. My Best Photos from 2008 - TrevorCarpenter.com by Trevor Carpenter


41. Best Photos of 2008 - by Dave Reichert


42. 2008 Favorites - by Beth Madison


43. 01/01/2009 Best of 2008 - Brad Barton Photography


44. 2008: My Favorite Photos - My Digital Life by Jeremy Brooks


45. 2008: The year in photographs - Katie the Scrapbook Lady by Katie


46. Gotham. Or maybe London - SFT Photography by Steve Thomas
    I love the dark and moody feel, combined with the futuristic look of the building. I really enjoyed shooting it!


47. My Best Photos of 2008 - Malphoto.com by Andre Maltais
    I'm particularly proud of these submissions this year, as it seems I've made some great strides in my photography from the beginning of the year.


48. Best of 2008 Project - Photos From The Top Floor by Carsten Fischer


49. La Arcada seating on a rare rainy October morning - gZphotoGraph


50. Jaguar - by Jarrod Erbe Photography
    This jaguar image was taken at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The background was generated using a combination of Aperture, Photoshop Elements, and DFT Light.


51. Best of 2008? - Suzy Walker, Underwater Photoblog
    My top ten fav travel, underwater and macro photos taken in 2008


52. My best shots of 2008 - TemujinPhoto Blog by João Almeida


53. Best of 2008 - by Rick Goldwasser


54. My Top 10 Images of 2008 - The Jim Stamates Collection by Jim Stamates


55. #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 - Mannedspace: Photographs by MT Fanders


56. Best 10 of 2008 - by Duffy Knox


57. Future Christmas Card - by Massimo Belloni


58. Best Photos of 2008 - MIZSPONTANEITY: A Girl With A Camera by Elaine
    I got a Nikon D40X for Christmas 2007, and although some of these photos were with my trusty Sony W70 point-and-shoot, these are my favorite 10 results of my first year with a digital SLR.


59. Best of 2008 - Changing Perspectives by Jenni Brehm


60. My Best of 2008 - by Eliya Selhub
    In 2008, I have found myself increasingly drawn to animals as subjects, and a slight cartoonish absurdity always appeals to me.


61. My Best Photos From 2008 - Lilahpops - Plunging into Photography by Anthea Brown
    Looking back over my photos for the past year shows my increasing interest in post-processing experimentation alongside my favourite macro format.


62. My top 10 favorite photos of 2008 - The Taeleman's Blog by Kris Taeleman


63. My Favorite Photos of 2008 - Coulter Photos by Scott Coulter


64. Favorites of 2008 - XGray Vision by Stephen Gray


65. My Top 10 Favorite Images of 2008 - Cornforth Images by Jon Cornforth
    Spectacular nature and wildlife photography, photos, and pictures by award winning professional photographer Jon Cornforth.


66. Sitting Backwards on My Horse - latoga photography By Greg Lato


67. Top ten images of 2008 - Enlightened Images by Gary Crabbe
    These are some of the image I took in 2008, and which rose toward the top of the - I Like - pile.


68. Best 10 photos of 2008 - Have Camera Will Travel by Paul Dymond
    Images from professional Australian travel photographer Paul Dymond which ironically were all taken pretty close to home.


69. Best of 2008 - Heidi Donat


70. Best Photos of 2008 - by Luca Filigheddu Photography


71. Favourites of 2008 - by Chris Brown


72. Best of 2008 - by William Kahn


73. Pics of the pops 2008 - fotoVoyager by William Fawcett


74. My Top 10 Photos of 2008 - Always Breaking by Gary Hegenbart


75. Best of 2008 - by Trevin Chow
    This is a set of my best photos that I took during 2008 which is a combination of Flickr's "interestingness" meter and my own selection.


76. Best of 2008 - Hotel Yankee Foxtrot by Alex McGeagh
    A collection of the better images captured in a progressive and productive year for me.


77. Top 10 Photos of 2008 - Digital Kloc Photography Blog by Brian Kloc


78. Burrard-Lucas Top Ten Photographs of 2008 - Burrard-Lucas Photography by William Burrard-Lucas
    We are brothers from the UK with a shared passion for wildlife photography – in 2008 we followed Meerkats in the Kalahari, stalked Jaguars in the wetlands of Brazil and waded through swamps at night to photograph Caimans...


79. My best 10+3 pictures of 2008 - All Day I Dream About Photography by Antoine Khater


80. Best of 2008 on Highway 89 - Ann Torrence Photography
    Transecting the west from Mexico to Canada on US89.


81. Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance - by Dave Fitch
    A railway bridge in Leith [Edinburgh] that was restored and then left to rot. It's not perfectly symmetrical, but then neither is the bridge


82. My Top 10 Photographys of 2008 - Nuwomb Bits by Scott Webb


83. Best of 2008 - Matt Sallee Photography


84. My 10 best photos of 2008 - Stephen Trainor Photography
    Mostly landscapes, mostly of the Southwest, but with a hint of other anglophone countries.


85. 10 in 2008 - k|d loftis photography
    My favorite images from 2008 which include weddings, maternity and newborns, families and babies and a few personal images from the year.


86. My 10 Favorite Images of 2008 - Della Huff Photography
    My ten favorites from 2008 include California landscapes and cityscapes, with a couple of extra goodies thrown in for fun!


87. Best Photos of 2008 - by Dave Schumaker


88. Best of 2008 - by Jay Goodrich Photography


89. My best photos from 2008 - All Narfed Up by Bryan Villarin
    Choosing my best photos from 2008 was really hard to narrow down, especially since it was my first year with a SLR camera.


90. Mein Flickr Photostream 2008 - Best of - by Stefan Neuweger


91. My Best Photos from 2008 - Why Yet Another Photo Place by Rafa


92. Best Photos from 2008 - by Daria Sukhanovska
    Only until i created this set of 13 photos, i realized how much progress i have done this year: I have traveled a lot, got one photo printed in the magazine and had my first own personal exhibition in the university library and simply had fun with my photos


93. My Best of 2008 - by Phil Price Photography

[tags]Best of 2008, Photography, Blog Project, Photographers[/tags]

Wingsuit Base Jumping

I learned about this clip from a Lance Armstrong twitter. These guys are pretty crazy, and pretty amazing at the same time! You can watch a larger version here.


wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.

'One Track Mind' Trailer

I love surfing. Having grown up outside of Boston, I'm not really sure how this came to be. The funnier thing is, despite all my trips to Hawaii, I have no clue how to surf. Never been on a board in my life. I've tried my hand at surfing photography a couple times, but it's much easier in the water, I think, than from the shore. At least with my crappy telephoto lens anyways.

Stumbled across this trailer on the Patagonia Blog. I love it, of course, and thought I'd share it with all of you. Enjoy!

My Best Photos of 2008

It's been a while since I've posted anything, largely due to the holidays, and the fact that I just didn't shoot as much in December as I would have liked. I do have a bunch of photos from Boston that need processing, but in the meantime, I'd thought I'd post a few of my best shots from 2008. Thanks to Jim Goldstein for this great blog project. Justin Korn has posted his top shots and Brian Auer has taken a month by month approach which is very interesting, and I'd like to do for 2009, material permitting.

I've created a set of my top photos over on Flickr. This has coincidentally tuerned out to be 20 photos, but I suspect I'll add a shot or two from my recent visit to Boston. There's several more photos that I'm very proud of, but they're not published on Flickr and they never will be. You can see a smattering of some of those in my portfolio set on my website in the Portfolio section. Almost all of those were taken this year and I'm hoping to take more in 2009, especially now that I've upgraded to the Canon 40D.

So here are a few photo's from the flickr set. Enjoy and I hope to have even more for my a look back at 2009!