Where is Ben?

Interviewed in Spokane's Spokesman Review

I was interviewed a few weeks ago for a newspaper article that appeared in last Sunday's Outdoor/Travel section of the Spokesman-Review. You can read the interview online (the printed version contains more photographs).

Cheating on Blog Postings

I'm submitting blog postings pre-dated so that it looks as if I actually posted photos while I was traveling in London (aren't I sneaky)? That doesn't mean the photos will actually be from those travels since I haven't had a chance to process many of them.

The photograph above was taken near the Salton Sea in California. I'm thinking of starting a series on chairs since they seem to survive when nothing else is left in the scene. I'm not fully satisfied with this image because I feel that ground is too detailed and is therefore a  bit of a distraction from the chair and building... but I don't feel like spending any more time on the image since I have to work on my upcoming on-line classes right now.

Back in the States

I'm back from London!

I didn't post any images because internet access was so expensive that I was only online for one day and I spent the rest of my time either exploring or preparing for the London seminar. It was the first time I had used my newly revised seminar handbook and I thought it went rather smoothly.

I'll spend this week in Dallas recording content for a new on-line course that is designed for absolute beginners.

I doubt you'll see me posting much this week. I should return to Route 66 in about two weeks and then I hope to resume daily postings.

Shooting without Showers!

Today, I was actually able to go out shooting without getting soaked. I went for a walk to a mountain lake with my buddy Terry and finally was able to bring my camera.

The image above was very quickly processed just so I could get something posted before I got on my flight to London... I'm leaving in exactly seven minutes... I'll spend more time on the image if I ever end up printing it.

Heading to London

I'll be flying to London today and will present my Photoshop for Photographers seminar there on Friday the 27th. I'll have three days off to explore and photograph the area... but, of course, rain is in the forecast for every day that I'll be there.

Another Rainy Day in Vancouver

Today I moved from downtown Vancouver closer to the mountains North East of the city. It was another rainy day, so I didn't get any shooting in.

The image above was shot on the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver. The railing is from an outside stairway and the window goes to an unknown area.

Being Social in Vancouver

The rain has squashed most of my shooting plans while I've been here in Vancouver, so I've been hanging out with my friend Dave Montizambert.

I took the shot above the other day when Dave came to pick me up at the bus station. I just set the camera on the dash and shot using my new 15mm lens.

Getting Drenched in Vancouver

I went out shooting this morning only to get caught in a downpour that didn't want to let up. My rain jacket was just short enough to drain into my back pocket, which caused my jeans to become drenched. I only made a few shots before retreating to the comfort of a restaurant.

The image above was created from a shot I took while on the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver. It's a shot of some stairs (and their interestingly shaped shadows) that are used by the ferry crew. The image has been heavily processed in Photoshop with inverted colors (which caused the sky to become pink/orange). I also used the find edges filter to outline the edges of objects and much more.

Heading to Vancouver

Now that the Image Explorations conference is over (I had a great time), I'll be heading to Vancouver to explore for a few days.

The image above was created by Lane Collison during my Advanced Photoshop for Wedding and Portrait Photographers class. He also won the grand prize in the print competition they had with a great panorama image that was made from no less then 24 exposures.

Having A Great Time at Image Explorations

The Image Explorations conference has been a nice relaxing social event. Every night there is a happy hour, then every one gets together for dinner and people hang out and print their images until midnight or so. The students in my class have been creating some pretty amazing images.

I shot the image above in Victoria, BC during a walk from downtown to my hotel room. One building was full of graffiti, while the other was covered with a painted advertisement.