Last weekend was the Makers Faire - a crazy two day confab of DIYers, Steampunks, rocketeers, and electro-mechanics. I was only able to attend for half day and was so overwhelmed that I didn’t shoot much.
Camera Obscura
This is inside a beautiful camera obscura built by Chris de Monterey. The image is projected via a mirror and lens on the roof of the building onto a circle of painted wood.
Because of the sharpness and lack of a framerate, the projection looks almost 3D. A beautiful depth of field effect is there, too. You can focus by adjusting the level of the table, and direct the view by pulling a rope to spin the mirror on the roof.
Cyclecide Ride
The well-named ‘Cyclecide.’ Powered by pedaling. This was the safest looking of the home made carnival rides. Yea, the safest.
Two members from the troupe of people around the Neverwas Haul self propelled Victorian house.
I spent the morning last Sunday with the Palo Alto Camera Club shooting the San Francisco Carnaval. We got up there at 8:30am, well before the parade started, and mingled around the staging area. It was much more interesting watching people prepare for the parade that watching them walk down the street. It was just as much of a party atmosphere as the actual parade - bands and DJs were playing, people were dancing, and you could get a contact high just walking around. Here are a few of my favorite shots…
Everyone on the team is graduating this Sunday, and we’re going to miss them a lot. All of them were out here in Silicon Valley for two semesters, some of them for three, so we all got to know each other really well. That cliche about ‘learning more from your students than they learn from you’ comes from having students like these.
Actually borrowlenses.com. This great camera equipment rental company came by the Palo Alto Camera Club meeting last week for a few hours to let us play will all sorts of fun toys. I spent most of my time at the extremes - from 400mm (the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS) down to 15mm (the Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye).
Leonard checking out the 400m cannon.
Here’s an example of what you get with an expensive 400mm lens (on my Canon 40D). This is a picture of an Avocet up to his knees in mud in the Palo Alto Baylands. Below that is a 1:1 crop (showing you the actual pixels) - check out the detail in the feathers, and of course how dark and thick the muck is.
Avocet in Mud - full image
Avocet in Mud - tight 1:1 pixel crop
Now some 15mm Fisheye silliness. I couldn’t help but aim it at myself. For these pictures I think the front of the lens was only a couple of inches from my face. These two were taken with the lens on a Canon 5D Mark II.
Lots of room for a brain.
Lots of room for other stuff.
And finally, this one of the hood badge on my Porsche. Taken with the 15mm Fisheye on my 40D.
