Fishtank Ensemble in Sunnyvale

I ran into this band at de Young in June 2008 and immediately became a fan. This time only core members were present.  I was happy to see how little they changed.  Fabrice Martinezis is still a tough subject to photograph.  I tried hard to capture a single instance of emotion on his face.  All to no avail.  Djordje on the other hand has enough drive and energy for the entire band.  I would love to hear him playing rockabilly as he allegedly does.  Unfortunately Ursula was sick and did not sing much.  She is pretty amazing.  Can't wait to see their next CD!
This was also a first time I made a major mistake in my shooting process.  Image quality settings were accidentally changed from RAW to JPG.  So please do not judge the camera by the quality of the images - it is all operators mistake.  D600 with 80-200mm 2.8 is a wonderful combination and I could not be happier about it.

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk in Campbell

This year I got back to leading a photo walk in Campbell.  We got lucky and the date of the photowalk, October 13, fell right on Octoberfest, which is a big deal in our neck of the woods.  It was nice to see familiar faces and welcome new ones.

While taking pictures of junk cars in the middle of Campbell (I was always wondering how come they are there in the first place!) I was confronted by the property owner Paul Del Grande.  The situation was quickly defused after I asked Paul for permission to take pictures of his sign, his cars and himself.    I am glad I did!  Paul proved to be a fascinating guy!  Now in his 80s, Paul spent the last 20 years of his life in a constant litigation with the city of Campbell.  The city tries to force Paul to remove junk cars from his lot which became a prime piece of real estate.  Paul usually looses in court but then finds the way to back out of the deal. 

Event: Концерт Детского Клуба "Светлячок"

Праздник 8го Марта детский клуб "Светлячок" отметил концертом.  Посмотреть и загрузить фотографии можно здесь.  Напомню как загрузить фотографию.
Если загружать фотки ломает - обращайтесь в клуб, если повезет вам может достаться DVD со всеми фотографиями.

Eddie Palmieri & Brian Lynch Jazz Quartet

What a great performance!
Eddie Palmieri, Brian Lynch, Boris Kozlov and Dafnis Prieto were a joy to listen and watch. Maestro Palmieri impressed me with his showmanship.  He was also a great subject to photograph. 
Boris Kozlov reminded me of a great musician I listened to more than 20 years ago in a far off country.  Could not remember his name though.  Afterwards I dug it out - Anatoly Sobolev!  And he appeared to be Boris's teacher and mentor!  How may world-class bassists could 80-s Moscow have?
Dafnis Prieto is an amazing young drummer - keep your eye on him.

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk in San Jose

I had a great time meeting fellow photographers and taking pictures of strangers.  Architectural photography was less should I say engaging? 
After the walk we landed in Poor House Bistro - I just love the vibe of this place.  The food, drinks and  Kaye Bohler Band made it an enjoyable evening.

Event: Концерт Клуба Светлячок

This is a placeholder for the event pictures.  When these become available I will create an online gallery for you to enjoy.

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Flash Into the Sunset

Bay Area Strobist meetup at Alviso was a ton of fun despite the chilly weather.  We were lucky to catch two bikers who agreed to model for us.  What worked:

• Single bare handheld SB800 flash on macho bikers with harsh low sun light.
• Communication communication communication.
• Post processing in dramatic fashion with use of gradient filters and heavy vignetting.

What I did wrong

• Did not manage to underexpose the sky as I planned.  My plan to remedy this: (1) position model with sun to the side and NOT behind thus lowering sky intensity, (2) go faster than synch speed - use SB800 on a cord.
• Could not keep up with fast changing lighting conditions
• Should have keep shooting with sun below horizon - gave up too soon because of the freezing weather.