Memorial Day

Today was a day filled with a visit to the beach and Fort Rosecrans national cemetery. I of course brought my camera because you never know when "the shot" comes along and you want to be ready when it does. Which brings me to this point. I consider myself part editorial photographer and part everything else. I love taking pics which are "in the moment" because it is where the context is real. I want to see the drama in a picture. Hence my style is more candid and not posed although I am not opposed to taking the posed pics because they are fun too!

These pictures were taken today at Fort Rosecrans national cemetery on Point Loma in San Diego, CA. The view from here is spectacular. It overlooks San Diego Bay on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. Every grave was marked by the American flag and there are thousands of graves here.

My first post! So this is what I do.

I have created a digital collage tonight to break the ice on my first posting into the blog world. Yes, this is my first time so be gentle. And I do hope you will come back. I've already had a photography website on Zenfolio for a couple years and felt it was time to delve into blogging so that I can talk more about my art and what goes on behind it. So please enjoy and comments are welcome.

Alex #2

The original photo was taken by me at Egyptian Tea Room in May 2011 in San Diego. Alex was visiting from AZ and danced for the first time in a couple years with her partner Lauren. They formed the bellydance group Alioth Lotus back then.

The photo was taken in manual mode in available light at f1.8 ISO 1600 using a 50mm prime lens. White balance was set to Tungsten. I try not to use flash as my proximity to the dancer is pretty close and I don't want to blind them. Some say they don't mind but I have grown accustomed to shooting in low light situations.