August Running

So I am pleased.  Pretty good month.  Over 90 miles!  Yeah me!  Click the photo for a larger view.

Take Me Home Tonight

Take Me Home Tonight directed by Michael Dowse
2011
★✰✰✰✰
So I like Topher Grace.  He is a pretty good actor and funny most of the time.  This movie was horrible though.  It had great 80's music but nothing else.  Incredibly formulaic and boring.  This movie has been made a hundred times.

Triple Shadow

Triple Shadow, a photo by olmjohns on Flickr.

So I am unsure of how I like this shot.  I think it may have come out too dark.  I had a lot of difficulty with this shadow shoot as I don't care to take photos of people.  I'm not expecting too much this week...

The Challenge:
So we've featured shadows before. This time around, though, you'll be restricted to living subjects only. Of course, you can have shadows of objects, too, and the shadows can be interacting with humans, but be sure that the shadow can become a character all its own within your work.
But go beyond the mere shadow self-portrait. Because we've all seen it.
http://gizmodo.com/5831764/shooting-challenge-shadow-people

My Comment:
I was vacationing in San Diego with my family and we visited the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. It is an incredible museum that had this fantastic shadow projection wall as one of the exhibits. This is a shot of my son running across the screen.

The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau directed by George Nolfi
2011
★★★★✰
So I really liked this film.  I didn't realize this was a sci-fi movie prior to watching it which probably made it a little better.  Great story.  Check this one out.

Nighttime noir?

Nighttime noir?, a photo by olmjohns on Flickr.

So I had difficulty with this week's challenge.  I originally set up this elaborate scene with Playmobil people of a restaurant robbery gone bad.  After I took the photos, they look super cheesy so I killed that idea fast.  I ended up with this shot of my street.  It was foggy and the lamppost looked eerie in a way.
The Challenge:
Capture a photo in the film noir style. That means black and white with low-key lighting. Does it mean detectives and dames? Not necessarily. Go for the feeling and the tone, first and foremost.
http://gizmodo.com/5829540/shooting-challenge-film-noir
My Comment:
I am not too happy with my photo this week. I'm even less happy with the crop for the required smaller image needed for submission. I tried to get a shot that utilized last night's full moon as my single source of lighting but none of the photos came out well. I decided to take a shot of my neighborhood street at night with the lamppost acting as the lighting. I like the mood the photo sets: deserted street, dark night, ominous mailboxes... Oh well.

The Hills Are Alive 10K Results

So I didn't finish under an hour but I was close.  If not for the slow start due to skinny course and lots of people, I would have reached that goal.  A good goal for next year's race!  108/231.  Not bad for my first 10K!  I finished better than half.

The Hills Are Alive 10K

So I ran my first 10K race today.  I had a few goals.  First, finish the race!  Second, no walking.  Third, finish under an hour.  I felt good throughout the race and was pleased I was able to run the whole thing.

Unknown

Unknown directed byJaume Collet-Serra
2011
★★★✰✰
So I knew nothing about this film before renting it.  I did Liam Neeson and he didn't disappoint in this film.  It was a little Bourne Identity-ish but still a fun, action-y flick to watch.  January Jones is incredibly dull throughout the entire film.

Juggling fire

Juggling fire, a photo by olmjohns on Flickr.

So I had a week off of the shooting challenge because last week's theme was "fireflies."  Fireflies do not exist in the western half of the United States so I just passed on the challenge.  This week's challenge was do-able: fire.  I went to the circus with my family on Saturday and was hoping to get some good shots.  Almost all my photos turned out too dark but this one ended up looking good.

The Challenge:
Take a photo of fire - fire as in a flame or flames - as the subject. Feel free to make it part of a setting (like a summer campfire with s'mores). Or not. Abstraction within the flames is fine, too.
http://www.gizmodo.com/5826896/shooting-challenge-playing-with-fire

My Comment:
Yesterday I went to the circus with my family. I haven't been to the circus since I was a child so I was curious as to what it was still like. It is so very similar to what I remember yet so different... Anyways, to the challenge. I figured that fire would be involved in some of the acts so I knew I wanted to get my shot here. I ended up taking a shot with the jugglers juggling fire. I like how the entire circus is dark and is lit only my the torches. I left my shutter open a little long to catch the flame trails as they are tossed back and forth. I think they look like letters in some unknown language.

Hall Pass

Hall Pass directed by Peter Farrelly
2011
★★✰✰✰
So I thought this would be pretty bad and it was.  It was certainly more entertaining after having a few drinks.  Funny at times and way too long but good for a couple of laughs.