The 2008 year in Photographs

Check this site for some of the most interesting news photos of this past year.

The year 2008 in photographs (part 1 of 3)

2008 in photographs (part 2 of 3)

2008, the year in photographs (part 3 of 3)

Happy Holidays!

It seems that everyone is having a hard year!!

Merry Christmas

(Click to enlarge)















Created By Lou Adzima

To all our relatives, friends and fellow bloggers, here's wishing you the merriest of Christmas'. May all your loved ones be near to you, gathered 'round your tree, all safe and warm. For those who can't make it this year, know that they are there, if only in their hearts.

Remember a special prayer for those serving in our Armed Forces.

Lou and Deinna

'66 Mustang Photo

Photo by Lou Adzima















Saturdays Photo. In between the rain drops, Deinna, David her son, his friend Donald and myself managed to get this shoot done. It is to be a Christmas gift for Donald's dad. So don't tell him! It was taken at Simpson's Nursery here in Jamul. If you are looking for plants, this is the place to come! Also, if you are looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon, the owners of the nursery have assembled a wonderful antique car collection of restored vehicles inside a barn right there on the property. Outside, you will find an assortment of small camping trailers. There are many other unrestored vehicles scattered among the nursery plants, and tons of other automotive memorabilia.

Here's a link to Simpson's

Nikon D700 good enough to eat

Nikon D700 Birthday Cake
By Charlie Sorrel

D700cake

Lucky Maria F. Not only did her generous husband buy her a Nikon D700 for her birthday, he bought her this rather excellent and delicious-looking D700 cake from Pennsylvania-based cake maker Granny Schmidt's.

Of course, anyone geeky enough to get a camera cake for their birthday is geeky enough to do a proper photoshoot of that same cake. there's a splendid recursiveness to the whole thing, too: The sponge D700 was shot with the real D700, using a Nikkor 50mm ƒ1.8 lens and an off-camera SB800 flash triggered by the D700's built-in strobe.


Here's the cake

Office Management software (Free)

Here is a free software to read those documents you may receive in your email that you don't have the correct software to open, like word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more.

For the PC OpenOffice.org
For the MAC NeoOffice.org

25 MP Nikon

Just in time for Christmas!




















NIKON UNVEILS A DIGITAL MASTERPIECE: THE D3X DIGITAL SLR

Here is the NIKON link to read the release.

Here is the NIKON product page.

Extreme resolution 24.5-megapixel FX-format (35.9 x 24.0mm) CMOS sensor
Large 5.49µm pixels capture astonishing detail and subtleties with outstanding dynamic range for demanding commercial applications.

138 MB ( Approximate) Processed NEF (RAW) 12 or 14 bit image files
Selectable bit depths of 12-bit (4,096 tones) or 14-bit (16,384 tones), both yielding incredible image quality through a 16-bit processing pipeline, for smoother tonal gradations.

Happy Thanksgiving

______________________________________________________

Photo By Lou Adzima

Wisdom- New Book by Andrew Zuckerman

I came upon the site today and wanted to share it.
Andrew Zuckerman is a New York–based photographer and director, and the author of Creature. He interviews 50 the worlds great writers, actors, politicians, musicians and others, all over the age of 65. He asked them seven questions their responses are shared in the book and a DVD.
The site shows still and Video of the images and and how the project was made. This also is a great site just to watch.

Check his site HERE


Each one of us can be an oasis of peace.—Desmond Tutu

Greenhouse progress

That's how busy Nicole was,

we think there was Three of her!











We have had a guest artist here at the Hacienda Deinna for a few days. Her name is Nicole Pipitone. Nicole has decorated the screen doors for the Greenhouse. She is beginning her senior year at Valhalla High School. After Deinna showed her what the idea was, she kind of took over and completed both doors on her own. She cut the decorations out of wood, applied them and selected the colors to paint, working five full days to complete her masterpiece. Below are some details of her handiwork. She is the daughter of Joel, whose motorcycle pictures were featured on our blog HERE a few weeks ago.

Tell Adobe what you think

Here's the opportunity to tell Adobe your views on their products!
Or just see what others have told them.

Enjoy!
Click the "Dear Adobe"







Also the answer to a question I hear often, it's from John Nack's web site at Adobe.

MAY 04, 2007
CS3: Switching platforms, free upgrades

Q. Can I switch my product from Windows to Mac or vice-versa?
A. Yes. Just call Adobe Customer Service (800-833-6687 in the US; 020 7365 0733 in the UK; more country-by-country numbers here) for assistance. The process, as I understand it, involves signing an agreement stating that you've destroyed the product on one platform, and in return Adobe will send you the product for the other platform. According to the service folks, there may be a cost involved; verification of product is required; and restrictions apply.

Politishop

It's that time of year. Everything gets political.

Display of my Fine Art Photography

I am currently displaying some of my fine art photography at the Calumet Photographic store's GALLERY in Escondido, CA. If you're in the area, please stop by, take a look, sign my guest book, and feel free to leave a comment.

I will be presenting a four-hour seminar on Photoshop for Photographers on 23 Aug 2008 at the same Calumet store. This is a basic introduction to the workings of Photoshop. If you're new to Photoshop, or would like to learn more about it's functionality, or have been thinking of purchasing the program, this is the class for you.

If you would like to join, click to register HERE.


When: Saturday, August 23, 2008 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM


Where:
Calumet San Diego

830 W. Valley Parkway
Suite 330

Escondido, California 92025

760.737.6002

Photo Display

Joel's Motorcycle Photographs

Our friend Joel bought this bike - so we photographed him with it, on top of a hill, in the Jamul outback.

Photoshop for Photographers

I will present an introduction to Photoshop on 23 Aug 2008 at the Calumet store in Escondido, CA. To register click HERE

When: Saturday, August 23, 2008 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Where:
Calumet San Diego
830 W. Valley Parkway
Suite 330
Escondido, California 92025
760.737.6002

Photoshop is the engine that drives digital photography today. This four-hour course will introduce the basic operation and functionality of Photoshop’s toolbar, menus and pallets. We will answer questions and help resolve some of the frustrations many experience while trying to get Photoshop working to its fullest potential. Don’t miss this opportunity to receive hands-on instruction to ignite your digital creativity!

This course will not be using a digital lab, however participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops loaded with Photoshop to follow along with the processes that will be demonstrated on screen. (This is not mandatory.)

Instructor Lou Adzima is a former Navy photographer whose assignments have included both still and motion picture work. Working as a ground and aerial photographer, his naval training included both B&W and color processing and printing and camera repair. At the time of his retirement, Lou served as the Pacific Fleet Imaging Command Departmental Head of Imaging and Information Systems. He concluded his 38-year Navy career by teaching Photoshop to U.S. Navy Photographers for seven years. Lou currently operates his own studio in Jamul, California.

Fee: $60

4th of July

Deinna & I wish you all a Happy & Safe Holiday. We are finishing the remodel of the garden shed and looking forward to relaxing by the pool this summer.

But, as we enjoy this day's celebration, please remember all of our service personnel serving away from their homes today, and their fallen brothers and sisters who have given their lives for our country.

Our prayers are with them as they gallantly stand watch for us.

God Bless America, today and always.

New Nikon Equipment Announced D700 & SB900

Nikon's original 12.1-megapixel FX-format (23.9 x 36mm) CMOS sensor

Broad ISO sensitivity up to 6400 and incredibly low noise: Super low-noise performance from 200-6400 ISO, with the added versatility of Lo-1 (100 ISO) Hi-1 (12,800 ISO) and Hi-2 (25,600 ISO).

Continuous shooting up to 5 frames per second: Shoot at up to 8 frames per second with the optional MB-D10 Multi-power Battery Pack.

Three-Inch, super-density 920,000-dot VGA color monitor: High resolution with
170-degree wide-angle viewing, calibrated color and tempered-glass protection assure confident image review.

Two Live View shooting modes: Choose from hand-held or tripod modes to suit shooting requirements.

Rugged magnesium-alloy construction: Along with extensive dust and moisture protection and a durable shutter mechanism tested to 150,000 cycles, the D700 merges pro D-SLR performance with expanded agility.

Fast, accurate 51-point AF with 3D Focus Tracking: Exacting autofocus precision, plus three Dynamic AF modes.

...and More.

Check the Nikon site HERE





See the Nikon SB900 HERE.

Organ Pipe Cactus

From Ajo Arizona

Colin Smith Photoshop Training

The "Kiwi" Colin Smith has new training videos at Adobe TV.
Check out the wizard's work HERE.

deke on Photoshop

Deke McClelland, Master of Photoshop that he is, outdoes himself as he presents 101 Photoshop Tips in 5 Minutes.
This is a must see.

Yousuf Karsh Photography

Photography at it's finest.
The Yousuf Karsh estate website is available to view the masters work and order prints.
You can view his work here.

During his career he held 15,312 sittings and produced over 150,000 negatives.

Photographing the art of San Diego

Ever wonder where some of the things you see in life come from?
Deinna and I had that opportunity to meet the artist of one creation yesterday in Downtown San Diego.


































Jeremy Wright and his niece work on his masterpiece located at 16th and Island street. He is a sculptor/teacher from Encinitas CA.















Looking through his collection of chards for that next "perfect piece", Jeremy selects it....



















butters it....































and places it just so.

Jeremy was given permission to decorate the outside walls with his mosaic mural. Many local people have joined in by decorating a small part of the wall. You will find broken plates, bottle caps, cup handles, ceramic tiles, a spark plug, and even an old wrench and hammer. This building has now become the site of many photographic shoots, newspaper articles, and blog entries.






















This labor of love is now in the middle of it's 3rd year. The theme is COLOR!
















Almost in the shadow of Petco Park, the Island street side of the building reveals many religious symbols, a baseball player and some very interesting characters.

































God's Extended Hand is a community outreach and homeless shelter located at 16th and Island streets in downtown San Diego. For seventy five years, GEH has been a place of hope, love, refuge, and encouragement. Reaching out to the community in meaningful ways, it has been located on this corner for the last 50 years in one of the roughest parts of the East Village area.

Gas Prices

Gas prices from a long time ago, the small sign next to the red "gas sign" shows .09-9/10 cents tax of .04-1/2 for a total of .13-9/10!

This "Dream of a Gas Station" , is one of the great visuals from the past, located at Simpson's Nursery in Jamul Ca. The nursery is owned and operated by Hal Simpson's Granddaughter Cathy and her husband Lee. In addition to a great plant selection they have assembled one of most fantastic collection of relics from yesteryear. Click the name above check out their site to see and learn more.





Enter your Zip Code below to check for the cheapest gas in your area.

Per Gallon

Prices by automotive.com

Baggage Cart

Located in Deadwood, South Dakota, this baggage cart has serviced it's last train.

I love the sights and sounds of the railroad. As a youngster, some of my favorite memories were formed by the every day sounds around the trains.

Waiting in the stations to see someone off on a journey, or to meet them as they came to visit, one conspicuously vibrant sound- the steel wheels of the baggage carts as they grated on the cobblestones of the station, formed some of my the fondest memories.

To today, I still can hear that sound, even though they sit empty, their wheels motionless, waiting for long forgotten trains that no longer polish the rails.

Photoshop Express RIA arrives!

Adobe has announced Photoshop Express.
An online photo management tool to edit, organize and share your images.
The best part it's free!
Check it out at John Nack from Adobe site HERE.

Red Wall & Palm

Apartment building in Oceanside CA.

Happy Easter - Mt Helix, La Mesa CA

Good Friday




















Easter Sunday

Good Friday

Good Friday, Holt Trinity Monastery, St. David, Arizona.

Twelfth Station of the cross.
Jesus Dies on the cross

Holy Trinity Monastery belongs to the Olivetan Benedictines, whose Motherhouse is located outside Siena, Italy. Its Abbot-General is Michaelangelo M. Tiribilli.