Re-Return To Photography!

Well, a several months ago I attempted a return to photography. That lasted about a week.

So now I am attempting a re-return to photography! This time, I think it has a better chance to "stick" because I actually have really invested some money into it. A new DSLR and lenses, as well as a brand new quad-core computer with the new Photoshop CS5 and both Nik Silver Efex Pro and Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete are now being put to use.

Now the "reboot" has only been taking place this week, but I am already having some fun and it seems the creative juices are starting to flow again.

This flower picture was taken this week with a Pentax K-7 and Pentax Macro lens. I try to do "in camera" cropping so I didn't have to adjust the composition of the shot in Photoshop, but I did do some manipulation obviously. Some B&W conversion and Selenium toning in Silver Efex Pro, then I tweaked the curves to give some contrast. I also did a little digital "dodging & burning" just like I used to do in the real darkroom.

The gorilla shot is from the Cincinnati Zoo. I liked the look the gorilla had plus I really like the nice diagonal sweep of the stick he was holding, so all I did was put my 70-200 f/2.8 lens on to zoom in close enough for the shot. He seemed interested enough in what I was doing so he kept watching me which gave the shot nice eye contact. I did a pretty heavy "bleach bypass" effect on the shot which resulted in the strong contrast look which is what I wanted.

Next, this shot of a hockey goalie. Taken at Sports Plus in Evendale, Ohio. Sports Plus is an "ok" rink to get shots, but I much rather prefer shooting (and playing for that matter) at Northland which is just a bit down the road from Sports Plus. I used to work at SP and was the photographer for the Cyclones for a season when they used to practice there, so I know where the best places are for shots, plus since I also play hockey I think it gives me an advantage when photographing it.

I also like to fool around and make "wierd" images such as this one - "Crossroads" which actually started out as just a snapshot of a Baby Taylor acoustic, and ended up as what you see above. These kinds of images are really hit or miss, sometimes you might get something kind of cool, alot of times you get a reject!

I will probably post some pics now and then on here just to help keep my interest up. Feel free to comment if you like.

My B-Day!

Well, my birthday has came & passed.

Now that I'm older, it is really just another day. Birthdays lose their luster a bit in my opinion after you get passed your twenties.

Though this year, I have to admit I had a pretty nice birthday.

Nichole made me a delicious cake and went with me to see "Devil". The cake was much better than the movie! I got several really nice gifts, especially from my parents and the Reds / Diamondbacks game, but I gotta admit that the cake & time spent with Nic was the best part.

I also got myself another baseball glove to me from me...a sweet Rawlings Pro Preferred PROS17ICB with custom Oxblood web & Primo laces...a real beauty! Shit, sometimes ya gotta spoil yourself, right?!?

Add in the fact that I'm 30 pounds lighter & in better shape than I was the last time my birthday rolled around, got great friends and a beautiful, young woman to share life with...I like to think that life is pretty good!

It's Nichole!

(pics by Eric Brock)


Meet Nichole.
Or Nic.
Or Nic Nac.
Or Nicki.

She answers to them all. She is awesome for lots of reasons...

She's hot.
She's super sweet.
She likes GOOD music.
She's funny.
She likes cartoons.
She has a killer collection of t-shirts.
She's caring.
She likes tattoos.
She always smells good.
She's intelligent.
She likes Chinese food.
She's unbelievably hard working.
She changes her hair alot.
She knows "Boondock Saints" by heart.
She's uber-sexy.
The list could go on, but I'll stop there. :-)

Tune Of The Week - 8/9/10

"Tusk" by Fleetwood Mac

When I first heard this tune, I thought it was odd as hell.

Now, years & years later I still think it's odd, but I find it fascinating too. The beat is what gets you in this song obviously and Lindsay Buckingham's tortured "vocals" are great.

Hunt it up and let me know what you think in the comments.

Pic Of The Week - 8/9/10

"Brocker"

Pics taken with the front-facing camera on the iPhone 4, then transformed to a "drawing" and colorized with iPhone apps, and finally put together with the Diptic app.