Orthogonal Thought

Photo of the Day: Texas State Capitol Atrium

Michael Chu — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:30:59 +0000

Here’s another photo of the Texas State Capitol - this time showing the atrium. Three floors adorned with paintings of the governors or Texas hang on the walls of this impressive room. I was a bit annoyed by the picture since I wasn’t standing exactly in line with the entrance/exits (you can see the lights don’t line up vertical). If I was going to be a little off, I should have planned to be a little farther out of alignment. Here the angle is small enough that it irks me and yet not far enough askew to feel like it was on purpose.

Handheld, 1/50 sec at f/4.0 on ISO 800, 17-35mm f/2.8 lens

Photo of the Day: Strawberry and Nectarine Appettizers

Michael Chu — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:30:00 +0000

A few years ago, I went to an “appetizer party” at a friend’s house. Here’s an appetizer that she prepared that was simple and flavorful. Strawberries and sliced nectarines with a layer of mascarpone cheese topped water crackers.

Handheld, 1/160 sec at f/2.8 on ISO 800, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

Photo of the Day: Compact Flourescent Bulb

Michael Chu — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:30:17 +0000

Sometimes, while traveling, on vacation, or out shopping, I’ll find myself on a bench with a camera and nothing to do. Too lazy to move around, I’ll pull out my camera and take some pictures of whatever interests me at the moment. Unfortunately, when I get home later and look through the photos, I’ll wonder why I bothered taking the picture at all. This is one picture where I thought, “well, that’s not uninteresting”…

Handheld, 1/4000 sec at f/2.8 on ISO 200, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

Photo of the Day: Roborovski Hamster

Michael Chu — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:30:25 +0000

Tina and I used to own Roborovski Hamsters. These little guys are only about 1-1/2 inches long, are incredibly cute, and if ever let loose run at just below the speed of sound.

Handheld, 1/90 sec at f/3.8 on ISO 3200, 105mm f/2.8 macro lens

Photo of the Day: Wulfenite

Michael Chu — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:30:22 +0000

Wulfenite is a pretty cool looking mineral. It forms tetragonal crystals (often in sheets) that are often yellow or orange. This particular piece was found in Sonora, Mexico and on display at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles.

Handheld, 1/30 sec at f/2.8 on ISO 800, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

Photo of the Day: Night Climbing

Michael Chu — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:30:50 +0000

I took this picture at the old Planet Granite Climbing Gym in Santa Clara. Before they moved locations to the newer, larger, and better location in Sunnyvale, they allowed night climbing (with the lights off) around Halloween each year. (The new location isn’t allowed to do that due to liability reasons.) I ascended about 15-20 feet and braced against a few holds for this shot.

Handheld, 1.0 sec at f/2.8 on ISO 800, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

Photo of the Day: Dulce de Leche

Michael Chu — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:30:51 +0000

A couple days ago, I posted a new recipe to Cooking For Engineers for dulce de leche. When fully cooked and slightly cooled, the candy is solid and slightly tacky like caramel candy - which is essentially what it is. The usual methods for making this candy takes anywhere from 2 to 9 hours depending on the technique. I made the dulce de leche in about fifteen minutes with the fastest way I know how - a microwave oven.

Handheld, 1/60 sec at f/2.8 on ISO 200, 50mm f/1.8 lens with SB-28DX Speedlight

Photo of the Day: Cacti

Michael Chu — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:30:17 +0000

I took this photo at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. On the roof of the Getty Center is a cactus garden featuring several varieties of cacti. I’m not sure what variety of cactus these are, but it looks like barrel cacti (or ball cacti if that exists).

Handheld, 1/320 sec at f/2.8 on ISO 800, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens

Photo of the Day: Bald Eagles in Mud

Michael Chu — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:30:12 +0000

When we think of bald eagles, we think of them majestically perched in tree tops. This isn’t an inaccurate view, but I’ve also seen then sitting on large rocks by the water (like seagulls) and, in this case, rooting through the mud looking for food. This shot was taken next to the Turnagain Arm in Alaska.

Handheld, 1/1250 sec at f/5.6 on ISO 800, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens with 2x teleconverter

Photo of the Day: Guest House Museum, Fort Bragg

Michael Chu — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:30:39 +0000

The primary museum in Fort Bragg, California is the Guest House Museum on Main Street. The structure itself, built as a private residence for a partner of the Fort Bragg Redwood Company, is beautiful and interesting, but the contents (plans, photos, and artifacts from the lumber days) are fascinating (if you’re into that sort of thing).

Tripod, unrecorded exposure on Velvia 50, 28mm f/1.8 lens