Key West Photos of The Catman Dominique and His Flying Housecats!
I’ve been going through some of my old files and I found some photos from Key West that I never processed. I can’t believe I forgot about Dominique and his flying housecats!
Dominique, also known as The Catman, has been putting on sunset shows at the pier in Key West for a bajillion years. He puts on a pretty funny show, and gets the kids involved in the stunts. He is quite a character!
I flew a plane today
I was just sitting in my office today trying to get some work done like a good boy when I got the call. Barnow and I have been talking about going flying for a year now. I considered declining . . . but I figured that I shouldn’t let another year go by. There is always time for more work!
Jeff had an errand of sorts to run in Longmont so we flew out East. It was kindof overcast over the mountains so it wasn’t the most scenic day ever. That was OK because it gave me the chance to put the camera down and actually FLY THE PLANE!
Yeah, that’s right. Not only did I fly it while in the air, I actually took the thing off the ground! I flew most of the way to Longmont and kinda sorta felt the controls while we landed. I felt the controls to know that with the crosswind we surely would have splattered if the landing really depended on me. I had thoughts of an ‘Airplane’ type situation, what it would be like if I actually had to land the plane myself. Stryker!
Yeah so there is the latest story of a day in the life of Steve Z and why I can’t get around to getting my taxes done. Ah yes it was a great day to not be stuck in the office! Hopefully Jeff will take me up again when the light is good and we can fly over the mountains . . . right?!?
Insomnia Photos
After the SkiJam I was out for the count for a couple days with a head cold. Usually what happens when I get sick is that at first I sleep a lot. Then after a day or two of not exercising and resting, I have trouble sleeping because I’m overly rested. The other night I was lying around in bed not sleeping, which sometimes leads to thinking. I started thinking about photography so I got up and started tinkering with my camera equipment.
I started out messing with mixing gels on my strobes and tweaking the color temperature of the photos around. Which in layman’s terms means mixing different color lights for various effects. But this eventually evolved into extreme closeup self portraits with the macro lens. It was an interesting experiment figuring out how to get a focus on myself in a dark room. I eventually settled on trial and error and f/32!
So eventually things got weirder and weirder! I’m blaming it all on the Sudafed! Look at those pupils! I’m boring a hole into your soul . . . moooooaaaahaaaaahaaaahaaaaa!
Boulder Cruiser SkiJam 4 at Abasin!
Wadda Ta my Dillies?!? This past Saturday I awoke with a fairly significant sore throat. Bummer. It’s Ski Jam Day! So what’s a guy to do? Well, if you are me then you suck it up, put on The Cosby Sweater, drown the scratchiness with adult beverages, and keep on shootin’. I was pretty much going to get sick anyway, so there was no point in missing out on the annual party of the year! As you can see I powered my way through it, but man, I paid for it the next 2 days.
This year the ol’ SkiJam took off to a whole new level. We took over 3 designated spots on ‘The Beach’ at Arapahoe Basin, had 300 people, several DJs, a full bar, grilled breakfast and lunch, and a ‘Fashion Show’ complete with stage and stripper pole!
After the high flying debauchery on the stage, we took to the bunny slope for some good old fashioned snow sliding. There were inner tubes, ski-bikes, sleds, and of course everyone’s favorite . . . beer cartons!
So here they are, the eagerly awaited Steve Z SkiJam 4 Photos! I even put them into a slideshow, since I haven’t made one of those for a while. I’ve spent WAY to much time putting this together, so I hope y’all appreciate it! See you next year!
To link to the slideshow on it’s own page, GO HERE.
Caption Contest for the Steve Z beating Timmy O’neill Photo
OK lets see how many people I can get to post something. Timmy O’neill is back in town for a spell, and called me up to go on a ride this weekend. We heading up to Betasso for my first loop of the year. Timmy always likes to go hard, all the time. He’s the guy who is most likely to kick your ass with a blown out cheap bike that doesn’t shift, has oil leaking from both fork legs, flat pedals, and a mountaineering helmet. At the end of our loop I set the camera on the table and popped the timer. No planning, one take, and this photo is what we got. I tried to think of a funny caption, but it’s Monday morning and I’m feeling sluggish. Who’s feeling witty? Timmy? Ryan?
Frozen in Grand Central Station
Here is another cool video link. A couple hundred people got together and ‘froze’ in the middle of Grand Central Station, much to the confusion of the general population. Check it out.
Party Pics from the Ghost Bar in Las Vegas
I’m back from WPPI in Las Vegas and things are fuzzy so I’m just going to post this Youtube office cubicle prank video
I’ve been attending trade shows in Las Vegas for many years now. For the bicycle industry gigs, you would hang out all day talking bikes, then you go to some industry parties where there are more dudes talking about bikes. Then maybe I’d try to go to some clubs, quickly get tired of buying $15 drinks, then go home.
I found out at the DWF convention in Tampa that wedding photographers are different. Inherently they are socialites who enjoy parties. Trouble, T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
So I’m back in Boulder and I’m trying to catch up with some clients and get my act together. I’ll post some pictures soon. But in the meantime I’ll share this little YouTube clip. Anything that involves cubicles makes me laugh a lot any more.
Are you left brained or right brained?
This is really cool. I’ve seen tests before, but they have always involved questions and answers, and I’ve never taken the time to complete one. This test is as simple as looking at a picture. CLICK HERE to go check out the image.
I’ve always wondered if I was left or right brained. Because of my previous career in engineering, I’ve always assumed that I am left brained . . .
LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS: uses logic, detail oriented, facts rule, words and language, present and past, math and science, can comprehend, knowing, acknowledges, order/pattern perception, knows object name, reality based, forms strategies, practical, safe.
But taking the test, it turns out that I’m right brained! Unless the test is bunk, of course. I’ve tried and tried to view the image the opposite way but can’t, so let me know if anyone sees the test and is left brained!
RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS: uses feeling, “big picture” oriented, imagination rules, symbols and images, present and future, philosophy & religion, can “get it” (i.e. meaning), believes, appreciates, spatial perception, knows object function, fantasy based, presents possibilities, impetuous, risk taking.
I’m still learning more and more about myself every day. It almost seems as though I’ve awakened the “big picture” thinking since embarking on the photography career. “Fantasy based”? You bet, wait until you see what I’ve got cooking in my mental pot. I don’t know how it’s going to happen, but I’m going to make it reality.
The Florida Cell Phone Self-Portrait Collection
The Snow Bird. Usage of the word is often intended to be derogatory. After 3 weeks of mostly perfect 70 degree weather in flip flops and sand in the toes, I’m growing sympathetic. I found myself playing with the cell phone camera a little more than i usually do. I realized today that I had a decent little collection of images! So since I don’t have any of my other big posts ready yet, I figured that I’d post a quickie.
The first photo in the top left was when I was enjoying a little guitar playing around the holidays. This last year I’ve sacrificed too much happy time in the name of work. I’m going to change that in 2008. Below that is me feeling a little freaked out by my one excursion to the mall this holiday season. Yeah, I went to a mall, and it had a freakin’ carousel in it! My only excuse for going is that I procrastinated getting my presents (photos, duh) and had to do it in Tampa, where the only nearby photo lab was in the mall. Top right is me enjoying fresh grouper fish and chips and an adult beverage while escaping the heat in Key West. The hat is super cool, weaved by a tattooed, skateboarding, beach bum dude and normally sold to tourists unloading off the cruise ships. The stuff behind me is a cool rusted out old truck with a mannequin in it. I tried to capture the whole scene, but you know, it was a cell phone. Bottom right is another tough day at work, scoping locations at Fort Desoto.
I didn’t miss skiing much. Hmmm.
Happy New Year! Key West Duval Street Party!
Happy New Year from Steve Z Photography! I rang in the New Year down in Key West, where I took some pictures of the debauchery down on Duval Street. Above is the scene in front of Sloppy Joes Bar, where we counted down and watched the Conch Drop!
Yes, the scene truly was … Sloppy.
It’s not a party until the Harley Dude puts the bra on head. And then, look out …
I found out that Key West has a prominent gay community. This bar was the scene of a bunch of transvestite cross-dressing action. I’m not sure why they couldn’t find any performers that were less frightening than these two …
The really frightening part was that this scene at Bourbon Street Pub was being covered live by CNN! It’s always amazing to me what is considered newsworthy. There was a countdown here as well, where another transvestite named Sushi rides in the red slipper as it drops.
We participated in some Mardi Gras style fun, catching beads that were being thrown down from the balcony above. Not that I really wanted more beads, but more for the sport of trying to catch them from other people!
Fortunately there were no severe hangovers to report on my end. I don’t have time for that! I’ve taken a lot of photos in the last week so there is a lot of work to be done before I immerse myself in a photography seminar and convention this weekend. Look for lots more photos to be posted here this week!
Key West Christmas Tree
I’m ringing in the New Year down in Key West Florida. It has been really warm, in the low 80s. It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas, and in celebration of that folks decorate their trees with a sense of humor down here.
The Boulder Beer Mile
It isn’t every day that I learn of a new extreme sport. But when I do you can be certain that I’ll be there to document it. Particularly if it involves combining athleticism with alcoholism. And if you thought I was excited, well Jen Baer went so far as to design a logo to honor the spectacle. Apparently this bootleg event occurs 2 or 3 times a year in Boulder. It also has a national following, and you can check out the official rules and results at www.beermile.com. The basic gist is that you slam a beer, run a quarter mile, and repeat four times. The winning time was 6:45, which is pretty damn fast to just drink 4 beers, let alone run a mile in the midst.
Here are the male and female winners, slobbering their way to victory. They shall remain nameless to protect their indignity.
So a good time was had by all, even by photographers who don’t like to run. Think you can hang? Well get training for next year’s events!
Denver Street Photography: 7 images in 11 minutes
I’ve had a strange attraction to Cherry Creek this year. Considering that I’d never been there before this year, I’ve been drawn there a noteworthy amount. I was taking a seminar there a couple weeks ago, and we regularly got 15 minute breaks. On Saturday I was quoted as saying, “It’s hard to take pictures at a shopping mall . . .” Or something to that effect.
Well Sunday morning had some beautiful clouds and morning light. I was given the exercise to consciously shift my attention near and far. I thought about how a zen-like attention is integral with capturing great photography. A sense of peace and comfort can be achieved by tuning in to the infinite compositional permutations of landscapes and detail shots and portraits and moments that are around us every second of our lives. This peaceful feeling of oneness is what draws thousands of photographers into nature photography. I found that it is also possible to have a similar experience at a shopping center.
When I went to the parking garage to get my camera, this old woman was staring at me. She was quite surprised find out that she was to be featured on such a prestigious website.
My camera data tells me that all these images were taken in a period of 11 minutes.
All of the Photoshop was done in Camera Raw. Not much was done to the photos, other than color tweaking and a 4:5 crop.
He was very nice. He was a little upset that I didn’t have any treats, but I made it better by rubbing his belly.
This was a sculpture outside a furniture store.
And so was this.
I enjoyed taking some time on my Sunday evening to play with some random photos. I hope you enjoy. Coming up this week, plenty of pictures of pretty people!
Weird Trivia
I question the legitimacy of a few, but this is entertaining.
* A shrimp’s heart is in its head.
* The “sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
* Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.
* Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
* If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14,Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July 16 1969, make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles?
* In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman somewhere.
* A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.
* 23% of all photocopier faults world-wide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.
* If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. Read more