IM Digital - Photo Blog of Ivan Makarov

New Blog Location

2009-03-15T15:37:00.003-06:00

That's it, I finally moved my blog to a new platform.

To visit my new blog, please click here.

Changing Platform

2009-03-09T21:36:00.002-06:00

I been rather quiet here and for a reason. I am in the middle of changing the platform and design of my blog. I hope to finish it all by the end of the week and return to my usual blogging. Please stay tuned for more details

The Edge of Cypress Grove Cliff

2009-02-24T01:01:00.000-07:00

Point Lobos cliffs, where I often find myself shooting, have been formed by the winds and the waves that kept beating the shore over hundreds of thousands of years.

From geological standpoint, there is a drop in the ocean floor off Point Lobos just few miles into the ocean which reaches levels typical of the mid Pacific Ocean. This results in an usual wave pattern and a bounty of marine life. Just to give you an example, while the waves are very quiet in this image (a bunch of seals hang out just outside of the frame of this image), the waves are raging just a few hundred yards around the corner.

For that reason, the rocks and cliffs at Point Lobos are unlike any you'll see in California. Please see this image in large size to better appreciate it.

The Old Veteran Cypress

2009-02-22T00:42:00.000-07:00

Located in the Cypress Grove at Point Lobos, this ancient tree, known as the Old Veteran, is the oldest Cypress in the State Reserve (over 200 years old). It's roots are hanging over 100 feet tall cliff, overlooking the Pacific ocean.

Amgen Tour of California - Stage 3 Begins

2009-02-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

I don't photograph a lot of people when I photograph on the streets, but I couldn't pass this one up, as AMGEN Tour of California, Stage 3 started right next to where I work.

I wish I was better prepared with a better lens and a better spot to take the image (I had no idea the race would be here), but I had literally 20 seconds to get my camera out, put up a flash, switch it to TTL mode and pan with the bikers. While this shot did not catch Lance Armstrong, I did catch the pack of leaders as they were taking off in the rain.

Sadly, when bikers were here in Northern California, it rained every day. Once they were gone, the rain stopped.

For great coverage of the race, check out the work of another local photographer Dan Mitchell that he posts in his stream.

Most Random Place I Saw My Photo Used

2009-02-18T00:27:00.005-07:00

Of all the places I have seen my photos used, this one of this photo above was the most random.

So we're sitting at today's San Jose Sharks game as part of the work function. During the break they put up a guessing game on a big screen at the top of the arena asking fans to text which player scored the most home goals this season. First time they put it up on the screen I pay no attention, until I see it again and baaam - I recognize a photo of mine. On the big screen. At the NHL game. Of one of my favorite players Devin Setoguchi. That photo above was accompanying the contest.

How did it get there? Last summer I was bored during the hockey off season, so I went through my archives and upload some photos to Sharks' players web pages on Wikipedia. When you put photos on Wiki, you typically have to make sure you are the author and that you put it up for public domain use, meaning that others can use it for non-commercial and at times commercial purposes without getting my permission. I don't do it to very many photos, but I thought, no one is going to buy these Sharks photos of mine for use in the media, so they can either sit on my hard drive wasting space or I might as well put up on Wikipedia where others could use them to promote the Sharks.

For that reason, my photos accompany articles about Setoguchi, Nabokov, Rivet, Clowe and other popular Sharks players.

I've already seen this photo used elsewhere, but to my surprise (and it was kind of fun to feel that I contributed something to an NHL), today I saw Sharks use my photo during the live NHL game. As someone who grew up idolizing the NHL as a kid, and who is still a huge Sharks fan, I was thrilled to be at the game and recognize my own photo.

Now if only I could find a way to convince people I was sitting with that it was indeed my own photo and that I didn't trick them in any way..

Rising Storm and the Tree

2009-02-15T23:03:00.001-07:00

February is the time I love in San Jose. For a photographer who likes nature and the clouds, San Jose has always been a challenge since the weather is mostly cloudless during the year. But the storms come in February, and it's been stormy around here for the past couple of weeks, with no forecast of rain stopping.

With the hope of catching a clearing storm, I drove to the park right behind my house and I was lucky to have clouds line up just as I wanted them to behind this favorite oak tree of mine.

Chachos

2009-02-14T00:53:00.000-07:00

Downtown San Jose is more interesting than I now think. I been working there for two years now, but hardly taken any shots of it. Most days there is no time as

I am either rushing to work, or rushing home after work, but in the coming weeks I'll make an effort to spend a bit more time documenting and capturing interesting elements of my home town.

To begin, here is a piece of street art on the exterior of a night club. Never been inside, but I found the outside to be eye catching. Artists are Will Richardson and Geoffrey Wood.

Ryan Wilcox - Featured Photographer

2009-02-08T23:35:00.003-07:00

It's been a while I had a chance to feature an up and coming photographer, as I have done in the past, but I decided I need to get back to doing that. This week's featured photographer is Ryan Wilcox (you can find his web-site here), whom I met on Flickr forums when I was starting out with my first SLR, just as he was. I love his photography - it is what I would call a happy photography. Not sure what it is, but he has a way of capturing a happy side of people, and I also love the way he works with color and emotion. With that said, below is the interview with Ryan, followed by some of his favorite images.

Your home town?
Portland, Oregon. I've lived all over the west (Idaho, Utah, So Cal), south (Mississippi, Louisiana) and east (Washington DC) and the more places I've lived the more I love it here. The people, the climate, and the culture make this my favorite city of them all. There is a laid back pseudo-hippy vibe and there are so many amazing photographers that are willing to take you under their wing and aren't looking for personal gain. Almost a "pay it forward" or "we're all in this together" mentality.

How did your interest in photography get started?
Back when I was younger my family had these large books of photography. My uncle worked for the associated press and his photography was featured in a book which chronicled a typical day in the lives of Oregonians. I remember sitting down and looking through these photojournalistic pictures that made me feel an intimacy with these total strangers that I'd never experienced. But it wasn't until about 2 years ago that I got serious about my own photography. I was working on my masters thesis when I decided to join flickr. Since then I've had this insatiable appetite to learn anything and everything I can about photography to better my skills. I would eat, breath, and live it if I could.

Why do you do it?

I absolutely find so much satisfaction and happiness from taking a great photo that it's truly euphoric. It fulfills a need I have for a creative outlet from a fairly stressful day job as a marriage and family therapist.

What are the goals you have that relate to photography?

Currently, I'm going to be learning film more in depth (production and development). One of my favorite photographers is a 100% film shooter and there is a quality to his portraits that I've not been able to replicate no matter how much time I spend on an image in photoshop. Plus, I feel like a fraud photographer until I spend a good amount of time in a darkroom breathing fumes.

I also am pushing myself more and more with using off the camera flash. It's really fun for me because as I'm understanding it more and more I look at a photograph or watch a show and my mind deconstructs the lighting of the shot. For example, I was watching "The Bachelor" (don't you judge me :) on TV and in one scene their key light was up way too high and it was causing too harsh of shadows. I automatically recognized it without meaning to. It was kind of a fun moment for me. I also felt like a lighting dork. :)

What recent photo projects have you worked on?

I've really been into creating collages and using more creative croping to tell a story rather than a single image. I'm also scheduling a lot of my shoots in more urban/industrial areas because of the interesting juxtaposition of shooting warm happy portraits in fairly dilapidated environments.

How would you describe your style?

I would describe it has warm and happy while still being artistic and interesting. It's tough to say though because it really varies according to my subject (commercial, wedding, portraiture, etc..)

How did you develop it and how is it evolving?

Honestly, I subscribe to the blogs of many of my favorite photographers and deconstruct their set up and method. MY style is absolutely evolving. I've really only been seriously taking photos for about 2 years and have never taken any formal classes on the subject so in some ways I'm still searching for my unique voice but I have a direction for sure. I'm also really excited to continue to push my style in a new direction. Eventually I'd like people to take a look at a photo and say: "Oh yes. Ryan took that."

What are your favorite subjects to photograph?

For my day job, one of the things I specialize in is seeing premarital couples in counseling so I LOVE engagement shoots. They are usually willing to try just about everything and are wonderful subjects. And, although I haven't shot as many as I'd like, I also love shooting weddings. There is such an energy and excitement there that is almost palatable.

How do you get the inspiration during the creative process?

The families and couples I see in therapy especially after a productive and successful session inspire me. I just love being able to capture that. The genuine connection and emotion that a couple in love feels. Wow, I'm a cheeseball. Other than that, I'd say everything around me. I remember playing a lot of "Tony Hawk: Pro Skater" on Playstation in college. After playing it for a long time I would go outside and look at places in the real world that I could skate in the game. I'd see a building just close enough to another that I could do a wicked awesome transfer. In the same way I look at all of the settings that surround me and ask myself: "If the sky was the limit, What would be an awesome angle to shoot that from? How would I light that area just right? What would make for a creative composition? If I had a couple, where would I place them to make the perfect most dynamic shot?" I'll probably do this 10 times within a given day. I love that challenge.

How do you define a successful photograph?

If it evokes any kind of emotion in the viewer. I also love photos that break the rules of photography (ie rule of thirds, etc..) or that initially look like mistakes.

What is the future for photography?

I think that there is going to continue to be less of a divide between the pros and the amateurs. The amount of accessible information about photography due to the internet and the technology in the cameras themselves make it easier and easier for any one to take amazing photographs. I also am really excited for camera technology to one day be able to simulate the human eye which we are taking large steps towards with HDR (High Dynamic Range).

What has been the craziest act you did to take a good picture?

That's a tough one. Because I take a lot of family photos, I seriously act like an idiot to get a kiddo to laugh or look at me. I don't mean I just say silly things, I really act like scary weird. I think it may disturb some parents but hey I get the shot.

What has been your favorite location to be at with a camera?

I was in Badlands National Park one summer just after a hard rain and it was truly breath taking. I usually don't have the patience for a lot of landscape photography but that moment was amazing.

What's one location you would love to shoot at?

There are so many. I would honestly love to shoot pretty much anywhere in Western Europe. I'd love to go to the various tourist spots and take different angles and compositions of the famous and recognizable landmarks.

PC or Mac?
I bleed shiny black and brushed metal. Mac all the way.

What's your favorite piece of equipment and why?

Currently, it's my Nikkor 17-55mm 2.8f lens. It's the perfect focal length on my D300 and is so tack sharp that I have to wear gloves when I handle it (ok, so I made that last part up).

What are your favorite techniques of processing an image?

I use Apple Aperture for organization and to do minor adjustments and then use Photoshop CS3 for the hardcore stuff.

What are your hobbies outside of photography?

I am a Trailblazer basketball fanatic and cannot watch a game sitting down. I also am a tech geek and a huge fan of my wife and little boy.

What photographer would you love to go out shooting with?

Jonathan Canlas. He sounds like a kick in the pants to hang out with plus his eye is so unique compared to most. He is someone that I try to emulate more than anyone else and love the depth of emotion in his portraits.

What other two photographers you admire?

I love the look and style of a group of photographers in Orange County, CA namely Amelia Lyon and Mark Brooke. I also love Aaron Ruell's stuff . All are seriously different, modern, fun, and more original than anyone out there.

Round of Links and Thoughts

2009-02-05T01:02:00.003-07:00

Here is a set of links and thoughts to share from my recent travels in the world of internets.

One of my favorite places to shoot in Northern California is Point Lobos, a place where Ansel Adams loved to take his visitors for a walk when he lived in Carmel. If you don't know that area very well, here is a good guide published by SFGate to this place.
Jim Goldstein posted a collection of links to the best images from 2008 on his web-site as part of the project I also participated in. Here is the link to Jim's post.
I recently came across a concept I have not yet fully explored, eBooks. One of the local landscape photographer, Don Smith, whose work I greatly admire, just published his Guide to the Big Sur Coast in form of a downloadable pdf book, and he borrowed a concept from William Neill's eBooks. Well, I bought a book from William (his Landscapes of the Spirit) and it blew me away. As a result, I am now learning Adobe's InDesign software and will begin with publishing my first portfolio in a form of an eBook, which will be available for free download when it's ready. Please stay tuned.
With that said, I'm off to buy a new eBook that Don just made available (I did not know it was available when I started writing this post). I'll post my review shortlty.
Speaking of portfolio - wow. It's quite a labor to stop and think about which images actually represent my body of work up to this point. I'll share my thoughts on this in the coming days, but I been taking it seriously, and it has not been an easy task by any stretch of my imagination, even despite the fact that I've only been shooting seriously for a couple of years. Sometimes we shoot so much that we lose the meaning and connection between our images.

Family

2009-02-04T02:03:00.000-07:00

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. " -- Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford

I typically don't post images like this, but this one has plenty of meaning to it and it is one of my recent favorites, so I thought I'd share.

I do take portraits here and there, mostly for friends that ask. Last Saturday we went to Santa Cruz to take pictures of this family that we're friends with during their family get together. I wanted to find a way to capture their relationship and how close they are, and this is what came out of it.

During these difficult economic and political times it's easy to focus on all the negative around us, but it's remembering what is truly valuable in life is what may help us keep the right perspective.

The Walton Lighthouse

2009-02-02T09:27:00.002-07:00

Located in Santa Cruz, California, Walton Lighthouse (named after one of its patrons, Charles Walton) was built in the Fall of 2001, which makes it the newest lighthouse in the Northern California part of the Coast.

For me, this lighthouse is more about the Seacliff Beach that it is located on than anything else. For that reason I wanted sand and waves to dominate the composition here.

Her Morning Elegance

2009-01-31T01:49:00.003-07:00

Saw this on Ken Brown's blog and couldn't stop but share it myself. Here is the most brilliant piece of time lapse photography I have ever seen, created by Eyal Landesman. Make sure you watch it with volume on. I think this is also my favorite music video I have seen in years.

The music is by Oren Lavie.

With that, I'm off to bed myself.

The Rocks

2009-01-21T00:22:00.003-07:00

Standing on these rocks, I couldn't help but appreciate the contrast between the ever moving water and the immovable ancient rocks that shore up the Pacific Coast. So much energy flying around, yet the rocks stand there steady and solid absorbing it all for thousands of years.

Rising Sun of San Francisco

2009-01-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Early morning work day in San Francisco.

This was taken at 7am in December, as millions of people were making their way to the City for another day at the grind. I visualized this image in my mind for a long time, and when the day finally came when the sun was underneath this part of the Bay Bridge in the morning, I felt glad to be there, even despite a frost on my tripod and my hands.

Nevada

2009-01-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

If any of you have ever traveled through Nevada on the way to California or Utah or just inside Nevada, you'll be very familiar with this picture. In fact, if you've never traveled there and wondered what that road is like, this image captures pretty much all there is to see in Nevada besides Las Vegas.

Winter in Manti

2009-01-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to stop there, and almost regret that I did, but sitting back in the warm California now, I'm glad I got that shot. It was a cold winter day but I wanted to go back to Manti to take some pictures of the temples with the snow around it. As I was approaching the grounds, I had to stop and take this shot. The trees lined up nicely and I liked the contrast snow created.

After taking few exposures, I tried to get back on that road, but the car was stuck on that hill, as the tires had no traction. I actually spent 15 minutes before I could drive again.

My Favorite 10 Images from 2008

2009-01-01T14:33:00.002-07:00

It's always useful to look back and reevaluate what happened in the past year as it helps to determine where one wants to be in the next year. Thanks to the idea from Jim Goldstein, whose blog I am following, I took the time to go back through my images I took and published in 2008 and select my favorite 10. It wasn't easy to do, but in the process I learned that I am more attached to some images than to the others. Here is my list.

Honorable Mention - Life of Color in Alviso

Alviso is not the prettiest place in the Bay Area, but an interesting one for a photographer. There is a lot of color, a lot of rust, and generally this ghost town looks like life stopped there 50 years ago. I like this image because of how it captures the nature of Alviso.

#10 - Tough Choice

This was a first time to a pumpkin patch for Maks and for myself. He took the choice seriously, evaluating all pumpkins in front him.

#9 - The Edge of the Day at the Golden Gate

I like how lines in this images express motion, structure and mood of this memorable sunset in the Golden Gate area. This image also generated the most print sales for me this past year.

#8 - Lamb Day: The Parade

Lot of my wife's most cherished memories are connected to the Lamb Day in Fountain Green, Utah, and the parade in particular. When I got there, this was exactly the image I visualized in my head, a small kid going after the candy.

#7 - Indian Summer in Napa Valley

This was one of my most favorite places we visited last year. The rows of grapes go on for miles, creating all kinds of beautiful visuals.

#6 - Colors of Art

I thought the colors captured as they reflected in this image were appropriate, as they were coming from nearby museums and galleries promoting art. Again, the relationships between the lines and curves were interesting to watch. Perhaps it is my engineering background that was dominating my brain.

#5 - Magic Light on the Sunny Jim

I wasn't supposed to take this image, but the training I was in got out earlier and I grabbed my camera to see if I encounter any luck with the light and the skies to compliment the composition I had in mind. Luckily, I was there just at the rare few minutes when setting sun eliminated the Bay Bridge.

#4 - Hey Pops!

My family. Enough said.

#3 - A Summer Day in San Francisco

SF summer oftentimes means fog, and that's what I had to face when I drove up there one afternoon. At least I came back to sunny San Jose with one B&W image that captured that mood.

#2 - Winter Wonderland

What a sunset that was and I was lucky to stand next to a beautiful peace of architecture, which was completely transformed by this unbelievable light.

#1 - Discovery

One day I'll be laying on my deathbed, looking back at my life. When I'll think of 2008, this will probably be an image that will first come back to my memory. I think I enjoyed watching Maks grow more than anything else that's happened to us. This was the first time I saw him stop, and just gaze at this beautiful Santa Cruz sunset. I don't think kids appreciate nature as much as we adults too, but this was a moment of amazement to him - perhaps first time he's discovered the event we call 'sunset.' When I saw this image on the back LCD of my camera, I knew right away this was going to be my favorite image from 2008.

Published

2008-12-31T10:04:00.001-07:00

Published, originally uploaded by Ivan Makarov.

This next year, if you're visiting Utah by plane or by car or are just passing by, pick up a copy of free "Destination: Salt Lake" magazine, and you may see a familiar photo on page 40. You can find the magazine in any information booth in the SLC airport or in any hotel in Utah.

In the section about National and State park, the publisher chose to use my photo "Sitting on the Edge of the World" to represent what you may find in Utah.

Although it's been my most popular photo on Flickr and was even once aired on NBC, I never thought that one day it'll be used in such a way.

Thank you for all your comments and feedback on my work - it's truly been an inspiration to me.

Have a Happy 2009!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-30T08:47:00.002-07:00

One of the ways to get images you normally would not get is sometimes just to turn around. I remembered that advise from Jay Maisel that I read not long ago on Scott Kelby's blog, and this is exactly what I had to do to capture this image.

I was taking a picture of Provo Temple, which I will post later, but then I decided to turn around and I was immediately attracted to how the setting sun enveloped the Nativity scene in front of this pool and how steam coming from the water was providing additional contrast. To capture better range of detail, I used two ND Grad filters, a total of 5-stop.

Sometimes additional shots are just one turn or one step away from us.

Hope you are all having great holidays!

10 Places I'd Like to Visit in 2009

2008-12-27T23:06:00.004-07:00

I'm setting a lot of goals for this year in all areas of my life. I've been setting goals since I was a young kid trying to become a faster swimmer, and ever since then I've set goals in all areas of my life.

I recently finished reading Michael Phelps' new book "No Limits: The Will to Succeed" and among other things that left a lasting impression on me was how many goals Phelps set before the Olympics. He didn't just want to win the 8 gold medals. He had a goal of how fast he wanted to finish each race for that medal, including split times for each lap of the race. This has been a pattern for him his whole life. Last year has not been the most eventful year in my life, and I attribute part of it due to me losing sight of setting proper goals, and I am going to fix it this year.

Those of you who follow our family blog may have seen my 101 things in 1001 days list of goals which I started working on. It's been good to force myself to do things I'd otherwise probably not do. In that same spirit, I decided to create a list of places I'd like to visit on photo trips. This will help me stay more focused and motivated in the next year and hopefully visit places I would otherwise not visit if I don't plan for it.

10 Places I'd Like To Visit in 2009:

Point Reyes (January)
Death Valley NP (February/March)
Lake Tahoe (August)
Yosemite in the spring (waterfall and dogwoods) (May)
Glacier NP (June/July)
Top of Mt Timpanogos (July)
Lake Mono (July/August)
Napa Valley (August)
Utah Lake (September/October)
Yosemite or Utah Canyons in the Fall (October)

What places are you planning on visiting in 2009 or what other photography goals are you setting?

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 for Nikon Review

2008-12-25T19:54:00.002-07:00

This is my second Sigma lens (the other one I own is 10-20mm), and I am pleased with the quality of image it helps produce, enough that I'd buy it again if I have to.

I wanted a lens that I can use for all kinds of situations when I'm outdoors shooting nature, shooting portraits on assignment or capturing our family life. After three months of use, I am very satisfied with the results and here is why.

The lens is very sharp at just about any aperture. I'm pleased with all the details I see in my images when I'm shooting buildings or other objects, as well as when I'm shooting people. In fact, I am sometimes amazed at the sharpness I get.
I love the fact that being f/2.8 lens, I can use it in dark situations. Now I am not forced to pull out my 50mm f/1.8 every time and this lens gives me another option for low light photography, with more of a range of zoom.
It's not too bulky and well built.
AF works very well and faster than my Nikon 50mm f/1.8
It handles color very well.

Now a few cons.

The images are somewhat soft when you're shooting at f/2.8. However, I knew that was the case from other reviews, and it's fine by me. If I'm after sharpness, I can always apply little extra of it in post processing. I didn't want to pay few more hundred bucks for Nikon's version of this lens just to get a bit more of sharpness at f/2.8.
It uses 82 diameter, which forced me to buy new filter adopter ring and expensive polarizer.
It's probably not the sexiest looking lens out there, but hey, once again, you get what you pay for with Sigma
Sigma really needs to work on the design of their caps and screw caps on the back of the lens. It takes longer for me to put these on when compared with Nikon lenses and sometimes it's a pain when you're outdoors in the dark.

Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase, and I now shoot 80% of the time with this lens. If you're on a tight budget during these uncertain economic times, this lens may be a good idea.

Links Worth a Click

2008-12-21T19:52:00.002-07:00

Haven't shared any links in a while, but I hope these may still be worth your time if you're like me and are spending time catching up on all that's been happening on the internet in the past little while.

-- The Year 2008 in Pictures, part 1 and part 2 - some memorable images you may have seen before and others that represent all that's been happening this year all around the world. Simply outstanding photography.

-- Fragile Russian Wilderness - very unique landscape images from part of the world that we hardly ever see.

-- 34 Essential Tutorials to Get Started with Digital Photography - if you got the new camera this Christmas or just want to take your pictures to the next level, this is a good place to start.

-- Sports Illustrated Best Pictures of 2008 - this one speaks for itself.

3pm, Ferry Building

2008-12-19T20:18:00.003-07:00

Another famous landmark of San Francisco is the Ferry Building. I was hoping to take a shot of it that I have not seen before, and as it usually the case, nature had to help me. The painted sky that portrayed themselves as I was walking past it was just was I was looking for. It's hard to take any kind of interesting outdoor shots without some luck.

Welcoming the New Day

2008-12-18T22:41:00.001-07:00

Some pictures are dear to me just because of the memories they capture. I took this picture last week when Maks stayed in a hotel with us. Just like any other human, as soon as he woke up, he wanted to see the morning light and welcome the new day. He's growing fast and daily becomes more and more like the rest of us.