Lunasara Studios Sandbox

Pictures of Your Four-Legged Family

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:53:00 +0000

This time of year I'm reminded of how pictures keep us in touch

with our friends and family as well as with our memories.

Robert and Lisa wanted to make sure they didn't forget

their four-legged family in their photo album this year.

Don't forget yours!

PJ was a little skittish but here he gets distracted long enough to capture.

and a little close crop lets you see his personality more.

BK was very cautious but her strong eyes and an intense gaze were just too intrigueing.

A tight cropping shows how big and beautiful her eyes are.

And a quiet moment between Lisa and Jamie really shows how much they mean to one another. I just love how Jamie's tail curls around Lisa's arm.

Do it today.

A closer crop makes Jamie's eyes pop.

a little vignetting and B&W processing makes her just too adorable for words.

When was the last time you got some great pictures of your pets?

Do it today.

Alwar Balasubramaniam TED talk: The Art of substance and absence

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:39:00 +0000

Alwar talks about his process in sculpture and his sense that meaning is relative and all we ever see is the traces of events. An interesting talk.

Float Wrap Sale thru Thursday July 29th!

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:09:00 +0000

Float Wrap Sale

All Float Wraps are 25% off! Float Wraps have become a very popular 'ready-to-hang' product that creates a unique look with the focus on the image. With a variety of sizes available on lustre or metallic photographic paper, or on Fine Art or Metallic Canvas, you can easily design and order the look you want. Add additional depth by using both 3/4" and 1-1/2" depth Float Wraps in the same display! Now is the time to order Float Wrap samples for your studio walls!

Finding the light can mean finding a moment...

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Sat, 01 May 2010 21:18:00 +0000

I love the way the sunlight can play upon a flower.
This rose sat in my kitchen for a few days and I loved watching how the
light and shadow that played across it made it seem at first shy...

then full of possibilities.

and finally singular, strong and intimate.

Try it yourself.
Get out that camera and look around at the ordinary things
that are sitting right there on your table.
Look at how the light changes them and take some shots to remember...

Check out our website at lunasara.com

Dog Sled Tours in Jackson Hole Wyoming

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:39:00 +0000

If you ever get to Jackson Wyoming check out my new favorite thing to do there

- Dog Sledding!

I booked a trip through a great outfit, the Jackson Hole Iditarod Dog Tours. I had heard they did an excellent day long trip up to Granite Hot Springs where you sled to the hot springs, take a soak, have some lunch and sled back. The trip didn't disappoint. Up Hoback Canyon, south of Jackson, owners Frank, Stacy & their guides keep 170 dogs active and happy with beautiful mountain scenery for a backdrop. It's an awesome sight to see all those dogs jumping and playing in such a beautiful setting.

After we meet our guides and make sure we are outfitted for the weather we get to meet a few of the new puppies who are being socialized. They are incredibly cute. Then head out to meet our teams who are, to say the least, enthusiastic! They bark & yelp excitedly in anticipation as our guide puts each dog in its harness and attaches it to it's position. Each dog has a specified position within the team where they are comfortable. The two lead dogs are the kingpins. They are the ones to guide the rest of the team where their musher tells them.

As soon as the dogs are all hooked in we board the sled and we're off and on the trail!
The squealing and yelping of the dogs becomes silence as soon as they turn their energy and enthusiasm to pulling. On the trail out and away from the kennel all you can hear is the crunch of the snow under the runners, the wind whistling through the trees and the occasional creak of a tree branch as it sways under the weight of its new layer of snow.

The scenery on the 10 mile trip up to the hot springs is lovely and dramatic. Narrow trails lead through dense, snow covered pine forests or along frozen streams that have small channels of glacial blue water bubbling up from one fissure only to fall back into another further downstream.
And everywhere there is snow...

But the dogs don't mind, they are in their element and they gently guide us down the trail. What I didn't expect about dog sledding is that it has more in common with windsurfing or snowboarding than traditional sledding. The sled itself is very flexible and the upper portion moves from side to side. The musher stands on the runner extensions behind the sled and it's her job to keep the sled behind the dog team by leaning right or left as we go over varying levels or terrain or around corners. You learn to lean your weight almost as thought the sled has edges - very cool. And you never get too cold as you can always help the dogs along by pushing off with one of your legs or hop off and trot along side the sled for a while. In fact I would recommend layers as I got downright warm on my turn mushing the sled.

The magical winter scenes everywhere along this route are enchanting. There are fields and meadows, streams and forests everywhere.

And finally we make it to the hot springs and stop for lunch.
We get a chance to enjoy ourselves in the hot springs while the dogs all wait expectantly for us to return and hit the trail again.

But their wait is not without its rewards. These dogs are so focused on sledding but are also very affectionate and love attention. Our guides each have their own teams they regularly work with because the bond between team and musher is important. The dogs need to build a strong bond with their team leader so it's important for our guides to spend lots of time taking care of their dogs as well as encouraging them both on and off the trail. Dogs pull because they want to ... or not. That's what makes the relationship of the musher to the dogs so important.

After lunch and our soak the dogs are VERY ready to hit the trail again! It is so awesome to see a team of dogs come rushing out of the trees and bounding through the snow. What a kick!

But ultimately we must make our way back down the trail to home.

Taking with us only great memories of what it is like to be out in the snow covered landscape with only a sled and the dogs and a picture or two to remind us of how great it is to be out with the dogs.

If you get a chance, go - you won't regret it.

And yes Patti, I still do love snow.

Especially when being pulled through the white winter behind a great team of dogs...

Check out our website at lunasara.com

Soft Light and Tight Cropping Make Pet Pictures Perfect!

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:37:00 +0000

I can't say enough how important good soft light is to anyone's portrait - including your pet's. The next time you make a portrait find the room with the most indirect light, turn off your flash and crop in tight.

This is my Mom's cat Leo. She wanted a portrait of him but I didn't want to lose the color of those deep blue eyes to redeye or to darkness so I faced his body toward a large north facing window and hung out while he got comfortable.

Below is the exact same image as above except it is cropped in a little tighter. See how much more intense his eyes appear. In the previous picture you say to yourself "That's a pretty cat." With a tighter crop you have a stronger sense of his personality.

And just to bring the point home here is the exact same image as the previous two, cropped only tighter so as just to include his head. You get a much stronger sense of his state of mind and you can't take your eyes off those baby blues.

My favorite way to use a close-cropped image is to blow it up and make it into a canvas or display like this one. If your image is right on focus, sharp and steady, you can easily blow up a remarkable image from 4 to 6 times before pixelation begins to appear.

Here is another nice shot showing Leo's whole body as he is relaxing on the carpet. It's nice but not too special.

If we crop in for a close-up we really start to focus in on his personality and get a sense of how soft his paws and muzzle are.

With the tighter crop we also begin to get a sense of movement from the to diagonals in the cropped image; one leading out the bottom right from his outstreached legs and one leading out the upper right corner from the implied line of his wiskertips to his left eye to his right ear. Images with stronger geometric compositions are great to use on cards. Here is this image on a watercolor card.

Now not all portraiture work has to be about great poses. Sometimes when you watch pets sleep or stretch they take on the cutest little poses. Capture 3 or 4 of your favorites from a similar vantage point and framing then lay them out in a series to make a storyboard. "click"

"click"

"click"

"click"

Then put them all together to remind you of how cute they are.

Have a great time making your own pet portraits and remember - Turn off your flash, find a big indirect window and crop closely!

Enjoy!

Check out our website at lunasara.com

Cambodia's Floating Nomads of Tongle Sap

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:47:00 +0000

Hundreds of people survive by anchoring their homes and businesses at the migrating shores of Cambodia's largest lake as it's shores expand and contract with every wet and dry season. To give their houseboats a protected anchorage they move their homes to follow the shore and use their smaller boats to head out into the deeper waters of the lake to fish.

Or they build homes so close to the changing shoreline that they build roads on levees and homes on stilts to accommodate the flood waters when they arrive.

They fish during the wet season and farm rice and trade during the dry season when their land reappears. Those without land or houseboat make their living ferrying goods and services back and forth; fish from the lake, fruits and vegetables from the dryer land.

And the road that connects the land and sea supports vendors and craftspeople who offer all kinds of goods and services like small stores, beauty parlors, woodworkers, sewing centers and basket vendors.

Many commercial goods are traded on the road between town and the floating villages. This is what a hardware store looks like here complete with a collection of drills and power tools for sale.

And of course there is the local motorcycle/bike repair shop, complete with a self repair area for after you have bought your parts.

Many people live along the road from Siem Reap to Tongle Sap and make a living very much dependent on the waters of the lake in one way or another, such as this woman who makes a living selling dries fish.

Though children are mandated to attend primary school the lack of teachers and lack of funds available to rural children means most do not attend school but spend their days helping their families or fending for themselves.

As the weather is often hot and humid most homes have large covered porches with hammocks for sleeping and mats for sitting. They are built over rainy season flood areas so they are on stilts and sit at the same level as the roads which are built on raised earthen levees.

People often prepare for the rainy season by collecting and selling firewood

and crops.

And though the area seems awfully dry now,

it won't be long before the rains begin and the lake expands it's boundaries so that crops will have to wait for the waters to recede.

Some Cambodians have solved this problem by giving up the land all together and living on the lake full time.

They live, fish, trade, teach & socialize on the lake, moving with the near shoreline as the waters expand and contract.

The general store where locals meet to buy and sell goods as well and hear the latest neighborhood news.

To supplement their income from fishing many people also grow or make something to sell in town. This family grows flowers off their front porch but others have a separate raft where they grow flowers or vegetables in pots or make baskets from the local reeds.

Some kids enjoy an afternoon swim right off their front porch while the adults hang out and chat next door.

This is a community center where they hold socials, meetings and sometimes services.

And this is what a machine shop complete with drill presses, lathes and a diesel generator to run them all. It seems the Cambodian's on Tongle Sap can do everything they need without ever having to touch land.

Check out our website at lunasara.com

Pagodas of Saigon: An Oasis for the Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:16:00 +0000

In the midst of the frenetic new capitalism that is now Saigon you often need a little time out or a space to hear yourself think. In every neighborhood a pagoda is tucked back in an alley or behind a building away from the noises of the streets, providing a place of solitude, community and often beauty.

Young people, old people, families and yes, travelers, come to the pagodas to find a moment to themselves or to pray. Ask an attendant to help you place a prayer on one of the yellow incense cones hanging overhead and enjoy the sense of freedom you feel as you give your prayers over to float symbolically up to heaven.

Many of the pagodas are very old themselves and have gorgeous carvings. The altars are crowded with historical and religious figures and are intricate in texture and detail.

I loved the incense cones themselves, their modern strong geometries and bright colors contrasting with the deep red and textured browns of the weathered stained and painted woods. They reminded me of how it seems the city itself has one foot in the modern world and one in its traditional culture.

The bright pink prayer flags that line the wall of the pagoda seem to remind me of that too. They are attached to the heavy wood walls but flutter with each gust of wind or each passerby.

The smoke from all the incense spirals and incense sticks creates a sweet but dusky smell. If you sit for long in some of the back rooms you notice the air turns a dramatic, smoky blue as people come in and light more and more incense. Sometimes the swoop, swoop, swoop of the big slow fans are all you can hear as people go about their business in silence and contemplation.

People come to the pagoda for divine help, for a place to think or be alone, or to simply touch a moment of divinity themselves.

Some come to fulfill family obligations or to worship together and remember the many people before them who have prepared the way for them and made their lives better.

I love that while sitting in the pagodas for an afternoon, any afternoon, it seems that all the people of Saigon come and go. Old people, young people, rich people, poor people, families with children, young couples just starting out and older couples with a shared lifetime between them. They all come in together to say prayers, take time to be thankful and to be grateful.

Parents, children and grandparents all come together in their own ways and for their own reasons.

There are many little side alters and chambers where individuals or families go to remember loved ones or religious icons and stories.

Pagodas also house the attendants and their families who take care of the buildings, parishioners and communities. Many pagodas are also the center of community charity, health and welfare programs.

In Vietnam, family and community are all important and pagodas are often the center of many communities.

Though their lives are not materialistically rich, their simplicity and strong family and community ties has a richness of its own.

I love that even in this modern world there are some old traditions that seem to work just as well if not better than ever. Like this hand broom that is practical, functional and highly beautiful even if it is not modern, very much like the Vietnamese themselves.

Check out our website at lunasara.com

Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm in Cambodia

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Angkor is a huge city area most famous for it's local inhabitant Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm are two earlier temples each with great charms of their own.

Elephants cross the bridge which covers the moat at the south gate at Angkor Thom. The statues that line the bridge tell the tale of "The churning of the waters"; a tale of the beginning of the world where good and evil forces had to work together to create the world.

The south gate of Angkor Thom is watched over by four serene faces pointing in each of the cardinal directions.

Once inside the gate we made our way down the forest road to the main temple. Most of the temples in Angkor were for kings, priests and the elite. They often housed their religious relics and had meandering corridors, many small chambers and fantastic views and places for solitude.

Around every corner we found one interesting sight or spectacular view after another.

The huge serene heads are so moving that it is hard to take your eyes offthem. Their presence everywhere does make you feel watched over and safe.

I loved how the soft light of the constantly overcast skies played off the ancient stone surfaces covered with moss and how little vignettes like this one would surprise you at almost every turn.

Many of the walls contain intricate reliefs depicting stories of history and legend. Some of the stories are of battles and events but some are just of everyday activities such as fishing and sailing and cooking.

Most people in Cambodia are Buddhist or Hindu and there are small sanctuaries located in cubbies and corners throughout the temples where people come to say prayers or for moments of contemplation.

ove this moment when we caught one of the sanctuary keepers while he napped beside an open courtyard. The small sanctuary at the end of the corridor contains a statue of budah wearing a saffron sash bathed in a beautiful glowing light from the small windows. Very beautiful and peaceful.

The temples also have many staircases leading to upper chambers and more vistas. The stone steps to the right are original to the temple, those to the left are for us feeble footed foreigners. Most of them are pretty steep as you can tell but well worth the climb!

There are so many quiet corners to contemplate and absorb some of the serenity of the great faces and the peace of the ancient stones and carvings.

Surrounding the temples are great forests with wonderful little pathways that lead you to vignettes like this one seen through a hole in one of the outer walls. Scenes like this are irresistible for me.

A much smaller though perhaps more dramatic temple than Angkor Thom is Ta Phrom. Many people have known in as the Tomb Raider Temple from the Indiana Jones movies. It is beautiful.

One of the really unusual things about this temple is the stone it was made of is very porous and allows water to seep in which encourages trees to grow right out of the stone itself. It's very dramatic.

Check out our website at lunasara.com

Beauty in the Mekong Delta

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Women run many of the family businesses in the Mekong Delta. They are lovely, strong and fascinating. I loved watching them row the boats through the canals that act as the main transportation channels on the smaller islands.

There are so many winding channels through the smaller islands, some of them breathtaking when the tall palms curve overhead like driving down an old country road where the trees form an archway overhead. And the slight wind rustles the leaves of the palms and you hear that soft clap, clap, clap when the leaves lazily bounce off one another in the breeze.

These are fish traps made of poles and hand made netting. At the far end the netting curves around in a seashell pattern. The fish that are unlucky enough to swim in often can't find their way out and end up on the dinner table.

The women who worked the boats as taxis had a great sense of humor and enjoyed our cultural awkwardness in a good-natured way. Vietnamese is such a difficult language to master as the same word can have multiple meanings depending on your inflection. They graciously took our awkwardness all in stride.

So many shapes and forms to love in this place.

I love that they all work barefoot!

And when I wasn't fascinated by the women's fluid rehearsed movements, the forms of the tall palm like water plants captured my attention.

The water in the Mekong during the rainy season has a milky smooth appearance due to all the silt the river drags with it on its way across Laos and Cambodia and into the lower reaches of Vietnam.

I loved the tall spiky plants in contrast to the milky smooth water.

And all the interesting wooden boats the islanders make and use.

The many subtle textures really lend themselves to B&W or Sepia.

Sometimes your surroundings would seem almost primal.

and beautiful. I love using a vintage image process give these scenes an otherworldly feel.

Even the shadows the leaves make on the water have a dreamlike quality to them.

Check out our website at lunasara.com

Gaby & Paul's Sunny Day Beach Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:45:00 +0000

Gaby & Paul created a lovely, intimate ceremony for their close friends and family on a beach in Santa Cruz. The day was beautiful and everyone was having such a good time even the bride and groom ended up in the surf after the ceremony! A secluded eucalypus grove across the street even made a romantic backdrop for a few good shots of the newlyweds. Congratulations you two and thank you for letting us be a part of your celebration. Here are some of their album pages for everyone to enjoy!

Check out our website at lunasara.com

The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim; Where Big is Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Sat, 02 May 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Hiking down into the Grand Canyon from the North Rim starts with some fabulous views. And they only get better. Notice the trail off in the distance. There we will be in only a few hours time. The immensity of the place is overwhelming and the deeper you descend, the larger the red rocks loom. The trails wide and well maintained but the terrain can make you feel a little like a mountain goat from time to time. The canyons and gorges are ... well gorgeous. You wind your way along sheer walls and down steep but steady trails. With an amazing view around almost every corner. When you have passed through the red rock zone and enter the green your walking terrain starts to flatten out. and the canyons start to get narrower and steeper. Walking through the little box canyons along streams and gullies was my favorite part of the hike. Each time you turned a corner it seemed like a new ecosystem opened up; from desert with prickly pears to swamps with reeds and birdlife. Until finally the canyons neck down very quickly only to open up completely to Phantom Ranch and the bridge across the Colorado. Crossing the Colorado starts your hike back out to the South Rim. On the south rim trail there is a good view of "The Great Unconformity". A gap in geologic time where curiously, no rocks or fossils are preserved. It is still quite a mystery to science. The south trail seems to have a great deal more vegetation. and more people. But the views are still fabulous. Oh yes, and mules! There is a pack coming up the trail in the center of the picture. As long as you stay in front of the mules you will never know they are there but they do make a steady pace so you have to keep going. Until finally near the top on the South Rim you can look back out over the canyon and marvel at the view, the trail and the fact that you made it in one piece! Check out our website at lunasara.com

Mark & Marisa's Fabulous Wedding!

noreply@blogger.com (Lunasara Studios) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Mark & Marisa have such a romantic story. They were high school sweethearts who drifted apart after school only to find one another later in life. They seem like they are just meant to be together. They have a connection with Linda Mar beach. They both love it and have spent much time together at the beach so they wanted to include it in their engagement photos. The day was foggy but that only made the light softer and the sunset more lovely. For their ceremony they chose the chapel atop the Pacifica Beach Hotel just across the street from the beach. The beautiful natural light in the chapel gave us so many opportunities for great shots and the staff at the Pacifica were really great. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a very special occassion for all.

Thanks Mark & Marisa for such a great time!

It was so sweet that Marisa carried a picture of her dad with her through the ceremony.

The high ceilings and natural light made for a very romantic ceremony.

I love that they had a "candy bar" with lots of M&M's of course!

And having their wedding and reception at the Pacifica Beach Resort just across the street was an inspiration. It had views of the ocean from every window and is a pretty little space of just the right size for an intimate service and reception. Nice choice Marisa!

The day started off with a little fog but quickly turned to a bright beautiful fall day so the sun could fill the chapel for the ceremony. Marisa and her friends and family decorated the venue and we think they did a great job!

Congratulations you two!

Check out our website at lunasara.com