Nothing like sushi after a long day

It's been a hectic day playing catch-up after being gone for a few days.

So what better way to recharge by brain than with some fresh fish? Sumin's, in Coos Bay, has some delicious sushi.

And fish is good for your heart, your brain... Heck, I feel healthier already!

The next Showdown

Ten performers will take the stage in the fourth in a series of Texaco Country Showdowns in Coos County Thursday – and it will inevitably be fascinating.

Duality, Tristan and Lexi Annan, performs during open auditions.

BiCoastal Media, which hosts the events every year, changed it up a little this time. Each the 10 acts will perform three songs, as opposed to only two each in the past. Each of the performers also will take turns singing their three selections, instead of singing each of their three songs at once.

This is definitely a change-up that should give the singers a little more latitude to show off their talents.

This week, the audience (and judges) will have the pleasure of hearing Bryan Evanz, Duality, Clint Guevara, Brookilyn, Dan Covert, Jayme Jamieson, Jeremy Cawley, Wesley Wear, Brittany Bethea and Joseph Michael. Those advancing will go on to compete at the Coos County Fair in July.

After that, BiCoastal Media’s hosting a “wild card” event at which anyone who has been eliminated in the first four weeks can come back for a second chance. But here’s the kicker: The audience gets to help get them to the Coos County Fair competition! Audience members can “vote” with their wallets! Yep, you guys in the crowd can purchase tickets to support your favorite singers! The more tickets a singer gets, the better chance he or she has of making it back into the competition in July.

The Texaco Country Showdown hopefuls will perform at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 31, at the Hales Center for the Performing Arts at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, Ore. Doors open at 6 p.m.; tickets are $5. 

For more information, see: http://www.kshr.com/corp/page/Texaco_Country_Showdown/38

 

See you there!

Time runs away

So much for "time flies." That may be a more appropriate phrase, but I keep seeing the end of each day arrive and see more things that need to be done with each minute stretching out -- but not nearly enough. It's like my life is a clock in one of Salvador Dali's paintings.

October and November were busy months -- the Texaco Country Showdown local and regional finals, photo processing, computer issues, meetings, sickness and Thanksgiving -- and with the Christmas holidays nearly here, December looks to be similar. Whew. How does one find time to have fun?

I've decided today is the day. I'm going to do some photo shooting just for fun. Shore Acres State Park, south of Charleston, Ore., has its holiday lights up and it's a beautiful (and cold) day to do some shooting and play with lights. The park adds a new element every year and I totally missed it in 2010, so I should be in for a double surprise this year.

This photo was taken a few years ago and is one of the few left I could easily find while on the road and working from WiFi hotspots. Still, I like it -- reminds me of the fun I had taking it and that I will have more fun this afternoon.

Shore Acres is lovely any time of year, whether it's during a storm when waves are breaking against the cliffs, or in the spring and summer when the formal garden is in full bloom, or during the holidays, when the lights turn the garden into a lighted version of a winter wonderland. It's just magic.

And maybe, for just a couple hours today, time will stand still.

Happy holidays!

Photography as escapism

A farm off of Picture Valley Road, between Myrtle Point and Coquille, Ore.

It’s been a little while since I wrote about the weather being overcast and foggy – but not much has changed. Today is the same and I was finally able to at least get one photo this morning.

This farm is off a road between Myrtle Point and Coquille called “Picture Valley Road.” Now how can a photog resist wandering down a road like that?  

It’s not the greatest photo, for sure, but hey – it was a chance to grab a shot on the way to work. Would it win a prize in a competition? Doubtful. Would it make a fine art print to hang on a wall? Perhaps.

One of the greatest things about photography, as I see it, is that it can be as personal or as universal as a person wants to make it. There’s nothing especially poignant or outstanding about this photo but I like it. It reminds me of a nice peaceful morning before all hell breaks loose when I walk through the door to the office. It makes me dream of a time when I won’t have so much computer work and writing to do and I can get out and enjoy the beauty of the world that surrounds us. The fog makes me want to return in the evening to see how the light changes as the sun sets.

Ahh, I can hardly wait to get out of the office…

Overcast and fog

It's a beautifully overcast day this morning, with some fog hanging in the lower valley areas. I'm hoping to take a couple of the four-footed kids out for a walk and some photo practice. Nice, soft light, maybe some macro work and close-ups. Taking advantage of the overcast skies is just one way I can rationalize not getting up early this morning.

A photog friend of mine doesn't care for these kinds of gray days. He likes the emotion of the early morning/late evening landscapes with big puffy white clouds on a blue sky background. Granted, where he's at – traveling through California and areas of the Southwest – thunderheads and cumulus clouds would add drama to photos with otherwise dull skies.

Some of my favorite photos have been taken in the fog. Living in Charleston, Ore., gives me plenty of opportunity to shoot boats coming and going in the fog, docks, houses, bays and beaches in the fog. The mood is spectacular when the image is captured just the way you see it in your mind.

For now, I'm off to cattle country to shoot some valleys and rivers. Will try to post something tomorrow if I get any good shots today.

 

What a day -- and welcome

Greetings to the big world out there -- and my apologies for not having an profound things to say on my first post.

But for the record, I'm just getting Sunset Bay Media set up. Website to come, videos to come on YouTube, photos to post, and more. It takes time.

I'm hoping I can share some of my photos and experiences with you through this blog -- and also share information about photography and multimedia.

Today I went to a city-wide yard sale and found some shelves. office chairs and dog toys (for visiting canine friends) for the new office and some knick knacks for some table-top studio photography play. Now if I could just get broadband Internet access here, I'll be all set.

Soon, too, I'll be posting some photos of some pet portrait shoots I have scheduled. Photographing people and their pets -- always a challenge but always fun. My family of four 4-footed friends (say that three times fast) never ceases to provide me with new poses, new looks, new quirks that give me ideas and new perspectives on their lives.

So for now, thanks for visiting and I promise I'll post more interesting stuff soon!