Wedding Cake–HDR

Here is a photo of a wedding cake that I did in HDR.  I am really enjoying the HDR technology and think that it makes the photos really cool.  I know that some people are saying that they think the HDR thing is going overboard but for some occasions I think it looks great.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for looking.

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

American Photo Magazine September Issue

I was reading through the September issue of American Photo Magazine and must say that they might be reading my posts because the material is getting better.  I am still not pleased with the amount of material in the issue but am pleased with the type of material. 

This month they discuss and show some photography work by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott which is very fashionable.  I have always been a fan of Black and White photos and they truly have outdid themselves on these photos.  I tried to get a website of more of their work but it seems that it might still be under construction. 

There was also an article by Lori Fredrickson that discussed and showed images of Natural landmarks but in a very unusual way.  But out of the whole magazine that was mainly the only thing that interested me. 

If you read the magazine and have more information that you thought was moving or excited you then please share.

If you haven't already done so make sure to signup for the American Photo Model Shoot which will be coming to the following locations:

Phoenix, AZ – Sept 7

Los Angeles, CA – Oct 12

New York, NY – Nov 24

Atlanta, GA – Dec 7

Full day access is only $199.

Register at http://americanphotomodelshoot.com

Butterfly

Butterfly

Here is a photo of a butterfly that I photographed while visiting Six Flags Vallejo, CA.  They have a butterfly exhibit that has lots of beautiful butterflies in it.

Thanks for looking.

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

My Introduction To HDR

HDR Photo at Work

Here is a photo of one of my first HDR photos.  I was at work and wanted to play with some HDR.

This is what we came up with.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

New Mex

I was driving through New Mexico recently and I came across this huge mountain.  Right away I thought of the movie Close Encounters.  I was able to drive around a bit and get this shot.  Not really the best since the telephone poles are in the way. 

Thanks for looking!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

PS, if you haven’t already signed up for the Bing Rewards Program I suggest you do.  I just achieved Gold Status and have been saving on rewards like Microsoft XBOX Points and XBOX Live Gold Membership.  Signup here!

On The Edge

Here is a photo of a cliff formation that I photographed while driving up to Colorado.  I shot this photo while still in New Mexico.  It reminded me of the way the earth has so many different layers of colors within it.  The bottom portion is darker red and gets lighter as it gets higher.

Thanks for reading!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

PS, if you haven’t already signed up for the Bing Rewards Program I suggest you do.  I just achieved Gold Status and have been saving on rewards like Microsoft XBOX Points and XBOX Live Gold Membership.  Signup here!

Camel Rock

Here is a very interesting photo of something I came across recently when I was visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico.  I came across this rock that appeared to be the shape of a camel.  I pulled over and shot a couple of photos.  If you haven't seen this interesting rock I suggest you visit it.  It is located just north of Santa Fe about maybe 15 miles or so. 

Thanks for looking!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

PS, if you haven't already signed up for the Bing Rewards Program I suggest you do.  I just achieved Gold Status and have been saving on rewards like Microsoft XBOX Points and XBOX Live Gold Membership.  Signup here!

Another Project

I was recently at a church convention in Ontario, CA when I noticed that the Ontario Convention Center was full of Pelco’s Spectra cameras.  These are one of Pelco’s greatest creations.  If you watch in many commercials and movies you will see the name Pelco.  The Spectra is even in the latest movie The Avengers which can be seen aboard the air ship in the place where they keep Loki. 

Thanks for reading!

Semper Fidelis,

Manny Perez

What do you see in this photo?

I came across this photo at one of the hotels I stayed at while in Palm Springs last year.  I really liked the way it looked and reminded me of something.  I am going to comment on my vision in this photo after I hear from someone else who comments on it.  The person with the closest vision to mine will get a surprise.  I will give you a hint…it’s a body part.

Look forward to hearing back from you on this. 

I have been pretty busy lately.  Was recently in Las Vegas on some business and had a great time.  The weather is extremely dry there though.  I tried to drink lots of water but still ended up with dry cracked lips. 

Thanks for reading!

Semper Fidelis,

Manny Perez

1st Place

I recently won 1st Place in a photo contest that Pelco was hosting for their employees.  I won with the photo above.

Thanks for your feedback!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

Bourbon Street

Here is a photo that I recently shot while visiting New Orleans, LA.  We wanted a photo of the most popular place in town and this is what I photographed.

Thanks for looking!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

Port of Los Angeles

Here is a photo from last year when I was on a cruise with the family.  We were just outside of the Port of Los Angeles for a second time and I shot this photo of some ships. 

Thanks for reading!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

Creepy Hallway

Here is a photo that I took recently when I was down in New Orleans, LA for work.  We were walking down Bourbon Street looking for a place to hang out and we found this creepy hallway and I snapped this photo.

Thanks for looking!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

Beauty In The Storm

Here is a flower that was growing onboard the MCRD San Diego base.  It seems that someone might have been spray painting nearby as the leaves have some sort of white coat all over them.  I think its amazing that this flower seems to continue to give us this beautiful pose even though its been spray painted.

Thanks for reading!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

Marines On Rifle Detail

I recall when I was on my first Rifle Detail for a funeral down in Southern California.  I was a bit nervous at first and then all the people showed up for the funeral.  It was a big crowd.  Turns out it was a retired Sgt. Major and after he had retired from the Marines he volunteered or headed up the Fire Department for Twentynine Palms.  He was popular.  Well, since there was so many people in the crowd that I actually got a little more nervous.  I was able to pull myself together just like any other Marine and was able to proceed because the mission needed to get done. 

This group of Marines were actually participating at the September 11 Memorial that was being held at the Pelco Campus in Clovis, CA.  I was able to take this photo of the Rifle Team. 

Thanks for reading!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

Marine Hummer

One more photo from the Pelco September 11th Memorial that was held this year!

This one shows a Marine riding in the back of a Hummer as the he participates in a small parade.  There is also a set of Fire Department officers that are riding on top of a fire truck.

Thanks for looking!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

MCRD San Diego

I was recently at my brother’s graduation at MCRD San Diego last week.  I must admit that it was a great feeling to finally step foot on the MCRD base again since I graduated from it back in 1996.  Once I made it through the main gate and was free to roam around the areas I was allowed on it was nice to see how much it has changed.  I noticed so many things that I wasn’t allowed to see when I was based there in Boot Camp.  While in Boot Camp I was able to see only the barracks that I lived in, the Parade Deck and the areas that we trained in, along with an area on the other side where we worked and had Liberty for one day. 

The Hallway, on your left was just one of the photos I was able to photograph while I was on the base.  Originally built in 1919 the base makes over 21,000 Marines a year and very few make it back to the Depot.  The hallway houses the offices of the Battalions that train the recruits.  These offices have lots of individuals working in them to keep track of the training of every Marine on the base. 

Overall the visit to the base was truly something I have been wanting to do for a long time.  I plan on doing it again soon.  I also want to mention that I was talking to my brother’s Drill Instructor about keeping in touch with old fellow Marines and he mentioned the website, TogetherWeServed.com which allows you to create a profile that can even be linked to your facebook account and add brothers/sisters that you knew while you were in the military.  It doesn’t just refer to only Marines as it also lets you create profiles for the other armed forces of the United States.  If you haven't checked out the site yet then you need to go do it now.

Thanks for reading and if you have any comments you want to leave, please do so.

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

Clovis Fire Department

Here is another photo from the September 11 Memorial that was held on the Pelco Campus this year.  I took this photo of the Clovis Fire Department Bell after the ceremony had ended.

Thanks for looking!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

The Beetle

Its been a while since I had a chance to share my mind on the site.  I have been busy lately where it seems that the summer is full of things that keep us on our toes.  From Birthday parties to just good ol’ fashioned BBQ’s.  And not to mention work is another thing too! 

I was on my way to work today and crossed under to overpasses that cross one of the highways that I travel and noticed something that was interesting to me anyway.  On the first overpass I saw a girl riding a bicycle with another girl standing holding on to the back of the girl driving the bicycle.  On the second overpass I noticed a man running his heart out.  On the third overpass I noticed a man walking just possibly gathering his thoughts while on his way to work.  I thought about taking a photo of the event but at that time of day it can be extremely dangerous trying to take a photograph and drive on a congested freeway at the same time. 

The photo of the beetle above is something that we came across that was flying around in the neighborhood and possibly just ended up dead outside the house.  It has kind of like a greenish and silvery texture to it.  If you know what type of beetle it is please let me know.

Thanks again for reading!

Semper Fidelis,

Manuel Perez

Paintballin’

Here is a photo of myself when I was in Chicago a couple of months