Mike's Other Pixtures #25

I was at Costco getting gas earlier this week .... and so was Santa.

He didn't look exactly like this .... but he did look like Santa.

The hat was the same, the beard was real and white, red shirt and bib overalls.

We had a nice chat and at the end of it .... I told him I always knew he was real.

He told me .... he always knew he was real too.

And there you have it .... proof positive.

Mike's Other Pixtures #24

Last year I was doing one of those "pixture a day" deals.

This is one of the shots from that series.

It was taken on a day in May in the afternoon .... so I suspect the motivation was bad weather.

Foraging for a subject, indoors, when I was ready to shoot led me to the kitchen .... and the rest is history.

Mike's Other Pixtures #23

Lots in the news this year about cycling and doping in cycling .... who cares. 

I am pretty sure that this has gone on for a very long time .... maybe even forever.

I am pretty sure that everyone who rides professionally .... does it. 

So the argument that it creates an unfair advantage and is cheating .... does not ring true with me.

The very nature of sport is "performance enhancing". 

These are not drugs and procedures that do the athlete harm .... they are things that improve their ability to perform. 

If we are going to go down that path .... then lifting weights is "performance enhancing" and should be banned too.

It's only illegal because some bureaucrat says it is .... kind of like prohibition. 

Although alcohol did become legal and I have tested it extensively .... there is absolutely no performance enhancing value it that drug.

Here is Levi Leipheimer at the start of the Pro Cycling Challenge. 

He and every other rider was aware of the many photographers along the barriers .... and went out of his way to make sure we had a chance to get the pixtures we wanted.

Not many sports, still have that kind of fan accommodation from the athletes.

So, how about we let them do their sport ....  as they think best.

And, how about we just enjoy it .... not legislate it, based on some coot's idea of right.

Mike's Other Pixtures #22

By definition, the eye of a Giraffe .... should always be far away.

You've got to love a lens .... that will let you defy that kind of obvious.

We did have a little help.

As on this day the Giraffe came right up to the fence .... then leaned out to see what we were up to.

Mike's Other Pixtures #21

Linda, JJ, Tristan and I went out to The Wild Life Sanctuary in Keensburg, on Saturday.

Had a great time on the elevated walkway .... seeing many of the Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wolves and more.

Most of whom were lazing in the sun .... just like this girl here.

But I will always remember this day for what happened afterward.

JJ choked on a Lifesaver, in the car on the way home .... and I had to Heimlich him to get it out.

I don't know if it was life and death or not but it was as close as I ever need to come .... especially with one of the Grandkids.

Mike's Other Pixtures #20

If you let a photographer stand in one place long enough.

They will always find a pixture.

The team cars were lining up in advance of the start of the Pro Cycling Challenge.

Someone opened a door .... to get a little air.

.... and voila.

Mike's Other Pixtures #19

The rumor at the gym this morning is that it's already snowing in Boulder.

Being one of the 9 guys in Colorado .... that doesn't ski.

I am pretty much never ready for the snow.

So I'm thinking .... a pixture from warmer and sunnier days.

Mike's Other Pixtures #18

On the Saturday after Halloween .... you pretty much have to post a pixture of Trick or Treaters.

And most especially .... when you get visit from a crowd as cute as this.

Captain America .... with dimples.

A Princess .... from the world of Disney.

A Squirrel .... complete with a large bushy tail.

And a Goth Princess .... with a very nice smile.

Mike's Other Pixtures #17

As you can see, he is still pretty relaxed.

But it won't be long now .... until he is, again, a very busy man.

Mike's Other Pixtures #16

The wheels on the bike go round and round ....

Mike's Other Pixtures #15

From the .... "a face only a mother could love" file.

A Red River Hog.

Mike's Other Pixtures #14

You shoot your pixture in color.

Convert it to B&W in your editing software.

And then .... paint away the B&W to reveal some of the color.

Sounds like I really know what I'm doing doesn't it?

Truth is .... I have to watch the "how to video", at least twice, every time I do it.

Mike's Other Pixtures #13

I think my favorite spot at the Zoo .... is the great apes area.

The potential is always there for a good pixture .... I mean, they are after all, the great apes.

The reality is that some visits are good and some are not .... in fact, I often come away with no pixtures at all. 

But this was a good day .... the newest member of the Orangutan family was putting on a great show.

Check out the rope he is holding in his hands .... all three of his hands.

Proof positive .... that this is one flexible little guy.

Mike's Other Pixtures #12

It's easy to look at bike racing, with it's small slender men in bright colored lycra  .... and be fooled into thinking it's not a sport of tough guys.

This is a pixture of Chris Horner .... one of the American veterans of the sport.

In the 2011 Tour de France, he was involved in a spectacular crash .... after which he climbed up out of the weeds and got back on his bike. 

Then he rode another 20+ miles to finish that stage.

At the end of the day, we watched as the support guys from his team walked him to the ambulance .... and got him strapped onto the gurney.

As that happened we could hear Chris asking over and over again .... "did I finish"?

This is not a particularly unique story, in a sport that considers the ability to withstand pain .... a talent.

Mike's Other Pixtures #11

Poor Tristan .... the weight of the world on his shoulders and the sorrow on his face.

But in the next frame .... a hint of a smile was on it's way.

And in the frame after that .... a full on 100w smile.

Life, or at least the emotions that go with it, are quick .... when you are a kid.

Mike's Other Pixtures #10

On my last visit to the Zoo, I was strolling through the Elephant Passage.

One of the vendors told me there was a lot of action at the Gibbon exhibit .... and I should hustle over there.

It's actually part of the new Elephant exhibit just before you exit.

When I got there .... a big crowd had formed.

But it seemed to me the action was on the people side and it was the Gibbons who were getting  the good show .... not giving it.

Kind of interesting, photographing this Gibbon. 

In any animal pixture .... you want the the eyes in sharp focus. 
But when they are set inside black circles of fur, that's hard to see .... even when you  get it right.

Mike's Other Pixtures #9

We had a great day, at the Pro Cycling Challenge.

Learning from last year's experience, we got there early and laid claim to a spot right on the fence .... across from the "sign-in stage".

After the riders have signed in, they line up for the start right in front of us .... presenting some great opportunities for full frame face shots.

Especially when you have a 300mm lense to work with.

I was very pleased with the pixture I got of Vincenzo Nibali .... one of the up and coming stars of the sport (ranked #4 in the world on the day of this race).

I was a little mystified by all of the light I had captured on his face.

Thinking at first that it was reflection off the white fence that lines the course here at the start.

But if you look closely at the reflection in his sunglasses .... you can see the photographer that was laying on the ground to shoot his picture.

In an amazing coincidence .... I shot my pixture at the exact same moment that he triggered his flash.

Mike's Other Pixtures #8

Had a Friday to myself today ....

That's always the plan .... but of late it hasn't always been the reality.

But today it worked out just the way it's supposed to .... so I had a chance to make a photo safari to the Zoo.

Seemed like it was animals that I don't typically notice .... that were willing to pose today.

This particular seal and her much larger friend were sunning themselves on a rock as I walked by their habitat.

This one seemed very intent on showing, all of us who were watching .... just how flexible she is.

Mike's Other Pixtures #7

One day I found these three adventurers on my patio table.

JJ tells me ....

One is looking to the horizon for their destination.

One is calling On-Star.

The 3rd one is getting ready for a fight .... I think he's just cheering the good news.

Mike's Other Pixtures #6

While you can always count on "some good pixtures" from a trip to the Zoo.

You can't always count on the subject you want .... and a little mystery to every trip.

Without question, the big apes, Orangutans in particular, are my favorite subjects at the Denver Zoo.

But they are very definitely a some days yes, some days no subject.

I am not normally a "shoot thru the glass" kind of guy. But that was the opportunity that was available on this day.

Imagine my delight .... when I found the tools in Lightroom to take away pretty much all of the downside from a thru the glass shot.

Mike's Other Pixtures #5

When you embark on a project to take a pixture a day .... you find yourself looking at the world differently.

On a good day .... almost everything you see is a possibility.

On a bad day ... nothing seems to be the right candidate for a pixture.

Linda is a very big fan of Cadbury Creame Eggs.

So in the weeks leading up to Easter the Bunny visits our house often.

I was making this pixture of his latest offering, when I looked away for what I am sure was only a minute .... and look what happened.

Mike's Other Pixtures #4

Every month, on the 25th .... I buy Linda flowers.

The 25th of May is her birthday and a number of years ago her gift was flowers .... every month for the rest of her life.

One of the many things that I learned during my "year of pixtures" .... is that you can shoot a pixture a day, for more than week, in one vase of flowers.

So now .... Linda's monthly flower gift, is a gift for me too.

Mike's Other Pixtures #3

On a hot day .... like this one.

The best thing for a bear to do is to take a nap .... a very long nap.

Mike's Other Pixtures #2

I love the Zoo ....

Where else can you go and KNOW that you are going to have a number of great photo opportunities?

And variety too .... as the opportunities will be different every time you go.

For a number of years now I have been buying an annual pass, a Family Pass .... so Linda and I can take the grandkids.

I go 6 or 7 times a year .... the grandkids want to go maybe once.

Mike's Other Pixtures #1

My "pixture a day" project has come to an end.

I am just a little bit relieved that that I won't have that daily obligation any longer. Although, the truth be told I long ago stopped "taking" a pixture daily.

I told myself I would "post" daily .... but even that got derailed by life, with some regularity.

But .... I am not at all ready to let go of the idea of  "telling the story" behind the pixture.

I  will continue  bi-weekly postings to "Mike's Scuba Pixtures".

But what about the pixtures I make that have nothing to do with scuba .... and so is born "Mike's Other Pixtures".

A monthly, or bi-monthly or weekly posting of the pixtures I take when my head is dry.

I am starting that Blog with the same pixture that ended Pix365.

A shot that was taken the day that Linda, Jaedyn and I went to the Zoo.

On that day, we saw a number of good things, including a visit to the new Elephant Passage .... and I shot quite a few "keepers".

But it was the Hippo who stole the day .... with an exceptionally good and spontaneous show, in and around his pond.