There Are No Squirrels on Maui

I have no idea whether Maui has squirrels, or not, but I doubt it. If there are squirrels on Maui, I’m betting that they are not indigenous. They would have had to be introduced – possibly by the same guy that released European starlings into New York’s Central Park in the 1850’s. The jerk. I’m sure that I could definitively answer the squirrel question with a quick Google search, but I’m too afraid of being disappointed by the answer. At this juncture, I’m prepared to stick with my original assertion regardless of the facts.

There really is no good segue from Hawaiian rodents to still lifes, but I made a couple more, and here they are. I think I now have this whole ‘low-key’ approach down and I’m ready to try some other lighting techniques. Once I get more comfortable with artificial lighting (particularly strobes), I will be ready to move on to portraits. I’ll probably start with the dogs before I move on to people. BTW, ‘low-key’ refers lighting that accentuates contours by throwing deep shadows. It is usually accomplished with one, or maybe two, lights.

I’m also pretty sure that there are no bears in Africa.

Rainy (snowy) Day Stuff

I am so bored that I have taken to photographing toasters. Not really bored, but I am too spoiled to go trudging out into the wilderness to take pictures when it is this cold outside. I prefer to endure hardship when its warmer. Anyway, I have decided to try my hand at still lifes. A still life is usually an artificial arrangement of objects that stays put and doesn't talk back. Usually they are constructed indoors where it is warm. The key to a successful still life is an artistic and appealing arrangement coupled with dramatic and creative lighting. This is very time-consuming to get right. A perfect activity when there is a blizzard (drizzle) howling outside.

So here are a couple of examples of what I have been up to. I will probably do more because it is supposed to stay cold for the rest of the week. I have bought a new studio strobe to help me get the lighting right (you can never have too many strobes). It should arrive next week.