Robert's Random Adventure Tours

Random Quotes

2011-05-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

Amanda: "I detest mauve; there is no worse color."

Random Quote

2011-02-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Andy: "I make feminine things masculine just by touching them."

Random Quote

2011-01-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

Melanie: "I'm just going to keep gluing stuff to my face till it works."

Random Quote

2010-12-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

me to Brooke: "Let's address that concern; Every time I see you you're fully clothed."

Driving To Work

2010-10-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Photographing a fundraiser for the Naval Special Warfare Foundation at The Ritz-Carlton & Half Moon Bay Golf Links.

A big flag was involved.

And golf.

I would show more golf pics but I can't show faces of active duty Navy Seals so I'll show you this red-tailed hawk that posed for me.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

2010-10-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

This was the 10th year for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park.

My core HSB buddies and I met up to enjoy the day's festivities.

We finished the day off watching Jackie Greene play.

12 Minute Art

2010-09-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

I was totally mesmerized by this process.

Super Harvest Moon

2010-09-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Won't see this baby again till 2029!

Sunday

2010-09-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Drive Bryan's car home and stay awake.

Saturday

2010-09-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Spend some quality time with my brother Christofer and his family.

Friday

2010-09-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Drive to Utah with my buddy Bryan.

Cool Hot Springs

2010-08-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

I could tell you...but I would have to kill you.

No Room In Yosemite

2010-08-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

Silly me thought we could find a spot in one of the first come first served campsites along Tioga Road in Yosemite. Silly me should have known better on a free weekend for National Parks. After our last hopes were dashed at Toulumne Meadows things looked pretty bleak. The thought of turning around and driving back to somewhere in the Central Valley was not very appealing. With nothing left to lose we asked the volunteer ranger at the Toulumne Meadows campsite for some advice. Turned out to be the best advice asked for. He said if it was him, he would drive over to Mammoth and camp at a little spot south of the airport, left at a green church, right on a dirt road after three cattle guards and down a mile or two. Oh and there would be a pretty sweet hot springs with a well marked trail too. Not bad advice. And the view of the Milky Way was amazing!

R.I.P. Seqouya 1997-2010

2010-08-06T17:49:00.001-07:00

Best Deal In Downtown Seattle

2010-06-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

Picture with these two lovely ladies for $1.00? Heck yeah!

Mineral Lake

2010-06-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

I've never been to Mineral Lake
...but I've been 5 minutes from there.

Oregon Road Trip - Day 4

2010-05-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Clearwater Falls

Toketee Falls

After Toketee Falls we decided to find Umpqua Hot Springs. Well worth it and a fine ending to our Oregon road trip!

Oregon Road Trip - Day 3

2010-05-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

Crater Lake
In my opinion this place has one of the most mind blowing views ever. The first time I saw Crater Lake I thought I was on another planet. As you drive up what appears the same as any other forested mountainside there is nothing to prepare you for a 20.6 sq mi lake filling a 2,148 foot deep caldera to a depth of 1,943 feet with clear deep blue water. It's kind of overwhelming for a photo so I decided to ask this guy if I could take a photo of him painting. He was super cool and we chatted for a bit. Turns out Jay makes some pretty cool jewelry, as evidenced by the cool wedding ring his daughter showed us.

Oregon Road Trip - Day 2

2010-05-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Odell Lake
Apparently Shelley owns a lake?! We found a great campsite at Trapper Creek Campground because there were still snow drifts nearly blocking access to the last two available sites. Thankfully this put us away from the noise of every other site filled with trailer and boat parties. But the nearby freight trains waking us in the middle of the night were quite a puzzling sound at first.

Crack In The Ground
Had to ask at the local gas and mini mart in order to locate the sign indicating directions to this interesting find. Though Christmas Valley itself was quite an interesting find. I watched a guy pull up on his chopper with a black lab perched on the tank like it was nothing. There is also a nearby airport but the only two planes parked there had flat tires. Apparently it does get used as there was an additional plane parked there when we left.

The Crack, as it is known locally, is 2 miles long, 10 to 70 feet deep and varies in width from 2 to 50 feet across. In places you can see parallel cracks through gaps in the rock. According to geologists The Crack formed recently as 1000 years ago when volcanic activity caused rock on the southeast side to sink leaving the northwest side in place. Normally these kind of things fill in with dirt over time but this one has remained deep enough to find snow in places during the summer. Allegedly pioneers escaped the summer desert heat and would have picnics in The Crack, even making ice cream from the snow.

Oregon Road Trip - Day 1

2010-05-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

Castle Crags State Park
Still in California I decided to check out the scenic overlook this morning hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. Shasta. No such luck as the morning fog was quite thick but I did luck out with a peek of the crags.

Salt Creek Falls
There are so many sweet waterfalls in Oregon I had no idea where to start. This one was basically the first one we saw a sign for. I felt like a kid in a candy store photographing this one.

Random Celebrity Photo

2010-05-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Amy Tan

Random Celebrity Photo

2010-05-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Gavin Newsom

Random Celebrity Photo

2010-05-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Maria Shriver

Bryan Graduates From Law School

2010-05-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

image #41,000

I'm Such A Rebel!

2010-05-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Image #40,000!!!

2010-05-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! 40,000 pictures shot on my Canon 40D!
Shot while photographing the Smart Green Cities conference at Stanford University.

Slots In The Silver Reef

2010-05-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

(l to r) myself, Sara, James, Raina
photo credit: Dave

Kite Flying

2010-04-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Sara is a rocket scientist studying the aerodynamics of kite wings for her thesis. Naturally she needs to fly kites for research. So with several days of good wind this week, she invited me to help out with some research.

Pink Duct tape makes it fly better.

This little guy was pesky.

Warming up in a patch of sun and the wind shadow of our "research facility".

This kite liked to go round and round in circles.

Random Quote

2010-04-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

Found in the directions for assembling a kite:

The LEADING edge is the FRONT edge. The TRAILING edge is the BACK edge.

Cruising The Coast Highway

2010-04-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

My cousin Danielle was in town for the weekend. She was originally going to run the Big Sur Marathon but a ham string injury and good sense kept her from it. But that didn't stop her from having fun. Jefferson, she and I headed to Monterey to pick up her race packet and score some free shwag at the race expo.

We drove down Highway 1 to check out the course she would have run.

I figured since we were already mostly there we should check out McWay Falls too.

image #39,000
photo credit: Danielle

Jefferson had eaten about 10 or so free energy bars from the expo and was feeling a little loaded down after maxing out his calorie intake for the day.

We tried some running photos at Bixby Bridge but the sand dunes north of Monterey turned out better, even if the sun didn't peak through.

Sea Otter Classic

2010-04-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Rich and I headed down to Laguna Seca for our now annual Sea Otter Classic photo safari.

Foothills Park

2010-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

A little jumpin around after family breakfast at Foothills Park

Andy, Joanna and Tauna

Andy

Steve

me

...and a little peek behind the scenes:

Longboarding

2010-03-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Image #38,000 on the Canon 40D

Trying out the bumper mounted GoPro® HD Camera*

Kambria gets her longboard on!

Jen agrees to do a solo run for "the shot"

Rich makes it look easy

A perfect Saturday for Robert's Random Adventure Tours

* Check out this link for some serious fun with this little gem and stay tuned for future Random Adventures with this baby!

Random E-mail

2010-03-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

I never knew there were so many ways to "transcend the boundaries of horizontality." - Until I found this in my inbox:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who has purchased or rated Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills (Mountaineers Outdoor Expert) by Craig Luebben or other books in the Mountaineering > Instructional category, you might like to know that Armitage's Vines and Climbers: A Gardener's Guide to the Best Vertical Plants will be released on April 7, 2010.

Product Description
Climbing plants are a largely untapped resource for today's gardeners... By following Armitage's sage advice, gardeners and designers will be well equipped to create dazzling gardens that transcend the boundaries of horizontality.

We hope you found this message to be useful.

Random Double Date

2010-02-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

As I was driving home from church I saw two lovely young ladies run across the street in front of me and jump in Rich's car. I asked where they were going and they said they were going to Filoli. We decided to make it a double date.

And a lovely double date it was.

Surrounded by such beauty, Rich felt like quite the man...in spite of all the flowers.

I basked in the light of such beauty, and took full advantage of...

...the ballroom.

Remember that girls always love flowers.

Thurl Bailey

2010-02-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

Again I had the privilege of photographing Thurl Bailey. This evening he spoke at the East Bay Interstake Center.

He shared some profound experiences of where he has been in life, how these have brought him to this point and shaped where he is headed. He spoke of his dad teaching him how to play basketball and to always keep his knees bent, that way he would always be ready to jump. He then shared what it was like to be cut two years in a row trying out for basketball in junior high. And still trying out the third year so that he would never have to wonder what might have been if he had not. And even then being pulled every game after winning the tip off.

After much perseverance and a memorable showing at North Carolina State he was drafted to the NBA by the Utah Jazz where he described what it was like...

...tipping off against Dr. J

...getting fallen on by Shaq

...getting dunked on by Michael Jordan

His most profound experiences however seem to be meeting his wife and joining the LDS church. These seem to shape most where he is now headed. It shows in how he talks proudly of his family and how graciously he interacts with anyone he comes into contact with. He is grateful for the gifts The Lord has blessed him with and genuinely wishes to use his talents to help bless others lives.

After speaking for an hour he happily spent an hour and a half signing autographs and talking to each person...

...young

...short

...or tall

LDS Night At The Warriors

2010-02-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

I was asked by the LDS church’s regional public relations group to photograph LDS night at the Warriors vs. Jazz game. Thurl Bailey, LDS convert and retired professional basketball player with the Jazz, was at tonight's game to present a framed family history to Alvin Attles, retired professional basketball player and former Warriors head coach, and give a chalk talk to LDS fans after the game.

Image #35,000

LDS Missionaries from the California Oakland Mission sang the national anthem. The usher, who escorted them back to their dressing room, commented that he has heard the national anthem many times and this was one of the better performances.

The twins first basketball game. Clearly Zorea was not as impressed as Declan was with the whole experience.

Thurl Bailey and I after the game. This guy knows how to dress.

Baylands Walk

2010-02-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

With the power out and such nice weather it was a perfect day for a walk at the baylands. My mom, Bryan, Tauna, their twins, their dog and I headed out to the trail on the east side of the Palo Alto Airport runway for some bird watching and to see how PG&E was doing with repairs on the broken power line tower. Thankfully power was restored shortly after 6PM just as it was getting dark.

Plane Crash & Power Outage

2010-02-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

A small two engine plane crashed in an East Palo neighborhood shortly before 8AM this morning. The plane clipped a power line tower cutting power to most of Palo Alto and parts of surrounding communities. After clipping the tower, pieces of the plane crashed into several cars and two houses on Beech Street. No one on the ground was hurt but all three occupants of the plane were killed; The houses were destroyed by the resulting fires

photo credit: Andy Lillian

My friend Andy lives across the street from one of the houses and heard what sounded like an explosion. My brother, also named Andy, lived in the same room as Andy less than a year ago.

My brother Steve called me at 9AM to see if I wanted to go check it out and try to get some pictures. Back in the day when I was shooting for a newspaper I would have been a lot more aggressive about getting closer shots. But now I figure I've seen enough news stories close up and watched enough bystanders clog up a situation.

Random Quotes

2010-02-12T21:19:00.000-08:00

Michelle [to me]: "If I ever pro-create you're totally taking pictures of my offspring."

Caisa & Adrian & One In The Oven

2010-02-12T10:13:00.000-08:00

A quick and fun little photoshoot done while dodging the day's only 20 minutes of precipitation. As quick as we started Adrian had to run off for minor surgery to remove a chunk of coral from his knee and I to meet my high school prom date for lunch.

Good Friday

2010-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

I learned to ski at Homewood when I was 12. It was good to be back again. The top 10 reasons this place rocks:
10. The rental shop manager comped me a binding adjustment to match my $8.99 boots to my $14.99 skis.
9. Anna at the ticket booth was seriously cute!
8. The parking lot is approximately 20ft. from the main lift.
7. Some of the cheapest lift tickets in Tahoe.
6. You can always find fresh tracks somewhere on the mountain.
5. There is hardly anybody here.
4. It's big enough to explore new runs most of the day.
3. It's small enough to never feel lost.
2. The waffle hut.
1. The view of the lake from the main chair up The Face is like nothing else in the world!

North Shore Nightlife

2010-01-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

Big Photo #2

2010-01-28T16:45:00.000-08:00

I had showed the Brand's big family photo to Dick Peery before delivering it and he said, "Order me one just like it of our family."

The Wright Family

2010-01-04T12:01:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how it's been five years since I've seen Bonnie and Will's kids it's understandable that Bracken thought I only looked kind of familiar. Five years was too long. I love this family! Bonnie and Will have been good friends since I met them at church shortly after my mission. I've had many fun memories with them, from photographing their wedding, to hanging out with Will as he putted golf balls in his living room trying to wrap his head around being a dad for the first time, to dodging flash floods in Capital Reef National Park, and many more. Countless times they would happily let me crash on their couch for days or weeks at a time either in between random adventures in Utah or just to hang out with them and their kids.

Random Quote

2010-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Bracken [regarding yours truly]: "Hey dad there's some guy upstairs that looks kinda familiar."
Will [working in the basement]: "Ask him if his name is Robert."
Bracken: "Uh, can you just come upstairs."

Some Of My Family & Friends

2010-01-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

My dad George

My grandpa Sir Robert

My nephew Radley and niece Demsey

My friends Britney, Los and their son Stone

Drive To Utah

2009-12-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

Driving through the Sierras with Andy and Joanna to meet up with family in Utah.

Random Quote

2009-12-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Hillary [handing me her bottle of ginger ale]: "Can you open this?...I have sensitive hands."

Late Night Teeth Brushing Inspiration

2009-12-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

...produced this photo:

You've never heard of the Millenium Falcon?
It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.

Steve Young

2009-12-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

Joanna's english class is reading some book about football, so she cornered Steve Young at church and asked him to come talk to her students.

He signed a bunch of autographs too. Some kids brought footballs and were a tad shy. Most kids just had him sign the back of their cell phone.

Steve was great with the kids. He gathered them around for a quick group photo before running off to get his family a Christmas tree.

I figured since this was the third time I had showed up at the school I should get my photo taken with him. The previous two times he had to cancel to do live sports broadcasts or something.

The school wanted my autograph too.

Annual Bradshaw Family Christmas Tree Cutting

2009-12-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

It was a little cold and wet this year.

So I mostly stayed with the twins in the car while the rest of the family went tree hunting.

Then bundled them up for pictures with mom and dad.

And put in a little saw time.

Image #34,000

2009-12-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

One of several hundred nativity scenes displayed at the 21st annual Creche Exhibit sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The North Face Endurance Challenge

2009-12-05T23:43:00.000-08:00

Today I ran The North Face Endurance Challenge Half Marathon for the second year in a row. I had been getting more and more stressed and anxious about this race the past week. But I managed to let go of all that and get psyched up this morning after hitting the snooze button a time or two. I told myself I had already done it last year and had nothing to prove (except to beat last years time). I decided I would run if I felt like it or just walk if I felt so inclined. Turns out I ran a one minute faster pace than last year and had a much stronger finish.

For most of the run I kept pace with my new friend Kris from Richmond. She got comments all along the trail about her pink tutu. I got a comment about the sign she had pinned to her back that read "I heart Nick". Nick, her husband with recent foot surgery, and their dog paced us as we went by the aid station. At one point on the trail Kris and I passed Dean Karnazes and he never caught up with us after. So now I can say I beat Dean Karnazes in a half marathon. Although he was stopped to check on some runners who turned down the wrong trail and to make sure no one else did the same. Kris pulled away on the last downhill and finished a minute ahead of me. I think the pink tutu gave her extra energy and I am now contemplating what crazy accessory I should wear next year.

Kat & Sergei

2009-12-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Kat and Sergei got married in San Francisco today. It was an intimate wedding with her parents and two best friends attending. She already had another photographer but I told her I would try to snap some candid shots of Jeff and Jem.

But they got camera shy.

Image #33,000!

2009-11-14T13:24:00.001-08:00

Working on a series of Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus photographs to be displayed at the upcoming annual Christmas Creche Exhibit in Palo Alto.

President Jimmy Carter

2009-11-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Not everyday you get to eat lunch with the Secret Service after shooting a president. President Jimmy Carter spoke at Menlo Country Club regarding global health issues.

Delicate Arch

2009-10-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Had a great day four-wheelin and exploring with Andrew and his friends...but the day just wasn't going to be complete without a hike to Delicate Arch.

Image #32,000

2009-10-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Somewhere near Moab

Image #31,000

2009-10-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Highway 1 @ Davenport

Living The Dream...

2009-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm really starting to feel like this whole photography business is going to work out. I came home from a photo gig today and saw this sweet ride parked on the street in front of my house. It may not be mine but, dreaming can be a good thing.

One year ago this week I told my manager at The North Face that I wanted to drastically drop my hours as the store's visual merchandiser and go from full to part-time status. I had decided that I really needed to pursue professional photography. It is where my experience lies, it is where my training lies, and most importantly it is where my passion lies. It was time to start living the dream.

This year, among other photography jobs and assignments, I have taught two full photography classes in my own studio with demand for more, have one regular and two semi-regular private photo consulting clients, have started teaching photography classes at the Hyatt Classic, and have been hired as a regular contract photographer for a local venture capital firm doing all their event photography and eating some very fancy catered food.

...so if nothing else, the dream is keeping me well fed.

Pescadero

2009-09-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Image #30,000!!!

Radley's new favorite ride...

...Uncle Jefferson's new workout.

11 Days Old

2009-08-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Zorea & Declan

click here for more images

Just A Tuesday On The Delta

2009-08-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Mike watches the dock while Trish handles the phones.

"Welcome to The Delta. How may I direct your call?"

Double The Nieces And Nephews. Double The Fun!

2009-08-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

Proud parents, Bryan and Tauna!*

Proud Grandma B!

Proud Grandpa B!

Proud uncles, Andy and myself!

baby girl: 6lbs. 2oz. & baby boy: 8lbs. 2oz.
...somebody is going to have a protective brother!

*MVP award to Tauna for carrying such precious cargo for nine months that ended up weighing over 14lbs. combined, waiting out almost two days of labor, going through a C section, and displaying such a beautiful smile barely four hours after!

Mission Impossible

2009-08-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

I received the call Monday evening from my boss, Mr. X. My mission, should I choose to accept it, was to have a sufficient amount of Bavarian Mint from Gelato Classico, located at 435 Emerson Street in downtown Palo Alto, delivered to a specified address in Orem, UT. Something about some guy wanting to impress his fiance with her favorite flavor of gelato. Apparently some romantic memories were previously enjoyed in Palo Alto. My deadline was Friday. My mission was completed at 9:26 A.M. Thursday when the package arrived safely with its contents still frozen solid.

So how much does it cost to send 5 liters of Bavarian Mint gelato overnight to Utah you might ask? Probably a lot more than this guy imagined. Lucky for him Mr. X likes him.

5 liters Bavarian Mint gelato: $50
1 styrofoam cooler from 7-11: $8.18
5 pounds dry ice and zip lock bags from Safeway: $12.28
UPS 10:30AM Next Day Air shipping: $107.41
Bradshaw's packaging & shipping services: $122.13

Total for reliving romantic memories spent in downtown Palo Alto enjoying Bavarian Mint gelato: $300

Super Diamond!!!

2009-08-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again. "GO SEE SUPER DIAMOND!!!"

David Archuleta Serenaded Me

2009-07-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah it's true. David Archuleta serenaded me.

My friend Amy called me up today and asked if I would drive to Sacramento with her to do some publicity photos for Rising Star. She said we would be photographing David Archuleta. I said sure.

After we got on the road and caught up a bit with each other, I had to ask Amy who this David Archuleta guy was. I figured he was somewhat famous but I hadn't been keeping up with Us Weekly or People and clearly hadn't been watching much TV, so I was a bit out of the loop as far as the phenomenon known as American Idol.

After arriving at a nice hotel, David's manager escorted us to his room and introduced us. It was kinda surreal because he is just a kid. He was super nice and even offered me the complimentary chocolate covered strawberries that were in the room. I quickly set up for our little publicity photoshoot while he typed away on his MacBook Pro likely blogging/Facebooking/Twittering.

As Amy and I tried to figure out how to hang the Rising Star poster for the background I discovered we could hang it from the fire sprinklers. She commented, "Robert, your such a cool guy for doing all this." At which point David busted out with a spontaneous song of, "Robert, he's such a cool guy!"

Climbing With Danielle

2009-07-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

I finally had the chance to go climbing with my cousin Danielle. We found some nice crags at the end of a road in Ogden.

I tried my hand at lead climbing a sport route, but only made it half way up.

Danielle finished it off and made it look easy.

Willard Bay

2009-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bryan, Steven and I took a morning flight out of SF to join most of the family in Utah (Andy flew out later that same day and Tauna stayed home as she is due in one month with twins). While walking through the airport we looked like sponsored athletes decked out in The North Face gear and each of us sporting The North Face duffel bags. When we arrived at Christofer and Devan's place the boat and everybody were all ready to head out to Willard Bay for a day of fun.

Radley has fun playing with rocks on the shore.

Demsey has fun just chillin.

Radley also has fun being a human football.

Chris had fun launching out of the water

Jefferson gets his catch-the-frisbee-in-the-water big-air goin on.

Christofer decides to sneak up on me while someone has my camera...

...and makes the takedown!

Fun with synchronized jumping.

(l to r) myself, Jefferson, John, Bryan, Christofer, Steven

Dad enjoys some R&R with Demsey.

My Latest Work Of Art:

2009-07-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Caisa and Adrian show their support for Joy during the 2009 World Longboard Championships held in France

4th of July

2009-07-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

This year's fourth had the requisite barbecue at noon complete "with liberty and watermelon for all" hosted by Jessica, Cary and Brittany at Ramos Park. Then Rayne and I headed down to Aptos for a beach party thrown by Krista, Kianna and Jem where we found ourselves surrounded by some of the craziest (possibly illegal) fireworks I have ever witnessed. And by witnessed I mean practically having to duck and cover while roasting s'mores around our mini beach bonfire! And even though it felt what I imagine a war zone to feel like, Krista said this year was pretty tame.

"ooh! aah!"

"Fire in the hole!"

Our small but sufficient beach bonfire.

The Arroyo Seco Gorge Adventure Tour

2009-06-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hike three miles up the gorge.

Drop down to the bridge.

Then "hike" down the river!

The river goddess emerges.

Yeah, we just did that.

Fat Man's Misery

2009-06-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

The group, minus our sacrificial photographer: James

In a canyon called "Fat Man's Misery" it's good to be skinny!

Image #28,000

2009-06-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Spending some quality time with little Demsey.

photo credit: Christofer Bradshaw

Teva Mountain Games - Saturday

2009-06-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Teva Mountain Games - Friday

2009-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Teva Mountain Games - Thursday

2009-06-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Demsey Marie Bradshaw

2009-05-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Demsey Marie Bradshaw
arrived at 12:15 PM
weighing in at 6lbs.4oz.
to proud parents Christofer and Devan
and protective older brother Radley!

The Return Trip

2009-05-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

St. George, UT to Palo Alto, CA

Somewhere west of Kramer Junction, CA

Slightly past somewhere west of Kramer Junction, CA

Pine Creek Canyon/Angels Landing

2009-05-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Mystery Canyon

2009-05-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, a canyoneering we will go, a canyoneering we will go
Heigh ho, the dairy-o, a canyoneering we will go
We'll pick up on chics and gather sticks
And then belay them so

"Hi mom!"

Road Trippin

2009-05-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

Jumpin in and livin life at Rainbow Pools

Olmsted Point has a beautiful view and is well worth getting out of your car for half an hour but don't think Yosemite is going to "hand its photographic beauty to you on a silver platter".*

When exiting the east end of Yosemite via Tioga Pass Road be sure to treat yourself to a tasty meal at the Mobil Mart. Yes you read that right: the Mobil Mart. Just don't get sticker shock at the prices. The food here is better than any other restaurant you would spend the same amount or more for, and the view from the porch competes with any expensive restaurant with a view.

For dessert hit up the Benton Station Cafe at the end of CA 120 and grab a $3 slice of cake from the platter on the counter before turning on to US 6.

My Rant About Some Guys Yosemite Rant

2009-05-14T02:14:00.000-07:00

I just came across some guys "Yosemite Rant" as I was looking for a particular Ansel Adams picture and felt compelled to write a response to his rant and some of the ensuing comments.

In his rant he says, "Have you been to Yosemite?...Yosemite hands you its photographic beauty on a silver platter. [Ansel] Adams' images are right there for the taking...his images of Yosemite are pretty standard fare."

His original post was in 2006 and the last comment was in 2007 so if my comment never gets around to being moderated here it is:

"Have you been to Yosemite?"
Why yes! I have been going there since I was a little kid and stood in awe of Yosemite falls framed by the apparition of a white Christmas tree made of ice on a cold winter morning. I go at least a couple times a year to either backpack in the back country, drive over Tioga on the way to Mammoth or give a friend a quick tour of the valley.

I have been a somewhat successful photographer since high school and always try to capture some essence of Yosemite in a picture every time I go. Have I ever felt like, "Yosemite hands you its photographic beauty on a silver platter."??? Maybe, possibly, once...but I had to plan a return trip through the park at just the right time of day after missing the right light the first time through, hike a ways off the beaten path and scout out a suitable location to get the clear view of Half Dome that I was trying to capture. Okay it wasn't really all that hard and yes I did feel like that particular shot was handed to me on a silver platter. But I feel like I trekked countless miles of Yosemite wilderness and waited twenty years of visiting, searching, trying and hoping for that "silver platter" to be served! And while I like my "silver platter" shot and many people admire it, I don't consider my shot to be any sort of Ansel Adams...but then I don't share your opinion that, "his images of Yosemite are pretty standard fare." And not to be rude, but I feel the three shots you have posted here are (standard fare).

Yosemite may offer it's beautiful treasures on a silver platter to those who visit the park and stand there admiring the awesome sights with their own eyes, but to capture something truly amazing about Yosemite in a picture takes more than standing there dumbfounded by something so beautiful, pointing an expensive toy at it and snapping a picture. Unless of course you are an "artist" or have some sort of "individual vision".

But then again, what do I know? After all, I actually think Ansel Adams pictures are amazing...and every time I visit Yosemite I feel like "I have [never] seen this all before" :-)

I should disclose that I am both a Yosemite fan and an Ansel Adams fan.

...should I title this - Yosemite On A Silver Platter?

Random Quoutes

2009-05-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

Me to Jem: "What good are you?"
Jem: "I'm eye candy!"

2nd Half Marathon

2009-05-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today I ran my second half marathon ever. So by my calculations I have now run full a marathon! Today's run was the third annual America River Parkway Half Marathon in Sacramento. Sarah Beth, Steph and Jodi signed up a month or so ago and invited me to join along as the token male - a role I can generally be counted on for. Angela was joining us on this trip to run the 5K along with Heather, who's house we stayed at the night before in Woodland. Props to Heather for the fabulous carbo-rich meal we were greeted with upon arrival! Props to Jodi for driving, Steph for organizing, Sarah Beth for understanding and laughing at my jokes and Angela for the pic!

San Francisco To Tiburon

2009-04-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

My friend Katy was in town so we revisited a favorite bike ride of ours, from San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge to Tiburon and back on the ferry.

This lucky guy was waiting for his turn in the three person elevator to the top of the south tower. Apparently: (A) It is possible to get a tour if you know someone...and are willing to wait two years for one of about four tours per year. (B) There are elevators inside the towers. (C) Robert will try his darndest to talk his way up an elevator for a tour.

The hand painted sign on the inside of the door says:
bridge towers footage
746 - height
500 - sidewalk to top
246 - sidewalk to bottom
4,200 - tower to tower
1 mile 8 tenth - length of bridge
2 miles - south parking lot to north parking lot

south tower

north tower

The San Francisco Bay
random facts:
400 square miles - surface area
14 feet - average depth
360 feet - depth at the Golden Gate
67,000,000 tons - annual cargo passing through the Golden Gate
1/3 - amount the bay has shrunk over the last 150 years
1/4 - original wetland, riparian, and tidal mudflat habitat remaining
40% - California’s land mass drained by the bay-delta watershed
<50% - fresh water flow coming into the bay compared to 1930

Photographic proof that Katy can ride no hands.

Another beautiful day in the Bay Area.
(l-r) Katy, Laura and Helen

note: All photos in this post taken with my GOPRO Wrist HERO camera mentioned in the previous post.

Sea Otter Classic

2009-04-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

My buddy Rich called the other day and suggested going to the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey and snapping some pics.

We recruited Adam (lower left with camera) and Rob and had ourselves a guys photo safari complete with burrito stop on the way down at some random Mexican dance club/bar in Morgan Hill.

Found a nice little spot by the downhill event. I was able to get some action closeups with my 50mm and taste some dust when this guy landed.

After the events we wandered through the sponsor induced tent city. I commented that all I really wanted to check out was the GoPro tent to get a free t-shirt. I have several of their older cameras and love them. Some random nice guy walking next to us said he would show us where it was. Turns out he was their Managing Director. Adam bought one of their new cameras and I got my free t-shirt.

Random Quotes

2009-04-11T23:48:00.000-07:00

Katherine to Sara, regarding fresh vegetables: I like my green beans more processed than you do. I like my green beans eaten by a cow, then I eat the cow.

Planet Granite Friction Series

2009-04-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Planet Granite presented their first annual Friction Series roped comp tonight at their Belmont location. My co-worker Kate had a table set up representing our Palo Alto The North Face store. I grabbed my camera after a nice trail run in Foothills Park then headed up to help represent and snap some pics. I randomly ran into a fellow photographer buddy that used to live around the corner from my family. I've run into him in some truly random places.

Image #23,000

2009-04-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

A fun image from a fabulous photo shoot!

Last Photo Class - Round One

2009-04-08T12:00:00.001-07:00

The teacher's pet award this week goes to Veronica for her truly original piece entitled "Gray Steel" In her artist's statement she says, "Notice the not-so-subtle use of the rule of thirds" used to frame her subject.

photo credit: Veronica Schindler
post processing: me

Special mention goes out to Mike for this sweet shot. Nice example of narrow depth of field and a fine looking strat!

photo credit: Mike Knippers

Random Quotes

2009-04-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

me to my photo class: "So, your homework tonight involves this cool looking window of a little tanning salon down the street..."
Jessica and Veronica in unison: "Oh, Ingrid's!"

I Love My Professional Modeling Gig...

2009-04-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

...and if it helps my photo students understand camera controls and lighting concepts, then I say all the better!

photo credit: Adam Findley
post processing: me

Random Quotes

2009-03-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Overheard at the local bookstore.
Man with dog: "Hey Paula, you should get a dog."
Paula: "I can't afford a dog."
Man with dog: "They're cheaper than a man."
Paula: "I can't afford one of those either."

Random Quotes

2009-03-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

Bobby, as I handed him a guitar: "I'm no Robert...but I am because my name is Robert."

My Latest Addiction

2009-03-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

I tried crack today, and I liked it.

My Gig As A Photo Teacher/Professional Model

2009-03-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

During tonight's photography class I reviewed setting the ISO, talked about figuring out a usable minimum shutter speed and discussed more about how aperture affects the final picture. I decided I wanted to give my students some hands on experience with setting these controls on their cameras as I explained it. I needed a subject for them to photograph and I needed enough light for them to use a fast enough shutter speed so as not get blurry pictures due to camera shake. I recently purchased some used hot lights for $20, so I fired one up and sat myself down on the hot seat...man that light was seriously bright.

photo credits: Adam Findley
post processing: me

I seem to be drawn to a type of abstract photography where it takes a moment to realize what you are looking at. So naturally I was drawn to the picture I received below in response to homework I gave out last week dealing with shutter speed. Aside from showing what a tenth of a second shutter speed can do to a speeding train at close range, I really like the diagonal lines fanning out from the right side of the frame with hits of red color against the gray background. And what I think is super cool here is the perfectly still tree branches reflected in the speeding train's window. Well done Travis.

photo credit: Travis Cripps

Another Photo Shoot

2009-03-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Helped Candi out on another photo shoot today. Candi and I scouted out a sweet location near a stream at the Stanford Dish, while Enma took care of Teria's hair and makeup. We debated whether a sign saying "no fishing" constituted "no trespassing" or not. Our location did make for quite the show to dish walkers on the bridge overhead and our answer on trespassing came soon after when some guy in a white unmarked Chevy Suburban claiming to be Stanford Police told us we were trespassing and needed to pack up. We had already nailed the first shot so a location change was in order anyway. We headed over to Lake Lagunita and found the perfect spot for shots two and three.

scouting out locations

setting up the fake sun

Enma the stunt double

"That's a wrap" - time for Teria to get warm

It's a Boy! It's a Girl!

2009-03-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Bryan and Tauna announced they are having a boy and a girl due August 11th. They already announced twins at Christmas but only recently found out the sexes of the twins. I am so excited for them! I will now soon have two nephews and two nieces and will surely be a serious contender in any cutest nieces/nephews contests!