So as you all saw, 2 weeks ago Justin and I did the Pirates VS. Ninja Pub crawl. We had an absolute blast, met some interesting people and in general had a great time. I posted a bunch of photos on Facebook but decided to throw in some more that I did not post there (THERE TRENCHER!! THERE’S YOUR SITE DRAW YA BASTARD!).

So on the way home from this event, El Wife and I decided to hit up Red Mill Burgers for some dinner.  Their burgers are legendary in Seattle and some say they are better than In and Out, so of course I had to put them to the test. GPS enabled and off we went! Redmill Burgers on Phinney Ridge is everything you’d expect from a Seattle legend. Stepping into Redmill is like stepping back in time 30 years with it’s small dining area, cash only register and simple menu. Your food is prepared after you order it, and it is made exactly to your specifications. No heat lamps or microwaves here! Standing in line (and you will stand in a line. No Drive Thru and only the one register) there is a sign that says “No Cellphones” and they aren’t kidding. Get caught talking on your phone while in line and they will ask you to leave, or just flat out ignore you when you get to the register.

Burgers in hand we set out to eat them… outside. The Dining Room was packed, so off we went. The final verdict: a damn tasty burger, but not superior to the Double Double Animal Style.

As I drove us home El Wife snapped a few pics of our view from the highway, and rather than changing any settings, she used the same setup I use for stills. It had an interesting effect on the shots, hopefully you guys enjoy her work.

Oh yeah… Camera Thoughts!

With the new camera came a sudden realization that I know almost nothing about photography. Some of you may know this, but previous to my days as an IT nerd I was a photographer for a shitty “Photography” studio in a mall. It was god awful and there was no real talent or skill required to be a photographer there. I literally hit the shoot button 32 times per roll of film and hoped for the best. Story of my life really…  So I would spend my days taking pictures of kids, families and the occasional Real Estate Agent and hated it because I wasn’t given the room to be creative. Fast Forward a decade and when I got the new camera I said to myself, “Hell I’ve done this before. This should be no problem!” Yeah… not so much.

So far my favorite shooting style has been the “Up in your face” shots. These give a nice close up of the subject and if I do it right, I get a great depth of field that really emphasizes the subject. Here’s how I accomplish the shots:

• 16mm Lens
• F2.8
• As much light as possible on the subject (My camera has exposure control that doesn’t effect the F stop)
• Pick a focus point on the subset as close to the camera as possible.

So there you go. Adventure day and some thoughts on photography…. Leave a comment with your thoughts!