From Fireworks to Bali --some backloged shots

I set off a number of legal fireworks on the 4th of July this year and recently did some work in Photoshop to show how the same shot can show so many aspects of an image.
Non-visible light aside, catching a shot of a simple firework going off can be interesting and easy to do producing fun results. Using RAW data, the same image can change.

Caught at the right moment, the same shot takes on a new view depending on how the exposure level you set in RAW.
A Flicker, a common butterfly that I was able to shoot from nearly 8 feet away with a teli-converter lens extension. I am still using my Cannon D10, wich shoots at about 6.3mp. Plenty.. despite what you might read in some magazines. I like my 10D, as outdated as it may seem, it was built well, takes lots of lenses, and great pics.
Seen here with wings folded. I think they open there wings to warm up in some cases showing 4 wings as seen in the picture above this one.
Another fireworks shot best seen if you click on it to see full 1080 image. Adjusting the exposure gave me a very surprising range of colors and images from the same RAW file from my Cannon D10 digital SLR.
The same shot, only exposure turned way down to pick up far less light.
Another shot showing black powder smoke trails when brought up in exposure level.
The same shot as above, exposure low.
A great time to snap the image. I shoot fireworks relatively fast, but sometimes longer exposures produce interesting results. In this case, it was possible to shoot at ISO100. RAW files are deffinately worth the downside of them being larger then there JPEG counterparts.
Two lovers.. in Guam. It is my hope that I will be able to take my fiance, Alina, to this spot in Guam right out in my mom's back yard. Incredible, they have a condo here. However, it's not cheap and my budget it very low. New cameras and HDV is not really an option. I have not been able to upgrade to a live-view camera.
Here are a number of shots from Bali I think I forgot to post or did not post much about. These huts litter the rice fields. They are rest-stops where the locals take breaks from there hard and long work on the fields.
A shrine, the many Hindu god's are warshiped here. This one was above my hotel room.
I think I posted this shot before but It's a great rice paddy shot and I thought I'd post it again for sure this time at 1080 so you can see more detail.
Depasar Bali, the skyline. A rare sight. The motel we were staying at had stairs up to the roof with a beautiful garden on it. I was able to find this shot so far and have several more from this rooftop I will post later when I find them in my archives. This was a great spot, but I won't take the elevator. The button caved in and smashed when I pushed it! A long climb up and I was able to get a few shots of the rooftops.
Every hotel has lots of art, incredible art like this in Bali. This was the main hotel I stayed at in U bud. Incredible woodwork and other materials. I don't know how they do it and for such a price. It's truly amazing.
So you think your job sucks!??
This man spent hours reaping by hand with a sickle. I am sure it is rice, but I am not completely sure how the whole rice process works. Be sure and click on this shot. It was captured with a 300mm Cannon zoom lens. Some time later a woman carried off his work in the bag.
A zoomout of the field he's working.
I think this lady is working with him but there are many trails in the rice paddies and they go on them for all kinds of reasons including shortcuts to markets. Snakes including cobras are not uncommon, but they are luckily afraid of people and run often before you even see them.
--G.Beasley

LATE SUMMER SPIDERS--Updated

Recently I was able to find some species of spiders I have truly never seen before. This has been an awesome experience for me as this does not happen very often here where I live. I have yet to identify two of the spiders. This one clearly looks like a black widow, it's even the same size as the black widow. It also has a very similar web structure. But then so does the closely related
(Achaearanea tepidariorum). A species which is commonly called the American house spider and is entirely harmless. (UPDATE: This spider is most likely a Steatoda sp.. Colors match the S grossa. A species able to reach this size.)

This species may look like a black widow but it is not. It is almost certainly not closely related and the same goes for how toxic its venom is. There are many species of spiders that try to take advantage of coloration and other factors to appear more dangerous than they are. Although the spider looks a lot like a black widow, I think it is extremely unlikely that its some kind of rogue species or genetic mutation. It's coloration on closer examination resembles that of the Steatoda sp. Although most of these spiders are very small, some are known to get up to 8mm, so this very well could be a Steatoda borealis or S. grossa.


I have since looked up this species and become convinced that it is in the Steatoda family of spiders. Related to Achaeranea, they get near to this size and colorations as I noted above.
Some people tell me "well maybe you found a new species!", and then when I tell them how unlikely that is they act like I'm a quitter! (ouch!) I wish! There is almost no chance of that unless you're in some of the most remote places in the world. Most people would be surprised how many people have taken an interest in spiders and are describing and photographing them. Every now and then they even make the newspapers, such as when a species that is little known, is first photographed mating. I wish I could be on the front lines but with my life challenge, I am currently not able to get the access or the money to do so. At least I've reached one great milestone in my life, I found myself the woman whom I want to marry. I am a very lucky man to a found a woman so understanding of my hobbies and my personal difficulties. :-) I love you Alina.


For those of you are afraid of spiders I thought maybe you would like this shot. As summer comes to a close some flowers bloom and spiders reach their seasonal largest size. This coming up is one of my favorite times of year.


There are small anatomical changes as well as markings on the abdomen at make it clear to me this is not any species of widow (Latrodectus). So what is it?? I will have to do some more Internet research to find out but it appears to be related to a species that I only thought got 1/4 this size. This spider is new to me. It is approximately the same size as your typical black widow and the common harmless American house spider shown here.


I want to say for the recored that although this species may look intimidating it is my serious opinion that it is as harmless as the American house spider shown also here in this article. I have been bitten by the American house spider about 1/2 dozen times. When I was a kid I used to catch them at taking advantage of the drop technique they often used to escape their web. It happened because if they fall into your hand then you move your hand they will bite. People often associate a spider bite with a lot of pain and a large bite mark. I did not have so much as redness and as far as pain went; that tiny pinch of it's very small jaws was all I felt. Suffice it to say, I found the spiders at my friend's house and I would have alerted them they were dangerous and these are not as I will explain further.



This is the other species entirely new to me. I got really lucky this day capturing a few shots with my digital SLR. I did not have much left on my CF memory card, but I was able to capture these few shots of this spider which was truly fascinating. First off you can tell the size of the spider by looking at the screen it is hanging on. This is regular window screen found in most homes. The spider is most odd because it has as a very long (Tarsus)-- the last segment of its front legs. She seems to be living in a cob collection of webs built by other spiders as well as possibly its own but did not have any kind of retreat. It's strange flat-sided-drip abdomen seems to put it in a class of spiders not so closely related to the American house spider and the black spider was living near.


am going to consult some online databases and my books about both these species of spiders I will get back to you in this article if I can identify them. Some people tell me "well maybe you found a new species!", I wish. There is almost no chance of that unless you're in some of the most remote places in the world. Most people would be surprised how many people have taken an interest in spiders and are describing and photographing them. Every now and then they even make the newspapers, such as when a species that is little known, is first photographed mating. I wish I could be on the front lines but with my life challenge, I am currently not able to get the access or the money to do so. At least I've reached one great milestone in my life, I found myself the woman whom I want to marry. I am a very lucky man to a found a woman so understanding of my hobbies and my personal difficulties.

I am going to consult some online databases and my books about both these species of spiders I will get back to you in this article if I can identify them. Some people tell me "well maybe you found a new species!", I wish. There is almost no chance of that unless you're in some of the most remote places in the world. Most people would be surprised how many people have taken an interest in spiders and are describing and photographing them. Every now and then they even make the newspapers, such as when a species that is little known, is first photographed mating. I wish I could be on the front lines but with my life challenge, I am currently not able to get the access or the money to do so. At least I've reached one great milestone in my life, I found myself the woman whom I want to marry. I am a very lucky man to a found a woman so understanding of my hobbies and my personal difficulties.


This this is some type of ground beetle I thought I would put here just because I founded right near where the spiders were. I want to stress that if you see a bunch of spiders somewhere, chances are they are not dangerous. There is a common scenario of people freaking out thinking that the Sydney funnel web spider, seeing huge black widows, the brown recluse and other dangerous species are all over the place. I have heard such ridiculous rumors and spiders with "boxing gloves" that indicate they are the dreaded hobo spider. Personally I think the hobo spider thing is mostly hype and possibly even a myth. These "boxing gloves" are actually just a characteristic of all male spiders. These are the palps, the male mating organs.

My neighbors complain about ants and roaches. I don't have a lot of spiders that are visible in my house, I just let them do their thing. By doing so, I am letting them live in my basement and other places where they can get in the house quickly just naturally. I don't bring spiders and release them inside on purpose. I have virtually eliminated my ant and roach problem without the use of any pesticides whatsoever. People often forget that bug lights, pesticides and other gadgets are designed to actually seriously attract insects. They may end up inadvertently bringing more insects to your house then if you were to have left well enough alone and nature to itself. Try it and give it a good while. Cleaning up after yourself is the best policy. How else do you expect these companies that make all these fancy bug lights to make money?? Many species are becomeing immune to such poisons and harmless species in the end, get hurt. The food chain gets contaminated. I strongly believe that the use of many of these products actually creates and or exaggerates insect problems in a very hazardous and not environmentally friendly way.

--G.Beasley 2008

LIKE THIS SITE?? See the rest of it.. click Older Posts at the bottom of this screen.

Please don't stop here! There are over 700 pics on this site to view. To see them all just keep clicking on "Older Posts". You can also access the rest of this site with the date and title article menu on the top left hand side. Each Article, or "Post" is given a number. Every month of every year that I have posted pictures on this site in Order are all there to see! I can only show so many articles in one page or it would take forever for my website to load. So please don't stop here, just click "Older Posts" to see the rest of my published photography and articles. Each time you get to the bottom of the next set, click "Older Posts" again to see more and explore my entire site.

News and new stuff

My Fiance Alina, and me. I finally have some new pics ready to put up and I will keep this site going! I hit 20,000 hits not too long ago, and many more page views. Thanks for compliments and if you have a question and do not get a response from me please e-mail me at the address given in the intro. Leave your e-mail address with your e-mail and it will remain Anonymous.


A Female jumper, I still can't get over these eye shots. It's like you can see she's thinking and definitely knows your there.

Recently I have been juggling my photography and my interest in electronics and ham radio. I pulled these parts out of a junk pile that was given to me by one of my ham radio friends named Jeff. (WA7MLH) I have been intensely studying to pass my technician class amature radio licence. Out of the some 391 questions in the question pool, I only missed approximately 90. So I should have my license just as soon as I learned some of the new stuff concerning Internet protocol and ham radio.

This is a crystal oscillator with a single transistor amplifier which could be used in an of itself as a QRP transmitter. I built it a couple of weeks ago. For those of you in The Dalles area currently I can be contacted on (11m) CB ch9&19 or VHF FM 151.82Mhz MRS ch1, part of the multi use (MURS) radio service. Just ask for "Skullbones 158" and I just might talk back to you! 73s, I can't wait until I can talk on the 2m ham band. I will add some more stuff about radios and radio here the more I learn as I get ready for that


Lights and camera in motion.
Alina is with me now. She is incredible and it is so nice to have someone to love who loves you back. Oh yeah, It has been a long time since I've added any pictures, some people have been concerned about my grammar and spelling errors. Sorry, nobody's perfect no need to continue to state the obvious.


The sunset shots I can get here can be not as impressive as the ones from overseas but they can sure still be something to look at.

Our private swimming hole:-)
Recently my fiancé and I, Alina went to the revire on one of the really hot days we were having there for awhile here in The Dalles Oregon. I have a few more pictures and an underwater video I was able to take by placing a small high definition video camera inside a waterproof housing built for another camera. This proved to be very functional allthough I could not control the camera so I will have to do allot of video editing. I may put more pictures then later from this trip as I also caught a spider all the way out on the barge in the rigging. And warm weaver I have not shown on this site yet. I have a few other new spider pictures with I also need to convert. So keep coming back! Thank you for the reson compliments.


Looking out from an awesome spot in The Dalles a while back. I 1000s of pics I want to put on my site, 100s of them from Bali. Finding the energy and time is the hardest part.

Some more orchids from Bali. They nearly grow on there own here. There are so many of them. A sweet place I hope to take Alina some day.



I still have so many shots from Bali that I have not yet compiled. This is one of the hotel pools that I stayed at on my 2007 trip. What an incredible place!

This was just before a win and lightning storm. This sky color changed to a bizzar tint of orange
As many of them all and Crows move away from the approaching thunderhead not shown in picture.


I managed to catch this picture from a greyhound bus trip back in July. The porch and do a full weather all year round when it's frozen like that its amazing. It got a bit too hot for us, so we went down of the river wich was a nice comfortable temperature after it been over a hundered agrees that day.


A local wildflower that blooms even on the warmest of days in the driest spots.


A male sack spider, clearly shown are the boxing glove look-like plaps that make telling males from females easy. The palps are located near the eyes and mouth.



A hover fly in flight. This shot is even more interesting than you think about how I was more than 8 feet away from this flower and the fly when I took his picture.




A hover fly in flight. This shot is even more interesting than you think about how I was more than 8 feet away from this flower and the fly when I took his picture.




Look at the squirrel .

"Out on a limb??"
I caught this sequence while outside ready to take pictures of birds. Don't worry the squirrel did not get hurt. He ran out onto the wire puting a new meaning to the phrase " out on a limb". Luckly he was only entangled in telephone and cable wires that do not carry dangerous voltages.

For a minute there I thought he was going to fall. But when the trust of this tale he righted himself and successfully got back on wire.


Impressive acrobatic skills here.



For a minute there I thought he was going to fall.

He made it! And probably won't make that mystake again.

NEW PICS AND NEWS ! - - SUPER LENS ! - - SUPER CLOSE UP !

First off, here is a picture taken by my girlfriend, Alina. Who is also somewhat into photography. This is one of her best shots so far since I set her loose on a DSLR. She has captured this one in my yard. I thank my neighbors for being understanding about my yard. Growing flowers and natural plants has become the only way for me to capture images like these. If I had a regular manicured yard, more than 50% of this website, detailed pictures such as praying mantis shots. would not exist.



NEW LENS not really. This is a NEW VIEW from a new lens setup. In an SLR you can arrange the lens and lens components differently. I wont go into details at this point; however, the use of a quality teli-converter and extension tubes can produce incredible results. For more lens information, including how to build the complex setup that took nearly ALL of these shots in this clip and others, please leave a comment. You don't need $5000+ to get great tale-photo and macro shots. Many of these were shot at F32-F40 70-300mm Cannon lens 2x tele-converter and one extension tube. Additional home built dioper used as well.

If you want more details on this lens, e-mail me at o/l/n/g/w/b AT yahoo.com I added the "/" and "AT" so that programs made to pickup on e-mail addresses would not find it. I plan to add it to my site finally so that you do not have to really on comments alone. That way questions can be directed to me and if you e-mail me your e-mail address will remain confidential!

ALL of these shots were taken from such a distance that capturing specimens was not required. That's right, this spider did not even know she was being photographed even at this detail. BE SURE TO CLICK ON SHOTS FOR 1080 res.





This is a CRANE FLY that I captured with the new lens complex I figured out just last month. I'd had the gear for well over a year, yet not figured out the combination that made these pictures possible. This crane fly only saw the flash, it was not frozen or taken away from the light I used to show it. The same lens without the dioper is easy to remove and put back on. It can capture birds at up to about 60ft or so, give or take about 20ft. Great bird and other shots have been stunning me and my friends. There are more shots with this incredible versatile lens setup to come. There is no need to remove any components, and it can zoom in to get a nice macro or capture a bird 50ft away with the best detail and closeness of any lens I own.




A QUICK SHOT of the crane fly from a distance of about 5-7 ft. Required to get a close up shot with this lens. Just to show the entire insect.


DETAIL can get incredible but f-stops have to fly into the 30+ just to try this. You don't need a macro lens to get these shots. Esthetically I constructed my own very versatile macro rig. The entire rig cost would be about $1000 new. compared to the usual $5000-10,000 in other more "serious" rigs. It's often the same glass and the same principles. Sometimes hardened a bit more to take more abuse, but still, the camera world is one of the most corrupt businesses around. When I was told by several pros that very popular photographers are often "bought" by loyalty or companies to leave out details in there reviews, I was shocked. This is of course in order to leave out very important details in order to make one camera look really bad and one much better. Reviews, don't trust them. Talk to someone who owns the rig and has experience on others. Reviewers get paid big money --on line and in magazines even the most reputable--to exaggerate, leave out facts, and even straight up lie.


ONCE AGAIN, this new lens complex gives me the anatomy of this Daddy longlegs. She has been slightly darkened to allow for more contrast. You can clearly see her book lungs and her female organs (Epigynum) and lack of bulbs on the pedipalps in this picture and others I took like it.


Be sure to click on this Click Bug. This is one of many insects which come to my porch lights in my grass in the small yard at night. They can click so powerfully that if turned upside down it can save it self from dieing. This can often happens to many beetles when they get turned over like turtles in the desert. Larger species over an inch long exist in some places from California to Asia.


This is a very common "grass spider". Many myths and names exist for this species. Probably the most common northwest spider in Oregon and Washington. Here you can see it in a web built by a previous inhabitants. They will not share webs but will swap them or find old ones and re-use them. Most spiders eat there webs upon moving as a means of recycling protein. The same lens was used for this shot as the crane fly with only focus and zoom adjustments.

For a spider that is only about 8mm or less, you need F30 to really capture it's entire length. I forget my f-stop here but again shot with the same lens. The white tip is a common spider out here in The Dalles, like the Sac Spider it is related too, it lives in a sack but is not at all social. Known to pray on nearly anything it finds alive. Deserving it's name, "white tip". The white markings vary.



This shot I captured on a walk with my girlfriend Alina. I am inspired by spring and all the growth that happens.

THE LENS SHOWS IT STUFF this little finch is nearly 30ft away, yet with my Cannon 10D the focus was perfect. For this lens I often use manual focus, and relay upon experience to show me if the shot will be good. I forget my settings but I do recall I was at ISO800 for many of these shots and doing very well. The lens can stop down to F4 but for birds I try to give depth to detail at F5.6-8 or so. ISO 200 would have been better but that day I had forgotten my settings that's why I remember.

BELOW A NEW SPIDER FOUND!
(for me, re-visited now, full DETAIL with new lens)



I WAS GOING to write a new article on this species. A NEW ONE to me. Out here in The Dalles or even in Portland I could find a new species (I have never found before) even though I've been doing this for over 20 years. This spider, is eating a huge Ichneumon wasp. This species does not have any sting for a self defense as far as I know. You can tell how small this spider is, in fact, it is so small that many books have a hard time showing it's picture. When fully grown 2mm or so is it for the body.



This is a fully grown female in good shape with some serious detail I love about my new lens setup. Once again, the same lens complex to photograph the finch above a few shots was used to take this shot with the very simple addition of a dioper (a magnifying section that usually clips or screws onto the end of a camera lens, basically, just a magnifying lens HQ glass)


Deadly Mouth to mouth.


That is my pointer finger nail here, is NOT my thumb. It's my Index finger! This is a TINY fly I have yet to fully identify but the name comes to mind. A means of extreme shooting for flies has now been found with my gear. This rig will exceed anything I have used the more I use it. At F40 and no need for "aperture plugs", shots in the dark are not required anymore. It takes a few shots, and a very stable hand, but that's it.



Even closer, there is no cropping here. That's what so incredible. This pushes the limits of focus ability with this kind of field lens and the limits of micrographic or microscopic- photography.

In this day and age of water resistant SLRs I hang onto my Cannon D10 and it's very handy features. She's running at about 35mm equiv. in all the places in counts. And she's got all the high end gismos that you still have to buy a near pro or totally pro-cam to get. One feature is stability and a very good view in the viewfinder. Also, the ability to be heavy enough to stay stable without having to buy an image stabilized lens or DSLR. I've used them, they hog power sometimes, and frankly, I don't need one. My XTI does a bit higher res but makes much bigger shots as does my E-500. The RAW output of my 10D, really hits the spot for stuff, even at 800ISO on a regular basis. I have photographed this spider before, but had a very hard time doing so. To have a lens setup that works with both my 10D, my 400D (exit), and my Rebel2000 35mm, is really nice. Much of this gear was either a gift or a swap. You don't have to go high budget to get shots that are worth it and if you look at many photo contests you will notice that the camera's used in them are way out of 'style". Part of the reason I don't like some photo clubs is because some photographers seem to care more about how there camera's and gear look, then there pictures. To them I say, get a nice car and take care of it. If you want good pictures, a camera is all you need. Especially since many of the shots on this website were taken with a point and shoot $100 digital camera modified with a few lenses taken from old broken video cameras and other junk lens gear I adapted and learned how to use well. You don't even need what I got to get your work out there. I hope this new lens opens up the world I want it too I really want to start entering some of the serious contests but honestly at this point am just getting started with that as I have been just doing my own thing for a while. Some photographers have advised I write little or nothing with my pics, however, I often think that some information about the pics, cameras, and my life, can add to the shot and my chances at getting noticed more. Over 60 pics, mostly from Bali and other shots I did are now on Flkr. Some of which may not even be on this site. I will be very excited at 20,000 hits!

I welcome fan mail and I am very sorry I was unable to get back to a recent letter. I was sick and did not check my e-mail for quite a while, then when I did write back I did not get any response. So please, if you do wish to ask me a question, please request my e-mail address. I will send it to you. If you have Yahoo Messenger I can also be contacted that way. Please leave comment and I will answer questions as I can.