I recently began training to pilot the MQ-9 Reaper, an improved version of the MQ-1B Predator I was flying before. The Reaper’s primary mission is close air support and thus carries a greater load of armaments. Laser-guided bombs and missiles and, in the future, GPS guided weapons. This picture is of my sensor operator Andrew taken one night down on Fremont Street while he and I were hanging out. White balance correction, slight saturation enhancement, cosmetic adjustments and some sharpening.
Bellagio Magic
Bellagio again, this time from another angle. See the building immediately to the left of Bellagio’s main tower? That is a second tower of hotel rooms and offices added to meet demand. I mention it now because, if you look at the previous image I took, it is conspicuously missing. Photoshop magic.
Exclusively Bellagio
Lauded as one of the nicest hotels in the world, Bellagio opened to much fanfare in 1998 on the corner of Flamingo and Las Vegas Blvd in place of the Dunes which had previously stood in that spot. Featuring some incredible restaurants, salons, water fountains, art exhibits and (I assume) hotel rooms, it still holds its place as one of Vegas’s most extravagant.
Chris at Angel Park
It’s a par 3 course so nothing too crazy here, but the ball did land within a few feet of the hole off the tee. This was probably the best shot of the day amongst the three of us who were there so I captured the moment.
Dustin for Scale
For reference, my armspan is just over six feet. That makes this tree something in the neighborhood of 60-90 feet in circumference. Huge! Climbing a couple hundred feet into the air, this sequoia may not be the largest in the area, but it still stands as one of the largest living organisms on the planet.
Cthulhu Rising
While in Sequoia National Park Jennifer and I hiked to Tokopah Falls, the waterfall seen here. It was a pretty easy hike… well-maintained trail and not terribly steep. This picture was taken at the end of the trail from the foot of the falls. I took a number of photos and this one stood out. See that tentacaled head emerging from the water? Cthulhu rising! Apparently he’s not trapped in the South Pacific!
Jeremy Gustafson Final
Another photo of Jennifer’s brother Jeremy. Light skin retouching, adjust white balance, vibrance, saturation, add a vignette and some sharpening made this photo come to life.
Jeremy Gustafson
I’ve decided to begin exploring portraiture as a means to supplement my income a bit. For now my portraits will be of friends and done for free with the idea of expanding clientele via word of mouth. This is Jennifer’s younger brother Jeremy at Red Rock Canyon shortly after sunrise with only some minor post-production work. The lighting is decent though I would prefer to have had my own additional lights… a reflector to illuminate the dark side of his face a bit better at a minimum.
Jennifer for Scale
This photo is somewhat self-explanatory. I guess the point is to offer a hint at the size of these trees. I’ll include better examples shortly, but know that General Sherman, the largest amongst these trees, is actually the world’s largest living organism by mass. There are taller and wider trees, but the Sequoia holds the record that beats all others… largest. Full stop. Now that is damn impressive.
Trail of the Sequoias
I previously mentioned the various hiking trails running through Sequoia National Park. This image was captured while on the Trail of the Sequoias, one of the many trails that take you through the park’s sequoia stands. I honestly felt as if I were on a different planet… Endor perhaps. As it turns out, those scenes were filmed in another California park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The California redwoods are closely related to the sequoias.