Portfolio site facelift

In case you have not been there recently, I have (finally) given the portfolio page a much needed update/facelift. www.thaquechi.com now that the unpacking is mostly completed, its time to get back to writing these articles for you guys. Thanks for all the great feedback and supportive comments!

Pre-visualizing an image

Sometimes you can see an image in your mind before you make it. This image is an example of that pre-visualization for me, however this time it didn’t work. For several years I have thought about an image that has a human skull, a book and a burnt down candle. The skull I imagined would be the primary subject of […]

Happy New Year!

As a new year arrives, I am reminded of the importance of keeping traditions alive and especially when considering photography – keeping up with a theme or body of work that you have created.  I have a holiday phot6o tradition that I have been observing for quite a few years now. I go through all the motions, setup flashes and take […]

HOLGA PINHOLE Lens HPL-C

Let me preface this article by saying that this is not what most would consider a walk around lens. A pinhole lens is meant to be set on the ground or affixed to a tripod to gain suitable results.  Expect to see 1 to 2 second exposure times at ISO 100 depending on the amount of sunlight.  I would very […]

Sometimes things go wrong

Sometimes when you are out shooting things just happen. I notice this especially when I have a new piece of equipment I am focusing my attention on. This was a sunset shot taken while testing out my new 10 stop Neutral Density filter. If you are not familiar with a neutral density filter, think about them as sunglasses for your […]

Week three photo challenge

When you are learning to draw, setting up a still life can be of great importance in helping you improve your ability to see the way the light is hitting your subject. This is true in photography too. For this weeks challenge, you will need a worklight and a daylight balanced CFL or compact fluorescent lightbulb. Both of these can […]

Just one shot

Welcome to week two of the challenge yourself series. This week, we will explore another one of my favorite self-imposed challenges. I provide this series as much for me as my readers. It helps to keep me focused and challenged in my shooting, and each week I am forced to participate in my challenge because I want to provide current […]

This weeks Challenge: Square Composition

Today, we are embarking on a weekly photographic adventure. Between now and the end of the year I plan to publish a weekly challenge or tutorial that I have found of value when learning photography. Whether you are an old grizzled film shooter or just picking up the camera for the first time, learning the basics of composition cam take […]

Spray and Prey…

  Here is an excellent article written by Rachel Devine discussing the costs and even a couple benefits of shooting in burst mode. Even if your not an old school film shooter like me, its well worth the read and actually reaffirms the need to look at what your shooting, and talk with your model rather than just holding down […]

Choosing the right wedding photographer

Let me start this out by saying that this is not a sales pitch for my photography services as a wedding photographer. On the contrary, I do not offer my services in event or any other kind of photography at this time. I also will not recommend any other photographer or offer suggestions for photographers in your area.  Back in […]

Google Plus Photo Conference

The wife and I headed into San Francisco a couple of weeks ago to attend the first ever Google Plus photo conference.  It was put on by Google and Kelby media. We learned a lot about Google plus and how photographers can increase their presence there as well as attending some really cool on location shoots with models and vehicles. […]

Injury and Horses…

ACL tears take a long time to heal. My son Jorden in on the mend from his surgery. With hard work this summer, he will be ready for basketball season in the fall. One of my current projects focuses on horses.  I shot this one with a 24-105mm lens at 67mm. F5.6 because I was close to the horse and […]

Lacrosse is hard to shoot!

My son Jorden (who you have seen many times if you read this blog regularly) is the goalie for the Santa Cruz High School Cardinals Lacrosse team.   He was also on the basketball team this year. Hes very active and works very hard to keep fit. When he does an activity, he puts 110% into it and I am […]

The 2011 project

In September last year my wife Carrie and I were asked by our mentor Sandy Frank  to undertake a project for the Allied Health Dept. at Cabrillo College. The goal of the project was to produce a series of photographs that would represent each of the four department in the Allied Health Dept.  Over the months that followed, we aided […]

Studio Lighting Fall 2011 Final Images

Here are the remaining images from the Fall 2011 Studio Lighting class. You already saw one as your Christmas present, the cookies for Santa.  This images is a do-over of an image I did last year. I was happy with the one I did last year but I wanted to make it a bit more edgy. This is my Son […]

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all. I hope all had a great year, thank you for all the wonderful comments and suggestions throughout the year. I always take the time to read what you post. I wish you all the best and safe New Year! Your Christmas present this year is a cookies for Santa shot I took for the final in […]

The epic battle of High key vs Low key

This weeks assignment was high and low key photos of the same subject. I decided not only to do the high and low key shots but do similar composition for both images. This is my Bearded Dragon Ginger. She was very tolerant of sitting on the set for the half hour it took to get both shots right. The goal […]

Glass Class Shot

Here is the final shot and how it was done for photo class this week. Note, the setup shot was taken with my iphone so its not DSLR quality but you get the idea of how e setup the shots.   As you can see here, we have a couple sawhorses setup with a piece of glass between them, then […]

Shooting the Uproar Festival with a point and shoot.

  This year for my sons birthday I got them tickets to the Rockstar Uproar festival. They both love many of the bands that were playing which included Bullet for my Valentine, Seether and Three days Grace.  They were sad that the headliner could not attend but we were promised a makeup date in December. We had pretty awesome seats […]

Summers still here?

Last night the wife and I headed to Moneterey for a belated Anniversary celebration. We ate dinner on Cannery Row and afterward wandered along the pier. It was 75 degrees at 8 at night, very unusual for Monterey let alone this time of year. I of course had to bring the camera along and take this snap of a sailboat […]