Back in the days...

RTD 6100 in Pasadena
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

The first camera I started taking pictures with was my dad's old Polaroid Instamatic that he used for his job but was also our personal camera.

It wasn't long before I got my first camera to call my own which was an old 110mm with no built in flash (yes you actually had to buy disposable flash bulbs for it). My second 110mm camera did have a built in flash and I used that camera until graduating to a SLR in High School.

With those old 110mm cameras I mostly took pictures of buses and trains.

This photo was taken across the street from the Plaza Pasadena mall that was under construction. The company my brother worked for at the time (Ernest Hahn) was the one building the mall.

The bus is a 1968 Flixble 40-footer with a/c. These were the first buses ever ordered by the RTD with A/C in them.

While those old 110mm cameras may have been nothing special in the picture department, a picture is still worth a 1000 words...

Would you eat at this restaurant?

Chinese Buffet in Ogden
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

In my last entry I showed I picture I took in Ogden just before getting back on the commuter train in order to return to Salt Lake City.

This picture was actually taken a little earlier in the day. After arriving in Ogden I caught a couple of buses in order to get up to the Ogden sign which crosses Washington Blvd where the street crosses the Ogden river.

After taking pictures of the Ogden River area I started heading south on Washington Blvd taking pictures. It was about an hour before I was going to eat lunch but was looking for someplace that look appetizing. Some of my favorite foods are Chinese and I like buffets because I can get the items I want.

Well, during the walk I encountered this buffet place which sits across from the LDS temple. Well it was Chinese and it was a buffet but....

If you take a close look at the picture part of the canopy is falling down and the building is in bad need of a repaint. Finally all the vegetation around the building is dead or dying.

Needless to say I kept walking...

Mighty Engine of the Past...

UP Gas Turbine on Display in Ogden
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

This photo is of a Union Pacific Gas Turbine engine that UP used sometime in the late 50's through the 60's. UP was looking for massive horsepower in order to pull its trains along its main line especially through Wyoming.

These engines only had one minor little problem. Or one big problem if you lived near the tracks as they were extremely noisy. So noisy in fact that many municipalities banned the use of the locomotives in their area (of course didn't that interfere with interstate commerce so became a federal issue?).

I took my first revenue ride on Front Runner one day then rode some buses in order to get pictures of the area. Finally I came back to Union Station before heading back to the transit center in order to ride Front Runner back to Salt Lake City.

It was a very hot and unusually humid day with temperatures reaching 95 degrees and the humidity level following close behind. While I may have lived in Charlotte for a couple of years that as several years ago and I was not used to the heat and humidity anymore. I was glad to get back on that nice cool Front Runner train.

Utah Railway train west of Helper, Utah

Utah Railway
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

As I have mentioned before, various forms of transportation rate as one of my favorite photography subjects. At one time I had several friends who were railfans and I would often tag along with them so I could take pictures of the trains.

However, that group of people has faded off into the sunset and over the last few years I have taken few pictures of trains except for our new Front Runner service here in Salt Lake City.

However, last May my wife and I took a trip to Durango, Colorado to celebrate our anniversary. While on the trip down to Durango we saw almost no trains, on the way back I was able to photograph two trains was they head west of Helper, Utah.

This one features 4 Utah Railway EMD units on a coal train that is heading for the Provo area and beyond.

Almost a year ago...

Moran Eye Center Research University of Utah
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

February will mark the one year since I attended the first Photowalking Utah event which was held at the Moran Eye Center Research lab at the which is on the University of Utah Complex.

This event event really re-energized my love of photography. While I never stopped taking pictures, in the last few years I really slacked off while other things took priority.

What is ironic is all that happened in attending this event. It was a day of wet snow. After the Photowalk, I had to go to work which I wasn't really looking forward to.

At this time I still had only a Kodak P&S digital camera. I took my two Nikon N75's with me but wouldn't you know that the batteries died in both camera's after just a couple of minutes!! So instead I was stuck taking pictures with the crapy Kodak P&S.

I sure felt intimidated with all these people around me with their expensive DSLR cameras but I persevered. (I need to point out that no one made me feel intimidated that was all inside me!!)

The event went well and after our tax refund came in, I too had a DSLR.

Yesterday there was another photowalk but I had to miss this one because of my work schedule but everyone I have been able to attend has been fun, informative, and a opportunity to meet others that are either in the photography field or enjoy it.

How many Libby Montana Police does it take?

How many Libby Police does it take?
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

I am presently going through some old photos that my parents gave me before they passed away finding ones to give to my siblings. They are currently mixed in with many shots I took over the years.

While going through some yesterday I came across these three photos that I took on a trip to visit my cousin Diana and her children who live in Libby, Montana.

During this one trip we went over to the baseball diamonds were one of her daughters was playing softball. After the game ended, she realized that she had locked the keys to her car inside the car.

In most places the police would not get involved in fear of lawsuits if they did the slightest damage but in small town Montana, the police officers present who knew Diana had no problem in helping a damsel in distress.

When all was said and done, they may have wished they never agreed to help. The first two officers could not get the car open so along comes officer number three in the attempt to open the door.

By this time there was several people watching the spectacle as the officers tried desperately to get one of the doors to open.

Well, in the end after a lot of frustration and about 45 minutes of attempts, one of the officers was finally able to get the door unlocked.

Just one of those things you have to look back and laugh about even though it was a frustrating situation back then.

Setting Goals for 2009 and thanking some...

Photowalking Utah Temple Square
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

This photo was taken at Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City on December 8th. I was attending the Photowalking Utah event and this was one of the pictures I took that night. Before the actual Photowalk, Rich Legg did a session on improving your night photography.

So how does this picture and that night fit in with my goals for 2009?

2008 has been a big year for me. I learned a great deal by attending the Photowalking trips and most of all, I got the slap up side the head I have need for some time. I always loved photography and now I realize it is what I want to do full time.

That means that some of my goals for 2009 will include photography.

Goals must:

1. Be specific
2. Have a specific time frame
3. Most important: be written down.

Well what better way to write down a goal than to put it out here for the world to see.

Here are some of my photo related goals for 2009:

1. Add at least 10 photos per week to my stock photography portfolio
2. Experiment with a new technique at every photo shoot.
3. Learn something new at every photography event that I am able to attend in 2009.
4. Have fun!!

I also cannot leave 2008 without thanking some people that have made an impact on me this past year.

First of all I have to thank Ann Torrence, Rich Legg, and Kenneth Linge who hosted educational sessions as part of the Photowalking events this year. While I may not have talked one on one with them much during the year I listened while you did your sessions and at other times getting soaking up all the good information I could. A big thank you also needs to go out to all those who organized the all the excellent Photowalks we had this year.

Also to all the other Photowalkers who I have come to know and enjoy events with. Everyone of them has been a wonderful experience and I look forward to enjoying more of them in the new year.

Finally I have to thank a very special co-worker of mine named Sydney. I had not done a model shoot except for one in college which was many years ago but she volunteered to take time out to play model for me and was very patient.

Finally, I have to say that I am more optimistic going into 2009 than any year I can recall. I look forward to the new year not hoping something good was going to happen, but with a genuine optimism that 2009 will be a great year personally.

Hope that your 2009 will be a great one and remember to set your own goals because as Zig Ziglar says: "How can you hit a goal you cannot see?".

Utah Strobist Event December 2, 2008

Utah Strobist Event December 2, 2008
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

On December 2nd I attended a event sponsored by the Utah Strobist Flickr group.

The event was held on the top levels of the Walker Garage which is in downtown Salt Lake City. The weather was cold but there was only a couple of sprinkles so the weather held out for us.

There was several models present for us to take pictures of. This picture is of Steven one of the 5 models that I photographed that night.

Since in the past I have not taken many pictures of people and rarely used a flash, this was the first picture I ever attempted to removed red eye on and the results came out better than I expected.

This week I plan to attend a Photowalking Utah event at the downtown library and Temple Square. I would also like to attend the Utah Photo Safari trip up to the University of Utah on Wednesday but have corporate big wigs flying in at my "real" job.

I have a lot of things coming up. In late January or early February I will do a dedicated stock photo shoot with "S" my co-worker. Then in late February we have a tripped planned to Moab and a week long trip in June to visit my friend in Seattle plus attend Lumber Days in Libby, Montana.

She made it this week...

Model Shoot 1
Originally uploaded by Dornoff Photography

Here is one of the pictures of my model/co-worker "S" taken at a local park today.

I was pretty nervous to start off with since I had not shot with a model since college but it turned out to be a lot of fund and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I was taking some pictures of her on the playground equipment when she decided to slide down the slide.

What happened to my model????

On Monday, I prepared all day for my first model shoot in many years. One of my co-workers volunteered to model for me so I could get some stock work done plus practice doing some regular portrait type shots that I have little experience doing.

Well I was pretty nervous on Monday as anyone who reads my Twitter blurbs will know. However, I didn't want to waste the nice day so I headed up to the Jordan Peace Gardens and took some shots around there before heading to where my model and co worker "S" and I agreed to meet.

So the appointed time came and went and she never showed up. I just couldn't understand why she didn't show up or even call since she is not that type of person. The next day when I was leaving work I found out what had happened.

Well it turned out she was marooned with car problems in the mountains with some friends and one of them had to walk for 24 hours to get a cell phone signal. Fortunately they were able to get help and get back home.

Well, I guess if your going to get stood up it might as well be a dozy of a reason.

We are going to try again this week and I made her promise that she would not take any long driving trips on Sunday or Monday.

Then maybe I will have a nice picture to go with the story...