I never thought it would take me half a year to put up another post. Life these past months has been both hectic and productive.

I took a design concept from a designer in Virginia and integrated it with osCommerce, for a new client, using cascading stylesheets (CSS) instead of the tables layout built into the code. I had to virtually rewrite every page! It took far longer than I expected, but the result was definitely worth it.

There are many features of osCommerce that have been left out, like site search, that will be integrated into the new design over time. But we took the site live just before Christmas. If you're interested in checking it out, the site is Futon Man, and yes, he sells futons: Mattresses, frames and covers. In fact, he makes the premium mattresses himself. (I'll be picking up my set in a week or so!)

I'm adding osCommerce to my stock photography site, also using CSS, though I put the work on hold to do Futon Man. Much of what I learned while working on my site conversion was usable for the futonman site. And most of what I did for futonman will be helpful in completing my site.

I'm really excited about the changes to my site. Once I've completed the integration and have osCommerce running the shopping cart, my photos will be immediately download-able after purchase. I suspect I've lost many sales to ad agencies that aren't willing to wait for me to email them the image.

I have other client work waiting for me, as well, but I'm taking a quick break just to put up some of the sunset pictures I promised in my last post.

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Although the views from the Observatory are quite breathtaking, the sunset that day was somewhat disappointing. Although there were clouds to the West, the rest of the sky was "mostly" clear. Still, I managed to get a few shots that had some interesting textures and colors.

This shot is of the Middle Sister, to the South of the observatory. The setting sun is just beginning to add color to the clouds, and bathes the mountainside with a warm deep pink glow. At this point, there is virtually no color in the sky to the West, the sun is still too high in the sky.

The lava beds are still visible in this light, though they photograph darker than what the human eye sees. There is a lot of detail in the image, but it may look black to you, depending on the gamma of your monitor. (What's Gamma?)




I really like the way Mt. Washington appears to hover ghost-like over the horizon in this shot. As the sun went down, this mountain seemed to simply disappear.




One of the last photos I took that night is looking to the Northwest, with Belknap Crater and Little Belknap on the horizon. The sky behind me as I took the photo was nearly black.



I hope you enjoy the photos.
-Anita

We like to visit Llama's mother in Prineville when we can. This works out very well for all concerned. We get to spend time with Mom and she with us. Plus we get free lodging and sometimes free food. I get to take pictures along the way, there and back. And we can usually work in a few hours in and around the nearby state parks.

We made an overnight trip just before the 4th of July holiday, and took the scenic drive up the old McKenzie Highway (Hwy 242). It is a beautiful drive, and if you're ever in the area during the summer, I definitely recommend it.

The drive goes through a large lava field, with the Dee Wright Observatory at the summit. The Observatory was built in the 1930s by Franklin D. Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corp, and was named after the crew foreman.

The utter desolation of the black lava is broken in places with new growth. I am especially fond of the vistas here, which also include sun-bleached tree trunks and a mountain or two in the background:

From the roof of the Observatory, you can use the bronze "peak finder" to help you identify the many mountains and peaks in view. Here is a shot from the roof, with the "peak finder" in the foreground, and two of the "Three Sisters" in the background, (North Sister and Middle Sister):

The following day we came back the same way, and we spent sunset on the roof. I'll be sharing some of those photos next time.

-Anita

I'm just getting started at MySpace.com. I'd heard about it, of course, but like many other "older folks" I thought it was a place for teenagers to hang out and socialize.

Then I received a "wake up call" in my email. A lovely lady from Texas, known to many as the Idea Lady, suggested we business people were really missing out on an opportunity to "meet" and "network" if we didn't hang out here a bit ourselves. Okay, my words, not hers. But the sentiment was the same.

So here I am. And I hope to make some friends along way.

Photography is my passion. Internet Marketing makes the photography possible.

The man in my profile picture is my husband, nicknamed "Llama" because he always ends up carrying all my gear. The dog is Shadow. We lost Shadow to old age a couple of summers ago. He was a month shy of being 15. He'd been with me for nearly 12 of those years, and I still miss him and his energy.

Llama and I went to the coast for a couple of days last month. Stayed at a great little motel in Lincoln City, on the third floor, facing the water. Great view of the ocean, beach, people and the ever hungry seagulls. I even managed to catch a seagull flying past the window.



It's hard to see with the image this small, but there are two people walking on the beach.

Here's a the image cropped to just the seagull, without reducing the image size.



This photo will eventually end up on my photo web site, as free wallpaper, along with several other shots from that week. I'll post here when the images are available.

Well, enough goofing off. I need to get back to my "day job."

-Anita