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My Flickr collection...

The freeway was packed so i thought i'd take a detour through the windy canyon roads of the Santa Susana Pass in Simi Valley. I remember taking the route a couple of summers ago during the great fires of Simi Valley. Not so fond memories i'm afraid... I left work a little early that day because i wanted to watch the Lakers at Detroit game. I even told Adrian that even though i thought the Lakers might get blown out, i was leaving early to catch it anyway (Maybe i had a good feeling). Serendipitously I found this charming looking poorly lit yellow house at the bottom of the pass. It is sort of tucked away from view too, at least from the main road. The photography student in me couldn't resist, i had to pull over and check it out. It was nice, and as it turns out it was no house at all. It is a historic train station that is now a museum, how cool is that? Can you say "Destiny"? Okay let's not get carried away here...

The sun was almost behind the mountains at the time and the temps have already dipped below 45 degrees (been relatively cold here in Southern California as of late...). But that didn't deter me from shooting. The place seemed like a prime spot for an impromptu shoot and i was glad i had stopped (Yes i bring my camera with me every where i go now). I seem to be quite a bit more proficient with night shots than daytime shots now too. Though i can't say whether it is accidental talent or just plain luck. Either way the difference in quality and clarity of my night shots compared to the daytime, is, like day and night (excuse the pun...). I'm sure it is something i am neglecting to do (Yes Melissa one day i will take that class... but in the mean time i am trying to do things on my own. Because that is me!). But i should learn day shots soon enough, i hope...

You can see noticeable progress from my early shots (started about 4 months ago). I use to have no vision in terms of utilizing available lighting and good backgrounds. And no provision either. The mindset was just "shoot away" and hope to come up with somewhat decent shots. It apparently doesn't work that way. Location and preparation is key, maybe even one's mood... I am not claiming I've improved by leaps and bounds, no not at all, but i can tell you i am no longer afraid to show someone my work. And that right there is a heck of an accomplishment in itself (for me...). I've decided to keep my old stuff on there so you might see what i'm talking about...

The train station/museum though rather small was quite the beauty. I liked that it's yellow and green, though i don't really know why (Yes those are my favorite colors but i don't necessarily search for these specific colors when i go out and shoot). Maybe in that cold evening it made me feel somehow warm. I think the vintage Chevy truck is a very nice touch to the rustic setting. Although it was a little difficult getting to the truck area because it is sort of closed-off (and the place closes at 4 pm). But no one really cared, i mean i had a camera in hand. In fact a security car came around and later on a squad car. But they only took a quick look and then went on their merry way (I'm sure they're probably used to people shooting there anyway).

I guess I'll take this opportunity to introduce my Flickr collection. I haven't been posting any of those pictures on my website, perhaps because i feel like i am transitioning from a digicam enthusiast to something someday i hope to be proficient in, a semi-professional photographer of sorts (even for just a personal collection). So I've decided, instead of posting new sets on KoolGreen which I suspect will be fairly frequent, i'll just add a section in KoolGreen for Flickr updates. Savvy?

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Friday, February 01, 2008