Author Archives: Brian Lawler

About Brian Lawler

Brian Lawler is an Emeritus Professor of Graphic Communication at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and was a Guest Professor at Hochschule München from September, 2021 to September, 2022. He writes about graphic arts processes and technologies for various industry publications, and on his blog, The Blognosticator.

An Ode of Hatred for the Pocket Wizard FlexTT5

An update on this post: Phil Bradon, a product marketing manager for Pocket Wizard, contacted me and has arranged for me to try the new Pocket Wizard Plus III transceivers to see if they will solve my problems with triggering … Continue reading

Posted in Curmudgeon, Photography | 56 Comments

An adventure in Lego photo mosaics

I am the father of a 25 year old young man who, when he was in his pre-teen years, was a championship Lego brick builder. Several times he won local Lego competitions, and his life seemed for several years to … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Photography, Software | 3 Comments

Stargazing with the San Luis Obispo Astronomical Society

I was standing on a hilltop called Star Hill late last night, advancing my panoramic camera mount and pushing the remote shutter button. My camera was aimed into the night sky, with the foreground in each shot. Every frame was … Continue reading

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It’s amazing what a fake mustache will do for an old guy!

I attended a party last night called The Great Catsby, a fund-raiser for the local animal shelter. The theme was, obviously, 1920s. I had decided a few weeks earlier to go as a press photographer, armed with my trusty 1939 … Continue reading

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VueScan and the CoolScan make a great friendship!

A few weeks ago I put on my Curmudgeon hat and griped about the fact that Nikon no longer supports the software on its wonderful CoolScan scanners. And, I lamented the fact that I would have to purchase new software … Continue reading

Posted in Curmudgeon, Photography, Software | 2 Comments

Sitting for a Ken Christiansen portrait

Los Osos, California artist Ken Christiansen is a wonderful impressionist landscape painter. His works are prized by locals, and praised by art collectors worldwide. I have always wanted one, but have not yet made the decision to purchase a painting … Continue reading

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The brave and short life of Daniel Coudray

Daniel Coudray and his sister Celine at their sister Patrice’s wedding in January. Like his father Mark, Daniel Coudray was an Eagle Scout, and like his father, Daniel was a high-achiever. Young Daniel graduated from Mission College Prep in San … Continue reading

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My father’s Golden Gate Bridge photos – 75 years later

My father, Russell Lawler, was born in San Francisco on November 18, 1905. It’s easy for me to remember this because it was six months to the day before the devastating earthquake and fire that struck the city. This is … Continue reading

Posted in History, People, Photography | 2 Comments

I’m SLO at some things (another GigaPan story)

It took me five days to squeeze the last GigaPan image into my schedule. I had classes to teach, meetings to attend, a midterm exam to write, a rehearsal with my choral group, and a meeting of the San Luis … Continue reading

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Gigapan and the billion-byte work flow

Since I figured out how to use the Gigapan device I have been running full-speed making photos with hundreds of component images, and then stitching them into gigabyte-size panoramas. Yesterday morning I climbed above Morro Rock in Morro Bay, California, … Continue reading

Posted in Panoramic Photography, Photography, Photoshop techniques, Software | Leave a comment