Category Archives: Photography

These are blogs about things photographic.

Line Art – the One and Only True Bitmap format

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Brian Lawler

This is the second of several blogs about scanning and reproducing line art from 19th century copper engravings and similar artwork. When converting scanned line art into printable line art there is only one file format that will work without … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Photoshop techniques, Printing and Printing Processes, Scanning, Software | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reproducing line art with digital technology

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Brian Lawler

In the pre-halftone era (printing before the 20th century), illustrations printed by letterpress (relief printing) were made by engraving into wood or copper to make an image. It was a laborious task, and the quality was determined by the skills … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Photography, Photoshop techniques, Printing and Printing Processes, Scanning, Software | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

A photography day at the Monarch Grove in Pismo Beach

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Brian Lawler

Last week my wife and I with our cousins visited the famous Monarch Grove in Pismo Beach State Park. This is the site where twice each year thousands of Monarch butterflies gather to mate, and to impress visitors with their … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Accidental art with my camera

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Brian Lawler

I take a lot of photos. Most of them are carefully exposed, carefully focused, and most of them are acceptable and sharp and useful images. Once in a while I take a photo under extreme circumstances, and it doesn’t come … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Photography, Photoshop techniques, Software | Tagged | 1 Comment

Phinal phase of the Bishop Peak Portrait Project

Posted on September 13, 2016 by Brian Lawler

My summer is coming to an end, and I am engaged in the phinal phase of the Bishop Peak Portrait Project (BPPP), the making of the final display panels. On my previous large-scale photography projects, I have had the luxury … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Photography, Printing and Printing Processes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Bishop Peak Portrait Project ecosystem

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Brian Lawler

Over the past eight months I have been documenting my year-long “portrait” project of Bishop Peak, the 1,559 foot mountain in San Luis Obispo. That project, which began in December, 2015, is well on its way, and will soon be … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Photography, Photoshop techniques, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Visiting Palomar’s 200-inch telescope

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Brian Lawler

After visiting Mt. Wilson’s two observatories in September, 2014, I began a reading marathon to learn as much as I could about the big telescopes that were used to usher-in the era of astrophysics. It was at the 100-inch Hooker … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures, History, People, Photography, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why shoot one photo when nine will be better?

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Brian Lawler

I started shooting panoramic photos way back in the 1970s. I used a rented film camera called a Hulcherama. That was quite an impressive camera. It shot on 220 film, which rolled through the camera as the camera turned. It had … Continue reading →

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

Photographing the elusive cellist…
and being quiet about it!

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Brian Lawler

I’m the staff photographer for the Festival Mozaic, San Luis Obispo’s wonderful summer music festival. I’ve been doing this for a number of years, and I have learned a lot about photographing musicians who often play notes much softer than … Continue reading →

Posted in People, Photography, Photoshop techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Portable printing on a picnic table

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Brian Lawler

School is out, and I am on summer vacation! My bride and I are on a three-week journey through northern California and southern Oregon. We have stayed in two California State Parks, two National Forest camps, and two commercial RV … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures, Gadgets, Photography, Printing and Printing Processes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment