Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Queen Mary panoramic gets Explored on Flickr

Magellan — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 01:34:58 +0000

The Queen Mary panoramic gets Explored on Flickr!!! Woohoo! (if you have no idea what that means, read on…) I learned a lot yesterday. If you think that the Explore page is just a completely random assortment of photos posted throughout the day on Flickr, you are just as uninformed as yesterday me. If you [...]

Queen Mary panoramic gets Explored on Flickr

When you and I were young

Magellan — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:04:46 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

First of all, happy early birthday, Red. Sorry I can’t be there (*sad face*). That being said, I’ve got a special present for you! It started a few months ago when I got the itch to play some guitar (which, though a rare occurrence, is still something I can’t ignore). I started off re-learning songs [...]

When you and I were young

Clamshell portrait

Magellan — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:00:36 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

I recently read in a magazine about a lighting setup called the “clamshell” where the subject is lit from the front by two softboxes (one larger one up high and a smaller one set lower to half power) and a reflector right above the subject. Seemed simple enough. I didn’t have any softboxes, but eh, [...]

Clamshell portrait

Lightroom tethering for the D600! (finally… and sorta)

Magellan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:30:42 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Okay, so there’s still no native tethering in Lightroom for the Nikon D600 as of version 4.4, but I’m frankly sick of waiting. I’m guessing they either forgot or just don’t care (with a beta release of LR5 just hitting the interweb, it’s easy to understand the lack of focus). After doing some angry googling, [...]

Lightroom tethering for the D600! (finally… and sorta)

Focus stacking tutorial

Magellan — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 13:00:06 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

I recently picked up a true 1:1 macro lens, the Lester A. Dine 105mm 2.8, and have been experimenting with it endlessly. One thing I discovered about macro photography is that the depth of field is exceptionally shallow, even at the largest (smallest) aperture. This is exacerbated if you’re using extension tubes to get larger [...]

Focus stacking tutorial

This is the world that I know

Magellan — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:48:36 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

This is how I view the world. Not to say that every sunset is an explosion of red and gold, but that there is beauty all around us that we take for granted way too often. We find ourselves mired in the petty minutiae of our daily lives. Deadlines, office politics, relationship woes, familial disputes. [...]

This is the world that I know

Good morning Columbus

Magellan — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:24:14 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Yeah, I guess that’s technically where I was. Last weekend was camping with the boys out near Fayettville and Columbus, TX. A friend of a friend of a brother’s fiance’s uncle’s brother’s family owns some land out there, so we packed up (or other people did) and we headed out for a raucous weekend full [...]

Good morning Columbus

Butterflies Alive!

Magellan — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:22:00 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

I recently had the pleasure of checking out the Butterflies Alive! exhibit at the Lubbock Science Spectrum and, while I can’t say I was blown away with the presentation, it was certainly a lot of fun. It’s hard to compare a traveling butterfly exhibit to a permanent fixture like the Cockrell Center in Houston, but [...]

Butterflies Alive!

Behind the scenes – Mirror in the bathroom

Magellan — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:13:37 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

I was very surprised at the amount of attention and praise my last work, the mirror in the bathroom, received. For something so strange and experimental, I was flabbergasted by how many people seemed to like it. That being said, a few people were wanting to know how I put it all together. While I’m [...]

Behind the scenes – Mirror in the bathroom

The mirror in the bathroom

Magellan — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:54:19 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Welcome to my nightmare. The mirror in the bathroom. But is it only that? You might find yourself asking, do your nightmares always involve you wearing your wife’s pajamas? Typically no. But I have had recurring nightmares about strange clones and odd happenings since I was a child (which, I’m glad to say, happen with [...]

The mirror in the bathroom

Science Spectrum Butterflies Alive Exhibit

Magellan — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:00:53 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Two of my photos have been selected for use in the Lubbock Science Spectrum’s new exhibit, Butterflies Alive! Being from Houston, you start to take things like butterflies for granted. There’s really never a shortage of them throughout the year if you know where to look (and if you’re just lazy, there’s always the Cockrell [...]

Science Spectrum Butterflies Alive Exhibit

Self-portrait Monday

Magellan — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:50:16 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

That’s right. Time to start a new trend. Self-portrait Monday or SPM for short. We’ll see how long this actually lasts (me being notorious for not sticking with What was I saying? Right, so Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are hands-down the best candy ever. But enough about that. Let’s talk about portraits. So here’s the [...]

Self-portrait Monday

Portrait Outtakes

Magellan — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:30:32 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Portraiture is something I’m still relatively new at (as if that wasn’t evident), but it’s still a lot of fun goofing off. Here are a few portrait outtakes from down in the garage studio. Thanks to Max for lending a hand (and sometimes a face). Related PostsSpiraling Descent Towers Above Barcelona Reaching Towards the Divine [...]

Portrait Outtakes

Nikon D600 Sensor Dust Spots

Magellan — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 19:40:53 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Well, I had hoped that I would be one of the lucky ones that didn’t end up with a D600 that has the “dreaded” sensor dust spot issue (I even waited a few months to see if Nikon would address it with another batch of cameras). Alas, I started to notice an accumulation of spots [...]

Nikon D600 Sensor Dust Spots

Art Exhibition at Glassy Alley

Magellan — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 04:24:16 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Come check out some of my photos at the Glassy Alley Art Studio & Gallery on March 1st. I’ll be showing some canvas and metal prints with a travel and adventure theme (okay, mostly travel with a hint of adventure). This marks my first (and hopefully not last) time participating in the First Friday Art [...]

Art Exhibition at Glassy Alley

The Harbinger movie has a screenwriter… and it’s not me

Magellan — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:29:34 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Shocking, I know. Dark Horizons reported yesterday that the screenwriter of the acclaimed Texas Chainsaw 3D will be penning the script for the upcoming Hollywood adaptation of Valiant Comic‘s Harbinger title. Harbinger was a comic series back in the early ’90s about teens coping with new found abilities. I absolutely loved the original comic (they’ve [...]

The Harbinger movie has a screenwriter… and it’s not me

Photo exhibit at the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra

Magellan — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:40:02 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

If you’re going to be in the area tomorrow evening for the First Friday Art Trail, stop by the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra for the Lubbock Camera Club’s Love exhibit. Featuring wine, music, and one of my photos! For more info on First Friday Art Trail, venues, and exhibitions, click here. Through a stroke of pure [...]

Photo exhibit at the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra

Inside the fuselage of a WWII glider

Magellan — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:00:16 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Here’s a shot from inside the fuselage of the CG-4A glider, the star attraction of the Silent Wings Museum. While it looks large enough, it’s hard to believe that 15 armed soldiers were crammed into such a tight space (not to mention the pilots!). And this was pretty much all the room they had since [...]

Inside the fuselage of a WWII glider

It is a small world after all

Magellan — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:33:10 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Macro photography has been an area of photography that I’ve always wanted to explore, but never really had the equipment (or patience) for. Luckily, things change. I happened upon a pretty decent little macro setup on eBay, and though it didn’t arrive in perfect condition (pretty much every element was damaged in some way), I’ve [...]

It is a small world after all

Flying on silent wings

Magellan — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:48:21 +0000

Brian C. Parks Photo+Design

Have you ever asked yourself, “What did the military use before they had helicopters?” Me neither. After some initial research, I discovered that helicopters haven’t always existed. (I know!) You’re probably now wondering how the pyramids were really built, but rest assured it wasn’t with the aid of helicopters. All kidding aside, I’ve never really taken [...]

Flying on silent wings