Bastien's on Colfax

"If you want to see the inside, I'll buy you a drink."


Okay... so anyone who knows me surely knows how this one went.

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On the old Colfax strip sits Bastien's Restaurant; or is it a portal in time?


"Home of the Sugar Steak" is announced on the marques.  I was told it was okay... that the restaurant had a few things to be desired for the discerning diner.  But, while my shutter finger rarely tires (as evident of the over 200 photos from this two hour long extravaganza) my palate is always welcoming to tasty explorations.

The entrance door notes the history of this location dating back to 1937, a family owned restaurant... still going strong generations later.


The bar area was sunken, somewhat back in time.  A curved bar with short stools, rope lighting and relics of the Art Deco era scattered here and there.

Many of the cocktails on their menu paid homage to the concoctions of the time.  Basic Martini's with modern twists, Old Fashioneds... and something I had forgotten to try at my friend's 50's themed wedding last summer... The Moscow Mule.  

Old wooden paneling lined the dining room areas, lamps of days gone by, golden metal vertical blinds, artwork of The Rat Pack on the walls and the melodies of Frank Sinatra over the speakers.  


"Fly me to the moon..."

The gentleman to my left (with his travel guide of Istanbul on the counter top) offered me a bite of his Sugar Steak, or at least to photograph him eating it.  The woman to our right also ordered the same menu item.  This I guess is truly their signature dish, and I have to say maybe the only place, as I've never heard of it before, and I love steak.    

While my drink slowly evaporated (I always blame the arid Colorado climate) and the sweat dripping down the side of the copper cup, I had taken in pretty much every little detail of the bar.  One day I'll have to return for more than just a drink, but for now there were more Googie experiences in store.   

Gettin' Googie with it.

The Riviera Motel on Colfax

They say the world is an oyster, or something like that; basically that while there's always things and places to explore, sometimes you just have to take a deeper look at what's inside.  So I took a trip down Colfax this weekend with a friend who introduced me to the term "Googie."  


Somewhere between Art Deco and Mid Century Modernism came this style, mainly associated with coffee houses, gas stations and motels in the late 1940's.  Once a family nickname of a relative of the man who started the Googie craze, it all began with a coffee house named such in West Hollywood, California.

The Biltmore Motel on Colfax

Before I met up with said friend I of course had to Google this word (obviously), and the song "Meet George Jetson" popped into my head.  Something had to distract me from the fact I was about to embark on Colfax with my camera equipment.  While Colfax has always been a major thoroughfare for Denver (for over a hundred years, and was the main east to west road before the interstate system was built), it certainly has seen it up's and down's.  Once (the mid to late 1800's) where most of Denver's Mansions were built, it also has been the home of drugs and prostitution, and i'm sure gang violence as well.  As Colfax today spans the cities of Denver, Aurora, Lakewood and Golden the different areas of this road have taken on very distinct... oh, let's call them styles.  But in the heart of the city, between Colorado Blvd and Peoria, lies many remnants of a more simpler... 'googlier' time.  

The Top Star Motel

Some of the motor lodges still carry on the tradition of offering a comfortable place to rest for weary travelers, while others have become more permanent residences to the locals.  While photographing the Ranger a woman had stepped out of her room to inquire about my activity. 

 "Are you writing an article?"

 "No I'm just a photographer."  

She commented on how 'nice' my 'hobby' was and how it was better than some of the others that people in the area were involved in.  She did mention how we probably should be cautious and I told her about some of my adventures in the hoods of North America.  I even told her that I grew up on the other side of town and that while in High School was part of a parade the Gateway to the Rockies that once marched down this road.  We talked briefly about how every city has their "Colfax" and then she recommended some of the other signs along the stretch that we would probably find interesting.  

The Satire Lounge on Colfax

So while the Motels definitely outnumber the other Googie signs on Colfax there are still many associated with Restaurants and Bars.  But if you happen to venture down in this area yourself, just know that wife beaters are not allowed in some of the finer establishments (I was wearing one under my shirt).  I do think it'd be cool to comeback and shoot these signs after dark, but definitely would want to be packing.  

So the 'pearl' of the story... sometimes there's more than meets the eye.  

Weekend explorations...

The one nice thing about Colorado... okay, let's say Denver, is that even though I might not be currently living in the mountains.... at least they're not that far away.

And it never ceases to amaze me just how close we live to Wildlife.  With Spring here and things beginning to turn green everyone/thing seems to be taking advantage.  Although those spring snow storms still make their way through the high country; young and innocent deer seemingly inquisitive to an approaching photographer, or a goofy elk making faces for the camera.

RAW vs JPG – Understanding these two common files types.

There is a seemingly endless debate on the internet, on photography sites and forums as to which is better… shooting RAW or JPG format photos. It’s starting to resemble the age old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg. While we may never know the answer to the chicken/egg debate (and why one crossed the road) understanding the basics behind the two file types are key to understanding digital photography/imaging and deciding which is best for you. Now some of you reading this may be totally in the dark about what a raw image file is. And for many of you that isn’t even an option on your camera. But even if your camera only allows you to ‘capture’ JPG images, understanding what that file type is and how your camera settings affect it, may help you take better pictures.

Today digital cameras come in all shapes and sizes. I even was recently visiting family and saw a commercial on TV about a camera for toddlers that even after being dropped down a flight of stairs was still fully operational; which would not be the case with mine… trust me I know. And one of the biggest buzz words in regards to digital cameras is Megapixels, how many of those teeny tiny sensors are on the device you are using to take a picture. While the number of pixels is important, the onboard circuitry and file type also play important roles in the difference in quality of the final image. So what is a RAW image?

A RAW image file is the equivalent of a 35mm (film) negative. Now each camera manufacturer does have their own version of a RAW image file; Nikon (NEF), Canon (CR2), Pentax (PEF), Sony (SR2) and so on and so on, as there is no standardized file format. When you press the shutter it records all the available information that the camera is designed to without discarding or compressing any of the data being collected. Each pixel records an amount of luminosity and translates that into color using what is know as the Bayer Filter (a matrix of blue, red and green colors). At the time the picture is taken the camera is also writing to the photo’s file information known as Metadata. This Metadata includes the camera model, date and time, camera settings (exposure, ISO, white balance, focal length and shutter speed to name a few) and even GPS on some cameras. With a RAW image all of this information is what is being saved to your memory card… hence the large file size. JPGs are preferred by some people because of file size alone and that more of them can be stored on a memory card. Why are JPGs smaller?

With JPG, or JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group – the committee that standardized the file type) images the initial stages are identical. In fact even if your camera doesn’t allow you to save in JPG format it is still capturing the image in the same way. But the difference is that while a RAW image retains all the luminosity recorded per pixel, a JPG (using algorithms (calculations made by your camera)) determines the most prominent color of the three (red, blue, green) and records the levels of only that color. In RAW format the files retains the information for all three colors per pixel. Another important factor is also the file structure type. Without getting too complicated a RAW image is a 12- to 14-bit image, whereas a JPG is an 8-bit image. So your camera (based on the settings you have made) is discarding some information and compressing the rest. What does this mean to you? Well the smaller more compressed files loose a lot of the fine details of a photo and sometimes inaccurate colors.

Now some people will argue that their JPG images are just fine, in fact look much better than RAW if they are shot simultaneously, which a lot of cameras allow. But you have to take into consideration what those files are. Again a RAW image is a digital negative, where a JPG is what your camera has determined the image should look like according to the settings at the time the picture was taken.

The above image is a screen shot of a mountain top in Colorado taken with my Nikon DSLR camera, in ‘NEF+JPG’ mode. The camera wrote two image files to my memory card after only pressing the shutter once for this scene. While the JPG image clearly shows the cameras white balance and color settings, the NEF reverts the image back to its truest (digital negative) version.

One of the advantages of taking a RAW image (which is what I only shoot) is the ability to manipulate the photo in post editing. For most my photos, if I had the correct white balance, color saturation and other in camera settings correct for the shot) just simply saving the image to a JPG format is all I need to do. But on occasion I’ll have missed a setting, exposed the image wrong, or if I’m looking to digitally enhance the photo a RAW file is better to work with since all the information that was collected at the time I pressed the shutter is still available. If you shoot an image in JPG say with high contrast settings or increased color saturation; and once you get that image up onto a full size screen and realize you don’t like the outcome, it can be extremely difficult if not impossible to go back and fix the image. Even if you work on a RAW image, your program is saving your changes as a separate file… so you can always return the image to it’s original state if you make a “whoops.”

Photography programs, such as Photoshop, these days do allow you to change exposure, saturation, temperature, etc. on JPG files (using sometimes complicated conversions) but again you are only changing what was recorded in the original file based on the settings at the time. With a RAW image your changes are more detailed and exact in post editing, and you retain many of the details of the photo. You also can get artifacting in JPGs, which is the distortion you see sometimes in lines on a photograph where it will resemble the exterior of an Egyptian pyramid. Some of the information I change in editing RAW files aren’t available in JPGs. For example… my dogs are often with me when out taking photos, and white balance and ISO are two settings that I change quite frequently. Say I’m out shooting a landscape sunset and suddenly a Bull Elk emerges from the forest behind me. Before I know it two dogs are going usually in two separate directions and as I suddenly find myself being tangled up in their leashes, the last thing I’m thinking about are camera settings before the Elk runs off into the distance. Shooting in RAW allows me to go back into the file and adjust those fine details to produce the perfect image. No, I still haven’t learned my lesson and just leave the dogs at home.

Aside from file size, the amount of time in post editing work can be another drawback to shooting in RAW format. But with today’s software there are ways to batch convert those images to JPG format as well as apply similar adjustments to a series of photos in batch processing as well. This for me is a huge time saver. For my landscape photography I examine each photo individually, but when I shoot sporting events, those batch processing options can be set and the process can run all on its own while I can be doing something else.

So is one file format better than the other? Well that is up to you!

Tin Roof Rusted...

With all the photos I took this summer, I occasionally forget one or two that were side shots taken at events or during my travels. Case in point this photo, a rusted metal roof of an old barn that I shot while shooting a wedding this summer in Beaver Creek, Colorado. I was already done with the wedding and this old barn was adjacent to the parking lot. Of course, certain lighting always catches my eye; add to that great colors and cool textures.

So in discovering this photo on my hard drive while sorting and organizing the lyrics from a B52's song came to mind. But to backtrack for a second I didn't know the meaning of the term "Tin Roof Rusted" until I just researched it for this blog. Now I know.


This photo can be seen full size in my Abtracts Photo Gallery here.

Camping in the Grand

Byers Peak (elev 12,804)

One of the oldest passes in this area is the old Cottonwood Pass that bridges Hot Sulphur Springs on the west to just south of Granby, Colorado.  Although rich in history, sadly Grand County is considered to be one of the poorest.  However just southwest of Rocky Mountain National Park it is also home to the headwaters of the Colorado River and the largest lakes in all of Colorado.  

 I had been exploring this area for sometime, in the way of campgrounds; this time of year you have to be careful as where ever there is large and abundant wildlife, there are also gunshots.  Even though I encountered many camps and men on the lookout I also managed to find back roads and some areas tucked away along side streams, where the dogs and I could enjoy some peace and quiet.  

Shaded by large pines on the banks of Beaver Creek (not the large resort area in Eagle County) was almost two campgrounds.  Although there was several places to pitch tents in the main upper area, a small trail leading down to the creek itself also had enough room for a few tents and a canopy.  

It's always nice to be by the water, labs love water and playing in it makes them tired... always a plus in my book.  And the sound of a trickling creek is always a enjoyable when sitting by a campfire.  

Pinecones here, there and every where; open up in the suns rays... and while always a favorite 'element of nature' for me also are great for starting camp fires.












  

This little piggy... went to [Farmers] Market

Every time I think 'market' that song from my chilhood comes to mind.  Not sure if it's my Irish heritage and my love of Corned Beef and Cabbage or what.  But I do love going to local Farmers Markets, and I've had the opporunity to go to a lot of them in the last few months.

Nothing beats fresh ingredients when cooking, that's for sure.  And farm fresh produce certainly has bolder flavors than some of the mass produced foods we find in our grocery stores.  I was even introduced to a few items I'd never heard before like ground cherries, a small fruit that is the cross between cherries and tomatos.  And then there was this leafy green one farmer had me try that was in the spinach family.  But once I popped a sample in my mouth the green leaf began to transition into this slimy substance.  Of course when I said that I was corrected by the farmer who preferred I used the word 'gelatinous' to describe her crop.  Needless to say we passed on that one.  One of my favorite finds was the most amazing blueberries I've ever tasted from a family of Menonite farmers in the Lake Mattamaskeet area of North Carolina.  I had to mentally slap my hand from taking any more samples and my family ended up buying an entire flat.  Needless to say, for the next week just about everything we made had blueberries in it.  

But as a photographer Farmers Markets are an explosion of colors and textures; fun conversations with the growers themselves and even a place to meet some of your neighbors and share some cooking ideas. Tomatoes of every shape and size, colorful arrays of hybrid flowers and even fresh oats that were rolled right there on the spot.

But probably the best thing these fresh markets is supporting your own communtity, or the one you're visiting.  For some reason, that big family meal at the end of the day tastes just that muh better when you've had the experience of being at the Farmers Market early that morning to pick out something truly unique.