I'm turning another page of my life, but I'm not ever abandoning photography or my Pentax equipment.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com 

 Hi Photographer friends,

If you followed my blog for the last seven years, you might remember that one of my first hobby, beside photography, was four wheeling with a 1988 Jeep YJ that I restored. I had named her " Ms. Peggy". I loved the Jeep because it also provided me with a way to go just about anywhere to take pictures. In 2011, I reluctantly sold the Jeep and got my first travel trailer with the idea in mind of using it to go places for short periods of time and take pictures. 

This is my 1988 Jeep YJ, named "Ms. Peggy".

The Jeep brought me and my Pentax camera system
 to locations otherwise unreachable.

The setup provided me with shelter, and everything I needed to print or publish my images.  I enjoyed that venture a lot and we indeed drove to many locations and took a lot of pictures. I traded the Jeep for a Chevy pickup and a used travel trailer.It turned out that a trailer was an ideal place to write and publish my e-books. Internet was available almost everywhere and all my computer gear and photography equipment came along with me. 

My ole Chevy and my first travel trailer that
 I restored inside and out. It was a fun project.

It served as my Photography studio and office for a while.

Although we didn't travel very far with it, this RV was helpful
in getting acquainted with the life style.

I liked it so much that on the second year, we decided to upgrade to a newer RV and a bigger Pickup truck. So I bought a 28 foot Road Ranger Fifth Wheel. The sales person assured me that my Chevy pickup with a 350 cu engine and four wheel drive would be plenty strong to pull the RV. WRONG! So I had to sell the Chevy and finally got a Ford F350 dually with a 7.3 Liter diesel engine. That certainly did the trick. In July of 2013, I decided to retire and travel the Country in search of adventures and locations to take pictures in a photojournalist way. My spouse was not that enthusiastic as me but she accepted the challenge. The first year was wonderful. We travel from California to Florida and several places in between. Then we headed up North-East almost to New-York. Again we visited many Cites along the way. On our way down South, we realized that a 28 foot Fifth Wheel RV is great but still a little cramped. Once in Jacksonville, Florida, we traded the RV for a much bigger Fifth Wheel. 

My first Fifth Wheel RV.  This is when we actually decided
 to plan our retirement as full time RVers.

We traveled half the Country with this RV. We have made memories
for a life time. We also met wonderful people
and made new friends all over the Country.

I had my own little office in it. An office with a view.
Most of my e-books were written while on the road.

We traded for a 35 foot Alpenlite Fifth Wheel with three slide-outs. The actual length, front to end , actually measured more like 37 feet. This thing is, like home with plenty of space. It has a home size shower, washer and dryer, three flat screen TVs, including one that can be watched from an outside compartment, electric fireplace, etc. There is plenty of room for my photographic equipment and computers. This unit is self-contained and  setup to stay just about anywhere for extended periods of time. So we left Florida toward the end of the summer and headed back to California for the upcoming winter. We are in the Temecula valley for the winter. It's a great area and the weather is perfect.

This is where the complications started. My wife has developed some health issues through the years and now this nomadic life is becoming harder for her. This is where another page of my life is turning. The traveling setup will be sold and we will settle in a brick & Mortar home.

That's when we made a leap-of-faith
and got a much bigger setup.

I will miss this period
and I have nothing but good memories of this trip.

I even have another office within the RV space.

That's life! However, I am not abandoning photography, and will continue using my good Pentax equipment. I am not quitting RVing all together. I will get a smaller travel trailer and a smaller vehicle to tow it with. Our trips will now be for a few days or weeks at a time, and not across the Country. We will established ourselves somewhere close to California, Nevada and Arizona. The weather is ideal and there are so many National Parks and interesting places to visit and photograph. Think of Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park, Sierra National Forest,  Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and so on.

I see a future full of adventures and photographic opportunities.
The road ahead is promising. I need ti live to one hundred...

So in the end, unless something really bad happens, I am just modifying the approach to my passion. I have to tell you that travelling with a big rig, the camping fees, the fuel, the food, the tolls, etc aren't cheap. 

Thank you for reading.

Yvon Bourque

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Yvon Bourque

Attended Montreal

Lives in Apple Valley, CA

5,086 followers|5,113,498 views

# 18 - Our current two-year RV trip across North America. This week's; Red Rock Canyon, Nevada. I used the Pentax K-5 and the smc PENTAX DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED (IF) Fish-Eye

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com 

 Hi Photographer friends,

This week we find ourselves in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just outside Las Vegas. It's not the most magnificent Park we have in the Country, but if you visit Las Vegas, you should plan for a visit. 

THe images herein were all taken with the Pentax K-5 and the smc PENTAX DA 10-17mm F3.5-4.5 ED (IF) Fish-Eye. This is really a fun lens to use. It can distort the images but if you keep the lens perpendicular to the horizon, it shows very little distortion.

Because so much of the image in condensed in this ultra wide angle lens, the colors are more saturated. The skies gives this dark blue without the use of a polarizing filter. You actually cannot use a polarizer with this lens as the skies would have dark spots. Try it, and see for yourself. You cannot use a filter as the front lens curvature is in the way.

We are having the time of our life travelling across this big Country. 

Thank you for visiting,

Yvon Bourque

Visit us on Facebook and please like us. Our Facebook page is updated more often with news about Ricoh / Pentax.

Click here to see our e-books for Pentax DSLRs.

Follow our two year trip across North America with our Pentax Photographic Equipment.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com 

 Hi Photographer friends,

We have been on the road since July of 2013. Midway through our trip, I started a weekly report of our journey, complete with a short history of the location and some images taken with my Ricoh / Pentax K-3 or K-5 using various lenses.  If you haven't been following, this week is a recap of part of our trip.

The first section of the trip was from California to Florida. We then visited part of the Atlantic coast and  now we are going back West. 

We will continue to post about the places we visit and will explain which lens was used and why. It should be interesting. Click on images below to  read the post about each place and to view additional images.

Yvon Bourque

This is our house on wheel for this adventure.

Recap of our trip across North America in our RV and our Pentax equipment...simply the best.

Week # 12 - Florida, Click on the image. 

Week # 11 - Jacksonville, Florida, Click on the image. 

Week # 10 - Las Vegas, Nevada, Click on the image. 

Week # 9 - Baltimore, Maryland, Click on the image. 

Week # 8 - South of the Border, South Carolina, Click on the image.  

Week # 7 - Amish Country, Pennsylvania,Click on the image. 

Week # 6 - Maryland, Click on the image. 

Week # 5 - Savannah, Georgia, Click on the image. 

Week # 4 - St-Augustine, Florida, Click on the image. 

Week # 3 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Click on the image. 

Week # 2 - Breaux Bridge, Cajun Country, Louisiana, Click on the image. 

Week # 1 -
New Orleans, Louisiana, Click on the image. 

# 11 - Our current two-year RV trip across North America. We use the Ricoh/Pentax equipment exclusively. This week,we are in Jacksonville, Florida. I used the Pentax K-3 equipped with the DA Star 60 -250 mm f/4 ED (IF) SDM.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com 

 Hi Photographer friends,

This week we are in Jacksonville, Florida. Yesterday I received the Pentax DA Star 60 -250 mm f/4 ED (IF) SDM lens. I was trying to decide where I could use this great zoom lens and realized that Jacksonville has a Zoo. 

Early this morning, we headed out to the zoo. I was pleasantly surprised. The last time I was at a zoo, was in San Diego, and we know they have the largest in the Country. Jacksonville has an excellent facility.

My goal for the day was to make images that would appear to have been taken in the animal's natural habitats. It's not that easy because the animals are behind fences, cages, and man made surroundings. 

The image to the left, taken by my wife with her iPhone, shows where I was standing to take the first picture. Notice the chain link fence? The image represent the closest position I could get to the leopard. 

I shot several images at 250 mm with the largest aperture of f/4, focusing the animal eyes. The chain link fence, being outside of the depth of field, rendered a blurred, ghostly and annoying presence. I would have liked to be against the fence and shoot through the center of the fence opening, but I didn't want to be part of the animal's breakfast. The fence is still apparent in the first photograph. 

Using Adobe Photoshop Elements, I used the clone stamp tool to fill the fence area  and the brush tool to fill the portion of the animal's coat. I could have spent hours fixing the image, but for the purpose of this post, I worked on it enough to convey the idea. With patience, none of the fence would have remained visible.

The tiger in the next image was behind a thick pane of plexiglass, roaming around in a concrete cage complete with a waterfall and a pool. It was impossible to get close to the animal. Using the zoom lens at 250 mm again, I was able to make the animal looked like it was just a few feet in front of me. I focused on the eyes. (Always focus on the eyes of a live subject. Even if a portion of the subject is not tack sharp, as long as the eyes are, the result will be great). The tiger showing his teeth was a bonus. Framing your subject leaves little room for the background, giving the impression that the shot was taken in the wilderness.

This lion, king of the jungle, is definitely not in the wild. There was no angles that I could have used to eliminate the fenced background. For this image, I duplicated the image in Adobe Photoshop Elements and made it the first layer. I then used the blur filter and blurred the entire image on layer 1. I then superimpose the original image on top of layer 1. Using the eraser tool, I erased the top layer portion showing the fence, as close to the lion as I could without touching it. Then, continuing with the eraser tool, but this time with the brush pattern no. 24, which is a splatter pattern rather than a solid one. It allowed the removal of the fence close to the lion with very little contrast. I finished the edges with the blur tool, also set to the brush pattern no. 24. Again, this was a quick image modification and could have been done better using more time. While modifying an area of an image, it is always easier when enlarging the portion you are working on.

Today, I only posted images of BIG CATS, but I have many images of larger animals, exotic birds, reptiles, and even dozens of butterflies close-up. I reserve those images for future blogs.

Whether you are a thousand miles away from home or in your backyard, photo opportunities are there for you to discover. Go out and take some pictures.

Yvon Bourque

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(NEW) First post of our weekly (Wednesday) chronicle and photo album of our current two-year trip across the U.S. and Canada in a RV with our Ricoh/Pentax equipment.

Email: brqyvn@gmail.com

Hi Photographer friends,

(NEW) First post of our weekly (Wednesday) chronicle and photo album of our current two-year trip across the U.S. and Canada in a RV with our Ricoh/Pentax equipment.

Our house on wheels.

This week, it's New Orleans.

There are no other City like New Orleans. The liveliness of this City is like no other place. Music is everywhere and people do seem to have a good time. “Let the good times roll” or as they say “Laissez les bon temps rouler”. BB King sang about it. 

I don’t think the bars ever close and you can see people strolling all night long.

Not what I wanted to see through
 the car's window.

We were a little disappointed when we arrived in our RV because it was pouring down. We knew that it was going to rain for our entire stay. For once, unfortunately, the weatherman was right. I wanted to go downtown and take pictures. Lucky for me, I had the Pentax K-3 which is rainproof. This was going to be a great test for it. I had previously decided that I was going to use the PENTAX smc DA 16-45mm and even if it is not sealed like the WR lenses, I believed it would do just fine, and it did.

iPhone photo from my
 Daughter Marisa.

So we set out, in the rain, in the direction of the French Quarter to get some beignets and “Café au lait” at the world famous Café du Monde. If you never had beignets, you are missing on a special treat. Here’s a secret, but don’t tell anyone. Make your own, with this authentic New Orleans recipe.

From there, we walked to Bourbon Street and the surrounding blocks. This is where the excitement resides in New Orleans. The images below were all taken with the Pentax K-3 outfitted with the PENTAX DA 16-45mm. As is turned out, rain gave us a wonderful look at the Big Easy’s neighborhoods. All the colors were brightened by the water and the reflections in the streets gave me that unique attractiveness you always want in your images.

I'm am one that believe in retouching every images I make. I have a workflow in Lightroom 5 that consist of tweaking the clarity, the white and the shadows. I then continue with sharpening and noise reduction. The amount is sometimes negligible and other times as needed to satisfy my taste. Photography is an expression of art and you control the final image. However, the K-3 gave excellent results without any post-processing, but I like to improve all my images to what my mind's eye imagined or saw.

Note that all images were reduced to 640x480 resolution for quick uploading.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 45mm, 1/1600 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 1600. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Added little Sharpening and Noise reduction. Also desaturated a little to bring vibrant colors out.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 26mm, 1/40 sec @ f/22, ISO 1000. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Added little Sharpening and Noise reduction.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 45mm, 1/50 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1000. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Cropped 50% and added a lot of Sharpening and Noise reduction.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 38mm, 1/125 sec @ f/5, ISO 1000. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Cropped 25% and desaturated the background trees.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 23mm, 1/200sec @ f/4.0, ISO 500. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for  Shadows. Cropped 20%.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 28mm, 1/20 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 1600. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Cropped 10% and added  Sharpening and Noise reduction.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 45mm, 1/200 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 1600. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Cropped 50% and added  Sharpening and Noise reduction. The frame was done within the K-3.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 36mm, 1/125 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 1600. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Cropped 50% and added a lot of  Noise reduction.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 45mm, 1/1000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 1600. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Cropped 10% and added a lot of Sharpening and Noise reduction.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 40mm, 1/25 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 100. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Cropped 20% . I braced the camera against a lamp post for stability.

Pentax K-3, DA 16-45mm @ 23mm, 1/250 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 1600. Used Adobe Lightroom 5 for Clarity, White and Shadows. Cropped 50% and added  Sharpening and Noise reduction. The Pink was accentuated to give more punch.

The PENTAX K-3 did just fine in the rain and so did the lens.

Thanks for reading,
Yvon Bourque

Click here to see our e-books for Pentax DSLRs.