Just wanted to share a fun photo gallery I posted Friday on the Los Angeles Times From the Archive - Santa Claus..

This is called a blatant plug. Happy Holidays.

Pictured: 1979 photo by R.L.Oliver/Los Angeles Times of Santas in training class learning electronic game.

Got my first roll of Kodachrome film back Dwayne's Photo in Kansas. Here's a couple of the images I took at the beginning of November.

My ears are still ringing, and it's not New Years'. During the fifth Civil War reenactment battle Sunday, I sat too close to those booming Rebel cannons. Smartest move was moving. While walking around I shot a couple of good images.

Not that I needed more images. I had already shot hundreds. As proof I just finished uploading about 175 images to flickr.

2010 Civil War day one

2010 Civil War day two

This year I attended both days of the 2010 The Blue & The Gray Civil War reenactment in Moorpark. In 2008 and 09 I went on Sundays and missed the Saturday evening battles held after dark.

This year was the first. Boy was it dark. I did get the above image when a musket was fired just off camera.

Image below was from Sunday first battle. Union artillery was placed in a corn field.

With so many images, I made a decision to do a first edit, basic color, cropping, etc and upload to flickr. Tomorrow I will go back and start applying techniques giving some of these images an 1860s look.

Enjoy

For Veterans Day I posted two different images involving Vets and family on the Los Angeles Times From the Archive blog. Left is Rita Duarte at funeral for her son killed in Korea War. She also lost a son in World War ll. Right is Vietnam POW Maj. Jay C. Hess welcomed home by his daughter Heidi Hess.

Check out the From the Archive blog. A new image is posted every weekday.

Photo on left by Delmar Watson/The Mirror/Watson Family Photographic Archive

Photo on right by Ben Olender/Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive/UCLA

This weekend is the 10th annual Civil War Reenactment in Moorpark, California. I'll be there. I pulled several images from last year's event and processed through PaintMee, SketchMee and ToonPaint iPhone apps. The PaintMee ones turned out best and I posted two, above and below.

I uploaded a dozen to my 2009 Civil War flickr set. More next week.

Boy, I didn't think going retro and trying to shoot Kodachrome would be so complicated. I finally finished my first roll on some fall foliage, filled out the processing form, wrote a check and mailed the entire package. Now I am waiting for the film to return.

Looking at the TV monitor on the back of the camera is so much quicker. I've been spoiled by digital.

Yes, I can actually say: The check is in the mail!