Venu-Tech, the managing company for the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts, contracted me to take photographs of the new murals on and around the restored State Theater building here in Eureka.

Most of my mural photographs so far were technically OK, but seemed a bit "copy/repro" looking, even the aerial photograph. Taking photographs of another person's art is a little like shooting fish in a barrel, one of the reasons I've never appreciated "street photography" of mannequins or bus-stop posters. Unless the photographer adds something unique, the photo is just a copy of someone else's hard work (even though professional copy/repro art photography is no small chore, I know!)

So when I was driving down our F Street "Arts Corridor" on a rainy Sunday morning, I glanced at the work of local artist Duane Flatmo, whose enormous mural was just finished a couple months ago. However, in my estimation, the project was not finished yet as a photograph.

I pulled over in my old Toyota Supra, best camera bag ever for my trusty Olympus C-8080WZ. Asphalt reflected like an antique mirror  in the parking lot that was bare save for one lone car, which give scale to the big painting. And, oh, the heart of that 8080 camera - its amazing lens! I am as impressed by its optics as all the Leica and Zeiss lenses that have captured some of my best photographs over the years. Although most of my shooting now is with the Olympus E-330, I always keep that little C-8080 handy.

So I took one quick shot in Jpeg mode (for easy visual reference when looking later at the files with Windows Explorer). Then I switched to RAW mode on the C-8080. And slowed down. Way down. The 15 second recording time for RAW files on the C-8080 is almost like shooting with a 4x5 view camera except for remembering to pull the dark slide. The building wasn't in a hurry; neither was I.

Along with a couple of other angles, I finally had my mural shot! And it was brilliantly captured by some of the finest glass ever attached to an eight-megapixel sensor.

Olympus C-8080WZ, handheld, 1/125th second, f4, ISO 100, lens at 9.3mm in its 7.1-35.6mm zoom range (about a 35mm lens equivalent), RAW capture.