22-JUN-2008
Mower view
Sunday has become the mowing day. About an hour after I finished (while someone was looking at our popup camper we have for sale) the sky literally opened up and dumped this massive rainfall on us for a bit of time. It had been a very sunny day with little to no clouds. It almost looked like we'd beat the weather prediction. In a very short span, these clouds rolled in. One second we happen to look up and say "It looks like it's gonna rain" just after that sentence, before anyone could answer with a "yes" it started pouring.
This is a mower-eye view of our back yard. We have some stepping stones that are actually in the lawn, they are flat so I am able to mow over them. They are a pain, I'd prefer gravel and might get my way here before the fall as we have to move a rear garage door and the path/stones will need to change (otherwise, we'd have a path leading into a wall).
21-JUN-2008
Summer...Grilling
It is officially summer. . .
This isn't our first grillout of the year though, but I guess it would be the first of the season. . .
Big day today.
Had our final two T-Ball games this morning. Sweated my way through those. Picked up my 'new' (to me) bike, a 1989 Harley Davidson 883 Sportster Hugger. I rode it to Seacoast Harley Davidson in N. Hampton, NH to get a net. I then took a relatively long route home by way of the Kittery Trading Post (really to grab a couple of Flo Dogs, local favorite).
My ass is killing me, specifically my tail-bone. I will be spending some time googling touring seats for the bike. Perhaps I will just get a new bike ;-)
20-JUN-2008
Sensual lighting
Another strobist-inspired photo.
This was a tough one, I had 4 shots that worked. Usually, I know which photo is my PaD at the time that I export from LR. This time, I didn't know until I was uploading my PaD. One of the shots was in the initial rejected pile (luckily I don't delete immediately).
Part of the problem I had with strobist before was that I felt compelled to set up the flash on a stand. That is a real PIA. For the off camera flash photos in my PaD in the past few weeks, I've been either holding the flash in one hand or I've set the flash down somewhere and aimed it in the general direction. It makes like a lot easier.
Here's one that didn't make today's PaD:
19-JUN-2008
Smiling daughter
The ultimate in photo capturing abilities. Getting a photo of my daughter while I lounge on the couch this evening. Not sure what it is, but I am exhausted this evening. There must be something in the air because so was my son, usually an energizer bunny in the evenings, I could tell he was tired by 6pm.
18-JUN-2008
And then there was one. . .
I made it back to the nest today. I really wish I'd made it yesterday based on what I found.
There was only one baby (this one) left in the nest. It was very shy/scared so I only took a few photos. There was another one nearby in the bushes, I got a shot of it, not a very good one, but a shot.
After I got the shot of those two, I realized we were missing someone so I looked around. I saw something in the grass about 50 feet from where the nest is. Turned out to be a very dead baby blue jay. I have a shot of it in my other gallery.
I'm hoping the other little guy makes it, the one out of the nest, that is. I kind of feel an attachment to them. I have been watching them since they were eggs. . .
17-JUN-2008
Midnight Snack
Well, not quite midnight, but with the exposure set the way I took it, it looks to be about that time.
The rain has kept me indoors yet again and I am still on this strobist kick. I'd wanted to get out at lunch to check up on the Blue Jays, but I wound up spending more time than I'd expected looking at the bike. I got it (the bike, that is). So now I am a Harley Owner. Somehow I'd gone through all these years without a Harley. My midlife crisis has changed that. Well, that and a sound financial decision. I seem to keep bikes about 2 - 3 years. I figure this bike won't depreciate any, if all.
So my daughter just informed me that the rain stopped. The light is incredible, dark skies with some setting sun coming through. I think I'll cut this short and see if there are any photo ops outside.
Sans flash, of course...
16-JUN-2008
Helmet Light
Along my strobist theme as of late. I had the helmet out for tomorrow as I am checking out another bike in the AM.
15-JUN-2008
A young 40
My youngest 40-year-old self portrait. I haven't done an SP in a while and since it has been rain-type weather AND since I've been doing a lot more off-camera flash stuff lately, I decided to try one out.
I am using a black background courtesy of Staples.
14-JUN-2008
Feeling's mutual. . .
This shot summarizes the love-hate relationship I share with my cat.
This is the cat that I spent a while politicking for with the wife. This is the cat that I drove 3 hours north for, with an infant and a 3-year-old (at the time). This is the cat that turned on me.
My wife who never wanted the cat, has this odd little relationship with her (our cat). The cat (Maria) is in our room just before my wife wakes up, every morning. They have a little sink-time ritual. Maria sits on the side of the sink while my wife gets ready. It drives me crazy, I don't like animals that close to me when I am getting ready.
Right now, the cat & I are on good terms. She has been groomed recently (It was a PaD photo a few weeks ago) and I seem to like her more as a lap cat when she isn't shedding clumps of fur all over me.
Maria will bite my kids toes when they are at the kitchen table eating. This is sometimes funny and sometimes a royal pain (she will really bite at times). I have two of my 3 kids kind of on my side regarding Maria (from time to time).
No resolution is possible, we will go on existing in this household, giving each other a safe distance. She will continue to glare at me while curled up at my wife's feet on the couch. I will continue to call her fancy names. . .
(Please note, no cats were harmed in the making of this photo and this text)
13-JUN-2008
Looking like a blue jay now
Now that the feathers are starting to show, the babies are beginning to look like Blue Jays. A good thing too, since they are running out of room in that nest, they will have to move out soon and get real jobs as blue jays...
I had a different idea for a photo today as I turned 40 today. I thought a shot of me sitting on a Harley would suffice, however, the dealership was really not suited to such ideas. I guess I will just need to get a Harley and then do an SP of me on it.
12-JUN-2008
Light from above
This is what I get when I have no PaD photo and it is pushing 8:30 PM. . .
In a last minute rush to come up with something, I grabbed my trusty model (my son), an actual umbrella (not a photography umbrella), my strobe, ebay triggers, and some elastic bands. I was able to get the strobe (580EX2) to stay in place up inside the umbrella with a single elastic to secure the hot shoe end of it.
There was still some light left outside, but not enough ambient to actually affect the photo. With the light from the strobe pointing straight down, it looked like a pitch black night.
Of all the shots, this was my favorite, even though there is no way of telling that he is standing outside, on the grass, barefoot, holding an umbrella. I might have to work on this kind of shot, perhaps mix it with a drinking glass. . .
11-JUN-2008
Blue jay beak
I went back to the nest today and got my first Blue Jay attack. They can actually inflict a bit of terror onto a subject. I wasn't expecting it. I moved in a little bit faster than usual. Because of the heat and the size of the babies (not much room in the nest) the mother (or father) was out of the nest, but up in the next branch (close by). Usually the mother (or father) is in the nest and flies off when I approach. Before the parent scattered, they did an aerial assault on my head.
From the photos, it is actually hard to see any change, but they are much bigger now. None of them opened their eyes while I was there, they remained sleeping. Perhaps they are used to me.
Instead of a wider "here's the crew" shot, I opted for this macro of the beak/nostril. At 100% crop, you can see the tiny feathers inside it.