17-MAY-2008
Miscommunication
Imagine my dismay when I realized that this was what my wife had been talking about all week long!
16-MAY-2008
White Flowers
These are some small flowers that grow in bunches in our front yard.
(Not much of a story here)
15-MAY-2008
In the apple tree
So I am on my way to a bowling party for work (get together) and I stop by the tree farm on the way (OK, slightly out of the way, but only by 500 feet or so). I am taking pictures of wooden posts and tree stumps (yeah, that desparate) when I come across an apple tree in full bloom. The apple blossoms are really doing it for me when I see a wisp of blue fly off out of the corner of my eye. It was a blue jay and I think it might have a nest that I can photograph. I am hoping for some eggs and I am not disappointed.
I will have to come back to this nest in about a week to check the progress. By the looks of the eggs, I might only have to wait a few days (though the weekend is coming and I an normally NOT around this area if I don't have to be).
The apple blossoms didn't make my PaD, but they did make my Not PaD:
14-MAY-2008
Lucky No 7
Not much of a story to this one. It is up in the housing area that was just demolished earlier this year, apparently this was a lucky number for a mailbox and an unlucky number for a house.
I got my Mac Book Pro yesterday and have been trying to get it ready to start my switch over from the PC. I really like the workflow that I am currently using on the PC, I have to get this figured out on the Mac before I can even think about cutting over. I suspect I will be posting from my Windows machine for another week or so.
13-MAY-2008
Dandi Weeds
So I broke out the macro lens and got real low to the ground for this shot. It was one of the few possible outdoor shots today as there was so much wind.
This is just one preset in LR, I didn't even sharpen or crop. The background is typical 100mm f/2.8 Macro Bokeh.
There was another shot that didn't make today's PaD, it was close, because I wanted it to:
12-MAY-2008
Pitching Shadows
This is the same baseball from my PaD a few weeks (month?) back. My setup was pretty lightweight, I was able to use my desk (which has been cleaned as of recent) and the little metal stand that comes with the flash (580EX-2). I have my cactus triggers going, the flash is to camera left (like that wasn't apparent). I actually got away with handholding (IS on).
I used a dark background, instead of the white backgrounds that I've been using for a lot of my indoor shots. I liked the little bit of light that helps reveal the outline of the ball.
11-MAY-2008
Through the Cracks
This is one of those experimental shots. I was in the backyard trying to talk my wife into a shot near the laundry (hanging on a clothesline) and started messing around with the deck. I realized there was sunlight through the cracks of the deck and that I could actually frame a small flower (no idea what kind of flower it is).
This is a pretty tight crop, I probably should have gotten closer instead.
Its an interesting effect.
10-MAY-2008
Sidewalk Chalk
One of my kids favorite activities in the warmer months (and I have even seen them go a bit chalk crazy in the winter too).
Our driveway was pretty much covered in juvenile graffiti until I had to pressure wash some edging material this afternoon. The sidewalk chalk mysteriously appeared once the asphalt began to dry.
I have a shot of my 10 year old lying beside the puddle, I wanted a decent reflection, but her face was too dark in the reflection. I probably could have gotten better lighting if I had my wireless triggers with me (they were in the house) by manually aiming the flash up towards her face. As it was, I decided to forgo the flash. I couldn't simply pop in since I had mud all over my shoes from working on a small garden with the kids.
09-MAY-2008
Datsun
On my way home this evening, I pulled into a used car dealership to turn around so that I could take a picture of this lobster boat in front of a recycling center. I've seen it there before, I liked the desaturated colors and decided that I'd shoot it tonight. I didn't make it that far, in the dealer's lot is this old Datsun (that must still run, there's a valid registration sticker on it).
It was the rust that caught my eye. I was a bit rushed, I was trying to get to my daughter's softball game (they won, 16 - 1, and my oldest was pitching). I didn't take the right shots, but this one does work.
It was a pretty hectic week, I hope to break that pattern this weekend, though the weather won't be conducive to photography.
08-MAY-2008
KC-135
At lunch there were a bunch of people lined up at the end of the runway, on my way back, I realized why. There were a couple of our (NH ANG) KC-135's doing approaches. I took 89 photos, though I had some decent 'standard' aircraft shots, I really like this one with the distortion from the exhaust. This KC actually landed, I have a few more shots of it leveling off. It may have done a touch 'n go, I was putting my gear away and didn't follow it through.
I need to catch the planes in the evening on approach. The best angle is from the other side of the runway, which is the golf course. Golf season's here, I should bring my gear with me when I play (the blue course has the best angle for photos, not good for golf, narrow fairways...).
07-MAY-2008
Baseball Boy
Photos don't have to be Tack Sharp to work. This shot really captures my son, at 7, he is a blur of activity, zipping through activities.
Today was T-Ball practice, but before that we had T-Ball photographs. After the practice (that I let run late) we zipped over to the softball fields to watch my daughters play. We'd been running around for a bit and I never took any photos at lunch. There is this red building, an old barn, that is the Teen Center, located in the softball and soccer field area. It makes for a nice backdrop, especially in the evening.
Lighting actually wasn't that bad, I could have bumped the ISO up and gotten a sharper photo, but I really wanted enough motion blur to convey the moment. I asked him to stand in front of the building so I could snap some shots and he started throwing the ball all over the place. I decided to change my tactic and let him throw the ball up and I tried to get the ball blurred on the way down. The only thing I don't like is the window, but if I cropped it out, it would clip the ball and the ball needs some whitespace between it and the border. It looks more "ball like" with the rounded top and the rounded bottom (I think).
06-MAY-2008
Swamp Stumps
I have decided that today is the day I break away from the standard "use the date as the title".
I went out to the Great Bay Wildlife Refuge yet again, this time I came away with a number of possible Pad shots. Interesting that I only took one shot of these stumps and it was this shot that I liked the most. Its not the sharpest, but with the 300 effect, I like how it accentuates the lighting of the stumps.
This part of the pond is rich with bass, they were in close to shore to seek some of the warmer water. It made me wish I had my fishing gear, but I am sure that's not allowed in this pond, it is a wildlife refuge, which I believe means that you can't fish (wildlife can fish though).