Happy 4th of July

For the first time since I moved to this area, I went to see the local fireworks display at the Southlake Town Square. It was an amazing show! The weather was perfect, and once it started, the city put on a show that seemed more like a constant "grande finale." After about 30 minutes I shot nearly 220 pictures. These are a few that I liked.

I used my D90 and the kit lens (18-105) on a tripod to capture the shots. I put the camera in, "bulb" mode, and I used the remote to trigger the shutter. ISO was at 200. Aperture was set at F8 and F11 for most of the shots. As with most fireworks shots that you see, I blended a few images together to create the scene. However, the last shot is a single photo. Let me know what you think.

Milk Dud

Sorry about having a ton of pics in this post. These are pictures of my puppy from 7-14 weeks old. He is a Chocolate English Lab named, Dudley (short for Milk Dud). I can't believe how fast he is growing. He has been taking up a lot of our time. Now that he is getting a little older (14 weeks), I am hoping I can get back to shooting more frequently.

I hear Oompa Loompas

This little guy was just hanging out on a limb in my backyard. I didn't clean up the acorns this year, so I have at least two trash cans worth sitting underneath our red oak tree. To this little guy I might as well be Willy Wonka and he just received a golden ticket to my factory. Enjoy, Augustus Gloop.

I can't believe how close he allowed me to get to him before he took off. I used the D90 kit lens(18-105) @ 105mm - 105mm isn't that long of a zoom. Thankfully, he wasn't too scared of me.

I underexposed the shot so I had to try and correct it in Photoshop. I used 4 or 5 corrective layers to get it close to where I wanted. I need to be more careful to watch my exposure when I shoot next time. Remember to check your histogram! The shot looked great on the LCD screen, however, didn't look as vibrant at full size.

Padre y Madre of the In-Law Variety

So, I was able to sucker my Mother-in-law, Father-in-law, and their dog into being my first strobist subjects. Well, the dog was much easier to convince. . . only because the in-laws weren't too amused by me holding treats telling them to stay.

I set up 2 SB600's with shoot through umbrellas on either side of the camera. We shot this in their backyard around 2 pm on a 95 degree day. It was hot and we had to deal with the sun. I metered for the background first. Once I had the background the way I liked it, I used the Nikon CLS system to remotely fire the flashes. Even though the flash on camera right was getting hit with direct sunlight, the CLS system worked flawlessly. The sun started to poke through an opening in the tree canopy above and caused the over exposure on their heads. But, since I only took 6 shots I had to choose the one I liked best. This was it.

Horses In The Snow

She's Such A Poser.


Stampede?


I thought I would post a couple of extra pics that I took after our snow storm. By this afternoon, most of the 12.5" had melted. Woo-Hoo! I love to see it, and I love to see it go away. Tomorrow we will be back to warmer temps and sunshine. I am ready!

Still Life.

One more snow pic from the storm we had on the 11th and 12th. This is a Farm off of Carroll Avenue in Southlake, TX. It was so still when I took the picture. Nothing was moving. There was no wind. The snow on the ground, the trees, and the windmill were all motionless. I will always remember this as one of the most beautiful mornings I have ever seen. It was an amazing experience to get to see all of the snow.
View Large On Black

Cracked.

Record-breaking snow fell in DFW yesterday. As of 4am on the 2.12.10, we have had 12.5 inches of snow. I went out to grab a couple of shots.

It was a lot of fun to drive around in. I had to put my Jeep in 4 wheel drive to get out of the drive way. The entire area was really beautiful. I am glad that my wife woke me up to see it before it started to melt.

Ashlyn

Our good friends, Jaime and Jason Adams, just became new parents. Jaime gave birth to Ashlyn, who decided to join the world three and a half weeks before she was due. At the time of this photo, Ashlyn should still be 2 weeks away from being born. We wanted to get some quick shots while we were over at their house for dinner, so there wasn't any time for set-up.

SB600 bounced off of the ceiling. Nikon 50mm 1.8 lens at f4.

This is not a very flattering image of me. :) My wife, Denise, told me I need to do some of her girly cleansing things on my face. Doubt that will happen any time soon. In my defense, I had been working all day, up to the point when I came home and took this photo. We both still liked how it came out, so I posted it.

I have been trying to work with my SB600 flash. I do not fully understand how to use my flash correctly. So, I am setting it up all over the room trying to see how it looks from different angles. After being frustrated and having nothing come out the way I wanted it to, I put the flash back on the camera. This shot was taken with the SB600 pointed directly at me and a Lumiquest mini softbox on the flash to soften it a bit.

Edited in Photoshop CS3 - adding layers, contrast, and enhancing shadows. I also reduced the Red channel when converting to B&W.

Green Is Good

14/365.

Well. . . this is my last upload of January 2010. I only made it to 14 of my 365. . . so, so sad. lol! I will just keep putting up the pictures as often as I can.

While going through my closet, I found this T-Shirt, from the "Life is Good" store. I haven't worn it in forever. From what I've been told, Green is the new "black". I am sure I was told that by the same people that told me to not worry about turning 40 in 5 years. They said the 40's are the new 20' s.

ignored

13/365.

My wife won't let me take pictures of her for my 365. So, I have to find other ways to add her to the set. :)

The sad thing is this: this is how we watch TV - Lounging in sweatpants with the computers open. Never want to miss a new posting on FB. :)

Sorry about not posting frequently. I am trying to fit it in when I can.

My Town

12/365.

I have been terrible about doing this 365. I had to get out and try to get something done today. This is the city hall and public library of the city I live in, Colleyville, TX.

I'd say "ya'll" enjoy," but I grew up in Colorado, so instead I'll say, "you guys" enjoy. :)

Into The Unknown

11/365.

Drove through the fog to Starbucks for some coffee this morning. On my way back I past by these tracks and thought it was a great opportunity to take a few shots. Not so sure how good the photos are, but the coffee was good. :)

I Ain't As Young As I Once Was

As I continue to struggle to find the time to do this 365 project, I came across this barn. I've seen this barn a thousand times and I love to look at it. With a storm brewing I jumped out of my Jeep and took a few shots. At one time this barn was a major part of a much larger farm. Now, it sits. . . run down. . . abandoned. . . lifeless. I don't know what it is about this barn, but I love to stare at it every time I drive by it. I know it will soon be torn down. However, until then, I will continue to enjoy seeing it.

Presidency: REVEALED!

Ugh! I can't believe I didn't post this on Blogger. Sorry about that. I posted this on my other blog at wordpress. Here is what I posted with the photo on my other blog:

I know, I know. . . I have missed a couple of days. Well, finding the time to take photos has proven challenging for me since my vacation ended. I was going to skip tonight, but I thought I should at least try and get something up today. Especially since I have skipped 2 days already. This is a paper doll set from a book called, "Bush and Pals" It is kind of a funny book.

I Prefer Stinky

Day 8 / Photo 8.

Didn't have much of an idea of what I was going to shoot today. Since our little yorkie, Krikit, needed a bath, I thought I'd try to get a shot for today. Obviously, she is thrilled with bath time. It is funny how different they look when their hair is wet.

SB600 Flash bounced off of the ceiling. I really need to learn the flash. I just put it on TTL, point it where I think it would work and shoot. I need to learn how to actually use it and program the power and timing.

I don't think I will be able to post a photo tomorrow. It will be a really busy day. Infact, it looks like I am going to miss the Cowboys v Eagles game. I am going to Tivo it. . . so nobody tell me what happens.

We Are Not Alone

Day 7 / Photo 7.

I Wanted to try a shot like this. I definitely need better lighting.

Single Walmart work light - behind and above. It is diffused with a white sand bag (sans the sand, of course.)

I've been Explored!

Great news! Flickr Feet made it into Flickr's Explored page yesterday. For those that do not know what Explored is, it is an alogorithym used by flickr to determine the 500 "most interesting" photos of the day. Here is the page of the photo on (click "EXPLORED")EXPLORED.

Uninsp[eye]red

Day 6 / Photo 6.

We have a hard freeze coming in. If you live in Texas, you know what a big deal that is. So, after covering all the faucets, and wrapping the trees I ran out of time.

Feeling uninspired, and rushed, I shot this. I thought it came out pretty well.

Fluorescent lights in front of me. Camera is handheld. Accidentally had the white balance in incandescent from yesterday's Flickr Feet. 50mm 1.8 lens.

Flickr Feet

Day 5 / Photo 5.

My wife was complaining that I have been spending all of my time on flickr this past week. So, I put Flickr on the TV for her. I may be single soon.

Overhead halogen lighting and light from the television. Let me know what you think.

Abandon All Hopes of Utopia

Day 4 / Photo 4.

I felt like I needed to shoot something different. So, I went to take shots of the train in Grapevine, TX. I ended up shooting more of the old abandoned mill next to the tracks.

I am not sure how I feel about this photo. I hope you like it.

-Chuck

New Year's Resolution

Day 3 / Photo 3.

Ahhhh. . . Nothing like a Sam Adams in a nice, Texas-sized schooner. ;-)

Day 2 / Photo 2

Here is my day 2 photo. My first idea was a bust and I ran out of time. So, here you go.  A pet photo.

Day 1/Photo 1

It has started.  With Christmas behind us and the New Year just beginning,  I decided to whip out my camera and take my first shot for this project.  Brown silk curtains for the background and a walmart silver aluminum work lights for the single side light.  I clipped an empty sandbag on the light to help diffuse it a bit.   I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew.

My 365

I am going to approach this blog a little differently than most other 365 blogs.  I am not going to restrict myself to 365 straight days.  The main reason is that I do not always have the time to take and edit photos.  However, the goal of this blog is for my to take 365 photos and post them up.  I hope it makes sense.  If you are following along, give ma a shout to let me know.