Sunday, February 27, 2011

ORANGE DOCK REFLECTION

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @28mm, ISO 100, f/22, 30 sec.
  I will have to say that November was a tremendous month for sunrises. The early morning fog just provided mood and background every morning. The particular shot in the post today was helped out by some fantastic light on the morning clouds.
  I'll have to say that fellow photog friend Heath O'Fee's post PANORAMIC inspired me to go back in the archives.  The dock pilings in his shot made me remember similar pilings of this floating dock at my work. There are several times when other photographers share their work and it jogs my memory of past shots that I have to go back and revisit. Sometimes I end up finding something that I really like and can't believe I haven't done anything with.  This is one of those.
 

Thursday, February 24, 2011

FROZEN GEESE

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 80mm, ISO 100, f/16, 6 sec.
  Back in December, we had some seriously cold weather for East Tennessee. I posted an example of this in one of my earlier posts, THE BIG CHILL.
  Tellico Lake has a lot of domesticated Canada Geese that seem to be everywhere you look.  There are about 3 dozen or so that frequent the cove where I work and on December 14th, they were all cavorting around this dry area on the lake that is only visible between October and April when TVA lowers the lake level.
  There was fog lifting on the lake and it was moving extremely fast. I felt this might be a great opportunity to use a long exposure to catch that fast moving fog.  With the sun just starting to show it's light over the mountains, it provided some pink light for the background of the shot contrasting the icy blue the frozen water in the foreground.
  The long exposure caught some ghosting of the geese as they busily moved around the shoreline but for the most part, they stayed fairly still.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

MY NEW TOY

SUNRISE EXPLOSION Sony Ericsson Experia X10, ISO 50, f/2.8, 1/1538 sec
  I upgraded my phone this past Saturday. I jumped to a "smart" phone. I am on an AT&T plan and it was free to upgrade to the Sony Ericsson Experia X10 phone and with an 8 megapixal camera, it was a no brainer.
  I had taken several photos in the house with my new phone and wasn't very impressed with the results.
  Wednesday morning when I arrived at work the clouds of the sunrise were outstanding and I gave the phone a shot.  I was very impressed this time. I took 5 or 6 shots and two of them really stood out to me. After I started messing with it a little more I found that the camera has an image stabilizer as well. Wish I would have known that when I took these the results might have been even better.
  The Experia earned a 2nd chance and might be used on occasion when I'm at a shoot.
REACHING FOR THE SKY

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

MORE FROM CONASAUGA FALLS

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 400. f/14, 1 sec.
  Really loved the Monday morning at Conasauga Falls so much I thought I would post another shot from there.  Love this shot for the reflection in the pool in front of the falls. With the ISO set at 400 I was able to catch some of the water motion in the foreground as well as get the silky look to the waterfall.

Monday, February 21, 2011

PRESIDENT'S DAY AT CONASAUGA FALLS

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 100, f/14, 0.6sec.
  I was extremely surprised and happy that I got President's Day off.  Don't think I have had that particular holiday off in the 11+ years I have been working at my current job. I will never turn down a day off though.
  I decided to use my time in the morning to drive to Conasauga Falls near Tellico Plains, TN.  This is one of those hidden gems that East Tennessee has that goes somewhat unnoticed because it is not part of The Cherokee National Forest or the Great Smoky Mountains.
  Another reason these falls go unnoticed is because you don't just stumble upon it. To get to Conasauga Falls you have to drive 3 miles up a mountain road and then hike 1 mile down a trail.  That doesn't really seem like much but the trail is the only thing on the road and the trail is only about a foot and half wide and filled with obstacles such as rocks and uprooted trees. Technically, the trail is an easy one but coming back up is a chore because it is straight up the mountain.
  It is well worth the effort, though. Even in February when there is little color on the trees.
  This particular February morning was quite different. I left the house at 6:15am and the temperature was a balmy 59°F and by the time I was finished shooting and back to the truck around 9:30am, it had warmed up to 68°.  This is about 15-20° warmer than usual and combined with the overcast skies, made for a wonderful morning to photograph a waterfall.
  I had visited these falls back in the fall when it was very hot and there was very little water flow.  This morning, however, the falls were loaded with water.  It was fantastic!
  Something else I didn't have in the fall was hip waders. These allowed me to get in the water and very low to some of the cascades that were located downstream from the actual falls.  This was fun.
  When spring is finally sprung here in East Tennessee, I will make this trek back to Conosauga Falls when there is full green foliage surrounding it.
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 200, f/14, 0.8 sec.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

TRUST

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Canon 50mm 1.8 II, ISO 1600, f/2.0, 1/500 sec.
  I don't often get to post my shots from my sports photography but this particular shot stood out to me this morning.
  I follow Sequoyah High School Basketball for the most part because my son plays on the boys' team. This year has turned into something totally different from a photography standpoint.  I started out just shooting the boys' team but started carrying over into the girls' games and then looking at the sideline and photographing the SQHS Cheerleaders as well.
  My daughter cheers for the youth football league in Vonore, TN and I really love taking shots at their competitions. During timeouts at the high school games the cheerleaders do a lot of tumbling and stunt building. This is prime photo opportunities as far as I am concerned.
  I have, at least to my standards, been unsuccessful at catching tumbling pics. I use my 50mm 1.8 II lens and they tend to tumble away from me and the further away they are, the worse the focus gets. I have been able to get some good photos when the girls are doing stunts, though.
  Last Friday night started District Tournament play for the basketball teams and they were playing at McMinn County High School in Athens, TN.  The lighting in County's gym was very good on Friday and I was extremely happy with my basketball shots.  This shot of the cheerleaders releasing their fliers from a press was my favorite of the night though.
  When these young ladies get elevated up in these presses, to get down they more or less are just dropped and caught by 3-4 of their squad mates.  This takes a tremendous amount of trust to just fall and be caught. Now I know that they practice these stunts all the time and build that trust in those practices. But as a spectator and parent of a up-and-coming cheerleader, it seems very scary.  This is the one time this season that I have caught one of these drops  in mid-air and was terribly excited when came across it. The look on both the girls' faces is both happy and relaxed which is amazing considering their situation. I am also drawn to all of the hands of the girls who are about to catch these two fliers. It almost looks as though they might have thrown them instead of pressed them and then let go.
SQHS Cheerleaders, Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Canon 50mm 1.8 II, ISO 1600, f/2.0, 1/200 sec.

CRACKED SUNRISE

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 100, f/11, 1/60 sec.
    I don't know how many times I have been somewhere shooting photos and have given up on the situation, packed up everything, and then on the way back to the car notice another chance at a photo. Today's post is another one of those examples.
  If this shot looks familiar, it is because brother Jim posted a similar HDR shot PARIS LANDING SUNRISE - HDR
  This is another shot from our photo excursion at Paris Landing State Park in Paris, TN from back in July. We were about to give up and go on to a different location when we noticed the row of clouds  hovering above the horizon and a gorgeous red sun sitting right in between them. We quickly unpacked went to work.
  We were both shooting the sunrise right in front of this tree stump for several minutes before noticing this interesting crack on the one side of it that fit the sun and it's reflection on Kentucky Lake perfectly.
   I also tried to process this as an HDR but without the success that Jim did. I actually like the silhouette of the tree stump just like it is.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

GREEN RIVER MIRROR


Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 100, f/22, 1.3 sec.
   This shot has sat on my computer for some time now and I have argued with myself as to whether or not I should post it.  It has been one of my favorites immediately after I shot it on River Road back in June but wasn't really sure how well-received it would be.
  Yesterday I decided that I should go with my gut feeling and post it. After all, it is my blog and if I'm happy with it, then I'm satisfied.
  I was very happy with the way the long exposure allowed the river to almost completely glass over and reflect the trees from the other bank. I used the rocks in the lower left and the overhanging branch break up the reflection and provide a frame for the shot.
  I'm very happy with the image and hope you are too.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

TOP OF DAM/SUMMER POOL

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 30mm, ISO 100, f/11, 30 sec.
  Whenever my brother Jim and I are together we always set aside a morning to go shoot some pics. Last July we chose to go out to Paris Landing State Park on Kentucky Lake near Paris, TN.  We started out at the Paris Landing Marina where today's post was taken.
  When we pulled up to the marina and got out we had forgotten that even at 5:30am it was extremely humid. As we exited Jim's air conditioned car with our equipment, our cameras and lenses all fogged up from the humidity.  So we had to wait a minute or two for everything to de-fog.  Lesson learned.
  The very first spot we came to was the depth gauge right by the entrance of the marina.  We both set up shop and started firing away. This was before I found the advantage of shooting bracketed images and doing HDR processing so I was just going for the single shot image.
  Turns out the first shot of the day was the best one.  Unfortunately, the light came and went very fast that morning. The sun was up very quickly so we only got to shoot at the marina for about 20 minutes before it was above the horizon.
  A few weeks after taking this I created a single image HDR out of this and liked it but it just sat on the computer.  About a month ago I found the original RAW image and started processing it on it's own and turned out what you see in today's post. It turned out to be one of those instances where HDR, or at least my HDR processing, didn't gain me much of an advantage and I liked the processing of the RAW image better.
  It was also quite neat in that the row of rental PWC's on the other side of the dock behind the gauge were all Yamaha's.  As an employee of Yamaha it is always a great source of pride to see our product being chose over the competitor's.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

TREAD ROLLER

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Canon 50mm 1.8 II, ISO 100, 3 Exposure HDR @ f/2.8
  Continuing with my shoot at the bull dozer and tractor scene from yesterday's post, TEETH, I was really drawn to the treads of the bull dozer.  They were all caked up with mud, dirt, and grass from hard work. It was a fantastic, grungy look.
  I shot these treads at several different angles but really settled with this low shot that included the roller underneath the treads. Even though the roller was underneath the top of the tread, there was dirt piled up to just under the roller with dirt and grass hanging down over from the top as well.  The orange/yellow evening sun shining against the bull dozer was incredible.
  Processed in QTPFSGUI in the Fatal style with no other real changes.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

ROCKING THE RIVER II

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 100, f/11, 8 sec.
  Have had this one ready to post for a couple of days now, just haven't been able to pull the trigger.  I was very excited about my earlier post tonight so it got pushed back even further. Couldn't hold back any longer.
  I have said it before, but I'll say it again, I could get 365 incredible images if I went to a different spot on River Road and photographed every day! This particular image was from back in November at the very end of fall color. It was about 40°F at 6:00 in the morning and if you look hard enough, you can see some fog rising off of the Tellico River.  This was by far my favorite day on this river.  I climbed out onto these huge rocks that were about the size of a Volkswagon Bug.  The little set of falls the river was running over did not sound like a roar but was very soothing and peaceful.
  I was so amazed at these rocks. You can see the wear from the river running over them for years and years! Kinda like wrinkles in an old man's face.

TEETH

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Canon 50mm 1.8 II, ISO 100, 3 Exposure HDR @ f/2.8
  When I left work this evening it was sunny and 60°F and beautiful outside. I didn't have anywhere I had to be for the first time over a week so I was bound to go and take some shots somewhere.
  I had been eying this particular scene for a while now, and finally took the opportunity catch some brackets.  There was a tractor that had this particular roller contraption attached to it.  Next to it was a bull dozer that had the front bucket resting on top of it.
  When I got up close to this roller, I noticed that the teeth were rotating back around in a diagonal line instead of a straight line.  I thought this made for an interesting, grungy shot that fit perfect up close and personal with the 50mm lens.
  Processed this using the Mantiuk Style HDR in QTPFSGUI. Normally, I use the Fatal Style because it tends to render the image more realistically than Mantiuk.  But this style brought out the detail of the old rusty and worn teeth and roller. Added just a tad of soft focus in Picasa.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

FALL AT BALD RIVER FALLS

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, Polarizer filter, ISO 100, f/14, 13 sec.
  The gem of River Road in the Cherokee National Forest is Bald River Falls. Bald River Falls is 70 feet high with large rocks to cascade over.  At any time of the year these falls are very full of water.  One of the best parts about Bald River Falls is that you can hike down below the falls or up above them for different viewing and photographing vantage points.  The road passes right by where you can take road-side shots of the falls as well.
  Tried to make my way up here during the heavy snow we had last month but River Road was covered with ice so I chickened out. There have been plenty of shots of the falls frozen over with snow and ice and someday I will have one as well. Just didn't want to sacrifice my truck to achieve it.
  This particular shot was back in late October at the height of fall color which is what brought me to the falls that day.  The colors in the mountains come and go much quicker than do the colors in the valley so there was a tight window for getting some shots.  I was very lucky in that there was a lot of yellows, reds, and oranges in the trees and rocks to combine with the greens of the usual foliage.  I tried to use those colors to frame the scene around the falls. Used a polarizer to take some of the glare off of the rocks and enhance the color as well.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

BABY GIRL

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Canon 50mm 1.8 II, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/15 sec.
  In one of my previous posts, HORSE POWER, I caught a motion blur of Kristy Gray galloping along on her horse, Baby Girl. When she was done riding her and my daughter, Jocy, would come over and rest the horses before going back out into the field riding.
  In one of these breaks Baby Girl allowed me to take a portrait of her. It is said in photography, and especially in portraiture, to focus on the eyes. I think this counts even more so for animals because most of the time, the eyes are the only form of expression animals have. They can't talk to you and unless you are around a certain animal a lot, you can't pick up on the little quirks they have.
  Kristy's other horse, Smoke, in some ways behaved similar to a dog in that if you scratched his head he would lean into it and really enjoyed the human interaction. Baby Girl was more like a cat. She didn't hate the petting and scratching, but she would lay her ears back and at times seemed almost bothered by it.  At this particular moment, however, she seemed content and more than cooperative to pose for me.
  She is a beautiful horse and Jocy rode her all day with no issues at all. As I learned with my Dad's horses and with Kristy's, the horse can tell how experienced the rider is on her.  And if they feel comfortable with a new rider they will be less aggressive and more careful. If they are not comfortable with a new rider and the rider makes them nervous, they might take off running through the woods with them. Baby Girl was very gentle with Jocy and it was a joy to watch them ride.  It was also a treat to watch Kristy "air it out" with her and run her hard as well. You get an appreciation of the strength and power horses possess when they run like that.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

SMOKING TREE

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 100, Single image HDR, f/16, 1/50 sec.
  Before I made it over to the TAYLOR BARN on Sunday, I stopped over next to my subdivision at the same pond that I shot PINEY SNOW REFLECTION  to get some reflection from the incredible sky we were treated to that afternoon.
  It wasn't until I got back home that night and started looking at my photos that I noticed the cloud formations over the pond looked like a smoke trail coming off of the leafless tree on the opposite bank from where I am standing. I was terribly excited once I noticed this and knew that between the deep blue sky, clouds, and nice reflection, I had to share this.
  Did an HDR process on the single image to bring out the midtones and details of the trees and foliage on the opposite bank.

KEITH'S BUTCHER SHOP

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 63mm, ISO 100, 3 Exposure HDR @ f/5
  I have passed by this place every day and finally stopped to photograph it after 11 1/2 years. Just worried about what Keith's ad slogan might be.

HORSE POWER

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Canon 50mm lens, ISO 100, f/9, 1/15 sec. (Kristy Gray and Baby Girl)
    I shoot a lot of basketball photos at my son's high school games. A month ago or so my brother Jim asked me to knock the shutter speed on the camera down to 1/15 or 1/20 sec. and do some panning.  Haven't really been able to apply the technique of panning on the basketball court yet.
  A couple of weeks ago an opportunity did come my way, though.
  My daughter had been taking horse riding lessons from my older son's girlfriend, Kristy Gray.  One Sunday morning, I was lucky enough to take Jocy over to Kristy's for her lesson and of course took the camera with me.
  After taking a couple hundred shots of them walking around the field and up close, they were about to dismount and call it quits when Kristy asked Jocy if she wanted to watch her really run her horse, Baby Girl? Jocy said yes and it presented my chance.  I asked Kristy to make sure and run across in front of me and she gladly obliged.
  The distance between her and I when she rode by might have been a stretch for my 50mm lens so I used an f/9 aperture to try and assist with focusing.
  All-in-all I think the shot turned out very well for my first attempt with this technique.  For the most part, Baby Girl and Kristy are in decent focus while the trees in the background and the Cedar Tree just in front of them to the right are a complete blurr.

Monday, February 7, 2011

I LOVE U KIMBERLY

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 100, 3 Exposure HDR @ f/11
  Right on Highway 411 South in Madisonville, TN is the remnants of what used to be a drive-in theater. The old screen is really the only landmark from the drive in that is still standing.  Despite the weathered facade, the old screen is still in good shape.
  Right now the old screen is only used like a billboard for some one's expressed love for Kimberly, whomever she may be.
  The remains of a cement slab in the foreground can only be where the building stood that housed the projection equipment.  The slab sits directly in front of the screen and was actually smaller than most of those main buildings that I have seen before at drive-ins that usually have concessions and rest rooms in them as well.
  This scene really strikes at my heart strings.  My dad was not fond of watching movies in an indoor theater.  It seemed like whenever we went to see a movie, it was at the drive-in.  Dad liked to be able to sit comfortably in his car, smoke his cigarettes if he wanted, drink coffee from a thermos, and eat whatever we packed from the house and brought with us. Despite our moaning and groaning from the back seat, where we struggled to find a clear view of the screen, this was his favorite place to watch a movie other than his recliner at home.
  Since we moved over to East Tennessee, we have found a nice little drive-in in Etowah, TN that on Sunday nights offers $10 a car load. We park on the front row and Jocy enjoys the playground equipment while we throw a football and wait for the sun to down and the movie to stop. It is much different than when we were kids. We listen to the movie over the radio instead of those crackly old speaker boxes. We carry lawn chairs and a cooler full of snacks and drinks. It is really a fun time other than having to get up and go to work the next day.
  I often wonder what this old drive-in was like and when it stopped operating. It and the one we go to in Etowah will always remind me of Dad and us going to the drive-in when I was a kid.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

TAYLOR BARN


Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, Polarizer, ISO 100, 3 Exposure HDR @ f/16
   Sunday afternoon I finally got the opportunity to go out take some pictures. It has been a week and half since I could just go out and photograph something other than basketball.  Don't get me wrong, I love shooting basketball, but basketball is more of a reaction shot.  To go out in the bright, low evening sunlight with some beautiful white clouds stretching through the sky and composing a few shots is almost a religious experience. It both relaxing and calming and lets the creative juices flow.
  I have taken pictures of this old barn before.  It is only about 2 miles down the road from my house on old highway 68 that connects Madisonville and Sweetwater.  It is owned by Kevin Taylor.  Both times I have set up shooting here he has come out and talked with me and explained the history of this awesome old barn.  He said in the spring there will be owls that nest in the brick silo.  Mr. Taylor also explained that he is getting quotes to put a new roof on it and. unfortunately, he can't go back to the original green color so it will end up in a gray tin when redone.
Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, Polarizer, ISO 100, 3 Exposure HDR @ f/16
    When I came upon this place back in the fall, the rusted green roof with all the green grass surrounding it made me think of Ireland.  Really love the old rustic look of this place.  The peeling brick silo has ivy crawling up the walls and really catches the eyes from the road as you pass by.
  In the fall I explored the inside and there has been a lot of upkeep in there but it still has enough open spaces to let the morning or evening sunlight peek through.
  I'm glad I chose to photograph here this evening because the next time there might be a new roof and a totally different feel to this incredible place. 
 

ROCKING THE RIVER

Canon EOS DIGITAL REVEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 54mm, ISO 400, f/8, 1/3 sec.
  Today's post is from back in November on an early Saturday morning on the Cherohala Skyway. Roughly half way down River Road towards Bald River Falls I found this grouping of rocks in the river.  The long flat rock that enters the frame from the left really intrigued me in the way the water was breaking over it and falling off before it reached the end.
  I tried to get as low to the scene as I could. Unfortunately, to get any lower would have been to fall off the huge rock I was on into the river.  In November, or at any other time of the year, the current was both very strong and very cold so entering the river was not an option.
  This particular shot I took at ISO 400 in order to catch some of the motion of the water instead of blurring it silky smooth. Another spot I will surely photograph when Spring comes around for sure!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

HANGING ON


Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 46mm, Macro Attachment, ISO 100, f/8, 1/500 sec
   Another reach into the Denham Photography archives for today's post.  One evening back in the spring, right after a good little rain shower, I took out into my front yard to take some pics of my wife's colorful flowers. I caught several nice photos of those flowers which she has used to decorate our bedroom. 
  On this very same afternoon that I also achieved the shot for one of my very first posts, STICKING OUT IN A CROWD, I lucked into this one. 
  This is the edge of a leaf on one of the Maple trees in my front yard.  The sun was out right after the rain shower and this little drop of rain clinging on this leaf was screaming to be photographed.  With my macro attachment mounted on my lens I was able to get extremely close. With it being a macro, even at f/8 the background was completely blurred. This also allowed for a small sunburst on the upper part of the rain drop.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

SUNDAY MORNING ON THE SKYWAY, PART III

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 100, 3 Exposure HDR @ f/14
  Where the Cherohala Skyway begins in Tellico Plains, TN there are several little rental cabins and homes that sit on the Tellico River.  One such group of riverside homes is Telliquah. Telliquah's entrance is this covered bridge. I love the rock foundation and red wood frame of this bridge.  Even the black iron gate is very cool.
  I took these brackets on the same Sunday morning jaunt that I took Sunday Morning On the Skyway and Sunday Morning On the Skyway Part II. The morning was beautiful because of the puffy white clouds, bright blue sky, and the 4 or 5 inches of snow still hanging around on the Skyway.
  I had photographed this bridge from almost this exact same angle back in the late summer.  The HDR image I got from it previously was very colorful but it was early in my experiences with HDR so I ended up oversaturating the sky in the shot and in tune was not inclined to post on the blog.
  My first intentions to shoot on this morning were to wade out into the river and get a full front on shot of the bridge with the water breaking over ice/snow covered rocks in the foreground. I knew exactly what I wanted.  The river was not very cooperative, however.  The depth of the river was only about knee deep but the current was incredible.  I had to use my tripod as a brace against the current to keep from falling over.  Combine that with the slick, water worn rocks that made footholds and there was no way I could get to my desired vantage point. This entrance is gated and locked to anyone but customers so unless you are renting you can't cross it to the other side on the bridge. I did get some shots from the same side in more shallow water, but it just wasn't what I wanted.
  After I gave up on getting to my desired spot I took some shots under the bridge and then moved out to the road where I gauged up the composition in the shot above. It's amazing at how much I really love the way the snow forces colors like red to pop out at you. I really like the texture of the wood grain on the facade and postings as well.
  I have a feeling that there will be more trips to this spot in the future. With the trees and foliage surrounding the bridge and river a shot in every season may be in order.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

GLEASON GOLD

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 35mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250 sec.
  Today's post was taken back in April on Easter weekend in Gleason, TN.  My mother-in-law lives in Gleason and on the drive to her house we passed several fields just littered with these tall, bright yellow flowers.
  After arriving, I immediately got back on the road and found access to one of these fields and started shooting. Unfortunately, I had left my tripod at my mother's house app. 35 miles away so I was handheld in the field. I took several shots with my daughter posing but they were not up to snuff without my tripod.
  This was taken before I bought my 50mm 1.8 II but the Tamron lens at f/5.6 did a great job of providing a shallow depth of field and a blur of yellow and green in the background.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

TROLLEY CAR REFLECTION

Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XS, Tamron 28-80 lens @ 28mm, ISO 100, 3 Exposure HDR @ f/3.5
  On my way over to photograph the Alamo last Tuesday I walked out of the Menger Hotel to a trolley car parked waiting on a group of people it would carry on a tour of the city. I had to photograph it!
  I quickly set up my camera and tripod and fired off a set of brackets.  After several attempts I finally got 3 brackets without a vehicle on the other side of the trolley car.
  After doing the HDR process I noticed the great reflection of trees in the windshield of the car.  These trees are across the street at the outer wall of the Alamo.  I also noticed the reflection of the Menger Hotel along the left side of the trolley.
  Even though this trolley is more like a bus I really love it's old-timey look and very colorful red and green hull against a deep blue mid-day sky.