Photoshop CS6 beta; are you plugged in or out?
In the olden days of Adobe Photoshop upgrades, all we had to worry about was if our actions and brushes still worked. Now though, we fret more about our precious plug-ins whenever Adobe decides to upgrade either Lightroom or Photoshop. I currently own three plug-in bundles and I’m about to purchase the fourth and final package [...]
Writer’s Block: try some oil
If you’re following my blog then you’ve probably noticed that I’ve taken the last 3 months off. I do apologize to my readers. The delay has not been due to a lack of shooting; it’s because I’ve been working so hard at my day job that I just haven’t had much to say. Recently though, [...]
… and boy are my arms tired
Autumn is my favorite travel and photography season and this year has been no exception. I enjoy travelling this time of the year rather than in the summer because: (1) the weather is still nice, (2) children are (or should be) in school, (3) there are no lines on rides or at popular tourist sites, [...]
A Tale of Two
Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk occurred much later in the year than usual. For the first three years, this event took place in July but since it has been brutally hot in the USA and other countries, instead he announced just a week before the anticipated July date to move it to October. Thank you, [...]
The Big “O” in Las Vegas
When a mature single woman goes to Vegas for her birthday it’s assumed that she had the time of her life. Well, I did, and it had absolutely nothing to do with scantily clad men, er… almost nothing to do with scantily clad men! Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera and Tamron 17-50 [...]
This is the year I’m going!
The Lord giveth and He taketh away and in my fickled existence He also taketh away then He giveth it back. Make sense? No, I didn’t think so. Well, let me explain… A Lose-Lose Situation In February of this year, my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers lost Super Bowl XLV (45) to the Green Bay Packers. My team [...]
Big bad scary contests
I don’t know about you, but for me, entering photo contests seems to be fraught with danger and peril. Around every corner lurks a heinous consequence that could make all the blood, sweat and tears I poured into my image seem like I helped sentence it to life in prison with no possibility of parole. [...]
Travel stories: Road Kill Stew Madeiran-style
On one cold rainy Funchal, Madeira December night in 2008, I was enjoying the fruit of the gods (some smooth and sweet concoction with not enough honey, citrus and ginger to cover the distilled alcohol aftertaste) with some new friends. The Poncha mixture, as explained by my hosts Tadeu and Jacinta, had not fermented enough [...]
Dirty Thirty – my safety valve
No matter where I go, what lenses I bring, which bag I use, or even if I carry a speedlight, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 goes with me. But, but… why you may ask? It’s my normal view. Lots of photographers will tell you that your normal view with a full-frame camera is around 50mm. Well, [...]
Shooting the light with Chas
I can shoot birds when they’re sitting still or slowly circling. Well, actually, the longest lens I have is the Nikon 70-300 VR so I can truly only shoot slow birds at a certain distance. Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera and Nikon 70-300 VR lens Obviously, I don’t do it that often. The first weekend [...]
Understanding Exposure Richmond style
Yesterday, I travelled a mere 60 miles south to see one of my favorite authors, Bryan F. Peterson. Image above made with a Nikon D300 camera and Nikon 85 f1.8 lens The Camera Club of Richmond brought the famed photographer to the historic Byrd Theater in Richmond, Virginia for the day (9:00 am to 4:00 pm) and I [...]
April 2011 featured photo – Cherry Blossoms in infrared
It is now peak Cherry Blossom week in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. However, the weather in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA has not been very cooperative this early spring season; most days have been cold, windy and/or rainy. It’s been so drab around here that I have not even felt like trudging my [...]
March 2011 featured photo – clever cover girl
Almost two years ago, I took my first steps in learning model photography at the now defunct Pinhole Box Studio in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It was a great day and I learned a lot of lighting techniques from the instructors but much more so from the model. Meet Roxie: beautiful, sweet, effervescent, and a natural in [...]
Arlington National Cemetery in infrared
After listening to the Keynote speaker, Bruce Dale, at the 2009 Meadowlark Nature Photography Expo (March 2009) where he presented some of his famous cemetery panoramas in infrared, the seed of an idea was born. I had just received my infrared converted camera and was thrilled at the possibilities in front of me: one of [...]
People are not my forte
I’m a landscape photographer. Okay, I’ll throw in some flower macros or animals on occasion but, basically, the majority of my images are landscapes. People, whether portraits, lifestyle, or street sniping just isn’t my thing. However, since I would like to become a professional photographer when I retire, it’s a credo of some sort that [...]
Birthday Re-design
What did I do on my birthday? For many moons, I’ve taken my birthday off from work to just sit at home and reflect on the good and bad of the past year and plan for the year ahead: to cringe over past mistakes and vow not to repeat them, to ponder how I got here and [...]
Invisible light = Visual beauty
Infrared photography is often described as “invisible light” or light that we humans cannot see. So, how do we take a picture of what we can’t see? Easy. We see everything in Technicolor brilliance but some scenes and subjects, in our mind’s eye, look better in black-and-white. Infrared is very similar to black-and-white photography, so [...]
My Moments in Time
A Moment in Time - 15:00 G.M.T. (U.T.C.): The New York Times Global Mosaic project on Sunday, May 2, 2010 On Thursday, April 8, 2010, The New York Times newspaper and its online blog, LENS, asked the world to photograph something, anything, at 15:00 GMT on Sunday, May 5, 2010. A Moment in Time. Admittedly an [...]
The best lens ever – bar none
Professionals and amateurs will argue this subject until the end of time and probably beyond that, but in my opinion the Nikon 18-200VR is the best lens ever.
Obsession: Shoes or Bags?
As a child, I remember the two shelves above my mother?s closet heaved with bags. Bags of all colors, descriptions, shapes, sizes, and styles. She had a bag for every occasion: whether it was going to the grocery store, to work, down the street to see family, to a picnic, or to the local bar. I would sit in awe as she carefully chose the bag to wear before she chose her outfit. She was obsessed with bags and her clothes were the accessories.
My infrared cravings – foray #2
I had dipped my big toe into the cold murky waters of infrared photography and received quite a bit of positive feedback on my first set of pictures. The next step should?ve been to carefully wade into that deep pool ? little by little – and stay close to shore, perhaps only getting my feet and ankles wet. However, the encouragement from friends and strangers alike emboldened me to push far beyond baby steps. Instead, not knowing or caring where the bottom was, I decided to jump in headfirst.
My infrared cravings – foray #1
While I’m very pleased with my very first DSLR (a Nikon D300) camera, I am absolutely in love with my infrared camera (a Nikon D200). Infrared blocks visible light and therefore subjects such as foliage (grass and trees) show up as white instead of green in photographs, skies are darker, and clouds are bold and more defined. To put it mildly, infrared is otherworldly!
Happy New Year!
It’s an eight year journey and I’m starting NOW. I’m starting this blog as a record of my quest to become a professional photographer and writer by the time I retire in 8 years. I hope to add at least one post per month but I’m truly aiming for two, so stick around… it’s going [...]
