Summer 2010 Trip to the Zoo

Summer 2010 Trip to the Zoo

Colorado Sunet

This sunset is the real deal! We were traveling down the highway in a rented RV near Fort Collins, Colorado and couldn't believe our eyes when we saw this poetic sunset going down over the Rocky Mountains. God is wonderful in his creation!

Black-eyed Susan Yet Again

Not focused well but I still liked it since it had the insects.

Black-eyed Susan Again

Same Black-eyed Susan but different settings. Shot with 70 - 300mm lens, 133mm focal length, ISO 100, f/8, shutter speed 1/200. A shame the fly moved around too quickly for me to get the full image of him...just barely got his wings.

Black-eyed Susan

One lonely Black-eyed Susan was in my field of wild flowers so I had to photograph it. Using my 70.0-300.0mm lens at a focal length of 130mm, I shot it with f/5.6, shutter speed of 1/100 and ISO of 100. Photoshop and Camera Raw were used to sharpen, crop and add borders and stroke.

Double Daylily Again...

This is the same image of my transplanted Double Daylily transplanted from my Uncle Vernor's home in Arkansas. This image was not processed using Photomatix, only with Photoshop. I used the 70-300mm lens, 130mm focal length; f/7.1; shutter speed 1/100; ISO 100. After doing the HDR image then this one I think this is my favorite. What do you think?

Uncle Vernor's Daylily

This double daylily is an important plant because of its ties to my family and remembrances of my Arkansas roots. It is a transplant from my Uncle Vernor's house in Arkansas. Originally, I guess it was my Grandpa Carter's land, so its roots has been around a long time. The metadata for the photo shoot is as follows:
Canon EOS Rebel with lens 70mm-300mm; focal length of 133mm; ISO 100, f/7.1, three shots using 1/25, 1/100, 1/400 then used Photomatix to create an HDR image. Photoshop was then used to complete the canvas size and stroke around the image.

Swallowtail on Tiger Lillys

Getting the most of my Tiger Lilly flowers and a random butterfly, I took this shot again using 70.0-300mm lens with f8, shutter speed 1/40 and ISO 400 at 300 mm focal length.

Flying Butterfly

Loved this shot!

Lilly Stamin

Using my 70-300mm lens with a shutter speed of 1/30, ISO 400, f8, and 300mm focal length on macro setting I am able to see things from a new world. I never knew there was the tiniest of arrowhead shapes on top of the middle stamin. AMAZING!

Swallowtail

This was taken using bracketing with 70-300mm f8. with shutter speeds of 1/4, 1/15 and 1/60. I used Photomatix tonemapping to get HDR effect then pulled it into Photoshop and added a craquelure texture.

Tiger Lilly

My Tiger Lillys are beautiful this year. Hoped to capture them for remembering in the cold gray winter months. I used 70-300mm lens bracketed at 1/8, 1/125 and 1/30 with f/7.1 making the HDR image with Photomatix.

Grandaddy Long Legs

Used 70-300mm lens with f/5.6 aperture at 300mm focal length. Love trying to capture the unexpected...the grandaddy long-legs came along as I was shooting the newly bloomed tiger lillys. He wasn't a bit camera shy!

First Splash of Summer

She will be begging to come to Nana's this summer because she took to the water like a duck in a pond. "Let me go!" was her plea...we're really going to have to watch her closely!

Apple Blossom in Spring

Chrysler Windsor

Welcome Spring!

HDR Daffodils using Photomatix and Photoshop CS4. Shot with Canon EOS Digital Rebel; 50mm lens ISO 200; AV f3.2; Shutter Speeds for three shots 1/160, 1/2500, 1/640.

Water Color Effect on Icy Plant

HDR Surreal Fruit Flowers & Candle

Playing around with Photomatix HDR, I took three shots using Canon EOS Digital Rebel with focal point 34.0 mm using 18.0 - 55.0 mm lens. ISO: 400; AV: f4.5; shutter speeds of .4, 1/40, and 1/10.

Framed Roses

Playing Around with Candle, Grapes & Dried Rose

Knowing I don't know what I'm doing...I'm still having a good time playing. This was taken with Canon 50mm lens with ISO 800, at f/1.8, and bracketed at 1/100, 1/400, 1/25. The three were blended using CS4.

Playing around with HDR is very "out of the box" for me, as is working with CS4. This shot was taken with a 50mm lens f/3.5, ISO 800, bracketed at 1/50, 1/20, 1/5. I used Photoshop CS4 to pull the shots together.

Icy Hens & Chicks

This photo of my frozen hens & chickens was taken using a new 50mm lens with f/1.8, 1/640 and ISO 400.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Portrait of Patience

Sugar

Portrait of Daydreams

Portrait of Goodness

Portrait of Choices

Portrait of Imagination

Portrait of iLearning

Portrait of Communication

Candle

Tried to use the rule of thirds on this shot. Maybe it doesn't work...maybe it does. I'm still not sure what works and what doesn't. I was trying the low lighting to get the glow of the candle on the river gravel and I liked the way the coloring came out even though the rocks look like potatoes instead of rocks.

Hens & Chickens

Another shot from this past summer. I thought the texture was interesting and I was inspired by my daughter-in-law who also shot pictures of my "hens and chickens" plant but then put an effect on it that made it very artistic. While I am not the photographer she is...I'm certainly glad she is a part of my family so I can draw inspiration from her.

Geranium Buds

Geraniums are my favorite flower in the summer and I took this one last summer to remind me in the cold, rainy, snowy winter that spring would be coming.

I like the fact that I was close enough to see the fuzz on the new buds. Maybe not the most artistic shot, so I need to keep trying for better composition.

Mushrooms & Peppers

One would think I was hungry when taking these shots, however, it is more that I shoot what I can, when I can. When I am home, a relatively non interesting place, I try to look at the mundane or ordinary in a new way. I do love, LOVE mushrooms, onions and peppers sauteed in just a tiny bit of EVOO. I was inspired by the recent movie Julie & Julia, thus the added interest in shooting while I cook.

A bit better focus in this one, I think, but the light was still too dim. I had to correct it a bit. That's allowed, right?

Spilled Skittles

This is the first day of my photo blog journey. It will be my intent to post images I've taken to document my progression as a photographer wannabe. While I'll never be confident in my skills, my plan is to be confident in my desire to learn. Never looking at my images as disasters but as opportunities to improve.

This one is "Spilled Skittles". I love color and visually seeing lots of candies like Skittles or M&Ms makes me happy all over. My interpretation of this shot is it should be sharper focus but this was the best of all the shots. I think I had too little light.