Sunning Bumblebee || Canon40D/EF100mm Macro | 1/400s | f5.6 | ISO100 | Handheld

This is another one from my trip to New Jersey. Our final day we visited the Frelinghuysen Arboretum and the sun was out in full force. I did manage to get a few shots I was pleased with, this was one of them.  This bumblebee really was huge (about the size of a quarter), I followed him for a while, then had to wait for the flower to stop moving (from his landing).

Wolf Cub || Canon EOS 40D/EF70-200mm f/4L USM | 1/200 | f/4 | ISO 1600 | Handheld

(Sorry for the lack of postings lately, just got back from a great vacation in Florida.)

This is another shot from my trip to New Jersey, at the Lakota Wolf Preserve. We had a rather sizeable rain storm come through while we were there, and this one was taken in the middle of the day with a very dark rain cloud still over head. The rain had let up to a light drizzle, and so I left the cover of the bus to go take some more photographs.

This is one of their wolf cubs, and while the image is dark, it was dark, so I think it represents the mood and feeling. I was rather pleased with my camera’s handling of the high ISO, since my 10D didn’t do nearly as well.

Bear Looking for Breakfast || Canon EOS 40D/EF70-200mm f/4L USM +1.4x | 1/400 | f/8 | ISO 400 | Handheld

My brother-in-law Dave and I went out shooting early one of the mornings we were in the Grand Teton National Park. We were in a hurry to get back from Mormon Row to our camp at Coulter Bay, because they had a big day planned and we didn’t want to be late. Along the way, we saw several cars lined up along side the road (typical sight for the parks, not always worth stopping).

Then we saw that a ranger also had parked, lights flashing and he was out of his vehicle along the side of the road. If that wasn’t enough, we then spotted a couple of photographers with 600mm lenses also. That was our cue to get out our cameras and check it out. The longest lens I have is my f/4 EF70-200 with a 1.4x extender, so that would have to do.

We were pretty excited when we saw that it was a bear that everyone was watching, then another one walked out into the field. The ranger informed us that they were two siblings left by their mother a few months ago and they were foraging for breakfast.

We stood, watched, and took many many pictures, hoping that they would maybe stand up, or at least play with each other, but they kept getting closer and closer to the road. When we got there, I imagine they were about 150 feet away, the ranger said a couple of times that if they got much closer we’d have to get in our vehicles. I felt pretty good, since I thought I could outrun a few of these photographers with their big lenses.

Apparently it was too early to play, and they didn’t do too much. Once they got to about 50-60 feet away I decided that it was time to get in the car. It was curious that the ranger had let them get that close, but he must have known something that I didn’t.

So while I didn’t get a shot of a bear standing on it’s hind legs, or playing with his brother/sister, I did manage to get one that looks as though he was smiling. Perhaps thinking along the lines “How close can I get before they all run away?”. After all, it was breakfast…

Have you ever seen a bear in the wild?
How close were you?

Brooke || Canon 40D/EF28-135@50 | 1/1000s | f11 | ISO100 | Handheld

My cousin Brooke was brave enough to ask me if I’d do her senior pictures.  I was a little anxious, but I had a great time, and Brooke was a great sport.

This is one that I was pleased with.  I saw an album cover for Adele’s album 19 and thought it would be neat if I could do something like that.  So using my trusty 580EX II, and ST-E2, I took a couple dozen pictures moving the flash and trying a shot (there is certainly something to be said about studio lights).  The light was really harsh, so I used some gausian blur in Photoshop to soften things up a bit.

Luxor Columns || Canon 10D/EF28-135@56 | 10s | f11 | ISO 100 | Tripod

In March of 2007 I was lucky to have a chance to go to Egypt with my Dad. We went with the Popular Photography Mentor Series group (http://www.popphoto.com/mentor-series-destinations/) and had an amazing time.  Towards the end of the trip we were at Luxor and at night they light some of the ruins, needless to say we spent a few hours photographing the ruins.

(Side note: The photo in my about page was also taken in this temple complex.)

Mormon Row || Canon EOS 40D/12-24mm | 1/13 | f/11 | ISO 100 | Tripod

We had a family reunion at Jackson over the summer, and I had asked one of the photographer’s in my camera club (www.wasatchcameraclub.com) if there were any spots that he’d recommend for good photo opportunities. This was one of them, and it was fantastic. Since I’ve gone, I’ve now seen that almost every photographer that has gone to the Tetons has shot from this location, so it may not be unique, but it’s still incredible.

I was particularly pleased with this shot for a few reasons. One, because it was just as the sun was coming up, and the barn lit up beautifully. Two, the haze was really thick in the park due to the fires in California and in the morning you couldn’t notice it nearly as bad.

I entered this one in a recent camera club competition, and it took 2nd. One of the judges there suggested that I crop the stream out. During my first two years of competitions, I think I would have done anything the judges recommended just because they surely knew more than I do… but I think sometime this year I have turned a corner and have more confidence as to what I want the photo to be like and that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  And so… I leave it in.

Having said that, when I was looking for a photo to use as the header for my blog, I instantly thought of this photo and removed the stream, and it does look good.  So I ask you, anonymous readers…

Do you like the photo better with the stream or without?

Bolt || Canon EOS 40D/EF100mm f/2.8 Macro USM | 1/250 | f/2.8 | ISO 100 | Handheld

Part of my trip to New Jersey included a trip to a winery, this huge cask was out front.  I like the texture that came out and the way the macro lens provided a nice narrow depth of field.

I also used off camera flash (580EXII with ST-E2) with a snoot (http://www.lumiquest.com/lq891.htm) to provide the beam of light across the bolt.

Salt Lake Temple – Antiqued

Some people feel that altering images in Adobe Photoshop is against the rules.  I’m not one of those people . This photo was taken in February 2007 while shooting my brother-in-law David’s (insert plug for Forever Strong http://rugbymovie.com/ opens this weekend, and he’s in it!) wedding.  I revisited this photograph earlier this year (while trying to come up with a gift for Lisa) and after a few filters and color tweaks, here is the finished result.

Lisa posted about it on her blog and there were a few who asked if/where they could get this print, and now I have an answer.

Prints are available with a lustre finish as an 8×10 or 16×20, perfect for framing.  Additional sizes, as well as canvases are also available, contact me for pricing and more information.

Since I started my blog with one of my more recent photographs, I thought it might be fun to go back to one of my first photos.  This was taken with my new used camera (Canon 10D), completely clueless on all the knobs and dials and with a 28-80mm kit lens that came with it.  My big dreams of being a great photographer all started here, Thanksgiving 2005.

Jersey || Canon EOS 10D/28.0-80.0 mm | 1/10 | f/3.5 | ISO 100 | Handheld

Ha!  Crooked photo and blurry!  At least I had a stellar subject.  This must have been my first attempt at shooting in RAW mode, so I shot program mode with no flash, and was definitely too dark.  At least I’ve progressed a little bit since then right?

Wolf Looking || Canon EOS 40D/EF70-200mm f/4L USM | 1/250 | f/4 | ISO 400 | Handheld

I had a great opportunity to go to New Jersey on a Popular Photography Mentor Series tour in August.  One of our stops was the Lakota Wolf Preserve.  They had many incredible animals, and the fences had little cutouts for cameras.  I caught this one looking straight at me, and I wonder what he was thinking…

It was very dark and cloudy, and moments after this it stormed.