Pyramids || Canon10D/Tokina12-24@12mm | 1/125s | f11 | ISO100 | Tripod

As mentioned earlier in my blog, I had the chance to go to Egypt, and I think the next series will be from that trip.  This was the first day, shortly after we landed. I was experimenting with my new wide angle lens and my polarization filter, this is an example of what happens when you use a polarization filter on a wide angle lens and shoot wide , very deep dark in one corner. Not the best of lighting conditions for photographs, but they were simply incredible.

Eensy Weensy || Canon40D/EF100 Macro | 1/250s | f5.6 | Handheld

Earlier this month, Lisa was fortuitous enough to run into a black widow and captured it to show the kids (very brave). I thought it would be a fun one to post for halloween today. While this one was taken with my macro lens (yes she had already passed on), I wasn’t THAT close.  I cropped and sharpened so that the detail would come out.

Happy halloween!

Schwabacher’s Landing || Canon EOS 40D/12-24mm | 1/8 | f/11 | ISO 100 | Tripod

One of the things you learn quickly as a photographer, is that if you want good pictures, you don’t get to sleep.  This one was taken at Schwabacher’s Landing and it involved waking up when it was still very dark, stumbling over Lisa trying not to wake her and the kids (although just the act of getting up and letting the air mattress bounce around was much like a 7.0 earthquake), driving 30 minutes and moving quickly along the trail repeating I should have gotten up 15 minutes earlier the whole time.

But, once there, I was really able to appreciate the beauty of the location and the peace of the morning.  There’s a neat trail to walk along at this boat pullout location. I loved how clear the water was, and how the smog wasn’t as visible.

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.