Celebrating The 3rd Of July

The opportunity to photograph fireworks came to us early this year. My thanks go to a local company for deciding to celebrate the 4th of July by sponsoring their own fireworks show on the 3rd of July.

Hey, Don’t I Not Know You?

Recently I’ve wanted to get more pictures of people in their element. I do feel a little apprehensive about walking up to strangers and asking if I can photograph them but would rather do that then just start taking pictures.

The Sunshine State

These are a few of the pictures taken while on a recent trip to Florida with a couple of friends.

The one above was taken at a rest stop on interstate 95 in Georgia. Truth be told the sky looked even more stunning but by the time I got the camera unpacked the clouds had moved a bit.

The Dinner Guest

While prepping the grill to cook some burgers the other night I noticed this guy sitting on the ground. I was startled for a second then decided he would be a good subject for some pictures. Not having any specialized equipment for close up photography I constructed a makeshift backdrop with a couple pieces of black poster board and some tape. I took twenty or so shots (the above being one of my favorites) then he was free to go. Many thanks to Mr.Toad.

Long Exposures at Posted Speeds

After seeing this idea on the internet, I wanted to try it for my self. I set my camera to shutter priority (for simplicity) and stuck it in my car on a tripod. As soon as the sun began to set I was out driving around taking photos at different shutter speeds.

Not Shaken or Stirred

When capturing detailed macro shots or using a long exposure, amongst other circumstances, camera shake can be a formidable enemy. There are many ways to prevent camera movement but using a remote shutter release prevents unwanted shaking of the camera when pressing the shutter release on the camera body. Some times the smallest movement can cause blur in an image.

Through The Eye Of My Neighbor’s Lens

The other day I spent the afternoon at a local park taking pictures with a camera lens my neighbor let me borrow. The lens is a Canon EF 75-300 4-5.6 III which was used with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI camera body.

Vista?

I would say that I am your average or slightly above average computer user. Due to my level of computer knowledge, research was necessary when looking for a new computer.  One thing was for sure I wanted to stick with XP rather than switching to Vista.  Unfortunately most companies do not offer a choice in operating systems when buying a new PC.

Havoc Heli

The Havoc Helicopter is the type of toy that we all yearned for as kids. Despite being in our late twenties, my friends and I love these things. Amongst Air Hogs current line up of R/C planes and helicopters sits this small, ten gram, Styrofoam gem. It’s loads of fun and ready to fly out of the box for the nominal price of $30.

Air Hogs

For those who are not familiar air hogs is a company (www.airhogs.com) that makes small radio controlled toys and Spin Master is the parent company (www.spinmaster.com) of air hogs. Stores like Target and Toys R Us sell them under the name air hogs. Most of their offerings are planes and helicopters but there are a few other types mixed in.

They are alot of fun for a $30-$60 price tag. I currently own three planes and one helicopter.  Everyone I know, regardless of age, who has gotten their hands on one has had tons of fun.