I had to take a short sabatical

I'm trying my best to regroup and get refocused after taking an unexpected trip to the Midwest. Since it wasn't a pleasure trip, I didn't get many photo ops, however, we passed some wonderful scenery along the drive. Ohio and parts of Indiana were filled with golden wheat fields. There was the most awesome lightening storm I think I've ever seen at about 2 am in the Illinois/Iowa area and I really wanted to pull off to the side of the road and practice some lightening shots, but I wasn't sure if I dared ask Curt to stop at 2 am to drag out the tripod, etc. just so I could capture what could have very will been my most exciting shot yet. So, on we drove without the shots I so desired.

However, at sunrise in Iowa, it was my turn to drive and as the sun was coming up, it practically illuminated the windmills that lined the interstate, and as luck would have it, there was an exit ramp that was so convenient to the scene, so off I went. But, as luck would have it, it was NOT the ideal place to capture what I was trying to get, but after driving through so many picturesque scenes, I just had to snap something. And, here it is:

Power lines in the forefront and all! Oh well, as Willie Nelson would say - we were "on the road again".

Our short stay in Minnesota was filled with family obligations, so no chance to take any shots there, but on the drive home, I was beginning to get bored and the scenery again was pretty breathtaking with the farm fields spread out all around us and the sky and clouds made for a perfect day. So, I got the camera out and snapped a few shots while Curt was driving. This is what I ended up with:

Again, nothing "award winning" - just a product of my boredom.

Now a personal note for my family in Minnesota - it truly was a pleasure to see you all again, however, I wish it was under different circumstances. I love you all, and rest in peace, Larry.

The 4th of July was a Blast!

As planned, I took my spot by Deep Creek Lake with tripod and camera in hand planning on getting some great shots of the boats on the water with the fireworks reflected in the Lake. And, if I got really lucky, there would be a good orange sunset to add icing to the cake. Well, my plan partially fell into place - I did have a great spot for shooting the fireworks, however, I was a little too far into the cove to capture all the boat traffic and the orange sunset was definately out of the question since it was very gray and threatened rain as I waited for dark to fall. Here are 2 out of the hundreds of the shots I captured:

Now, my critique of the shots are - as mentioned above, I didn't get any of the boats on the water as planned, only a few of the lights from the boats, they were setting the shots off in the middle of the mountain (atop the tubing hill), so they all seem a little disjointed, and lastly, the water was very rough so no reflections in the water.

Therefore, I'll need to scope out a new spot for next year's big show. But, all in all, the rain only started to fall as I was getting in the car to leave, the boats leaving afterward in what seemed to be slow motion was an awesome sight, the fireworks were spectacular, and my shots weren't as bad as they could have been, so it was a blast nonetheless!

Finzel Swamp - June 25, 2009

My fellow photographer, Michelle, and I decided to go on a little field trip last week and we ended up at the Finzel Swamp. It was getting a little later in the day and it was my first time to the Swamp so I didn't really know what to expect. Well, it's beautiful and full of wonderful sights to photograph. We quickly ran out of light so I need to schedule a time to return and stay longer. Only next time, I hope to remember to bring bug spray since the mosquitoes seemed be be hungry that evening.

As we were walking along the path, there was a bunny who had immersed himself in a patch of clover and I tried to get his picture from a distance so I didn't chase him away from his meal, but he would not be deterred. We walked closer and closer and closer . . . and closer! We got right up on the bunny and he still was just snacking away. Unfortunately, however, he didn't lift his head up at all while I had the camera ready to take a shot, but kept his head buried in the clover determined to get every bite he could. So, I ended up with some good "hungry bunny" shots - oh well, you can't win them all!

A welcome surprise for me when I woke up this morning . . .

I'm a member of The Digital Image Cafe and I rarely submit anything for the contest. I am more likely to submit for the Critique Corner so I can learn from my mistakes (and there are many :)). And lately, I've become more of an observer since I've been busy shooting instead of editing. Late yesterday afternoon I was perusing the site and I thought - why not - so I uploaded this one for the Scenic contest category. Lo and Behold! I woke up this morning and learned that I won Picture of the Day today! What a welcome start to my day. I guess I'll need to submit a few more to the contest and see what happens. Stay tuned . . .

A bit of background on my shot . . . it's of Downtown San Diego taken from Coronado. My daughter, Pam, and I were practicing our night shooting on my last trip to visit her and we both got some great shots. Pam, if you are reading this - I miss you lots!