Day 226

To all of my photography students: THIS is the kind of light that you should be looking for. And THESE are the kinds of moments that you should be waiting for. I saw the light and ran and grabbed my camera. I waited for the moment, and it came. Sometimes it doesn't, but that's the spontaneity of photography.

Canon 30D w/85mm 1.8 lens
1/200sec
f/1.8
ISO 400

Day 225

Shot with the iPhone

Day 224

Pulled out the flash again for some experimentation at home. Biggest challenge is how to light a room with dynamically moving subjects at various angles. The typical bounce from the ceiling only goes so far, and sometimes those angles and options are just not possible.

Canon 30D w/17-50mm 2.8 Tamron lens @50mm
1/250sec
f/2.8
ISO 200
Canon 430EX II (ettl bounced)

Day 223

Today I did some experimenting with some off-camera flash to see if I could get a self-portrait with a simple setup. This particular shot was made with two speedlights: One used to blow out the background, which was a white wall behind me, and one was shot through an umbrella diffuser down into a large silver reflector to even light my face. This was the best result I could come up with. Still learning.

Canon 30D w/85mm 1.8 lens
1/4 sec
f/7.1
ISO 200
SB800 @17mm 1/2 power (manual) Background light
SB600 @24mm 1/4 power( manual) Main light
Shot with remote flash triggers.

Day 222

Gotta love the Giant Crane.
Shot with the iPhone.

Day 221

Shot this in Overlook Park in Lancaster Co. Today.

Shot with the iPhone.

Photographing our Children

Photographing the kids can be tough. Liam doesn't like to hold still. In fact, he likes to purposely run when he sees me with a camera. It's his little game. However, occasionally, I do get the lucky 1 or 2 shots in:



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Audrey is too much of a ham. I like natural shots, and she's just too aware of the camera. Sometimes I try to capture her involved in an activity, or just doing her thing. It works better that way:

And then there's Isabel. She's still too little to run away, and too curious to shy away. It's the main reason I get the shots that I do. I love that little baby!
















Even though Isabel is the easiest to photograph, all of my kids are great, depending on my willingness to be challenged.

Day 220

It is normally a festive event in our house with balloons and human horseback riding on the weekends. Yep, that's how we roll.

Canon 30D w/85mm 1.8 lens
1/250sec
f/1.8
ISO 1000

Day 219

Morning sunrise. Shot with the iPhone.

Day 218

Day 217

This was a "leftover" shot from my photo shoot with my daughter the other day. I recently heard someone strongly advise that when you are creating something, it sometimes is a benefit to just walk away and come back later. Sometimes your mind's eye can develop a new perspective on an image or colors, etc. This photo almost made the trash can without ever being seen again. Now I'm thrilled that it didn't.

Canon 30D w/ 85mm 1.8 lens
1/200sec
f/1.8
ISO 100

Day 216

It seems relieving to me when I can break away from iPhone shots and actually use my camera a little more. Today was a beautiful day to walk and take some pictures.

Canon 30D w/85mm 1.8 lens
1/800sec
f/1.8
ISO 100

Day 215

I've been doing a lot of study lately on composition in art. I'm trying to add more purpose to how I frame my subjects and set up my shots. Not that I haven't in the past, but it seems that the element of composition in art is a very powerful ingredient that one shouldn't ignore. Artistic intuitions can only get you so far.

Shot on the iPhone.

Day 214

Dad and son.

Shot with the iPhone.

Day 213

Homemade wheat bread.

Shot with the iPhone

Day 212

Made this image with the iPhone, while trying out a new filter app. I'm not sure if I like it but I thought I'd share it either way.

Day 211

Shot with the iPhone

Day 210

This is Bandit. He's the family dog. He's been with us for several years now, and I don't think I have a photo of him on the blog. Recently, the dog of good friends of ours passed a way, and it got me thinking of how much Bandit is a part of our family. I wanted to at least give him a little acknowledgement as a member of our growing family. Here's to you, buddy!

Canon 30D w/85mm 1.8 lens
1/160sec
f/1.8
ISO 400