Photographs & Memories

Level Four

2011-10-13T14:47:00.003-04:00

Just liked the way the light hit the sign

Sunrise, part 2

2011-08-26T08:56:00.000-04:00

From same morning as the shot below.

Sunrise

2011-08-25T15:59:00.002-04:00

Just because I haven't posted in a while. Shot this during a recent vacation to Folly Beach, S.C.

Yet another sunset

2011-07-26T20:21:00.002-04:00

Survivor

2011-07-26T08:29:00.000-04:00

Reece 07.17.11

2011-07-18T14:50:00.002-04:00

Stargazer lily

2011-07-17T22:51:00.001-04:00

Hay Field at Sunset

2011-07-14T10:20:00.003-04:00

Blended from three exposures of the same shot. Click on the photo for a much larger version.

Perspective

2011-07-02T09:44:00.000-04:00

Seemed appropriate for this weekend.

The Drive Home

2011-06-20T21:13:00.002-04:00

Shot with iPhone using Instagram

The Big Picture

2011-06-17T11:59:00.004-04:00

I was shooting a portrait of our new heart surgeon the other day, and thought it might look kinda cool if i zoomed out to a wide angle and captured the whole scene. It completely changes the feel of the photo, as you see the darkened operating room equipment pushed out to the sides, along with the lighting setup and the shadows it casts. Pretty different from the tightly cropped head and shoulders shot with a neat, clean blue background that we'll use for the final product. I'd love it if the opportunity arose to use this type of shot, but more than likely this blog is the only exposure it will get. Click on the photo for a larger version to see the detail better.

Morning trees

2011-06-15T13:46:00.001-04:00

Infrared

2011-06-07T09:13:00.002-04:00

Summer means a good time to drag out the old Nikon D100 and slap on my infrared filter. Shot this last night of some trees in my yard in the evening light. Black and white conversion done in Adobe Lightroom.

Mushrooms

2011-05-18T17:43:00.000-04:00

Dogwood blooms

2011-05-06T09:26:00.001-04:00

Depth of Field

2011-04-29T14:43:00.002-04:00

One huge advantage DSLRs have over point and shoots is the ability to control the depth of field. (P&S cameras can be controlled to some extent, but not nearly as well). Here are two photos of the same thing that show the difference. One draws your attention to the leaves in the foreground, while the other focuses on the fountain in the background. Couldn't decide which way I liked best, so I thought I'd do a side-by-side to show the difference.

Instagram Photos

2011-04-27T07:34:00.000-04:00

Shot using the Instagram app for iPhone.

Downtown Louisville

2011-03-15T14:11:00.001-04:00

Panoramic view from our hotel window.

Signs of Spring

2011-03-11T16:19:00.003-05:00

Depsite there being snow on the ground this morning, there is some green out.

Sights around Ashland

2011-03-11T16:17:00.002-05:00

Just some random shots I snapped while driving through town the other day.

Kids @ Five Guys

2011-02-22T07:57:00.002-05:00

Master Chief

2011-02-17T15:22:00.002-05:00

One of the benefits of having a 6-year-old son...cool toys. Here's Halo's Master Chief with some photoshop work.

My favorite bookstore

2011-01-31T09:48:00.000-05:00

Another barn

2011-01-25T08:16:00.001-05:00

Our kitty...

2011-01-24T10:43:00.001-05:00

...that likes to hang out in our bath tub.

Snowy morning

2011-01-21T09:17:00.001-05:00

Barn that sits at the entrance to my subdivision. Shot with the new Fuji Finepix F300 ...so far I've been happy with the little P&S camera.

Batman

2011-01-18T08:26:00.002-05:00

Blazer Pool

2011-01-17T13:25:00.002-05:00

Got a new camera recently, the Fuji FinePix F300 EXR, so I hope to start posting more often. After I've had time to use it some more, I'll post a review of it as well. One neat thing it does is creates on-the-fly panoramas by just clicking the shutter and panning the camera. Here's one photo that I tested it out with.

Macro Fun

2011-01-12T11:22:00.003-05:00

Playing with my extension tubes for macro shots paired with my 50mm f/1.8 lens. These are of a glass paperweight ball with the suspended bubbles in the middle backlit by a lighted snowman that changes color.

Christmas Photo

2010-12-13T19:49:00.001-05:00

Moonrise

2010-12-01T09:07:00.003-05:00

Shot this a couple weeks ago, but kinda forgot about it and just pulled it off the memory card. It's the same scene as the iPhone pic in the previous post, but I dragged out the good camera for this one.

More iPhone photos

2010-11-30T09:44:00.001-05:00

iPhone photos

2010-11-12T15:14:00.001-05:00

Shot with iPhone using an app called Instagram.

Fall Tree

2010-11-04T11:07:00.001-04:00

Haven't shot much fall stuff this year.

I Do

2010-10-18T09:16:00.002-04:00

Wedding ring photo I shot at a wedding this past weekend.

Manits

2010-10-17T21:29:00.000-04:00

Rocks n' Water

2010-10-04T10:16:00.001-04:00

Negative Pig

2010-09-30T08:04:00.002-04:00

Harvest Moon

2010-09-30T08:02:00.002-04:00

Shot this last week and am just now getting around to posting it.

Wedding reflections...

2010-09-23T08:24:00.001-04:00

While shooting a wedding in Virginia this past weekend, some of the words spoken during the ceremony really resonated with me. Here was a young couple getting ready to start their married lives together and the words from the minister were probably the same you'd hear at most weddings…there will be both good times and bad, ups and downs, peaks and valleys—whatever you want to call them. As someone who's been married for 17 years, I can really attest to this. But somehow hearing these words this time made me stop and think and really appreciate what I have—the best family anyone could ask for. And even though things aren't perfect all the time, there's always a lot of love in our family and I'm truly thankful for that.

Stray kitten

2010-09-20T11:33:00.003-04:00

Don't know if he's actually considered a "stray" or not since Kenzie seems to have adopted him.

My 50mm f/1.8 lens & Lightroom 3

2010-09-16T08:08:00.001-04:00

Just playing around...

Sunrise

2010-09-14T07:57:00.001-04:00

The Long Road Home

2010-09-07T21:05:00.003-04:00

It was one of those evenings I thought I'd never make it home. After an already hectic evening of picking up Reece from school, taking him to get his haircut, going to pick up Kenzie from swim practice, taking them to woof down some dinner somewhere quickly before heading to Reece's football practice, it was finally time for the commute from Ashland to Grayson. The only problem...I had to stop for gas, which doesn't seem like a big deal.

First try was at the Cannonsburg BP. I didn't want to pay at the pump, because I wanted to let Reece get something to drink from inside and didn't want to have to use the credit card twice. So, I hit the pay inside button and stand there waiting for the pump authorization .... and waited, and waited. Then looked at the store to realize the fat kid working there was standing out front smoking and talking to his friends...no one inside the store at all to authorize the pump. Instead of doing the rational thing and asking him, I decided to take my business next door.

Actually able to get gas there, and went inside to let Reece get a drink. Then had to stand in line behind the lady one-by-one checking her scratch off tickets to see if any of them were winners. After about a dozen or so tickets, she had $9 in credit, and proceeded to pour over the selection to redeem her "winnings."

It was then I followed the car with the crooked license plate along the two-lane US 60 for the last 15 miles putting along at around 40 mph the entire way. Got home just in time to spill a cup of spoiled chocolate milk that had been in the van from this morning (on a 90-some degree day) all over the back seat.

Long story short, what should be a 30-minute trip home took close to an hour. I'm glad to be home, but we've got to move.

Our kitty

2010-08-22T17:03:00.001-04:00

Sunrise

2010-08-20T08:49:00.001-04:00

Statue in the Rain

2010-08-18T15:14:00.001-04:00

Testing something for work

2010-08-13T10:13:00.000-04:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More vascular

Beach at Night

2010-08-12T16:24:00.002-04:00

It was pretty dark out when I shot this one from our balcony with a tripod. It's a 25-second exposure at ISO 400, f/8. The white streaks are made by someone walking on the beach with a flashlight.

Swim Time

2010-07-27T21:03:00.001-04:00

A little too much on the flash, but I had a very impatient subject.

My wife's latest creation

2010-07-25T19:14:00.001-04:00

iPhone sunset

2010-07-20T09:07:00.003-04:00

Snapped this with my iPhone yesterday. The sun was still a little too bright, so I put my sunglasses in front of the lens to act as a polarizer. Other effects were added with Camera Bag app.

Baby Birds

2010-07-15T09:40:00.002-04:00

Frog in the Road

2010-07-07T21:30:00.001-04:00

Seen on our evening walk through the neighborhood. Shot with my iPhone because it's all I had with me.

Smile

2010-07-07T13:25:00.002-04:00

Snapped with my iPhone...this is the inside of a light fixture at a local restaurant. It's actually a metal pail with holes cut in it for the eyes and mouth...the nose is the lightbulb, which is painted silver on the bottom part.

Fireworks

2010-07-04T11:15:00.003-04:00

I didn't have a tripod, and this was just a backyard display at my parents' house, but I managed to get a couple of halfway decent shots.

Breaststroke

2010-06-28T14:14:00.001-04:00

Frogs n Flowers

2010-06-22T09:52:00.002-04:00

It's like some type of botanical garden at my mother-in-law's house.

Morning Window

2010-06-15T11:33:00.000-04:00

Vent

2010-06-15T11:32:00.000-04:00

This is the kind of photos you take when it's two hours between events at a swim meet.

Paramount Arts Center

2010-06-08T11:32:00.004-04:00

This is the inside of a theater in Ashland, Ky., called the Paramount Arts Center. Shot it today as part of a work project where I have to get photos of the community. Used a 10mm lens, and a 10-second exposure at f/11, ISO 200. Click on the photo for a much larger view.

Graduation Day

2010-05-21T07:32:00.002-04:00

May 20, 2010

Today was graduation day for Reece …he donned his first cap and gown and got his preschool diploma, walked across the stage with his fellow classmates and looked so much like your normal kid. Which, to his mother and I seems remarkable considering the past couple of years we have been through.

Reece was a late talker, and because of this people often tried to label him at a very young age. We had considered at one time or another the gamut of possibilities, from autism to any number of developmental problems. Even his preschool, which we loved so much, at one time had their doubts and tried to tag him as having some more serious problem.

He was kind of antisocial and didn’t interact with other children, we were told at one point. Today, he is one of the most gregarious children you’ll ever meet, constantly speaking up, making friends and even singing the lead to “One Small Voice” at the graduation ceremony.

He has sensory issues, which must be why he isn’t talking like he should, we were told by one “professional” who wanted to have him wear a weighted vest as some type of treatment. We declined.

Seeing him today as sort of a shining star of the ceremony (of course I’m a little biased, but he did have a big role) made me realize that not only did his preschool teach him lots of things, but he taught them something as well — perhaps a child can be different and still be fine.

He is hands down one of the brightest children I’ve ever seen. He seems to have a knack for problem solving, and a vocabulary that’s well beyond his age. Just as he taught his teachers a few things, he teaches me on a daily basis.

I’m sure today’s graduation was the first of many to come. A milestone. A time to reflect on where he’s been and where he’s going. I have a feeling that during his life, he’ll teach the world lots of things, and I can’t wait to see what those things are.

Flower shots

2010-05-20T07:49:00.000-04:00

Peacock

2010-04-12T10:46:00.002-04:00

at the Cincinnati Zoo

Farm Scene

2010-04-04T20:15:00.002-04:00

Near Grayson, Ky.

Rookie of the Year

2010-03-28T21:45:00.001-04:00

Kenzie was awarded Rookie of the Year for Paul Blazer's Swim Team at their banquet this evening, and was the school's first fifth-grader to swim as part of the A-relay team. She also received her first letter, and her dad couldn't be more proud.

Foggy Morning

2010-03-14T17:43:00.002-04:00

Carwash Art

2010-03-08T21:52:00.003-05:00

Closeup shots of water running down my windshield while sitting in the carwash. I changed the white balance to tungsten on the blue-tinted shots.

Dome

2010-03-08T10:15:00.002-05:00

Lab Stuff

2010-02-17T21:05:00.000-05:00

A couple of shots from work-related stuff today.

Bath Time

2010-02-05T20:49:00.002-05:00

Kenzie's kittens taking care of each other

Flagpole

2010-01-28T20:28:00.000-05:00

Butterfly

2010-01-16T22:21:00.002-05:00

Ashland Paul Blazer High School swimmer Lemar Linton does butterfly during a meet at Johnson Central High School in Paintsville, Ky., Jan. 16, 2010.

Lit by an iPhone

2010-01-10T22:12:00.001-05:00

I'm always looking for different light sources, so this model is in a dark room lit only by my iPhone screen just to the right using the flashlight application with a green screen. The orangish light coming from the left is tungsten light spilling in from the other room. Exposure time is 1 second at ISO 400.

New Toys

2010-01-09T20:52:00.002-05:00

Christmas Portrait No. 3

2009-12-17T16:13:00.001-05:00

Christmas Portrait No. 2

2009-12-10T10:52:00.002-05:00

from the same set

Christmas Portrait

2009-12-10T10:18:00.001-05:00

One of the photos for some friends' Christmas portraits.

Evening Sky

2009-12-03T09:15:00.002-05:00

Really strange looking sky yesterday evening. In one direction everything had a yellow cast, but dark clouds on the horizon were a deep blue.

Halloween 2009

2009-10-29T22:13:00.001-04:00

Reece as Captain America and Kenzie as Coraline

Some Pics From a Recent Shoot

2009-10-28T08:26:00.002-04:00

October Sky

2009-10-26T18:51:00.001-04:00

Beautiful Fall Evening

2009-10-24T22:07:00.001-04:00

Great evening out...sunset peeking through the dark clouds lighting up the fall colors ... and the only camera I had on me was my iPhone. I did snap these two shots with it, though.

Fisheye Fun

2009-10-21T16:58:00.001-04:00

Playing with the new 10-16 mm lens we got at work.

Fall Tree

2009-10-21T16:57:00.000-04:00

My Helper

2009-10-21T16:56:00.004-04:00

A shot of Kenzie from when she was helping me with a photo shoot this past weekend at the park. He primary duties were to carry and move light stands, and entertain the baby in the photos, and she did a great job.

Fountain

2009-10-19T11:28:00.001-04:00

Vader

2009-10-10T20:29:00.001-04:00

One flash sitting about a foot below figure pointed straight up at ceiling, which provides the ambient and some hits him to give the dramatic uplighting.

Kittens

2009-09-28T09:41:00.002-04:00

We have five new kittens at our house. Here are two of them. If anyone out there wants a cute kitten, let me know.

Fall is coming

2009-09-24T16:50:00.000-04:00

Park Fountain

2009-09-17T10:28:00.001-04:00

Going through some old files and ran across this shot I had never posted.

Medical Plaza B

2009-09-16T11:54:00.002-04:00

Fishing Pals

2009-09-09T21:38:00.002-04:00

Another shot from Monday's shoot in the rain.

Holding Hands

2009-09-07T15:07:00.002-04:00

From a shoot earlier today ... who lets a little bit of rain stop them.

Blue Mixer

2009-09-01T20:14:00.002-04:00

Close up of mixer attachment...color balance set to incandescent to give the blue tint.

The Violin Maker

2009-08-27T16:23:00.003-04:00

A photo I shot a while back for work. It's of Bruce Brown, an Ironton, Ohio, man who had heart surgery, but is doing great and is back in his wood shop making violins. Pretty simple lighting setup, two Alien Bees units, one camera left through a large softbox moved in close to the subject and a second camera right pointed at the violins in the background with a 10-degree honeycomb grid.

Happy Birthday Reece

2009-08-25T06:51:00.002-04:00

Sunday was his party, but today he turns 5.

Water & Rocks

2009-08-24T16:51:00.002-04:00

Open Water Swim

2009-08-23T17:36:00.004-04:00

Kenzie took part in her first open water swim Saturday morning at Cave Run Lake. She swam the 1 mile option, which involved two laps of swimming around a buoy that was a quarter mile from the shore. The buoy is the two round red things floating way off in the distance in the second photo.

Heart & Vascular Center

2009-08-21T11:34:00.003-04:00

Neat looking sky this morning, so I shot this while waiting for my people to show up.