Out Of My Comfort Zone

Aperture Priority Mode, f/22, 1/4 sec. with a tripod of course, ISO 100.


I have stated before that I am a fair weather photographer. I made that same statement in a class I was teaching and was strongly encouraged by a student (Lea) to get out and shoot. She loves the winter time. She has taken some great pictures of her family playing in the snow.
I am not a big fan of the cold or snow. Really, its a coat issue. I have not yet found a warm coat that fits well. I am a BIG guy, that is code for fat, and I may need a tent! I would rather spend the money on a lens than a coat. Can you blame me!
To make a long story short, I went out and shot this picture. It had recently snowed and was very cold. This is a beaver pond I have photographed before. The water has a frozen layer of ice on top of it and about one to two inches of snow around it. The picture I really wanted could only be captured if I was willing to walk across the tall grass and snow. This area usually has water flowing through it and I would not have risked it. Once I reached the spot I had picked I realized it would be best taken from a low angle, meaning I have to lay in the snow to get the shot. After getting myself up and back to the truck, I turned the heater on full blast to warm up.
The next week when I saw this student again, I told her what I had done. With a big smile, she congratulated me for getting out of my comfort zone and gave me a high five! I still call myself a fair weather photographer but I am willing to go out and try it again, if I can jump into the truck and turn on the heater full blast!

Boys Will Be Boys!

Boys, no matter what their age, enjoy playing in the mud! Little boys, age two to five, use there feet, hands, and sometimes a small beach shovel. We make mud cakes, mud holes for burying our matchbox cars, and lets not forget the ever so tasty mud shake. The mud cakes we throw at anything or anyone who get close enough for us to hit! The tasty mud shake we invite mom to drink, who with grateful enthusiasm says thanks and yum, yum, yum before handing it back to us. Never being satisfied with that, I poured it on a siblings head! And lets face it little boys will bury anything, car keys, kitchen spoons, toys and of course Barbie up to her neck!

Boys from the age of six to 12 will create BIG mud holes to push there friends into or see who can jump over it with out getting muddy. The best of course is when we get out our bikes and make a ramp to fly over or into it! A mothers worst fear is finding her boys out in the yard in their Sunday best. My brother would stand at the edge of a mud or water puddle and I would throw something into it and watch the dirty water splash all over him. Oh, what fond memories.

Boys from the age of 14 to 99 still like to play in the mud. At this age its more about the items we use to play in the mud with. Four wheelers, motorcycles, cars, jeeps and trucks all work really well. Sometimes we get dirty or just the vehicle. If we get dirty we hose off before coming into the house. If the truck is muddy we leave it until five or six of our buddies have seen it. We like to brag a little! Boys will be boys!

Best Blog Award

I am the lucky winner of a Best Blog Award! The recognition comes from a fellow blogger Gardendiggers. A big thanks to him for the award and the encouraging comments of my photography. Please take the time to visit his blog. You will find photographs of nature, architecture, flowers, landscapes, etc... His many photographs of flowers inspired me to get out and find beauty in the garden and yards near me. I have enjoyed following his blog from some time now. If you are not a follower become one and be inspired!


With acceptance of this award, I am instructed to pass it on to 15 other incredible blogs. They are visually stunning, memorable, educational, and funny. The following are winners of the Best Blog Award, with my thanks for sharing their talents with all of us bloggers. Now, these winners need to pick 15 blogs that they enjoy and award them! Be sure to let them know you are giving them the award. If you are looking for a new blog to follow check these out by clicking on them.


The Phophile
Jose Maria Benitez
Bradley Myers Photo Blog
50% Chance Of Rain
Through The Viewfinder
Chase Images
Jennifer Photography
The Photos I Take
Holdingmoments
Farabee Photography
Master Photo
Elle's Images
West Cornwell Photos
My Crappy Photography
Photoblog Of Wayne Woodruff

It's In The Sky

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens, f/7.1, 1/60 sec., ISO 100

Beaver Real Estate - Buy It For The View

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens, f/4, 1/80 sec., ISO 100

Floating By In The Early Morning

Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens, 1/125 sec., f/5.6, ISO 100


Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, 1/90 sec., f/5, ISO 100

Good Morning Sunshine

Taken as the sun began to rise. It was cold and windy at the top of the mountain ridge, and I asked myself why? Why did you get up so early and out of a warm bed? Getting out early has it's rewards. A beautiful sun rise, the sun warming the frost off the grass and my fingers! The crisp fresh air and a view that reminds me, I have so much to be thankful for. After taking a few pictures, I joined my friend who had already gotten into the truck because he was cold. A good warm truck, one of those things I am thankful for. Yes, my friend too! Had he not agreed to go with me I would have stayed in bed and missed this shot!

Nikon D200, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens zoomed out to 200mm, aperture priority mode set at f/22, 1/15 sec., ISO 100, and a good tripod.

Moving Water

We have had fair weather as of late and I have gotten out so I will have pictures to share. Just this weekend, I knelt in the snow for a picture. I was cold and wet but wait until you see the picture I captured. I am reminded by a good friend to "get out of your comfort zone!" and the results looked very good. Thanks Paul. These pictures were taken in Farmington canyon just off the side of the road. I had changed my white balance earlier and when I started to shoot I had taken 10 to 12 pictures before I realized I didn't change my white balance back to normal setting. I just hate it when I do that, don't you? D200, Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 lens, and one very good tripod with wet feet.

A New Fishing Hole

I came across this beaver pond on one of my photographing adventures. This has been several weeks back. I was hoping for more fall pictures, but the color is gone and snow is starting to stay. I am very excited for future pictures around the pond. I will have to take a fishing pole with me next time. May-be a canoe. There is a trail that lead back toward the mountain as well so there is more to explore next spring. It will be a great Sunday afternoon get away with family and friends. While there, a young couple with their dogs came down the trail from the mountain. Both dogs would run and jump into the pond. The water had to be cold but the dogs did not seem to care!