Afternoon Pleasure

It has been said, "The worst day fishing beats the best day of work!"

Fireworks Show

Picture #1 - f/8, 5 sec., ISO200

Picture #2 - f/11, 6 sec., ISO 200

Picture #3 - f/11, 6 sec., ISO 200

I hope those of you who shot fireworks for the holiday captured some good ones. I read an article some years back about shooting fireworks. It said you should use four to six seconds shutter speed, an aperture of f/11 to f/16, and a tripod. A co-worker suggested using a hat to cover the lens also. The hat stops the exposure so the burst of light, firework bloom, does not get to big. It has been helpful tip. Thanks, Mark! Also, the article it mentioned having a famous landmark in the picture. This would give the viewer a sense of scale and place. Well, the Burger Stop in Layton, Utah is not world famous but a landmark no less! Good food and car shows throught out the summer. You should give them a try! Thank you to Layton City and those who put on the show. A good time was had by all!

Which of the three pictures do you like best? Please let me know.

Find The Foot Clips - July 4th Edition

Do you remember the 10-10-10 project? This was another picture I prepared to post. The holiday theme make it an appropriate picture to post today. There are 10 blue foot paper clips and an extra Foote to find within the picture. To enlarge the picture, click on it. Good luck. Happy Forth Of July!

Rainbows

If you look closely, there are two rainbows. This was quite the surprise and a lucky shot. Mom and I had gone out to Antelope Island to capture lighting bolts. We hand our fingers crossed. While waiting for the rain to lighten up and lighting to jolt through the sky we sat in the truck talking about the fun we've been having shooting pictures together. I decided to step out of the truck and start setting up a tripod and get ready for the sunset. By now we could tell there would be no lighting. To my delight, behind us was this incredible double rainbow in the light of the setting sun. The top picture is what I saw. As mom turned to get out of the truck, she could see the rainbow cover most of the island. I quickly changed to a fish-eye lens to capture the wide view you see in the bottom picture. There has been some edits to clean things up and try to flatten out the curve created by the fish-eye lens. I hope you enjoy the beauty of the rainbows! We did.

Fun With Lights

Special thanks to my nieces and nephews for the help in spinning the lights, doing out-lines and modeling. We all had fun at the camp out. Long exposure shots can be lots of fun. More fun with colored lights and the ability to spell ones name backwards. Notice there are no names, we just could not do it. Better luck next time!

Burrowing Owl

One of the many creatures on Antelope Island most people miss.

Little Blue Flowers

I have posted pictures of this flower before. The flower bed is full of them and they keep coming back each year. I have planted Black-eyed Susan's, and Shasta Daisies which I hope take root for more variety. Its hard to believe the flowers are so small, the size of a nickle, but burst with a sea of color in the garden.

Miners Shack

Shot in Park City, Utah. Hard to believe, there is still snow on the ground!

An Up Hill Climb

The posters that have an inspirational message, like courage, inspiration, is what I think of when I look at this picture. Adults and teens need that encouragement to reach higher, work harder, or get motivated. Some more than others. For work or play, the drive to succeed has to be refueled, recharged, or rebooted every once in a while. The charge, different for each of us, gives us the needed energy to make it through challenging times, up lifts our spirit and put a smile on our face. Share it with others!

It's All About U, Or Y!

I find it funny how we see different thinks in the same picture. Is it the letter U or a Y? For locals here in Utah, it may-be defined by the school you attend or root for, the University of Utah or Brigham Young University! What ever the case may-be, things old, rusty, or weathered make great subjects to photograph, don't you think? Keep your eyes open and camera handy you never know what you may see!

Frozen Light

It is hard to believe, but true, there is snow and ice on many of the roof tops in Park City! (May 1st) Traveling down one of the streets, I spotted Christmas lights and icicles hanging from the gutter of a home. After backing up, I jumped out and spent a few minutes capturing the frozen lights. If only it had been dark and the lights were on, what a shot that would make!

Water Drop

Here is another shot from the Nikon weekend. A flag was used as a back drop that reflected into the water. It took a little timing and luck but I was able to capture a keeper. Nikon had set up five stations, each one was very simple and cost less than $25 to make. You can get away with just two of them. A black background and white background. They are made of stiff foam core boards. I will have to photograph the set up, so you can see how easy it is to reproduce. I have the supplies at home and I'll bet you do as well. The possibilities for backdrops with colored or patterned paper is endless.