Exp: 1/90s @ f/4.0, ISO 320

Well I’m just returning from my honeymoon in Italy.  It was a wonderful trip and my wife and I had a fantastic time.  We visited Venice, Florence, Siena, Pisa, the Chinque Terre, and Rome.  I really used the time to unplug and relax.  My only computer was an iPhone that had limited connectivity because of the $20/MB roaming charges and spotty WiFi.  I also took a different approach to my photography.  Since the trip was not dedicated to photography I was looking for more artistic shots.  I haven’t calculated my keeper rate yet but I’m guessing it is going to be much higher than normal based on my first edit pass.  I’m slowing getting through my images so stay tuned for part 2.

When I go out to do photography I sometimes go with an idea of an image that I want to try to make.  This particular evening I saw that the weather forecast was dicey so I figured I might have a chance of getting good clouds and light over downtown Cleveland.  Fortunately the light on downtown never materialized and because of that I was watching for other things to shoot.  As the sun was setting this tug motored out to meet two incoming freighters.  The water texture and the sun glinting off the hull make this image for me.

Wallpaper

Exp: 1/100 @ f/4.0, ISO 400
Gear: Canon 40D, 70-200F4L IS

Exp: 1/640 @ f/4.0, ISO 100
Gear: Canon 40D, 70-200F4L IS @ 144mm, 25mm ext. tube

Exp: 1/160s @ f/4.0, ISO 100
Gear: Olympus E-P1, Leica 50mm Summicron

This was taken at North Chagrin Reservation. There was an area right in the parking lot full of bluets so I spent about an hour shooting different angles.  This is my favorite.  Proof you don’t have to go far to find a photograph.

Exp: 1/250s, f/4.0, ISO 200
Gear: Canon 40D, 70-200F4L IS,  25mm ext tube

I got up very early two Sunday mornings ago and headed down to Furnace Run Metro Park in Richfield to shoot some daffodils.  The park’s website says that the land the daffodil trail is on was owned by the first metro parks director and he planted the first bulbs along the trail.  There are now more than 30 thousand daffodils every April along the 0.6 mile trail.  I shot this one with a very thin depth of field to showcase the great detail in the flower’s center while producing a background that looks very much like a painting.

Exp: 1/60s, F/2, ISO 400
Gear: Leica M6, 35mm Summicron, Ilford XP2 Super 400

You read the title right this shot was taken at the 2010 Cleveland Autoshow on B&W film.  The digital image was scanned by Dodd Camera here in Cleveland.  I’m starting to experiment with some film since I’ve never owned a film camera other than some disposable ones.  So far I’ve been happy with what I’m getting.  I good tip for getting clean shots at a busy auto show is use a wider angle lens.  Here I used a 35mm.  It forces you to get closer to the subject to fill the frame so people will be less likely to walk through your shot.  It’s also easier to hand hold wider angle lenses in low light.

Exp: 1/20 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 100
Gear: Olympus E-P1, Leica 90mm Tele-Elmarit-M, Tripod

Spring is slowly coming to NE Ohio so I’ve been refreshing the look of the website.  I’m replacing the galleries with iPhone friendly controls.   Keep an eye on the blog.  I have something pretty cool coming up soon.

Exp: 1/320s @ f/10, ISO 200
Gear: Canon 40D, 400F4L DO, handheld

Well 2009 was pretty eventful I visited 2 more national parks, Grand Canyon and Yosemite.  Three of my images were published in David Busch’s Digital Photography Bucket List: 100 Great Digital Photos You Must Take Before You Die.  You should check it out.

Along those sames lines I was able to go out and shoot the Reno Air Races.  This was a trip on my own bucket list.  The image above was taken out on the pylons.  Shooting the racers is very challenging. The planes are moving fast but a slow shutter speed is required to not have stopped props.  So good panning technique is necessary for sharp images.  For this image I dusted off Silver Efex Pro applying a red filter to give drama to the sky.  Click the image above for a desktop size image.

Exp: 1/2s @ f/8, ISO 200
Gear: Canon 40D, 17-55F2.8 EF-S @38mm, tripod, remote release

I took a day and stopped in Yosemite National Park on a recent business trip.  Only having a day decided I’d make the most of my time. I started along the upper part of the park making my way down to the valley for lunch. After a short hike I drove up to glacier point for sunset. This shot is the last one I made long after the sun had set. Everyone was heading back to their car but I was still shooting. A couple stopped me and ask what I was doing and after showing them the back of the camera they said. We didn’t even notice the beautiful colors. One thing photography has taught me is to slow down and notice things that are happening.  Especially to be sensitive to the light.