Nation's Capitol on Veterans Day

Salute the troops!  I photographed the Nations Capitol on Veterans Day at the Concert of Valor.  A shot like this is only possible with the right camera and lens combination.  I used a full frame Nikon along with a very sharp 80-200mm F/2.8.  The camera had to be set manually and the ISO setting had to be balanced.  I took over a dozen shots, and this is the one that make it!  The lot of effort goes into a good and sometimes great shot, so keep on shooting!

Reflection

Hi everyone. Here is another image created with a smart device camera. Look for objects like glass that reflect and seize the moment when you see it. Here is an example of a building paneled with glass. Buildings are hard to photograph, but with practice you can come up with some interesting photos.

Bus Stop

Hello, calling all photographers. Yes, I can make a phone call and take a picture with the same device. You say you don't want to buy an expensive camera. But, don't you realize you already have one? No excuse, use it! I saw this ad at a bus stop and waited for a bus to appear in the frame. Now, get creative! The illusion is there, do you see it?

Space Boy and Solar Rover

Hello. I'm back with a photo to start out the month of September. I set up my Nikon camera with its wifi option. Wow! This is what I photographed. I used my smart device to take the picture remotely. Yes, remotely! First you download the app and then connect both devices and voila, your smart device becomes the trigger, focus and tele-wide function. So, you can set up your camera anywhere and see the photo on your smart device display before you take it. I can't wait to go to the butterfly garden and try out this fantastic technology. All you need is a wifi capable camera, a smart device, and the app and it's show time! Try this yourself and upload your science photo.

Sunset in St. Thomas

Hello photo buddies, The summer is almost over and I wanted to share this beautiful sunset photo with you all. It was taken on my honeymoon, while my wife and I were in St. Thomas Virgin Islands in 2009. The sun sets, but it will rise again!

Fireworks on the National Mall 2014

Happy 4th of July! I hope some of you shooters went out last night to photograph fireworks. Fireworks can be anywhere. In your neighborhood, in a park, or even your backyard, if you happen to own a house. I took these on the National Mall, and what an exciting time! It takes a lot of practice to get a good one, but today's digital cameras make it easier.

Bahamas Yellowtail Snapper

Wow! A Yellowtail Snapper. I had my Olympus waterproof camera with me on this Bahamas snorkeling adventure. I had to zoom the lens all the way out, since these guys don't like to get too close.  I actually had to also dive down toward this one to get this shot. If you like to snorkel and always wanted to get photos of the undersea world, then go out and get yourself a waterproof camera. Nikon and Olympus make the best. Happy photo adventure to you all!

Macro of Tiger Lily

Ok shooters! The Tiger Lily is one of my favorite flower subjects. The brilliant orange and yellow colors of this flower drives any bee species crazy. I used a Fujifilm X10 rangefinder camera set to macro for this shot. Actually, all the macro shots for this month were taken with the X10. The macro feature on cameras also helps create shallow depth of field. The shutter speed of 1/500 Sec. and the aperture of f/4.0 created the depth of field necessary for this visual perspective.

Macro of Lily

Hey photo gang! Here is another in the series of macro shots for this month. The lily flower shown is called the wedding lily. This is an example of how you can crop down to the image from a larger photo. Give it a try!

Macro Photo

Hello my photo friends! This month I'm going to showcase several close-up images. How is this type of photo done, you may ask? First one has to understand that a close-up image is produced utilizing the correct camera setting. Your camera probably has a image icon of a flower. Turn on this setting and take as many pictures as needed to get the right image that you like. The one I took here was not as close as it looks. I simply cropped the photo in photoshop to make it appear even closer. You can do this even with your smart device, but a point and shoot camera will give you better results. So, get out your camera, a flower out there is ready for you. This type of image displays how the world is small around us, and how it really comes to life when we photograph it.

My photo on exhibit at the Gallery at the Leica Store, DC

I was at the Leica Second Annual Juried exhibition, "Beauty" last night, and have a photo in the show. My two photos were among the semifinalist. This one made it to the final round. Great energy and some very good images! The show is not up yet on their web gallery (http://shop.leicastoredc.com/gallery) but keep checking, and if you are in DC, go check out the photos of some amazing photographers at the Leica Gallery in the Leica Store on F St.

Rush Hour Rain

Hey, guys and gals! Grab your camera on a rainy day and take a image like this. Use your smart phone, no excuses, and shoot through glass. I took this one while on a metro bus. The signs, the rain, the cars, and the blurred lights created a kaleidoscope effect. I love it! So, get out and push your creative side to the edge of the universe!

Spring Squirrel

Hey, its spring! I took this photo of a curious squirrel, while walking in a park. The sound of my whistle got it to come out and pose for me. I took several shots, and this was my best one. You can do it too, just take a walk and explore. Until next time, keep on shooting!

Fashion Street

Hello DC Shooters! I love to shoot in the rain, so I waited in front of this soon to open location for a H&M clothing store. I took some establishing shots, before snapping this one of a woman walking by in her fashion boots and trusty umbrella. The photos of the models seem to be looking out of the store toward the street. I like to create a since of motion in a still image. Cool!

Pop Art Passengers

Hey photo buddies! I finally got back on track with this blog. I've been taking a lot of images and sometimes I get overwhelmed. The last day of February offers this pop art photo taken with an Olympus point and shoot set to a programed creative mode. Can you make out the image? I shot this while riding on a Metro bus in Washington, DC. Cool huh! You too can do this, just use the extra features on your camera that you maybe forgot were there. Until next photo, keeping on shooting!

Dolphin in Belize

Happy New Year! I spent the first two weeks of this new year on vacation in Belize. A wonderful place to photograph. I used my wife's point and shoot Canon to capture this beautiful dolphin after snorkeling in Laughing Bird Caye National Park. This dolphin was swimming with a pod of about fifteen to twenty. My waterproof camera died, so it is good to have a backup to capture moments that suddenly present themselves. Happy shooting!