Be creative and see how you can position multiple rides to make an even more interesting image.

Finally, the real fun is to take a long exposure when the lights are in motion.  This exposure was 2.5 seconds.  To capture this type of image there are several things to do.  First, you need a good support for your camera, such as a tripod.  Second, set the ISO to as low a number as possible (probably around 100).  Third, set the aperture to be as small as possible (this is the largest number, such as f16 or f22).  Finally, I recommend setting your camera on manual mode (where you set both the aperture and shutter speed).  With the aperture set, select a shutter speed.  The beauty of digital is now you can look at the image on the back of the camera.  If it is too dark, set the shutter speed longer, if too light set the shutter speed shorter.  Very nice, lights in motion, pictures can be captured with shutter speeds of 2 seconds and longer.

Go enjoy the fair and stay around to take some night pictures of lights in motion.

Another approach is to photograph individual bursts.  Last night I had my camera ISO set to 100, aperture to 4.5, shutter speed to 1/20th of a second and focus distance to infinity.  Then I recorded individual bursts.  Even this is challenging because you want to get the burst when it is brightest, which generally is right after it explodes.  This means you have only a fraction of a second to make a decision to push the shutter button.  Fortunately, with digital photography there is no cost to shooting extra frames.

Then, if you have a photo manipulation program such as, Photoshop or Photoshop Elements you can combine the individual bursts into a single image.  Import an image, which will be the background layer.  Import another image and make it the next layer.  There are several ways to combine images, but the one you want is “lighten”.  This method looks at each pixel location,  on both layers, and selects the “lightest” one.  So if one layer has a bright fireworks pixel at a given location, and the other layer is black, the merged image will have the bright pixel.  You can continue to do this with as many bursts as you please.  While this may not represent the sky at any one instant, it does represent the way I often feel when many bursts happen very close together.

If you have some fireworks pictures from last night, and have a photo editing program, give it a try.

Fireworks

1/60th of a second exposure

One of my favorite objects to photograph is flowing water.

We were at Drake’s Bay on the Pacific Coast at the southern end of Costa Rica.  The shore of the resort was rugged lava rocks.  By going out on the rocks one can watch the waves move by and then flow back into the ocean.

Here are two pictures; the first one taken at 1/60 of a second and the second at 2 seconds) taken at the same spot about three minutes apart.

Flowing Water - 2 sec. exposure

Using a fast shutter speed (1/100 of a second or faster)  freezes the water droplets in position. Using a slow shutter speed will show the flow of the water.  The slower the shutter speed the more it smooths out the water flow.

Yellow Lady Slipper

ow Lady Slippers, Columbine, Marsh Marigolds and Indian Paintbrush in bloom.  Riding a bike slows one down so we can be more observant than traveling in a car.  I stopped at this clump of two dozen Yellow Lady Slippers.  I walked down close enough to have the clump fill the frame, and managed to avoid the poison ivy.

However, the exciting part of the trip was as we were returning suddenly 3 small chicks ran across the trail.  I slowed up to let them get to the other side, then I stopped to observe.  Then were quickly lost in the tall grass.  But then, the mother Ruffed Grouse came out of the grass towards me (from less than 6 feet away) to let me know that I was not welcome that close to her chicks.  I grabbed my camera from the camera bag.  She moved in and out of the grass, then across the trail and back, making lots of noise trying to gather her brood of little ones to her.  I certainly have never been that close to a ruffed grouse before, especially for plenty of time to take her picture.  Keep your camera handy for when the special opportunity arises.

Ruffed Grouse

Camera literature, and sales personnel, talk about megapixels, the current cameras (basically) all have plenty of pixels.  I prefer cameras which have a viewfinder.  That is, you hold the camera up to your eye to compose the picture.  Many of the lower end P&S cameras  do not have a viewfinder, so you hold the camera out from your body and view the image on the rear screen.  The disadvantages of no viewfinder are: it can be difficult to see when you are outdoors in bright light and it is difficult to hold the camera steady.  With the camera up against your face, your elbows can be against your body to help steady the camera.  Another important function is zoom range.  For some people being able to zoom from wide angle to a long telephoto is important.

I will suggest that the two most important characteristics and the size and feel.  Go into a store where you can actually hold the camera in your hands and see if the buttons and menus seem usable for you.  If the camera feels good when you shoot it and the various functions seem intuitive then you will undoubtedly enjoy the camera.  The final, and most important, item is size.  There is an old adage: The way to get a great picture is to be there and have your camera.  Pick a size that you will have with you.  It does no good to have the best DSLR and leave it home.  Think about how you will carry the camera; shirt pocket, jacket pocket, purse, fanny pack or back pack.  Then get the user friendliest, best quality camera that you will carry and can afford.

1. Include multiple colors
2. Make the lines of color run at an angle, rather that directly horizontal or vertical in your image
3. Look around the edge of the viewfinder to direct your attention to everything that is being included

May you enjoy the beauty of spring and capture it in some memory images.

Three Toed Sloth

Walking along a trail on the southern Caribbean cost of Costa Rica, I came upon this three toed sloth. Normally the sloth is high up in a tree and visible only as a hairy ball. This one, at my level, smiled and reached out his arm seeming to communicate with me and invite me into his world.
Via this web site I wish to invite you into my world. My world consists of images of nature, people and commercial work. More and more, my images are developed to stand artistically on their own, with less concern about documenting reality.
Before the invention of photography in the late 1830’s, many painters worked to document reality, whether it was a person’s likeness or some other scene. For the next 150 years the presumption was photography would be the documentation medium and painting would be the “creative/artistic” medium. The advent of digital photography and computers has opened the door for the photographic image to enter the “artistic” arena.
This web site is a way to show my work as well as share some of my thoughts and experience. By reading my blog I hope you are exposed to some useful photo techniques as well as share some of my passion for creating unique images.
If you are interested in purchasing an image, please contact me for availability and prices.

Each year I put a loon nesting platform out in the Mississippi River in front of our house.  This morning I noticed the loon acting concerned.  I walked down to the dock and saw a mature bald eagle sitting in a tree on an island, not far away.  Bald Eagles will attack loon eggs and baby loons.  So the parents must be vigilant at all times.

We are fortunate, along the Mississippi River, to have the Bald Eagles make such a great recovery from when their numbers were declining so rapidly.  We now see a Bald Eagle very frequently, especially now during the nesting season.

These pictures were taken from our dock using a Canon 5D Mark II with a 100-400mm lens at the maximum magnification.