Candle Stands

The odd, the unusual and the different. That pretty much explains me...as well as some of my photography. While still at ny Neice's birthday party, I noticed these two candle stands on a table. I caught sight of how, from a certain point of view... I could line up the openings of the two stands and get a cool effect. Of course, that is all a matter of opinion...

Shot with my trusty sidekick Nikon D40x with an exposure of 1/30 at f/5.6, ISO 800. Nikon 18-55 VR lens. Natural light used from side window.

12th Birthday

My only neice turned twelve this weekend. I attended the family party and enjoyed some quality time with her. It was only a few minutes, but she showed interested in the unusual images I was capturing throughout her house. It was cool to share a little bit of what I know with her, and see her eyes light up with each new image I showed her. In honor of her birthday, I present this image of her birthday cake...from a low angle. Hope you like it. Happy birthday, Ash!

Candle Tops

Once again, I gotta give props to Paul Michael Kane for putting the important thought into my head...look for the unusual angle. What you see here is simply three candles that were placed in an old tray, sitting on top of a table in front of the front window. Everyday it's seen by the people who live there, and barely noticed by visitors. When I saw it, I thought "How can I make this interesting, seen in a different light?". I simply shot straight down, focusing on the center whick. A fast shutter speed helped to blur the side candles, photoshop helped a bit more. I find this to be a cool image, despite the simple props used. It's the Imagination in Photography. It's me.

1/200 at f/5.6, ISO 400

Winter Creek

I took my wife and Son Ice Skating today. I went once when I was younger, and lasted about 3 seconds. After two hours of watching my boy struggle, we headed out. Between the Ice Rink and the parking lot, there is a wooden bridge over a creek. The view was simple, and cool. Water flowing between snow covered banks. The tree limb that arcs over top made a cool, natural frame to the image. I like it, and I hope you do too.

Shot with Nikon D40x with an exposure of 1/125 a second at f/6.3, ISO 100. Nikon 18-55 VR lens

New and Old

This image was shot in Point Pleasant, WV during the annual Mothman festival. Between the festival, being in a new place and seeing friends I've not seen in too long...my camera was going non-stop! While walking back to our car, my wife saw this antique car parked across the street. I ran over and lined it up so I could get the newer(ish) minvan in the shot as well...kind of a "Old and New" feel. And there you have the title...

Shot with Nikon D40x with an exposure of 1/250 at f/8, ISO 100. Nikon 18-55 VR lens. Converted to B&W in Photoshop.

Image in a Drop

I like to look for shots that are unusual, or hard to get. Then again, there are "impossible" shots that are captured by chance or complete accident. This shot was captured after about 15 minutes of standing out in the cold, snapping shot after shot after shot. Finally, I got an image that made me say "Wow". Take note, if you look closely at the drop of water, you'll see the inverted image of the trees that were in the background.

Shot with Nikon D60 with an exposure of 1/1000 at f/16, ISO 800. Nikon 55-200 VR lens.

Looking Up

Something I learned while playing with our new family dog, is that things look different from another perspective. Getting down to play with the dog, let's me see the world from 6 inches above the ground. Seeing life in this way, so much of the world looks HUGE! Smaller things, things that we might ordinarily overlook or not bother with... and now brought into vivid detail. Its nice to get down low, or way up high, and see the world from different viewpoints.

Shot with Nikon D60

Locked Doors

Here's another image that falls into the Simple, Yet Interesting file. I walk or drive past this scene every day...literally. Every day, people pass by simple scenes and pay them no attention. We've grown accustomed to "tunnel vision", not seeing the simple things that allow us to slow down and enjoy life...instead of speeding through it.

Shot with Nikon D60 with an exposure of 1/60 at f/5, ISO 100. Nikon 55-200 VR lens.

A Wee Bit of Snow

Since starting this project, I've slowly been learning to look at things differently. I look for the images that I normally would overlook, or shrug off as "not interesting". However, I give credit to my expanding imagination...and my friend, Paul Michael Kane. He's a professional photographer I had the opportunity to meet at an event not long ago. His influence has definately had an effect on me. I looked at this simple fence post with a little snow on it and thought..."I like the way this looks". It's different...it's simple.

Shot with Nikon D60 with an exposure of 1/60 at f/5, ISO 100. Nikon 55-200 VR lens.

Snow Day in America

Ahh...the beginning of a record amount of snowfall! This image was taken after two bouts of shoveling that day. I love getting images of the American Flag...whether if n a cemetery or on top of buildings downtown. I saw the snow piled up on my neighbor's lawn, her van, and porch roof...as well as my van. I thought that the whole seen is bleak and blah...but the colors of the flag made a POP in the image. i liked it.

Shot with my Nikon D60 with an exposure of 1/100 at f/5, ISO 100

A Glow in the Snow

In my travels the other night, I spotted this light post that was almost completely hidden the snow and bending branches. When I processed the original image...I didn't like it. No matter what I did to adjust the colors, it just kept coming out with a "blah" kind of look. However, I've found that many images can be saved, and even become a great image, by converting it to black & white. Of course, a splash of color from the lantern helped. I think it turned out pretty nice.

Shot with a Nikon D60 with an exposure of 1/50 at f/5.3, ISO 100. Nikon 55-200 VR lens.

Bucket of Snow

After the Snow Storm we got on Saturday, I grabbed my camera and went fro a walk through the snow covered streets. I found this small pot hanging off a fence. I just thought it looked like a neat shot, so I took it.

I shot this with my Nikon D60 with an exposure of 1/50 of a second at f/5, ISO 100. I used my Nikon 55 - 200 VR lens.