Monday, July 22, 2013

In The Rain


I'm trying harder this year to make the most of the unusual amount of rain we have had this summer. All one needs is an umbrella to keep the rain off your camera and away you go.

Chris.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Updated Family Photo

My Brother and I and our wives threw a 50th anniversary party for our parents this pas weekend. It took a fair amount of planning and a whole lot of secrecy and pulling the wool over our parents eyes for months. Everything went really well and they were very surprised that we could manage to cooperate for the time it took to put this all together. It was a lot of fun in the end.

Here is an updated family photo of all of us. We have never had one will all our kids in at the same time. It just never seemed to work out. Finally I have that photo. I'll have to be sure to print one for my parents and my Brother and Sister-in-law as well for the wall.


 It is official, I am the tallest in my family now. Dad was the tallest at 6'4" but he's shrunk with age leaving me the tallest at 6'3". I'm taller than any one on either side of my family now. It's good to be the king. LOL!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

July In Alberta Means Thunderstorms!

I think the best part of July in Alberta is thunderstorms. I really want to get out of my back yard though and get some distance between me and the storm so I can really get some dramatic photos.

That said, the sky last night was very dramatic over the city. Always best when the cells are small enough that they don't cover the whole city at once.


Chris.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

More Time With The 17-85mm.

So, I've been spending a lot more time with the 17-85mm that I had all but written off. I'm sure the last time I used this lens was 4 years ago. I'm not sure why I got it into my head that it was not a good lens. I do that kind of thing from time to time. Like when I learned that I could shoot at very high ISOs in the day light to get really fast shutter speeds. Then I got stuck thinking that all my shot's should be at a high ISO just to get that fast shutter speed. What ended up happening was poor photos with bad contrast and color.

So, what I'm learning about this lens is also something that I'm learning about myself. It is pretty good. And I'm pretty good. I don't want to toot my own horn but my photography is pretty descent. Even if few people actually look at it. I don't really go out of my way to promote myself these days. Maybe soon but I don't do it right now.

Anyway, I've drifted from my topic a bit. I tend to do that.

Here is a photo from my playings around today that really shows off what this lens can do under the right circumstances. We were out in the yard again, boy I love summer, and I had my speedlite on the camera to test what this lens could do with some nicer fill flash. I was quite happy with the result.


Let's ignore her mop of a hair doo this evening. It's been hot and the play was hard! Look at her eyes, so sharp and the color is just popping out at you. Then there is her freckles across her cheeks and over her nose. They just pop as well. With the right amount of light, this lens is very sharp. Sharp enough that I'm proud to show off this example from the lens.

I have a shoot tomorrow with a young married couple with a new born. They are looking for some good quality photos of their new son and I'm confident that I will be able to produce some very good images for them with this lens and my 50mm. I'm taking all my gear. The tripod and my umbrella too. Might as well run through everything I have.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Mikayla - Back Yard Portraits

Mikayla, Back Yard Portrait #1


Playing around with my Canon 17-85mm lens some more. Pop a bit of fill flash in there and It made for a really nice portrait.

Backlit Sweedish Aspen Leaves


Playing around with my Canon 17-85mm kit lens that I got with my 50D 4 years ago. I don't use this lens much at all. I didn't really like the results I was getting with it but as my skills as s photographer increase I'm finding uses for all those old lenses I didn't think were any good at the time. I was such a lens snob.

I think I need to play around with this lens exclusively for a few weeks and see what it's real limits are. Not the ones my attitudes had placed on it.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Peek A Boo...


I see you. And I 'm not going to fly away until you leave.

I was trying to get a photo of one of the swallows coming back to the house and landing on the front. I waited and waited for almost an hour before I got too hot and decided to go in the lake instead.

Swallows - 1
Chris - 0.