Somewhere In The Middle

In The Middle

A continuation from last night. This trash can was sitting out in the middle of an open area. It was a little strange and yet perfectly at home. What I really loved are the concrete squares with lights pouring out of them. Very interesting to me. Again, I can see doing some really fun portrait work there. I may have to consider some work in this area along with a staircase project that I've been wanting to work on. Ooooh, the possibilities. Now I'm getting all excited again.


You know, it's pretty funny, but when I was taking these pictures I was getting some pretty interesting looks. My family that was with me . . . well to them it was just another day with me.

If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves. ~ Thomas Edison

And so, as we sit here and look at this picture - In The Middle - I hope that you are not finding yourself stuck in the middle. For the middle should be a point where you find that you have come very far and yet have very far to go.

May we all be in the middle taking the first step toward something new. I believe that is where we begin to find what we are truly capable of - when we are always in motion, moving toward a goal.

Lighting Can Make All The Difference.

Lit From Behind

A fun family outing led to this scene. This was an area that was all metal and concrete and lighting. Immediately I fell in love. I really want to take some family pics in front of that lit wall. For now, I will make due with the metal trashcan and, wait a minute, is that a staircase at the very edge? Oh how I do love staircases.

And now for something really different

Glowing Blue

Again, taken at the planetarium. I'm not sure, but I like this one too. I know it's very different. I think it's the experimentalness (is that even a word?) of it. I'm not saying this is something I would want to blow up to poster size, frame and hang in my living room. But, there is something about it that is a little fun.
The picture from last night was taken with a very quick shutter speed and actually came out pretty dark. I had to do some work on it in Photoshop. Once I saw that the image was on the darker side on my camera, I quickly made some adjustments and took a few photos with a longer shutter speed. As some of you know, a longer shutter speed in a low light situation and a very dark room (not to mention the subject being a younger person) is a very tricky thing to get. So, perfection it is not. But fun nonetheless. And after all, it's about the journey isn't it?

You'll never do a whole lot unless you're brave enough to try. ~ Dolly Parton

And so on the end of this long holiday weekend, I am pleasantly surprised that it is an early an evening as it is for me. This means I should be able to get some reading in - Return of the Jedi here I come!

My Very Own Blue Man

I have another passion. I am just as crazy about it as photography - well maybe even more so - if you can imagine that. It is music. I love all sorts of music (except for Country) and all sorts of artists. My iPod is loaded up with stuff from Lady Gaga to E.L.O. to John Williams' orchestrations. I love to listen to the Braveheart soundtrack and Guns & Roses. I love it and am very inspired by it.

A few years ago, my family had the pleasure of seeing The Blue Man Group in concert. Amazing show. We loved it so much we saw them again a few months later when they came back through our town. Just as good the second time.

And now, I have my very own blue man.

This was taken in a room lit up with a blue light. Okay, to be a little more specific, it was a planetarium. Waiting for the show to begin, they had the top portion of the room lit by blue. It made everything white glow blue. My son sat very still for me so that I could capture him as best I could in the low lighting situation with my hand held point and shoot camera. Tomorrow I will share a different version of this picture.

A single chance is a galaxy of hope. ~ From Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Now That's a Little Different

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Sometimes some pretty cool things come from some very unexpected places. And this photo is definitely one of those.


Yesterday I talked about how excited I was to be going to an NFL game and to see the Washington Redskins play. I know they have not been doing the best in the past few years, but that doesn't change that I still like to root for that team. It was totally fun! I was pleasantly surprised at how many Skins fans there were at an away game. It was great to see the shirts, hats and jerseys throughout the entire stadium. It was also a little strange to see a few people at the stadium wearing jerseys from the Saints and the Bears - since the Skins were playing the Cardinals. But that is not what I am talking about being a little different.

And so, I will say it again (and return to my original thought) sometimes pretty cool things come from very unexpected places. Before I got my point and shoot camera out to take pictures of the field and of us at the game, I pulled out my cell phone and snapped a couple pictures with it. Something that I rarely do - but should more often. That's right, if you have not figured it out by now, this photo was taken with my cell phone. No, I did not streak it or move it to get the lights to look that way. That is exactly how the cell phone interpreted all that information . . . that is exactly what it looked like on the screen before I took the picture. I couldn't tell for sure what it was going to look like until I got it downloaded on my computer.

And . . . I . . . Love It! What a unique image. Almost dreamlike. Now if only the game followed along . . . The Skins lost. Good thing it was preseason - and really I don't care, it was still a great time being there and cheering them on.

Family

Family

A little bit back, I had the opportunity to photograph my oldest brothers family. They were all together for the first time in many years. We decided on an early morning session since the evenings were still very very hot. There's nothing quite like red cheeks in photos.


Here is one of my favorites from that day. This was an outside eating area that was too cute to resist. I am wanting to get into some more industrial type shooting situations and am always looking for areas that would be fun for backgrounds. If you know of any, please let me know!

I am doing this a little unusual tonight. I usually sit down to type up my postings at the very end of my day. Everyone else has gone to bed and the house is very quiet. Sometimes I listen to some music, but usually I do not. I pick out my photo. Sometimes I find the quote first and sometimes I type everything up first and then look for a quote, if I will be using one. It is at that moment, that I decide what topic I would like to talk about. And most times, whatever I think I'm going to talk about, I don't. I just let my fingers start typing and see where it takes me.

Well, tonight, or I should say this evening, it's just now going on 4:30. I am prepping a little early for my entry tonight. Why you might wonder? Well in just a few minutes we are heading over to watch the Washington Redskins play the Arizona Cardinals in football. I'm very excited to be going. Thanks to Warren for organizing the whole thing - finding tickets for a good price and getting them for everyone. It's my first NFL game and I have been looking forward to it all day long.

Peaceful Night

Full

Nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas. ~ Mad-Eye Moody from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling


During the week of those amazing sunrises, we had a beautiful show with the moon and clouds. This night it was so large and bright I could not resist. We had actually been out in the evening and I was watching the moon the whole ride home, hoping that it would not change too much before we could get home. The clouds were moving so fast that it was constantly changing. And, wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I got home there were no clouds around the moon. I was determined to capture that beautiful moon anyway. I setup my tripod and photographed for about 20 minutes.

It was so quiet and peaceful outside. Standing in my backyard, in my jammies, with my tripod and my flashlight. Shooting picture after picture after picture. Making slight adjustments after each one. I wanted to wait for some clouds to roll in, but they just weren’t cooperating with me. And…we had a Monopoly game waiting to be finished before bedtime.