Monday, August 13, 2007

A Tradition Continues:

My dad introduced me to baseball about 40 years ago. I can remember going to my first professional ball games at about 9 years old in Minneapolis. The Twins of the day had Harmon Killebrew and John Roseboro. Why did those players stand out? Well Killebrew became a legend and Roseboro lived in our apartment complex in Mound, Minnesota (on Lake Minnetonka). Anyway we have been going to spring training games for the Atlanta Braves for the last 8 years or so. It's been a fun rite of spring. Great weather, a 1st class ball park (Disney Wide World of Sports) and the beloved Braves, along with Hot Dogs and Beer make for a wonderful relaxing way to spend time with my father. He too, was a shutter bug in his younger days, and now has embraced digital point and shoot with ease.

I would like to become better at photographing action sports, along with birds in flight. One of the nice things with my dslr is the 3fps (3 frames per second) though sometimes I think I would like 5 (or more) like the "big boys" have, but until I max out the camera capabilities I will continue with my "lowly" 3 fps. What does FPS have to do with shooting sports? It allows you to capture the subject in sequence and come up with some shots like you see the from pros.

Take the snap to the left: I think the objective to a good action sports snap is to show the athleticism and grace at the same time. I definitely need practice getting subjects in focus and in positions that show their athleticism and grace. The light was not my friend this day, nor were our seats, but once a leftie came up I had to make the best of the situation. (Remember you can click on the picture and it will bring up a larger more detailed version)

We were also treated to a special event. After the game they let the kids run the bases. Well we know kids make for some of THE best photographs, and having none of my own, I try to take advantage of the opportunities to shoot kids being kids. These days you really can't point your camera at a kid because everyone is afraid the picture will wind up on the internet in some sordid way. What a sad state of affairs, but I very much understand this and I don't typically point my camera at kids unless everyone is pointing their cameras at the kids... I have a series of 4 that I want to share if I can:




I made it!!!

Uh Oh, who's this behind me?


Well, I'm not moving!
Mom? R U gonna take the picture?

Sorry about the alignment of the pictures - I'm not an html whiz and blogger doesn't easily help you do these types of postings. Remember, for any picture you see on my blog - just click on it to see a larger, more detailed version.

My World and Welcome To It


I love this picture. To me it epitomizes my world, which I dearly love. Our 8.5 acres borders on a small peaceful river. The cabin is small and cozy. And the room this place has is dog heaven. The first time I saw it I said, "if it was half as good on the inside as it was on the outside, it was ours".

This picture is taken with an extreme wide angle (10mm digital which is equiv to 15mm in film slr). I love that wide angle, though you have to be careful with your composition or you get very mundane shots. Wide angle landscapes should have an interesting subject in the foreground without distracting your eye from the grandness of the 'scape. I think I accomplished this. Mattie, our aussie, is such a good model and a natural ham in front of the camera.

Inaugural Posting


Sometimes I like the pictures I take and I want to remember why I liked them. It might be a fleeting moment. I am shy about posting my pictures publicly as I know they are not technically perfect, but if they elicit emotion from me, then I am happy. I take pictures for myself.

I enjoy taking pictures of our animules, so amongst the hard core photography crowd, one of my favorite subjects is de rigeur...

This picture is of our newest cat (kitten) who literally jumped out of the gutter and into my arms. Moe (as in one Mo' kitty) is quite the devil amongst our menagerie of two dogs and two other cats. He has provided new poses for my collection.. The smallness of this space doesn't do this picture all the justice it deserves. I love the detail in the eyes, fur and tongue.

Unless asked, I won't get into what I shoot with. It's about the picture, not the gear. And for those who know about this stuff, I usually don't strip my exif info.
Welcome aboard. I hope you enjoy the ride.