National Zoo

Remember going to the Zoo as a kid?  Running around to get a glimpse of all of the animals, dodging people, maintenance trucks, and spilled food on the ground?  If you went in the middle of the day, most of the animals were napping--not super thrilling :(

But, if you go to the zoo really early in the morning, there are much less people to dodge, and the animals are awake and ready for breakfast!  This makes for some awesome photographs.

Reflection! (well, kind of with the ripples). 

The other thing that always grabs my attention in this photograph are the scars on her back.  I am not trying to create a commentary on the treatment of zoo animals or accuse the zookeepers in any way--it's just something that stands out to me.

Both of these shots of the lions are of the lionesses.  I so wanted to get some shots of the tiger, but he was down in an alcove playing with his keg, and he would not come out!

In all my research on how to photograph animals at the zoo, every article said not to include fences in the shot--but this is one of my absolute favorites.  I love how his eye is centered in the hole of the chain link fence.

You can juuust make out the red of his eye.

The flamingos--always love the pink-ness of their feathers and the graceful curve of their neck.

The pandas!  The reason so many people come to the National Zoo.  At 6:30 in the morning, it was only me, another photographer and 2 families there.  Much calmer than hundreds of people crammed against the fences with their cell phones and tablets.

This is Bao Bao.  I was able to get this and the next shot because she was right in front of a back pathway that is right next to the glass.  I did have to clean the class with a rag that I brought with me first.  Still so worth it!

Another shot of Bao Bao--my favorite of the morning!  It was really cool to be able to be this close and get a shot like this!

I guess my next step in photographing wildlife is to go on a safari! Ha! :P

Cheers!

Love in Alexandria

Alexandria, VA is a beautiful place to have your picture taken.  It is right on the water, and has an "old-town" feel to it.  I asked a couple of friends of mine if they were willing to let me practice on them in this beautiful place--they said yes! (I guess if they had said no, they wouldn't have been mentioned, right?)

The couple is Chris and Heather, a long-time couple who I met through school.  It was quite cold out, but we battled through it--helped along by Starbucks :)

If you know Alexandria pretty well, you may recognize this tunnel.  It is located on Wilkes street, and is probably one of the more popular places in Alexandria--just so we can get shots like this!

If you don't know Chris and Heather--they are wonderfully zany.  That meant we had to get a jumping shot--it turned out great!

(hint--they key to a good jumping shot is a fast shutter speed! It will freeze the subjects mid-jump.)

Very romantic--even on a children's swing set :)

After the tunnel and the playground, we headed for the water.  Chris and Heather were so great in front of the camera.  If I didn't tell them what to do, they would come up with something on their own--and it was usually pretty funny!

Gazing out into the future.....awww.....Love in Alexandria <3

Thanks again to Chris and Heather for being my guinea pigs--and to Holly, who carried everything for us as we walked around Alexandria :)  I had a great time!

Cheers :)

Abandoned

So far in this blog, my photos have been.....pretty.  Portraits of people, dogs, and a lot of snow pictures.  Well, there is a subject that I love to take photos of that is not.....very.....pretty. Abandoned places.  Places where man invaded nature, built something new, left, and nature returned. 

I think what truly draws me to places like this are the stories behind the abandonment.  I mean.....someone invested in building these places, and then left them to rot.  Something must have happened to cause these people to leave.  And it is just amazing to stand in a place like this, and
imagine.

The photos below depict an abandoned, small-scale, theme park in (you guessed it!) the Outer Banks.  Every year, I drive by this place, and I finally had to explore.  Here is what I found.

This park had mini golf, water slides, and a raceway.  This shot was of the decorative pool in the mini golf area.  The pool was nearly drained, leaving the sides to dry out and rot.

The end of a water slide.  I like the converging parallels to the door blocking the slide.  It's like a door to the past.

Yep, there was still some rotting water laying around in places. No--I did not get in it to get this shot.

Believe it or not....this used to be a water slide.  Now completely overgrown with vines and left to the forces of nature.

I found this pile of wood.  Like, "cut nicely from Lowes" pile of wood.  Did someone try to rebuild at some point, but couldn't keep going?

I LOVE the frame in this photo.  Yes, I could have straightened it out so the frame in the photo could be parallel with the sides of the photo, but chose to keep it crooked.  It echoes the brokenness of the park itself.

More converging parallels....like a lot of them!  This was not at the top of the tower in the previous picture.  I was only able to climb a few stairs before they were blocked off. This was an overhang above the raceway.  I had to awkwardly bend over a railing to get this shot.

I love the red of the rust with the aqua-blue of the old paint.

Someone got sentimental.  Another clue to the story of this abandoned place.

What do you think happened to this place that was once filled with laughter and is now only filled with the blowing of the wind?

Cheers :)

Canine Action

I think the title is pretty self-explanatory :)

Yep, this series of photos features action shots of my brother's dog, Oakley.  Popeye (my friend's Beagle) also makes an appearance!

Tracking a speeding animal was NOT easy.  Oakley is a mix of breeds, but she definitely has some Greyhound in her, so when she runs, she RUNS! :)  I had to do a lot of crouching on the ground to get most of these shots.  Animals always look better in photos when you photograph them on their eye level (PS that works for children too!).

See what I mean about her having Greyhound in her?

Popeye was such a trooper.  Even though Oakley's stride was much longer than his, he still kept up--howling all the way :)

Yep, he's teaching her to jump.
I love the shadow in this picture--I was losing the light fast, but that's usually where the magic happens.

Man's best friend :)

Until next time--

Cheers :)

My First Job......

Today I wanted to share the photos from my very first job as a photographer.....everybody say "awwwww." :P

Near the beginning of the summer of 2015, my friend Jen asked me if I could take some Mother/Son portraits of her and her son, Ben.  AND she offered to pay me--of course I said yes!

As we were trying to work out a time and a place--I realized that she would be arriving in the Outer Banks the same day I would be leaving.  I asked her if she wanted some beach portraits before I went home--she was all for it!

So I stayed an extra night in the OBX, and met her and Ben outside their condo in the morning.  Below are some of the best shots of the session!

Being on the beach meant I had to get a shot with the ocean in the background! (this actually turned out to be quite difficult, as the sun was also behind them, which made the whole scene back-lit!)

Ben was such a trooper with us that morning.  He had to get up early...on his vacation....but he still smiled and laughed at my terrible jokes.  What an awesome guy :)

I know this photo turned out to be Jen's favorite.  She told me that she loved the little fences in the dunes, so I had them climb up and lean (oh-so-carefully) against this fence.  I think we may have been where we weren't supposed to be, but.....we got an awesome photo out of it!

I can't thank Jen enough for putting her faith in me and giving me my first paying job as a photographer.  It was a great experience and I learned so much!  I even got hired on the spot by another person to do Father/Son portraits that day before I left to go home (he saw me photographing Jen and Ben, and approached me while they were changing outfits).  I was almost speechless at how things came together that day.  I do believe God works in mysterious ways.

Thank you for taking a glimpse into my humble beginnings as a photographer.  I will be in the OBX again this year, if anybody wants some beach portraits.  Just saying..... ;)

Cheers :)

Viola Photos

Hello!

While this blog is focused on sharing my passion for photography, I also love teaching music.  I won't post pictures of my students (waaaay too many legal issues there), but I do enjoy taking artistic photos of musical instruments--today's being the viola.

The set up for these photos is pretty basic.  Because I don't have studio lighting and a professional backdrop, I had to improvise.  These shots are used with 1-2 lamps and a bedsheet draped over a short bookshelf and the floor.

Taking pictures of the entire viola did not work with my amateur set up.  In those shots, it was obvious that the instrument was sitting on my bedroom floor.  So I decided to focus on individual features of the viola.

In this shot you can really see the bedsheet in the background (bought it Ross-$20!)

If you want to try something like this on your own, here are a couple of tips:

1. Iron the sheet you are using for a background or use some kind of fabric that doesn't show wrinkles easily in photos (like a fuzzy or faux-fur kind of fabric).  Wrinkles are way easier to iron out in real life than taking out in Photoshop. Believe me I've tried!
2. Avoid using direct light. The lamps I used had shades over them as well as wax paper clipped to the bottom of the shade so I could diffuse the light as much as possible. Gradual changes from light to shadow look nicer than abrupt changes (think of any picture shot in direct sunlight- really dark shadows and bright sun make it difficult for your eyes to adjust as they look around the photo)
3. If you can use a longer focal length (cameras with interchangeable lenses), try it.  Longer focal lengths sometimes work better than shorter focal lengths when it comes to close-up photography.  All of the photos above were taken with a 70mm focal length and a 2.8 aperture.  This doesn't mean something like this can't be done with a camera phone or a point and shoot--don't let lack of equipment stop you from trying!

If you try something like this (it doesn't have to be of a musical instrument!), please share your photos!  I would love to see how they came out :)

Cheers :)

Corny Joke....but still a classic!

So....the snow has melted.  Well, off the roads/sidewalks at least.  Life has gone back to normal, and people are going back to work and students are going back to school.  That must mean we are all in need of some really bad, corny jokes, right?

Ok here goes.....What jokes could possibly go with this picture?

Q: Where are cars most likely to get flat tires? 

A: At a fork in the road!

Q: Why did Macy's Day Parade balloon pop?

A: It came to a fork in the road!

Yes, I know.  Both of those are pretty lame.  Alas, lame jokes tend to be my favorite.  If it is a joke that most people groan and roll their eyes, It makes me laugh hysterically!

This photo was taken on the Indian Head Rail Trail.  It's a great place to walk/bike/run.  Plus, it does not run parallel to any major highway, so you will not constantly hear the roar of cars.  I was walking along, and found this literal FORK paved into the road.  I had to take a picture, because it an actual fork in the road, and the corny sense of humor in me was rejoicing! (If you are wondering-- yes, I was laying down on the ground to get this shot.  Another person walking by thought I had died or something.....ah well)

What jokes (or memes?) would you come up with to go with this photo?  I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that are more creative with words than I am!  Do share!

Take this (kina lame) joke and head into this week with a smile on your face!

Cheers :)