Ahhh! Spring Is Here - Finally

Spring is finally here in NE Ohio and it was great to be outside without a coat, hat and gloves this last weekend.  I was able to take advantage of it by spending the afternoon at Wellington Reservoir in Wellington, OH and had a great time spotting and shooting the various wildlife like the blue-winged teal above.

Nikon D600 with the 105mm f/2.8, 300mm f/4 and TC-14EII

I've had the teleconverter TC-14EII for awhile now but haven't used it much.  Over the course of this last week, however, that has changed.  My hang-up with using it before was a slight, and I mean slight, image degradation.  I read where it was mentioned that this teleconverter maybe made a 5% difference in image quality and I can see it if I compare images side be side and do so on my big monitor.  Well, guess what?  I'll just use it from now on and have fun.  After using it this past week on the two lenses mentioned I know I'll keep it attached to the camera as a welcome addition to being able to extend my reach when shooting wildlife.

Nikon 300mm f/4 and Monopod

I've been getting out with the Nikon 300mm f/4 more and more for shooting wildlife and really enjoy the images produced by this lens.  When I do my part they are sharp and crisp.  Don't go by what you see here because the images are compressed somewhat.  Be sure to click on them to view the larger size as these need to be seen.

A Little Food Photography

Mindy made what she called chickpea, cherry salad tonight and as is the norm more often than not I took the photos for her blog.  You can find the recipes for everything listed here and more if you're interested.  It's all quite delicious.  I used the Nikon D600, 105mm f/2.8 and the SB700 shooting through an umbrella for this shot.  This gave nice, soft, even light right where I wanted it with the bonus that I did very little tweaking in LR by simply boosting Lights under the Tone Curve menu and that was it.  

Lighting with one Speedlight

About a week ago I was up late and decided to experiment with the Speedlight SB700 as this is fairly new to me and there is a lot to learn.  It could be any compatible light but I happen to have this one.  For the photo above it was about 11:30 PM and I had only one small lamp on beside me so I could see what I was doing.  Otherwise, the house was dark.  The 105mm f/2.8 was on the D600 so this is what I used.  This idea was spur-of-the-moment and the shooting session very informal.  Anyway, I set the speedlight behind this vase to see what kind of effect it may have on the environment once the shutter is tripped and this is the result.  What you see is a speaker grille on the left, the vase, television on the right, and what is our sunroom in the back.  Remember, the house was dark except for the small lamp bedside me.  The camera was set to Manual mode, manual exposure, 1/50s, ISO 100 @ f/2.8  The camera's built-in AF assist illuminator had to be turned on ( I usually keep it off) for auto focus to work because it was too dark otherwise.  I did not note what manual setting was used on the speedlight and will have to remember to do so next time.  Anyway, I like this.  The sunroom looks lit up, outside is dark as seen through the windows and the highlights in the photo all help portray the feel and sense of that evening as I remember it.  Look close and you'll see little white specs suspended around the vase.  That's dust in the air captured by the instant flash of light.  And next time I'll have to hide the speedlight better.  : )

Love Is In the Air (and the SB 700 Speedlight Off-Camera)

Congratulations to our daughter and her husband on the birth of their little girl.  All are doing great as they experience a whole other kind of love and wonder. 

New Life

It's been a very tiring week around here as Mindy and I have been expecting the birth of our daughters first child.  It began when her and her husband went to the hospital on Monday because the contractions were steady and frequent.  Mindy and I showed up minutes after they did and 5 or 6 hours later we were all sent home because the contractions had lightened up and our daughter was deemed "not in active labor".  

Autumn - A Photo Essay

Sunset Glow

I made it out for a very brief time yesterday but was able to capture this sunset.  Just wanted to share.

Photo Shoot for Free or Not? Part 2

The other day I asked if I (we) should do photo shoots for free or not.  If interested you can read my thoughts on that, and I hope you do because I mention other costs in that article that are altogether different than what this piece is about.  Here, I want to explore some real monetary costs that are involved on our part as well as the cost of our time which is based on my limited experience concerning what I have encountered.  

I am not a professional photographer.  By that, I mean I do not make my living from photography.  It is my hobby.  A passion. Something I enjoy very much.  I derive much satisfaction and pleasure from it.  And it is all the sweeter when someone else appreciates and enjoys my efforts.  If photography is your hobby, this article is for you.