18 August 2010

What a Good Photo Club can do for You

My photo club hosts an annual picnic in a local park. This local park has a community flower garden. Many of us retire to said flower garden after the picnic.

Well, this year it was very hot and humid and muggy, so only about 4 or 5 of us ventured out this year. The shot here is one that I obtained that evening.

This is an example of what a good photo club can do for you.... expose you to new opportunities and encourage you to shoot. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Unfortunately, there are some clubs that are rather boorish and cliquish and don't do any of that. I would encourage anyone seeking a photo club to visit a few clubs a few times and determine if they will suit your needs.

07 August 2010

Lighthouses, lighthouses...

Venturing outside the borders of Iowa again. We seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Visited a couple lighthouses in Michigan last week. This one is known as "Big Red", for obvious reasons, and sits at the harbor entrance near Holland, Michigan.

This one is rather unique. I honestly cannot say it is one of my favorites, bit it has a certain charm that is undeniable. It is not what most would think when they think lighthouses.

Missy and I got up early so we could get this one in the morning light. Given that this is on the east side of Lake Michigan we didn't feel that it would look interesting in a sunset silhouette. It would look like a house, not a lighthouse. I'm finding that I enjoy shooting lighthouses more than I thought I would. I'll have to re-visit some of these, and seek out more.

And, yes, it really is that God-awful red.