Never Give Up!

I did something unusual today.  I purposely awoke before the sun even came up to go take some sunrise shots.  The weather has been cooler than normal, and it was very cloudy yesterday, so I hoped there would at least be some residual clouds for reflection and maybe some mist on the water in the pond.

I also wanted the boardwalk in this pond in the foreground, but found out when I got there that they had changed the boardwalk and I could not get the effect I was envisioning.  That, plus the clouds were non-existent and there was no mist.  Sounds like a disappointing morning, right?

Not really.  I did stay and get some less-than-exciting shots from the boardwalk, but I spied a couple other vantage points that I thought held promise, so just as the sun was about to peek over the trees I picked up my gear and went elsewhere.

I ended up getting several shots that I think have potential, including this one here.  This is three bracketed shots merged in HDR and converted to black-and-white.  I rarely do B&W, but this one worked.  I may post the color version, also.  Not sure yet.  I have to say that I think the flare adds to this a bit.

This was taken at a county park, Wickiup Hill Outdoor Learning Center, near Palo, Iowa.

Still a Sucker for a Silhouette

I took this shot this past December.  It was freezing cold out, just after sunrise, somewhere just above zero degrees.  Needless to say, the hands don't always operate so well in those conditions.  Just touching the button on the remote is like slamming one's fingers onto a metal railing, then smashing a book on top just to make sure it hurts enough.

Where am I now?  Well, it's raining outside... I'm inside... it is kind of chilly, but I am too cheap to have the heater on in late April... and all seems good with the photographic world as this picture looks good and the memories of the finger pain have long since subsided.

Just in case you're wondering, this was shot north of Mt Vernon, Iowa... and in the full light is far less interesting.

Lessons I Have Learned, Pt 1: Turn Around

That's right. I said "turn around". Why? Because sometimes that's where the good shots are.

I have several examples where I went out to shoot something specific and also found a great shot simply by turning around and looking the other direction. The shot you see here is my latest example.

Now, in this case, the shot I went for was good as well, and you will see it soon enough, but there have been times when my intended shot was utter garbage, and the day was saved by just... turning around.

I decided to post the black and white version, though the color version is interesting in its own right... in a hazy sort of way.

The George Lepp Seminar

Yesterday, my photo club hosted a photography seminar by world-renown photographer George Lepp... and what a treat it was! The information and the inspiration were both phenomenal. George, and his wife Kathy, were both absolutely delightful. It was an all-day event, and subjects ranged from landscapes to macros to panoramas to stop-action to almost everything in between.

Of course, with any good photo presentation like this, the bank account will probably end up a bit lighter after I invest in a few more toy... er, ummm... tools. I can say that I was inspired to expand my focus. No pun intended... well, maybe a small pun. :-p

Today's featured photo is one I took a couple years ago at a photo workshop in Michigan. Wouldn't it be great to wake up to that every morning?