Recent Work

DC Day 2

Day 2 started with Val heading to class, so I headed over to the Smithsonian Castle, Air and Space Museum and finally the National Gallery of Art.  I spent far more time in these locations than I had originally thought I would.  The National Gallery of Art is quite massive, and the large collection of works from around the world make it easy to lose track of time.  This took me well into the afternoon.

Once I left the Gallery, I headed over to the Supreme Court.  I really wanted to tour the Court, but there was a large group of students that were going through, and I didn’t want to fight the crowd..  So I decided to go to the Library of Congress, and I am glad I had time for it.  Externally it is a very elaborate building…but the interior has to be one of the most amazing structures I have ever been in.  The detail and artwork overwhelms you.  I, again, spent far more time here than I anticipated…only this time I actually took a number of photos.

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DC Day 1

About a month ago, my wife found out she needed to attend a training in Washington DC for her work.  I was able to take the time off and go along.  While it was a fairly short trip, I did manage to get a number of the sites I wanted to visit completed, mainly along the National Mall.  Our first day, we were able to get to Arlington National Cemetery for the changing of the guard.  While walking through heading to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we noticed that they still had a splash of color in the trees…something that had long disappeared for us at home.  I decided to leave the DSLR for the first day, and all of these images were made with a Canon S120 pocket camera.

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Split Rock Lighthouse Lighting

Every year on November 10th, Split Rock Lighthouse is lit in memory of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  I tend to make my way over to shoot whenever possible, as it is the only official time the lighthouse is lit.  This year I worked closer to the lighthouse, shooting from the shoreline.  The weather was overly nice, pushing 55 on the shore with no clouds and very little wind.  The Moonlight did affect the beam, as it would wash out the sky a bit. 

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Val’s Headshot

I have not posted that often this year, though I have been shooting whenever I have had a chance.  Earlier this year my wife did something she rarely does, and volunteered to get in front of the camera.  She needed a headshot for work, and figured she would have me take it. We setup the makeshift studio, placed the black background, a sitting stool, a pair of flashes and a reflector.  Below is the result:

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First Black Car

I have photographed a number of cars, in varying colors, but have never taken a crack at a black car.  Photographing cars in general can have a certain level of difficulty due to the reflective nature of the paint, so you have to be aware of where everything is in relation to the camera to avoid those reflections.  But with black you add the extra considerations with exposure and how easy it can be to blend the the car into the background. 

This was my first attempt at photographing a black car, and I decided to try and do it using only natural light, and I didn’t help myself by trying to do it around sunset.  Knowing this would not be the only time I would have to photograph this car, I figured it would help me with learn what I need to do, and where flash might help me out in future shoots.

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Wabasha Bridge

While staying in Wabasha last week, my wife and I walked around downtown.  The town has some interesting architecture, and standing above the rest of the town is the Wabasha-Nelson Bridge. The bridge crosses the Mississippi River and connects Wabasha, MN to Nelson, WI.

As we were walking, the sun broke under the cloud cover, lighting the bridge in a warm glow.  As I was looking for an angle at the bridge, the pattern of the braces under the bridge caught my attention, so I attached my telephoto lens and locked the camera down on the tripod.

Below are 2 images, the first being the pattern from the braces, the second being the bridge itself.

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