Wedding Decorations

Mirror Lock Up

Just a quick pointer to my fellow photographers. If you want sharp shots and you have a stationary subject. Use the mirror lock-up. I am often disappointed with the sharpness of my images and therefore did a bit of research as to how to make my shots sharper. One thing that was mentioned was to use mirror lock-up, which simply allows the camera user to lock the mirror in the camera up before the exposure is made. The vibration caused by the mirror slapping back and forth in the camera causes unnecessary movement and therefore decreases how sharp the image can be.  

Lost Creek Wilderness Area

2014 Calendar

Hey All, these are the potential shots for the 2014 Calendar.

Light Leaves

"Light Leaves" is a collection of shots taken of leaves (or leafs?) as they catch the sunlight and make beautiful colors or interesting patterns. I find leaves especially fascinating because they are an object of commonplace. However, as with all things created, they have a way of crying out the Creators glory (Luke 19:40).  

Sunflower after a early morning rain.

Pea Pod

Catalpa leaf

Sunflower leaf

Not sure what kind of leaf

Don't know this one either

Lacewing warming up

Fall

Milkweed leaf

Sunday Evening Bike Ride

Dordt Prairie

Macro Garden

Insects are Cool

Sometime when you are bored, take a second to actually look closely at things. Today for example are insects and the patterns that they have. The monarchs wings are easy to appreciate as they are wonderfully colorful and vivid with striking lines running through. A sweat flies, or hover flies, are not quite as impressive. Even so, check out the pattern on its abdomen. Isn't that sweet? In any case, enjoy. Hannah took the one of the fly!

Broccoli Leaf Drop

This shot was taken shortly after a light rain shower passed through the area. The water hung out on the broccoli leaves for a little while, beaded up like marbles. The mildly hydrophobic waxy layer on the outside of the leaves may seem counter intuitive, as plants need water, but that layer also prevents the leaves from loosing gross amounts of water as the summer suns beats down on the plants and speeds the possibility for evaporation.

Frost's Curl

 

Autumn Lacewing

Do What You Love...

On more than one occasion I have heard a photographer say "just do photography for yourself, it is so therapeutic", or something along those lines. And, while using art as therapy for oneself is useful, it is not a good goal for any person. The idea of doing art purely for oneself all the time for its "therapeutic" benefits seems to me to be no different than an athlete who did hours of physical therapy everyday, but had no intention of running a race. The act of therapy is not an end in itself. 

A proper motivation for one's work may then be doing photography for others. Unfortunately, I find myself often caught up in the confines of social networking and aiming to get the most "likes" or views on a photograph as possible, kidding myself that the more people that "like" it, the better photograph that it is. What kind of end is that? It is a worse let down than 1984 (it is a good book, really). Course, then you find out that some pre-pubescent child just owned you in social media department. Humble pie has just been served straight to your face. 

In any case, what is the point in this? It isn't that there is no proper way to do photography. My point is that whatever is your passion, whether it is photography, farming, working with kids or whatever, you have that passion for a specific reason and it is not so that you can have a pick-me-up a bad day and it is not so that you can gain popularity. If you are at a loss for reasons, check out Col 3:17 for starters. 

Webs

ISO 800, 183mm, f/4.5, 1/80 sec, 

ISO 800, 200mm, f/4.5, 1/80 sec

ISO 800, 183mm, f/4.5, 1/80

ISO 800, 300mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec

ISO 800, 24mm, f/7.1, 1/250th sec