Freeport 04

Walking perhaps a hundred feet inland, this shot was captured along the entrance to River Place. Wish I could have lingered longer to take more photos, but the break between meetings was only so long...

Freeport 03

Egrets are in abundance in Freeport and all along the Texas coast. In fact, there are many species of egret who's ranges converge along the waters of Brazoria County.

This guy parked himself mere steps from the door of River Place. In wildlife photography the secret is to focus on the eye. Unfortunately, I missed just a tad on this one, but fortunately I had taken another photo in which the eye was in perfect focus. The solution? Using the magic of Photoshop, I copied the eye from the other shot and pasted it into this one, feathering the edges (no pun intended) to blend smoothly with the surrounding features.

Freeport 02

Some people call sea gulls the "rats of the air", but I disagree. These little critters have a beauty of their own, and don't mind getting close enough to people to exhibit their unique personalities!

Freeport 01

While we're on the subject of critters and the Big Cahoona, I got the chance to snap a few while conducting a meeting in Freeport, Texas.

One of the best things about my job is that I get to travel extensively through the thirteen counties of our region, including Brazoria County. In so doing I get to meet with the finest people of our state - those who work hard to make their communities better places to live. Freeport is no exception.

This and the next three postings were taken just outside a beautiful conference facility called the River Place. Not only is it a unique and functional place to hold a meeting, even on short breaks participants get to step outside and enjoy the birds that are attracted by the river's water...

Houston Zoo 04, with the Big Cahoona

Now honestly...who could have resisted taking a shot at this?

Houston Zoo 03, with the Big Cahoona

Chalk up another one for the Big Cahoona!

Houston Zoo 02, with the Big Cahoona

This is the shot that convinced me that I have a pretty good thing going with the Big Cahoona...

Houston Zoo 01, with the Big Cahoona

The first real photo shoot that I did with the Nikon D300s (which I have taken to calling the "Big Cahoona") was in June of this year, at the Davis Mountains. 14 of these photos were posted the same month on this blog. During that vacation it was obvious that, from the first frame that was snapped, I would never go back to relying on a point-and-shoot - even an advanced one such as the Fujifilm s7000 - as a primary camera again.

Having said that, it was also obvious that the learning curve would be steep. Carrying the Big Cahoona around was like toting a brick. On top of that, with a rig like the Big Cahoona, you HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!! I fell, and still fall, way short of that criterion.

However there is no denying that, technically, the images are a leap ahead of what I had to work with before; all I have to do is learn how to coax them out of the beast.

The posting today, along with the next two or three, were taken with the Nikon on a visit to the Houston zoo. I still was totally unadjusted to carrying the thing around, and it felt awkward, cumbersome, and frankly...maybe not worth all the dough I had spent on it? This is the trip on which I accidentally stumbled on an image or two that convinced me that, yes, buying the thing and carrying a brick around would be worth the trouble.

I love to play with depth of field, using zoom as a primary tool with which to experiment. A helicopter flew overhead, and as I swung the beast around to capture it was distracted by this view of a glass building with color in the foreground that could be used to adjust depth of field. The lens that I purchased with the Big Cahoona has the equivalent of 11x optical zoom, so this shot was much easier to capture than it would have been with the 6x of the Fujifilm. Additionally, I noticed in post-capture that there appears to be far less work necessary to adjust for levels, color, etc.

Washington - WWII Memorial

In the spirit of taking pictures of things through things, this is a peek at the Lincoln Memorial through the columns of the World War II Memorial.

One of the most fascinating people I've met is someone nick-named Tinker, who served in that war. A high-level risk taker, he always volunteered to charge through the front in the first tank, which was his assignment (driver). Really had some great stories.

I believe this is a fitting conclusion to the posting of our vacation pictures...

Washington - White House 02

Anyone who's been to the White House has seen this character...a protester who has remained camped out on this spot for almost 30 years. We found her to be friendly, amiable, and very dedicated to her cause.

Washington - White House 01

Naturally while in the area we had to stop by the White House. This is along the edge of the South Lawn (I think).

I have been inside the White House three times, all on tours. It's too bad they have to be so careful now as a result of terrorism of all stripes...I understand that now a person must apply for a tour via his or her congressman.

But back in the day all you had to do was wait in line for a ticket, then come back and you could walk right in with the rest of the group. Really gave a feeling of accessibility. In Lincoln's day the huge stream of visitors was often greeted by the President himself.

On one of the tours I saw a friend from college, who happened to be in Washington for ROTC training. While we were in the walkway next to the Rose Garden I looked to my right, and there was Robert, in line right behind me! Just a few weeks earlier we were eating together in the dorm cafeteria in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Washington - Smithsonian 04

Sitting in the same spot I swung the camera to the right and snapped this shot. People, trees etc. in the background were cloned out by the cloud cover...

Washington - Smithsonian 03

Toward the end of our second day in D.C. we were hot and exhausted. On our way back from the White House we sat on a shaded bench. I can't sit anywhere for long without seeing some photograph that needs to be taken, and here it was no different. Not only do I look for patterns (subconsciously at first), but I'm always on the lookout for contrast. These flowers against the side of the Museum of Natural History provided the opportunity...

Washington - Smithsonian 02

For some reason this photo needed no white balance correction whatsoever - it is absolutely untouched, save for a reflection...the enemy of museum shoots. Might be the background color, might be different kind of lighting, don't know. Whatever the reason, it turned out well technically in spite of the obstacles mentioned in the previous posting.

Washington - Smithsonian 01

While in Washington the kids and I had to take in the Smithsonian...once we figured out how to get to it by Metro (word to the wise: keep your GPS maps updated). Because so much of it was indoors not many pictures were taken, due to the relative darkness (which keeps shutter speeds slower) and interior lighting (which is not processed well in the s7000).

This little guy, a spider monkey, was in a fascinating exhibit of skeletons. Because most of the lighting was incandescent, quite a bit of white balance correction was needed - in fact the yellows were reduced in saturation by more than 60%. For this and the next posting I was able to lean against the beveled windowsill for stability while the lens was set on the first degree of macro.

Washington - Lincoln Memorial

This shot was taken not so much because it's the Lincoln Memorial...rather the focus of the composition was the way those birds were lined up!

Interestingly, I found that the man and president Abraham Lincoln was not so much the focus of this place either; it was the "I Have a Dream" speech made by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr...at least for me, and many others I observed. It is etched in the granite of the top step the exact spot where that great speech was delivered. Also, there was a boom box a few feet away that looped the speech over an over again. The pictures I have of the kids are at that spot, overlooking the area where the vast number of peoples gathered for the historic event.

Don't get me wrong - Abraham Lincoln was among the five greatest presidents that ever lived (along with Washington, Madison, Kennedy and Reagan...strictly in my opinion), but the Rev. King shines among them as one who did more than any of them could have...and without firing a shot or resorting to violence. That, plus his focus on the character of a man, regardless of race, set him apart and placed him squarely among the great leaders of the world.

Washington - Viet Nam Memorial 04

A sobering memorial for a loved one...

Washington - Viet Nam Memorial 03

This one was more candid. The wall was great for reflection shots, as can be seen in the next couple of postings as well.

Washington - Viet Nam Memorial 02

This is my son and daughter, reflected in the panels of names. If it looks a little staged, in fact it was - I had them briefly hold their positions as the shot was snapped.

Washington - Viet Nam Memorial 01

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, much more famous, was also very interesting to shoot. We have all seen countless photos taken here of family members and friends of the deceased. Though I probably would not know personally any of the individuals listed on the wall (I was ten years old in 1968), the mournful atmosphere could be felt by anyone.

The next three or four postings were taken as we joined this line in paying our respects...

Washington - Korean War Memorial

I didn't even know the Korean War Memorial existed, but a friend asked that I stop by and take a few pictures while we were in Washington. Gladly done for a vet...a friend who fought for our freedom.

Washington - Gaylord Resort 07b

...the same taken from a very different angle.

Washington - Gaylord Resort 07a

Moving outside now...this has got to be one of the most creative sculptures around. Taken at dusk, this photo had to be brightened a bit for this posting, in spite of a histogram that showed good balance.

Washington - Gaylord Resort 06

These were along the front of a gift shop.

Washington - Gaylord Resort 05

On another day this was taken of the same fountain...

Washington - Gaylord Resort 04d

Washington - Gaylord Resort 04c

Washington - Gaylord Resort 04b

Washington - Gaylord Resort 04a

Down on "street" level the place was transformed into a miniature city at night. A gift shop is straight ahead; the aforementioned restaurant is to the left.

The lights in this fountain went through a rotation of colors...to capture each one I parked myself against a nearby tree for stability and snapped away. The shutter speeds for this and the following postings were anywhere between a fourth and a twentieth of a second.

Washington - Gaylord Resort 03

The atrium at the Gaylord is just incredible. Within the huge enclosure are these house-like shops...off to the right of this shot is a full-blown restaurant with "outside" seating and a stream running nearby.

Washington - Gaylord Resort 02

The huge glass wall, plus the domed glass roof over the atrium, made for some good picture taking from our third-floor balcony. This fellow was obviously headed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with passengers and crew. Had to do more touch-up than one might think for this shot. The pane borders made it obvious that lens distortion had to be fixed, then the image was rotated so that the bottom of the pane under the jetliner looked more/less horizontal. These vacation shots were all taken with the Fujifilm s7000, but now that I own a Big Rig with interchangeable lenses (which I don't plan to interchange, at least for now), my understanding is that with Photoshop CS4 all you have to do is enter the lens used for a shot and the distortion adjustment is automatic. Hope so...

Washington - Gaylord Resort 01

The primary reason for our journey to the northeast was for a conference my wife was attending at a place on the edge of Washington, DC called the Gaylord Resort. This is a panorama taken from the balcony of our room, stitched from four photographs, looking to the cavernous inside atrium.

Amish Country 06

Taken on a walk through the Kitchen Kettle Village in Intercourse, Pennsylvania...

Amish Country 05

This is how the women, and older children, got around - even on the highways. Sometimes the Amish pay the ultimate price for their beliefs...

Amish Country 04

Guess the locals would get used to seeing this sort of thing, but the anachronistic element is a shocker to outsiders. We tourists just gape and sneak pictures while they tend to their business in their own way as the world rushes by them, quite literally.

Amish Country 03

Amish Country 02

The country is beautiful in summertime, as can be seen here. There is even an extra serenity due to the lack of telephone poles or telephone lines anywhere.

Amish Country 01

Spent a couple of days in Delaware, which we used as a base to spring on up to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for an afternoon. We decided to leave the main road and we found this roadside stand run by an Amish family.

It was an experience to see such modern-looking homes that otherwise seem normal, but lack electric wires. It was difficult to refrain from asking the family for a tour.

If you will notice, there are two abandoned bicycles next to the driveway. When the kids on them saw me lift my camera they fled, and were behind the food cart when it was snapped. Suppose I wouldn't want my kids to be photographed by strangers either...

New York, Times Square

Times Square is so incredibly crowded...much more so than when I visited the city regularly in the '80's.

New York, Statue of Liberty

Our tour boat wound around to see the Statue of Liberty. As soon as it was snapped I knew that this shot would be used with text to the left.

A picture was taken of a flag after our return to Houston. The text itself was created using one of Photoshop's built-in styles. Then the mask tool was used to underlay the flag within the text. Last, just the torch was copied and placed over the text to give it the appearance of being behind the statue. All of this took a couple of hours of experimenting.

Interestingly, after all that work this photo ended up looking lousy in print. Seems to look better electronically...

New York, Movie Shoot 08

Enter paparazzi number two. With his height, this guy had a distinct advantage. Looks like the short one is checking out his competition...

New York Movie Shoot 07

Did not think about it at the time, but guess it was inevitable that the paparazzi showed up. This guy was short, so he wrestled through the crowd saying, "Let me through - I'm short, I'm short!" As soon as he arrived at the front of the crowd, right next to the barricade, he whipped this baby out and began snapping. It intrigued me that the lens controls were covered with black electrical tape, and the make of camera was filed off.

New York, Movie Shoot 06

Here the makeup crew is prepping Timberlake and his co-star.

New York, Movie Shoot 05

This fellow was filming the crowds that had grown outside the barricades, along with the "behind the scenes"-type stuff. The equipment behind him is a huge camera boom.

New York, Movie Shoot 04

Just some flowers that happened to be nearby...

New York, Movie Shoot 03

This is the set-up just to hold the lights at night. As seen from the sign posted earlier, the crew was slated to be on this location for two days. We hung out here for a couple of hours, then happened to walk by that same night and saw the entire scene brilliantly lit from all sides - a reminder that actors and crew must work hard all hours.

New York, Movie Shoot 02

The crew here is setting up a prop on the building. The two men facing the other way on the left are extras.

New York, Movie Shoot 01

At Rockefeller Plaza we chanced upon this movie shoot. We were amazed at the amount of equipment and number of people involved - the sheer logistics of shooting just a scene or two in the middle of New York City. They had a couple of the surrounding streets packed with 18-wheelers full of that equipment, using barricades to block off the plaza itself where the actors did their work. The "FWB" stands for "Friends with Benefits", starring Justin Timberlake. We hung around several hours, long enough to see them work with the extras and Timberlake himself.

New York, Manhattan Cityscape 05

Another view of the same building as our boat moved down the Hudson...

New York, Manhattan Cityscape 04

The sheer uniqueness of this building was the attraction, with the undulating waves rippling through an otherwise mundane column of windows. This was taken from the harbor.