From 2006 - Fall Shots 07

From 2006 - Fall Shots 06

From 2006 - Fall Shots 05

From 2006 - Fall Shots 04

From 2006 - Fall Shots 03

From 2006 - Fall Shots 02

From 2006 - Fall Shots 01

From 2006 - Flowers 05

From 2006 - Flowers 04

I did not notice until years later, during post-capture processing, that there is a bee in this picture...

From 2006 - Critters 03

These are two critters that have been in our lives a long time - in fact the one on the left has lived with us since birth...

From 2006 - Critters 02

Made extensive use of burst mode for this shot, and finally got one that showed the hummingbird as well as the look of wonder in Allison's eyes. This was taken at Lost Maples...a place that I'd highly recommend, but not in the summer!

From 2006 - Critters 01

...at the Houston Zoo.

From 2006 - Funeral Candle

One of the more unique shoots that a photographer can do is a funeral service. To my surprise, having someone around to take pictures is appreciated by the surviving family. I've done three funerals that developed into packages delivered to the bereaved, complete with full-blown post-capture work. During these shoots family and friends will often pose with the deceased, which make for some of the better family portraits to come out of my cameras. Naturally, in respect to all involved, none of these will ever end up in this blog.

This is from the funeral of my brother's father-in-law, an honorable man who served us all in World War II. Aside from the distraction of the individual standing to the far right, the composition is complete, with the conferring ladies in the background contributing to the hushed pre-service atmosphere.

From 2006 - Silhouette 02

This was taken as we were eating dinner, looking straight up through the canopy of maple leaves overhead...

From 2006 - Sky Shots 14

So what's wrong with this one?

This shot was taken just a few minutes after the one from the previous posting, as can be referenced from the tree sticking out over on the hillside in the background.

And that leads us to what is wrong...since the leaves that frame the moon are in focus, leaving the hillside blurry due to depth-of-field, how can the moon be in focus? Well, it is not! I didn't like the moon being out of focus, so pasted it in from the previous shot right over where the moon actually is. It looks great - having the moon as clear as it is framed by the maple leaves - but is not optically possible.

From 2006 - Sky Shots 13

Think I've posted this one before, but here it is again, since it is a sky shot from 2006.

Had the camera steadied against the top of the van, notching the shutter speed down until it looked right.

From 2006 - Sky Shots 12

This is my favorite sky shot photo, as it is the first in which I successfully imported a sky from another picture. Photoshop is an amazing tool!

I was on my way home from a business trip in Wharton, Texas, when this field full of cotton with the rustic barn caught my eye. Being on the highway it was impossible to stop right then, so at first chance I did a U-turn and returned to the spot, pulling as far over to the side on the grass as possible. Then, dress clothes and all, I went traipsing through the field, Fujifilm 7000 in hand, to take this picture.

During post capture at home it was obvious that, among other things, the sky would just not do. So I repaired the other things while waiting to get a good sky shot to improve the upper third.

That opportunity came when we were in the van on Beltway 8 here in Houston some two months later. The sky looked about right, with the sun at the proper angle to provide consistency with the barn and trees, and we were about to swing onto one of those big "flyover" ramps exiting the Beltway. My daughter was in the seat right behind me, so as we approached the exit ramp I told her to get the camera out (it always travels in the van with me) and prepare to snap the shot. Then, just as we were rounding the apex at the top of the ramp I gave her the cue and she took the picture.

From there it was just a matter of learning how to use the eraser tool to layer it in just right, feathering the edges in the proper places to provide a seamless transition with the barn, trees and background. Some telephones and other city stuff had to be cloned out of the lower edge before beginning the process.

One of these days I'm going to post a series of before-and-after shots to showcase the wonders of cloning, and what even a simple guy like me can do to make an average picture pop with potential...

From 2006 - Sky Shots 11

Taken through an open window from the van on a business trip to Austin.

From 2006 - Sky Shots 10

This the the statue of Sam Houston just south of Huntsville...

From 2006 - Sky Shots 09

From 2006 - Sky Shots 08

We were going to church one day, and happened upon this scene. In post capture I used the black dropper tool in Levels to make everything on land look like a silhouette. Now, there is a place to write a message to someone in making this photograph into a card...

From 2006 - Sky Shots 07

This was taken within a mile of our house here in Houston...

From 2006 - Sky Shots 06

Also reaching into the sky is this sculpture, taken in Dallas on yet another business trip.

From 2006 - Sky Shots 05

We were at an LTC (Leadership for Christ) convention downtown, and chanced upon this sculpture just outside the new Hilton hotel...taken with the trusty, magical Fujifilm 3800.

From 2006 - Sky Shots 04

I was driving down Beltway 8 one day and noticed this huge cow drifting through the sky. As I could not stop at the time, snapped it while the van was moving (don't try this at home!). Because the sun was in the background, lots of post-capture work was necessary to bring out the detail in the side facing the camera.

From 2006 - Sky Shots 03

This is the same building, with a blue sky setting...though admittedly this was in the winter, as evidenced by the bare branches in the foreground tree. The reason it's included here is to share an incredible fact I learned not long ago. The owner of this building is a Rice grad, and the entire top of the structure was designed to resemble an owl, mascot of his university. The same visage can be seen from all four corners, one of which looks down upon the University of Texas campus...

From 2006 - Sky Shots 02

This was the shot I was originally after, one that highlights the way the sun is shining through the glass panels at the top of the building...

From 2006 - Sky Shots 01

The theme for the next few '06 postings will be of subjects captured against the sky...

From 2006 - Flowers 03

...the same flower, from a top-side perspective.

From 2006 - Flowers 02

Taken with the 3800 at the house...