Ghostly Greeter

- We added some Halloween "greeters" to foyer for my grandson Robert. This is the ghostly greeter. This might end up being my Facebook profile photo later in October. Canon 40D, 1/30 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm.

The Jester

- The Court Jester leads a small army of Lego mini-figures. These plastic articulated figurines by Danish toy manufacturer the Lego Group were first produced in 1978. Since then over 3.7 billion have been produced. Canon 7D, 1/1000 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400.

Shredded

Yep, its the paper shredder bin. Canon 40D, 1/50 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro, converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2 plug-in from Lightroom.

1000 Posts

- Today marks my 1000 straight days of posting a photo on the CIOPhoto.com blog. I began a 365 project on January 1, 2009 taking and posting a new picture every day for a year. At the end of the 2009 I decided to try and continue for another year which I completed on December 31, 2010. After two years, I was so into the daily routine that I figured what the heck, let's try for 365 x 3. In year three I coasted a bit and some days posted pictures that I had taken earlier and never used on the blog. I still take a picture of some sorts every day but I had many good photos I wanted to share from the first two years so I have have used them. I figured its my blog, I can do what I want. Today's photo is a bare bulb florescent light fixture in the stairwell at work. I had my camera out and was looking at the light when one of my coworkers came through and said there's no picture in this place. I said don't be so sure of that. It's plain and simple, I hope you like it. There are 95 days left to complete 365 x 3, stay turned and I'll try to not disappoint. Canon G11, 1/2000 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 200, post processed using Lightroom preset "Color Creative - Color CP 1" with a few tweaks to white balance and the tone curve.

Starry Night

- Out in the country in Southwest Wisconsin the nights are dark and the sky is full of stars. This is a long exposure of 78 seconds so there's a little blur with each star caused by the earth's rotation. Canon 7D, 78 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 100, mounted on a tripod.

Sadie

- This little girl is the new "grandcat" of our friends the Philips. Her name is Sadie and she's a nine year old recent adoptee. She has settled in nicely claiming the leopard spot bed of Zoe her new pitbull sister. iPhone 4, 1/15 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 1000, Camera + app using clarity and stabilizer options.

Light Shower

- This light fixture at the Mall of America appears like flowing water. It actually just a series of mirrors and crystals on this line. iPhone 4, 1/120 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 100, Camera + app.

Tracking

Parallel light rail tracks viewed from the inside of a train car looking through the "ad wrap". iPhone 4, 1/30 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 100, Camera + app.

Wisconsin Fog

- The early morning fog burns off a valley near Spring Green Wisconsin. This fog went from completely dense to gone in about 20 minutes as the morning sun rose above the hills and burned off the fog. Thanks to Cindy for dragging my butt out of bed to capture this image. Canon 7D, 1/200 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 100.

View to Infinity

This bridge leads to the Highway 23 Scenic Overlook which allows for a great view of the Infinity Room jutting out into the Wisconsin sky from the House on the Rock. Canon 7D, 1/1600 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Shining Brow

"Shining Brow" is the literal translation of "Taliesin" the Welsh name Frank Lloyd Wright gave to his 1911 country home and studio in Southwest Wisconsin near Spring Green. Wright positioned the home on the "brow" of a hill, a favorite of his from childhood, rather than on the peak so that Taliesin would appear as though it arose naturally from the landscape. Canon 7D, 1/60 @ f/16, ISO 200.

House on the Rock Resort

- We are staying at the House on the Rock Resort in Spring Green Wisconsin for a few days. The resort is is a very cool building built on a hill side over looking the golf course. This view is from across the 1st fairway lit by the late afternoon sun. Beautiful blue sky day in Southwest Wisconsin. Canon 7D, 1/15 sec @ f/22, ISO 100.

West Wing

No it's not "that" West Wing, this is the West Wing of the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. Each of the four compass point corridors at the MOA have different architectural stylings. I like this one the best because of the way the ceiling and structure is exposed. It reminds me of an old style warehouse or arena. Canon G11, 1/25 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400 converted to B&W using Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin with Lightroom 3.0.

Ground Out

- Minnesota Twins third baseman Luke Hughes grounds out to end the third inning just as he did to end the second inning. He didn't have a good day going 0 for 5 against the Indians. The Twins woes continued as they dropped their seventh straight game at the end of a season that leaves them with the worst record in the American League. Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200, 220mm focal length.

Minnehaha Falls

- Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis Minnesota. The falls are located near the Minnehaha Creek's confluence with the Mississippi River. The name comes from the Dakota language elements mni, meaning water, and ȟaȟa, meaning waterfall. Thus the expression "Minnehaha Falls" translates as "Waterfall Falls". Canon 7D, 0.8 sec @ f/22, ISO 100, mounted on a tripod.

MoA Skylight

One of many skylights at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. The mall is really big. It has a Microsoft Store located right across from the Apple Store. The two stores have different personalities like Jobs and Gates, need I say more? Canon G11, 1/640 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 200.

Grasses

- Tall grasses add elegance and beauty to the perennial garden at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Canon 7D, 1/640 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro

Watching & Waiting

- This skimboarder was patiently watching and waiting for a few more waves before darkness fell at Sandbridge Beach. Canon 7D, 1/100 @ f/8, ISO 400, 70mm focal length.

Harvest Moon

- Tonight's harvest moon rises from the southeast over Virginia Beach, Virginia. The harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. Since there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise, the harvest moons is said to help farmers working to bring in their crops. Canon 7D, 1/8 sec @ f/32, ISO 100, focal length 540mm (400mm zoom with 1.4x teleconverter, all mounted on a tripod.

Sandpipers on the Move

These sandpipers were moving quickly along the shoreline at Sandbridge Beach, Virginia this evening. Canon 7D, 1/4000 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400, zoom at 200mm focal length.

Wide Open

- The 17th Street surf shop in Virginia Beach isn't just open its WIDE OPEN. iPhone 4 using Camera+ 2.3.1.

SOM Handywork

This photo was taken inside the Virginia Beach Convention Center designed by the renown architectural design firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago. You know their work, the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Tower in Chicago, the Air Force Academy Chapel, and the new Liberty Tower, aka World Trade Center One in New York City. Canon G11, 1/60 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Daniel Fire-Cloud

- I have long had an interest in old cemeteries and for the past five years I've been fulfilling photo requests for the Find a Grave website. Today I had occasion to stop by the small cemetery on the campus of Hampton University for a photo request but I was unable to locate the grave I was looking for. I did however spend some time walking among the graves of Native Americans who were students at what was then Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. The "Indian School" existed from1878 through 1923 and many young Native American men and women from western tribes attended the school. Some like Daniel Fire-Cloud a Sioux from South Dakota died while attending school. His grave is marked by a traditional stone and a more fitting massive cedar tree. Canon G11, 1/125 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 200, converted to black and white in Lightroom 3 using the Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin.

Lashes

- Lashes to die for. My grandson Robert carefully studying the route back to Grammy's house after his first day of preschool. Canon G11, 1/250 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400 in macro mode.

Tonal Range

- When making black and white photos I look to capture images with a wide tonal range, from pure black to pure white with shades of gray in between providing the shape, depth and texture to the image. This unusal white flower provides a nice image for black and white conversion. Canon 7D, 1/400 sec @ f/10, ISO 100mm macro lens.

The Eyes Have It

- It hard to win a starring contest when your adversary has compound eyes. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/5, ISO 400, 100mm macro.

Bare Bulb

The lowly much maligned incandescent light bulb is scheduled to be phased out in the US by 2014 due to its relatively high energy consumption. Much more efficient compact florescent and LED light bubs are targeted as replacements. There's just something much more attractive and warm about the old incandescent. When placed in clear globes and used in groups they can produce a stunning effect. Image this fixture with compact florescent bulbs - yuk! Canon G11, 1/4 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800.

1 Down 2 to Go

- One down and two to go on tonight's wine flight at Back Bay Gourmet in Virginia Beach, VA. These are three wines from McLaren Vale in South Australia. Number 1, gone by the time this photo was taken, was Coriole Chenin Blanc. Number 2 wins for the best name Vinaceous Snake Charmer Shiraz and number three the Coriole Redstone Cabernet Sauvignon had the most amazing aroma. Canon G11, 1/40 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800 in macro mode.

Fear Factor

- I know a lot of people have arachnophobia and fear spiders of any kind. I hope this photo doesn't creep anybody out or cause a panic attack. When I got into macro photography I began to see the beauty in spider webs and appreciate the spiders themselves. Spiders are good subjects for macro work because they generally remain very still as long at the web is not disturbed. This large spider builds its web just outside of our back door. One must remember at night to look for her and the web before taking too many steps outside. Canon40D, 1/15 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400 converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2.

Plastic Rainbow

- The rainbow of colors from a plastic Slinky. Canon 40D, 1/1000 @ f/4, ISO 800, 100mm macro.