Red, White and Blue

- Fourth of July calls for cookouts and a pool party. We had both at my son Brian's house this afternoon. Click on the pool party link to see more pictures of a splashing good time. Thanks to Cindy for being such a good foot model. Canon 7D, 1/5000 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 200 zoom at 135mm.

Starburst

- My water glass at lunch today produced this really cool star burst pattern of light on a great old butcher's block table. Canon G11, 1/10 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, in macro mode.

Droplet

- Water dripping off the hosta buds. Canon 7D, 1/100 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Armed and Dangerous

- Making an exception today and posting a photo that I didn't take. This picture was captured by my brother-in-law Larry Garrett of my grandson Robert in the hot tub today. We were having a Father's Day water gun battle between my son Brian, Robert and I when Robert decided to turn the gun on photographer Uncle "Warry". Larry is pretty darn good with a camera and is responsible for getting me back into photography and onto to shooting digital when he gave me his used Canon Digital Rebel in 2006. I hope you agree that this is a pretty fabulous picture. It is tack sharp, has great action and expression, perfect light and composition, and cool depth of field. Canon 7D, 1/320 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 640, 115mm focal length on a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom.

Rubber Duckie

- Rubber Duckie, you're the one,
You make hot tubbing lots of fun,
Rubber Duckie, I'm awfully fond of you;
Canon G11, 1/80 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400 in macro mode.

Crazy Sprinkler

- The crazy sprinkler creates a twisting and ever changing spray of water and mist. It's a kid's delight, that I can testify to from first hand experience. Canon 7D, 1/800 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400, zoom at 200mm focal length.

Big Splash

- Robert had a great time playing in the water today. Two hot tub sessions and one with the crazy squiggly sprinkler. I bet he sleeps good tonight, I know I will. Canon 40D, 1/2000 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 100mm lens.

The Narrows

The sun goes down at the Narrows in First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach Virginia. The Narrows is a thin connecting waterway between Broad Bay and Linkhorn Bay. It is part of the Lynnhaven River system. We enjoyed sitting in our beach chairs, feet in the water, watching the boats go by and sun go down. Canon G11, 1/500 sec @ f/7.1, ISO 100.

Drip

- A leaky faucet in a funky cool bathroom at the Twisted Fork in the Triangle Town Center near Raleigh N.C. Canon G11, 1/40 sec @ f/3.5, ISO 400.

A Ray of Sunshine

- Caught this ray of sunshine cutting through a fountain spay. Water and sunlight are always a great combination in a photo. Canon 7D, 1/250 sec @ f/2.5, ISO 800, 50mm prime lens.

Other Times

- On the way out to work this morning the car was wet from an earlier rain, so the beads of water caught my eye. But when I looked at the preview screen of the camera the tree reflected on the roof jumped out. The camera often records light and images much differently than our eyes see them. Sometimes this is very frustrating to the photographer who's trying to accurately capture a scene, other times it's just cool. This was one of the other times. Canon G11, 1/10 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 200.

At the Car Wash

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Took both cars to the Freedom Wash today to get the road salt and grime off. Had to take some pictures while being conveyored through the wash. This is the spot free rinse on the wind shield. Is it just me or do you see an dancer in this photo as well?
Talkin' about the car wash, girl, come on, ya'll and sing it for me, oooh, oooh, oooh.
Now that song is stuck in your head too. From 1976 by Rose Royce. Canon G11, 1/800 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Water Glass

- Filling a water glass with illumination provided only by the water dispenser's LED light. Canon 40D, 1/8 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens, remote shutter release.

Welcome Garden

- Looking towards the Welcome Garden from behind the fountain in the Sarah Lee Baker Perennial Garden. This area of Norfolk's Botanical Gardens is absolutely spectacular in the early morning light. This picture was made intentionally with a slower shutter speed so the water would appear as stream rather than mid-air frozen droplets. The small aperture at f/32 creates a long depth of field bring both the fountain in the foreground and the gladiolus in the background into focus. Canon 7D, 1/50 sec @ f/32, ISO 400.

Lily Pads

- This lone bloom was sitting amidst the dark green lily pads and the dark water. I liked the picture in black and white but decided to try adding the focal color for the center of the bloom. Canon G11, 1/1000 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 200.

Pamlico Sound

Early morning on the Pamlico Sound looking northwest from Hatteras Island North Carolina. It has been a while since I posted a nice landscape photo that wasn't a sunrise or sunset on this blog. This was from a trip to Hatteras Island back in September 2008. Looking at this photo has an amazing calming affect on me, taking me back to a great late summer get away. Canon 40D, 1/125 sec @ f/14, ISO 200.

Lotus Reflection

From 2010 Blog

- A Lotus blossom reflects in the pond water at the Pagoda Gardens in downtown Norfolk Virginia. Canon 40D, 1/640 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 200, 200mm focal length.

Long Creek

From 2010 Blog

Long Creek in Virginia Beach looking west towards the Lynnhaven River about 45 minutes past sunset and during a light shower of rain. I like the purple sky that occurs after sunset. This would have been a much better photo 15 minutes earlier. The evening light changes rapidly, so it's always worth hanging around after the sun sets. Canon G11, 1 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400, camera resting on a dock box.

Cranes

From 2010 Blog

- Some would say the official bird of the Norfolk Virginia waterfront is the "crane". This photo was taken from the Elizabeth River Ferry landing in downtown Norfolk looking towards the Berkley section of the city. The five tower cranes are part of Metro Machine's Berkley shipyard. Between the shipyards and their tower cranes and the port terminals and their gantry cranes, the waterfront that was once the home of ships masts and funnels, is now dominated by cranes. Canon 40D, 1/250 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

Fountain of Eternal Life

From Cleveland

- The has has to be one of the more interesting war memorial monuments I have seen. The Fountain of Eternal Life, also known as the War Memorial Fountain and Peace Arising from the Flames of War, is a statue and fountain in Cleveland, Ohio. Located in the Cleveland Mall the Terminal Tower is visible in the background. Check out some other photos from my visit to Cleveland.