Luminarium

- Hope you like blue. This is another photo from inside the luminarium Amacoco that was here in Virginia Beach last month. Looking up at the ceiling in the, you guessed it, blue room. Canon G11 1/400 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400.

LEDs on Glass

- My grandson Robert likes to plays with these glass beads Cindy had left over from some project. He loads them into his dump trucks. As I was playing with him tonight I wondered if there was a photo in there. Using the LED Litepanel and the macro lens produced this image. It is certainly colorful. Canon 40D, 1/500 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Water Lights

Town Point Park in Norfolk Virginia has a cool new sidewalk fountain with various colored lights. Makes for a nice image 30 minutes after sunset during the civil twilight. Canon G11, 2.5 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 100, camera sitting on the sidewalk with a 2 second shutter delay used.

The Mighty ATM

- The automated teller machine or ATM to most Americans revolutionized banking beginning in the 1970's. One could now do banking transactions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Prior to the advent of the ATM, bank branches closed early in the afternoon so tellers could reconcile their cash drawers and deposits before the end of the work day. The ATM changed customer service in banking as well as the livelihood of many bank employees. Will online banking, mobile devices and the debit card replace the need for cash and spell the end of the ATM? Most likely. Canon G11, 1/25 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800.

Paddle Faster!

- Paddle Faster! I hear banjo music. Jackass Flats at the Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Canon g11, 1/60 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, camera flash at -2 stops.

Sunflower

- A mature sunflower is actually a "flower head" (also known as a "composite flower") of 1000-2000 florets, (small flowers) crowded together. Sunflowers are the subject of famous still life paintings by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. I really like this one called "Two Cut Sunflowers". Canon 40D, 1/1600 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800, 50mm prime lens, overhead halogen spot supplemented by an LED Litepanel.

Take Time

- Miss Sasha reminds us to take time to smell the flowers. Both of our cats thoroughly enjoyed the new bouquet of fresh cut flowers Cindy got at the Why Not Wednesday farmer's market at Town Center in Virginia Beach. Canon G11, 1/60 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 800, on camera flash dialed down two stops.

Really W i d e

- I used my Sigma 8mm F3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye lens for this picture from the hangar overlook facing the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and the Vought Corsair at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The overlook provides a sweeping view of aircraft hanging throughout the Boeing Aviation Hangar. In photography, a fisheye lens is a wide-angle lens that takes in a broad, panoramic and hemispherical image. They provide a unique, distorted appearance. Canon 7D, 1/25 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800.

A Dandy Dandelion

- A dandy dandelion in black and white. Canon 40D, 1/640 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400 100mm macro.

Honor System

- Took a drive out to the country - the southern part of Virginia Beach, Virginia, today and stopped at Vaughan Farms Produce stand. The stand was attended today but some days its still just the "honor system". Robert Vaughan was granted 243 acres of land in 1695 in what was then Princess Anne County. Now, over 315 years later, the Vaughans' still operate one of the oldest, continuously owned family farms in the country.

Better Off Here

- "Better off here than across the street claims" the neon sign at Payne's Biker Bar in Leesburg Virginia. The "across the street" is the Loudoun County Courthouse. Canon G11, 1/320 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200.

It's a NEW PC!

- Yep after six years of service I'm finally replacing my old XP computer. I'm building the new PC from the ground up to be photographer's killer machine. I thought seriously about building a "Hackintosh" but decided to stay with Windows. Got my inspiration for the new PC from the Image Science blog. The new PC specs:

Intel Core i7-920 processor
12 GB RAM
OCZ 240 GB SSD SATA II Windows System Disk
OCZ 120 GB SSD SATA III Lightroom and Photoshop Cache/Scratch Disk
WD 600 GB VeloRaptor, 10,000 RPM SATA III for programs and catalogs
WD 2 TB Caviar Black for data and photo files
Blu-ray writer & Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD burner
16x max. DVD-ROM
Windows 7 Pro

The photo is 12 GB of RAM installed, yes its a freaking beautiful sight. Canon 40D, 1/30 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, LED Litepanel for extra light.

Anchors Away

- A goofy picture of my parts drawer full of plastic wall anchors. The Brits call these "wall plugs". So there you have it, another random photo and a little of useless trivia courtesy of CIOPhoto.com. Canon 7D, 1/200 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Cowabunga!

- My grandson Robert jumping into his new pool. I often tell people that you can make a great photograph with almost any camera. However action pictures like this really benefit from good photo gear. The Canon 7D was set to high speed shooting mode at 8 frames per second and the camera's fast 19 point auto-focus helped to ensure a sharp photo. The zoom lens was was also big and fast. This is the fourth of seven frames captured during one second of action. The result was exactly the picture I was looking for. Canon 7D, 1/1250 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 200, 70mm focal length.

67 Years Later

- Sixty-seven years ago today my father's unit, Company C of the 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, United Sate Army went ashore at Normandy France to take part in the invasion of Europe during WWII. My father was 17 years old at the time and would celebrate his 18th birthday five weeks later on August 15th near Rennes France after fighting through the hedgerows. By the following Spring he was a hardened combat veteran wounded five times and earning two Bronze Stars. He fought through the longest single battle in U S Army history in the Hürtgen Forest between Belgium and Germany. This photo of the Washington Monument taken from the Wold War II Memorial is dedicated SFC Edward H. Sullivan, a member of the "Greatest Generation". Canon 7D, 1/800 sec @ f/11.0, ISO 400, 70mm focal length.

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.

Glass Burst

A ridged glass panel gives off a nice star burst pattern of colors. Canon G11, 1/80 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400.

Katydid

- I noticed this tiny katydid on one of my Stargazer lily blooms this evening. It was very small, about a 1/4 inch in length. The 100mm macro did a nice job of capturing the image. Canon 40D, 1/200 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro focused at 1:1, handheld with image stabilization on. A little extra light provided by an LED Litepanel.

Think Pink

- Think Pink and support finding a cure for breast cancer. Canon 7D, 1/160 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 55mm focal length.

National Mall Sunset

- Looking west from the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington DC towards the Lincoln Memorial shortly after sunset. The 30 minutes after sunset there is a very special time called "Civil Twilight" when there is still some light in the sky. The sky starts to turn a deep blue or purple in color. This special time is very short lived but cherished by photographers for city scenes. Canon 7D, 5 seconds @ f/22, ISO 100, 70mm focal length and mounted on a tripod.

For the People

- "government of the people, by the people, for the people" is Abraham Lincoln's famous phase from the Gettysburg Address. Here the Lincoln Memorial floats in darkness as hundreds still visit at 11:00 PM on a beautiful summer night. Canon 7D, 2 seconds @ f/8.0, ISO 100 mounted on a tripod. The epitaph above Abraham Lincoln's statue reads:

IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER

360 View

- The Donald D. Engen Tower at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is an observation tower providing a 360 degree bird's eye view of Washington Dulles International Airport and the surrounding area. As you can see view is impressive but so is the tower room itself. Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 100, 8mm fish eye lens.

Meet Crew

- This is "Crew" he is a four month old golden retriever destined to be a guide dog for the blind. We spent yesterday in historic Leesburg Virginia with Crew and his puppy raiser Irene Esch. Crew was wearing his guide dog in training vest while visiting many shops with us and even joined us for lunch in a small restaurant with live music. I was amazed at how focused he was and how good he behaved the entire day. Navigating in tight crowed antique shops and resisting the attention everyone was wanting to give him. He won't begin his official guide dog training until he is at least one year old, but we could tell he's going to make someone a great guide dog. Canon G11, 1/640 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 400.

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.

Three Alone

- The bronze sculpture entitled the "Three Servicemen" stands a short distance from the Wall as part of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. The three statues stand alone looking towards the Wall and the names of their 58,272 lost comrades. Canon 7D, 5 secs @ f/8.0, ISO 400 converted to black and white.

Blackbird Fly

- Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.
You were only waiting for this moment to arise
By Lennon and McCartney from the Beatles White Album

SR-71 at the Smithsonian Air & Space Center at Dulles Airport. Canon 7D, 1/15 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 800.

1937

- A 1937 vintage Pontiac automobile in basic black calls for a blank and white photo. Canon G11, 1/125sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200 converted to black and white using Silver Efex Pro.

Structure

- I guess this is "plant week" looking at the photos from the last few days. This black and white of hosta leaves is backlit by an LED Litepanel. It really shows the leaf structure. Canon 40D, 1/250 sec @ f/3.2, ISO 800, 100mm macro.

Droplet

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

Pretty Invader

- The mimosa tree is often classified as an invasive plant. Outdoor cultivation has lead to prolific and unchecked expansion of the plant in many areas. This is one of several located along a ditch bank near my house in Virginia Beach Virginia. Invader or not, the delicate flowers are quite exotic, beautiful and photogenic. Canon 7d, 1/100 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400, 100mm macro lens.

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.

Bold Look

Today's project, install a new bathroom faucet. I ordered this new Kohler Alteo in brushed nickel a few weeks ago from FaucetDirect.com and installed it today in the master bath. I like "the bold look of Kohler" products. They are well engineered and the installation was very straight forward. Looks nice with our retro 1960 turquoise ceramic tile don't you think? Canon G11, 1/50 sec @ f/4.0, ISO 400 in macro mode.

Amacoco

- This is inside of Amacoco on display this weekend at the Virginia Beach Boardwalk Art Show. Located on the beach at 24th Street. It is a giant maze of interconnected inflated plastic rooms. The translucent colors illuminate brightly as the sun hits the outside. Amacoco was designed by Architects of Air and is called a luminarium. As you can tell, its a photographer's delight. Canon G11, 1/50 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 400.

Trademark

- Jazz vocal legend Billie Holiday often wore a gardenia bloom in her hair. It was part of her trademark look to go with her trademark voice. Just look at this image and see if you can imagine the wonderful fragrance of the gardenia. This one is on a massive bush in my back yard that has hundreds of blooms on it. As soon as I step outside I'm greeted by this great scent of summer. Canon 40D, 1/640 sec @ f/10.0, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

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.

Stainless

- This stainless steel panel is located on the front of the Dog 'n' Burger on Manteo Avenue in Norfolk Virginia. Today's sunshine and blue sky help to make this reflective photo interesting. I bet most people just walk by the little architectural detail without a second glance. Canon G11, 1/400 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100.

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.

Rinse Cycle

- Another cash wash photo, this time its the spot free rinse and clear coat. I don't what it is but I always take pictures when I'm going though the car wash. Canon G11, 1/2000 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400.

Knock - Knock

- Knock if you dare. This door knocker is at the Norfolk Historical Society offices at the corner of W. Freemason Street and Duke Street in Norfolk Virginia. It's big bold and intimidating. Symbolically, the lion's head acted as guardian, representing protection as well as pride. Canon 7D, 1/80 sec @ f/8.0, ISO 200, 200mm focal length, converted to B&W in Silver Efex Pro.

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.

Jubilee

- Meet my Alabama Jubilee daylily. This is the first bloom of the year for the jubilees. They should bloom just about everyday between now and July 1st. The six inch blooms are big and spectacular. I've divided mine several times and have divisions living as far away as Cedar Rapids Iowa. Canon G11, 1/60sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400 in macro mode backlit with a handheld LED Litepanel.

Brick Red

- These cool glass blocks pick up the red brick wall behind. Look at the differing patterns in each block. Canon 40D, 1/250 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 800, 100mm macro lens.

Imagine

- Just close your eyes and imagine the beautiful Lotus blossom that will soon emerge from this bud. The Lotus is often photographed in full bloom but even the unopened bud has beautiful color and texture that just hits at what is to come. Canon G11, 1/400 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100 in macro mode. I'm digging the cool bokeh from a point and shoot camera, admittedly, it's probably one of the best point and shoot cameras.

- A purple iris iris from the Japanese Garden at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Canon G11, 1/400 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 100 in macro mode.

Ornamentation

- This great art deco locomotive style hood ornament was just one of many cool details in a display of old cars at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market today. A hood ornament symbolized a car company like a badge. Located on the front center portion of the hood they have been used as an adornment since almost the inception of automobiles. Canon G11, 1/160 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200, in macro mode.

Descending

- Descending - not much to say about this picture so I'll just let it speak for itself. Canon G11, 1/200 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200 converted to black and white.

Lock-in-a-box

- Sherlock loves a box. Anytime you open one or leave one sitting around he'll be in it. This morning he decided this filing box was the perfect spot from which to keep an eye on his domain. Canon 40D, 1/30 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400, 100mm lens.

Street Preacher PPE

- Saw this street preacher at the corner of Virginia Beach Boulevard and Park Avenue in Norfolk Virginia on the way home from work today. While street preachers are pretty common around here, he is the first one I've seen wearing a safety vest, a piece of ANSI complaint personal safety equipment, better know as PPE. No hard hat however and I couldn't tell if those are steel toe safety shoes, but I was impressed that even with his faith, he would take the wise precaution of a day-glow yellow and orange vest. Canon G11, 1/800 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 200.

Orchids

- White orchids illuminated by indirect window light and a small lamp which adds the gold highlights. Canon G11, 1/10 sec @ f/6.3, ISO 400.