Go Fly a Kite

From 2010 Blog

- Took the day off from work to spend some time with my grandson Robert. We headed out to Virginia Beach's Mt. Trashmore Park to fly our kite. There was a good breeze and not a cloud in the sky so the 9 foot wing span delta kite flew way high. Robert really likes letting the line out, bringing it back in - not so much. While spending what seemed like forever to reel it back in, I took a few pictures of the brightly colored kite backlit by the morning sun. Canon 7D, 1/125 sec @ f/25.0, ISO 200.

Planetary Sharpener

From 2010 Blog

- While I make my living managing high tech and I'm a certified gadget loving geek, there are a few old fashion things I just love. Fountain pens, mechanical watches and the good ole graphite pencil are some of my favorites. If you use pencils - then you must have a sharpener. Like those found in school classrooms, these are the cylindrical cutters of my sharpener. They are also called "planetary sharpeners", in reference to their use of planetary gears. Canon 40D, 1/40 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 800, 50mm macro.

Deathstar Dimples

From 2010 Blog

- I got several suggestions for naming this post and I decided to use "Deathstar Dimples" as suggested by Bill Greeves. This is a crystal golf ball that was given to me years ago by my friend Sandy. It is illuminated from beneath with a Sylvania DOT-it LED light. Thanks for all of the suggestion on the blog and FB. Canon 40D, 1/8000 sec @ f/2.8, ISO 800, 50mm macro.

Blue Eyes

From 2010 Blog

- Don't you just love those blue eyes! They belong to our cat Sasha. She sits on the computer table each day as I check my email and at night when I'm updating the blog, so I'd thought I'd let her see herself today. Canon 40D, 1/30 sec @ f/4.5, ISO 800, 50mm macro lens.

First Day of Spring

From 2010 Blog

- It was just a beautiful first day of spring here in Virginia Beach, 75 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. So I walked down to the end of our block to take some pictures of a long line of blooming Forsythia. The flowers are produced in the early spring before the leaves, bright yellow with a deeply four-lobed corolla. The followers are short lived but a welcomed sign that spring is here. Canon 40D, 1/400 sec @ f/9.0, ISO 200, 50mm macro.

Behind Door #1

From 2010 Blog

- No it's not the "Price is Right" but this crumbling brick warehouse has great old green doors all around, each numbered in sequence. Empty now, most recently it housed "Used Auto Parts" a.k.a a junk yard but I'm sure way back in it's history it was used to make a great "Made in the USA" product. Canon 40D, 1/100 @ f/18.0, ISO 100, 70mm focal length.

Signs of Spring

From 2010 Blog

- The daffodil is one of those signs of spring that everyone loves to see. This is just one of hundreds blooming in my neighbor's yard. I like taking flower pictures at night using a single controlled light source. In this case is the Litepanel micro LED held above and slightly behind. This effect at night isolates the flower against a natural back back ground and reveals a lot of texture. Canon 40D, 1/320 @ f/4.5, ISO 800, 50mm macro lens.