Digital Images

A Trip to the Columbus Zoo

2011-08-22T12:31:00.001-04:00

Dona and I went on a Photography Road Trip to the Columbus Zoo on Saturday and had a great time photographing all the animals the Columbus Zoo has to offer. It's fun going and checking out other Zoos, a lot of times they have animals that you normally don't see at your local Zoo. In the older part of the Columbus Zoo they still have a lot of fences that you have to shoot through, one photography trick to use to make the fence disappear is to shoot with a large wide open aperture of F2.8. We really enjoyed spending the day at the Columbus Zoo, check it out if you get a chance.

Orangutan at the Columbus Zoo ( Click the photos to go to the Columbus Zoo Gallery)

They have lots of colorful birds at the Columbus Zoo

I think they have the animals trained to stick out their tongues at Photographers from Cleveland!!!

To see the photos nice and large you can view the Columbus Zoo Slideshow

If you are looking for cool place to take photos in Ohio and beyond you might also like to check out my Cool Photo Ops Blog

A Fun Time at Parade the Circle 2011

2011-06-14T10:13:00.001-04:00

On Saturday June 11, 2011 I had another fun time photographing Parade the Circle in University Circle. Every year in June they have a Parade full of colorful costumes and great music. This was the 22nd Annual Parade. This is always a great photo op for photographers and if you get there early you can photograph the parade participants getting ready for the parade in the staging area. I arrived around 10am and headed to the staging area located on the top level of the Art Museum Parking garage and ran into a lot of my photographer friends from some of the areas camera clubs. After taking hundreds of photos in the staging area I ventured out to the parade route to scope out a good spot to photograph the parade. I wanted to find a spot where I could get shots of the parade headed straight toward me and I found it near the Botanical Gardens where I was joined by fellow photographers Troy Vodila and Dan Flocke. It was a great spot to photograph the parade but unfortunately there wasn't any shade and I got burnt to a crisp!!! All in all its a fun event to photograph, and I encourage you to check it out next year!!!

Cleveland Hoop Dance Click the photo to go to a Parade the Circle photo gallery.

CPS photographers at Parade the Circle, the best looking guy in the photo is the puppet!!! LOL

Go here to see a Parade the Circle 2011 Slideshow

To see photos of Parade the Circle from earlier years go here: Parade the Circle Galleries

You might also be interested in checking out my Cool Photo Ops Blog where I list cool places to take photos.

My Adventures at the Miller Park Nature Preserve

2011-06-08T20:01:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday Dona and I ventured out to the new Miller Park Nature Preserve in Avon Ohio. Miller Park is part of the Lorain County Metroparks. The preserve has a 5000 square foot Conservatory. It was a hot day and was even hotter in the Conservatory but it's a cool place to take photos. After spending some time taking photos in the Conservatory, Dona and I enjoyed a great lunch at the Conservatory's Orchid Room Cafe, then went back and took even more photos.

Here's a description of Miller Park from their website:
Located on Route 83 in Avon, Miller Nature Preserve rests on 78 acres of wooded land in the heart of Avon. Much of the property was donated by longtime Avon resident, Buddy Miller in memory of his late wife Alice Fowles. A Visitor Center is nestled between trees and the winding French Creek and includes a café, a gift shop and a demonstration kitchen for cooking classes. The highlight of this preserve is the 5,000 square foot conservatory, the first in Lorain County. Bring your family and friends and camera to capture the beauty inside and outside.

Click Photo to go to Gallery

Google Map of Miller Park.... Click the blue icon to get directions

View 2739 Center Rd in a larger map

Here's a google map

Where's the Photos??????

2011-03-03T18:40:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone, part of the fun of photography is sharing your photos with others, as a photographer I like seeing other photographers work. I love going on photo shoots to interesting places with other photographers and then seeing what photos everyone comes up with. Unfortunately a lot of times you never see what the other photographers came up with. How many times have you been on a photo shoot with one of the areas photo clubs where there are 20 to 30 photographers taking hundreds of photos, Most times after the shoot you never see any of the photos and I don't understand why. What is everyone doing with their photos? In the old days the photos ended up collecting dust in a shoe box, these days it appears that the photos languish on the photographers home computers never to be enjoyed by anyone else. To me part of the fun of photography is seeing what everyone comes up with when they go on a photo shoot to the same place. It's fun to see the different ways each photographer "sees" the subject. In today's modern society and computer age you would think most photographers would be posting their photos, but sad to say, if they do post them they never give anyone the link to their site. For example on Facebook I have over 400 friends and at least 200 of them are photogaphers but I only see the photos of nine or ten of the same photographers posting photos or links to their photo sites. Often I'll check the "Fan" pages on Facebook of the areas Photography clubs after they go on a photo shoot eager to see if anyone posted photos from the shoot, most of the time I'm disappointed to find that only one or two photographers posted any photos. I'll even check out the Flickr sites, there you'll see a little more activity, but it's usually from the same 9 or 10 photographers. So my question is "What does everyone do with their photos?

A photo from the Volvo Graveyard Shoot - Click photo to see more

Dolly Sods Wilderness, West Virginia

2011-02-27T09:26:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I went on a vacation to West Virginia and one of the places I explored was the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Here's a description of Dolly Sods from Wikipedia:

Dolly Sods is the highest plateau of its type east of the Mississippi River with altitude ranging from around 4,000 feet (1,200 m) at the top of a mountain ridge on the Allegheny Front to about 2,700 feet (820 m) at the outlet of Red Creek. The highest point in this immediate area is Mount Porte Crayon, at 4,770 feet (1,454 m), in Flatrock-Roaring Plains.

To get to Dolly Sods I had to travel up a narrow 1 and a half lane road, it got pretty scary at times and I prayed no one was coming down as I was going up, since there wasn't much room to pull over. Once you get up there you travel along Forest Road 75

The view from Dolly Sods is great and there are a lot of trails to explore, since I was there by myself, I stuck close to the road.

It is also very windy at Dolly Sods and you'll see all the trees branches pointing to the east

One interesting fact is they used Dolly Sods during WWII for training and they warn you live bombs could still exist in the area.

I Could of been Killed!!!

Click any of the above photos to go to the gallery.

Click here to see a Dolly Sods Slide Show

Click here to learn more about Dolly Sods on Wikipedia

Chippewa Lake Park Photos

2011-02-26T09:16:00.001-05:00

It's sad to see a lot of America's old amusements parks being torn down, over the years we've lost Euclid Beach Park, Geauga Lake Park and Chippewa Lake Park. Here are some photos of Chippewa Lake Park. I hope they bring back fond memories for you.

Ferris Wheel - Chippewa Lake Park

Click the photo to go to a Chippewa Lake Photo Gallery

Click this link to see a Chippewa Lake Slide Show

The Mansfield Reformatory X

2011-02-23T19:42:00.000-05:00

Here's something eerie, did you know that when light shines through the windows of four different rooms at the Mansfield Reformatory that an X is formed on the floor in the hallway!!!! Scary Stuff!!!!

Click any of the photos to go to the Mansfield Reformatory Photo Gallery

To see a slide show go here: Mansfield Reformatory Slide Show

Photographing the Monster Jam

2011-02-21T14:16:00.000-05:00

I photographed something new this weekend, the Monster Jam at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cleveland Photographic Society arranged for it's members to photograph the event. We were given Media Passes and were able to go down on the arena floor and get some up close shots of the Monster Trucks. We had the floor to ourselves for a little while but before we knew it, swarms of kids and their parents joined us on the floor to meet the drivers and get their autographs. During the show, thanks to our Media Passes we were allowed to roam around the Arena and get photos from various vantage points as long as we didn't get in anyone's way.

Before the show started the lighting wasn't very bright and I was worried about how I was going to get some good photos of the trucks in action, but once the show started they turned up the lights, I still had to crank the ISO up to 800 to get a high enough shutter speed to get sharp photos of the moving trucks. A Shutter speed of 1/250 seemed to do the trick. I experimented with slower shutter speeds between 1/100 to 1/250 to try and get tires blurred and the trucks sharp. If I used too slow of a speed the trucks became unsharp, somewhere around 1/125 to 1/160 of a second gave me the effect I was looking for. Sure a lot of shots didn't come out, but that's the fun of photography, trying different stuff and see what works and what doesn't work, that's how you learn.

Click the photo to go to the gallery
To see a slide show go here: Monster Jam Slide Show

Photo of the Day - Wing Walker - Air Show Photo Tips

2011-01-27T20:17:00.000-05:00

Air Shows are a lot of fun to photograph, but they can also be quite a challenge to photograph due to the speed of the planes. A few things you can do is use a higher ISO, fast shutter speed and panning to capture the planes in flight. While this plane wasn't flying anywhere near the speed of the jets, I used an ISO of 400, a shutter speed of 1/1600 of a second, and panned the camera as the plane flew by. It was taken with a 70-200mm F2.8 Nikon lens with a 1.7 teleconverter. This is a husband and wife wing walking team. What I like about the photo is the pose of the Wing Walker and the way the pilot's hat is blowing behind his head. The Air Show comes to Cleveland every year over the Labor Day weekend. Check it out if you get a chance.

Wing Walker
Click Photo to go to Gallery

To see more Air Show Photos go here: Air Show Galleries

Cleveland Photographic Society, 125th Anniversary Exhibition

2011-01-22T10:28:00.001-05:00

The Cleveland State Art Gallery will be hosting the Cleveland Photographic Society's 125th Anniversay Exhibition from January 21 to March 12. On Saturday January 22nd you can meet some of the photographers from 2pm - 3:30pm. Check it out if you get a chance.

The Gallery is located at 2307 Chester Ave, Cleveland Ohio

Go here for more info Cleveland State Art Gallery

Monday, January 21 – Saturday, March 12
CSU Art Gallery, Gallery C
CPS AT 125: Cleveland Photographic Society, 125th Anniversary Exhibition

Here's the photo I have on display:

Dueling Rhinos

The Frozen Lighthouse Photos - 15% Off

2011-01-19T21:17:00.003-05:00

The Cleveland Frozen Lighthouse may be gone but photos of the Frozen Lighthouse can be purchased here The Frozen Lighthouse and from now until 2/1/2011 you can save 15% on all photos in the gallery by using the coupon code: lighthouse during check out. Just go to the link and select the photos you like, you can change the size and choice of lustre, metallic or glossy by clicking the "Change Product" button on the right side of the screen.

To purchase a photo go here: The Frozen Lighthouse Save 15% on Frozen Lighthouse photos until 2/1/2011- use the code: lighthouse during checkout.

To purchase a photo go here: The Frozen Lighthouse Save 15% on Frozen Lighthouse photos until 2/1/2011- use the code: lighthouse during checkout.

Historic Glendale Cemetery

2010-07-06T14:18:00.006-04:00

On a very hot and muggy Monday morning Dona, Troy, Joanne and I ventured to Akron, Ohio to check out Glendale Cemetery Glendale is Akron's oldest Cemetery and was established in 1839. There is a very beautiful Chapel there and a road lined with Mausoleums. We didn't have the best lighting conditions when we were there, it was bright and sunny, but we made the best of it and took lots of photos. If you get a chance I recommend exploring Glendale for yourself. You can find out more about Glendale here: Glendale Cemetery.

Civil War Memorial Chapel

Click photo to go to the gallery.

Glendale Cemetery Slide Show - click to go to photo

My Terminal Tower Adventure

2010-05-12T18:14:00.005-04:00

On a Sunday evening in May about 50 Cleveland Photo Society photographers went on a shoot at the Terminal Tower Observation Deck. The Observation Deck has been closed since 9/11/2001, but rumor has it that it will soon reopen to the public. CPS was given access to both the indoor Observation Deck and the Outdoor Oberservation Deck. A few of us were also given a tour of the Greenbrier Suite. A great time was had by all.

A fisheye view from the Terminal Tower
Click on the photo to go to the gallery

Terminal Tower Slide Show
Click to go to photo

My Winter Photo Adventures

2010-02-17T18:17:00.003-05:00

I like taking photos all year round and like most photographers tend to take less photos in the winter. This year though I've gone out more than ever capturing Northeast Ohio's snowy winter and I'm really enjoying it. Sure it's cold out there, but you can capture images you wouldn't be able to capture any other time of the year, like photos of the Lighthouse at Headlands Dunes from a frozen Lake Erie.

Below are some of the photo shoots I've done this winter, just click on the photos to see more photos from each shoot!

In early January, Dona and I decided to photograph the gulls at East 72nd Street, it was a bitterly cold day and since the lake wasn't frozen yet the mist from the water froze on the front our lenses. We had a lot of fun though

Gulls at Gordon ParkClick Photo to go to Gallery

One of my favorite shoots was the Sled Dog Classic at Punderson State Park, a lot of photographers showed up for this event!

Sled Dog Classic at PundersonClick Photo to go to Gallery

Next Dona and I decided to explore Cleveland in the winter, we took photos at Wendy Park, Edgewater Park and the Flats. This shoot was only a week or so after the Gull Shoot above, but the lake was now ice covered!

Cleveland in the WinterClick Photo to go to Gallery

The next winter adventure was at the Gorge Metropark in Cuyahoga Falls, we first explored this park on a Cuyahoga Valley Photo Society Photo Walk and liked it so much we went back again a week later with our friend Debbie.

Gorge MetroparkClick Photo to go to Gallery

This next shoot is my favorite, Dona and I decided to see what Headlands Dunes looked like in the winter and boy were we surprised! The lake was frozen solid and was covered with large snow covered sand dunes. The frozen lake gave us the opportunity to venture far out on the ice (Dona thought I was crazy!) and capture photos of the Lighthouse that I would never be able to get other times of the year.

Headlands Dunes in the WinterClick Photo to go to Gallery

Over the Presidents Day weekend we went on three more winter shoots. On Saturday we went to Marblehead Lighthouse State park, on Sunday we went to the Cleveland Zoo ( I haven't process the Zoo photos yet ) and on Monday we went to Hinckley Lake and Whipps Ledges.

Marblehead Lighthouse in the WinterClick Photo to go to Gallery

Whipps Ledges in the WinterClick Photo to go to Gallery

Well those are some of the places I've taken photos this winter and I'm sure I'll get out in the next couple of weeks and add to my winter photo collection. So don't put your camera away and stay indoors all winter get out there and shoot and you'll end up with a lot of great winter photos to add to your portfolio!

Also if you're looking for cool places to take photos, check out my Cool Photo Ops Blog where I list cool places to take photos in Northeast Ohio and beyond. I also have google maps with directions and GPS coordinates, weather maps and more. You can check it out here.... Cool Photo Ops

Waterfalls of the World

2010-01-30T10:25:00.004-05:00

Waterfalls are a popular subject with photographers and I've taken lots of photos of them myself. The great thing about waterfalls is that you can find them anywhere, I've taken photos of our local waterfalls like Blue Hen Falls and Brandywine Falls, and the waterfalls of Hocking Hills and I've also taken photos of waterfalls in Michigan, West Virginia and Canada.

Blackwater Falls, WV
Click photo to see more Waterfall photos

To see a WaterFall Slideshow go here: Waterfalls

The Adventures of My Shadow

2010-01-29T19:23:00.005-05:00

Well everyone who knows me knows I like to have fun on photo shoots, I'm always taking dumb self portraits or photos of my shadow.

I recently tried a new feature on Smugmug called Smart Galleries and created a new gallery called "Shadows"

Here's my Shadow at the Rock Hall
Click the photo to see other places my shadow has been!

A Shadow Slideshow

To see a larger slideshow go here: Shadow Slideshow

Punderson Sled Dog Races and Exploring Cleveland in the Wintertime

2010-01-13T22:02:00.003-05:00

On Saturday January 9th I experienced my first sled dog race at Punderson State Park, it was a fun event to photograph, the dogs really get excited about racing and are eager to pull the sleds around the track. It's a great photo op and I'm planning on going back next year.

Click the photo to see more...

Then on Sunday, Dona and I decided to explore Cleveland in the Winter, first we headed down to Wendy Park and the Old Coast Guard Station on Whiskey Island, then we got some photos from the upper level of Edgewater Park, and finally we got some photos from the Flats. Here's a slide show of my Cleveland Photos....

Click the Slideshow to go to the gallery...

If you are looking for fun places to take photos in Northeast Ohio then check out my Cool Photo Ops Blog.

A Cold Day at Gordon Park

2010-01-04T19:36:00.004-05:00

A lot of photographers put their camera's away when the snow starts to fall and the temperatures drop, but I like taking photos all year long, so last Saturday Dona and I decided to brave the cold weather and head downtown to Gordon Park and photograph the gulls.

It was colder than I thought it would be and the mist from the lake froze on our camera lenses as we took photos of the gulls and the ice formations. It was a lot of fun though and well worth the trip to get some shots during Cleveland's cold winter months.

Click on the photo to see more photos from Gordon Park

Here's one of Dona's photos:

Click the photo to go to Dona's Gordon Park Photos

If you'd like to photograph the gulls at Gordon Park, here's a google map, just click the camera icon to get directions from your location.

View E72 St Gull Photo Shoot in a larger map

Have Fun!

and remember if you are looking for fun places to take photos in Northeast Ohio, then check out my Cool Photo Ops Blog

Digital Images 20% Discount!

2009-12-30T21:14:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone, to thank everyone who has visited my Digital Images website I'm offering a 20% discount on all photos purchased over the New Year's weekend. (12/31/09 thru 1/3/10)

All you have to do is go to Digital Images by Ron Skinner, place your photo order and then during checkout enter the coupon code and you'll get 20% off the price of the photos.

Thanks for visiting my site and have a Happy New Year!!!

Note: If you have a Smugmug Pro account and want to create your own coupons, go here to find out how.... Smugmug Coupons

If you're a photographer and don't have a Smugmug account and would like to sign up for an account or try Smugmug for the 14 day Free trial period then go here Smugmug and then click "try it" and you will save $5 off the price of an account.

You can also enter this code aUvDzphm1l71Y in the Smugmug signup form to get $5 off.

Smugmug is a pretty cool photo sharing site, if you get a Power User or Pro Account you can customize your site so it looks just the way you want it and different from everone else's site.

I customized my site, you can check it out here: Digital Images by Ron Skinner

My Holiday Lights Adventure

2009-12-24T09:29:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone, last night I enjoyed taking photos of the holiday lights in downtown Cleveland with some of my photographer friends, it was a little cold but we had a great time capturing images of the Terminal Tower from various locations in the Flats and also taking photos of the holiday lights on Public Square. The lighting on the Terminal Tower is pretty cool, the top is lit with red and green lights and the lighting changes every now and then to give the Tower a different look. Check it out if you get a chance.

Click the photo to go to the gallery

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2009-12-21T17:26:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!

and Happy Holidays!!!

Digital Images 15% Discount

2009-12-05T20:12:00.004-05:00

Hi Everyone one as a way of saying thanks to everyone who visited my photograhy site Digital Images by Ron Skinner and my Cool Photo Ops Blog I'm offering a 15% discount on all photos until 12/31/2009

To take advantage of this offer do the following

Go to my Digital Images by Ron Skinner site

Select the photos you want to order

Enter the code: holiday09 during checkout!

Thanks!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

2009-11-26T09:37:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-06T16:37:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

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The Baloney Head Version

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Labor Day Weekend Fun

2009-09-08T16:25:00.005-04:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their Labor Day Weekend. I really enjoyed mine. On Saturday I met up with some of my photographer friends and started out the day by exploring the Veterans Memorial Bridge. The lower portion of the bridge was open for self guided tours. This section of the bridge was once used for trolley cars. They open the bridge to the public for tours a couple of times a year, usually around Memorial Day and Labor Day.

After touring the bridge, we then explored the Flats for a few hours and enjoyed lunch at the Flat Iron Cafe

Next we headed to Wendy Park to get shots of the Thunderbirds who were performing at the Cleveland Air Show

Then on Monday, we attended the Cleveland Air Show, we saw stunt planes and wing walkers and lots of other stuff, but later in the day the weather turned bad and the Thunderbirds had to cancel their show.