EOS Mío

A little bit of history to end 2010

2010-12-31T17:58:00.006-05:00

I'm in California for the holidays, and the other day I sojourned to Simi Valley to see the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. I had a great time at the museum and took many photographs - here are the highlights. (As always, click on any of the photos for a larger view)...

An unassuming yet beautiful entrance - I wasn't disappointed with the beauty of the Gipper's digs.

Ronald Reagan, our 40th president, bronzed to greet visitors to his library.

A 2/3-sized replica of the White House Rose Garden. Pretty cool, but all of the roses weren't in bloom. But, it must look beautiful when they are!

Two breathtaking views from the library, which sits high atop a mountain. Well, it's more than a hill but probably less than a full-blown mountain, but the views are amazing.

Another view of Simi Valley - this one is from the back of the library.

This is an actual section of the Berlin Wall - this side was in West Berlin, as evidenced by the graffiti on the wall...

...on the East Berlin side, there are no markings, because anyone who got too close to the wall risked being shot by guards, blown up by land mines or being cut by the miles and miles of barbed wire.

The Reagan Library is one of only two libraries in the presidential library system, which is administered by the National Archives, to have a full-scale replica of the Oval Office (President Clinton's is the other). It's a pretty awesome recreation; I know the word "awesome" is thrown around and hackneyed, but in this case, it's certainly apropos.

The absolute crown jewel of the library is a completely rebuilt Boeing 707 that served as Air Force One for five presidents. I could have stayed there all day shooting it, but unfortunately, photography in the interior of the plane of prohibited.

The plane was repainted after it was put back together inside the library. It looks like the library polishes it pretty often, too, because the plane just sparkled on the outside!

This gives you the idea of the size of this plane - it's huge!

This is my favorite shot of my entire visit. This is quite a view - visitors can walk directly under the plane and by the landing gear to get an idea of the scope of the plane. Walking under this 707, I realized that this is the first time I'd ever been under a plane anywhere near this size. Even more sobering is the realization that the current planes that serve the president are much larger Boeing 747s. Wow!

A better view of Air Force One - right after I took this, I had to lower my camera - security's rules.

There were photos at the library that showed this exact sign where Checkpoint Charlie was.

A Reagan-era presidential limo, which looks antiquated by today's standards. I can still remember the day he was shot - March 30, 1981. I was in 5th grade, and me and my family were glued to the TV for the entire night and the following days. I can't believe it's been nearly 30 years. I didn't cover every inch of the library, but I saw no mention of the attempt on his life.

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Happy New Year, everyone! Please stop back early in 2011 - I have many things planned, including MANY more pictures than this year, and a new Website, too. Party safely tonight!

Some NYC shots

2010-04-22T12:06:00.007-04:00

I traveled to New York City with a few friends on Monday, and I thought I'd share some shots. Below are my favorites.

Probably my favorite photo of the day - I shot this across the platform to the opposite track right before the subway took off.

I'm always amazed how fast the Subway runs, and how quickly it can stop, too; I'm always a sucker for "motion" shots.

Apparently we weren't the only ones who thought it was a gorgeous day in Central Park - I got really close to this little guy, and he didn't seem to mind.

I could probably shoot for weeks in the park for reasons like this - there's a seemingly endless supply of formations and features that are pleasing to the eye.

My favorite scenic shot of the day.

Another view...

This arch is one of my favorite features in the whole park - I could stare at it for hours.

A metaphoric shot of what advertising coaxes, cajoles and prods us to do - a one-way ticket to stop and buy something!

I always look at signs no matter where I go, and I liked this one.

My friends Erin and Diana came with me, and we had a great time shooting pictures in the Subway.

Reflections are another one of my favorite themes, and this was my favorite of the day.

Nothing beats the cherry blossoms of Washington, D.C., but this one was a great sight.

I loved the texture of this tree in Central Park.

Another scene I liked from the greatest park in the world.

I wasn't sure if this was a nest or just a unique looking flower. I didn't want to touch it or get too close to find out.

Crystal Roxx band shots

2009-10-21T11:13:00.008-04:00

Last weekend, I went to the Trappe Tavern in Collegeville, Pa. to celebrate my good friend Diana's birthday, and I brought along my camera to get a few pictures. I really enjoy capturing the excitement and enthusiasm of live music. Crystal Roxx, an amazing cover band that I've seen in the area for over 10 years, didn't disappoint. Below are the best of the best.

All images were captured with a Canon EOS 7D camera, and Canon 24-105 f/4L lens using a pop-up flash. I know I could have done much better with my Speedlite 580 EX II, but these aren't too bad for a pop-up, which seems more powerful on this particular EOS than previous models I have owned.

These guys were great, and didn't hesitate to willingly pose for photographs during their sets, which obviously makes for better photos and a much more enjoyable experience photographing them.

Better yet, this hard-rockin' cover band gets the audience involved, too, which makes for some pretty interesting and cool pictures.

To view the entire album from the show, Click Here.

Getting a charge out of Flux Capacitor

2009-10-11T20:53:00.007-04:00

Last month I traveled to South Philly to take pictures of Flux Capacitor, an up-and-coming, very talented rock band. In short, these guys are pretty amazing - it was a great night and I had a lot of fun capturing these images. I highly recommend checking these guys out - they tour in the Philadelphia region, and their album, They Know We Know is available on iTunes. Check 'em out - you won't be disappointed! (Full disclosure - this was not a paid gig, and I'm not being paid to say that!)

All pictures taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon Speedlite 580 EX II, and Canon 24-105 IS f/4L and 70-210 IS f/2.8L lenses.

Jason Specht on percussion, drums and backing vocals - on many of these photos, I used a rear curtain sync to get the effect of motion. It's one of my favorite things to do - a different look instead of simply having flash freeze all the action, which I find boring in many situations. In this particular shot, I zoomed while I shot, something I find more difficult to do with nearly all modern zooms that twist to zoom instead of the old "push-pull" type, where this was much easier.

Michael Specht on synth and keyboards

Pete Specht on lead vocals and guitar

Sean Moran on bass and backing vocals

This one of lead vocalist Pete Specht is by far my favorite one of the bunch; I tried doing existing light at this venue, Ray's Birthday Bar, but there just wasn't enough light, even with my ultra-fast Canon 50 f/1.2L lens (at least not without cranking up the ISO higher than I wanted to go.

A little sepia is always good; that, along with black & white, are probably my two favorite image types to work with.

If you would like to see more images from the shoot, Click Here.

Philly ING Distance Run

2009-10-10T18:54:00.004-04:00

Last month I shot the Philadelphia ING Distance Run, a half-marathon, for the second time. This year I was a last-minute hire, so I didn't have time to plan out my shots as much as I would have liked, but I thought I'd share a few.

As wild, crazy and uncooperative as our weather in Philly has been this year, at least the weather was beautiful again this year for Philadelphia's premiere annual running event.

These were taken with Canon EOS 50D & EOS 5D Mark II cameras, along with Canon's 24-105 f/4L and 100-400 f/4-5.6 lenses and a Canon 580 EX II flash.

Ryan Hall, the American winner, ran an impressive race - to me at least - despite his commenting later that he had an "off day." Based on his personal best - he's the only American to ever run a 13-mile half marathon in under one hour - maybe this race wasn't close to his record, but finishing 13 miles in 1:01:52 is still pretty fast, to say the least. What's more, the California runner beat out a Beijing Olympic gold medalist and several Olympic silver medalists to take this year's race.

Kenya's Catherine Ndereba took first place for the women, winning the race for the seventh time. Yes, the seventh!

I loved the temporary tattoos - ING sure does market its brand very prominently and cleverly at this event every year.

Any woman who has enough disdain for an insurance company to have a t-shirt made is worthy of a picture and a smile, any day! I didn't ask for the background, but it's probably not a stretch to say it had something to do with healthcare - many shirts at the event reflected this, including some memorial shirts (see below).

The winners with their snazzy and hard-earned hardware - two classy, humble athletes who are definitely an inspiration.

To view more of my pictures from the ING Race, click Here.

July 4th, Philly Style

2009-10-10T01:31:00.004-04:00

Okay, I'm doing a lot of catching up this week on my photos, and I've been meaning to post some July 4th pics that I took from our roof-top deck here in Philadelphia. I was pleased with the results, especially considering that I hand-held the fireworks shots with no tripod. The dramatic advances of digital photography in the last 5-6 years is not lost on me - these shots would not have been possible a few years ago. I did some experimenting with my EOS 50D by cranking up the ISO setting to 12800, and while a few of them are pretty grainy with close inspection, the images were pretty workable in post. These were taken using my image stabilized Canon 24-105 f/4L lens.

The image above is my favorite fireworks shot of the bunch - rockets going off in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

This is a close-up of some explosions seemingly right above the Philadelphian - a major residential high-rise a few blocks from our place.

This is our view of the Philly skyline from our deck. I have to admit that I was very impressed with the EOS 50D after looking at this picture on the big screen the next morning. This image was captured using ISO 12800 after dusk, and I was pretty blown away by the quality of the image - this was the first I'd seriously experimented with such a high ISO setting; certainly not perfect, but a workable image nonetheless.

A different take on fireworks - I always look for a B&W perspective in any shot, and I found the contrast between light and dark areas in this one appealing.

My wife Vandra (left) and our friend Robin take in the fireworks from our deck.

My friend and former coworker Ross - always a ham for the camera.

Mr. Mike - shaken, not stirred. I love doing intentional camera shake, esp. when light is low, for a different look.

My friends Ryan and Kali walking down our circular stairs; after a long hot afternoon & night & a, ahem, a few cold beers, it took me *just a few* tries to get this one right - thanks for the patience, guys!

For more of my July 4th images, click Here to visit my Facebook photography page.

Come see me for Philly's First Friday

2009-09-01T09:57:00.000-04:00

Come out this Friday, Sept. 4, to check out some of my photography at Lucy's in Old City, Philadelphia. The show runs from 7-11 - come out for some great food and drink specials. Hope to see you there!

Super Slow-Mo Canon EOS 5D

2009-07-27T11:35:00.001-04:00

Call me crazy, but I just thought this was cool & I thought I'd share. More pictures coming later today - I'm soo far behind in post processing; I have about five shoots to get through.

My friend Amy's wedding

2009-06-21T20:40:00.006-04:00

These shots are from my friend Amy's wedding on April 18, 2009. I was not one the official wedding photographers, but on occasions like these, I just can't leave my camera at home. Here's the best of the best from my images. The ones toward the end of this set are intentionally blurry; I was playing around with different effects with my flash. Share your thoughts - I'd love to hear them. (As usual, click on any image for a larger view.)

I'll be posting more wedding pictures very soon.

Back when peanuts were safe...

2009-02-21T18:04:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite candid pictures. My friends Tim (left) and Chris (right) were eating peanuts for hours on Opening Day at the Vet 6-7 years ago, and they decided they wanted to play a joke on our friend Al (middle). I told them on the count of three to dump 'em and I'd get a picture, and this one worked - no second chances. I took it with an EOS Elan 7E, Fuji Film (as always during my film days), exposure unrecorded.

Malibu, California

2009-01-04T19:59:00.011-05:00

I didn't get a chance to do nearly as much shooting as I would have liked while we were in California over the holidays (the weather didn't cooperate too much, which cut into my shooting time, too), but we did take a drive up to Malibu one very nice afternoon. We intended to go to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, but my first nasty exposure to Southern California traffic prevented that.

Anyway, the trip wasn't a total loss - it was a beautiful day, and the following shots are the best of the group. All pictures were taken with my Canon EOS 50D and my 24-105L lens, unless otherwise noted.

Okay, it's cliché, but we couldn't resist; after all, it was my first time in Malibu.

We went to Paradise Cove, which evidently is pretty well-known, for some great food and views, and we were treated to plenty of both. If you're ever in Malibu, stop by - it's right off the Pacific Coast Highway, and you can't miss the signs. (The mojitos are excellent - we had the strawberry and peach [above].)

We walked along the beach, and my wife Vandra explored the tide pools. I didn't dip my toes in - the Pacific Ocean is unfortunately very cold this far up the coast - much colder than I'm used to on the East Coast in the summer.

Of course, I left my neutral density filters back in Philly (Grr!), so my options were limited in getting a decent image above and the next few below, but these are the best ones.

I really liked the way the sun outlined this couple walking down the beach.

Paradise Cove, from high up on a set of stairs behind the restaurant.

The pier in front of Paradise Cove. This was taken in late afternoon. At the top of the picture on the far right is Santa Monica - note the clearly visible haze and smog - I found it strangely photogenic. Okay, so air pollution is good for one thing - making interesting pictures. (This message brought to you by ExxonMobile. Kidding!)

This ATM just cracked me up. I live in Philadelphia, and I've never seen an ATM with bars in front of it. I don't know what look or motif that Paradise Cove was going for, but it's confusing at best. Anyway, I thought it was worth a few clicks.

These hills are behind the restaurant - I couldn't quite get the view that I wanted, but this is the best one.

I like this as much for the birds as I do the view of Malibu in the background.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the trip - the sign that greets beach visitors just outside the restaurant. I liked the light and chairs in the background - I had to wait about five minutes for people to clear out, but it was worth the wait.

I wish I could have gotten the surfer in the sunset photo below, but it was impossible from the Pacific Coast highway where we were, and the sun was setting - fast. But, I do like the color the sunset threw onto the water in these shots. I captured these with my Canon 100-400L lens on my EOS 50D.

These ladies were feeding the birds right before sunset, and I wanted to wait until a few were in flight. I didn't have much light or time to work with - I wish I could have gotten more shots, but this is the best one.

I was firing away as the light was fading, and this is probably the best sunset shot I've taken to date. I know, I know, another cliché shot, but I'm a sucker for sunsets and always will be. If for no other reason, I like them because they always take me back to where I was when I took them, and a nice sunset shot serves as a photogenic reminder of the moment. I also captured this shot with my Canon 100-400L zoom on my EOS 50D.

Phillies vs. Braves, August '08

2008-12-11T08:15:00.000-05:00

Back in August, our friend Jaime called us up with an offer to take us to the Phillies game - she gets luxury box seats through her job. Of course, we weren't turning an offer like that down, but little did I know we were viewing the future World Series Champs of 2008.

I brought along my Canon EOS 40D and my 100-400L Canon lens, figuring I'd get a chance for a few decent shots. What follows is the best of the bunch. It was a learning experience - I didn't get a chance to take nearly as many as I wanted - I was busy socializing, and I didn't bring my monopod with me (again!), which would have helped with even faster shutter speeds. But, ahh, the wonder of digital - I merely kicked up the ISO, and the result was these passable shots. The 100-400 is a relatively "slow" lens - I'm not fortunate enough to own a 400mm 2.8L lens, which costs more than a good used car.

My exposures are unrecorded, but I was shooting wide open, which varied between 4.5 & 5.6, depending on focal length. My shutter speeds varied between 1/125 and 1/250 sec., which worked for some shots, but I could have used about 2-3 stops more to get true freeze frame action in some of these. Now I know why professional sports photographers shell out all that money for their "fast" lenses.

I didn't quite have the best angle to get the best shots of the hitters, but I was still pleased with several of the ones I did manage to get. (Scroll down for a pretty cool series of Ryan Howard going yard late in the game.)

I did, however, manage to get pretty good shots of the pitchers in action. These pictures made me appreciate all that goes into delivering a pitch over the plate at about 90 m.p.h. or better. I've heard many sports commentators and former baseball players alike state that the toughest thing to do in professional sports is to hit a fastball in baseball. As big of a hockey and football fan I am (in that order), I have to agree with it - hitting 60 home runs in a season is a pretty amazing feat.

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The following images are a sequence of Ryan Howard going deep late in the game. It is pretty amazing how the 100-400 will bring the action in close, even when you are far away. (The EOS 40D also adds 1.6x magnification to the lens, making it a 160-640 - great for shooting sports shots, and image stabilization certainly helps, too.)

Some roof-top candid shots

2008-12-08T14:14:00.005-05:00

This fall has been a busy one, and I haven't had a whole lot of time to catch up on photography. Thankfully, my semester of teaching is winding down and over the next month I'll have much more time to devote to photography.

Anyway, I thought I'd post some candids I took of some friends on our roof-top deck not long ago. I didn't have a whole lot of time to get these - the sun was setting and the light was just right. The view that we have of the city makes for a very nice backdrop

All of these shots were taken with a Canon EOS 40D, Canon 24-105L lens, and the camera's pop-up flash. I didn't record the exposures, but I was using the camera's creative mode for night backgrounds, and for the most part, I'm pleased with these.

As always, click on any picture for a larger view of the image...

Even though there isn't any sun in this one, for some reason it's my favorite - the Philadelphia skyscrapers are visible in the background, and it just feels right - two great friends, and a little slice of Philly as a backdrop.

I had Colleen and Brad turn just a little bit to capture some sunset, and this was the result.

This was the last one I took - the light was getting pretty scarce, but the flash still did the job. I'm normally not too much of a fun of pop-up flashes on SLRs - they usually a. aren't powerful enough, and b. they wash out too much detail when they are powerful enough for a shot I wish to get. This is one of those rare instances where I can say I was pretty happy with the job that the pop-up flash did without a diffuser.

My friends Kali and Chris posed for this shot with the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the background.

This one is of two of my best friends, Mike & Erin. I photographed their wedding in the fall, and I'll share some of those pictures in the coming days.

New York City shoot

2008-08-26T10:59:00.000-04:00

Last month I traveled to New York City to spend the day with my friend Christina, and we had a great deal of fun on a beautiful day taking pictures on and around the Brooklyn Bridge. While I was waiting for her to get off of work, I took a hop on, hop off bus tour to take in a few of the sights (even though I've been to NYC many times before), and I captured a few interesting images.

Philadelphia might be the top of the heap when it comes to murals, New York City has some tremendous murals, too, specifically for advertisements. This ad for DKNY is probably the coolest mural advertisement I've seen, although I haven't seen too many in New York City. However, in Philly, I've seen very few murals that are advertisements - in Philly, they are typically for artistic purposes.

And this one is a close second - a Mark Jacobs ad - I love it. This one is from Times Square.

New York City has marvelous, historic architecture that one could photograph for months if so inclined. I found this angle interesting while riding on the top of a tour bus as we approached a Bloomingdales.

I just love this building - the crazy wide windows, the shapes, all of it. And I think this image works much better as a black and white.

I didn't quite get the angle I had hoped for, but I still find the shapes of this national treasure appealing here. I wish Philly's Ben Franklin had a similar structure, where people would walk over it and admire its beauty.

This one is one of my favorites - the cables that hold up the bridge make for some very interesting shots and angles, and I liked how the cables sort of pointed the way toward the American flag.

This is a view from the Manhattan side right before we walked over to Brooklyn. The three succeeding shots immediately below are my very favorite from my shoot in NYC, & I'll just let them stand on their own. ...

The image above I took as we were walking down toward the waterfront in Brooklyn - the bridge in the foreground is the Brooklyn Bridge, and the bridge in the background is the Manhattan Bridge.

I snapped this as we looked back at the Brooklyn Bridge as we pulled away in a river taxi. The Domino Sugar plant is at left; there's a larger photo below.

These "green" waterfalls were built by the city for aesthetic purposes this summer - they are designed to have minimal environmental impact, and the energy used to pump the water to the top of the falls comes from renewable resources.

The two pictures above were taken at the River Cafe in Brooklyn, overlooking the East River. For the image immediately above, I used a drag shutter (slow shutter speed) to get the desired effect - an almost milky-like water fall.

This one just spoke to me - it reminded me of our quickly disintegrating manufacturing capacity in the U.S. - a real shame. It feels like America manufactures very little anymore.

These last two just cracked me up - the one above is simply an error of grammar - isn't litter something left on the ground?

I loved this, only because you never see it - when I took this, these guys were just getting ready to write this UPS truck a ticket!

More random Philly images

2008-08-21T18:40:00.005-04:00

More July photos - I'm still catching up. ...

This photo had potential, but I'm disappointed with how it turned out. Whenever I don't bring a polarizer with me is when I need one (photo lesson #2,344 for me, I guess), and I really could have used one here. The cloud formation over Philly's skyscrapers was very picturesque when I took this, but they just don't shine through. I do like the view though - I took this when our friend Beth (right) was visiting yours truly and my wife Vandra (left) in July. Of course, no trip up the Art Museum steps is complete without the proverbial shot overlooking Ben Franklin Parkway, with Billy Penn off in the distance. And I had to get in the Rocky footprints, too (if you click the pic, you can see a larger view). I won't include the picture of Vandra and Beth at the Rocky statue - only one cliché image per post. :o)

For some reason, I'm drawn to Philadelphia's Holocaust Memorial on Ben Franklin Parkway - whenever I pass it, I always take a few shots. I guess it's because there's a lot "happening" with the sculpture - it's a very busy piece. I love the details in the feet, and it had just rained, so I snapped this one, hoping for the just rained effect, but I didn't achieve it. I'll be back for another attempt before it gets cold this fall.

As we were standing on the parkway, waiting for the light to change, this guy on his rocket said, "Hey man, get a picture of me?" Who can resist such friendliness in the City of Brotherly Love? Whenever I look at this image, I always wonder (hope) that he made it home okay, because no more than five minutes after I took this, we were caught in one of Philly's notorious, vicious summer thunderstorms.

All images taken on a Canon EOS 40D, Canon 24-105 f/4 IS lens, exposures unrecorded

Rodin Museum in Philadelphia

2008-08-21T16:52:00.008-04:00

In July, our friend visited from California, and during her stay we visited the Rodin Museum, just down the road from our place, off of Benjamin Franklin Parkway. I'm embarrassed to say that despite its close proximity to our condo, it was the first time I'd been inside, and my oh my, is it a treat. And if you're into photography, :o) there's plenty to keep you busy.

Above is the reflecting pond just inside the front gate and outside the main building. I shot this image on the way in - it didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted, but the people weren't cooperating, and this is the best one of the few I took at the pond. I wish I'd shot this one vertical. Oh well, I'll return when I get a chance to take another run at it.

This is one of my favorites that I took from the museum. I love going to museums and shooting heads, figures and decorative sculptures. The Rodin Museum is one of my new favorite places to capture images like the one above - I love this head belching out water, & I also love the detail of him.

The contours and lines on this statue makes it one of my favorite statues inside the museum. The sculpture is of Father Pierre-Julien Eymard, and trust me, this picture doesn't do it justice.

This statue, The Age of Bronze, is in the West Wing, and like all of the sculptures at Rodin, it has excellent detail. It seems as though these statues get better as they age, without question. As a bonus, they are displayed inside, away from Philadelphia's nasty yearly weather swings.

This head is part of the biggest sculpture in the main gallery, The Burghers of Calais. I find his eyes almost haunting, but that's the wonder of Rodin's works - the emotions they evoke in their viewers.

This is my favorite picture of the bunch - Rodin's world-famous Thinker, and this is my favorite picture that I've taken so far at Rodin. This is easily the best photo I've taken with my Canon 100-400L IS lens. And this picture is also a reason to not always pay attention to all of the equipment reviews you can find on the Internet. I've read lots of so-so reviews that nitpick this lens to death, and I haven't found one of them to be true. The bokeh (background blur) of this lens isn't the best, but as you can see above, it's more than acceptable.

Taking recycling to an art form

2008-08-21T16:10:00.004-04:00

I was in Stroudsburg in the Poconos this past weekend to take pictures of a class reunion, and right after I took the class picture on the courthouse steps (see post below), I saw a sculpture at the corner of the courthouse that caught my eye. It's a rainbow trout made of recycled material by students at Pocono Mountain West High School, and it's pretty nifty. (Click on both images for larger views.)

I think it's creative, and dare I say it, pleasant to look at. And if it gets people thinking a little more about recycling in the process, all the better.

Both images taken with a Canon EOS 5D, Canon 16-35L II f/2.8 lens, exposures unrecorded

Philly Art Museum & surrounding area

2008-06-26T18:05:00.000-04:00

I can never get enough of taking pictures around the Philadelphia Art Museum - we live about a two-minute walk from it, so it's convenient, and there's always something interesting to take pictures of, no matter how many times I go back. Recently, during a 2-3 hour sojourn in the area a month or so ago, I came away with these images...

All images were taken with my Canon EOS 5D, with lenses as noted, but I did not record the exposures (I really need to get better at that, especially since the camera records all of the stuff on the memory card for me, but I always forget before erasing the memory cards).

I don't really know what this guy was doing (other than the obvious), but I couldn't pass without getting a shot of him.

Canon 100-400L lens

The top of the Philadelphia Art Museum has some fascinating sculptures that must be captured in color to truly appreciate them. The lighting on these isn't the best, but since this scene is 100 feet off the ground, I'm at the mercy of natural lighting. This was taken late in the day, but it (mostly) works.

The pleasure in getting this shot was using Canon's 100-400L lens - it really brings things in quite closely, and this was taken on my full-frame EOS 5D. If I used my 40D, which has 1.6x magnification, I would have had even more magnifying power. (I've made a note to go back and do just that.)

This is the same scene, but the center view. The sky was so blue that day, it looks like I used a circular polarizer, but I didn't, and this photo was not altered in Photoshop. I had a polarizer in my bag, and I thought about getting it out, but I didn't.

Canon 100-400L lens

I've always enjoyed taking pictures of falling water and experimenting with different shutter speeds. I usually go to one extreme or another; I like to either freeze the water, or I use a drag shutter to give the water a milk-like effect. I like the juxtaposition of the water fountain here with the man taking a rest. Another advantage to having a long zoom lens in the city is that not all subjects like having their picture taken, and I've had a few instances where people have gotten downright militant. Enter the long zoom lens, and the problem's solved. This image was also captured with Canon's 100-400L lens.

The art museum here in Philadelphia is currently undergoing a $500 million renovation and expansion, and in many areas, this gorgeous Philly institution needs it. But, that doesn't mean the older aspects of the museum aren't photo worthy. Here, a fish head has seen better days. This one is located off the right side of the museum's famed front steps. It's part of a fountain system that's not currently in use. I hope the museum has the funds to restore little treasures like this one.

Canon 100-400L lens

On the Kelly Drive side of the museum are several statues with very interesting mini-sculptures at their bases. Here, someone placed a flower over a soldier in battle, and I found them to be a very pleasing study in contrasts.

Canon 85 f/1.2L lens

This is the top of the statue from the picture above. I'm a bit embarrassed to say I didn't get the person's name that the statue memorializes, but I was after pictures, not history. I've always loved to take pictures of statues and other objects looking up, using the sky as a background.

Canon 135 f/2L lens

The same statue, on the other side of its base, had this mini sculpture of a mother holding her baby, and again, someone placed red flowers in her hands. I found the way the flowers stood out against the dark sculpture to be quite pleasing here as well.

Canon 85 f/1.2L lens

This statue is at the base of the steps of the art museum - it's a bit barbaric, but I love the art work. The bokeh on the Canon 100-400L lens leaves something to be desired, but it's my only complaint about the lens to date.

Nothing special about this picture - a view of Benjamin Franklin Parkway - I was just putting my lenses through their paces. This was taken from top of the steps of the art museum, late in the afternoon sun.

Canon 100-400L lens

Back in my film days in the 1980s, when I first got into photography, almost all zoom lenses were trombone style; that is, you had to push and pull them to zoom in and out. Contemporary zooms are almost entirely twist zooms; trombone lenses are mostly a rare breed now, but my Canon 100-400L lens is a trombone style lens, and it's taking some getting used to going back to that style of lens after all these years.

Anyway, almost from the very first day I got my first trombone lens, one of my favorite things to do was zooming in and out while pressing the shutter. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. (By the way, another reason to love digital; if you don't get the effect you want, delete and shoot on; trial & error with film can get expensive!)

I tried this technique with two buffaloes on Eakins Oval in front of the art museum [above], and the results are so-so at best. Practice, practice, practice I guess. But, I love the detail of these sculptures. I certainly don't fancy myself a sophisticated connoisseur of art, but I do appreciate the intricate work and craftsmanship that the artist put into these, which date back some 60-70 years ago (Hey, we're a young country).

If you like, you can see my best mid-shot zoom pic ever Here.

Canon 100-400L lens

Another shot of the buffaloes at the Washington Monument on Eakins Oval in front of the art museum.

Canon 100-400L lens

What trip the the Philadelphia Art Museum is complete without some sort of Rocky reference or picture? Actually, since I've lived in Philadelphia for several years now, plenty, but not to casual visitors. I first shot the outside of the museum in the spring of 2003, and I don't remember these Rocky footprints being there, so I'm pretty sure that this fixture is relatively new. It is placed at the very top of those famous steps that Rocky made so famous.

Canon 24-70 f/2.8L lens

One cute dog

2008-06-26T09:43:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, we had dinner with our friend Susan, and I took a few pictures of her dog, Holly, an adorable 10-year old mutt. The sad eyes, the pink nose, and her ear arrangement, where one is down and the other is up, were all beyond photogenic. I could take photos of her all day, but it was getting dark out, so I was running low on time. I promised Susan that I'd come back soon to take more of her, though.

Anyway, the one above was the best of the bunch.

Canon EOS 40D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens, exposure unrecorded, pop-up flash for fill flash

BOK Wildcats Class Reunion Are Up!

2008-06-21T16:16:00.002-04:00

Updated: I have added a few new pictures to the BOK Class Reunion photo gallery. I apologize for getting the last few up late - there were a few left on a memory card in my camera that I took at the end of the night. Thanks to Monje for e-mailing me about them.

Click Here to go to the picture gallery and to order your prints.

Again, thanks for your patience, & your business! Please don't hesitate to e-mail me at: rjphoto71@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Kelly Drive in springtime

2008-06-17T10:30:00.005-04:00

I have a bit of a backlog of pictures, so I'll start with a few I took this past spring on Kelly Drive. ...

The cherry blossoms blooming on Kelly Drive is a breathtaking sight. I was testing out some newer lenses, and this one is the best of the bunch. This was taken at around 3 or 4 in the afternoon when the light was hitting them just right.

Canon EOS 5D, Canon 85 f/1.2L lens, exposure unrecorded

Philadelphia is the rowing capital of the U.S., and this year is the 150th anniversary of the Schuylkill Navy. You mostly have to be an early riser if you want to catch most of the rowers in action, unless you want to fight the traffic and try to find a parking spot during one of the area's many regattas. Anyway, I did catch this rower in the mid-afternoon getting in a good workout.

Canon EOS 5D, Canon 100-400L lens, exposure unrecorded

Dance Recital

2008-03-01T11:14:00.005-05:00

While we were in California over the holidays, we went to a dance recital; my first one ever. Our friends Jenny and Paul have two adorable daughters, Molly and Emily. Their oldest, Molly, had a dance recital, we went along and I brought my EOS. The shooting conditions were pretty hostile, at least for indoors - very low light; a very high, black ceiling and we were practically on top of the kids, so ultra wide angle was called for. (So much for my image stabilized 70-200 f2.8L)

Anyway, I wasn't pleased with most of the images, but here are two of the better ones. Unfortunately, I was slightly off to the side, so most of my images were taken at an angle, but I think the two images below work, despite my vantage point.

Molly (in front) looked too adorable in her "prom" dress - they really are so funny and tentative at that age.

After Molly finished with her routine, three other kids came out and did a hip-hop dance, so I kept on shooting. These three girls were, other than Molly, the hit of the night for me. I could barely hold the camera still I was laughing so hard (with them, not at them, of course). They too were adorable, especially at the end, when they were hamming it up for the cameras.

A few corporate pictures

2008-03-01T10:44:00.004-05:00

Late last year, I shot a corporate event for PEBA at the Downtown Club in Philadelphia, so I thought I'd share a few of the photos. I took all of them with my Canon EOS 5D, and I alternated between my Canon 24-70 f2.8L and a Canon 70-200 f2.8L image-stabilized lenses. I learned two things from this shoot - image stabilization is a must in low-light situations where flashes and tripods aren't permitted or practical, and the EOS 5D shoots fantastic high-speed images. I alternated between shooting 1600 and 3200 speeds, and I was very pleased with the images.

This is my favorite shot of the event - I used a drag shutter to get a different look of people applauding, and this is the result. I could not have gotten this image without image stabilization; if memory serves me correctly, this was shot 1/15th of a second.

This was my first shoot using the Gary Fong diffuser on my Speedlite 580 EX II, and it really makes a tremendous difference, especially with up-close shots. I'm eager to see how the amber dome works on the diffuser for indoor lighting, but I haven't yet had an opportunity to use it at length.

Of all the posed shots I took at the event, this one is my favorite; photogenic people always help when taking candids.

Made in the USA: rare for photo gear

2008-03-01T09:58:00.006-05:00

"Made in the USA" is not a phrase familiar to digital photographers these days. Reliability and durability are two traits that I demand in my photo equipment, no matter where it is made. Recently, I had to replace my small top-load Lowepro case with something bigger; it just wasn't quite big enough at the very top to hold my EOS 5D with attacked battery grip. I have had excellent results with Lowepro over the years; I still own several others, including my main gadget bag. After checking Lowepro's Website, I was disappointed to find that Lowepro didn't make a bag in the size I needed.

My first thought was to see what Tamrac had to offer. A while back I bought one of their sling bags, and I've been very happy with it; durability, flexibility of internal configuration and even style made me fall in love with the bag the moment I bought it.

Anyway, after some clicking and exploring, I found the bag I eventually purchased (top) - it's affordable, WIDE on the inside and exactly what I was looking for. Best of all, the bag is Made in the USA. Any Lowepro I've ever bought has been manufactured abroad, so it made me feel good to buy a domestically made bag.

Considering this, if and when I need another bag, I'll consider Lowepro like I always do, but Tamrac will get a look as well; if I have a choice between two bags with comparable features, and one is made in the USA and the other's not, it isn't even a choice. Bravo, Tamrac.

It's not that I'm now down on Lowepro - their bags are better than ever. One good thing about Lowepro worth noting - since their products are so tough, they remain in like-new condition for a long time if you take care of them. Since I no longer had any use for my old Lowepro top-loader, I sold it on eBay and I recouped much of the cost to get my new, $65 Tamrac bag.

Assorted cat images

2008-02-12T06:28:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we had to give our cat, Butter, a bath. He got into something and he had a huge stain all over his back. So, in the tub he went, for his second bath ever. Giving him a bath is a two-man operation, and predictably, he's never happy about it. (What cat is?) Since he seldom gets one, and he always puts up a fuss, it's always a photo-op. He is my favorite one of the bunch.

Our friends Mike & Erin just got a kitten, Hank. A few weeks ago, I met him for the first time, and he's the most adorable, playful kitten ever. This one's a bit out of focus, but I love it anyway. I was pointing my HP camera down at him, and he kept trying to get at the hand strap.

Like any kitten (and cat), he took a lot of naps. I couldn't resist taking this shot.