Staying at my in-laws for Christmas and took advantage of their beautiful tree and landscape lights.

Christmas is coming!

Such a beautiful Fall day in Raleigh. Walking around my favorite Lake Lynn, the setting sun lit up these trees wonderfully!

I stitched together some iPhone pics to make this panorama. It just goes to show that the best camera is the one that you have with you!

My first real attempt at an HDR photo. I’m pretty pleased with the outcome.

Any HDR experts have any feedback or suggestions for improvement? Thanks!

My Best Studio Portrait Ever?, originally uploaded by Andy-Beal.

What bliss!

I had a great time walking around the exhibit hall. Not only did I get to see the latest camera gear, but Nikon, Canon, Sony and others provided free seminars throughout the day. Without doubt, the Sony booth had the best speakers.

I watched 3 speakers at the Sony booth, but Matthew Jordan Smith’s inside look at how he shoots portraits was incredible. Not only was he very forthcoming with the details, but the apparent simplicity of his photography really inspired me to start building a simple studio so I can practice my portrait photography.

I have a few photos that I took while walking the exhibit hall. One that I’m excited about was taken at the Westcott (lighting) booth. Not only were they teaching you the basics of studio lighting, but they had a female model “on display” that anyone could take photographs of–how cool!

Does the NC State Fair have anything other than fried food?

While taking photos downtown, I caught the attention of this gentleman. He asked me why I was taking photos and if I were taking a photography class or something.

I explained that I was just taking photos for my own pleasure. We chatted some and then he asked me for a couple of bucks for some food.

I immediately thought of Thomas Hawk and how he gives a couple of bucks to the homeless, in exchange for their photo. I asked him if he that sounded like a good trade, and after a few quick seconds, he agreed.

He was a little cautious about giving me his name, but finally offered up “Terry.” Apparently he had just arrived in Raleigh and was looking for somewhere to stay. I suggested the Raleigh Rescue Mission, but he said he had tried there and they were full.

A few more minute pass and we go our separate ways.

About 20 minutes later, I see Terry across the street. He waves and holds up a big bag of chips he had bought with the $2 I gave him. It was almost a gesture of “see, I did actually buy food with the money you gave me.”

Anyway, that’s the story behind this photo. As you can see, Terry has a big smile and I hope that his fortunes change enough that he has a lot of things to smile about.

I took lots of photos of this lighthouse, but I like this one the best.

Seeing as I’m still learning, you should expect more questions than answers.