Tag: Photography

Snowbirds Zoomed

Sunday the Snowbirds were in town for a show off Dallas road. We got down there in plenty of time and eagerly waited for the show. I think Sprout quite enjoyed the show, and talked about the NoBirds for quite a while. I don’t think they did their proposed 40 minute show, but the show we got was pretty good.

After arriving I immediately noticed that the shooting conditions were less than ideal. We were facing the sun, and the Snowbirds were going to be back lit. Also, it was cloudy meaning I needed to overexpose the whole scene to try and properly expose the planes. Some dark clouds snuck up behind us while we were watching and threatened to rain on us. It was a little scary for a few minutes.

After reviewing my shots, I am pretty happy with a lot of them, but I noticed that I was deleting quite a few. I had on my long lens, and for most of the shots I was zoomed out to the full 200mm. I wasn’t very careful about bracing the camera as I shot, so I ended up with motion blur. C’est la vie. Below are some pics, but the rest of the pictures are here.

Camera Improvement

I’ve been saving for a new lens for my 20D for quite a while now. I recently changed my mind and decided to buy a new camera body to replace the 20D, sell the 20D, then use that money and start saving for another lens.

I had settled on Canon’s 40D, and as I was getting ready to make my purchase I started to hear rumors of a 50D.

Sure enough the 50D was released and now I don’t know what to do. Do I still buy a 40D expecting that it’s price will drop? The 40D was a definite improvement over my 20D, but the 50 is even better than the 40.

Right now I am leaning towards the 50D. I might even go for the 50D plus a kit lens that I can sell that lens with the 20D to increase it’s value. I know someone who might be interested in my 20D body but I have no idea how much I should sell it for.

What is a photographer to do?

Daytrip Breathtaking

The day after we got back from the camping trip we had a daytrip over to Saltspring Island to visit with some of the same family that we were camping with.

It was a great day, but pretty long. We got on a morning ferry and Sprout enjoyed the trip. The boat was full and some cars actually didn’t make it on. Weird thing was when I walked to the front of the ferry there was an empty spot that they could have fit another couple cars in.

Once in Ganges we met up with Sox’s family, got some food, then headed headed out to try and find the beach on St Mary Lake. We had some trouble finding it, and when we finally got there we understood why. The beach was all of 30 feet wide. Tiny.

We spend the next three hours there. Sprout and his cousin had a ball playing in the sand and water. Getting buckets of water, pouring them out, getting more. Sandcastles were made and demolished. Rivers were created, rerouted, filled in, and created again. Lunch was eaten and the playing resumed.

I had heard about a photography exhibit at ArtSpring called Into The Light. I had also heard about a gallery called Galleons Lap. I was hoping to check them out, but I was adamant that I wasn’t going to leave Sox at the beach with two children and no car. When Beet started getting sleepy, Sox suggested I take her and go. I did, and I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits. There was on picture in particular that was breathtaking. It was called “The Horns at Sunrise” by Steven Friedman. Awestruck. I literally stood there and stared at this picture for minutes. I perused the rest of the exhibit, then went back to that one image. If I had the cash burning a hole I would have that picture with me right now. Alas and alack I have not a spare grand. 🙁 I was definitely glad I got to see the show. Galleons Lap had some excellent images too, including a very creative set of pinhole camera pictures from Victoria.

The rest of the day was fun, and the return trip to Victoria was easy as pie.

Fireworks Release

Tuesday night I zipped out to Macaulay Point Park to watch the fireworks and to take a few pictures. It was a little windy and tiny bit chilly standing out in the dark near the water as I anxiously waited for the show to start.

Shooting fireworks can be easy and fun provided you have the right equipment. Start with a camera that has a bulb setting (ie the shutter stays open as long as you press the shutter button). Must, must, must have a sturdy tripod, and a cable release is pretty handy too.

With the camera pointed in the right direction, fix the aperture and focus then get ready to shoot. Try to anticipate when the big bursts are going to happen and mash the cable release button. Vary how long you keep the shutter open. Take lots of pictures.

I’m very happy with a number of my images, but of course I had over 75 to pick and choose from.

Can’t wait for next year.  Hopefully I can make it out again.


Bluebells Nicely

I am getting caught up on some of the pictures I took in May while I was off work. I don’t think I ever posted some of the Blubells that have overtaken our backyard. When they are in full bloom it is a sight to see the yard choked in blue. Very pretty. Sadly they are on Yoshi’s side of the yard, so you need to watch where you step. Of course, since they are on the dog side, the flower don’t get mowed until they are done.

I managed to get out in the yard between rain showers, so I took some other rain drop shots that I thought turned out nicely too.

Injury Dent

A severe injury to a good friend.



I discovered this a couple weeks ago when I pulled my Canon S30 from its case. There is a small dent on the front, so it must have been dropped onto something pointy, and this is the result. The metal case cannot be bent back into place, and I may try disassembling the case to fix it. Amazingly the camera still works.

No idea when, or how, this actually happened though.

Roundhouse Refurbish

I was at Vic West Fest on Saturday, and came across a display for the proposed changes to the Esquimalt Roundhouse. I’ve been to the Roundhouse on a couple picture shoots (Oct 2005, Feb 2006) and it is a pretty amazing historical site. Here is the development’s website.

The problem is that the buildings are in disrepair and partially condemned. Many people want to save the site but they cannot raise the funds to preserve and refurbish the site to its former glory. The plan I read is to revitalize the area and completely redevelop it into a live/work arrangement that saves the Roundhouse, and its usage for the E&N dayliner while introducing high rises, shopping, restaurants, a brew pub, a market, and condos.

I really have mixed feelings about this. I’d love to see the site preserved as is, but without the money, it just isn’t going to happen. It is sad to think that the site may cease to exist in its current state, and only the roundhouse building will be saved. Even at that, the roundhouse will be forever changed into mixed use.

Lose it and save it. I guess that is better than losing it altogether.

Pictures Engage

Monday (day 3 of the vacation) I got out to shoot some pictures. I ended up at the Kinsmen Gorge Park which has some excellent flower beds. Unfortunately I didn’t hit them at their peak. The Tulips and Daffodils were ending so they were very bland, and nothing else had really taken off yet. Some of the Rhododendrons were blooming, but I find it difficult to get good shots of them.

I was struggling creatively too. It has been a while since I was out on a real photoshoot and my brain would not engage. I took approx 130 pictures, and most of those were discarded.

This heather (I think it is called) provided some opportunity to play with depth of field. Most of the plants like this I find have a purple flower, yet this one was white.

These were the only decent Tulips in the park, and the sun hadn’t reached them yet. I still have a hard time taking good pictures of Tulips. The flower is so simple, it is very easy to end up with a picture that doesn’t highlight it.

I’m not 100% sure, but I think this was a weed. It was a few feet high, and had these clusters of buds. I played with the aperture to change the depth of field, and this was my favorite setting.

I’ve experimented with HDR images a little bit. Below are two examples. The Rhodo and the bridge shots are composed of 5 exposures, ranging from -2 ev to +2 ev. PaintShop Pro took care of the rest.