Blanket of Snow

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Winter is finally upon us.  A few days ago we got about 10 inches of snow here in Cedar Rapids, IA, and much cooler weather came along with it.  It’s 15 degrees Fahrenheit as I type this.  Way too cold for me and it’s only going to get worse.  I always want to become a hermit and hibernate in the winter, but my camera isn’t going to jump up and take photos itself.  The snow does make for some cool photos;  I really like how the trees look all covered in it.

Guess I’ll have to deal with the cold like I always do, but one thing’s for sure.. I hope santa brings me some insulated gloves for xmas (and maybe a Kodak Duaflex too).

Canon 30D, Lensbaby Composer
ISO 100, f/4, 1/1250 sec
PP done in Photoshop

There’s Something Out There

Canon 30D, 17-40f/4L
Three exposure HDR, manipulated in photoshop

Brooding Clouds Over Chicago

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Canon 30D, 17-40f/4L @20mm
ISO 100, f/16, 1/60 sec
Single exposure RAW HDR, tonemapped in Photomatix
Other processing done in Photoshop

Where The Wild Things Are

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Canon 30D, 17-40f/4L @ 21mm
Three bracketed exposure HDR
ISO 100, f/16
Tonemapping done in Photomatix, other processing done in Photoshop.

Sometimes after I’ve been looking at or editing a photo for awhile, I start having doubts.. if it’s “good”, if I still like it, if anyone else will.  I’ll usually focus my attention on something else for awhile and then come back to it, hopefully with a fresh perspective; but sometimes you just need someone else’s eyes, so any comments/suggestions would be appreciated!

I also wanted to mention that I have created a calendar of my images for sale over at Red Bubble. A lot of my photos are also for sale as greeting cards, prints, etc.  If you’d like to take a look, my photos can be viewed here: Red Bubble Gallery.  Christmas is right around the corner, after all.. ;]

Golden

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Canon 30D, Lensbaby Composer
ISO 200, 1/1000 sec
Post processing done in Photoshop

Halloween

Hope everyone had a killer Halloween!

Canon 30D, EF50mm f/1.8
ISO 1000, f/1.8, 1 second
Post processing done in Photoshop

Portraits of ‘Bootsie’

The weather in Iowa has been pretty cold and rainy lately, but a few days ago the sun was shining and it warmed up a bit.  I took advantage of the weather by taking photos of my three-year-old niece, Kianna, out playing in the leaves.   These are a few of my favorites.

Canon 30D w/ Lensbaby Composer lens.
Post processing done in CS3.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

 

Since the creek got flooded, this bridge now leads straight into the water.  Fancy a dip, anyone?

Click on photo for larger version.

Location: Sac and Fox Trail, Cedar Rapids, IA
Canon 30D, 17-40L Lens
Three-shot bracketed exposure HDR, -2, 0, +2
ISO 200, f/16
Tonemapping done in Photomatix, other processing done in CS3

See Differently

Since I got my Lensbaby it hasn’t come off my camera.  I’ve been using the macro accessory with it quite a bit, which has been fun experimenting with.  I love all the detail that it shows that you normally wouldn’t be able to see with the naked eye.  Add the selective focus that you get with the lensbaby and you’ve got some interesting shots!  Here are a few of them:

Sweetie B

If there’s anything I love more than photography, it’s animals; especially my dogs.  It’s been a bit of a rough day for me because this morning we had to put our 13-year-old dog, Bailey, to sleep.  She was a sweet dog, always happy to see me and constantly getting up in my face to give me kisses.  She had one pup about 8 years ago- Baxter.  I see a lot of Bailey in him, so as much as I’m going to miss her, I’m thankful that I still have a part of her here with me.

I think it’s only fitting that I leave this with one of my favorite photos I’ve taken of her.