Ashes to Ashes

There are many people in Jackson, Michigan who are very sad, after hearing that Spartan Electronics burned to a pile of rubble this past weekend. As I walked around the perimeter of the building with my camera in hand, I saw many people stopping, pausing to reflect, and then leaving with a look of sadness and loss. Most of the men and women who were in my presence today were people who worked in this building. Some may have worked there a good share of their lives. Seeing this landmark building go up in flames gives those who worked in the building an opportunity to reflect on old times. The pile of rubble was once a place where many spent their time and built friendships and fond memories. One good thing about memories. The memories can not be taken away once the skeletal remains of metal and mortar is piled up and removed. The memories of those onlookers will live inside of them as long as they are breathing.

Nature's Perfection

This image was shot indoors and very close to Easter. I found that the colors were so very vibrant and the Summer brings excitement to a photographer. There are subjects all around us to choose from. This particular flower was found along the main aisle at Sam's Club. I was a full time photo technician for many years and we had access to many different camera's to try out on a daily basis. I do not recall what camera was used, but the image appears to have a very shallow depth of field. The front of the image is sharp and the back of the image is blurred slightly. when you use a camera with aperture priority, you can choose the depth of field that you would prefer, and the camera will then choose the shutter speed based on the available lighting.

Summer is just a few months away. Get out your camera, read the manual, and get ready to shoot! Below is a video that will help you to understand what is involved in close up flower photography.

Fair Fun

Growing up as a small child and hearing about August coming was a very exciting time. That means that the Fair is coming to town! I have been attending the Jackson County Fair for my entire life. I do not recall missing a year as far back as I remember. This particular evening was one in which I decided to carry my gear around. As I made my way past the rides for the third time, I thought that I would get a nice photo of the Zipper. This ride has been a part of the Fair for years. As I was looking for a good angle or composition, I decided that I would get down on my knees and shoot up at the ride. I zoomed in to get tight on subject.

There is nothing better than walking around the Fairgrounds on a beaeutiful August night eating a corn dog and sipping on a lemonade. Wow. One trick in relation to low light photography. Set your camera on multiple frames. Hold down the shutter through 3-4 frames. There is a good chance that one of these 4 images will be much sharper than the others. A good tip to getting a shot without a tripod on certain occassions. Give it a try sometime. Happy Shooting!!

Evenings Glow

Jackson Michigan offers a lot of exciting events throughout the summer. One of the events that has been attended by myself and my family for years is the Jackson Hot Air Jubilee. This image was taken at the Jackson County Airport at a Night Glow event. The fireworks images were taken at another event and were Photoshoped into the image. When you are working in Photoshop, you can open two images and clone between the two images. That is what I have done with this image. The burn tool was also used in the editing.

I recall this being a very nice summer evening at the airport. Our entire family was sitting on a blanket and enjoying a beautiful evening together. The balloons are so colorful, especially in the night during a night glow. If you have never been to a balloon festival, add it to the list of things to do. You will not regret it. One thing that I also like about this image is how there is an outline of a woman in the foreground as well as vehicles near the balloons. Having these subjects in your image gives the frame needed scale and perspective. When shooting low light photography, consider using a tripod if the exposure is under the focal length of the lens. For example, if you are using a 250mm lens, you should use a tripod if the shutter speed will be under 1/250 second.

Good news about the 2011 Jackson Hot Air Jubilee. The event is now going to be held at Ella Sharp Park, which is one of the locations in previous years. What is nice about that location is how you can find shade and comfortable seating. I am looking forward to attending the 2011 event.