Sunrise/Sunset

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Sunset At The Patriotic Barn

If you read this blog then you know that I love barns. I love old barns because I think that they photograph so well. This is one of my favorite barns to photograph, and that is saying something. I love the look of the barn as well as the flags on either end of it. If the conditions are right I love to make a quick stop on my way to Indiana State.

Going Black and White

This was a photo that looked good in color, but I thought that it would also look good in black and white. I thought a retro black and white photo would suit this scene. I wanted it to look like it could have come from any era. In the end I think that I accomplished my goal. As this post goes live I will be on my way to Indiana State again. I hope that something interesting is happening as I pass this barn.

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Nashville Shines During the Blue Hour

Every morning that I was in Nashville I set my alarm to make a picture of the view out of my hotel room. On my first night here I made a blue hour picture that I thought was pretty cool. That is until I saw this scene Saturday morning. I nearly overslept, but I woke up just in time to make this photo. This was the first photo that I made, and it was the best one that I made. This town is so cool for so many reasons, but the way that it looks in good light is a huge plus.

Working A Scene

As I said I made many pictures out of my hotel window while in Nashville. I kept shooting and shooting when I thought the light was right. I made some images that I liked, but it wasn’t until I made this that I knew that I had made the picture. I still think that I could do better, but time and conditions were not on my side.

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Hanging Out Just Outside of the Hilbert Circle Theatre

I made this photo just before heading in to the John Williams concert in early February. As I was driving up to the circle the light was starting to look nice. I hurried up and parked to make a few photos. I was only armed with my iPhone so I knew I was not going to make any award winners, but it is still nice to make some photos when the light is good. Here I liked the warm lights of the theatre against the blue sky.

Playing With An Idea

As I said above this photo was never meant to win any awards. It was really just me playing around with an idea. I wanted to see just what I could do with my phone. I decided to try a nine photo panoramic to see how Lightroom would handle it. I was surprised when it went right through with no problem. Sometimes Lightroom does not like certain kinds of panos. This one seemed like a slam dunk for it.

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Stopping By The Mars Cheese Castle

At the end of last year on my way up to Milwaukee I stopped by the Mars Cheese Castle. I have always wanted to stop here, and I had a little extra time on my hands so why not? Of course it was not that late, but the castle was close. A plain white van sat out in front so I didn’t have a shot that way either. I decided to just focus on the sign as it looked pretty cool at the time. Any time you put a Green Bay Packer flag on something I will probably take a picture of it.

Exercising A Little Patience

This sign used to always read ‘Mars Cheese Castle.’ Of course now it has been upgraded so that the bottom portion of the board has specials and other enticements to get you to pull off of the highway. By hanging out in the cold for just a minute more I was able to the full sign the way that I wanted it. It was not a long wait, but a worthy wait.

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Blue Hour At Mackey Arena

There are certain times of the day when the Purdue sports facilities just shine. I love being at Folk Field as the sun is going down. The basketball arena here looks best at blue hour usually. Here just after the sunset Mackey Arena looks pretty good. I think it is the hue of the lights and the way that they play with the blue sky that make it great for me. I made this on one of my Purdue photo walks a couple of years ago. We are nearly two months into the year, and I have yet to do that this year. That might have to change soon.

Big Game For the Boilers Tonight

Tonight is a big game for the Purdue basketball team. They have had a great season, but lately things have not been going their way. The good news is that the we are not into March yet. When this team is firing on all cylinders they can do anything that they want to do. Tonight will be the first step in what should be an amazing finish to this season.

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Capturing A Tourist Town At Blue Hour

Every year when we visit Ocean City, Maryland I take some time to go out and capture some scenes in good light. Of course with a big group most of the time we end up out eating at that time. This was a rare night when we were at the condo during blue hour. I went downstairs and out the door to this view. I loved the blue sky with the golden lights of the city below. These are the photos that I don’t plan that I often like the best when it is all said and done.

Using the Canon 24-105mm Lens

If you read this blog regularly then you are already sighing. I bought the lens a few years ago for our trip to the shore, and I have overused it ever since then. When you are just out walking around having a range of 24-105mm is amazing. You can get a fairly wide angle photo like the one above, or you can zoom in for details. I use the 105mm end much more than I thought that I would. This year when we go I will have the version II of the lens. So far it seems sharper, but at this point in the digital world it could just be my eyes telling me what I want to see.

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Finding Some Color In The Winter

As the grey colors of winter start to pile on you start to look for color anywhere. The photo above was made one night when the sky graced us with a little color. It seems like every night has a boring grey sunset unless I am indoors shooting and event, and then the colors pop out. Here I was lucky enough to be around when some color appeared.

Beating The Winter Blues

What do you do to beat the winter blues? I have sports to help break it up a little, but even then a short dry spell in jobs can leave me looking for something to shoot. How do you get over the lack of color in the winter?

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“My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.” – Winston Churchill

Six Years Ago Today

These are the posts that are easy to write. Six years ago today I was walking into the Lafayette Brewing Company when I held the door for a woman who was walking in from the other direction. That woman is now my wife. Six years later I still can’t understand why she agreed to see me again after that night. For some reason she did, and we are still going strong. I usually write these blog posts the night before and set them to post the next day. The time I chose to do that is 9:27 because that is her birthday. It is amazing just how much my life has changed in the short time since I held the door for her. You never know when that thing that will change your life will happen to you.

About The Photo

I made this photo as we were walking across the street after celebrating our anniversary. I always love this view of Lafayette down Main Street so I usually bring my camera when we go out to eat. I made this photo shortly before picking up the 11-24mm lens. Of course the 17-40mm lens that I made this with has gotten very little use since that time. It was a good lens for me, but now it just sits in my closet unless I need a remote set up.

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Photographing The Sunrise In Austin, Texas

The last two times that I have been to Austin I really did not get out much to photograph the city. It looks like a great place to be, but we were there for a festival. That pretty much takes up all of your waking hours. This spring I will be back with a little more free time to explore the city. This is such a cool place that I can’t wait to see more of it.

I Need To Stop Watching Movies

Maybe not stop watching them, but being influenced so much by them. This edit was done shortly after watching Blade Runner 2049. As I think about that I laugh because this looks a lot like the cover art for the movie. I love the warm light embracing the city though. If I could see the world like the cinematographer for that movie Roger Deakins I will be doing pretty good anyway.