Celebrate the Fourth!!

My favorite holiday growing up was the Fourth of July. It was, in my opinion, much better than Christmas. Christmas occurs in the Northern Hemisphere at a time of the year when the weather is likely to trap you inside and, at least in our farmily, with too many adults and visiting relatives. The Fourth on the other hand is a holiday designed for kids. Exploding fireworks, long days spent outside and out of sight of most adults, and the food was the type of food that kids like - grilled steak, hot dogs, chips, ice cream and watermelon. Beats turkey and dreadful dressing every time, not to speak of fruitcake.
I hope that these images convey a bit of that kid like magic that we all tend to lose as we grow older. We are off for a few days to Rock Hall, Maryland to spend an extended Fourth to try to recapture some of that magic and maybe even a few magical images.
CELEBRATE!!

Soaring Over the Potomac

Washington, DC is not generally thought of as an adventure destination or as having easy access to wildlife - politicians excluded. The fact is that there is challenging hiking and biking within 30 minutes from almost anywhere in the area, and if you expand your travel time to 1-2 hours, there is a rich supply of challenging nature subjects close to home. It is good to remind myself of this as a lifetime affliction of the travel bug usually peaks in the summer and I yearn to head West to anywhere in the stretch between Santa Fe and Glacier National Park or to head to mid-coast Maine. In these restrained times when I can get an adrenaline rush or worse from simply opening my plunging 401K statement, it is reassuring to realize what is so close at hand. Not a cure for the travel bug, but it sure beats taking two aspirin or something stronger and going to bed until the economy improves!
The blog photo is a Great Blue Heron photographed at Great Falls National Park as it soars over the Potomac River. The lens used, the 70-300mm, f4.5-5.6 VR Nikkor, is one of the great values - and there are few - in Nikon lenses. If you consider the price, about $500, and look at its performance, it is hard to beat. I have longer and faster lenses, but they are also bigger and heavier - and a lot more expensive. When you are hanging over a rock face, trying to focus on a bird's eye and follow its flight - and acutely aware that dropping your rig or yourself would not be very smart - the size and weight of the lens does make a difference.

Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park

Just returned this afternoon from two days in Shenandoah National Park. After a couple of weeks of delays due to work and the dreadful weather we have been having, I finally carved two full days out to make our annual pilgrimage to Big Meadows in search of new born fawns. I knew it was really past the usual peak for fawns which is closer to the first week of June. And sure enough the number of fawns in the early morning - really early 5-6AM - was low. Instead we had a large number of very friendly young bucks along with a few does. And I do mean very friendly! The Rangers request that photographers keep at least 30 yards from the deer. This is really important when fawns are around to avoid adding stress to an already stressful situation. The deer have, however, - at least for the two days I was shooting - become acclimated to people, and it was the deer crowding the photographers. Does with fawns would walk directly toward you and stop an arms length away. At one point this morning, I was concentrating on a deer 30 yards away, only to look behind me to discover that I had five deer less that 10 feet away, and all happily eating.
Today I had decided to shoot with my Nikon 300mm f4 when I should have been using the trusty 70-200mm f2.8. I think that the Nikon 300 mm is one of the least appreciated Nikon lens. It is too short for most bird photography and without VR not very useful for photojournalist or sports use. This is too bad as it is really one of the sharpest Nikon lens wide open at f4.
We had a very good sunset - the first in more than 10 days according to other photographers - and I now have a lot of HDR shots to process.

Roadside Food - Part 1

Roadside food has always been a part of the classic American summer as much as the road trip vacation. The road trip vacation may have somewhat faded with rising gas prices, the quicken pace of American life and the search for the exotic and adventuresome. Roadside food, however, still remains and is easily found for those willing to exist the 70+ mph interstate and explore the many more scenic roads that crisscross America. Fresh vegetable stands, pick-your-own strawberries, barbeque stands, fresh crabs and lobsters, fresh watermelon, and - as pictured here - kettle corn. Kettle corn is in many ways the most American of snacks. Who could improve upon taking the icon grain that sustained the Pilgrims, proved the generosity of the American Indians, frying it in hot oil and then adding sugar to make it sweet!
This may be one subject where even my wife will not object to my pulling over for "just one more picture". Stay tuned for what other delights I can find off the road this summer.

Finding the Magic

Photography can be hard on family relationships. You want to get up before dawn, stay out well beyond the dinner hour in the summer and spend any free time scouting new locations or sitting in front of the computer. You can try to manage this in different ways - infect your significant other with the photography bug, plead the need for just one more shot, arrange family trips to places that are really interesting for everyone, or simply give up and declare that some trips are family and that photography will not be the focus. I took this last course this past week when we headed off to Wilmington, NC to see my granddaughter "graduate" from kindergarden. One camera, two lens and a tripod made it into the car - all justified by the need to document this significant occasion. And for the most part I stuck to my word. There was, however, one afternoon as the clouds built over Wrightsville Beach and the Intercoastal Canal that I did grab a few minutes to capture the magic of light, clouds and water playing together.
The first shot is a single exposure processed with Contrast Master and Topaz Adjust 3.0. The second photo is a 7 exposure HDR, with a PS curve adjustment and Topas Adjust 3.0.

This is one of those days.......

...when you realize how beautiful Virginia is. One of the surprises is the appearance of fields of lavender that makes you wonder whether you have suddenly been transported to Provence. Fortunately it is the result of a few adventuresome people who have commented themselves to the very hard work necessary to start a new agriculture industry. While the fields are marvelous to behold in June, they are a very demanding crop and subject to the whims of our weather. I marvel at the creativity and commitment to the small group of people leading the introduction of lavender and am grateful for the access that have given me to photograph their work. As the other picture shows, traditional agriculture in Virginia shines as well. Both photos are the result of a 5 exposure HDR with some work in PS and Topaz. Get out and photograph!

Remember when.........

....the Peoples car meant that people wanted to and could buy the car. Now it seems to mean that the Government can buy the car company because people cannot or do not want to buy the cars. Times are changing. In either case, the summer is time for all sorts of car rallies around the country and a great opportunity to photograph the icons of an era that is quickly slipping into history.