Zombieween!!

Well new neighbors moved in two weeks ago - no kidding, it's true. I wonder if I should be worried? I do love this holdiay. It is an occasion to remember all the irresponsible things I did as a kid - better than remembering all the irresponsible things I did when I got older! Remember when your favorite weapons were eggs, rolls of toilet paper, gum or glue and, my favorite, a potatoe stuck on an exhaust pipe and the only time you worried about someone's head being under water was when you went bobbing for apples?
Well now is the time to fire up the D-3, raise the ISO and go hunting for Zombies.

Seasons Rush By

Time and Seasons fly by or in the case of Autumn in the East this year they flood by with record rains. Autumn colors in the northeast have an intestity - and unpredictabilty - with which I will never grow tired. Spring has a sweetness with shades of pink in the trees and all the colors of the rainbow in the tulips and its promise of summer offers travels and leisure - or as you grow older memories of such pleasures. While Autumn can only promise cold and grayness, it more than makes up for what lies ahead with nature's version of fireworks in the forest. The colors this year has been spectacular the result of a wet Spring and abundant Summer rains. Oh the rains! Five weekends of it. This was truly the year to have no other projects or obligations and to make the most of every dry day.

It's worth the effort!

Sunrise - actually beginning 45 minutes before sunrise - remains for me one of the most remarkable times of the day. And that is even without a camera. With a camera it can really turn into magic. No two ever seem to be alike and, I admit, some can be real duds. But when conditions of fog, the right amount of clouds, and the right foreground all come together the beauty can at times so take your breadth away that you almost forget to snap the picture. Capturing what the eye sees remains a challenge. The dynamic range of a sunrise or sunset image is far greater than that of even the best image sensor. Sometimes the answer is HDR although this brings its own problems - noise. At other times, as in these three images software, such as Topaz Adjust, Lucis Pro and Nik, allow you to come closer to what your eye saw. Even if you fail to capture the full glory of nature as you witnessed it, remember the real reward was that you did witness a remarkable display.These images are from a trip last week to Giles county, Virginai.
Oh yes, just in case anyone is wondering getting up at 0 dark 30 does not get easier with age.

Back & a Winner

The last 10 days has been a whirlwind. An extended visit to the New River in Giles county Virginia - with lots of unprocessed pics. A trip to a nephew's wedding - fortunately I was not doing the photography! And one day at the annual Waterford Fair which is held every year in the well preserved, 18th century jewel of a village in Loudoun county, Virginia.
I was forutnate to win the blue ribbon in the photojournalism category of their juried competition. This is my favorite photo from this year's shooting at Arlington National Cemetery. The military puts on a remarkable display of honor and pagentry for every funeral.This display of patrotism and discipline is important to the families and, certainly provides many opportunities for stunning photography. On the other hand, as with most events it is the unplanned,but caring gesture that carries real power and emotion. That was the case with the blog photo. An instant and this "final farewell" was all over.