Have an awesome weekend everyone!

f/36 1/30 sec. ISO-100 55mm
Farewell Justice Scalia

f/5.6 1/320 sec. ISO-100 55mm

f/5  1/400 sec. ISO-100 75mm

-     Beyond the raven's gaze I see a captured moment glaring back at me   - 

Shooting Tight - It's Game Day

Awesome day...unfortunate result

It was the opening day for DSU ladies softball and I thought why not head out for some practice shooting with a telephoto lens. I have never covered an entire game before so I was not surprised at how challenging it was and how much I would learn on my first time out. Just like shooting wide presented it's own set of obstacles, tight shots, especially with moving targets, is a definite talent I need a lot more practice at this season.

Since I didn't have a press pass my options were somewhat limited (I couldn't get on to of the dugout...grrr), but I started to learn some areas where I could get some good angles on the action. Being near first and third base are among the best options and even then it would have been impossible to get in to the drama without a telephoto.

One cool thing I did discover was when shooting with a wide aperture and getting in close to your subject, the background will blur out and create a much more isolated and interesting photo. I had some difficulty getting the light just right and I spent many of my 400 photos today playing around and attempting to get the right exposure. I was not always successful but practice, practice and more obsessive practice and maybe one day I will get there. Here are some of the best captures from shooting sports day one. Enjoy!

1/500 sec. f/8 155mm ISO 500

The Lady Athletes

1/400 sec. f/4.5 135mm ISO 125

1/400 sec. f/4.5 135mm  ISO 100

1/500 sec. f/18 300mm  ISO 1000

1/640 sec. f/5.6 300mm ISO 100

1/400 sec. f/6.3 300mm  ISO 100

1/640 sec. f/25 300mm ISO2000

1/640 sec. f/5.6 300mm ISO 125

1/500 sec. f/5.6 300mm ISO 200

1/400 sec. f/5.6 300mm ISO 100

1/400 sec. f/5 205mm ISO 250

1/500 sec. f/7.1 300mm ISO 100

1/500 sec. f/5.6 240mm  ISO 100

1/500 sec. f/8 300mm ISO 100

1/640 sec. f/13 300mm ISO3200

1/1000 sec. f/5.6 300mm  ISO 320

1/1000 sec. f/5.6 300mm  ISO 320

1/1000 sec. f/5 160mm  ISO 160

1/320 sec. f/6.3 300mm ISO 200

1/640 sec. f/5.6 300mm ISO 400

I am positive there will be plenty of wins for DSU this year.

Bracketing- A Beautiful Day in St. George, Utah

For this assignment I chose one of my favorite places in downtown St. George. It has been a long time since I have been able to watch my son wade around and smile, but being here always brings back a flood of memories. 

Five photos with 1/250 shutter speed....five different f-stops

F/4 1/250

F/5.6 1/250

F/8 1/250

F/11 1/250

F/16 1/250

Five photos with changing f-stops and setting shutter to compensate

F/4 1/800

F/5 1/500

F/8 1/250

F/11 1/160

F/16 1/80

Shooting Wide - In Search of Petroglyphs

1/40 sec. f/22 18mm ISO 640

With the simple goal of going out to shoot something, I jumped on the motorcycle and headed toward Snow Canyon in search of petroglyphs. For many years I have heard legends of some really unique carvings at a place called Newspaper Rock and I decided it was time to finally seek them out. I can tell you now, the reason it is one of Southern Utah's hidden gems is because of the difficulty locating it. I left immediately after class with the intention having hours to photograph symbols, but I discovered getting to a location can be just as challenging as finding the perfect shot.

1/1600 sec. f/3.5 18mm  ISO 100

Shooting with only a wide angle also presented challenges I had not anticipated. It forces you to look at everything with a different eye. On one hand a wide angle can provide you with a sense of scale of your surroundings, but in order to see something really interesting you have to get very close to the subject. It does create more intimate photos if you are willing to get into the thick of it. This was a great lesson in how to be prepared for a shoot and everything I should have considered ahead of time. Welcome to my adventure.

1/100 sec. f/13 18mm  ISO 100

1/40 sec. f/14 18mm  ISO 1000

Edited

1/30 sec. f/20 18mm  ISO 400

1/40 sec. f/14 18mm  ISO 640

1/30 sec. f/13 18mm  ISO 100

1/30 sec. f/8 18mm  ISO1250

Edited

1/30 sec. f/22 18mm  ISO 1600

1/30 sec. f/22 18mm  ISO 3200

Edited

1/60 sec. f/10 18mm  ISO 100

1/20 sec. f/22 18mm  ISO 3200

Edited

One of the most important things to remember is to keep your head about you and not get lost in the excitement of the moment and in that regard I completely failed. I was having so much fun in the adventure I forget to let anyone know where I would be going. It was a lot more treacherous country than I planned for and I was so caught up in my lens I forgot to think about getting out of the location safely. I didn't even think to bring a flashlight with me and with light fading I suddenly realized it could end up being a very cold night. It was a dead sprint back to the main trail just in time to catch a few sunset shots. I actually only came upon three petroglyphs in four hours of searching, but I will be heading back soon and definitely more prepared.

1/640 sec. f/5.6 18mm  ISO 3200

Not a wide angle shot of the petroglyph rocks yet....but this is what I was looking for. They will have to wait for adventure two.

1/13 sec. f/8 55mm  ISO 3200