The death of film...

Thought I would post a link to the New York Times article about the LAST Kodachrome processor being shut down here in Kansas....
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/us/30film.html?_r=1&src=tptw

Some good use out of a kit lens.

I was messing around the other night with one of the kit lens that comes with the Canon 60D.  The 18-135 zoom with image stabilization is a decent lens.  I have had some good luck with it on several shoots (like the majority of us, I wish it was a little faster -3.5/5.6).  I did find a fun use for it though.

Being that time of year with the Christmas decorations strewn about the house, I had a question.  How can you take fun low light holiday pictures without a tripod.  I know that setting up a tripod is not THAT big of a deal, but what if you just didn't want to drag the thing out?

Found a fun technique that takes very little effort, a zoom lens, and some Christmas lights.  Set your camera to manual.  Crank the shutter speed to, oh say a second and a half or two seconds and the aperture to F-11. Now zoom all the way in on a Christmas decoration or light, and focus on it.  This is where manual focus is nice as it will stay focused on the light, or lock in your auto-focus.

Now start playing.  Zoom in and out, adjust your time on the shutter speed... have some fun. Over the time, only zoom in and see what it does.  Zoom all the way in, and only zoom out over the shot.  You can end up with some very fun pics.  OH, also add in some flash.  I shot a couple with the built in flash, and they turned out great.

Congrats to Brain and Krsiten!

Had a fun time with Brain and Kristen the other night.  The little game of Pictionary to set up the engagement was a fun idea.

Crown Center, Kansas City, Missouri

We went out last night for my daughter's first visit to Santa.  Had a great time with friends, and she was very well behaved.  I thought the lights of the Crown Center Square were interesting against the mist covered walkways.

Follow the link below to the panoramic that was comprised of 11 different shots (with the one above being one of them).

http://www.tblphotography.com/p309568230/e262ca734

Congrats to Emily Warman and Jordan Pokorny!

Had a great time with Emily and Jordan the other night. They had such a cute wedding, even though the wind and the cold were blowing outside.  Congrats you two!

Had a nice morning in the woods....

Went to a little area south of town owned by a friend of mine in search of venison for the freezer.  Well the deer did not want to show themselves; however, I was able to sneak some photos of the visiting birds.

This guy reminded me of Woody Woodpecker.  It was amazing... the flits of black on white with the stark red head zipping through the timber.  

http://www.tblphotography.com/birds

"The Red-headed Woodpecker has a large range, inhabiting much of the eastern half of the United States. Native to the United States and Canada, this bird prefers temperate, subtropical, or tropical forest and grassland ecosystems as well as savannas and even rural and urban areas. The global population of this bird is not specifically quantified but shows significant and rapid signs of decline that necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Red-headed Woodpecker is Near Threatened." - whatbird.com

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/678/overview/Red-headed_Woodpecker.aspx

Trying to get into the spirit...

I was out driving around today... thinking of the problems that I have.  You know, the everyday problems that we all have.  Thinking about bills, and the raising of my little girl, and all that stuff.  Now, did I mention that I was driving around the area of 7th and Troost looking for cool things to photograph.  As I am driving along, I see people on the side of the road on just about every corner apparently happy to have shoes on their feet.  I saw one guy smiling with three teeth as he sipped on something hot.  I could see his ragged smile through the steam wafting up from the cup.  Times like that make me reflect on the fact that I am typing this on my computer, in my home, in the heat provided by my furnace...  Be thankful for what we have, for we may not have it tomorrow.  God Bless and Merry Christmas to everyone!

HOT Glass!

Went to Colorfields open house today.  Had fun shooting Bret showing Rachel how to pull a flower out of some molten glass.

See more on the Facebook Page :
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39462&id=163776173647557

The Sitton's Christmas photos...

Had a fun time with Amber and Lucas tonight.  I am very glad that they love their pics!

 

http://www.tblphotography.com/lucasandamber