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

Milburn Country Club burns into the night...

The Milburn Country Club located in Overland Park, Ks caught fire tonight and burns well past sunset.  The smoke was blown over the neighborhoods to the east and south, and was so thick at times that it slowed traffic to a standstill.

http://www.tblphotography.com/milburncountryclubfire

Today (11-30-2010), I found out that it was a three alarm fire.  There had been work being done on the roof, and the roofers had a small fire problem earlier in the day.  The major problem... they never called the fire department for the first fire.  High winds throughout the day probably contributed to the blaze.

Some of the geese were on the move...

My cousin and I went out for a little scouting mission on a new goose field.  Some of the geese were on the move, but there hasn't really been a big push for them to move.

Some Canada geese decided to move just at sunset... about a half-hour too late.

What has been the hardest multi-tasking thing you have done lately?

photo by Ed Klima

I discovered that it is possible to hunt and take photos... just not very easily.  I found out that carrying the shotgun in my left hand, camera in my right, taking photos with my right, then dropping the camera down, transferring the shotgun to my right hand, and then taking a shot with the shotgun... all would be much more easily accomplished if I was ambidextrous.

Hope everyone has a safe Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone that is traveling this Thanksgiving has made it to their destination safely.  May you enjoy the company of family and friends, and have a wonderful day!

Klima client hunt...

Had a nice time with Jake and Ed Klima.  Thanks to Robert Saathoff for providing a nice hunt.

Western Kansas...

Had a great time in western Kansas pheasant hunting this weekend.  Got some nice shots of the hunters, and a couple of nice shots at some roosters.

Finally got word back from Ducks Unlimted...

Submitted some shots to DU from the banquet dinner, and they accepted several to put on the website!
http://www.ducks.org/news-media/photogallery

Submitted a photo for discussion about wildlife photography on NPR local station.  Listen in at 10am tomorrow(11-18-2010) to see if they talk about the photo.
http://www.kcur.org/centralstandard.html

So much grass...

Got to see some great representative pastures of the tall grass prairies of the central plains.

In Concordia...

Waiting to see what tomorrow brings...

In memorial...

In memorial to Veteran's Day, I thought I would post a pic of the World War 1 Memorial here in Kansas City.  The Liberty Memorial is the only WWI memorial in the nation... and I think it should be a National Park! Thank you to all of those that served this country.  Thank you to all of those who are currently serving this country!  We thank you and may God Bless You!

Love the Colors of Fall

I think the Spring and the Fall have the market cornered on colors.  I love the way Spring has the vibrant colors; and Fall comes out with the deep, rich ones.

Holiday Shopping?

Well, for all of those people out there that hate the crowds... get annoyed with the rude, pushy people in the  check-outs... I have something for you.  Have you looked at the selection of items you can get from ordering from my website?  Throws, trading cards, personal stamps, prints, canvas wraps, coasters... I think you could find something for everyone on there.  If you would like personal photographs for the items, drop me a line so we can accomplish that for you.  A personal gift for Christmas is the perfect gift!  And, to help everyone out this season, enter Christmas as the coupon code when checking out to receive 15% off of your order!
TBL Photography 

A trip downtown...

Made a little evening outing to catch some of the long shadows.
http://www.tblphotography.com/p1008355302

Random stop by the church...

Stopped by St Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church this evening. I was able to pick up some interesting shots.

Coming up!

Can't wait to shoot Dave and Marci coming up here on the 7th.  Going to be a good time!  I hope we can get some great colors in from the changing leaves!  Pheasant hunts are coming up right around the corner... should be able to capture some great memories for some folks!

A nice day for some family shots...

Went out on a slightly chilly day, but got some nice shots... hope they enjoy them :-)
www.tblphotograhy.com

Beautiful fall morning...

Went out and about early this morning.  Met a very nice couple in town from South Dakota down by the JC Nichols fountain.  I hope they enjoy their time in Kansas City.

Ducks Unlimited tonight...

Going to one of the local DU chapter's banquet  tonight.  Placed several photos in as donation items for silent auction... make some money for a great cause.

Well it was a good night at the DU Banquet!  Had a nice time hanging out with Mike, Michelle, Matt, and Eric.  Good to see Jake too... hope you enjoy the prints!

walk by the park...

Tis the season ... saw a bunch of folks out getting Fall engagement photos taken this evening.  The light was nice, but the wind could have softened a little.

Check out my website folks...

Hey everyone... get in those requests for photos for Holiday / Christmas cards.  I think you all will like what you can get them for!

Snuck up on something today...

Had a nice little walk out in the woods and discovered someone crossing my path...http://www.tblphotography.com/p229121799

Sporting Clays

Had a good afternoon at Powder Creek.

http://www.tblphotography.com/p131513386

Early morning shooting...

I like the new camera!  I am having to play the learning curve going from a Sony and a Nikon to a Canon, but I think I will catch on quickly!  I just wish there was a little more light this morning.  The clouds make for nice, soft light;however, the shutter speeds with the lens I have on there were a little slow.  Come on SUN!

Fall days of October...

Well the ducks are moving in, and the leaves are starting to fall.  Can not wait for colder weather, and those Autumn pics!

Hello ALL!

I thought I would add a blog for you all to follow.  I am working on getting a couple of appointments lined out for some Fall shots!  Can't wait.... should be fun!  www.tblphotography.com