August 10
11:51 am
Wow, this summer is flying by pretty fast. Things have been crazy with work and school but I’m down to my last two semesters! Hopefully I’ll get some downtime over the next two weeks and become an active member of society again. The picture above is of Maggie and Mya on our way to San Antonio, TX. Maggie is almost 2 years old (5 more days) and Mya is growing up fast!
January 5
10:53 pm
Wow, last semester kicked by butt; I’m glad it’s over! It’s sad to think that I didn’t write a blog post all semester. I’d recommend you add my Flickr photostream to your rss reader instead of my blog feed 
, at least I always post to Flickr and you’d know I was still alive.
I put together a collection of my favorite images from my first year of photography over on my Flickr site. It’s crazy to think I’ve only been doing this for a little over a year, but it has become one of my favorite things to do; I just need more time to do it. Brandon and I went to a Joe McNally lighting seminar in Houston; it was awsome! I’ve read Joe’s blog all year and his books are a must read for any photographer, so to see him in person was by far the highlight of my year. The only problem is I left the seminar regretting the fact that I own Canon equipment; Joe does everything with Nikon equipment and it doesn’t take him long to show you why Nikon is kicking Canon’s butt in flash photography.
Since it’s now 2010 I know I should make a new year resolution, but I think setting out some goals would be a better idea.
Goal 1: Take More Photos
As a beginning photographer you can never take enough photos. I’m a bit of an equipment junky, I see a shot and immediately want to purchase equipment so I can take that type of photo. In 2010 I want to start pushing the limits of what I can do with all the equipment I currently own (and it’s more than enough to make some damn good shots). I want to buy the Canon 5D mark III next year because my 40D is dead from taking too many photos not because it’s the hot new camera; like how I snuck a purchase into the goal, lol
Goal 2: Be Healthy and Happy
With juggling work and school my health tends to take a low priority and my quality of life tends to be nil. I want to focus more on making sure I’m around in 10 years so I can actually use my degree.
Goal 3: Put the Toys Away
I’ve lived the bachelor life for quite awhile, and looking back I’ve have had no shortage of toys, trips, and fun. I want to try and go a year without buying everything I want and try to limit it to what I need. I know several of you are laughing you ass off right now, but you’re the people I expect to help me stick to this
Well, that’s enough writing for me. See you in another six months….
Goal 4: Update This Website
…… 3 out of 4 ain’t bad
July 5
7:17 pm
Yesterday, Megan and I decided to go to the College Station Lions Club’s annual Fourth of July Celebration at the George Bush Presidential Library. I’ve heard about this event for several years from my friend Adam, who plays with the Brazos Valley Symphony, but I’ve never made it out due to the fact it usually rains.
When we arrived at 8PM it was over a 100°F, but luckily there was a strong breeze and the temperature quickly dropped to the mid 90s. There were several events for families and kids and various performers on stage. The Brazos Valley Symphony was the last to perform and did an outstanding job. For a small community the fireworks show was pretty good and lasted for almost 10 minutes.
Check out the slide show and leave some comments on my Flickr pages. Below are a few of my favorite shots from the night and photography comments.
Fireworks 1
Fireworks 2
Fireworks 3
Fireworks 4
For those interested in the photography details continue reading… I had read several blogs yesterday morning that talked about photographing fireworks and most of them suggested using at least a 200mm lens. So Jeremy was nice and let me borrow his Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8; which by the way is one of the best pieces of glass I’ve ever used. The only drawback of having this glass on your camera is the fact it is HUGE. You really draw attention which is something you don’t want as a photographer. After walking around for a bit Megan and I returned to our chairs out in a field next to the parking lot about 100 yards from the main stage. After I set up my tripod and fired off a few test shots we waited for the fireworks to begin. At about 10PM the show started and I was very surprised to realize that 70mm was not wide enough to get most of the fireworks in the frame. I was going to switch over to my 50mm glass but I figured I would miss too many fireworks in the process. In the end I’m kind of glad I stuck with the 70mm focal distance because it helped frame the shots and give the fireworks character versus every shot simply capturing the full firework. I shot all the fireworks at f/11, although the Flickr metadata says f/10, and I kept my shutter on bulb and used my Canon remote switch to trigger the shutter and customize the exposure time.
July 3
11:08 am
A few weekends ago I went to the Luckenbach Rod & Custom Car Show with some of my family. If you’ve never been to Luckenbach it’s kind of just a building know as the post office with a very small bar and big stage in the back.
Luckenbach Post Office
Bar Behind Luckenbach Post Office
The car show pretty much allowed anything with four wheels to enter. So there were some cars that were crap but I was surprised with some of the cars I did see; 3 Shelby Cobras. Below are some images of my favorite car at the show.
Shelby Cobra
Shelby Cobra
There were a few new model Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers. The Camaro below looked really sharp and some kid kept saying “look, it’s bumblebee”.
2010 Camaro
Overall the car show was pretty cool, although I would not recommend going to one in the middle of the day during summer; we should have gone first thing that morning. Check out my Flickr set to see more photos of the show.
June 27
6:56 pm
I just finished some quick edits on the photos from my Fredericksburg trip and I’m in the process of uploading them to Flickr.
There are two sets:
The photos are still uploading so it might be an hour or so before everything is done.
When I get some time I’ll blog a bit about the trip; It was a blast!
June 13
11:24 pm
Last weekend we celebrated my little bother’s graduation from Marine boot camp! It was the first time I had seen this much of my family in quite some time. I am very proud of Ethan and I am honored that he has chosen to protect and serve our country. Semper Fi