A Collection of Old Time Clicks

Nothing like a collection to make you smile. My first camera was a hand me down just a year or two younger than the Brownie model above. I may still have it somewhere or gave it away long ago. The twin lens reflex was my first excursion into photography, a passion that began on 620 film and continues today digitally.

A Canada Bookin' in Flight

Sounds of geese honking turned my head. I saw two Canadas flying over the creek bed at a fast clip. My camera was set up for an f/22 exposure and 200 ISO, so it wasn't going to freeze the action. Since the light level was fading, I didn't have much hope for sharpness too. As I panned with the bird I hoped the photo would turn out well. I think the bird in flight image turned out rather interesting.

Supermoon - Crappy Focus

This was my best shot of terra luna last Saturday as it became Supermoon, skimming some 37,000 miles closer to us than normal. Despite the revealing dust and smudges on the telephoto lens I continue to not be able to find infinity focus, and that's trying both the manual and auto-zoom settings. If anyone has a tip to nail crisp focus of the moon and stars please let me know.

Industrial Processes at Work

Cloudy, gloomy day? No problem when you have a camera. Following a small snowfall early this morning the skies remained cloudy with signs of clearing to the west. A ride around town for some weather related photo opps produced this industrial scene at the local Dupont plant in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Lots of textures, lines and forms combine for good subject matter.

Amana General Store - Working It

A favorite location for my photography is Amana, Iowa. One of the centerpieces of Main Amana is the general store. In the golden rays of sunset, light illuminates the store's peak and compliments the native sandstone exterior. The store offers many Amana-related products such as food, books, souvenirs and such. But you can also just sit outside and watch people walk along the main street. On this particular evening no one was around so I concentrated on photographing the peak. Maybe next time a live model will be present at the general store's main entrance.

Dynamic Duo: Mourning Dove and Robin

Yesterday I wandered around a county fairgrounds looking for anything to photograph. After reading Jeannelle's Midlife by Farmlight's blog entry today about a robin on her property I decided to publish these images from my fairground tour.

On that windy day a robin let me get fairly close before flying away. A mourning dove also let me get close before it took off from this tree. I am guessing that both birds' nests were closeby since the birds immediately returned.

Jeannelle said the blogosphere may be filled with robin photos. When robins or other feathery creatures permit, like Jeannelle I will also snap their photo - and most likely post.

Fading Comet Pan-Starrs Over Fairfax, Iowa

I thought I was washed out of seeing Comet Pan-Starrs tonight after five evenings of clouds. I didn't see the comet in binoculars, so I photo bracketed sections of the sky in hopes to capture it. When I studied the images at home there it was, the fleeting iceball in the upper left corner of this image. Photo specs: 13 seconds, ISO 200, zoom 82 mm, f/4.0, 8:41 PM CDT. Compare this image to my March 21st image (click here.)

Improved Sighting of Comet Pan-Starrs Over Iowa

Tonight Comet Pan-Starrs hovered above the orange colors of sunset just west of Fairfax, Iowa. The comet moved almost 16 degrees north in three nights of observations. Pan-Starrs is still located only 10 - 15 degrees above the horizon, roughly an hour after sunset and requires binoculars to see. Photo specs: 13 sec exposure, ISO 400, 97 mm focal length, 8:32:56 PM CDT. Air temp was 25 F with little wind - much better than the past two evenings. For the latest information including where to locate the comet click here.

Nighttime Glow of Cedar Rapids on the First Day of Spring

During a second evening dedicated to photographing Comet Pan-Starrs, the city of of Cedar Rapids presented itself as a more attainable target than the fading ice ball in space. From the hill where Mount Mercy University sits you can see much of the downtown area of Cedar Rapids including the historic Quaker Oats mill. However from this perspective the comet would be located far to the right (off frame) and near the horizon.

Much more evident in this photo, which is slightly to the left (south) of the previous shot, is the force of the northern wind. In the 23 F air the windchill had to be -700 F. That's what it felt like. These photos show the extent of mercury or sodium vapor (orangish glow) light pollution. Unfortunately that glow was also evident in my photos of the comet too.

Basketball Photography Lessons Learned

Inspired by a recent blog posting from Mrs4444 about photographing a local basketball game I decided to post a few images from a local high school basketball team. Photographing a fast moving game in a dark gym is a challenge. Talking to the professionals present at these games has led to a compilation of a few things to consider when photographing basketball.

• The faster the lens the better quality the image. The pros, whose camera bodies list for thousands of dollars, use low f-rated lenses, both telephoto and wide angle. Don't fret if you don't have a professional lens. You can still get magnificent photos by using your skills and photo instincts.
• Some pros use two cameras to get all phases of action, especially when time is critical.
• Shoot at a high ISO like 1600 or higher. But if the ISO is too high you can get an image with a lot of electronic noise. Some of this can be addressed in image production phase (Photoshop.) 
• Important. Be sure to get a white balance before shooting the event.
• Shoot in RAW if you want to fully manipulate the image in Photoshop.  Otherwise a high quality jpeg format is okay.
• Use burst mode to help capture all the action. 

• Experiment between A (aperture) mode and S (shutter) mode for best results. In A mode set the shutter on the lowest f number. The camera will compensate with various shutter speeds. In the S mode set the speed to 1/125 or faster. That's enough to stop the ball. Switch between both modes to find what works for your situation.

• Get close to the game. Watch where the pros situate themselves to get the best shots. Get out of the stands and get a position close to the baseline and underneath the basket while being professional about it.
• Be sure not to interfere with the operation of the game. Most people will suspect that you are connected with the team or a pro yourself. They will not hassle you.
• Smile, throw the ball back to the ref if it comes to you. Respect any space that may be reserved for trainers or refs at the ends of the court. You'll be rewarded with great shots and you'll be able to hear the players and coaches a whole lot better than from the stands.

• Know the game. Shoot scenes when you know the action will be intense or quiet.
• Don't forget to get team bench scenes, crowd shots, cheerleaders or pep bands. They are all part of the game and can add dimension to the event photo album.

These are photo tips that I learned from years of shooting in this gym. The team, Cedar Rapids Washington High School won this particular regional game 11 days ago against cross town Linn Mar.

WHS went on to capture the regional final and qualified for state. Cast as the tournament Cinderella team for knocking off a highly ranked team, the unranked Warriors lost this afternoon in first round tournament action. Their season ended at 17W-7L. No doubt I will be back next fall to photograph many of the same players.

Who is this U.S. Navy Sailor?

At a consignment store in Iowa City this afternoon a photo of a World War II era sailor was purchased. There is no information about him except for the Anamosa, Iowa photo studio name. Yesterday was the 71^st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps this sailor enlisted because of that event or was there himself, or served at another time. Maybe you can identify this person? Let me know. Read further about photo detective work with images found at antique stores, auctions, or consignment stores by going to the Forgotten Old Photos blog site.

Indian Mounds of Palisades-Kepler State Park

Along a road from the park ranger's office to the camping ground within Palisades State Park near Mount Vernon, Iowa a sign identifies the site of several Indian mounds. Unlike the more famous Effigy Mounds in extreme northeast Iowa where the mounds are animal shapes, these mounds are slight rises roughly conical in shape and perhaps 3-4 feet high. Visitors are free to walk throughout the mounds and interpret their meaning. No informative signs are present to describe the mounds, their builders or their age. At this time of year the park is filled with people enjoying the change of color and warm temperatures. 

While I photographed the scene, several cars slowed to look at the mounds. Only one car stopped. Two people got out, walked over and clicked a quick photo then left. For the twenty minutes that I spent at the site, no one else stopped to inspect these ancient monuments. Isn't it interesting that modern visitors drive by historic sites, grab a quick photo and dash to the next scene? I've seen this behavior before at many historic sites. Perhaps the limitations of time or the mobility of the visitor are to blame but an extended stop may help people understand a bit more of the site and make for a richer experience.

Cold Stare from Green Eyes

Occassionally several elements of photo composition, lighting and cooperation from the model come together. This was the case while in Amana, Iowa to photograph Maifest this past weekend. A bit removed from legions of visitors who absorbed the German heritage Spring celebration, this cat relaxed on a home's front yard. Situated between dandelions, creeping charlie and a few blades of grass, the feral-looking cat's intense green eyes complimented its surroundings with a message of "I'm tracking you." Apparently even the lure of brats, music and beer just blocks away was not enough to deter green-eyes from watching a strange passersby. Know that.

He is Somebody's Somebody

Sometimes at household auctions you find things that make you pause. In this case at a Norway, Iowa sale last weekend there was this old photo of a somebody. No information on the photo's front or back as to who this person was and no one in the auction crowd knew either. Besides having a bad hair day, this guy was somebody to someone at one time. I'm sure the cost of the photo sitting was high at the time and the elaborate frame indicated that this was something cherished by a family. But as generations change and the stories become lost to time, eventually the identity of this person fads.

In today's digital photography world we too face this same issue. Outside of identifying the subject and date in the file name, there is not much else to positively identify our subjects. Preserve your digital images with file tags or other means. Otherwise in a hundred years someone looking at a digital copy of your Uncle Ed will not have a clue as to who that is in the image. Know that.

Snow and Concrete

You never know what will inspire photography. Last week we received three volleys of snowfall plus record setting low temperatures in the minus 20s. This sight greeted me when I opened the garage door one morning. It is a mixture of concrete, tire marks in sandy slush and snow. Quite the diversity of colors and textures. If you click on this image you will see a larger size of this photo. It is currently my desktop photo. Know that.