We're Spinning

I've always wanted to try taking star trails, and it was a clear night last night so I gave it a shot. There are a couple of ways to go. First I took a bunch of 30 second exposures and them combined them in Photoshop, but you can see the gap between shots and you get a bunch of dashes (the first picture, about 8 minutes' worth). The other way is to just leave the shutter open for a long time and hope the city lights don't wreck your shot. The second shot is a 30 minute exposure that straight from the camera had a bright orange glow everywhere from the streetlights, which I tamed in Photoshop. Unfortunately, it takes longer than 38 minutes to set up and take two photos like this, so I may be dragging a little bit today in church.

Visitors at the Apple Tree

This was the scene 15 minutes ago in the backyard, we had four deer visiting and they love apples. Between 3-6 deer usually come through the backyard at some point every day. This explains the motion-activated sprinkler head in the garden.

Best of Worldwide Photo Walk

Sunset at The Egg, a performing arts center at the Empire State Plaza.

Shadowy scaffolding at the New York State Capitol.

Architectural detail of a tower at the New York State Capitol.

Here's a shot inside the control room of the flying saucer that picked me up later that day. Actually, it's inside the men's room at the restaurant we went to afterwards — I couldn't enter it into the Photo Walk "Best Shot of the Day" contest because I took it after the actual Photo Walk was over. Technically, it's a mess, but I love the colors and reflections. It's a favorite of mine from the day.


The rest of my photos are on my Flickr stream; you can also see the photos submitted by the entire Albany Photo Walk group; and here's a compilation of the first place photos from every city that participated.

Worldwide Photo Walk 2008

Last Saturday evening I met up with a group of other readers of Scott Kelby's Photoshop blog for a two-hour photo walk — one of 236 photo walks happening across 47 countries the same day. The local organizer plans a route and you meet up with a bunch strangers (friends you've never met) to talk photography and take pictures along the route. Then everybody posts their best shots on Flickr, and as you look at them, you smack yourself on the head, realizing how much better you could be. It's fun!

Playgroup

Yesterday we went to Indian Meadows Park to expend energy. It worked.

I Married An Alien

Barrie, Ontario is where Joanie grew up and it's where her parents are today. It's about an hour north of Toronto, the last decent size city you'll see as you head out of the city into "cottage country" for the weekend. The first picture is of downtown Barrie looking across Kempenfelt Bay. The tall steel frame with the lights is a monument that follows the outline of the old city hall, which used to stand on that spot. Little known fact: when she was young, Joanie was student mayor of Barrie.

Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach is my favorite part of every Canada vacation. It's part of Georgian Bay, which connects to Lake Huron. So it's a decent size body of water, and there are real waves, but it's still shallow enough that the big kids can go out 300 feet and still touch bottom. And no sharks. And there's a Tim Horton's close by for donuts on the way home.

Ontario Place

Ontario Place is a fun park/water park along the shores of Lake Ontario within sight of downtown Toronto. I brought my camera into the water park, but within seconds I had water spraying into my zoom lens, so I got out of there and only took dry pictures the rest of the day, mostly at the rides for younger kids. Grandma watched Claire at home and it was a good thing — it was a long, hot day and everybody was melting down by the time we left at 3:00. Also pictured are cousins Royce (in the racecar with Malcolm) and Elliott (walking with Madeleine).

Elmvale Zoo

After reading about them in picture books and calling her bathtub giraffes by the wrong name, Claire was excited to spot her first "zeeba."

The Rock Star

Here's something really nice about Malcolm: he's kind to little children. He's perfectly happy to run around the house, make blanket forts and roughhouse with kids half his age. His young cousins are always excited for him to spend the night, Aunt Sarah says they talk about him like he's a rock star.

Kempenfest

Back to Canada vacation photos. The point of Kempenfest is to be hot and sweaty, get dizzy on all the rides, and spend all your Toonies on Sno-cones. Wouldn't be summer without it.

Full Nelson

More photos from Christina & Brian's wedding in Boston on Friday. In both these pictures the happy couple is standing on almost the exact same spot. I just finished reading a photo composition book where the author suggests laying down on the ground with your camera to try a different perspective. So for the second picture I got on my back to get the entire Temple and spire in the frame. What a difference a little dirt on your bum can make.

Yes, I Have Family There

We travel to a lot of different places at work, and people joke that I have a relative in every state. It's sort of true; we are the American family. A couple weeks ago in Salt Lake City I got to check in with my baby brother Matt and his family. He's got babies of his own these days — I finally got to meet my new nephews Blake and Emmett. These guys are twins, but they were born just before and after midnight, so Blake will always be a day older. Also pictured is older brother Beau and the talented and gracious Marta. This woman is outnumbered among four men yet makes everything come together. See more of my Utah Grandon photos at their blog.

Rainbow Connection

This was the view for westbound I-90 travelers as they came out of a rest stop outside of Boston Friday. Not bad. Usually I don't resort to blatant Photoshopping in my pictures, but there was a giant McDonald's sign centered directly under the rainbow that kinda spoiled the mood. I didn't notice until now, but there's a second rainbow above the first.

Take a camera with you wherever you go — it's easier to take pictures that way.

Mrs. Nelson

Christina, our pretend daughter and kitty sitter got married Friday in Boston. Everything was beautiful, and Brian is a super nice guy. But who will watch our cat now?

The Other Mrs.

I have next to zero nice pictures of Joanie. Every time I point a camera in her direction she makes an awful face like Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes having to eat glop for dinner. Then she sees the photos and complains she always takes bad pictures. I tricked her today: I asked her to pose so I could "test the lighting" before Christina's wedding. She fell right into my trap, I now have a bundle of nice shots of her all dolled up. Sucker.

The Crap Show

Back to the Toronto vacation pictures! This is a ride at Kempenfest, a fair and craft show held every August on Kempenfelt Bay in Barrie, Ontario, where Joanie's family lives. When Malcolm was a little kid, we were at Kempenfest one year and he asked his mom if she and Grandma were going to the "crap show." And Grand-dad said, "Yep, they're going to the crap show, alright." To this day we tell Joanie to have fun at the crap show.

Fountains

This is from the WWII Memorial Monday night. If you look at the larger version of this photo (click on it) you'll see the Washington Monument and behind it the Capitol rotunda.

Mets at Nats

This is the inaugural season of Washington's new stadium, Nationals Park. The Mets were in town tonight and it was a close game until towards the end when the Nationals walked in the winning run — Mets 4, Nats 3. More peanut hulls in my shoes tonight. The Metro (subway) ride there and back was unique; it gave new meaning to the saying "packed in like sardines." This panorama is made up of 70 photographs.

Night Falls

I'm working from the home office in DC for a couple of days. My goal tonight was to shoot the Lincoln Memorial. It turns out the best place to do this is from the edge of the WWII Memorial, so I got some shots there too.

The cameras were out in force tonight; shimmering on the water in my Lincoln shot you can see flashes of four cameras at the monument. I especially noticed more digital SLRs than I'd ever seen before. Despite all the expensive cameras and lenses I saw walking around, it's too bad everybody (except for me and one other guy) left their tripods at home.

Besides the monuments, the other show going on at sunset over the reflecting pool is the bats having a feeding frenzy.

Swingers

There's a great little park around the corner from Grandma's house. It's criminal to not walk or ride bikes down there after dinner to play tag and swing.

Back From Toronto

It was a packed week of family vacation fun at Joanie's parents in Canada. We had a great time, but there's no better feeling than being home. When you're camping at somebody else's place you miss the little things you take for granted: personal space, raisins, the Internet. And it's wonderful to have Fahrenheit and m.p.h. back. But they do have great donuts.

Hat Tricks

With the teens and pre-teens around here having blocks of four hours available at a time, there's been some Monopoly going down. The kids finally beat me the other day, but it's because Malcolm stole my secret weapon: the hat. I'm supposed to be the hat, and he knows it. As I type this, it hits me that he's also been stealing my new BYU hat. That's two you owe me, junior.