Its late and I just got in from shooting by the light of the moon. Wow - this was too much fun! Straight away I have to thank my wife and daughter for letting me take off this afternoon and go on this trip. I never thank them enough for letting me run around doing what I love.

This shot was taken of Blackwater Falls which is being front lit by the full moon, which is streaming down the canyon. Shot with a Canon 1D Mark IV at ISO 1600 this shot was only processed in PS using NIKs Dfine 2 and then cropped. What a blast shooting in pitch dark surroundings. I am just blown away by this new sensor that Canon has produced. I shot similar shots at ISO 5000, which look just as good (or bad depending on your perspective).

The only down side about shooting at night is trying to compose your shots...it was a little dark out. Oh well need to get some sleep so I can make sunrise.

Cheers!

This shot was taken near Thomas West Virginia on a recent trip. The amount of snow that they have been getting near Cannan Valley has really provided some spectacular views.

I decided to use the blog image (second image) for this mirrored diptych, which I submitted to The Mindful Eye for review. Every couple of weeks TME has an assignment under their community section that encourages photographers to get out and have fun. Definitely worth checking out if you have not already.

Cheers

I constantly watch the weather and use Stephen Trainor's Photographer's Ephemeris to try and find a good place to shoot on the weekends. Typically, it comes down to whether they are predicting any clouds or not and the hour of the sunrise. Usually what happens is i will wake up around 4AM and have a look at the sky to determine whether its a go or not.

Lately, if I don't make it out on Saturday then Sunday becomes a go either way day. This weekend was one of those scenarios. Saturday I woke to perfectly clear skies and decided to get back under the covers and wait for a better sky. Sometimes it works out sometimes it does not. No worries.

So today I decided to shoot the sunrise over the Jefferson Memorial. According to the Ephemeris the sun would be rising directly behind the memorial as viewed from the reflecting pool and the forecast was predicting clody skies.

When I left for DC I saw that there weren't any breaks in the cloudy skies. I thought about it as I drove and I realized that 90% of the shooting that I do is simply practice. I just like to shoot so much that even if I don't get a usable shot at least I am out there trying and hopefully learning as I go.

Today the sun never broke through - there was just an nice overcast sky with a flat soft light. I ran into a couple of young men who asked me what I was doing as I was collecting focus brackets shooting toward the reflecting pond at the Lincoln Memorial. Practicing I said. The thought was mildly amusing, but in reality it is what I do every time I go out and shoot. Practice and shoot so that when that important once in a life time shot presents itself, hopefully I will be ready.

Cheers

The more I hear about people texting on their cell phones and the new distracted driving laws the more I become paranoid about the way I like to spend time while driving. My wife bought me a harmonica for Christmas and now it is a rare moment that I am not practicing while I am driving down the road. My concern here is that they will make a law against making music while driving. If they do, I will obey it but until then... (I am not trying to make light of the problem - just kidding around.)

Well this morning I missed my train and on top of it I left my harmonica in my other jacket, so I had to find a new way to pass the time while I sat in the stop and go traffic. I decided that I could substitute my point and shoot for the harmonica (which I purchased as a way to always have a camera with me) and thereby pass the time.

What a blast I had. Just the act of composing shots and shooting was awesome, following the strict rule of the game to only shoot when the traffic comes to a stop (which I followed most of the time). This approach fit right in with the process I have adopted after spending time shooting with George who kept reiterating one of Craig Tanner's mantras, which is to shoot and move.

Just giving myself the permission to let go of the worry of composing good shots and just firing away was refreshing. There are so many aspects to photography and I am not sure which one I love the most. Is it the end result or the means? I know I love it all, There is nothing like the feel of a camera in your hand and the anticipation that you get the moment the shutter clicks.

Cheers